Without Sai’s savings, she will not be able to leave the ship at another port and start a new life; instead, she will have to return to An Lung. To make matters worse, Sai is too seasick to leave her cabin during the first four days of the trip. When Paiyoon finally convinces her to come up on deck, she meets Mr. Lark and Dr. Pinching, two odd characters who look “completely out of place, dressed like nobles in silk trousers and embroidered jackets” (80). Mr. Lark, the ship’s naturalist, is to collect plant and animal specimens for the Queen’s new museums, while Dr. Pinching is the ship’s surgeon.

Also onboard is an upper-class young woman named Miss Rian Prasomsap, and the ship is captained by Anchalee Sangra. Captain Sangra is the queen’s great-niece and is also a war hero who is greatly revered for her bravery. Rumor has it that she sank more enemy ships during the war than any other captain. The crew also includes a scarred boy named Grebe, and Sai is apprehensive when she recognizes him as the boy from the Fens who tried to rob her.