At night, the cook of the Little Sparrow showed his skill, slaughtering a fat sheep and two chickens, and making roast lamb chops, stewed chicken, haggis, fried fish balls, cabbage soup, baked and steamed pastries, appetizers with cabbage and sweet ginger, desserts with sugar-coated apples and goat's milk cheese, sweet ginger and sugar-coated apples were only a small amount, probably enough for the first group of diners, the captain, the first mate, the boatswain, the doctor, and their guests, and the rest depended on their luck.

The captain took out a bottle of precious rotten liquor, made from grapes infected with noble rot bacteria, and tasted like drinking hazelnuts and fresh cream.

The captain was normally the first to take the food, he was the master of the whole ship, the governor and the king, and today he transferred this right to their guests—the sizzling golden lamb, which was thick and sprinkled with a layer of finely ground black pepper mixed with a small amount of red pepper.

"It's a feast. Their guests complimented.

"Just a small part of my cargo," said the captain, pouring a full glass of wine for his guests, "I think I must thank you, for my sailors, and for my foremast." ”

The mage looked up, slightly surprised, for most people had only seen the orca rush across the deck, or seen him nimble in escaping the catastrophe.

"The captain knows everything. The boatswain complimented jokingly.

"So," said the captain in a gentle tone, "I know it's presumptuous and rude, but a question has always haunted me, and tormented me for a long time, and if it is not answered, it will continue—you should be a man of good character and respect," he put down his glass, and looked at his guest from between the chicken stew and the haggis, "but what is your relationship with the thieves' guild of Sharp Jaws?"

The mage thought back for a moment, and he felt that there was nothing to hide from the previous events, except for a few more crucial parts: "A brief relationship that began with a despicable sneak attack, with a conspiracy in the middle, and ended violently - at first it was just a small accident, a false portal," he said, "I wanted to go to Cape Beach, but I ended up being thrown into the waters of Sharp Jaw Harbor, uh, that place didn't seem to suit me very well, and a friend of mine recommended Blunthead, and he told me that there was someone there who could help me find a boat to Tip Point. ”

"That cunning old fur seal," said the boatswain, "is not a man to be trusted. How are you getting along with your friend? I mean, you haven't stabbed him, have you?"

"Hey!" warned the captain.

The mage raised his hand to show that he didn't care: "It's not an exaggeration for him to say that he is alone," he said honestly, "he just had a slight mistake in concept - about that ...... Old fur dog, maybe he did want to find me a boat, but that night I was attacked by three men, one of whom was the nephew of the leader of the Thieves' Guild of Sharp Jaw, he died, I think the tavern owner recognized him, and for his own safety, he went to tell the truth, and then, at the behest of the chief, sent me aboard Captain Drake's Golden Lady. ”

"Drake's favorite and best thing is the slave trade," the captain crumpled his chin into a walnut again, "though he has always claimed to be in the silk and woolen business, but that is only his disguise - he is keen to abduct well-born and beautiful cubs, not so often, for he has the audacity to declare that he only deals in 'treasures,' and that ordinary goods are not within his hunting range, or that they are not favored by his customers—ordinary humans, Goblins and gnomes have a hard time satisfying their greedy and vicious appetites, and Drake, you've seen Drake, looks as palatial as his ships, and speaks so thoughtfully that many have been deceived by him at one time - not to mention a band of awkward sailors and a disgraceful mage who offers the inhuman beings what they want in exchange for priceless scrolls and potions. ”

"If anyone came to inquire about the whereabouts of a friend or relative, Drake would tell him that he had sent them where they were going, and that they were gone, off his ship, and that he would not know where they had gone—if it had not been for the summoning of an appendage, and the man who summoned it was horrified to see his brother's unrotting face on the possessor's chest, And if he managed to summon his soul, more would be destroyed at the hands of that villain, and even then, there would still be some who had not heard of him or who had deliberately been concealed as pitiful victims. ”

"He's one of the most hanged people in all of Sharp Jaws. Said the ship's doctor.

"He was sheltered by the Archduchess of Crassus of the Azores," said the boatswain, "and it is said that he was the lover or illegitimate son of the Archduchess of Crassus—and no one could have any conclusive proof that he had indeed engaged in those evil deals." ”

"All in all, it was so gratifying to see you sitting with us for dinner. The first mate said to their guests.

"I managed to speak with Captain Drake alone," said their guest, "and in a way he was a sane and open-minded man." This sentence was tacitly snickered by everyone at the table.

"Because the Golden Lady can't get close to Cape Castle," the mage continued, "so I'll have to go and talk to the leader of the thieves again, and luckily ......"

"Fortunately, he is also a sensible and open-minded man. The cook continued, and he had been standing by for a while with the freshly wrapped apples.

The mage smiled, and everyone else (except the cook) slapped the table and laughed heartily.

The atmosphere that followed was more than a little better than at the beginning, everyone had a good appetite and the cooks were busy.

They also had a small concert after dinner, where each sailor was a brilliant bard, and Yellow Eye, who had hurried to eat his share, hurried over and sang a long ballad for the mage about a large ship that had been bitten by a whale - and the mage thought he was mocking the Golden Lady who had been gnawed a hole in it by an octopus.

But it was really funny, the otherworldly soul thought, and it was probably his happiest day yet.

- Can you stop?" said the lich in frustration.

――What?

-- Cheerful like a dog that smells the same kind of scent.

――I would be honored to be one of their kind, the souls of the other world, to put it mildly.

- Then you must always pray that the true identity of this body will not be revealed, said the lich, if one day, fool, your kind will be more vicious and cruel than mine.

This time it was the otherworldly soul's turn to be silent, but there was nothing to be happy about, and the lich himself was a little excited.

――...... Tomorrow they may be a little more enthusiastic, and I hope you don't get too flattered.

――How do you say that?

- The captain's cloak is embroidered with Suron's emblem, and the lich says that he is a merchant and a spy, and that he will verify everything you say. The lich is tired of saying that what you've done before will make them want to kiss you.

--If there is only one day tomorrow, the soul of the other world will say happily, I don't mind--Anyway, you will be the one who will control this body tomorrow.

......

- Settle the matter, right away, said the lich.

The souls of the other world found the captain before they had to swap tables.

"How many days do you need to stay in the cabin?" asked the captain, puzzled, "is there anything you feel uncomfortable with?"

"I suddenly remembered that I still had some homework to do," said the master, "you know, memorize something, and copy something—as for food, ask the cook to give me some bread, salt, and a jar of water, and I'll have dinner with you the next day." ”

The captain stared at him for a moment, "Well," he said, with a hint of pity and a smile in his tone, "if you need paper and ink, tell me, I still have it here." ”

- "Don't be disturbed by reading and doing homework. "This truth is really universal, muttered the soul of the other world.

A proper and not outright lie, the lich thought, and while it had been a long time since he had copied something as his mentor had asked, he did need to prepare himself with a spell book.