Black Sail

The navigation room is essentially the central hub of a ship, acting as the control room for officers on a ship with strict discipline.

But on the SS Fuma Keqing Revenge, it serves as the core backbone of the card room and middle-aged activity center.

"The honorable doctor has also arrived, now everyone is here,"

Liszt said calmly.

Surrounded by high-quality peach wood long table procured from the lord's house in Blue Bay Port, filled with people, the teal silk tablecloth and some silver ware accentuated the upscale setting.

However, those seated were either dirty and messy like Rein, or had an "unpleasant appearance" like Morison.

Shipwright, Haywood, a former member of the Demon God Agares Dagon expeditionary army.

Shipwright, Shadi, a former arms dealer.

Chef, Archer, a former Gion Kingdom court chef.

Ship doctor, Mika, a former executioner and forensic doctor at Chenxi Port of the Aran Empire.

Quartermaster, Wolman, a former officer of the Southern Wetlands Rebel Army.

Sailor, Rein, a former vice lieutenant of the Starving Wolf Adventure Group.

Ship gunner, Morison, of unknown origin.

Second Officer, Ox, a first-class war criminal of the Mirror Sea Alliance.

First Officer, Fen, a first-class political prisoner from the Pedan Kingdom.

Captain, Liszt, from outer space, a Cosmic Person.

"I won't babble on," Liszt scratched his ear and added, "The jewelry has been appraised, about 120 Golden Dragons. We have not found a channel for sale yet, let's divide the clean money first."

Liszt gestured to Fen, who had already prepared the accounts, and began to recite by the book, following the old rule; beyond three hundred Gold Coins, two hundred Gold Coins were taken as normal expenses, leaving a total of two hundred seventy-six Gold Coins, each person received twenty-five Gold Coins, and the remaining one Gold Coin was also taken as expenditure.

As Fen finished speaking, Haywood distributed the already tied money bags to everyone on the table. Each bag was heavy, roughly the size of a human head, containing both Gold Coins and silver coins.

Twenty-five Golden Dragons were enough to buy a decent residence in a well-secured big city in these chaotic times; one could live a worry-free life for five to six years if not squandering on prostitutes, gambling, or consuming hallucinogenic alchemical products.

But everyone present had seen their fair share of big scenes; they were all desperate, and the money would only bring peace if spent in Heaven Port, wasted on pleasures and gone in a few months, with no apparent joy on their faces.

After the division of spoils.

"Should anyone have suggestions or dissatisfaction with this delivery, you may speak up."

Fen also placed the ledger on the table for all to see.

No one spoke, as the rules had long been established.

"Archer, do you have any objections?"

Fen looked at Archer speechlessly, as the main event was about to start, and his mind was still a mess.

Blurrily propping his head, Archer slurred with a drunken tongue, "Annihilate who? Oh... everyone's here, let's eat, don't just drink."

Feeling somewhat sobered up, Archer blew into the bottle a few times, then seemed to remember something and began to wail loudly, with tears and snot.

Liszt clicked his tongue, making more noise than Men Jiang cry.

"You better rest," Fen said helplessly, "Since there are no objections, let's consider this matter settled."

Fen and Swan also sat down, but had little appetite looking at the mutton on the table.

Just as Liszt was about to sit.

"First Officer... don't you have something to say?"

With one statement from Ox,

everyone's faces darkened, and Mika, recalling what he had mentioned earlier, was also confused; he decided to take a sip of liquor to calm his nerves first.

"Say what?"

Liszt picked up the conversation, aware that it was the crew challenging issues related to Swan.

"Of course, I should say auspicious words, on a festive day it's proper to say auspicious words. Since no one volunteered to be the Alcohol Commander, I'll reluctantly take the role this time."

Ox's Special Large Sword was leaning against the wall, just sixty centimeters away from him. With his stature, he could reach it just by reaching out.

The so-called Alcohol Commander is the person who leads in drinking, ensuring that no one awkwardly abstains.

"Great! The Second Officer will also have his share of auspiciousness today."

Morison smiled sinisterly, purely enjoying the spectacle. He truly didn't care about Swan's trivial matters. Indeed, he had heard that the Thief Guild on the East Shore had captured a Tiger-man alive, causing a huge commotion; many of the recent murder victims had been Tiger-men. It didn't matter whether it was Swan or not, but the problem was he had concealed this information. Fen likely knew as well, and to reveal it now would break the ethical code and the rules aboard the ship.

Rein looked impassive, but he was inwardly delighted, as he had always had a low opinion of the Thief Guild's petty thieves.

"How do you propose we drink?"

Liszt was somewhat in a headache. He had hoped that after the atmosphere warmed up, Fen would come clean on his own.

Ox deliberated his wording before saying, "You know, Swan has been here for more than two months now, and he hasn't had a welcoming ceremony yet. I'll drink with him one-on-one."

Fen and Swan's faces immediately looked as somber as water. On a pirate ship, there's no such thing as goodwill, and you never know what others are thinking. Tonight, someone might indeed die.

Swan lit a cigarette and watched Ox calmly.

Shadi, Wolman, and the others kept silent, understanding that this matter indeed needed some resolution and couldn't be easily dismissed.

"Haywood, please go to the storeroom and get two basins, the wooden kind we use for smoked meat. Transfer the meat to another basin."

Ox, as the Second Officer, issued the orders.

Haywood, not dallying, soon brought two basins, each with a capacity of at least ten liters.

Ox didn't waste words. His way of opening bottles was extremely violent—using his hands, he snapped off the tops of the bottles, including the glass, causing everything to splash into the basin.

He snapped open dozens of bottles in a row, scattering glass shards all over the floor, and cutting his hand in the process.

With each bottle opened, the expressions of those present darkened further.

In the end, dozens of bottles of fiercely fermented spirits from various crops, mixed together in the two half-full large wooden basins.

Mika's eyelids twitched; this was seriously intense. Now an exile himself, he was still shocked by the reckless style of these outlaws.

Ox pushed one of the wooden basins in front of Swan and said coldly, "Just the two of us for this round."

With that, Ox lifted the basin and began to chug, not spilling a single drop.

An excruciating twenty-some seconds.

Even for Ox with his gaping maw, it took nearly half a minute, and when he finished, he wiped his mouth, tipping the basin upside down to show only a few drops left, indicating he had finished it completely.

Shadi was deeply shaken; it really seemed like someone was about to die.

Everyone's eyes turned to Swan, who stared emotionlessly at the wooden basin for a few seconds.

"What, do you look down on me? Consider this your initiation drink," Ox stated flatly.

Liszt gasped, impressed by Ox's level of bluntness; he was truly ruthless. It was said that 'three joys come to the door,' but surely some explanation was needed since, after all, rules were iron laws.

"Swan, don't dampen our spirits here."

Rein, looking mournful, began to stir the pot.

Fen frowned too; this idiot's choices of words were also adding to the conflict.

"Scared of this little bowl of alcohol?"

Ox rested one hand on the table, the other raised to reach for his Special Large Sword.

Fen was about to stand up and end it all, seeing as how the lithe and agile Swan had no chance matching with Ox in a drinking contest; it'd be quicker just to finish it.

Yet Swan stopped Fen.

"Scared of dying let alone drinking?"

Without hesitation, Swan picked up the wooden basin with both hands and began to chug furiously.

Mika held his forehead; surely someone was bound to die.