Chapter 120: The Player's Alcohol Capacity is a Mystery
Taki and Kyoshiro have a good relationship.
Timo admires powerful people, and if such a powerful person neither competes with him nor blocks his path to ambition, Timo is happy to become his friend.
When I first saw Kyoshiro next to Kurozumi Orochi, I didn't think much of Kyoshiro, who had chosen to follow Kurozumi Orochi, because I disliked Kurozumi Orochi's style.
It wasn't until Kyoshiro easily thwarted an assassination attempt against Kurozumi Orochi at a banquet that Taki realized that Kyoshiro's clean and efficient way of dealing with enemies, as well as his style of quickly cleaning up the battlefield after intercepting the attack, picking up a wine glass and drinking it all to restart the banquet, were quite to his liking.
The atmosphere on Oni Island was oppressive and there were few entertainment options. When not at sea, Taki, who often went to the Flower Capital, gradually became good friends with Kyoshiro.
Wearing a double-sided silk cloak, casually placing his weapon at his side, with one leg straight and the other bent to support his arm, the Mad Deathly Hound, with a dazed look in his eyes, leisurely drank alone before tossing an unopened barrel of wine to Timber.
Two wine bowls stacked together were also thrown at the same time, which were easily caught by the wooden ladle.
“This is Wilson,” Timber introduced Wilson to him. “She’s my recently recruited subordinate.”
"Vilson..." Whether he was drunk or hadn't slept enough from his Robin Hood-like adventures last night, Mad Death Bro squinted his eyes as if he was about to fall asleep at any moment. "At this age, to be chosen by Timber and taken under his wing, his future is limitless."
"Speaking of future prospects, you, General Black Charcoal's trusted advisor, have the brightest future," Ti Mu sighed. "I heard that General Black Charcoal intends to promote you a few more ranks and entrust you with the important position of money changer?"
Even though he looked down on Kurozumi Orochi, Akimoto felt a slight urge to buy it when he heard the news.
There's no way around it. Compared to the abundance of talent under Kaido, what kind of freaks are under Kurozumi Orochi besides Kyoshiro? It's much easier to make a name for yourself under Kurozumi Orochi than under Kaido.
"Hehe, thanks to the general's kindness."
Kyoshiro lowered his head, his thick, leaf-shaped hair falling down to obscure his face: "I am truly...deeply grateful that you have entrusted me with such an important position."
"Forget about these things, let's not talk about them anymore. Come on, let's drink!"
Looking at the wine bowl that Timber had filled for her, Vera had reason to suspect that he was doing it on purpose.
Kyoshiro turned his head slightly to look at Violet, who was staring blankly at the wine bowl. His nausea from thinking about Kurozumi Orochi eased a little.
"Vilson is still a child, how would he know about good drinks?"
"What does age have to do with it? Being a pirate is all about drinking!"
Vera: ...
How come even games have this damn drinking culture?
As Violet watched the two people who were clearly ready to watch the show, a slow smile crept onto her lips. She raised her wine bowl high, the warm, clear liquid swirling gently within.
"That's right, Boss Timu. How can people like us not know how to drink?"
"How about we have a drinking contest and see who can hold their liquor the longest and last the longest?" Vera brought the bowl to her lips, tilted her head back decisively, and then, under their gazes, turned the bowl upside down without spilling a drop. "So, what do you say, Boss Timber, or Boss Crazy?"
Mad Death Bro chuckled softly, his leaf-shaped hair ornament trembling as he looked down: "Hehehe, I can't ignore such a challenge."
Timu was clearly quite interested in this harmless little challenge, and even asked someone to tell the people waiting outside the art gallery to bring out treasures as a prize. Kyoshiro was not to be outdone and had someone bring out jewelry from inside the art gallery.
Vera glanced at the sapphires, then gave a knowing smile to Timu and Kuangshilang, who were clearly only using her as cannon fodder and focusing all their attention on the other.
