“You, 55 cards…”
The captain held the card, his face twitching, while revealing an enraged expression. Because of his extreme anger, his eyes protruded exceptionally, making them resemble fish eyes even more.
The light from the skull lamp overhead was dimming, and more blurry figures of souls appeared indistinctly in the cabin. An extremely strong mental pressure swept in from all directions, but the golden light streaks on Xia De’s body suddenly radiated an even stronger light at this moment.
It was as if golden embers were igniting on his body at this moment, and even Miss Princess, who was standing behind him, could feel more warmth.
“You cheated, so I won. Now, let us leave.”
Xia De gnashed his teeth again, the unusual expression on his face due to extreme hunger.
“No, you cheated.”
The captain’s voice became even more sinister and terrifying, coupled with the gradually diminishing light, the voice seemed to come from a deep abyss, hoarse and low.
“Where did I cheat?”
Xia De retorted.
“This card, it has your scent!”
The card was violently thrown towards Xia De, the immense force making it cut through the air like a sharp blade, directly slicing towards Xia De’s head.
Because he was sitting at the moment, and there was someone behind him, Xia De could not dodge, and could only manipulate the card to stop. But such an action undoubtedly proved that the card was under his control.
genesis - balance landed on the table, and the captain let out a laugh.
A putrid smell spread everywhere. Amidst the restless commotion of the sailors, the captain’s figure grew tall, his skin wrinkled and turned whiter, his body skin appeared a dull green, and because his clothes were open, the white part of his belly could be seen. Most of his body was covered in fish scales, but shadows appeared on his back, as if he had a scaly high ridge. His ugly head had more fish-like features, with huge, bulging eyeballs and constantly trembling gills on both sides of his neck, making him a true merman.
【You have come into contact with "blasphemy".】
“Does the other party have the power of an evil god?”
【This is someone favored by an evil god, in other words, a God-favored one.】
The rotten, swollen fish face looked at Xia De. Its mere ugly appearance possessed extraordinary power, but Xia De also looked at it:
“You cheated, how despicable, there’s no doubt about it.”
“You also cheated, and you dare to call me despicable? I don’t think this needs an explanation.”
Neither side denied the “cheating” aspect, but this meant that this round could not determine a winner.
The captain, now in his true form, did not want to let Xia De go no matter what. After the previous gamble, it seemed to have developed more interest in Xia De.
They looked at each other, neither speaking. As the surrounding evil spirits began to stir restlessly again, the captain finally spoke:
“Flip over your last set of cards. If you bust, you lose. If you don’t bust, I’ll give you one last chance to play a round with me.”
Xia De nodded, looked down at the cards in front of him, and after flipping over the first one, it was surprisingly a Queen.
“Hm?”
In other words, all his efforts just now were superfluous. If he hadn't thought about letting the other party cheat, Xia De would have won by simply flipping the card.
“A Queen?”
The captain also did not expect such a result:
“You see, fate always plays tricks on people, and all we can do is passively accept it. Let’s gamble one last round.”
A swollen hand threw a small object towards Xia De across the table. The object spun continuously on the table. Xia De pressed it down and found it was an ivory dice. Unlike the twenty-sided dice commonly used in rhode cards, this one was a cubic six-sided die.
“You throw it yourself. Whatever number you roll, you eat that many dishes. After you finish eating, if you can still calmly tell me you want to leave, I will let you go. Otherwise, you and everyone else from this time will stay, including the woman behind you. This time is absolutely fair, I can swear to God.”
The evil spirits looked at Xia De. Xia De twirled the dice, and the voice in his head clearly stated that this was just an ordinary item, there was no conspiracy this time, it was a true gamble of luck.
“Can I help him eat?”
Just as Xia De was about to throw, the girl behind him suddenly spoke.
“Of course you can.”
The captain said.
Xia De turned to look at her in surprise. Her hair had completely turned red, and she was resting one hand on the back of the chair, looking down at Xia De with her emerald eyes:
“I remember what you said. If you can’t hold on, it’s my turn. You go first. If you collapse, I will continue eating until we leave.”
“Alright.”
Princess is not the delicate woman from fairy tales; a strong, independent, and decisive Sorceress is the Princess Xia De truly admires.
He casually tossed the dice into the air, and all eyes were focused on it. As the dice fell, it bounced twice on the table and then stopped, the number was 3.
“Eat three dishes, and if you can still speak, I’ll let you go. I swear to God, this time is absolutely fair.”
The captain said.
“Alright.”
