Just as a dark crimson flush spread across Dao Mingke's face, Captain Lu Ranzhou couldn't hold it in and let out a snort of laughter.
Seemingly oblivious to Dao Mingke's fury, he quickly waved his hands. "My apologies, I just thought of a funny joke... I wasn't laughing at you. What's going on here? Why a duel?"
Even if there had been a slight chance of stopping it, after being laughed at, Dao Mingke couldn't possibly back down now. After a nearby crewman explained the situation to Lu Ranzhou, the captain took a look at the mud-like cake for himself, then sat back down in his chair. He spoke to Dao Mingke in a placating tone, "Ah, I see. Yes, yes, your honor and her cake—both very important. If you two insist on dueling, I won't stop you. But for the safety of everyone on board... I must ask how you intend to conduct this duel."
Milady had already thought this through.
"In a contest of strength, I admit I'm no match for him," she said, making sure to stay positioned slightly behind Lu Ranzhou. That way, there would be a barrier between them if Dao Mingke lost control. "So, I'd like to propose a rather special rule for the duel. I demand that he not be allowed to make any physical contact with me."
"Then how the hell is that a duel?" Dao Mingke sneered.
"All you can do is throw punches, and you have the nerve to call yourself a combat mercenary?" Milady shot back. "As long as there's no physical contact, you can attack me with any mechanism you like. However, you have your own Military Mechanism, and I have none—that's not fair either. So how about this: we take all the mechanisms on this ship, we each pick one, and we'll see what an ape like you can do to me."
The taunt was cliché, but it worked. Dao Mingke's face trembled with rage, looking as if it might crack at any moment and reveal a set of fangs. "You think I don't know how to use mechanisms? You think combat prowess is just about brute strength? I've never seen anyone so eager to rush to their own death."
"So I take it you don't object?" Milady finished, then quickly added to Lu Ranzhou, "I'll fix anything that gets broken."
Lu Ranzhou seemed to pay that no mind. "Where will you fight? And what determines the winner?"
Milady looked as if she were just coming up with the idea on the spot. She frowned, hesitating for a few seconds before saying, "How about this... whoever throws the other into the sea wins. We can do it on the main deck at the bow? There's more space there, so we're less likely to damage the ship's equipment."
The older crewman nearby paused, stunned. "But the railings on the deck are so high—"
"Fine. It's settled," Dao Mingke cut him off, clearly not wanting him to continue. He gave a sinister laugh. "But I have two conditions. One: the duel only ends when one of us is in the sea or dead. Begging for mercy is not an option. Two: even if someone falls into the sea, the ship absolutely will not stop."
If his goal was to intimidate Milady, Dao Mingke was about to be disappointed. Her expression didn't change as she nodded and said to Lu Ranzhou, "I have no problem with that. I need some time to rest and prepare. Let's set the duel for eleven o'clock tomorrow morning."
"I don't care what time it is," said Dao Mingke. "You'd better say your goodbyes to this ship tonight. Once you're in the water, it'll be too late to cry for your daddy."
"Eleven in the morning?" Lu Ranzhou glanced at Milady, a smile touching his lips as if he'd just remembered something.
"Is that a problem?" Milady asked cautiously.
'She always had a feeling that Lu Ranzhou knew more than he let on. Has he figured it out?'
"No problem. It's settled then," he said, slapping the table as he stood up. His face suddenly brightened as he turned to the other two crewmen. "Go tell everyone. These two are dueling tomorrow morning. The Night Castle's no-gambling rule is hereby suspended for one day. Tell anyone who wants to place a bet that I'm taking them right here."
'What kind of captain is this?' Milady thought, unsure whether to laugh or cry. 'And here I was, worried he'd try to stop the duel. I worried for nothing.'
That evening, she heard the news: the odds on her victory were twenty to one.