I created the myth of the Great Old Ones.

Eat slowly.

Seeing that Lyca was so eager to eat it until it revealed its true form, Lu Ban gave her a reminder.

Finally, some sailors couldn't resist the aroma of the grilled fish and ordered a piece to eat. One, two, three, many sailors on deck started eating the fish, and the large fish was quickly devoured, filling the deck with a joyful atmosphere.

In the distance, on the second floor of the flagship's cabin, Amber was watching this scene from the window.

"It's just entertainment for some uncouth people. They eat raw meat and drink blood. What's the difference between them and monkeys?"

Her maidservant rebuked her.

Amber gazed at the laughing crowd without saying a word, then silently turned and went back into the house.

Chapter 330 Stealing Food

Five days later.

The fleet docked at a port.

The island is called Narcissus Island, famous for its blooming narcissus flowers. However, Lu Ban couldn't disembark to see the legendary, incredibly beautiful narcissus fields.

After this port, the fleet will have to sail for about ten days before encountering a new port, so it will need to replenish water and food here and make full preparations.

At the same time, the island magistrate's escort ship of Sakurajima will bid them farewell here and return to the main island.

The stopover was brief, and while resupplying, Changpu and Luban went to the flagship.

For the next ten days, they will live on the flagship and be responsible for navigation.

"Don't talk too much. I don't want to see the priestess grabbing a live fish and eating it right after getting off the ship."

Changpu, carrying her extra-long sword, reminded Lu Ban.

During these five days, Lu Ban not only tried the red-fleshed fish, but also tried eating the meat from ugly shells raw, and the tentacles of a soft-bodied creature covered in tentacles.

This made the sailors eagerly await Lyca's catch from fishing every night.

"I find it strange that you don't eat raw food."

Lu Ban never expected that one day he, an outsider, would be the one to tell the people on the island that seafood could be eaten raw.

"But I can understand, if there are herbs like mustard or wasabi, and it's paired with soy sauce..."

He pondered that perhaps this world lacked seasonings that could complement seafood. However, back on the island of Kago, although those things might not have been real food, Lu Ban remembered seeing sashimi and the like.

Perhaps those were delicacies enjoyed only by scholars and literati.

"My lady, we are about to embark on a very long voyage. We hope you can give us your full trust."

When the journey resumed, in the captain's cabin, Ayame spoke to Amber once again.

"I trust you."

Amber nodded.

"You made a vow of binding power, promising to protect me until I reach the island, didn't you?"

The aloofness emanating from her had intensified, making her even more detached than the girl Lu Ban had seen under the moon who had stroked Lyca's belly.

"Yes."

"Italian replied."

"Therefore, I hope that you, my lady, can completely trust me, because in certain specific situations, I may do things that you may think will harm you, but please rest assured that it is only to protect you."

What situation are you referring to?

Amber frowned slightly.

"I don't know, but you certainly know that someone doesn't want you to successfully reach He Island, and the next stretch of the road is the most dangerous part."

Sweet flag shook her head.

"I believe in you."

Amber glanced at Lu Ban.

You can always trust me.

Lu Ban added a sentence.

The girl, Amber, twitched slightly. Lu Ban couldn't tell if she was suppressing a laugh or if she thought it was insignificant.

As Lu Ban left the captain's cabin, he was filled with curiosity.

"Boss, have you already obtained some information?"

"Big Sister" is the mercenaries' common name for Changpu. Although she is more than a head shorter than Lu Ban, the aura she exudes is genuine.

At the very least, she must have killed someone with her own hands.

"This trip is not simple. Just now at the dock, several dockworkers were not physically fit for heavy work. They were obviously not real workers, but came to gather information. Maybe some of them have already boarded the ship."

“Even the sailors on this ship may have been bribed. Only the island magistrate’s men are truly protecting the priestess. Now that they’re leaving, some people are starting to get restless.”

"Don't think it's impossible. The priestess is not facing simple political enemies, but the current ruling nobles."

