The feast continued for an entire day without showing any sign of ending.
Even now, nobody’s enthusiasm had diminished in the slightest.
Kweiv’s cooking amazed everyone.
He prepared many dishes that the Mountain Spirits had never even seen or tasted before, giving them a completely new and exciting experience.
A large crowd gathered around him, and most of the food served at the feast had been prepared by Kweiv himself.
Ford Quans seemed to have a particular fondness for children.
He was telling stories to a group of “little ones,” including Shiri, even though many of them were actually several decades older than him.
Watching those little guys’ sparkling eyes, Quans hadn’t smiled this freely in a very long time.
Ang Lance had also gotten completely drunk.
His earlier refined and gentle demeanor was nowhere to be seen.
He had an arm around Elik’s shoulder, laughing heartily from time to time.
Lance’s face was flushed, his eyes hazy with alcohol.
Clearly, he was thoroughly drunk.
“So the sea is actually this interesting?
I’ve lived here for over a hundred years, and every day it’s been nothing but forests and more forests.
Compared to that, what kind of miserable life have I been living?”
“Hahahaha!
Exactly!
Living in a huge forest feels pretty comfortable too, but when I think about how there’s nothing fun to do here, I feel restless all over.”
Elik had an arm around Lance’s neck and was laughing happily.
“Hey, why don’t you come aboard our ship?
There’s plenty of fun to be had out there.
I’ll show you around.
Otherwise, spending your entire life in a place like this would be such a waste of your youth!”
“Go aboard…”
A flicker of emotion appeared in Lance’s hazy eyes.
A tiny spark of light flashed within them.
Once the thought appeared, it took deep root in Lance’s mind.
“That’s right, come with us!
Your arrows are incredibly accurate, so the Captain will definitely want you.
If I remember correctly, we don’t even have a sniper aboard yet.”
“Then I’ll put in a good word with the Captain for you.
It’ll definitely work, hehe.”
Elik wiped away some drool before continuing to pour liquor into his mouth.
Meanwhile, Valsa, Adrian, and the Chief were drinking together.
Adrian was stuffing huge mouthfuls of meat into his mouth.
Suddenly, Valsa looked Adrian up and down.
The scrutiny made Adrian feel uncomfortable.
“Boss?”
Valsa frowned and carefully observed him.
“Hmm.
Adrian, is it just me, or have you grown again?”
“Eh?”
“Yep.
I didn’t expect you could keep growing even though you’re already in your twenties.
I remember you were still under four meters tall when we first went to sea.
It’s only been a few days, but you already look like you’re approaching five meters.”
“Uh… I don’t know either.
After I ate that giant shark meat, my limbs started itching every now and then.
When I woke up the next morning, it felt like I’d grown a little.”
“Tsk, tsk, tsk.
Looks like you’ve got pretty impressive physical potential.”
“Situations like this are rare, but they’re not unheard of.
Some people don’t get enough nutrition during their early years, so their physical growth is stunted.
Once you started consuming something as energy-rich as that meat, combined with how much you’ve been training lately, some of your previously dormant potential has probably begun surfacing again.”
Adrian scratched his head and gave a silly grin.
“We’ll have to see how tall you eventually become.
If you can grow past six meters, then even in the New World, your physical abilities would rank among the higher end.”
Adrian’s physique had already surpassed Lucas’s by a considerable margin, making him the largest member of the Overlord Pirates.
Just then, Elik brought Lance over.
Elik spoke first.
“Captain, Lance wants to come aboard our ship.
I think this guy’s pretty good.
His archery is really accurate, and don’t we happen to be missing a sniper?”
Elik was very clever.
He didn’t directly say, “Captain, let Lance join our ship.”
That could sound like he was giving the Captain an order, which might make Valsa displeased and cause him to reject the idea outright.
Instead, he presented it as Lance’s own desire to join, praised him a little, and then pointed out their need for a sniper.
That would make the Captain consider the proposal instead of rejecting it immediately.
As long as Valsa was willing to think about it, there was still a chance.
The rest would depend on Lance’s abilities and the Captain’s decision.
Valsa looked Lance up and down.
Lance quickly stepped forward.
“Captain Valsa!
I want to join your ship and see the world beyond this island.
I want to witness the vastness of the sea for myself.
Please, you have to let me come!
I’m begging you!”
Valsa’s expression remained calm, his tone indifferent.
“If all you want is to see the scenery of the outside world, I can give you a ride to the nearest island.
After that, whatever you choose to do will have nothing to do with me.”
“But if you want to join my ship, then what awaits you won’t just be the beauty of the outside world.
You’ll also face its darkness.”
“We’re pirates.
Our identity means we’ll inevitably encounter countless battles and bloodshed, constantly facing the risk of death.
And once you come aboard, your freedom will be restricted.
Whatever you do, you’ll have to follow my orders.”
Lance froze.
He really hadn’t considered all of this.
But in the next moment, he had already made his decision.
His eyes became resolute.
“Captain, I want to join your ship!”
“You’re sure?
You don’t want to think it over?”
“I’m sure!”
“Good.
But I still suggest you ask your Chief whether he’ll allow you to leave.”
Valsa pointed toward the Chief sitting beside him.
Lance immediately felt incredibly awkward.
Discussing how he was going to leave right in front of the Chief made him wish he could crawl into a hole.
“Uh… Chief… this…”
“It’s fine.
Go if you want to.
I’ll take care of the tribe.”
The Chief’s voice was gentle.
Yet hearing those words made Lance’s eyes well up with tears.
“Captain, he’s different from the rest of us.
Lance has remarkable talent—no, exceptional talent.
He’s even one of the most outstanding talents in the entire history of our Mountain Spirit race.”
Valsa had already noticed this.
The other Mountain Spirits were all around 1.7 meters tall, while Lance stood at 1.9 meters and was even approaching two meters.
His arms were also thick and powerful, completely different from the slender physiques of the others.
“Captain, look at Lance’s arms.
Lance was born with two arm bones in each arm.
That means the strength of his arms is two, three, four times greater than mine—or perhaps even more!”
“And with proper training, his strength can continue to grow.”
“And as you know, our race’s bodies simply can’t withstand powerful attacks.
That’s why we’ve chosen to use bows and arrows for ranged combat.”
“For an archer, possessing such powerful arms is an extraordinary natural gift!”
Lance watched as the Chief enthusiastically advertised his strengths, clearly doing everything he could to help secure a better future for him.
His heart was filled with emotion.
The scene naturally attracted the attention of the others, and before long, everyone had gathered around to watch.
The pirates already had a very favorable impression of Lance.
This guy was a good person, he was pleasant to talk to, and everyone liked him.
“In that case, I accept your request.
From this moment on, you’re officially a member of the Overlord Pirates.”
Lance’s head shot up in excitement.
The surrounding pirates immediately erupted into cheers.
“What are you making all that noise for?!” Valsa roared.
The pirates instantly fell silent, covering their mouths to keep themselves from laughing.
Valsa then curled the corners of his mouth upward.
“Continue the feast!”
“WOOOOOOO!!!”
Everyone immediately erupted into cheers again, throwing their arms around one another’s shoulders and singing at the top of their lungs.
“To celebrate Lance becoming our new companion, let’s raise our glasses!”
Elik raised his cup and shouted to everyone.
“Cheers!!!”
◇ THE STORY DOESN’T END HERE…
◇
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