"Please keep the drinks as much as you like, Mr. Crazy Bro."
Four hours later.
Timo propped his head up with his fist, his white hat having rolled away somewhere during the drinking contest. Kuang Silang was also quite drunk, his eyes red-rimmed, needing to take deep breaths to maintain basic sobriety instead of collapsing onto the table.
Meanwhile, Violet, without blushing or panting, slowly held her wine glass, appearing completely unaffected by drunkenness.
She stood up and looked at the two people who were so drunk they could barely stand: "It seems I am the undisputed winner. I'll gladly accept these prizes."
With a smile, Violet picked up a few rubies and sapphires from the table and put them in her backpack. Next to the gems were several compartments of high-proof liquor, each containing 40 servings.
She noticed, of course, that as the drinking contest progressed, the two of them started to engage in some underhanded tactics—Timu's drinking became increasingly unrestrained, and he began to spill half of his drink, while Kuang Silang's glass was always left with a third of its contents, and he started to "raise fish" (i.e., keep fish in his glass) because of the distance between them.
But Violet didn't care.
Because she would always use the act of tilting her head back to directly pick up the wine from the glass and put it into her backpack.
This time, she was one step ahead!
Having barely touched a drop of alcohol, Violet left the room with her spoils, thoughtfully closing the door behind her.
She couldn't go to her original room anymore; Violet was terrified of the two male prostitutes. And given the brothel's main business, Violet didn't dare wander around aimlessly for fear of seeing something she shouldn't.
She could only walk along the artificial water feature with her hands in her pockets, head down.
Oh dear, this willow tree is truly a willow tree.
With her head tilted back and eyes slightly narrowed, the inherent intelligence of a librarian made her appear to be contemplating some profound question about life and the mysteries of the universe. In reality, however, she had been spacing out for quite some time.
Until a burst of music interrupted Violet's thought, "If fried potatoes with ketchup are so delicious, then fried tomatoes with potato sauce must be delicious too."
Violet's attention was drawn to the music, and before she knew it, she had stood there listening to the entire piece.
As if sensing something, Vera looked at her character panel and found that her sanity had increased by a full ten points after listening to this shamisen!
"Xiao Zi, your shamisen playing is getting better and better."
"You are the most talented girl I have ever met in this field. Although you are only a half-jade, your shamisen playing is already better than many geisha."
Another voice rang out, neither humble nor arrogant: "Thanks to your careful guidance."
"If you want to thank someone, thank Mr. Kyoshiro. He found me, an old and faded geisha, and he asked me to teach you."
"Please don't say that, Doctor Ziyang. I've heard... I've heard from Boss Kuang Silang that he heard you play this piece on a full moon night a few years ago. He felt as if a celestial being had descended to earth. When he came to his senses, he found that everyone on the street had stopped what they were doing because of your performance. An artist as talented as you would be treated well no matter which art school you go to."
[You have obtained a clue: the song "Tsukihime"]
Vera followed the sound; the conversation inside was still going on.
Kneeling opposite Xiao Zi was a woman dressed in a furisode kimono, with gorgeous attire. She had lake-green hair, which was coiled at the back of her head and adorned with three white jade hairpins on each side. Her eyes were gentle and affectionate, and even though time had left indelible marks on her face, her charm was still undeniable.
She looked at the young Xiao Zi in front of her, a look of reminiscence flashing in her eyes.
In her youth, she was a famous geisha in the Flower Capital. The geisha house intended for her to challenge for the title of the most beautiful courtesan, but she ultimately lost due to her age and appearance.
Ziyang looked down at the shamisen in his hand.
When she was young and beautiful, many people praised her playing skills. Poets used bittersweet words to describe her heavenly music, and nobles spent a fortune just to have a chance to hear her play from behind a screen...
Ziyang was so proud back then. Even though she was slightly less beautiful and failed to become the most beautiful courtesan, she still believed that she was different from those geishas who used their looks to please others.
