Captain Quack

"To tell you about my background, I have to start with my father's video studio!"

On the deck platform of the merchant ship, Captain Quack introduces himself to the new crew.

"I am the child of the Calamity Beast, just as you imagine!"

A group of dockworkers, cargo handlers, and purchasing agents huddled together, and hidden in the crowd were two familiar faces—

--It's Flavia and Duran.

"Wow!~~" Flavia's face was full of novelty and excitement when she saw the male frogman. "Duran!~ Look at him! Look at him! Oh dear!~ Do you think I'll get poisoned if I lick this toad?!"

Duran: "Please show some respect for our captain."

Captain Quack, standing on high up, couldn't hear the two sisters' voices, but continued to talk about his family background.

"One day, the young and promising shipwright Mr. Sparrow arrived in Eureka! This place was an industrial research and development site established in conjunction with the Eureka Project in the mortal world."

It has a greenish-black back, two large, watery eyes that almost pop out of the top of its head, a pointed Barry full of short, thick teeth, no prominent nose, and only two breathing holes visible above its snout.

He was dressed in a respectable sailor's uniform, and had four fingers with webbed knuckles.

"He loves cameras, loves taking pictures of landscapes, and loves the sunsets over Eureka."

"One day, he took a photo with his roommate in the leaky boatmen's dormitory. It was this photo that led him to my mother."

Captain Quack said this, a loud laugh escaped his throat.

"Hahaha! Right outside the dormitory window, in this small photograph, Mr. Sparrow saw a pair of beautiful, bright yellow eyes!"

That night, he leaned against the windowsill, searching for the owner of those eyes.

"The back door of the Wild Lily nightclub is right outside the window; there's only a dark alleyway leading down from there."

"Mr. Sparrow can't see clearly; even the streetlights can't illuminate this alley."

"Until a sharp, terrifying voice came from the darkness!"

At this point, Captain Quack's belly swelled up, and his expression turned fierce.

The voice threatened, "Don't come any closer! Don't come any closer!"

"But Mr. Sparrow wasn't afraid! His heart was full of courage and curiosity."

He said, "Who are you? Where are you? Can I see you?"

The voice in the darkness replied, "Burn the photo! Then I'll let you see it once."

Mr. Sparrow was utterly perplexed, for those eyes were like jewels, like beautiful jade and tourmaline, haunting his dreams.

So he asked, "Why? Why burn it?"

"At that very moment, a small head covered in bumps popped out from under the windowsill. It was a toad, its body covered in bumps that looked like rotting, foul-smelling cancerous tissue. It struggled to climb from the ditch to the windowsill, screaming and roaring at Mr. Sparrow —'Because I'm ugly! I'm so ugly!'"

At this point, Captain Quack adopted a gentle and contented expression.

"Ah, Mr. Sparrow, my father, the great savior who gave me the genes of Homo sapiens."

He said to the little toad, "But I don't think you're ugly at all. Can I continue taking pictures of you? I want to get to know you!"

"Look! What a great figure you have! Your eyes! Your nose! Your mouth! You're just like a fairy from a fairy tale!"

"And so I was born! After a biology lesson on in-vitro fertilization, I transformed from a giant tadpole into the incredibly intelligent, multi-armed toad I am today!"

"I want to thank my father! I also want to thank my mother! And I especially want to thank the mountain trolls and the Mountain Giant, and thank Mimir/Mim's blood! They created a miracle of life."

Captain Quack emphasized, then said something unrelated to the main topic.

"Of course, good kids shouldn't follow this example. The reality is more complicated than you imagine."

"My dad's dormitory was leaking. There was a frog's nest on the way from the water tank to the boatmen's dormitory. He drank the toxic water for half a month. The neurotoxins made him hallucinate and he mistook my mom for a curvy beauty in a nightclub."

"However, the couple's relationship is relatively harmonious. My dad treats my mom like a pet; he can't sleep without licking her a few times every day."

"I've grown up day by day like this. Mr. Sparrow is a very responsible and loving person. Even though I'm a hybrid of a monster and a calamity beast, I'm still his own flesh and blood. I really love this father, and I want to become like him!"

"This is the story of Captain Quack! Brothers! Sisters! Friends from all over the world! For the next month or so, we will be aboard this Nostalgia Ship! It is my third ship, and also my love! My career! Everything I have!"

"I fulfilled my father's dream, from a small boatman to a helmsman, to a first mate, to a captain!"

Sparse applause came from the audience.

--Flavia looked excited, as if she had just heard something exciting. She grabbed Sister Duran and clapped her hands vigorously, cheering for Captain Quack's story.

