Fifth Hundred and Fifty-Two: Fish Meal
On the vast sea, a massive cruise ship was slicing through the waves, moving forward. Dorothy walked along the seats at the stern of the deck, enjoying the sea breeze while recalling the stories of the pirate era led by the Conquer Sea pirates. Through the information obtained from Beverly, Dorothy learned about the origin of Moncala and gained a deeper understanding of this city.
“Moncala was once a pirate city established by the great pirate Edward Gibbs during the pirate era. Later, Edward accepted the amnesty offered by the Church and ceased his pirating activities. He disbanded most of his fleet, severed ties with the Placenta Sect, and no longer engaged in blatant acts of plunder. However, he did not join the Church or become part of any country’s navy. Instead, he maintained a certain degree of independence, seemingly due to the terms of the contracts he signed with the Church and various countries.
“To adapt to the new situation, Edward shifted his main business to smuggling. Moncala became the largest hub for smuggling on the Conquer Sea, transforming into a city known for its illicit activities. Later, under increasing pressure from the Main Continent, he scaled back his overt smuggling operations and made them more covert. At the same time, he redeveloped Moncala into a gambling city, providing gambling services to countless wealthy people from both the northern and southern continents. Thus, Moncala gradually gained prominence in the mundane world and eventually became the largest casino around the Conquer Sea region.
“Edward was the largest pirate leader publicly amnestied by the Church. It is said that hundreds of years ago, when he abandoned the Sea Abyss and reconverted, he extensively promoted the Church’s new policies of leniency towards the Salvation Faction, setting an example for countless pirates on the Conquer Sea. It was due to his influence that many refugees who did not trust the Church began a wave of re-conversion. For this, he received the autonomy he desired and the Church tolerated his somewhat irregular actions to a certain extent. For the Church, as long as Edward did not overstep, they would not interfere too much.
“According to Beverly, Moncala is now a relatively independent free port city-state, operating a range of black-market businesses including gambling, smuggling, and money laundering. It is also one of the areas where the White Stone Craftsmen Guild has a vacuum of power. Many trades there have connections to the Dark Gold Society. Edward still rules Moncala today, interacting with many factions but not clearly aligning with any single one. Even though the Dark Gold Society works closely with Edward, they are in a mutual relationship. Despite frequent collaborations with the Dark Gold Society, he has never stopped communicating with the White Stone Craftsmen Guild.
“In summary, Edward is a versatile person who navigates between various factions and profits from them. By balancing these relationships, he has maintained Moncala’s rule and development for a long time. However, it seems that Edward is getting older and may be losing some of his strength in handling affairs. The situation in Moncala is thus uncertain.”
Recalling what Beverly had told her before, Dorothy took another bite of her banana. She couldn’t help but admit that the automaton was quite reliable in providing public intelligence. Regarding Moncala, she could get all the necessary information just by asking Beverly, and it didn’t cost her anything. This was far more generous than what her father would do.
“The pirate city of Moncala… I wonder what the big shot from the Black Dream Hunter Group sees in it? I wonder if we can find the person there…”
Eating her banana, Dorothy thought to herself. The reason she came to Moncala was because of the intelligence she got from Little Fox. The intelligence indicated that a major figure from the Black Dream Hunter Group, known as “Dry Wing,” would be attending an auction in Moncala carrying a divine blessing object originally belonging to the Butterfly Faith.
Dorothy was initially very happy after receiving this information from Little Fox, but upon further scrutiny, she found herself perplexed. The information provided was too simplistic. All they knew about Dry Wing was just a codename. They didn’t know the real name, gender, age, or what he intended to buy. It was like searching for a needle in a haystack, but she had no other choice.
“There’s no other way… Since this misleading information is currently the only clue I have about the ‘Shadow’ divine blessing object, I have to tough it out and go to the auction. Although I’m unclear about many things, I’ll have to gather intelligence and find ways once I get there…”
Finishing her banana, Dorothy felt somewhat helpless. Given the current level of information, she didn’t hold out much hope for her trip to Moncala. She was prepared to return home if nothing significant happened. If worse came to worst, she would treat it as a vacation.
After thinking it over, Dorothy decided to throw away the banana peel. Just as she was scanning the deck to find a trash bin, she heard a cheer from nearby. Turning her head, she saw a large group of tourists gathered at the ship’s rail, watching something with excitement.
Curious, Dorothy frowned and muttered to herself, “What are they doing over there?”
“Ugh… They’re fishing, Miss Dorothy. There are so many fish down there, and lots of people are trying to catch them…”
At this moment, a familiar female voice sounded beside her. Dorothy turned to see Nephnis standing there. Nephnis stood next to Dorothy on the deck, wearing sandals and a light blue thin fabric pants. She wore a white short-sleeved top, a sun hat, and sunglasses. In her hand, she held a plate with a well-cooked fish, and she used a fork to eat the fish meat, the rich aroma reaching Dorothy’s nose.
“Fishing? But this is a cruise ship. How can you fish here?”
Listening to Nephnis, Dorothy continued to be puzzled. The ship’s rail was too high, and the water near the ship was turbulent, making it unsuitable for fishing. Even if someone had a long enough fishing line, they wouldn’t be able to fish from a moving ship. With such a large ship constantly moving forward, the current alone would scare away the fish. What kind of fish could they catch?
