Alan boarded the ship.
It soon became clear that the red-haired girl's name was Helen, and indeed, she was the "life advisor" assigned by the Warlock Academy.
Helen gathered the newcomers, including Alan, in the dining room and explained the precautions to take during the voyage.
"If the weather cooperates, we will sail for six weeks before landing on Heritage Island, the headquarters of the Warlock Academy."
"I will be responsible for your daily needs during the voyage."
"Feel free to contact me if you need anything or have any questions."
"I'll do my best to resolve any issues I can."
"I'll give each of you a key."
"Find the corresponding cabin according to the key number."
"Please take good care of your room keys and personal belongings."
"Remember to come to the dining hall on time for your three meals a day."
"We'll serve buffet meals, as is customary at sea."
"Early arrivals, early meals. Latecomers will go hungry."
"Supplies on board are difficult to resupply."
"Take only as much food as you can eat. Don't waste it."
...
For the next half month, the voyage went smoothly.
During this time, the Libra sailboat passed through no fewer than ten island states affiliated with the Austronesian Federation. Each island had at least one sorcerer apprentice with a letter of recommendation aboard.
Alan's days were monotonous, apart from meditation and eating in the cafeteria.
The students on board were not much older than he was.
Which of the young men and women qualified to board this ship wasn't a genius in their hometown?
Alan knew there were many talented people aboard the ship, so he kept a low profile.
Despite this, he reluctantly became famous.
The students on board now all knew there was a young man from Quint Island named Alan Panthers.
Because this kid... just had a hell of a big appetite!
The cafeteria on board was a buffet, with unlimited food.
The chef had a clear idea of the number of people in the meal.
The number of students and crew members combined was so large that he could easily prepare the food according to normal meal sizes.
There had never been any problems.
Until they met Allen.
From then on, the kitchen had to prepare five extra meals to ensure everyone had enough.
Allen practically devoured all the extra meals.
In this way, Allen Panthers became a legendary figure known to everyone on the ship!
The nickname "Big Eater" wasn't exactly flattering.
But Allen gladly accepted it.
If someone's first impression of him was "glutton,"
then they'd subconsciously assume he wasn't very smart.
A big, foolish man whose only thought was about eating and drinking wasn't worth the extra caution.
A Allen didn't mind profiting from this stereotype.
...
The sailboat felt like a prison cage adrift on the sea.
After two weeks of tedious days, something finally changed.
That afternoon, Allen was strolling on deck. I unexpectedly received a long-awaited system notification.
Ding Ding—
"Special ingredient detected!"
"Insufficient sample, unable to identify!"
Alan's spirits suddenly perked up!
Special ingredient, where is it?
The system's detection prompt pointed toward the stern.
Alan walked quickly over.
In the distance, he spotted a familiar figure.
Sitting at the stern, his hands tightly gripped the fishing rod.
Hearing footsteps, the angler turned around.
It was a young man about Alan's age.
He was of medium height and slightly chubby.
With his round, baby-fat face and double chin, he looked quite adorable.
The chubby boy's name was Feilin.
Alan didn't know much about him; they'd only chatted briefly in the cafeteria. Felin hails from Griffin Island, from a small family of sorcerers.
His cultivation level is similar to Allen's, and he's also a newly promoted advanced apprentice.
"Good afternoon, Flin!" Allen stepped forward to greet him.
Flin quickly raised his left index finger to cover his lips.
"Shh—keep your voice down! Don't scare the big fish away!"
"What big fish?"
Allen approached Flin and whispered.
"I don't know yet!" Flin gripped the rod tightly, excited. "That bite is strong, it must be a big one!"
"Don't rush to reel it in yet. Give it a walk!"
"Wait until it's tired and stops moving, then haul it up!"
Before he finished speaking, the rod suddenly bent, nearly slipping out of his hand!
Allen, quick-witted, stepped forward and grabbed the rod in time. Flynn didn't bother to thank him. He hurriedly gripped the rod tightly with both hands and said to Allen excitedly:
"That guy's losing patience!"
"This is his last stand!"
"After this, he'll just lie down and give up!"
What Flynn said seemed to make sense.
However, in practice, it wasn't quite what he expected.
The strength of the giant fish in the sea was beyond his imagination.
A terrifying pull was transmitted through the rod.
Flynn gritted his teeth and strained with all his might, but he couldn't hold on!
He was dragged forward, almost over the fence and into the turbulent sea!
Alan quickly grabbed Flynn and, with all his might, finally rescued the fat boy.
Even at this critical moment, Flynn still clung to his rod.
His eyes were fixed on the sea, his face brimming with enthusiasm.
"Big fish, big fish! Don't even think about escaping!"
Alan was both furious and amused, wanting to kick him overboard!
Bang!
The line, weighed down by the weight, finally snapped.
Flynn slumped down on the deck, exasperated and exclaiming, "What a shame!"
The escaped fish was the special ingredient the system had detected.
Alan felt sorry, too.
However, he couldn't jump into the sea to catch that incredibly powerful fish.
Just as he was secretly lamenting, he heard Flynn's exclamation.
Looking up, he saw a huge wave suddenly rising near the stern!
Then, a giant green lobster burst out of the water!
The monster first curled up, then suddenly straightened its back.
Its flat tail, like a giant oar, slammed fiercely into the sea.
Boom!
The water surged, waves billowing into the air.
The lobster monster, using the recoil of its tail to strike the water, suddenly leaped into the air.
It traced a graceful parabola in the air, finally landing smoothly on the deck.
"Ancestors! No... This can't be true?!"
Felling's eyes widened, his mouth wide with shock.
The monster, resembling a large lobster, lay sprawled on the stern deck.
It was now less than ten meters away from him.
A broken fishing line was still tangled in its large left claw.
From head to tail, the lobster monster was a full four meters long.
It crawled swiftly across the deck.
It thrust its massive claws, charging angrily towards Flin!
Flin was terrified, still dazed.
Alan quickly gave him a shove!
He narrowly avoided the claws' grasp!
Flin finally regained consciousness and quickly hid behind a pile of barrels.
The lobster monster, obscured by the barrels and unable to see Flin, turned and crawled towards Alan.
Seeing this, Alan breathed a sigh of relief.
A unique ingredient, lost and recovered, now delivered to his doorstep.
Tonight's dinner is settled!