Klein was curious about the results of the exploration, but he didn't ask any more questions. He passed the captain's cabin and headed down the stairs.
After walking a few steps, his throat felt itchy, and he couldn't help but clench his fist and cough twice in front of his mouth.
Klein was not surprised by this situation, as it was bound to happen. He had carried the " Biotoxin Bottle " for more than two hours last night, until late at night, and only after confirming that the " Admiral of Stars " had no intention of attacking did he transfer the magical item to the black leather case. Tragically, he fell ill.
Of course, he hadn't been carrying the " Biotoxin Bottle " for very long, and his body wasn't in a weakened state, so his condition was relatively mild, just a simple sore throat.
Cattleya, who was following behind, saw this scene but didn't see anything wrong with it; on the contrary, she thought it was normal.
It is a well-known fact among Beyonder that magical items inevitably have negative effects. Moreover, they have followed the example of the Seven Great Churches, collectively referring to those items with severe negative effects, which are difficult to carry for extended periods and are frequently used as " Sealed Artifact."
The reason why Cattleya sold or exchanged many of the low- to mid-level magical items was twofold: first, she wanted things that would make her stronger and improve her survival ability; second, the sheer number of negative effects was also a problem. Often, she could avoid one, but not another, and some negative effects would even overlap, producing a synergistic effect that was greater than the sum of its parts. For Beyonder, the disadvantages outweighed the advantages.
After discovering that Gehrman Sparrow had armed himself to the teeth with magical items, extraordinary weapons, and Spirituality charms, she was surprised and amazed, already wondering what kind of negative impact he would suffer. Today, it seems that for the time being, it is just a simple illness.
Klein walked steadily onto the deck and immediately spotted Frank Lee. He was still wearing a white shirt and overalls, the cuffs rolled up high, his arms stained with mud, seemingly unafraid of the cold wind blowing from the clear sky.
"Good morning, Gehrman," Frank waved enthusiastically. "Come and see my latest creation, it's absolutely the most popular thing on the high seas!"
As he spoke, he raised his other hand, holding a thick, large sea fish of unknown species in his palm.
No, I don't want to know what kind of " Monster " you've created this time... Klein stopped and looked at him coldly.
Frank Lee, oblivious to his strange behavior, pulled a dagger from his waist and plunged it into the fish, creating an incision.
Blood gushed out and fell precisely into a large beer mug on the deck, but there was no fishy smell emanating from it.
"Can you smell it? What an intoxicating aroma!" Frank Lee half-closed. "This is a fish whose blood is made of red wine, and therefore it carries a multitude of nutrients!"
... Klein found himself speechless.
Frank looked excitedly at the Sailor around him, then said to Gehrman Sparrow:
"Do you know what our biggest problem is at sea? It's running out of wine before we even reach shore! If these fish can reproduce rapidly and become the main product of the ocean, then we'll never lack wine, no matter where we go. Yes, they'll be categorized into different varieties: some will produce Lerunqi, some Nipos, some will produce red wine, and some will produce beer. And the beer will have to be made from sharks and whales, otherwise there won't be enough to drink!"
Isn't the biggest problem the lack of water? Of course, you mostly use beer instead of water because it's less likely to spoil... Poor fish... Klein was pondering how to respond to Frank when " Admiral of Stars " Cattleya came onto the deck, walked past him, and asked her first mate:
"Is Nina ready?"
"Alright, she's already drunk a bottle of Nipos!" Frank pointed to a shadow cast by the sails.
The so-called preparation was simply drinking a bottle of Nipos, a specialty of Feysac, the kind of Nipos you can use to strike a match? Klein suddenly felt that the lady named Nina mentioned by the first mate must have Feysac blood.
"Captain, I'd prefer a bottle of Sonia Blood Wine!" A woman slowly rose from the shadows and stepped out.
She is over 1.8 meters tall, with her golden hair casually tied into a high ponytail. Her features are not particularly outstanding, but she has distinct Feysac features, with fair skin and light-colored eyes.
The woman, named Nina, was wearing a black bodysuit that looked like it was made of fish skin, seemingly one piece from top to bottom, which perfectly outlined her hot figure.
This style is inherently quite sexy, and Nina's breasts are far beyond what's acceptable, so you can imagine what the gazes from the surrounding pirates meant.
Klein was a little embarrassed and wanted to look away, but then he remembered that Gehrman Sparrow was definitely not such a naive person, so he simply looked away and stared at Nina's face.
" Gehrman, this is our Sailor Nina! She's also the navigator's second-in-command, haha, her Sequence title is ' Navigator '!" Frank Lee introduced her without reservation.
