The cave already smells strong, so we can't go in to grill fish. The weather outside is nice, so we can find a shaded spot, light a fire, and have a picnic.
Su Xin found a flat stone slab, turned it over with the rain-damaged side facing up, wiped off the dust with her clothes, and started working directly on it as a chopping board.
Although she usually called it a short sword, her ship-mounted sword must be at least 40 centimeters long, not counting the handle, so it is really difficult to use it to fillet fish.
Fortunately, the young commander didn't think too much about it, and just cut off the fist-sized fish head with one clean and quick stroke, just like he did with the Purifier before.
She had never cooked Japanese cuisine before, so she wasn't sure what to do next. She thought simply slicing would be enough, so she cut the fish body into the thinnest slices possible, including the bones.
Su Xin picked up a piece of the result and took a look. It wasn't too thick, about half the width of her little finger, which was definitely enough for the entrance, so she breathed a sigh of relief.
[Helena] was very relieved. She was leaning aside waiting for Su Xin to serve the brunch, when she saw her pinching the fish and turning around to look for the little fox.
"Is this okay? I don't know if it has a lot of thorns, so be careful of the bones when you eat it."
The little fox was a little hesitant, but finally closed his eyes and took a small bite. Apart from the strong fishy smell, it was indeed normal, so he took it aside and started eating.
The first one was not given to her [Helena], but was taken by a little fox who came from nowhere.
"I know."
[Helena] nodded secretly, "She probably thought I couldn't eat it raw, so she had to roast it before giving it to me."
"Actually, the ship girl is not that picky... But it's good to be careful. You should eat something good when you are injured."
So [Helena] felt relieved and silently watched Su Xin put all the fish fillets aside, then started to make a fire, skewer the fish, and slowly roasted them using a wooden stick held in her hand.
The fish cooked quickly, the fat on the surface sizzled and the aroma wafted out. If you ignore the fact that the color is too dark, the fish is quite tempting.
"...That's fine. My cooking skills may be a little bad, but the thought is more important."
[Helena] sniffed and prepared to praise the child who cared so much about her, so as not to dampen his enthusiasm.
Seeing Su Xin take the fish off the fire and blow on it gently, Helena nodded with satisfaction. Just as she was about to open her mouth to indicate that she would do it, she found that the little commander had already started eating.
"..."
"Hmm...burnt, so bitter."
Su Xin licked the charred fish meat at the corner of her lips, frowned, and accidentally glanced at the gloomy face of Helena opposite her, and was stunned.
"...【Nana】? What's wrong with you?"
[Helena] glared at the little fox that was biting the fish with its front paws, and asked Su Xin through gritted teeth, "Where's my share?"
Su Xin was stunned for a moment, reached into the pocket of the trousers she had put on before coming back, took out a can of [Ship Girl Oil] and handed it over.
"Can you drink this?"
[Helena] didn't even look at it, she just stared at the grilled fish with a bite taken out of its belly, her meaning was very clear
The little conductor hesitated, "The food I made is not very delicious... Is it okay?"
"You've already eaten it, haven't you?" Helena said nonchalantly, "Can food that has been tested for poison kill me?"
"...Okay." Su Xin stuck the fish into the mud on the side. "I've just finished three fish. I'll grill another one for you."
[Helena] I felt relieved, with the cool metal sheet on my forehead, and began to wait comfortably for the chef to serve me the food.
Just now I thought I was the only one who would eat it, so I didn't pay much attention to roasting it. Now that there is a new customer, I have to get the heat right this time.
So Su Xin concentrated her attention, holding the small wooden stick very seriously, and slowly rotating it at a uniform speed so that the fish on it could be fully heated.
This time, in order to prevent the fish from burning, it was held much higher, which resulted in it taking much longer, but fortunately it looked really good.
The fish skin is intact and slightly yellow in color. The meat inside is jade white. There is no carbonization anywhere. Instead, it looks very crispy.
"Hmm, it should be cooked, right?"
Su Xin was not very sure. After she moved the fish away from the fire, she opened her eyes wide and looked at it carefully for a while. She felt that there should be no problem, so she handed it to the customer who had been waiting for a long time.
[Helena] raised her eyelids and found that it looked good indeed. She glanced at the piece of coke stuck on the ground and thought, well, it was much better.
"I can do it myself." Helena took the grilled fish with her right hand in a good mood, "Thank you."
"It's okay, it's okay... I didn't add anything, it shouldn't be weird... right?"
Helena, who had never tasted the other party's special dishes, thought Su Xin was making a fuss. How could the taste of meat without any additions be so strange?
So she took a bite of the crispy fish belly with a relaxed mood, chewed it a little, and after a few breaths her face changed.
"...Are you sure you didn't add anything?"
"I...I didn't, and weren't you watching the whole time?"
[Helena]'s face was distorted. "Why is it so bitter... and the fishy smell is too strong!"
"Bitter? I'm not burnt, how could that be?" Su Xin paused, "I was curious, so I picked a fish to observe its internal organs..."
"So the bile is leaking?!"
"I, I, I... I'm going to look for some water. Please wait for me."
"......yue."
After gnawing on the third piece of raw fish, the little fox's mood turned from gloomy to cheerful, and his appetite also improved a lot. He hummed and picked up the fourth piece, ready to have a snack for himself.
"Humph~"
Chapter 496: Cannon Sound
Life on a deserted island is actually not very interesting.
As far as the eye can see, everything is bare, with no living animals. Every day, there is only the sound of the wind and the rising and falling waves.
I don’t know if there is no telecom and mobile in this world, or if network operators no longer exist. My mobile phone has no signal at all, and I can’t even charge it.
