"Don't worry, I understand the Hunter Association's rules too."
Luke chuckled, easily catching the hidden meaning in the red-nosed captain's tone.
"So let's not drink, let's just have some plain water instead."
After saying that, he waved over to a nearby sailor who was watching curiously.
"Hey, bring us two big cups of drinking water."
"Oh, right up."
The sailor was startled at first, instinctively looking at the captain.
When he realized his captain hadn't said anything, he scratched his head and walked into the cabin.
A moment later, he returned with two full buckets of drinking water.
This is just ordinary drinking water... the red-nosed captain looked at the cup in his hand, then at Luke, and fell silent again.
He wasn't sure what Luke meant.
He couldn't really drink this stuff with peanuts, could he?
That would be too boring...
"Come, try it."
Suddenly, a hand appeared in front of the red-nosed captain.
Luke grabbed some peanuts and stuffed them into the red-nosed captain's hand.
"A mouthful of peanuts, a sip of water. This is definitely something extraordinary."
Luke said this to the red-nosed captain with a hint of meaning.
Peanuts and water... No matter how unusual it is, there's nothing extraordinary about the flavor, right?
The red-nosed captain was a little confused.
But since Luke had said so, and was looking at him with such a smile, he couldn't help but pick up a peanut and put it in his mouth, then took a sip of water to moisten his throat.
"Regarding the matter of Ging Freecss, I can only say... Um...?"
The red-nosed captain chewed for a moment, then suddenly froze.
The flavor that blossomed on his tongue made him savor it again, somewhat stunned.
That's right, this kind of flavor... he first glanced at the drinking water in his hand, then quickly glanced at the peanuts.
Then he suddenly looked up at Luke with a mixture of shock and disbelief.
"Captain, go on..."
Luke glanced at the peanuts again, then the corner of his mouth slowly curled up.
"What's going on about Ging Freecss?"
"Ah..."
The red-nosed captain paused, then immediately understood.
"Ahem."
He clenched his fist, brought it to his lips, and coughed twice. Then, with a serious expression, he spoke to Luke.
"He's a very good professional hunter; there's no need for me to elaborate on this part."
The red-nosed captain assumed a businesslike manner while chewing another peanut with crisp crunches as he continued: "It all started when he was just a boy..."
"Every year, I would sail this ship and stop at the various registration points to ferry applicants to the hunter exam site."
He deliberately acted as if his throat were dry, then lifted the cup of water and took another sip.
"... I don't remember when it began, but whenever I sailed past Whale Island."
"There would always be a figure at the port, watching my ship from afar."
"Later, I found out that the figure was a boy... Phew!!"
The red-nosed captain took another gulp of water, then let out a deeply satisfied sigh, the kind that only came after a truly refreshing drink.
He looked completely drunk on pleasure.
The sailor who had brought the water: "...?"
"I could've sworn that it was just regular water... Straight from the barrel..."
He scratched his head while staring in confusion.
So why did the captain now look like he was drinking liquor?!!
"When that boy finally boarded the ship, I learned his name was Ging Freecss..."
The red-nosed captain seemed to be thoroughly enjoying himself.
He ate the peanuts, gulped the water, and felt wonderfully relaxed.
The peanuts Luke had brought were simply divine.
In fact, they were almost indescribably miraculous!!!
Well, of course they were, because they were the magical drinking snack.
Invention: Fine Sake Snacks
Origin: Doraemon World — Future Tech Company
Function: A small gourd-shaped snack resembling a peanut. After eating it, drinking ordinary water will feel like drinking alcohol.
The item's origin comes from the legend of the Filial Son of Yōrō from the Ten Moral Lessons in Japan.
The tale takes place in Yōrō, an area in Gifu Prefecture, Japan, famous for its Yōrō Waterfall.
It tells of a devoted son who worked tirelessly to care for his elderly, poor parents.
One day, while fetching water from the mountain, he miraculously found that the waterfall's water had turned into sake, a heavenly reward for his deep filial devotion.
When he brought the sake to his father, the father, tasting it, was so moved that tears of joy fell, and the story spread far and wide as a symbol of filial piety rewarded by Heaven.
In other words, this was a miraculous snack capable of turning water into wine.
For the red-nosed captain, this was his first time eating such an appetizer and drinking such water.
Unable to resist, he drank merrily and heartily.
Well, after all, he was only drinking water drawn by the sailors; it wasn't against Hunter Association regulations!
In his high spirits, the red-nosed captain began to spill everything he knew about Ging Freecss, every rumor, every memory, and every story.
"You don't know, huh? When Ging Freecss was a kid..."
"Mm, I'm not sure if it's true or not, but everyone on Whale Island says so..."
"I also heard some residents of Whale Island talking about Ging Freecss's reputation and what they think of him..."
"Hey! The water's gone!! Hurry up and get me some more! Can't you see I'm talking so much that my throat is going dry?!!"
He slammed the table impatiently and shouted loudly.
The red-nosed captain truly spoke without reservation, saying everything that came to mind.
Fueled by the magical snack and good company, he told Luke everything he knew.
Meanwhile, the sailors around could only exchange puzzled looks.
That expression... That behavior…
It was exactly like someone who was drunk!
But when they went up to fetch his cup and sniffed it, neither the cup nor the water had any trace of alcohol.
Yet their captain..
"Burp."
The red-nosed captain burped.
The strong odor made the sailor stumble.
No, could drinking water actually make you drunk?!
The sailor couldn't make sense of it, but he still obediently followed orders and fetched more water.
Fearing the captain might not drink his fill, they even brought over a full barrel of water and set it beside the two men.
