On the deck, an additional layer of asbestos was placed under the grill to prevent the coal sparks from being blown out by the wind and burning the surface of the ship.
The fat chef wore an apron and a white top hat invented by Rosell. He constantly used a fine brush to smear a secret condiment mixed with basil, fennel, sea salt, pepper, and lemon juice onto the white and tender long fish. He also frequently flipped it to ensure that both sides were evenly heated.
The flesh of the murloc's belly was fatty, and as it dripped down, the coals placed under the iron mesh sizzled and burst into flames.
An alluring fragrance gradually filled the air as Klein inhaled one mouthful after another.
A round table and chairs had been set up in front of him, and on top of it was a bottle of uniquely shaped wine. The wine was golden-red in color and seemed slightly viscous as it swayed.
Sensing Klein's scrutiny, Captain Erland Karg introduced it half-jokingly, "Sonia Blood Wine, brewed from sweet wood juice that is a specialty of the area around the Golden Spring. It's like thin honey mixed with blood. It tastes sweet and smooth, but it's very easy to get drunk. If you like a lady and want to treat her to a drink, you can consider this. It will make the other party drink too much without realizing it. Haha, the premise is that you have to be able to withstand its alcohol."
As expected of a former boatswain, he has the ability to make dirty jokes … Klein sat down and maintained a cold attitude.
"A qualified adventurer won't be addicted to alcohol."
Cleves, who was beside him, nodded.
"Adventurers are only allowed to drink when they return home."
"That's a pity." Erland turned to look at Donna and Denton, who were curiously sizing up the Sonia Blood Wine. He laughed and said, "This isn't something an underage child should experience."
"I've drunk it before. It's really delicious!" Donna immediately retorted. "It's just that I fell asleep unknowingly and slept for an entire afternoon …"
"I remember you drank two cups that time!" the young gentleman, Denton, said enviously.
Erland didn't satisfy their thirst. He ordered the crew to give the siblings a cup of sweet iced tea each and explained casually.
"There are a lot of Southerners on this ship."
Denton retracted his disappointed gaze and looked at the murloc whose valuable materials had been taken away.
"Actually, actually, it's not that scary. It's just a big, ugly fish with four limbs!"
Donna glanced at her brother.
"Congratulations, you've finally realized its true nature."
She then looked eagerly at Cleves and Erland.
"Uncle, uncle, are there many such monsters in the sea?"
Murlocs didn't have any Beyonder powers that exceeded one's imagination. To ordinary people, they were equivalent to ferocious beasts at sea, equivalent to the biological prototypes of legendary monsters.
Erland chuckled.
"No, in the main sea route and the surrounding waters, such monsters rarely appear. They've long been wiped out. To be able to encounter a murloc and see such a creature, you're lucky enough.
"Think about it. If I could always hunt down monsters worth 200 pounds or more, I definitely wouldn't be the captain of a passenger ship. I would organize my own hunting ship and chase after these gold pounds!"
That made a lot of sense! Klein secretly cheered.
According to his observations, the Beyonder material on the murloc's body was likely its swim bladder. The blue light that resembled water made it look like a gem.
Cleves picked up the black tea that the sailor had just delivered, took a sniff, and then took a sip.
"Only by deviating from the main sea route and going deep into the ocean, which is often shrouded in fog or storms, will there be a good chance of encountering such monsters, but that's very dangerous.
"In addition to murlocs that can climb and have scales, there are also legends in those waters that Naga have the upper body of a human and the lower body of a python. They have six arms and are very agile."
Erland took over the topic.
"There's also a giant octopus that spits out juice that can corrode many people, a terrifying sea monster that can overturn a ship with a gentle headbutt, a mermaid that has an intoxicating voice and is unwilling to leave, a blue dragon that can create lightning, and a large bird that can stir up hurricanes with its wings. Heh heh, I've never seen any of these before. They're all legends of the sea, and no one knows if they're true or not."
Mermaid … Klein's expression didn't change.
"Very interesting," Donna exclaimed with a look of fascination.
Denton looked left and right, and seeing that Klein didn't say anything, he asked curiously, "Uncle, you're also an adventurer.
"Uncle, you're also an adventurer. Have you seen such a monster before?"
Klein froze for a moment, then the corners of his mouth curled up slightly.
"Once. Back then, there were five of us, and we accidentally encountered one, a murloc. After an intense battle, we finally finished it off."
This was his actual experience in Tingen City, and it was also the first time he had faced an official Beyonder who had lost control.
Back then, he and Old Neil had helped eliminate a mutated Sailor at the request of Swain, the owner of the Evil Dragon Bar.