"If things go wrong, we might become the ones who get framed. They might disguise themselves as pirates and mercenaries and work together to kill the priestess."

"It is called calamus," said the simple analysis.

"If that's the case, why should we take this order?"

Lu Ban asked a question.

It's like the whole world wanted Amber to die, but Ayame still accepted the commission and didn't even leave when she could have escaped.

"Because I felt I could win."

Sweet flag smiled.

“If we win, we will have the full support of the priestess, we will no longer have to drift at sea, and we can have our own mansion and land on the island. I think it’s worth taking the gamble.”

To be honest, Lu Ban didn't quite understand this.

Leaving aside the fact that he accepted the mission, if Lu Ban were truly a mercenary and this mission were presented to him, he probably wouldn't have taken it on so readily.

Too dangerous.

Even if the mission is successful, there is no guarantee that those favors will be received, and in Lu Ban's view, these favors are not worth risking his life for.

Changpu's words seemed more like a reason for Lu Ban.

It seems reasonable, but it doesn't actually make sense.

Regardless, Lu Ban confirmed that she was probably not one of the invading chosen ones.

That's what Lyca told him anyway.

When Lu Ban was on Pohnpei Island in his original world, he was able to see through the appearance of the invaders, but he was unsure whether he could see through the disguises of the chosen ones from other gods in this alien world.

At least he hasn't seen any fishmen, bandaged men, or four-eyed guys yet.

night.

Lu Ban did not hold any more late-night barbecues on the ship.

He ate it all by himself in secret.

"The fish here seem a bit thinner; maybe they're out of food."

As usual, Lu Ban tossed the fish head to Leica, took a couple of bites himself, and remarked with a sigh.

The sea shimmered under the moonlight, but after leaving Narcissus Island, the fog on the sea increased.

The fog gave Lu Ban a bit of PTSD, but fortunately it was just ordinary sea fog, with a damp, salty, and fishy smell that would make people who weren't used to it nauseous.

Lu Ban could only eat a couple more bites.

Halfway through the meal, Lu Ban felt like he saw a figure.

He tossed the fish to Lyca, wiped his hands, stood up, and followed the figure.

This man appeared to be one of Amber's guards; he walked somewhat stiffly toward the depths of the cabin.

Lu Ban followed him at a distance, relying on his [True Vision] to track his movements.

The lower deck of the ship was a warehouse containing food and water; it would be the perfect place to poison someone.

Lu Ban saw the man stagger as if he had been drinking and walked deep into the warehouse.

Here, in a place where almost no one usually comes, Lu Ban saw a bright red magic circle drawn on the dry wooden floor. Around the magic circle were tiny characters, which looked like the talismans from Hedao Island that Lu Ban had seen before.

The guard suddenly knelt down with a thud and pulled out a statue of a deity from his robes.

Lu Ban saw that the statue was hideous, with a fat body and a gaping maw in its abdomen, emanating a repulsive aura.

The moment Lu Ban pulled out the statue, he also smelled a foul stench.

The guards placed the statue in the center of the magic circle.

Then I began to pray.

Chapter 331 [The Benevolent Statue of the Heavenly Father]

As the guard began to pray, Lu Ban clearly heard some kind of foreign murmur echoing in the warehouse.

However, although these sounds were annoying, they did not cause Lu Ban any pain or confusion in his head.

Compared to the ramblings in "The Wisdom of Fools" that I heard before, these seem like child's play.

"Could it be that my resistance is too high?"

Lu Ban thought to himself.

If we start from this point, then the evil god represented by the statue worshipped by the guard doesn't seem so dangerous.

Above the blood-red magic circle, a kind of green smoke began to waft out.

The smoke seemed to have its own will, spreading towards the water and food in the warehouse.

Even Lu Ban could foresee that if people were infected by this smoke, their food and water would definitely be in trouble.

During a long voyage, if logistics go wrong, despair and chaos will inevitably follow.