Free Web NovelChapter 372: Chapter 365: A Day Trip on Kindling: Cuisine, Customs, and Crisis
Once they had a plan for handling everything, the crew left the captain’s quarters.
Shi Ming also had some rare time to relax.
Ever since returning from the Extreme North Ice Eye, he had been in a state of high-intensity sea beast hunting. In a short period, he had slain the Abyss Lord and the Ten Thousand Forms Kun one after another. His strength had increased dramatically, but his mental fortitude was at its limit.
A balance of work and rest was key.
Especially with the skills he had just acquired—he needed to master and adapt to them to wield their power more proficiently. Otherwise, haste would only make waste.
Raising pets, farming, sipping tea,
sometimes, one had to steal a moment of leisure to enjoy life.
...
...
...
Leaving the mist-shrouded area and sailing along the border of the former Amazon Forest, it took less than three hours to see the massive Wandering Ship guarding this sea region.
It was Kindling, twelve kilometers long, covered in giant, colorful murals filled with the style of South American Tribes, a vessel for passing on the torch of civilization.
Life at sea was truly monotonous, so since they were already here, it was only natural to take a look around the King-level Wandering Ship, Kindling, and experience it for themselves.
Every King-level ship preserved the finest regional characteristics of the Land Era.
Civilization, customs, heritage.
And different cuisines.
For example, on the night of Shi Ming’s arrival, Kindling held a grand banquet to welcome the Grand Patrol Envoy from afar. All sorts of rare, authentic delicacies from the sea were presented without reservation. Even Stone Pillar and Yellow Cannon, who had accompanied Shi Ming to Kindling, benefited from his presence.
The banquet was planned at the highest level.
There was golden lime-marinated raw fish, lightly roasted black bean and pork soup, Bahian cuisine, shark fin in coconut milk, steam-misted fish maw... and the "Brazilian barbecue" that Shi Ming was familiar with but hadn’t tasted in a long time.
Most of the ingredients were natural and cultivated on Kindling itself, cooked by hand—nothing like the convenient, pre-prepared meals synthesized from sea fish or made by machines. To host the world’s Grand Patrol Envoy, a powerhouse strong enough to slay a Holy Hall Sea Beast, Kindling naturally spared no effort.
Kindling’s "Grand Commander," Martinelli, personally attended the banquet.
Yellow Cannon and Stone Pillar were also warmly received, but they were mindful of Shi Ming’s dignity and ate with considerable restraint. Meanwhile, Ah Jian remained in Shi Ming’s collar as usual. No one knew that a super sea beast, a natural enemy of humanity, was also there, mooching off the free food and drink.
The roasted meat sizzled with caramelized bubbles, crispy on the outside and tender on the inside.
Paired with Guaraná soda, it was quite appetizing.
The passionate Samba dancing gave Shi Ming the illusion of having returned to a past life. It had been a long time since he had experienced such a lively atmosphere.
Martinelli was a witty conversationalist. At A-level, his strength couldn’t compare to Elder Zhou of Da Yu or Xivier of Black Gold, but his political skill was on par with theirs. It was said that he had been a soccer star during the Land Era. After retiring, he used his influence to enter politics. His political career took off like a rocket, quickly elevating him to the position of Speaker of the House of Representatives. Five years later, he entered the Morning Star Palace. In the Wandering Era, he was elected as Kindling’s helmsman and Grand Commander.
A true master of both the field and the forum.
Both a fierce tiger and a cunning fox.
"Patrol Envoy, Grand Commander, these are the desserts."
"Black Pearls."
"Fire Red Pomegranates."
"Creamy Shanars, Seven-Color Cocoa Jelly, and Prickly Fruit Rambutans."
Shi Ming tried a Black Pearl. It was a cherry the size of a fist, resembling black jade. The skin was thin and the flesh was plentiful; a single bite barely touched the pit, and juice burst forth.
Ah Jian loved it, using its Spiritual Power to suck out the juice from inside.
In the Wandering Era, most Wandering Ships faced resource shortages. However, 80% of all resources and rare treasures were concentrated on the King-level and General-level ships. If nothing else, every King-ship had at least three or more decks dedicated to growing real crops. Of course, they weren’t growing ordinary wheat and rice, but rather specialty products and fruits that provided emotional value.
To maintain biodiversity, they had also transplanted many rare plants and raised different kinds of animals, like a true Noah’s Ark.
Botanical gardens and zoos were also standard features.
The banquet was lavish, but there was no alcohol, as there was still official business to discuss.
"Grand Commander."
"Everyone."
"Regarding the matter we spoke of earlier, I have already used the Map of the Endless Sea to investigate. Within two thousand nautical miles of Kindling, there was only one powerful S-class sea beast, which was my previous target."
"It has now been slain."
"But this doesn’t mean this sea region is free of other threats. Some powerful sea beasts can hide in places similar to the Void Realm, evading detection by the Map of the Endless Sea."
Like the Mobius Serpent from before, which hid in the Light Cone World.
The Map of the Endless Sea couldn’t detect it.
That battle was an unexpected encounter.
"As for farther out, in the Southern Ice Sea Region, there is another S-class sea beast lurking. Its strength is unknown. If you wish to hunt it, it would be best to find its weaknesses and gather intelligence beforehand. Some of the strongest S-class sea beasts are terrifyingly powerful. For instance, the Moonlight Ripple Beast in Da Yu’s Northeast Domain back then required the combined efforts of myself and Rong Bing to take down."
Ordinary S-class sea beasts and their skills no longer held much appeal for Shi Ming.
He was more inclined to use the Contract Core to subdue them and build a team of absolutely loyal sea beasts. But sometimes, he needed to use the intelligence on these beasts to trade for other things—things that couldn’t be bought with strength or wealth alone.
"As for the A-class sea beasts..."
Shi Ming gestured, and Yellow Cannon produced a document, handing it to Kindling’s Grand Commander, Martinelli, who sat across from him.
When unfolded, the document revealed a detailed, hand-drawn sea chart. Latitude and longitude lines crisscrossed the page, and black dots of varying saturation marked the coordinates of all A-class sea beasts within a 2,000-nautical-mile radius of Kindling.
This part was a free gift.
At Shi Ming’s level, whether something was free or paid for was no longer important. Once Kindling had this intelligence, it would be much easier for Shi Ming to ask to borrow their rare items, use their unique resources, or make other requests in the future. Moreover, if the Awakened on the King-ship grew stronger, they could face future crises and difficulties together.
It was a huge gift.
The coordinates were marked very intuitively. Different shades were even used to distinguish the depths of the sea beasts from the surface.
"This..."
"On behalf of Kindling, thank you, Patrol Envoy."
Martinelli folded the coordinate map.
If the coordinates of an S-class sea beast were a challenge, then the coordinates of so many A-class sea beasts were, without a doubt, a resource to be fully exploited.
To give away such a resource so easily was an incredibly generous gift. No faction could refuse it, nor would they want to.
The grand gesture had been made.
Now, for the not-so-good intelligence—
"Grand Commander, have you ever heard of the Unceasing Water?"
