Sage is certainly not a good person, he never was.
Everyone knows that good people have a hard time surviving on this vast sea; even if they gain some fame momentarily, it eventually becomes their downfall.
From the Navy to the Pirates... it's never about defining someone as good or bad.
Besides, Sage dreams of becoming a great landlord, so he's naturally not the kind of person who would be a do-gooder.
"Don't try to confuse the issue here. While I'm still willing to talk, tell me the whereabouts of our King, or else..."
Sage pulled out his flintlock gun with a sinister smile: "Though I have no interest in poor people, that doesn't mean you can deceive me willy-nilly, understand?"
Marika completely ignored the dark barrel pointed at her and glanced at the people already expressing indignation around her, and smiled: "Even though we don't have gold and jewels, as for treasures, we still have something..."
She turned around and walked away, the crowd automatically parted following Marika's movement, revealing the items on the sandbar that had not yet been submerged by the sea water.
It was a pile of stuff made of stones and shells, the stone-made water vat swayed fiercely with the downpour of the storm.
Around the stone vat, there was a huge unknown bone used as a shelter from the rain. Under the bone, there was a fire pit, on top of which natural shells were set like a pot.
"Although the Shallow Sand Kingdom is marked on the sea map, it's a barren land. Aside from sand, we have nothing. The people here use sand to solve their housing needs."
"But space is limited, there are no secure dwellings, so we must build settlement points at low tide locations. However, once the tide rises, we are forced to flee desperately."
She stepped into the bone rack and pulled out two flints, struck them into the fire pit to ignite it.
The firepit seemed to contain some garbage, Sage used to see them often on the sandbar, they were the discarded rubbish of nearby merchant ships, apparently collected.
Marika lifted the shell vessel, reached outside of the bone rack, filled it with rainwater, then set it back onto the fire pit, waiting for the water to boil while pulling out a shell knife and looked towards the crowd.
"Lady Marika!"
A civilian dragged a net closer and said: "This is today's catch!"
Several other fishermen also brought up nets, filled with seafood such as fish, shrimp, and shells, making Sage's eye twitch.
He also worked in the fishing industry before, fishing and fish catching are similar yet different.
Fishing is for big fish, catching is for everything.
Back when Sage failed on the path to becoming the Fishing King, he turned to become the Fish King. Although he failed, he gained some experience.
High tide and low tide naturally bring these seafood, but catching a whole load during tidal periods with nets is not due to skill, it's purely luck.
In terms of skill, Sage is already at mastery!
In terms of luck, he's also at mastery... in the realm of misfortune.
Throwing a net, not to mention fish, even edible shells are unreachable!
Sage knew well the value within these packed nets.
"But even in such a place, we have our unique way of survival."
Marika grabbed a small knife made of shell, opened a net, almost at a fast pace, the shell knife turned into a blur, peeling off the shrimp, crab, and shells within it.
While peeling, her body whirled like a flower, her hands extended outside the bone rack, using the rainwater from the storm to quickly clean the meat, tossing it into the shell pot. Part of the shells were thrown into the fire pit, some were burned there.
"Marine life has its own salinity, no need to intentionally add salt, clam is tasty, no seasoning is needed, it can be cooked into a pot of fresh soup. Shrimp and crab roe can be used appropriately to enhance the flavor, while the tenderness of fish meat adds to its taste, grinding fish bones further boosts nutrition."
She picked up a fish, sliced upward with her shell knife, peeled off the scales, then placed it in front of a stone, using another stone to smash the fish into a pulp. Her hand danced up and down among the pulp, squeezing out one fish ball after another with fish meat and bones, creating a parabolic path, accurately thrown into the shell pot.
With the water already boiling, the fish balls fell and the water boiled even more vigorously.
She moved out a shell equal in size to the shell pot, covered it, and smiled at everyone: "Please wait for a moment..."
In about ten minutes, a thick white smoke emitted from the gaps in the shell, releasing an appealing fragrance. The surrounding crowd's throats moved uncontrollably, with some even drooling.
Even Lily, having just eaten not long ago, was sniffing and staring intently at the shell pot.
Until Marika uncovered the shell lid, the pot of water was fully transformed into a milky white, and Marika took out a small shell bowl, ladled a bowl from the pot, and handed it to Sage.
"This is our 'treasure,' jewel crown soup, please enjoy."
The soup in the shell bowl had a white broth like milk, paired with a colorful shell bowl, with fish balls like jewels, shells and shrimp and crab shells forming a crown structure, overall looking genuinely like a beautiful 'crown.'
Sage subconsciously received it, took a sip, raised his brows and exclaimed, "Hmm! Flavorful!!"
It was indeed delicious, so fresh that even his eyebrows nearly fell off.
"Tasty!"
After Lily drank a sip from her second bowl, her eyes lit up. She didn't bother about the lack of chopsticks, directly drinking the soup from the shell, even biting the shells to pieces.
"Very comforting!" Lily's gaze towards Marika changed completely, solemnly saying: "You're remarkable!"
"Thank you for the compliment." Marika slightly bowed with a smile, then said to others, "Please line up, there's enough soup in the pot for everyone."
Upon her words, the impatient crowd took out their shell bowls, quickly forming a line, serving one bowl after another, each sip revealing happy and satisfied expressions.
Even though the bone rack wasn't large enough to cover all, and some still stood in the wind and rain, the expression upon drinking the soup made one instinctively feel it should be very warm.
Marika, with a gentle smile, said: "On a rainy day, a bowl of warm soup can soothe our cold bodies. Captain, please let your men have a bowl too."
Sage squinted at Marika for a while, then gestured to Gin.
Gin understood and led over a dozen pirates to join the queue.
The aroma had tempted them too.
But the Captain hadn't spoken yet, and the General Commander was watching, they dared not act.
"Impressive..."
Sage said calmly, "How does someone like you end up in such a rundown place?"
This wonderful cooking skill, truly turning decay into magic, with no seasoning at all, relying solely on marine resources and water brought by the storm, managed to create such delicious soup.
Sage once wanted to become the Chef King... but this time, it wasn't due to bad luck; it simply wasn't tasty when he cooked. Simple dishes he could do, but relying on basic conditions to make delicious meals like this, he couldn't.
So many marine foods, not randomly matched, any excess proportion changes the entire taste, not to mention delicious; the whole dish could turn sour.
Such a person, coupled with the civilians' admiration and adoration... indeed fit to be a King.
Marika glanced at the people in line, slowly speaking: "We are abandoned people, with nowhere else to go, only trapped here, awaiting fate..."
"Lady Marika!"
While a civilian was drinking the soup, he suddenly shouted, letting the shell in his hand fall down instinctively, staring dumbly at the northern beach where a group of figures appeared, approaching this direction.
"They're here!"
Marika gripped the shell knife tightly, her expression turned heavy, "Fate..."