Chapter 387 Wine and Treasures
Although he was curious about why others were laughing, Angel's spirituality didn't give any warning. More importantly, it was Klein who poured the wine.
After she sat down, she gently picked up the wine glass, took a sip to taste it, and her eyes lit up.
This cup of Sonia blood wine not only looks like a mixture of gold and blood, but also tastes slightly bloody, but is immediately replaced by the subsequent sweetness, just like a cup of honey mixed with alcohol, with a thick texture and endless aftertaste.
When he came to his senses, he had already drunk the entire glass of blood wine, leaving only a hint of light red on the wall of the glass.
The same color appeared on Angel's face. She put down her wine glass shyly and glanced around. She saw the glass of sweet iced tea in front of Klein and asked curiously:
"Won't you have a drink?"
"Uncle Sparrow said that adventurers don't become addicted to alcohol."
Denton on the side interjected. He also had a glass of sweet ice tea in front of him, but the young gentleman kept looking at the exquisite bottle of Sonia Blood Wine, as if he regretted that he could not taste the fine wine.
“An adventurer drinks heartily only when he returns to the safety of his home.”
Cleves added, a glass of lemonade in front of him, sticking to his code.
As the chef helped to divide the fish, the brief topic about alcohol quickly ended, and the few people talked about the fishman again.
"If you face them head-on, these monsters are incredibly difficult to kill. They have thick skin and flesh, are unfazed by pain, and can escape into the sea at any time," Cleves sighed as he chewed the scaled, golden-fried ribs. "Before the Church of Storms and the Navy clear this waterway of murlocs, entering the deep sea is extremely dangerous. When they swarm, they'll pierce the bottom of ships, sink them, and drag the crew down to the depths, disemboweling them and eating only their internal organs."
"Haha, even now, if you accidentally stray from your route, you'll encounter plenty of murlocs and other monsters deep in the fog. There's giant octopuses with tentacles that can break masts, terrifying sea monsters that can rip holes in warships, and mermaids whose songs lure sailors into the sea... Of course, these are all things I've heard; I've never actually seen them. Otherwise, I might have been eaten by a fish long ago, never having the chance to enjoy the delicious food here."
Ellan used a knife and fork to cut up the fish ribs in front of him, picked out the fat part and put it into his mouth, saying with a smile.
Donna couldn't help but glance at the beautiful sister beside her and asked the knowledgeable captain:
"Will the sirens, I mean the mermaids, run onto the shore or into the passenger ship?"
"Some sailors once said that mermaids who have taken a fancy to handsome young men will sneak ashore at night, transform into human form, and use their beauty to seduce them into spending the night together. But I think this is just a rumor spread by Bayam's Red Theater to trick sailors into spending money there."
"Red Theater?"
Denton, holding a cup of sweet iced tea, asked curiously.
Angel had read in a book that this was the most famous brothel in Bayam, the capital of the Rorsted Archipelago. Apparently, the other adults knew this too. They glanced at each other in tacit understanding, ready to change the subject.
"I've seen mermaids, real mermaids."
Cleves suddenly said this. He had put down his knife and fork without realizing it, staring at the fish ribs on the plate on the table, as if they were a piece of mermaid meat.
"That was when I was still an adventurer. I boarded a three-masted sailing ship with a few like-minded companions and headed to the Sonia Sea in search of the legendary treasure. That's when we encountered them near a reef."
Several people at the table stopped eating and drinking and listened quietly.
"They were incredibly beautiful, but their bodies were covered in scales, their underparts shaped like fish tails, their teeth sharp, and their appetites for meat. Many sailors, lured by their singing, leaped directly into the sea, becoming a delicious meal for these monsters. I, having read various legends, tied myself to the mast and escaped. However, I lost two of my companions that night, and the expedition tragically failed midway.
"After that, I started thinking about quitting the business. Then I met Cecil and the others and started working as a bodyguard. Although the income is not as good as before, it is at least stable, and I don't have to change teammates all the time."
The gloom on his face made Angel feel that the fish in her mouth was not so delicious anymore. She picked up the wine glass that had been filled up at some point and took a sip of the blood wine. She suddenly remembered the former adventurer's wary eyes and distant attitude when she met him during the day.
He didn't really think I was a siren, did he? I was really just kidding. But he'd seen real mermaids before, so he must just be a little resistant to young women... Angel looked at Donna beside him speechlessly, and found that the girl was looking at him with shining eyes.
I'm afraid this misunderstanding cannot be cleared up in the short term...
"But you can rest assured aboard the White Onyx. The passage here is the safest in the entire ocean. As long as you don't venture south of Bayam and into the Raging Sea, you won't have the chance of encountering large groups of murlocs or other stronger monsters."
Captain Ireland calmed everyone's concerns. He reached out to call the chef beside the grill, signaling him to quickly bring up the delicious grilled fish.
The fish, grilled until golden brown and covered with rich sauce, was served on a porcelain plate and sprinkled with basil leaves. It exuded the sweet and sour taste of lemon and the complex but appetizing aroma of spices, instantly clearing away the somewhat dull atmosphere at the table.
“Let us give thanks for the gifts of the sea, for the storms are with us!”
The captain was the first to raise his glass and make a toast. Others, either holding blood wine or sweet iced tea, raised their glasses and echoed him.