The red-nosed captain kept drinking happily, while Luke quietly took mental notes of everything he heard about Ging Freecss.
Thus, their voyage across the sea passed pleasantly, filled with talk and laughter, and soon neared its end.
At this time, Dolle Harbor was already visible in the distance.
Having drunk his fill, the red-nosed captain returned to his cabin and fell asleep.
When the ship arrived at port, the first mate personally escorted Luke ashore.
"Our captain said you're welcome to visit him again next time."
The first mate's expression was somewhat complicated.
"Although I believe that's a sincere invitation from him, I can't say it sounds like a good omen."
Indeed, the word next time meant Luke would have to meet this hunter exam pre-examiner again, which suggested that this hunter exam's outcome might not be so ideal.
The first mate wanted to say perhaps the captain had just been rambling drunkenly, but considering he got drunk from water... Even he couldn't explain that one.
"Still, thanks to you, things were much quieter on this voyage."
The first mate sighed. "If it weren't for you, I don't even want to imagine how this round of the examination would've turned out."
During their time aboard the ship, because the red-nosed captain spent all his time talking to Luke about Ging Freecss, he nearly forgot to perform the preliminary screening of applicants aboard the ship.
And since the captain was clearly too drunk to continue working, Luke had stepped in to lend a hand.
"It was nothing."
Luke said with a wave of his hand. "I just helped out a little."
Naturally, during this voyage, they encountered heavy winds and rough waves.
Those applicants who couldn't endure even that much hardship were, of course, eliminated.
However, the ignorant ones didn't think so; they believed seasickness was a normal reaction.
When they learned they had been disqualified, they immediately started shouting in protest, even attempting to storm into the captain's cabin.
But the captain was still in his drunken stupor, and there were so many disqualified applicants, practically a full shipload.
Even the first mate and sailors couldn't hold them back.
So… in that moment, Luke simply took action.
And just like that, the unruly applicants were all forced into silence.
After all, it was his fault the captain had gotten drunk and delayed the screening.
Helping clean up the mess and restore order was only fair, especially since he had learned plenty about Ging Freecss in return.
"Just head towards the Lone Pine Tree at the top of the mountain, right?"
Luke waved goodbye to the first mate and sailors while watching the passenger ship depart. Then he turned his head and set his sights on the largest pine tree.
If nothing unexpected happened, the fox family should be there.
Luke walked to the large map bulletin board nearby and checked the route.
And then...
"So, it's this trail up the mountain, huh?"
Just as he confirmed his route and was about to set off, a soft, childish voice sounded beside him.
Looking down, Luke saw a pretty little girl standing nearby, with a lollipop in her mouth, gazing at the same map of the mountain trail.
There was only one main path leading up the mountain to the lone pine tree.
"Big brother, are you going there too?"
She asked.
As if noticing Luke's gaze, the little girl blinked her pair of innocent eyes and looked over.
"I want to go play over there. Can I come with you?"
She took the lollipop out of her mouth and pointed toward the pine tree on the mountain.
"Didn't your parents tell you not to talk to strangers when you're outside?"
Luke crouched down and looked at the girl.
"They did..."
The little girl nodded first, then gave Luke a sweet smile.
"But I don't think Big Brother is a bad person."
"Is that so? A little girl's intuition?"
Luke smiled. "But sometimes, intuition isn't always right."
"You should still listen to your parents first."
He reached out and gently patted the girl's head.
"Besides, I don't think you're going there just to play, are you?"
He said softly, "If you're heading home, I can walk you there since it's on my way."
"Mm..."
The little girl blinked again. "I'll think about it after I finish playing."
"Suit yourself."
Luke stood up. "Save those words for your parents; no need to tell a stranger like me."
"Oh, and one more thing."
He glanced at her one last time. "Next time you want to disguise yourself as a human and interact with people..."
He reached out and touched her cheek, especially the small tuft of fur at the corner of her mouth.
"Make sure to hide your fur properly first; otherwise, people will notice right away."
"Ah?!"
The little girl gasped in shock, forgetting about her lollipop as she hurriedly covered her cheeks with both hands.
Luke didn't bother with her. Instead, he turned his gaze toward the figures approaching from behind her.
"Sorry about that, my daughter can be a little mischievous. I hope she didn't trouble you."
A couple walked up, looking quite similar to each other.
Both appeared fairly young in human form. The father stepped forward and politely addressed Luke.
"It's fine."
Luke replied casually.
They didn't look any different from ordinary humans.
But the little boy clinging to his mother's leg caught Luke's attention; he also had faint fur at the corners of his mouth, just like the girl.
The boy curiously peered at Luke while gripping his mother's trousers.
"Are you out here to buy supplies?"
Luke noticed the large backpack strapped to the father's back, packed full of goods.
Even the mother was holding two large bags filled with various daily necessities.
"That's right."
The father nodded and smiled. "We live up in the mountains and rarely come down."
"So whenever we do, we make sure to buy enough supplies to last us for quite a while."
"I see..."
Luke was genuinely curious about what kind of things a family like theirs would prepare.
He instinctively glanced at the mother's bags.
Inside were boxes of tea leaves, rice crackers, beef cubes, rabbit jerky, chicken strips, fish slices…
Luke: "..."
As expected of a fox family, they still can't hide their fox nature.
Chicken, fish, beef, rabbit... All sorts of meat.
"Since we have managed to take human form and even gained the intelligence to communicate with humans..."
The father noticed Luke's expression and chuckled.
"If we didn't interact with human society or enjoy the benefits of modern civilization, wouldn't that be such a waste?"
"And besides, it would be a pity not to make use of the conveniences and gifts that nature has allowed us to experience."