She and her guests were kindred spirits in art; they were like soulmates in those stories, resonating with souls that transcended worldly concerns and money.
Ziyang thought he was different.
But no, it's not like that.
As she grew older, her piano skills became increasingly proficient, but those so-called artistic connoisseurs came to her less and less often to exchange musical techniques.
Until one day, Ziyang saw a noble young man, who was willing to wait for days outside her snow-covered door just to hear her compose music, appear in front of another musician's house.
The musician was so young and beautiful that even her clumsy playing and the slight blush on her cheeks after playing the wrong string seemed so adorable.
It's ridiculous that a musician would make such an obvious mistake while playing the shamisen. Aside from the musician who made the mistake and Shiyo, who unexpectedly appeared outside the door, none of the guests noticed anything amiss, looking at the musician with puzzled expressions as she suddenly stopped playing.
Ziyang could hardly remember how she had fled in panic that day. The noble boy saw the plum blossom embroidered on the sleeves of Ziyang's kimono and immediately chased after her to apologize.
But as Ziyang looked at the nobleman's still attentive and enthusiastic gaze, what came to mind was the expression on his face, still captivated and appreciative after hearing that wrong note.
It turns out she was no different from those geishas she once looked down upon, who relied on their beauty to attract customers.
Her so-called musical skills and art were nothing more than the luxurious clothes that adorned her, and the topics of conversation for nobles to show off their taste.
They are all birds with broken wings, imprisoned in cages. What's the difference between birds admired for their feathers or birds whose sounds are appreciated?
The approaching footsteps interrupted Zi Yang's recollection. The newcomer clearly had no intention of eavesdropping, openly making a clattering sound as they stepped on the wooden planks. Zi Yang and Xiao Zi could almost see each other's unrestrained, joyful, and free spirit in those footsteps.
The figure appeared before the two after passing through the paper door. The person was wearing a moon-white kimono, with eyes as black as the night and hair of the same color. They poked their head out with a carefree air unlike that of the apprentice geishas in the geisha house.
Ziyang noticed that her cuffs were embroidered with a symbol representing the Beasts Pirates. Her hand, gripping the shamisen, unconsciously tightened, her knuckles turning white.
Why, why are the Beasts Pirates here?
Ziyang looked up at Xiao Zi, took a deep breath, stood up, and walked to Wei'er with his shamisen in his arms. He bowed respectfully and said, "I wonder what business you have with me, my lord, that you have come from so far away?"
"Oh, no need to be so polite. I just heard you playing the shamisen. It's called 'Tsukihime,' right?"
Ziyang suddenly looked up at Wei'er and saw that her eyes were filled with undisguised admiration and praise.
"That's amazing, absolutely incredible." This was the first time that Vera had ever seen an NPC in the game who could increase her sanity.
That's true, it was a completely unexpected development.
Ziyang and Xiaozi did not look down on Violet because of her age and gender. On the contrary, the more these seemingly disadvantageous labels she had, the more it proved that Violet, who could become a member of the Beasts Pirates, had extraordinary abilities in some aspects.
But Ziyang and Xiaozi didn't expect that Wei'er wasn't there to have fun or cause trouble, but just to... praise them?
Xiao Zi subconsciously replied, "My skills are still developing, I don't deserve such praise from you, sir..."
That's too modest. If adding ten sanity points to a song is considered rusty, then Violet can't even imagine how strong she would be once she's mastered it.
This is simply the perfect support, isn't it? Violet now thinks R'lyeh is just missing a bit of artistic talent!
"Not at all, not at all. Um, isn't the piece 'Tsukihime' more suitable to be played on a full moon night?"
If there are any bonuses on special dates, then I'm sorry, Mr. Crazy Death, your employee is great, but she'll soon be my employee!
"Would you be willing to let me hear it again later? Please, Xiao Zi."
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Author's Note: Kyoushiro & Titeki: Not at all!
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