“Of course, I want to know,” Xia De replied, frowning. The swaying ship beneath his feet made him very uncomfortable; he had never experienced a sea voyage in his previous life.
“I am different from the others. Although I am also a pirate of the Fishbone Pirate Ship, I will give you a chance. Drink this.”
The pig's trotters stomped across the floor to the wall, picking up a chipped porcelain bowl from beside the pile of flesh. The spoon in its right hand scooped the transparent liquid from the pot, filling the bowl halfway. White steam floated above the porcelain bowl. The pig's trotters held the bowl out in Xia De’s direction, its human face revealing a cunning expression:
“Drink this. Drink one bowl, and I’ll answer one question for you. Whether you want to leave, want to know the ship’s origin, or want to know about the treasures on board, I can tell you the answer.”
It shook the porcelain bowl at Xia De, a malicious smile appearing on its human head.
Xia De immediately took a step back and did not speak, but he was actually communicating with her about his current situation in his mind.
The monster in the room did not urge him. Instead, it flicked the bowl forward, and it landed precisely on the floor at the room's entrance, without spilling a single drop. The transparent liquid, slightly swaying due to the ship’s movement, also glowed with a strange green hue under the room’s eerie green flames:
“If you don't get additional information from me, your chances of getting out are basically zero. I can guarantee that this is not poison that will kill you instantly; it will absolutely not cause your death.”
The pig's trotters tapped the floor, making a sound that irritated Xia De.
Then, amidst the sound of bells and whistles, his Destiny Ring fully appeared behind him as steam emerged. The brass-colored metal ring shimmered in the eerie green firelight.
The monster narrowed its eyes, looking at Xia De’s Destiny Ring. Xia De returned to the doorway, hesitated for a moment, then bent down and picked up the bowl.
“Oh?” The monster with a human head, fish body, and pig's trotters made a sound.
Xia De certainly wouldn’t drink it immediately. Instead, the gluttony Ling Rune behind him glowed brilliantly. The blasphemy’s silver spiritual light almost suppressed the green flames in the room. Then, Xia De plunged the fingers of his right hand into the transparent liquid.
One action accomplished two goals: the blasphemy’s silver light immediately shone on the liquid's surface; it was judged to be water, so the power belonging to gluttony permeated the liquid, overriding its original power. At the same time, due to close contact, she also gave an answer:
“I cannot detect if it is poisonous, but at least there is no curse. The whisper element is very scarce, and I did not feel the liquid corroding your finger’s skin.”
But this still couldn't explain what the bowl of liquid was for, yet Xia De couldn't leave because of it. The monster in the room was right; if he continued forward knowing nothing, his chances of getting out were very small.
Even if he could maintain his sanity within the ship, he was, after all, only a Second Ring.
“You answer questions if I drink your soup?” Xia De looked up and asked.
“Yes, I swear by my lord of the scarlet spiral.” The human face’s tone when uttering the sentence was very suspicious.
Xia De took a deep breath. After a moment of thought, he took a small sip from the edge of the clearly unwashed porcelain bowl. After waiting a moment to confirm that she had not sent any bad news, he slowly drank all of the silver-glowing liquid.
It smelled foul, but tasted like a choking fishy flavor when drunk. Although it had successfully absorbed the effects of Satiated Food, after drinking it, Xia De felt no sensation of fullness in his stomach.
On the contrary, a terrifying feeling of hunger came from his stomach. This was not an illusion, because the next moment, the rumbling sound that only appears when hungry came from inside his body. That feeling made Xia De instinctively want to find something to eat. All of this was not an illusion; after drinking this bowl of soup, he was truly hungry.
But compared to the body’s hunger, the elements and spirit within him swelled. The liquid entered his stomach and transformed into the purest spiritual flow that a Ring術士 could use, flowing into his body, then being converted by his Destiny Ring to become part of his soul. However, limited by Xia De’s number and level of Ling Runes, the surging spirit was barely contained. For the first time, he so clearly felt the upper limit of spirit accumulation.
The hunger made him take out the small bottle he carried, then use a spell to get some clear water, which he slowly drank after treating it with Satiated Food. The monster in the room watched this scene with a smile and did not stop him.
Xia De quickly understood why the other party didn't stop him, because when he drank the water, not only did he not feel full, but he became even hungrier. At the same time, even more spirit increased within his body.
“If you hadn't coincidentally used the power of gluttony to treat my soup, after drinking it, you should have already rushed in to gnaw on my stored food.”