Xia De nodded, re-evaluated his physical condition, and then pulled the closest fish soup in front of him. These foods were all dishes of desire, and how much they appeared to be actually made no difference, so choosing any particular dish also made no difference.
No one spoke. Xia De quietly finished the first dish. Then, he leaned one hand on the table and covered his chest with the other, lowering his head and dry-heaving towards the ground. It wasn't that he was full, but that his hunger had reached a certain limit, and his body was instinctively protecting itself.
“Xia De.”
Miss Princess’s hand rested on Xia De’s shoulder. Xia De looked up, forced a smile, and then shook his head:
“I can hold on for now.”
That was the truth. If he couldn’t hold on, he would have directly burned his divinity when the dice fell just now.
The second dish was that bowl of sparkling purple grapes. Xia De had actually rarely eaten fruit since coming to this world, because he had been struggling on the poverty line for a while, and the thickness of his wallet didn't allow him to consider things like fruit.
At this moment, as he picked up a grape, he somehow thought of his hometown again. He put the grapes into his mouth one by one, even swallowing the skins.
He clasped his hands tightly on the table, closed his eyes, and held his breath. At this moment, even breathing would intensify the feeling of hunger. Dizziness made Xia De feel like the whole world was spinning, and he was desperately trying to control the desire to eat frantically.
Even though he knew the more he ate, the hungrier he would get, his body was still wailing, wanting to consume food. He didn't even dare to recall how he used to eat, as any memory of food would make him feel like he was about to lose his mind.
From the current situation, once he lost his mind, it was highly likely he would turn around and eat Miss Princess, because she was the only living person here, and her taste was obviously better than evil spirits or fish-headed people.
“There’s one last dish.”
The captain’s voice was like a soft corpse dragging across the sand. That disgusting, slimy feeling made Xia De think of colloids, and then of decaying rotten flesh.
He opened his eyes, his right hand trembling as he fumbled for the plate in front of him.
【Do you feel it?】
“What?”
【When your hunger reaches a certain limit, the consequences of the desire for food are not as simple as making you eat the pretty girl behind you.】
Under the current circumstances, she was actually still chuckling. Xia De sometimes felt that even if this world were to be destroyed, the voice in his head might still be able to produce such a pleasant sound:
“So… I understand.”
The last plate he picked up surprisingly contained yellow baked beans. This dish was a common breakfast food in City port cities, and sometimes served as a bar snack.
Xia De reached out and picked up a single bean, his trembling hand paused for a moment, then he closed his eyes and put the bean into his mouth.
As he chewed, he fully perceived a certain “limit” at this moment. The limit of hunger he could endure was not far off.
He picked up the second bean and put it into his mouth, and the discomfort in his stomach miraculously disappeared completely. Instead, there was a hunger from the soul, forcing Xia De to want to eat something. His body’s most primitive instincts were gradually eroding his will. Everything in front of him seemed unimportant, and his senses were searching for something edible. And once he truly made a decision, the existence of the Outsider as an individual would likely vanish from then on, and a terrifying fellow would appear on this ship.
He picked up the third bean and put it into his mouth. Xia De stood in a daze for a moment, then slumped onto the table, motionless.
No one spoke. The evil spirits looked at Xia De, the captain also looked at Xia De, and even Miss Princess looked at Xia De.
They were expecting him to sit up again and then turn to eat the young girl behind him, while Miss Princess was expecting him to sit up again and then smile and tell her that everything was over, that they had won.
But Xia De just lay quietly on the table, unmoving. Miss Princess had even forgotten the measure of time; the Xia De she saw seemed to have been lying there for ten thousand years.
There was no sadness, no crying. She didn't know what happened to Xia De, but she knew that Xia De, as a Second-Circle Arcanist, had given everything he could. Now it was her turn:
“Now, it’s my turn!”
The young girl’s voice was hoarse, but the emotion contained within it was so fervent. Her slightly reddened eyes were bright; even though her only companion had now fallen, the PentaCircle Sorceress remained strong.
The meaning of Princess is Princess, but this Princess is absolutely not the ridiculously weak woman from stories:
“Now I will take his place and eat all the food. If I finish eating, everyone on the cruise ship who was robbed by you must be released.”
“No problem.”
The captain nodded, the evil spirits stirred restlessly, but they could not violate the rules and directly attack this woman.
Miss Princess looked down at Xia De, who was slumped on the table, and then walked to his right side.
She reached out and picked up a bean from the plate, closed her eyes, and dropped it into her mouth.