章 6: HoG - Chapter 6
Chapter 6: Gourmet
After stepping aboard, Byron had yet to lay eyes on the notorious pirate captain 'Blood Eye' Salman. However, he had already deduced from Salman's red-eyed shark "pets" that he was a supernatural being.
The "Navigation Log" was not as adept at peering into Salman's history as it was with ordinary objects. That's why Byron sought to gather intelligence through Little Hans.
Unexpectedly, he stumbled upon a new secret.
The first supernatural secret: The shadow of the Red and White Rose War for the English throne, although it provided Byron with excessive feedback of 'Historical Revisionist.'
But the level of secrecy involved was too high, and he couldn't access it until after completing his profession ritual. "The 'Secret: Captain Blood Eye Salman's Unspoken Issue' is just right, with only a 4% historical influence.
Once I unravel his secret, my 'spirituality' won't need to accumulate any further, and I can directly hold the 'Stairway of Glory' profession ritual."
Therefore, when Byron heard Little Hans's warning, he was not only unfazed but also somewhat eager to try.
Of course, he didn't forget to thank him sincerely.
"Cheers! Drink!"
"The fresh beer from the Pelican is still the best, along with the sausages and white bread. Finally, we don't have to eat those moldy ship's biscuits anymore."
When Byron followed Little Hans onto the open deck, he saw a group of pirates, fresh from their plunder, reveling in their victory.
Except for the helmsman, the on-duty sailors, and other essential personnel for sailing the ship, most of them were drinking heartily from their bottles.
The ship's stock of ship's biscuits and salted meat had been cast aside, replaced by fresh food looted from the Pelican.
Byron, a former naval cadet with a formal education from the Royal Naval Academy, was no stranger to such scenes. The living conditions of pirates, merchant sailors, and even naval soldiers were far from the idyllic descriptions in legendary tales.
The situation of sailors was akin to that of prisoners, with the added risk of drowning compared to land-based prisoners. The worst prisons were a hundred times better than the holds of sailing ships.
The ship reeked of hell: stench, resentment, fear, fevers, dysentery, headaches, heat, tuberculosis, scurvy, cancer, and mouth ulcers...
Limited medical knowledge turned many minor illnesses into terminal diseases.
Fresh water stored in barrels in the hold would spoil and stink in no time.
But on a ship with a shortage of fuel, drinking boiled water was a luxury, usually reserved only for the injured.
Others had to mix sour water with rum or simply use low-alcohol spirits as a substitute for drinking water. The food was even worse, with overly salted meat and damp, rotten biscuits as their staple diet.
Every meal was a battle against extreme physical discomfort, forcing down food that was rotten and teeming with maggots. Byron had heard more than one sailor jokingly say, "Black-headed maggots taste cool, not as bitter as weevils, quite delicious!"
Especially pirates who roamed the seas for long periods without being able to resupply at normal ports had even worse logistics.
It was only natural that unless one couldn't survive on land or was trying to escape legal sanctions, few would choose this path voluntarily. There were few heroes at sea, but villains were everywhere. Armed merchant ships often turned into part-time pirates.
The two of them squeezed through a group of smelly pirates with difficulty and walked to the stern deck, which offered the broadest view.
A large wooden table was set up there, laden with provisions looted from the Pelican, including fruits, peas, beef, lamb, and alcohol...
A spherical figure surrounded by many pirate officers was gorging himself, eating with great relish. Without needing Little Hans's signal, Byron could tell that this was the supreme being on the ship, 'Blood Eye' Salman.
At first glance, Byron understood why Little Hans had said to be careful not to lose composure.
This was a fat man.
A very fat man, standing about 150 centimeters tall but weighing at least 150 kilograms!
The wide wooden chair under his butt creaked under his weight, and his silk noble attire was stuffed full with his white, plump flesh. His round face had eyes squeezed into slits by the fat, making it impossible to see any connection between him and the title 'Blood Eye.'
And even though he was already this fat, he continued to eat voraciously.
He could swallow a beef rib in one bite, devour a whole lamb leg with skin and bones in two bites, and didn't forget to gulp down a whole bottle of rum in between. There was also a nimble young pirate who kept feeding him peeled crab meat.
As for the fruits and peas on the table, they remained untouched.
Byron had a strange premonition that if anyone dared to stop the captain from eating, something very terrible would happen.
After standing quietly in front of 'Blood Eye' for a while, the fat captain finally had the leisure to glance at him up and down. He suddenly smiled dangerously, revealing a mouthful of teeth that were a bit too sharp.
"New cook?
Once you board this pirate ship, you become a member of the 'Maneater.' As long as you follow the 'Pirate Ten Commandments,' you don't have to worry about your safety.
Under normal circumstances, you won't need to participate in battles. Your main duty is to cook for me. If you can take care of the others, the brothers on the ship will be very grateful to you.
Of course!
I am a gourmet and a bit picky about food. The most important element of a meal is freshness. I hope you won't disappoint me."
He spoke in a gentle and refined manner, not as terrifying as Little Hans had described. It was even hard to imagine this as a ruthless pirate captain. And while he spoke clearly, it didn't slow down his eating at all.
Byron was not concerned about the "freshness" that Little Hans had repeatedly reminded him of.
With the awakening of his 'spirituality,' the memories of his past and present lives were all vivid and clear, including countless recipes he had seen!
If one were to ask how long the recipes in Byron's mind were, they would surely be longer than 'Blood Eye' Salman's life! The so-called "freshness" was no pressure for him.
Byron, like a true noble steward, bowed to Salman with a hand over his chest, confident yet respectful:
"I am at your service, Captain."
His impeccable manners made the latter's eyes light up, and his eating became more refined.
However, as he subconsciously straightened his back, the flowery sleeves of his silk shirt fell, revealing a pair of hands deformed like chicken claws, with bumpy protrusions all over his hands, arms, and especially the joints, making one's scalp tingle at a glance.
Perhaps others, limited by their knowledge, couldn't recognize it.
But Byron, who had become a doctor through long illness in his previous life, recognized it at a glance as densely packed... gout crystals!
Even with Byron's extensive experience, he had never seen such a severe case.
And not only is he super obese, but he also indulges in meat and alcohol, not eating any vegetables or fruits, not drinking clean water!'
The decryption rate of the secret 'Blood Eye's Unspoken Issue' jumped from 8% to 20%.
The pirate captain, of course, had no idea what this new member was thinking. He continued to eat and drink without slowing down, but he seemed to get hungrier the more he ate, never feeling full, his mouth stuffed with food, impatiently asking:
"If the quality of the delicacies is not up to standard, I can only satisfy myself with quantity. I eat five meals a day, with the next one in three hours. You will definitely make a signature dish that I've never had before, right!"
His eyes, which were fixed on Byron, suddenly burst with two cold, bloody lights as sharp as knives, identical to those of the man-eating sharks.
It sent a chill down Byron's spine.
And it was at that moment.
"Ah—!"
The young pirate feeding him stumbled backward, holding his blood-soaked left hand, letting out a piercing scream. He had been bitten off two fingers by Salman, who was getting hungrier and eating too hastily.
The other pirates seemed to be used to it, fearful yet keeping their heads down, not daring to show any abnormality.
Byron was standing too close and had a drop of blood splashed on his face, but he didn't dare to wipe it off. However, his concern for his "fellow sufferer" instantly vanished, and he blurted out involuntarily:
"In your condition, it has to be lamb, seafood, and ice-cold beer!"
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