I'm so touched.

Duran: "This is just a poisoning incident, what are you so emotional about?"

Flavia wiped away her tears and said, "This feeling transcends race, shouldn't I cry?"

Duran: "There are just too many class divisions like this! From mammals to amphibians!"

"You don't understand, Duran! You don't understand! You just don't understand!" Flavia said, sounding aggrieved. "Candy is something that brings happiness and smiles. I'm a candy maker, Captain Quack tells me about Old Man Sparrow's sweet stories, I feel like I'm drinking plum wine and about to pass out—it's so sweet."

"Uh," Duran didn't quite understand.

Or rather, most ordinary people can't really understand it.

In Flavia's view, it's all too easy for a beautiful story to turn into an accident.

For example, two people in love are about to get married, but they can argue endlessly over who gets the house, turning their sweet love story into a sudden accident caused by greed.

Captain Quack's life originated from a poisoning accident.

But Mr. Sparrow turned it into a fairy tale, which is also the corporate culture of the Fairy Tale Kingdom brand, something Flavia has always wanted to pursue since starting her business.

After handling matters related to shipping, Captain Quack immediately began receiving guests, especially the two distinguished guests, Flavia and Duran.

"Ladies," Guagua said, bowing Quack as he approached Flavia, "You two may choose your rooms in the cabin. As for the cargo, the Transportation Department has arranged a convoy, and it will be loaded onto the ship tomorrow morning."

At this point, Captain Quack lowered his head and whispered to himself.

"I believe the children of Shambhala will also love the candy from the Fairy Tale Kingdom."

Flavia asked excitedly, "Really?"

Captain Quack Frog blinked, gave a knowing look, and whispered, "Of course, when I, a grown man in my thirties, ate your chocolate, I was a little disoriented at first, but then I remembered how my father taught me the vocal techniques of the human throat when I was little. He wanted me to read and write, and I couldn't stop my tears—these candies are amazing."

"Look! Duran! Look! Listen! Captain Quack understands me!" Flavia tugged at her best friend's sleeve.

Duran, however, was full of suspicion, thinking that Captain Toad was just spouting sweet talk.

Captain Quack clasped his hands together and said, "On behalf of the children of Xiantai Prefecture, I would also like to thank you for your kindness. The first batch of more than 4,500 kilograms of candy includes high-calorie foods such as nut biscuits and honey syrup, and also! My favorite chocolate. These are all gifts for the people in the poor villages and towns around Xiantai Prefecture."

Flavia nodded vigorously, "Yes! Yes, yes, yes!"

"This is a good start." Captain Quack praised repeatedly, "You have excellent business acumen. Sending gifts to Xiabang to express goodwill, are you planning to open a factory in Xiantai Prefecture next?"

"Uh..." Flavia was stunned.

To be honest, she never had the idea of opening a factory on the other side of the world. She hadn't done any research on production conditions, sales channels, or other information. This donation of candy products was just to cooperate with the BOSS's action plan.

Flavia was a studious girl. After learning about the history of Shambhala, the little black snake developed a strong sense of sympathy for the children on the other side of the Pompeii Sea, so she decided to go with the cargo on the Nostalgia to see the other side of the sea.

Faced with Captain Quack's question, Flavia couldn't utter a single word for a long time.

Duran immediately replied, "That's an idea. But I think Shambhala has its Shambhala rules, and that continent probably isn't very reasonable—whether these candies will even get into the children's mouths is uncertain."

"Don't even mention doing business. Heh."

Duran chuckled softly.

"It's good enough that you came back safe and sound."

After hearing what Duran said, Captain Quack didn't press the matter further.

He led the two VIPs to the dormitory area of the Nostalgia, and selected two relatively spacious single rooms. To be honest, they weren't very big; the rooms were more like toilets. According to the standards of cargo ships, sailors' dormitories usually only have one bunk, so only two VIPs traveling on board could get such a small amount of private space.

Standing by the railing, Flavia saw a shimmering golden ribbon beneath the dark sea surface—

--That mark was like a guiding light in the shallow sea; looking further into the distance, the same light source could be seen in Port 2 and Port 3.

"What's this?" Flavia asked curiously.

Captain Quack immediately exclaimed, "This is our backbone!"

Duran: "Spine?"

Captain Quack explained, "The cold and ruthless Pompeii Sea is home to ferocious sea monsters, but compared to those monsters, the pirates lurking between the archipelago and fjords, along with the unpredictable weather and ocean currents, are the most terrifying things."

"Even our experienced navigators can capsize due to bad weather when guiding vessels in and out of port."

