Chapter 516 - 49. Captain Jesse
Chapter 516 of "Demi-human Girls Completion Manual" opens with exciting events: "Oh? So itās you, the visitor from Nali this morning... What a coincidence, weāve met... Continue reading!
"Oh? So itās you, the visitor from Nali this morning... What a coincidence, weāve met again."
Fisher hadnāt yet asked the Book Knight what he was doing here when he suddenly smelled a strong scent of alcohol coming from the alley before him. Following the dim moonlight, he saw an old man with the appearance of a beggar, clutching an iron liquor flask in his hand.
He was leaning against the side of the alley, periodically lifting the flask to his mouth to take a swig of strong liquor. Drops of clear liquid fell from the corner of his mouth, landing precisely on the compass he held in his lapāthe one made in Nali.
It was Captain Jesse, the old captain he had encountered at the Magic Market that morning. Fisher still remembered his name.
"Captain Jesse, right?"
"Absolutely, absolutely, itās rare for anyone to remember my name. Thanks for what you bought this morning; thatās kept my flask from running dry... I forgot to ask your name, though. You are the, uh, ālittle brotherā of this book?"
Fisher glanced at the Book Knight who was hiding on his shoulder, looking away, not saying a word, and even trying to whistle nonchalantly as if playing possum. He fought the urge to punch him and after a silence of a second or two, shook his head and said,
"No... What did he just tell you?"
"Ah, I figured as much. Your bookish friend here boasts even more wildly than a drunk old man like me, claiming he fought the Demon in the Abyss for three hundred rounds and emerged victorious... Thinking he was so capable, I wanted to ask him to take back my ship for me, but then he suggested asking his ālittle brother,ā which means you, to handle the matter..."
"Your ship?"
"Yes, itās docked over there... Beautiful, isnāt it?"
Following his gaze, Fisher looked towards the end of the alley and saw a wooden ship resting by the sea, bathed in moonlight. Although it was a wooden ship, Fisher saw distinct steam-powered structures, seemingly made during the early stages of the technological revolution.
"āPioneer class,ā the Flying Fish, the fastest ship in her day; she still seems as formidable as ever... But now sheās been taken by the damned pirates on this island, just because I owed their boss money. I only owed them a few thousand Narliou, who knew that over a few years it would become tenfold! These damn locusts..."
"Anyway, thereās no treasure onboard, just some books Iāve collected during my travels around the world, and an engine heart thatās always waiting for me to start it up. I was just joking with your bookish friend. Even if you help me get the ship back, I wonāt be able to give you any reward..."
As he spoke, Jesse took another swig from his flask and waved his hand nonchalantly towards Fisher and the others.
"Fisher! I can sense it, thereās an enticing book up there, one Iāve never recorded... Please, let me see what is recorded in that book. If you help me this time, I wonāt hold it against you for throwing me out of the room this afternoon... Oh, and afterwards, I wonāt tell any other ladies about your embarrassing incident either."
Fisher couldnāt bother with him, but then again, looking at the wooden ship swaying with the waves on the sea, there was a flicker in his eyes, and he suddenly asked,
"Could your ship make it to the Northern Realm?"