This " Toxin Expert " is quite down-to-earth, aside from his research on hybridization... I remember now, this Ms. Nina has a bounty of 3600 pounds, nicknamed " The Undersea Killer." Sigh, I've seen too many wanted posters; I can't even recall some of them immediately... Klein looked into Nina's eyes and nodded calmly:
Good morning, ma'am.
Nina smiled and looked Klein up and down.
Good morning, Mr. Sparrow.
"I'm curious, is the ' Vice Admiral Ailment ' as charismatic as the rumors suggest?"
As a female pirate who had long mingled among the lower and middle ranks, she was always frank and direct when it came to men and women, without any shyness Gehrman Sparrow directly if she wasn't charming enough, or if he was the aloof type, which was why he completely ignored her and didn't react at all. However, considering that the person standing in front of her was a powerful guy, an adventurer who had almost successfully hunted down " Vice Admiral Ailment," a Lunatic who might draw his gun at any moment, she rationally withdrew her teasing words and instead asked about " Vice Admiral Ailment " indirectly.
"... How am I supposed to answer that?" Klein paused for a moment before saying:
"Her bounty is very attractive."
Nina paused for a second, unsure how to continue the conversation, and could only turn to look at the " Admiral of Stars ":
"Captain, shall we begin now?"
Cattleya, whose mind inexplicably drifted to her bounty, nodded to Nina:
"Start."
As soon as she finished speaking, Nina strode to the edge of the ship's gunwale, pushed off with her right hand, and jumped directly into the sea, swimming downstream like a large black fish.
At the same time, several splashes were heard, and several Sailor jumped down to provide support.
This... it just started like that, without any room for maneuver... This lady has the air of the Church of Storms, no wonder she's Beyonder of the " Sailor " pathway... Klein looked out of the ship and couldn't help but cough twice more.
"Are you sick?" Frank Lee asked directly.
Klein nodded indifferently.
"A little."
Frank thought for a moment, then without saying goodbye, ran back to the cabin and disappeared into the distance.
Beside her, " Admiral of Stars," Cattleya, adjusted her thick glasses and smiled slightly:
" Frank is a ' Toxin Expert ' and also an excellent Doctor."
As expected, it was the " Planter " path... Klein didn't ask any more questions, standing there waiting for Nina to complete her initial exploration.
Seeing the sudden, somewhat awkward silence, Cattleya took a few steps forward and said, seemingly casually:
"One more day, and we will be free from the whaling trade routes."
"It's at least another week to get to that ocean," Klein said after a moment's thought.
"That's the situation along the whaling route. Actually, it goes further north, with a detour. I know a secret route that can get us to the ocean you want to go to in two or three days." Cattleya's gaze pierced through the thick glass, looking into Klein's eyes, as if trying to discern what he knew about that extremely dangerous ocean.
Klein considered it for a moment and then simply said two sentences:
"Excellent, this is exactly what I wanted."
"Furthermore, that ocean is more of a fantasy than a reality."
Cattleya thoughtfully withdrew her gaze and looked towards the cabin entrance.
Frank Lee came running out, holding a green apple in his hand.
"This is another achievement of mine, hybridizing medicine with fruit to make taking medicine a pleasure!" He handed the apple to Klein with a broad smile.
... I'm afraid that if I eat it, my condition will worsen... Klein glanced at " Admiral of Stars," and seeing her nod slightly, he outwardly remained calm but inwardly reluctantly accepted the apple, forcing himself to take a bite.
It tastes like a normal apple, only with more juice and a softer flesh.
After taking a few bites, Klein found that his throat suddenly didn't hurt anymore, and his cough had stopped without him even realizing it.
It has to be said, this is truly astonishing... As long as animals and humans weren't involved, Frank Lee should have been a highly regarded genius within the Church of the Earth Mother. Unfortunately, he ultimately became a Devil figure... Klein looked at the " Toxin Expert " and said frankly:
"Healed."
"Very good." Frank didn't praise himself, but casually introduced the pirates on the deck to Klein.
After a while, Nina and the Sailor who were there to help swam to the surface and returned to the captain's ship.
Holding a rusted metal strip so badly it was unrecognizable and a patch of hard, black, honeycomb-covered soil, she complained to " Admiral of Stars " Cattleya:
"Captain, there is no such thing as a giant deep-sea well!"
That well isn't even as big as my breasts!
"Of course, it's very deep, pitch black, and who knows what it hides."
She gestured in front of herself.
"Exaggeration is a common trait among pirates and adventurers." Cattleya nodded, avoiding the word "bragging."
"The well opening is so small?" Klein looked at the item in Nina's hand with a puzzled expression, politely avoiding eye contact with her water-drenched body.
Cattleya's gaze met his, and she spoke:
"Explain the specifics."
P. S.: Two chapters tomorrow as usual, but I'm asking for your votes for Monday in advance!