“I’m not sure either, but there have been a lot of fish gathering there since earlier, so many that they’ve even surfaced. A few experienced fishermen among the tourists couldn’t resist and brought their fishing gear to the ship’s rail to fish. And they’ve caught fish one after another. Now, because so many fish have been caught, someone borrowed grilling equipment from the kitchen and started grilling the fish right there.”
Nephnis explained, then pointed to the other side of the deck. Dorothy saw another group of people gathered there, roasting fish over several grills. Freshly caught fish were immediately cleaned and sent to the grilling area, filling the air with an enticing aroma.
The fishermen seemed so enthusiastic about catching so many fish that they invited other tourists to share the catch. Soon, the entire rear deck transformed into a fishing and grilling party, with many tourists enjoying themselves. Dorothy could see many others like Nephnis, holding plates and eating grilled fish while walking around the deck.
“Fishing and grilling fish? Wow, this is quite lively.”
Seeing this scene, Dorothy immediately became interested. Standing up from her seat, she first found a trash can to dispose of her banana peel, then walked to the ship’s rail, joining the crowd of tourists watching the fishing. Sure enough, below the ship, amidst the surging waves, numerous fish were gathering and swimming, with many even jumping out of the water and falling back in.
On the other side of the ship’s rail, several fishing rods extended, letting the fishing lines sink into the turbulent seawater. The fishermen didn’t even need to look at the floats; they just waited a bit before pulling the rod, almost always catching a fish. Due to the height of the ship’s rail, pulling the fish up was somewhat laborious, so people would take turns fishing. Whenever a large fish was hooked, several people would work together to pull it up, and the surrounding tourists would burst into cheers.
“Wow… So many fish gathered here. If I were a fisherman, I’d definitely be tempted. This kind of scene isn’t seen in rivers…”
Looking at the scene before her, Dorothy thought to herself. She wasn’t particularly puzzled by the dense fish gathering, as she had seen similar scenes on TV before. Fish often gathered in high density due to various reasons like defense against predators or abundant food sources. For fishermen, it was simply good luck.
“Hey, Miss Dorothy, there’s a new batch of fish ready to be grilled. You should hurry and grab one! If you wait too long, they’ll be gone!”
Just then, Nephnis approached Dorothy again, holding a plate. When Dorothy turned to say something, she noticed that the fish on Nephnis’ plate had changed to a more complete grilled fish.
“Nephnis, are you starting your second one already? You really love grilled fish, don’t you?”
Looking at Nephnis, Dorothy asked curiously. They had traveled together for some time, and Dorothy had a basic understanding of Nephnis’ eating habits. While Nephnis wouldn’t refuse fish, she didn’t particularly enjoy them either. Usually, she would only taste a little. Now, suddenly having two plates surprised Dorothy slightly.
“Ugh… I didn’t used to be particularly fond of fish, but this grilled fish is exceptionally delicious. Miss Dorothy, you should try it. It’s really tasty, and many people feel the same way after finishing it.”
As Nephnis ate the grilled fish, she spoke to Dorothy. Hearing this, Dorothy looked again at the grilling area, where even more people had gathered, crowding around to collect freshly grilled fish.
Seeing this scene, Dorothy’s expression tightened, and she walked over to get a plate herself. However, due to her small stature and the crowded conditions, she couldn’t get any grilled fish and had to wait for the next round. Fortunately, the fishing efficiency on the other side of the ship was fast, and soon the next round of fish was being grilled.
During the wait, Dorothy carefully observed the tourists eating the grilled fish. Almost everyone praised the taste, regardless of whether they were ordinary ship staff or well-dressed wealthy individuals. Many people finished one plate and wanted a second or even a third.
“This… Is it really that good?”
Thinking to herself, Dorothy watched as a new batch of grilled fish was finally ready. Thanks to lining up early, she easily got a plate.
After getting the grilled fish, Dorothy didn’t eat it immediately. Instead, she walked to one side and smelled it carefully. As she inhaled the fragrant aroma of the grilled fish, Dorothy felt her appetite surge, eager to start eating.
However, Dorothy controlled her hunger and didn’t rush to eat the fish. Instead, she examined it closely, ensuring there were no signs of spiritual traces. Using a fork, she picked up a small piece of fish meat and carefully sniffed it. Suddenly, she sensed a familiar scent, a familiar feeling.
“Something similar… Did I eat this before?”
Feeling the familiar scent, Dorothy’s eyebrows furrowed slightly, and she closed her eyes, rapidly searching her memory using the extraordinary information processing ability of an Extraordinary Being. After a quick scan of her memories, she recalled where she had tasted a similar flavor before.
It was a year ago, shortly after she arrived in this world. During her confrontation with the Crimson Eucharist in Igewent, the member of the Holy Communion disguised as an old bookstore owner named Colif tried to corrupt her and Gregor. He used the opportunity of selling books to slip a book containing a secret transmission meant for the “Cup” sect, and even put medicine in her tea. The medicine, extracted and manufactured by the “Cup” sect, stimulated human primal desires and had a deep addictive effect.
Yes, the grilled fish in Dorothy’s hand contained a similar cup medicine, though in extremely small quantities. It was so minute that even conventional spiritual vision might not detect it. The dosage was insufficient to cause pathological addiction, but it did mildly stimulate appetite.
“Cup medicine… Is this the secret behind the popularity of these fish?”
Realizing the presence of such a minuscule amount of cup medicine, Dorothy’s brow furrowed slightly. She looked at the chef still grilling fish and the fishermen happily fishing. Suddenly, she felt a certain mystery enveloping this ordinary cruise ship.
