Gourmet Hunter - Chapter 111 (Patreon)

Chapter 111: Boarding

"First come, first served?" Luo looked puzzled at the old lady.

"Don't you understand?" the old lady said indifferently.

Luo thought for a moment and asked, "Are you referring to... boarding qualifications?"

"Not too slow on the uptake," the old lady commented.

Luo gave a wry smile, nodded in acknowledgment, understanding what she meant.

As the literal order suggests, three hundred spots, first come, first served.

The port was bustling with people eagerly awaiting the arrival of the Goddess.

The Goddess was the ship heading to the Peter Continent, rumored to have a sculpture of a woman on its prow, hence the name. Luo was curious about the beauty of this sculpture.

As time ticked away, around eleven o'clock, a large ship appeared on the horizon, entering the view of the people.

At this distance, only the vague outline of the Goddess and the white sculpture hanging on its prow could be seen.

"It's here."

Luo seemed relaxed, but the moment the ship appeared, a tense atmosphere naturally spread among the crowd.

Under everyone's gaze, the Goddess anchored off the reef area, as the harbor had no spare space.

"Is that the Goddess?"

Despite the distance from the shore, Luo could barely make out the sculpture on the prow of the Goddess - an elderly woman with a kind face.

The godly Goddess!

He had imagined many versions, mostly semi-nude, silk-draped graceful female statues, but it turned out to be this...

Luo covered his eyes, struggling to accept this setup.

"Cough cough."

At that moment, an old cough came from the Goddess, amplified by a loudspeaker, clear to everyone on the shore.

"The ship will stop here for one hour, that's all."

The message was brief but conveyed vital information to those taking the test: there was a time limit.

The noisy shore suddenly quieted down. After a moment, the crowd dispersed like ants, many moving quickly to find ways to board the Goddess.

The action-oriented were in the majority, and it didn't take long for the crowd to thin out, all devising methods to get on the Goddess.

"Luo, are we swimming over?" Buhara asked.

"Idiot, of course we're taking a boat."

Luo looked at the position of the Goddess, over a kilometer away from the shore. Swimming that distance wasn't hard, but the many reefs and undercurrents made it easy to be swept away.

Even the seemingly calm sea surface could have undercurrents.

Those who had been in Mafando for a while would notice that locals rarely swim in the sea.

Thinking this, Luo noticed many candidates seemed prepared to swim, doing warm-up exercises, while others were trying to secure small boats, and more were eyeing two large ships docked at the harbor.

Considering the undercurrents, large ships should be able to cross easily.

But, whether small or large, permission from the residents was necessary. Paying was likely the quickest way to avoid trouble, another form of ticket money.

"Grandma Merlin, I'll leave Sanbica in your care for this period," Luo said as he prepared to cross the currents in a small boat, bidding farewell to Merlin.

"Okay," Merlin nodded.

Luo glanced at Sanbica, ready to take Buhara to the shallows, when a commotion arose.

Looking toward the source, he saw the group determined to swim making their move.

After warming up, ignoring the locals' advice, they dived into the sea towards the Goddess.

They weren't foolish, avoiding the reef-surrounded area and entering the sea from another spot. However, calm seas don't necessarily mean safety.

Soon, among those who swam out, several vanished without a trace.

About forty people went into the sea, confident in their swimming skills. As they swam out two or three hundred meters, many realized something was wrong, but they had no choice but to continue.

On the shore, many watched as the number of swimmers dwindled rapidly, more than half disappearing in a short time.

The missing were likely in grave danger, while only about ten approached the Goddess closely.

"They're getting on the ship."

Someone shouted from afar as the swimmers were picked up by the ship.

Despite the successful few, no one else dared to attempt swimming, the fate of the dozens missing witnessed by all.

After some made it aboard, the rest moved even quicker.

Negotiations for the large ships hadn't concluded, but many small boats had already been rented out, all for a significant fee.

From afar, Luo saw many candidates paying money, unworried, as he had Uncle Bek reserve a boat for him.

"Grandma Merlin, this is the real ticket money, right?" Luo suddenly turned to Merlin.

"One might say so. After all, it's only once a year. Not to take a good catch would be against human nature," Merlin replied calmly.

Luo

's face darkened as he looked at the crowd gathered around the large ships, helplessly saying, "There are only three hundred spots on the ship. If we're charging for tickets, we can only charge three hundred people. Now, charging thousands shouldn't be a problem."

The rental for the small boats and the fee for boarding the large ships docked at the harbor would be substantial. Compared to selling three hundred ticket fees, this scheme could make dozens of times more.

As Grandma Merlin said, it's once a year, so they aimed to make a substantial profit.

"What does this rubbish have to do with you? Hurry up, don't you know the principle of first come, first served?" Merlin waved her off.

Luo chuckled bitterly, saying to Sanbica, "Let's go, wait for my return."

"Okay," Sanbica replied.

"Buhara, come with me."

Luo, hands in pockets, headed to the shallows where the small boats were docked.

Buhara chuckled and quickly followed.

As long as he was with Luo, he didn't have to worry much.

Merlin and Sanbica watched them leave. After a moment, Merlin confidently said, "Let's go home. Those two kids will get on the ship."

With that, she turned and left.

Sanbica didn't speak, taking one last look at Luo's back before following Merlin.

In her view, boarding the ship, and even the entire Hunter Exam, was a trivial matter for Luo.

Luo and Buhara reached the shallows, where the small boats were nearly all rented out, leaving only the last one, which Luo had reserved.

"I'll give you three times the price. I want this one reserved."

As Luo and Buhara approached the docking area, they saw two men with a wad of cash, arrogantly shouting at the dark-skinned Uncle Bek.

"No matter how much money you offer, this one's reserved for someone else. I won't rent it to you," Uncle Bek said calmly.

"Raising the price on the spot, huh? Ten times, that should be enough for your coffin," one of the men took out more money, both his expression and tone very hostile.

Uncle Bek remained unmoved, even the mention of a coffin didn't anger him.

Luo was touched by this scene. After all, the residents of Mafando were currently making a killing, as Merlin said, against human nature, which translates to being a fool for not making money.

But Uncle Bek didn't consider the tenfold profit, having promised Luo.

"Excuse me, let me through."

Luo walked over, placed his hands on the shoulders of the two men, and pushed them aside to approach Uncle Bek.

The two stumbled, nearly falling.

"You're here," Uncle Bek's tense face relaxed slightly, revealing a smile.

"Yes," Luo nodded and smiled, "We'll be leaving soon."

"Go ahead," Uncle Bek said succinctly.

"Bastard, how dare you push me!" At that moment, an angry voice came from beside Luo as the two men glared at him, ready to fight, seemingly intent on forcibly taking the boat if they couldn't rent it.

Buhara silently cracked his knuckles, making a clicking sound.

Luo smiled slightly, turned to the two men, and unleashed his aura, enveloping them.

Confronted with Luo's imposing aura, the two, lacking in willpower, shook and passed out without warning.

Using his aura to create a presence had an excellent effect on ordinary people with weak wills.

Luo didn't bother with the two any further, using his aura to knock them out, finding this use of aura quite effective.

Buhara and Uncle Bek looked at the two who fainted inexplicably, their eyes filled with surprise. They didn't ask, and naturally, Luo didn't explain.

Then, under Uncle Bek's gaze, Luo and Buhara boarded the small boat and paddled into the currents.

Luo's movements, though not expert, were adequate, immediately catching the attention of two people.

One was Uncle Bek, and the other was the captain of the Goddess, observing the reef area with binoculars.

"This young man... is interesting," the aged captain murmured to himself.

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