He made up a reason for acquiring this ship under his name that was difficult to distinguish as true or false in a short time. Since communication in this world isnât very advanced, he could easily mention the name of a distant friend, and these naval inspectors couldnât possibly fly over immediately to confront them. Moreover, he understood the rules quite well. Besides having elaborate disguises, he was also well-versed in this line of workâs unspoken rules. During the conversation, he stealthily slipped a luxurious golden insignia into the inspectorâs hand without anyone noticing.
"Your Excellency Inspector, this is an exotic souvenir sent to me by an old friend, but I donât understand its artistic value. Youâre experienced and knowledgeable, surely more fit to appreciate its charm..."
With his skillful maneuver, the expression of the inspector quickly softened from cold and hard. The inspector pinched the gold insignia vigorously with his fingers and swiftly pocketed it, then pretended to continue inspecting the documents. Before long, he said:
"Hmm... the documents seem fine, Iâll proceed with a physical inspection."
Though his words still bore an official tone, he began to walk around the shipâs deck and inspect some of the crew and cargo. However, it was clear to anyone observant that he was being rather perfunctory, essentially giving tacit approval to the shipâs legality.
Captain Parrot of the Sea Parrot vessel felt a moment of relief seeing this. He quietly approached Wang Zhifan, who was quietly acting as a crew member nearby, and whispered:
"Weâre pretty lucky. This inspector isnât too rigid, letâs see how the other is."
"Do we have to deal with both of them? Arenât they together?"
Wang Zhifan was puzzled upon hearing this, thinking that convincing just the document inspector would be enough to pass.
"Theyâre separate. We need both to approve before we can dock. The new governor of Princess Harbor is making things quite difficult, but donât worry, Iâll handle the other one shortly."
Captain Parrot assured Wang Zhifan.
A few minutes later, while the previous inspector was still idly observing things on the deck, the other inspector came back up from below deck. This one had conducted the inspection alone in the cabin, showing he was a meticulous and decisive person, which immediately put pressure on Captain Parrot who was waiting to deal with him on deck.
"Your Excellency Inspector! Thereâs no way my ship has issues. Iâve been sailing the Princess Harbor route for years, weâre practically old friends..."
He hurried forward to engage with this meticulous inspector, ready to bribe him, but the situation was entirely different this timeâthis inspector was incredibly stern!
"Remove what you have in your hand, or Iâll report your bribery!"
The inspector quickly scolded Captain Parrot, who was trying to hand him something of value, maintaining an entirely principled and impartial demeanor.
But that wasnât all. The inspector then said something that deeply unsettled Captain Parrot:
"I just checked your cabin and found many individuals with suspicious identities. I now have serious doubts about your shipâs legitimacy. Stop your ship here and await the port authority to take over and conduct a thorough investigation!"
After speaking, the inspector instantly moved towards the hooking ropes on the side of the ship, evidently intent on reporting back without delay.
"Damn... How did we encounter such an unyielding person?"
Captain Parrot suddenly felt the gravity of the situation. Although he had dealt with new types of inspectors from Princess Harbor in the past, facing one so uncompromising was a first for him. Such individuals could only be dealt with through violence and power, but this was a naval-controlled port, where using violence would be akin to suicide. Power might work, but it was with the inspector.
Moreover, this inspectorâs rigid stance caused another unfavorable outcome: the other inspector, who had been bribed, might also change his stance. He couldnât single-handedly protect this ship, so if someone else seriously insisted that the ship had issues, he too would eventually change his attitude, otherwise, he couldnât bear the responsibility if problems were discovered.
At the critical moment when the plan to disguise and enter port was about to collapse, Wang Zhifan, who was acting as a regular crew member nearby, finally broke his silence. He hadnât completely relied on Captain Parrot to sort everything out from the beginning. Now that there was a slip, it was time for him to exert his influence and forcefully reverse the collapsing situation.
As for how he managed to do this, the process was not particularly complicated.
First, Wang Zhifan quickly caught up with the resolute inspector.
Second, he shouted loudly to him:
"Inspector! We are all innocent civilians! Allow me to show you some detailed documents, and youâll understand!"
Third, without any explanation, he grabbed the inspectorâs arm and led him to the captainâs room.
During this step, the stubborn inspector certainly wouldnât comply obediently, but Wang Zhifan didnât need to worry about that. He only needed to exert some control to render part of the inspectorâs body immobile and mute, forcing him to be led away. Outsiders, not being very close, wouldnât notice much amiss.
Fourth, after quickly dragging the rigid inspector into the captainâs room, came the most crucial core step. However, this step actually took a very short time. After about half a minute, the two of them emerged from the captainâs room again, with the rigid inspector walking in front.
Upon exiting from the captainâs room, the inspector, who had previously wanted to detain the ship, now had a complete change of attitude. He turned around and said to Wang Zhifan, who followed:
"Hmm, I was mistaken earlier. Thereâs no issue with this ship; you may dock."
Having said this, without waiting for the young man following him to speak, he approached the other inspector who was walking towards themâthe one who had been easily bribed by Captain Parrot. This inspector was coming over to clarify the situation for a final decision about the ship. Upon seeing him, the rigid inspector told him:
"I finished reviewing the documents. Thereâs no issue with this ship; you can leave."
With that, he was the first to head towards the hooking ropes at the shipâs side. The other inspector, seeing such a quick change of attitude, was immediately puzzled. However, realizing the situation was being handled this way allowed him some relief. After all, he had already received the benefit, so there was no point wasting more time here. He promptly got into the small boat and left.
This entire process could be described as bizarre, leaving Captain Parrot on deck, who witnessed the scene, somewhat perplexed. He didnât understand what Wang Zhifan had done in the captainâs room to convince the uncompromising inspector so rapidly to allow them to dock.
Driven by curiosity, he couldnât help but head towards Wang Zhifan, still standing by the captainâs room door, wanting to inquire about the specifics.
However, Wang Zhifan merely shook his head without speaking, blocking the door to the captainâs room.
"Sir, how did you convince that person?"
Even after being declined, Captain Parrot couldnât suppress his curiosity and continued to ask.
Yet Wang Zhifan still didnât answer him, continuing to guard the entrance to the captainâs room, until a while later, when Wang Zhifan suddenly entered the captainâs room, and his voice finally echoed inside.
"Itâs finally settled. I can try this new identity later."
He was seen holding an ordinary wooden mask in his hand as he stood beside a cabinet containing the rock-solid corpse of a certain port inspector.