Chapter 431: The Most Gifted Survivor
Tripleblade had long known that the big guy had ascended to the transcendent realm, and that his appetite had consequently skyrocketed.
Under the care of the dragonman youngster, the big guy could now automatically circulate the Mindless Sleeping Posture battle qi technique while sleeping, thus formally embarking on the path of cultivation.
After ascending to the bronze level, he had also trained aboard the ship alongside Zong Ge and the others.
His performance during training caught Zong Ge's attention, though the latter expressed regret, had the big guy been able to cultivate battle skills, he would undoubtedly have been a formidable weapon on the battlefield. Unfortunately, the big guy's intelligence wasn't up to par; he couldn't learn any battle skills.
"Advancing to the transcendent realm does indeed cause one's appetite to skyrocket. This is because the essence of life itself grows, demanding greater nourishment from the outside world. A mouse and an elephant require different foods and quantities. As the life level increases, so does the cost of sustaining vital functions."
“But shouldn't a transcendent's appetite stabilize after advancement? Why does it keep increasing?”
Tripleblade wanted to investigate this, not to skimp on the big guy's meals.
He would never do such a thing.
On one hand, Tripleblade knew: the old shipwright had entrusted the big guy to the commander on his deathbed, and the commander had always looked out for him. On the other hand, during their time on Mystifying Monster Island, it was the big guy who protected the newly built ship, and Tripleblade had indirectly received life-saving favors from him.
Tripleblade wasn't the type to bite the hand that fed him.
His concern was corruption. He'd witnessed it firsthand in the mercenary group he once led. Tripleblade understood that wherever profit existed, parasites bred if left unchecked.
Especially with the big guy's intellectual limitations, the survivors all knew he was easily deceived.
With no trustworthy subordinates available, Tripleblade resolved to investigate personally.
His method was straightforward, he confronted the big guy directly, demanding a clear explanation.
The big guy's response: "Eat? I like to eat."
“Not full... I want more food.”
"Father! I want Father more."
Tripleblade's attempts at communication proved fruitless; the big guy answered nothing like his questions.
“The big guy's grown taller again, but his IQ seems inversely proportional to his height, it appears to have dropped further?” Tripleblade sighed in resignation.
Over this period, the big guy had shot up at least another 0.5 meters. Had the Dragon Lion Mercenary Corps not acquired their new flagship, the forecastle of their previous vessel, the Love Triangle, would have been too cramped for him.
Noticing it was nearing noon, Tripleblade decided to stay and observe personally.
“Just eat. Don't look over here.”
The goblin hid in a shadowy corner of the forecastle, carefully suppressing his aura.
Soon after, the meal delivery person nervously knocked on the cabin door.
Then, five or six people filed into the forecastle, bringing food for the big guy.
My word!
The trays they carried, held aloft with both hands, were nearly the size of a normal person's footbath, overflowing with magic dishes.
The wooden barrels held enough rice to feed fifty people. This was magic rice, emitting a faint bronze scent.
Large quantities of green and blue stir-fried vegetables filled the air with an enticing aroma. Fruits like pineapples as big as human heads displayed vivid colors.
The main course was a pig's hind leg nearly half a man's height, sparks flying from it. The sparks formed heart shapes in the air. Tripleblade immediately recognized it as the Dragon Lion Mercenary Corps' head chef's signature dish - Heartfire Ham.
The big guy grabbed the pig's hind leg and buried his face in it, devouring it.
In no time, the plump, glossy ham was reduced to a single large bone.
The big guy wolfed it down.
He lifted a foot-basin-sized soup bowl, swallowed several times, and drained it completely.
He hoisted the wooden rice barrel above his head and poured its contents directly into his gaping mouth.
After two pours and a few chews, he devoured the meals meant for fifty men.
Though the lunch portions were substantial, the giant finished everything in just two or three minutes. He then extended his massive tongue, licking every tray clean.
Finally, he glared at the five or six meal deliverers with wide eyes: “Hungry!”
“More. I want more...”
The giant's massive frame towered over the delivery crew even while seated.
The delivery mercenaries trembled in terror, their bodies quivering slightly. Their leader, drenched in cold sweat, frantically waved his hands, “There's none left! You ate all of today's lunch. We didn't prepare any more...”
The giant remained unsatisfied, yet he wasn't violent. He could only smack his lips, sucking the last bits of food from his teeth. Leaning his back against the wall behind him, he slowly closed his eyes.
Several delivery staff witnessed this and promptly began clearing the tableware with careful haste. They then scrambled to leave the forecastle, closing the door softly behind them.
Tripleblade overheard their voices outside: “I'm genuinely worried that one day while delivering food, I'll be devoured by a starving giant!”
“I truly never want to do this job again, every shift feels like a life-or-death ordeal!”
