Steampunk: Sixth Era Epic

He took a step forward, and the monster's hooves amusingly gestured for him to proceed:

"After I became a chef on this ship, the highest record I've encountered was a witch who drank seven bowls of soup from me, figured everything out, and succeeded in leaving. I think you might have such hope too."

This temptation was useless to Shard, but he indeed felt that he could continue drinking. Although he was very hungry now, this hunger was entirely bearable. Drinking the third bowl was merely intensifying his feeling of hunger, allowing more of the Spirit Transformation to be consumed—a price worth paying to become acquainted with a Five-Ring Sorcerer familiar with this ship.

With this thought, he reached out to catch the bowl thrown by the hooves, treated the liquid with "Satiety Food," and sipped it down little by little before tossing the empty bowl back into the room.

Shard could now clearly feel his stomach and intestines writhing - a terrible hunger unlike anything he had experienced in either of his lives:

"Red-haired girl with hair dyed in gold using a Magic Potion, wearing Ruby Earrings on her right ear, also a Circle Sorcerer. My companion fits this description."

After receiving the empty bowl, the monster in the room snorted, saw that Shard could still maintain his sanity while speaking, then went over to the wall and struck the wall panels violently with his hooves.

The sound wasn't loud amidst the storm outside, but after the knocking ceased, the fungal carpet along the corridor walls next to Shard suddenly burst open. Miss Princess, whose hair was now mostly red, crashed through the fungal carpet as Shard hastily dodged the filthy mucus.

"Hm?"

Both were surprised, but neither was pleased:

"Prove your identity."

The Female Sorcerer called out cautiously.

"The last keepsake was a fish. Prove your identity."

"You have two Genesis Series Roder Cards. Oh, how do you, I…"

She hadn't figured out the situation yet, seeming like she had just been in a battle, with her breath noticeably unstable. Moreover, Miss Princess lacked Shard's peculiar trait, so due to the assimilation of the ship, her mental state was very bad, her originally rosy cheeks now showing the pallor of someone who hadn't slept in days.

Time was pressing. Shard briefly explained the current situation, and the Female Sorcerer looked towards the room in surprise, emitting a muffled groan when her eyes landed on the monster, almost collapsing onto Shard immediately:

"Shard, you… Even for me, you dare to drink something like this? This is inside a Sage-Level Relic! Don't you have common sense? Oh, indeed you don't have common sense; you've only been a Circle Sorcerer for a month…"

"There will definitely be a fight next, I need you."

Shard interrupted her, quickly adding:

"I am merely a weak Second Ring Sorcerer, lacking your kind of power."

Miss Princess, hearing this, looked at Shard in surprise, seeming unable to comprehend what Shard had just said:

"You? Weak?"

But Shard had already consumed the third bowl of soup, and time could not be reversed; they had to accept this outcome.

"I now know we need to go down to the next level of the cabin to see the captain, but I still don't know how to make the captain let us leave. Do you know?"

Shard asked Miss Princess, who, holding onto Shard's arm and slightly shaking her head, looked quite unwell:

"I researched fairy tales about pirates when I was writing my course thesis, which is how I knew about the 'Fishbone Pirate Ship.' But like 'Song of the Mermaid,' this Relic is barely mentioned, only appearing in the Early Era, so I only know not to jump into the sea. Our hope lies in the deepest part of the cabin."

Clang~

The ship's body swayed, and the bowl filled with a translucent liquid appeared at the door for the fourth time.

"What does this mean?"

Shard, enduring the hunger and clutching his stomach, looked cautiously inside the cabin.

"I know how to deal with the captain. Just drink this bowl of soup, and I'll give you the answers."

Hooves waved the soup spoon, the facial expression still eerily unchanged.

"I'll do it!"

The blonde girl bent down to pick up the bowl, but Shard pulled her back abruptly, looking into her green eyes. The intensity in his gaze felt somehow terrifying to the Female Sorcerer.

"Given your current mental state, drinking a bowl might lead to disaster. I do not wish to wrestle with a Five-Ring Sorcerer who wants to devour me in such a confined space."

Although hunger made Shard feel like his stomach was about to perforate, compared to the helplessness and pain he faced when dealing with a Deity, this was still bearable:

"Madam, please do not underestimate me."

As he spoke, he bent down to pick up the bowl and used the Arcane Technique again, sipping the fourth bowl of soup in small gulps. The pungent fishy smell would probably keep Shard from wanting to eat fish for a long time.

"Oh~"

After throwing the empty bowl back into the room and staggering a few steps back, a satisfying surge came from his spirit, as the physical hunger reached unprecedented levels; he truly wanted to taste that belly-filling fish soup again.

At this moment, the misalignment between soul and body created a slight detachment between consciousness and flesh for Shard, fortunately, it was just an illusion for now.

Miss Princess hurried to support him; Shard moaned softly, never having missed the feeling of being full so much.

"To think you could also drink the fourth bowl, we both wield the power of Gluttony. I am really looking forward to adding another chef on board. You'll get hooked on dissecting the living too. We are the familiars of The Great One, by staying here, you are immortal."

It squinted at Shard, as if expecting him to suddenly bite one of his own companions.

"Quickly answer my question, how should I deal with the captain?"

The voice came from Shard's mouth, and he even thought about filling his stomach by taking deep breaths.

"Very well, you are the thirteenth person to drink up to the fourth bowl in the three thousand years since I came aboard. Dealing with the captain is actually quite simple.

The Great One allows us to navigate this ship and hunt in the ocean, but we must follow the rules, not directly kill you, which is a fundamental principle engraved when this ship was formed. Breaking this principle would attract the attention of the True Gods. Find the captain, and he will let the sailors duel with you; if you survive, you get a chance to gamble with the captain. If you can win the gamble, you can leave."

"That simple?"

"Simple?"

The human face lowered slightly, hidden in the shadows:

"Do you think how many people can find the captain, how many can defeat those Undead Sailors, win a bet against the captain, and avoid the traps of greed? If it was that easy, would I be here?"

Shard then remembered, this being too was caught on the ship and then remained here forever.

"I have no more questions."@@novelbin@@

Shard slowly backed away, now the overwhelming hunger nearly unbearable—he couldn't continue to drink that soup.

"Wait!"

"What is it?"

Shard asked warily. Continue your journey with My Virtual Library Empire

"Give me the bowl back!"

"Oh, sorry."

Shard looked at the bowl in his hand that contained the Whisper Element, then without hesitation, he threw it back into the room. The fish-faced, pig-hoofed monster hummed again:

"Very good, you've already understood the cost of greed on this ship. However, I still hope you will stay here, mortal. What's wrong with becoming a god's familiar? Don't you think the Merman's form is beautiful? If you are worried about worldly desires, I could tell you that Mermen can also..."

It didn't receive a reply from Shard, as he and Miss Princess had already left.

The monster snickered, throwing the bowl to the ground, and in the eerie green firelight, it stirred the liquid in the pot with a bronze spoon, just as it had done for thousands of years.