But I still hope there won't be a storm, because I can't swim... Angel thought secretly, raised the refilled wine glass and clinked it with Klein beside him, and drank the beautiful and delicious blood wine in one gulp.
Exhaling a breath of alcohol, Angel picked up the fork, picked up a piece of fish that the chef had placed on his plate, and put it into his mouth, enjoying the delicious grilled fish soaked in sauce and with distinct textures, a satisfied smile on his face.
"Captain, could you tell me about the famous pirates in this sea area and the legendary treasures?"
After quickly finishing the fish in front of him, Klein asked while helping Angel continue to refill his wine.
"Oh, everyone who comes to the sea is interested in these things, but if you ask me, reaching your destination safely without encountering anyone is the dream of an experienced adventurer."
Despite saying so, Ireland was quickly defeated by the expectant gazes of Donna and Denton.
"Okay, I'll just briefly explain. You should all know the legend of the seven pirate admirals, right?" He glanced around the table, noting everyone nodded before continuing, "The list has been updated. Former Vice Admiral Hurricane Qilingos somehow traveled alone to Backlund and died there. His fleet was taken over by a woman calling herself Vice Admiral Disease, who became one of the new seven admirals."
“And above them are the ‘Four Kings’: the Mystic Queen, the Undying King, and the most powerful, Nast, the ‘King of the Five Seas’.
"These four kings all have high bounties in their respective countries. Even the lowest-valued Undead King, Agaritu, has a bounty of over 100,000 pounds in Loen. But no one has ever dared to take advantage of that much money. Those who acted impulsively have already sunk to the bottom of the sea and become food for the fish."
Hearing about the fish being fed, Denton stopped chewing the fish. He asked in a voice half filled with longing and half with fear:
"Why is Agaritu called the Immortal King? Won't he die of old age?"
"This brings us to the six great legends of the sea. One of them is called the 'Fountain of Youth.' Deep within the Sonia Sea, it's said that the 'Immortal King' drank from this spring. Therefore, the legend of this pirate king seems to never die. Just like Nast, the 'King of the Five Seas,' he lives on in the nightmares of generations of sailors."
Immortality, eternal life... Although it sounds a bit false, I have indeed seen an "immortal", Mr. Azik, who was chased by repeated death and rebirth...
Angel thought back to the bronze-skinned teacher and pondered his relationship with these "undead pirates".
"What about the other legends?"
Klein's interest was also piqued. After taking a sip of sweet iced tea, he continued to inquire.
"First among the six legends is the 'Key of Death.' It's said to unlock the treasures left behind by the God of Death in the Raging Sea. Ah, the Raging Sea originated from the turmoil caused by the death of the God of Death, who was slain by the Seven Gods in the Fourth Epoch. This is also the origin of the legend. Then there's the 'Legacy of Solomon's Empire.' Also in the Fourth Epoch, when the Solomon Empire fell, the royal family sailed away with all the treasures, entering the Misty Sea, never to be seen again. It's said that Nast, the King of the Five Seas, inherited a portion of the legacy from the 'Black Emperor.'"
Hearing this, Angel, who was drinking blood wine, glanced at Klein, who had once disguised himself as the "Black Emperor," and found that the latter was also looking over with a bottle of wine in his hand. So he smiled and handed him the glass, asking him to fill it again.
"Next, the most mysterious is the 'Ghost Empire.' This is a ship larger than a city, built by Trunsoest, the last empire of the Fourth Epoch. After it disappeared from the harbor, many ships bound for the Sonia Sea claimed to have seen this massive vessel, but to date, no one has boarded it and inherited the Ghost Empire's treasures. The same is true of the 'Lost Newns.' Adventurers and navigators in the Misty Sea often find strange objects that point to this ancient civilization, but like the Ghost Empire, no one has any real evidence."
Ellan drank the wine in his glass and tried to pour another one, but found that the bottle was empty. He smiled and shook his head and continued:
"One of the remaining six legends, and the one I'm most drawn to, is 'The Sunken Laurel'. It's the closest to us, not in terms of location, but in terms of time. Just a hundred years ago, this errant ship, laden with East Balam's gold and jewels, sank in a raging sea. It has never been found, and the treasure is said to be worth millions of pounds."
"Millions of pounds..."
Klein sat up straight, and so did the others. Even though they all knew that legends were just legends and the probability of encountering one was pitifully small, it didn't stop them from yearning for huge wealth.
Fortunately, legends are hard to find, but fish are easy to get. Everyone quickly shared the gift from the five seas while chatting and laughing, and sighed with satisfaction as they touched their bloated bellies. The female bodyguard Cecil imagined her retirement life after finding the Laurel, but her imagination was not rich enough and she was kindly ridiculed by Captain Ireland.
Angel also felt a little bloated. She had unknowingly drunk more than five glasses of Sonia blood wine and enjoyed a whole plate of fish. Seeing that everyone was already trying to find new topics to talk about, she said goodbye quietly and stood up from her chair, but she felt dizzy and swayed unsteadily.
"careful!"
Klein, who was standing by, quickly supported her.
"Mr. Sparrow, please help this young lady to rest first," Ellan said, shaking his empty glass towards Klein. "I wish you all a wonderful evening."
Klein suddenly felt a little hot on his face. He looked at Angel, who was being supported by him. The latter's cheeks were flushed and his eyes were blurry. It seemed that he had lost his resistance under the influence of alcohol.
His heart was pounding.
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