「Time rewound slightly.」
BURP~
A drunken figure wobbled out of the lower berth along the wooden stairs, clambered up the Bulwark in the drizzling rain, and closed his eyes as he undid his belt.
WHOOSH! He began to urinate.
His body was steeped in the stench of alcohol; it was impossible to tell how much he had drunk earlier.
Apparently, in a dazed stupor, he had forgotten the regulations and didn't even bother to open his eyes to check the time before climbing onto the deck.
In fact, most people of this era had little sense of hygiene; many cities were essentially huge cesspits. Even monarchs who bathed only a few times in their lives weren't uncommon. If they could, they wouldn't mind relieving themselves right next to their hammocks.
But on a sailing ship, that was absolutely unacceptable.
Every inch of the deck required meticulous maintenance. When sailors had spare time, they were often prodded by pirate officers to wipe the decks and apply tung oil to prevent mold, rot, and the sprouting of mushrooms, which could cause the ship to capsize. Even in the powder magazine, where the safety requirements were highest, floors of copper and tin were laid to prevent sparks.
If anyone dared to relieve themselves on deck as they did in the cities, the others wouldn't mind chopping off his member and stuffing it into his mouth.
Even deep into the night and still not sober, he instinctively avoided this horrific consequence. Compared to the Pirate's Ten Commandments, this was a far more entrenched instinct! Unfortunately, a certain rule-maker clearly wasn't inclined to forgive this blunderer.
Another bright flash of lightning cut across the sky, casting the shadow of a hulking, non-human figure atop the high sterncastle. It made the pirate seem rather puny in comparison.
The shadow moved in a ghastly manner, crawling along the ground; taking advantage of the cover of the rainy night, it silently approached the pirate who was doing up his trousers.
Ten steps, seven steps, four steps, one step...
"What's this stench? Which bastard is taking a dump on deck?"
The pirate wrinkled his nose and muttered curses under his breath.
As soon as he turned his head, he saw a terrifying "monster" close by.
His eyes suddenly bulged, and the shock half-sobered him up instantly.
"Hel..."
His urgent cry for help was cut off as a pale claw clamped over his mouth.
In a desperate moment, he tried to kick the deck hard to alert his companions. But his head was seized by a claw as large as a basket and hoisted up.
The "monster's" mouth, lined with dagger-like sharp teeth, opened wide and bit fiercely into his neck.
GURGLE, GURGLE...
It consumed the pirate's steaming blood mixed with alcohol and Blood of Metamorphosis in large gulps.
The pirate, growing faint from the rapid blood loss, got a close-up look at the "monster." Its originally one-and-a-half-meter-tall, ball-shaped body had inflated to double its size; its form was hunched, skin grayish-white, and both hands and feet sprouted shimmering sharp claws. Its two deformed claws still bore dense clusters of Gout Stones. It emitted a distinct stench of rot and decay. Its face mostly retained a semblance of its original form, especially its bloodshot eyes, whose pupils were now vertical and beastly!
"Captain... Captain?? No, spare me..."
The faint plea for mercy that came from his throat could only be heard by himself, and it couldn't sway Salman's will, as hard and cold as iron.
GURGLE... "The transcendence I grant you is to become one with me. Rejoice and embrace the sublime, HEH HEH HEH..."
The Pirate's Ten Commandments embodied the force of law, subjected to the invisible constraints of the Pirate Code. Not many pirate captains dared to openly flout the Pirate Code, earning a harsh mark from the law. Already outcasts in various official circles, if they further offended the pirates' most powerful backers, they were guaranteed a gruesome death.
But as long as the captain enticed a sailor to breach certain harsh rules, he could legitimately punish him. Conveniently, sailors of the Great Nautical Age were notoriously uncouth, most lacking any sense of rules, especially on the most undisciplined pirate ships. A moment of carelessness could lead to a steady stream of rule-breaking.
In that era, severe punishment for minor offenses was nearly universal on ships of all nations. "Cat-o'-nine-tails," "Keelhauling," "Walking the plank," "Water-dragging," "Marooning on a deserted island"... all were characteristic inventions of the age.
And on the Man-Eating Shark, the starting point was death!
Is that actually a Ghoul?!
No, that must be the price Salman paid for breaching the 'cannibalism' rule of the Gourmet and his prolonged use of forbidden knowledge!
Byron, hearing the unusual commotion, quietly slipped out of the kitchen. Through a crack in the open-air deck left unrepaired after a sea battle, he witnessed everything.
Realizing the Ghoul was Salman, Byron couldn't help but shudder.
Is he really giving up on being Human?
To say he had no lurking desire for the Blood Brew, a forbidden knowledge banned by the Church, would be a lie. The soul within his body, which died from ALS and pursued unbridled freedom, was naturally not very fond of laws and Sequences like the Ladder of Glory, which were as confining as a cage. The capabilities within each Class of the Sequence were almost fixed. For instance, the swordsmanship of duelists might vary in skill, but one could be absolutely certain that what they held was a sword and not something against the rules like a Firearm. But it was different with forbidden knowledge outside of the Sequence. When you're in a fight and suddenly produce something unexpected. Others might think you only have a dagger, but you pull out a thick, long Rocket Cannon, naturally gaining a massive advantage.
Alas, seeing Salman in this state... He was also reminded that although forbidden knowledge was useful, if it wasn't included in the Silver Law, one had to bear the consequence of 'Rank transgression.' Diminished rationality and a shift in Human Nature were the most common consequences. Other manifestations could be cravings for sweet, blood, Gluttony, lust, photophobia, forgetfulness, jealousy... and so on. That's also why the Church condemns it as Black Sorcery and why most Transcendents accept this. So, is there a so-called 'White Sorcery' that can break through the original fixed Sequence without any side effects? The answer is... not a single one!
Salman's mind seems to be growing more deranged, and even his physical body is beginning to transform into that of a Ghoul on a Material level. Or perhaps that was his goal all along! The Gourmet wants to become stronger, but this aggravates his Gout Stones. Blood Brew can treat his Gout Stones, but it requires constantly eating people, which in turn violates the Gourmet's taboo against cannibalism... A recursive entrapment, caught in a vicious cycle. But once he ceases to be Human, this contradiction is immediately resolved—utterly perfect.
This pirate probably didn't willingly come up to the deck; it's more likely that he was driven by the influence of the Blood Brew to deliver himself right to Salman's mouth. The worse part is, due to the assimilative effect of the Blood of Metamorphosis, the remaining pirates and sharks that he consumes are highly likely to turn into bloodthirsty lesser Ghouls! The only ingredient now lacking seems to be the top-quality Blood Brew produced by me, the 'excellent chef.'
Thinking of this, Byron couldn't help but feel that the cookbook, whose Adjudication Inscription read "Praise the Lord of Gluttony," was a bit of a hot potato. He decided he absolutely wouldn't practice its recipes until he understood the side effects.
As he pondered, there was a new development on the deck.
After draining the pirate's blood and consuming his internal organs, the Ghoulified Salman reverted to human form. His condition was clearly much improved compared to earlier.
Casually tossing the remains of the pirate back into the sea to feed the sharks, letting the residual Blood of Metamorphosis enrich again, he nonchalantly returned to his captain's cabin.
At the same time, the Decryption Rate of "Secret: Captain Salman's Unspoken Secrets" jumped to 95%.
The main outline had almost fully emerged. The remaining minor details could probably be found in "Bloody Mary's Gourmet Cookbook."
Byron felt that it wouldn't take long for him to complete the subsequent decryption. Setting aside the issue of the price for now, he began to look forward with anticipation to what kind of new 'Entry' this Secret might bring him.