“I think we should report this situation and request higher-ups increase this giant's rations.”
“We've done this many times before, but getting approval from above keeps getting harder.”
"It's strange. I've cooked for giants before. I've never encountered anything like this. The Dragon Lion Mercenary Corps' giant has an extraordinary appetite; he devours all those magic dishes without any sign of indigestion! He's only bronze level..."
“The Dragon Lion Mercenary Corps is truly extraordinary. Even the giant they secretly feed is strangely powerful!”
The delivery men's voices faded with their footsteps.
Tripleblade fell silent.
The facts before him contradicted his earlier assumptions.
There was no embezzlement, and the giant’s portions hadn’t been skimped on. Quite the opposite, the big guy hadn’t eaten his fill!
Tripleblade watched the big guy drifting in and out of sleep, his hands resting on his slightly rounded belly as he mumbled discontentedly: “Food... meat...”
Soon, he fell into a deep sleep, snoring loudly.
He seemed to dream of the dragonman youngster, beginning to talk in his sleep: “Father, Xiao Guai isn't full... Where are you, father? Me... hungry...”
Hearing this sleep-talk, Tripleblade's eye twitched.
He fixed a skeptical gaze at the big guy, his mind racing with speculation: What bloodline could this giant possibly possess? The Gluttonous bloodline? The Big Eater bloodline? Or perhaps the Abyss bloodline?
All bearers of these bloodlines shared one defining trait: insatiable appetites!
The next moment, Tripleblade's eyes widened in disbelief.
Unbelievable!
"What am I seeing?!"
He saw the big guy cultivating, refining his battle qi.
Tripleblade knew the big guy practiced the Mindless Sleeping Posture Technique, a method the captain had painstakingly taught him, allowing the big guy to automatically cultivate passively while asleep.
Tripleblade also knew the big guy had already joined the ranks of the transcendents, advancing to bronze level.
But what was he seeing now?
He stared in shock as a faint iron hue began to shimmer within the battle qi radiating from the big guy's body.
"How long has it been? Has the big guy already reached peak bronze?"
“Iron hues in his battle qi? Does that mean he's about to ascend to iron level?”
“Did I see that correctly?”
Tripleblade began doubting his own eyesight.
But upon closer inspection, he confirmed he hadn't misread it!
This discovery delivered such a massive shock to his mind and body that he left the forecastle and closed the door in a daze.
“No wonder his appetite keeps growing, he's constantly absorbing external nutrients to propel his life level upward.”
“Bloodline!”
“What exactly is the big guy's bloodline?”
“This progress is absurd!”
Tripleblade racked his brain, he'd never seen another fighter advance this rapidly!
The big guy's performance shattered his understanding, truly broadening his horizons.
"The commander nurtured the big guy, and his cultivation has yielded the most unexpected results!"
“The big guy's bloodline is definitely no ordinary thing. He might just be the most gifted among us.”
“If I hadn't seen it with my own eyes, it would be hard to believe... that such a seemingly dim-witted fellow possesses such cultivation talent!”
“Fate... how unfair you are...”
Tripleblade's emotions were incredibly complex at that moment.
Envy, helplessness, regret—all mingled with bitter reflection on his own fate.
His bloodline was far from ideal. His ceiling was iron level; a plateau he'd stagnated at for years.
And now, before Tripleblade's very eyes, the big guy. that incredibly fortunate fool. had ascended to bronze level under his watch. Soon, he'd reach iron level, standing shoulder to shoulder with him!
Tripleblade didn't even know how he made it back to his cabin.
It took him a long time to steady his emotions.
Once calm, he immediately began writing a letter. he wanted to share this good news with Zong Ge and Zi Di.
But after finishing it, he promptly destroyed the letter.
“Can't be so careless.”
"Letters can be intercepted, especially with mysterious powerful enemies lurking outside."
"The big guy's cultivation speed like this proves his bloodline is at least gold level. No, perhaps even saint level..."
Any higher, and even Tripleblade wouldn't dare imagine it!
“He relies heavily on the leader. If such a giant grows stronger, his value to us will be immense...”
"Should we fail to atone to the Empire's higher-ups in the future, the big guy's importance to us will only grow!"
“We must protect him at all costs.”
“Do everything to conceal his cultivation speed. Hmm, we must also control those delivery personnel, bind them with contracts!”
"No, they don't know the secret yet. From now on, use alchemy puppets for deliveries. That's the safest approach."
"This information needs to be encrypted before sharing it with others. With my current privileges, I can't allocate more cultivation resources to the big guy."
Tripleblade began drafting the encrypted letter.
But after finishing it, he destroyed it once more.
“My encryption measures are only at the level of ordinary mercenary groups, easily cracked.”
"Perhaps I should deliver this message personally? That would undoubtedly be the safest approach!"