Thinking of this, Klein reminisced and sighed. The cold and sharp expression on his face couldn't help but soften.
"Five people?" While asking, Donna secretly counted the number of people who had participated in the battle.
1, 2, 3 … She realized that only three of her uncles had killed the murloc.
Without waiting for Klein's reply, Elland said in surprise, "That's right.
"An accidental encounter?"
"Yes," Klein answered frankly.
"Were there any casualties?" Erland pressed.
Klein shook his head.
"Some minor injuries."
"An accidental encounter. You only used five people to finish off a murloc … You guys are very impressive." Cleves gave his evaluation.
His partner, Cecil, also nodded to express his amazement.
The battle just now was short and quick, and the murloc seemed to be unable to withstand a single blow. However, both she and Cleves knew very well that without the prepared bait, the hallucinogenic effects and subsequent fatigue brought about by the pepper, the lethal threat of the peppermint cream to the murloc, and the two borrowed rifles, it was unknown how many people would have died to kill a murloc.
"Indeed, very impressive." Erland glanced thoughtfully at Klein.
That was a team formed by four Sequence 9s and one Sequence 8 … Klein smiled and sighed.
"I was still very young back then, and I hadn't even experienced any battles. I was just purely a support."
"Uncle, you're also very young now!" Donna nodded her head vigorously.
I like hearing that … Klein keenly noticed that Captain Erland had relaxed a lot because of what he had just said.
At this moment, a few crew members brought over a large ceramic plate. On it was fish that had been fried until it was golden brown, sprinkled with colorful basil leaves, and a seductive fragrance assailed their nostrils.
Erland picked up the cup filled with Sonia blood wine and gave a toast.
"A beautiful night, may the Storm be with us!"
"A beautiful night!" Donna and Denton cheered and each took a sip of sweet iced tea.
Klein chose to clink his black tea cup against hers.
He forked a piece of meat from the murloc's ribs and found it firm and without much fat. However, after absorbing the vegetable oil, the dryness was made up for. As he chewed, it exuded an endless aftertaste of elasticity and meat fragrance.
As expected, it's not as good as the cheek meat, but it's good enough. It's better than all the fish I've eaten in Baekeland and Pritz Harbor … Klein praised in satisfaction.
Erland put down the knife and fork in his hand and drank a mouthful of Sonia blood wine.
"On the sea, the most dangerous thing is not the monsters, but the pirates.
"They drive the ship and go wherever they want. No one can prepare in advance."
"Uncle Captain, will we encounter pirates?" Denton swallowed the fried fish and asked worriedly.
Erland smiled.
"The route to the Rorsted Archipelago is the safest in the World. There are colonial islands that can be docked every two or three days, and there are often Royal Navy and Church of the Storm ships patrolling along the way.
"Even if some pirates wander here, they won't do anything too excessive. After seeing our cannons, they'll at most extort some compensation."
Seeing that the two underage children had calmed down, Erland added,
"But if we head south from the Rorsted Archipelago or continue east, we'll have to rely on the Lord's blessings.
"Many pirates are active in these regions, capturing treasures with the navy and the Church's ships. If we're lucky, we'll be able to smoothly reach the Southern Continent and reach every spot. But if we're unlucky, we'll encounter relatively powerful pirates, including the seven pirate admirals and even the fleets of the Four Kings.
"However, you don't have to worry too much. Ever since Nast became the King of the Five Seas and established some of the rules at sea, most pirates will only rob you of your wealth and won't do anything too excessive.
"Here, the person we're most afraid of encountering is the captain of the Black Tulip, Admiral Hell Ludwell. He will get his subordinates to kill everyone on the ship and throw these innocents into hell. Next is Admiral of Blood Señor. He loves blood and indulges his subordinates in all their evil deeds. After many girls were ravaged by them, they were even sold to different islands …"
Donna shivered when she heard that and subconsciously changed the topic.
"I heard that there are many treasures at sea!"
"There are legends of treasures, but most of them are fake." Erland glanced at Cleves and said, "There are six most famous ones with the most stories. Number one is Death's Key. Legend has it that at the end of the Fourth Epoch, Death, who caused the Pale Calamity, was killed by the seven deities. However, he didn't perish on the spot and attempted to return to the Southern Continent. He stirred up violent waves and created insurmountable obstacles, completely cutting off the sea routes between the Southern and Southern Continents. This is the origin of the Berserk Sea. However, he ultimately didn't return to the Southern Continent and disappeared into the sea. "
Upon saying that, Erland sighed with some yearning.
"It's said that in a hidden spot in the Berserk Sea, the treasure left behind by Death is waiting for someone with a specific key to find and open it. However, no one knows what the key looks like or where it will appear.
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