"Not to mention the deep sea far from the mainland, a place without starlight to guide you, where it's extremely easy to lose your way."

"If every railway worker and every militiaman has a spine given to them by the gunsmith, then their ability to stand upright is all thanks to the nameless."

"Then the vertebrae in the Eureka boatman's body were given to him by the old Khan."

"These luminous ribbons are his spiritual power, the nautical beacon of Eureka Harbor leading to Shambhala."

"No matter how ocean currents and monsoons change, as long as we follow these arrows, we won't lose our way."

"My father, Mr. Sparrow, was also the old Khan's second-in-command!"

Captain Quack said proudly.

"This kind of work, day after day, has taken them deep into treacherous waters, traveling back and forth between Eureka and Shambhala for seventy years."

"Even after retiring, the old Khan continued to operate the White Ape and fought alongside the Nameless One. This sea was like a grassland, and the old Khan drew his territory on that grassland."

Flavia emphasized, "And there's a BOSS!"

"Yes! Yes, yes, yes!" Captain Quack immediately added with a smile, "The remaining spine was nurtured by the BOSS using the Universal Elixir."

In early May, the autumn harvest had already begun quietly and slowly.

This was not merely a purely military operation, but also a massive commercial endeavor and a long-term cooperative plan between the underworld and Shambhala.

Silver Bay's representatives among the anonymous group included Mr. Leslie, the young black man, and Billy and Fuyanni. The three of them went ahead to Xiantai Prefecture, accompanied by a team of more than twenty lobbyists.

Leaning against the railing of the sightseeing boat, Billy the Kid and Leslie chatted idly.

"I didn't expect you to have become a lobbyist? Or has Silver Bay upgraded its business?"

"Apprentice, if I may be so bold as to say something—this is just your naiveté." The Black Brother joked with Billy. They were both from the Little Brotherhood, though they had held different positions, so they were practically from the same hometown and could take the joke, "Multiply the number of states in America by twenty, and you'll find that many lobbying firms."

The political systems of the underworld are highly self-governed, organized around the Senate. The color of the pyroxene and different races further divide them into countless factions. For the regional governors, lobbying teams are like nitrogen in the air—unnoticed by ordinary people, yet omnipresent.

Silver Bay's business couldn't be limited to just newsboys and beggars. As a lubricant for commerce, industry, and services, Leslie, who worked alongside the Gate of Wonders, had long since switched tracks, lobbying for political donations for politicians and seeking power alliances for businesses. Now, serving his boss, his primary task was to investigate the elite circles of Xiantai Prefecture, providing intelligence to the anonymous as an unofficial diplomat.

The best outcome would be to persuade the Xiantai Prefecture to voluntarily relinquish Judas through peaceful means.

If chatting and inviting people to meals don't work, then it's time for the violent authorities to step in.

The people Leslie brought this time were all experienced lobbyists from the local political bureau. He also brought along Billy and Fuyanni, the two gunsmiths' apprentices, hoping to bring more advanced and efficient production methods and better development plans to Xiantai Port.

Billy and Fuyanni, who had suffered greatly at the hands of the Madness Butterfly Sect, were able to transform from monsters back into human form—a symbol of civilization. Their skills and stories served as powerful evidence for the lobbying team, convincing the governor of Xiantai Prefecture that human hands could create happiness and wealth, and that one could become rich and powerful without resorting to cannibalism.

At this time, the cargo ship "Homesickness" also set sail.

Several days after the ship set sail, Flavia and Duran talked about all sorts of aspirations and dreams.

The large cargo ship bobbed up and down in the waves, and the sailors on board began to tell strange stories, especially about haunted cargo compartments.

Legend has it that every night, when only a dozen or so crew members are on duty, the cargo boxes will make strange crackling noises, along with rustling sounds, especially from the long boxes carrying candy.

These candies were all sealed, and it wasn't appropriate to open the box to check them. Captain Quack was a man who had seen many storms and waves, often sailing the seas and having personally experienced all sorts of strange tales, so he didn't take it to heart.

Until one day, when Quack was on night duty, he came to the cargo area of the Fairy Tale Kingdom.

Then a loud and powerful shout came from inside the box.

"Three against three!"

"I can't afford it."

"I only have one card left! Pay up!"

After receiving the money with a smile, Bu Liuxing crawled out of the cargo box, intending to use the ship's toilet, when he bumped right into Quack.

When Quack saw the several nameless figures dressed in Flash Butterfly Armor inside the candy crate, he finally understood what was going on.

"A generous gift of crabs!"