The monster smiled, pointing at the pile of flesh and severed limbs by the wall:
“Your Gluttony is very strong, so you can still maintain your sanity. But once you drink it, until you leave this ship, you will become hungrier and hungrier, and the more you eat, the hungrier you will become. But it is not without benefits; before leaving the ship, anything you eat will be converted into spirit, which is an incredible benefit for any transcendent in any era.”
“I knew it wouldn’t be that simple. This kind of malice, getting hungrier and stronger, is truly creatively wicked.”
Xia De clutched his stomach, then released it and threw the bowl in his hand into the room, gritting his teeth as he asked:
“Answer my question: How can I safely find the captain to learn how to leave?”
These were actually two questions.
“I thought you would ask how to leave. I didn't expect you to already know about the captain?” The monster said, taking the empty bowl that had been thrown to it, but then shook its head:
“Asking about how to leave requires you to negotiate yourself. However, I can tell you how to find him. It’s very simple; the captain is in the hold beneath our feet, staying with a group of rude and tasteless sailors.”
It was only wearing a dirty black apron; it was hard to imagine what could be even more tasteless than it.
“Walk to the end of the corridor on this floor. You’ll probably encounter some dangers, but except for those you absolutely must fight, do not engage with any others. This will greatly increase your chances of seeing the captain alive. For someone like you who can maintain high sanity in the ship’s hold, the probability of leaving is actually quite high; what you need to consider is—”
The human face with fish features maintained that disgusting smile:
“How to get more benefits here.”
“Are you tempting me? No, I still believe life is most important.” Xia De shook his head, clutching his stomach.
“So, you refuse the second bowl?” The monster with the human head and fish body shook the empty bowl at Xia De. Xia De assessed his body’s hunger and, after careful consideration, decided he could drink another bowl:
“No, please give me a second bowl.”
The human head let out a pig-like laugh, mocking Xia De. It served Xia De another half-bowl of soup, then tossed the chipped porcelain bowl to the doorway.
Maintaining the rotation of his Destiny Ring behind him, and after treating the soup with Satiated Food, he still drank it in small sips. As expected, the hunger grew stronger, and the spirit in his body increased even more, almost exceeding its upper limit.
“Second question: How do I find my companion?”
Xia De didn't care about any treasure. His life and his friends were his treasure; he was still thinking of Miss Princess. In fact, the Outsider who had arrived in the City of the Harbor had already guessed who the other party was, so he couldn't possibly leave her here.
Moreover, there were still dangers on the path ahead. If someone could go on together, the chances of leaving would be even greater.
“Not seeking wealth, but caring about a companion?” The monster in the room reached out and took the empty bowl Xia De threw back. The human head on its fish body narrowed its eyes, looking at Xia De, its eerie yellow pupils rolling in their sockets, revealing the whites:
“Everyone is on this ship, but no one is on the same ship. Since its first appearance, this ship has constantly hunted for the great one who grants us power, but it also picks out special individuals from its prey to become crew members. The crew members are all on the ship, but they are all on different ships, used to accelerate this ship’s capture progress of Outsiders. Your companion is here.”
Although this was somewhat difficult to understand, it roughly meant parallel dimensions, where everyone was having a solo adventure on this ship. At the same time, this also explained why Xia De had only encountered two “crew members” so far, because the other crew members had to face other passengers plundered by the pirate ship.
Thinking about roughly a hundred special individuals, enough to be rated as a relic after leaving the ship, being here, Xia De couldn't help but feel his scalp tingle. But Miss Princess said this was only a sage-level relic, which meant that the crew members absolutely could not leave the ship, and even the Fishbone Pirate Ship itself would not approach the edge of civilization. It operated in the deep sea, appearing at very low frequencies, posing no threat to civilization, having no curses, and spreading nothing; it merely hunted in the deep sea, capturing people, and that was it. This was probably why such a dangerous thing only had a Sage-level rating.
“You still haven’t told me how to find my companion,” Xia De immediately said.
“It’s very simple. You can negotiate with the captain and see if he has that mercy. But you can also negotiate with me. Drink another bowl, and if your companion is not dead yet, I will bring them to you. If you can’t bear it, I will be very happy to have you as my kitchen assistant; you are the kind of person who can become a crew member and be granted eternal life by my Lord.”
The monster used a neutral pronoun, took the empty bowl Xia De threw back, and for the third time, scooped the liquid from the pot into the bowl, then accurately flung the chipped porcelain bowl to the doorway. Its trotters were very steady; the liquid level was almost perfectly consistent each time.
The sound of the thunderstorm outside was unusually muffled. The creaking sound the ship made when it swayed made one suspect it would fall apart at any moment. Xia De looked at the monster beside the pot, and the latter also held a bowl, looking at him:
“I bet you will drink this third bowl.”