Watching Helm's graceful silhouette as she left, Mo Chen couldn't help but feel a bit intrigued.
With her position, there was no way she didn't know who he was.
And as for the state of Admire—she knew far better than he did. Saying the place was broke was practically an understatement.
He'd asked Burningum about the navy's finances before. While it might not have been completely bankrupt, it was definitely on the verge—barely surviving on scraps of donations.
To exaggerate a little, the food served after this banquet might very well be recycled leftovers.
And yet, even so, she hadn't taken the initiative to ask him for sponsorship.
If it were anyone else, they'd already be circling like vultures. Even if he was a little blunt in how he talked.
She was an interesting girl, that was for sure.
Suddenly, Mo Chen found himself a little curious about her.
Meanwhile, back in the ship's interior, Mast and Anchor rushed over as soon as Helm entered.
"Captain, Captain, how did it go?"
Helm was confused by their excitement and blinked in surprise.
"What do you mean how did it go?"
Mast was breathless with urgency. "With the Commander, of course—the youngest Major General."
"Exactly, exactly," Anchor chimed in, "That Commander is the rising star of the Ark. If we could get his backing, the other guests would definitely follow his lead and start donating!"
They hadn't been in the banquet hall themselves, but they'd heard plenty from other Nikke crew members—how the Commander had killed five humans on the spot, just because a Nikke had been bullied.
Mast deeply regretted missing it. If she'd known, she never would've stayed on duty. Listening to the dramatic retellings from her comrades, she couldn't help but daydream.
Anchor, on the other hand, was much more pragmatic.
Killing people at a banquet—and yet not a single aristocrat dared to complain? Some even defended him, saying things like "they deserved to die for disrespecting a Major General."
The blatant reversal of right and wrong made Anchor realize just how much weight Mo Chen carried among the elite.
If the Commander even slightly endorsed their donation drive, even the least interested nobles would probably loosen their purse strings just to stay on his good side.
Helm, seeing the hopeful eyes of the two girls, felt a pang of guilt and looked away, awkward and hesitant.
Truth was, she had already started regretting her earlier words on the way back. Just like Anchor said, if they had the Commander's support, they might finally have the funds to maintain Admire for years.
"Did something happen?" Anchor immediately picked up on the change in Helm's expression and had a bad feeling.
"Right, what did you say to the Commander just now?"
Unable to withstand their questioning, Helm reluctantly told them what happened on the deck.
"You—y-you scolded the Commander?" Mast froze, stunned that their usually cool-headed captain would be so impulsive.
"I didn't scold him, I just… made a suggestion," Helm muttered, clearly lacking her usual edge in the face of interrogation.
"Yep. You scolded the Commander," Anchor said with a nod of certainty.
"I said I didn't!" Helm snapped, irritated. "We're a broke unit, not some shameless beggars. Even without the Commander, we can still raise funds with our own hands!"
Mast stared at Helm with suspicion.
"You actually believe what you're saying? Relying on your own hands and all that?"
Anchor sighed as well. Though small in stature, she definitely acted older than her age.
"Helm, we think it's time you face reality."
Helm: "...?"
Anchor exhaled, pulled herself together, lifted her head, and looked Helm straight in the eyes.
"Admire burns money like crazy. Just the maintenance costs alone are astronomical. Funding from the top levels of the Ark stopped a long time ago. Now we're left having to throw these flashy but ultimately hollow fundraising banquets to scrape together resources."
"And now, finally, we had a chance, and you threw it away just because you were being stubborn."
"What's so bad about begging? If we hadn't been begging all these years, Admire would've rusted and fallen apart by now."
Helm thought of what Mo Chen had said earlier—"scrapped rust bucket." The words hit a sore spot and made her visibly upset.
"Even if it's fundraising, we can't throw away the dignity and honor of the Navy. We're the Aegis unit, and we must maintain perfection at all times..."
Mast's face fell the moment she realized the fundraising was doomed and they'd also offended the Commander. She instantly deflated like a punctured balloon. Even her chest seemed to shrink a little. Hearing Helm say that made her lose her temper.
"What kind of perfection are you expecting from beggars?! Out there, we're so embarrassed we can't even lift our heads!"
Thinking of the mocking looks from the other units made Mast's blood boil. She was beyond furious. Not only had she never set out to sea, she also had to worry about fundraising all the time. In her eyes, they really weren't much different from beggars.
Helm got even angrier after hearing that.
"Is this job of ours meant to show off to others?"
Mast stepped forward in a fury, chin up, glaring at Helm, going toe to toe with her.
"Forget showing off—even our pride's been crushed to dust! You think I came here for this crap?"
Thinking about why she had joined the navy in the first place only made her angrier.
"Didn't you say I'd be sailing? Didn't you say I'd get to go to sea? Liar!"
She'd joined to become a pirate. And now, there wasn't even a shadow of that dream in sight—she didn't even know if it had a future at all.
Helm was so furious from the confrontation her beautiful face turned red. She glared daggers at Mast, lips pressed tight, and pointed at her with a slim finger.
"...Mast, insubordination. Three days suspension!"
Anchor let out an exaggerated gasp from the side.
"Wow, that's harsh!"
Mast, completely unimpressed by Helm's punishment, turned her head in a huff, hands on her hips, and flung her navy coat aside.
"Whatever. I'll just drink myself silly for three days!"
Helm snapped back, "I said, drinking is forbidden!"
The navy had its rules. One of them was a strict no-alcohol policy. It was meant to prevent any accidents while out at sea.
Even though Admire had never once actually gone out to sea…
"Then you can just sit next to me and keep watch the whole day," Mast mocked with a sneer. "Though, since you're so busy begging, not sure you've got the free time."
At that moment, Helm suddenly calmed down. "Insulting a superior. One-month suspension."