Fortunately, Su Xin is not alone. She has sisters and Fox, so she still has the motivation to improve her living conditions.
There are no fresh water resources on the island, but there are a lot of messy things on the beach, which are washed up on the beach for people to pick.
Su Xin collected a lot of items that were barely usable, and stored some drinking water based on the simple principle of water evaporation. She also spent a day looking for places with moist soil, and after digging a few places, she found a water source.
There was a layer of dust and carbon powder in the cave, which was actually very easy to deal with. She just needed to hold the mouth of the brocade bag, bend over and walk around, suck all the dust into the space, and then pour it out in a remote corner.
As for the problem of poor air circulation in the cave, that was even simpler. Su Xin spent a day holding a dagger and enlarged the cave entrance.
The slightly inclined ground slope can ensure that the cave is dry on rainy days, and the wider cave entrance brings in air flow, allowing the smoke inside to completely dissipate.
"Well, we basically have all the necessary things. It would be even better if we had a bed." Commander Su put his hands on his waist and wiped the sweat off his forehead.
[Helena] glanced at her and couldn't help but complain, "Yeah, it would be better if there was a cook."
Su Xin blushed a little. The last time she roasted the fish that was bathed in bile, she really didn't choose it on purpose. Otherwise, why would she roast it so carefully?
The little fox lives a very comfortable life. When he is hungry, he eats fish. When he is thirsty, he has boiled water. When he is sleepy, he finds a little commander who is willing to open his arms to serve as his fox den. He also provides him with fur-stroking services. Helena is very jealous.
"...I say." She frowned and looked at the little fox lying on Su Xin's legs, "Don't you think it has an unknown origin? You can see that there is not a single land animal on the island."
Su Xin had actually doubted this question. After all, the little fox was too smart. Judging from its physical condition and cleanliness, it didn't look like it had ever lived a wandering life.
but……
The little commander glanced at the bright eyes of the soft and cute fox in his arms and was speechless.
"Mmm... so cute!"
[Helena] shook her head with a complicated expression. In terms of liking furry things, she was exactly the same as her commander, except that she was a little more timid and too flat.
"...I always feel like you are thinking about something rude, [Nana]..." Su Xin's intuition has always been accurate.
[Helena] Pretend you didn't hear anything. Her injuries have healed well. She has been able to stand up by holding on to the wall recently. I think she will be able to recover her energy control in a few days. Let's take everyone back from this place.
"but……"
She glanced at Su Xin who was stroking the little fox's fur without leaving any trace, "...I have to leave after I go back."
"Even though she would definitely agree if I shamelessly asked her to stay there, but... I still have things I need to do."
"The commander is indeed gone. Enterprise is right. If we seek comfort, we will lose more important people in the future."
"...It's time to fulfill my responsibilities as a member of Embers."
[Helena] After a lot of thoughts, she finally sighed and closed her eyes, intending to escape from reality for a while. However, Su Xin, who had regained her expression, seemed to like talking to her.
"【Nana】, how did you get to know York City sister...um, the boss Cheng from the coffee shop?"
[Helena] pursed her lips and looked up at her, obviously not intending to explain this.
"Tell me... I'm curious! And does she know about the [Enterprise]? I mean the [Enterprise] that is meta."
The chattering sound in her ears never stopped, which made Helena, who was already indecisive, extremely annoyed. She had no choice but to stuff the small wrench on her forehead into the other person's arms.
"No more energy, go and recharge it."
Su Xin held it in her hand and found that the faint light seeping out of the small wrench went towards the wound on her left arm. It was obvious that there was still a lot of energy.
Just as she was about to put the things back, she heard Helena's slightly cold voice.
"You can take it. The over-META energy has disappeared, and the remaining wounds are almost healed. You should heal your hand first."
The injury on Su Xin’s left arm is indeed not easy to delay any further. After all, she is not a real ship girl. It would be troublesome if she develops any chronic illness.
So the young commander did not refuse. After placing the metal piece on the palm of his left hand, he raised his head and continued to ask [Helena]: "How many people are there in your organization now?"
“Is that ‘Meta Cube’ really the one that [Enterprise] left to them?
"What is the use of the 'Meta-Cube'? Can it be used for construction?"
There was no way. Su Xin really couldn't figure out these questions, but she was particularly curious about them. If she didn't ask, she might never have the chance again.
[Helena] felt a headache about this. She quickly stretched out her hand to signal the little conductor to shut up. After thinking for a while, she sighed and began to answer the questions one by one.
"I met Sister York a few years ago. At that time, I was surrounded by two members of the Arbitration Agency of the Siren and was injured."
"In order to avoid being pursued, I found a world with traces of [Siren] activity, hoping to escape in the dark."
"...What a coincidence, I went to your world."
"Luckily, the Siren member stationed in your world is a Purifier who only knows how to surf the Internet and slack off all day, so I was not discovered."
"The process of my meeting her was actually quite cliché. I was seriously injured and passed out, and she mistook me for Helena when she passed by, so she took care of me for a while."
"...I am very grateful to her, but her body was not strong enough after she retired. I was afraid that the META energy leaking out of the wound at that time would have an adverse effect on her, so I left after my injury healed."
"Later... I would go see her every once in a while and complain to her about something. It was..." Helena closed her eyes, "It was to replenish the 'energy' that supported me to continue searching."
Su Xin understood and nodded, "Does she know about [the company]?"
[Helena] thought for a moment and said, "I'm not sure, but I guess she doesn't know because [Enterprise] didn't come to see me before, and the two of them probably won't meet."
"Well, there are still a few questions." The young commander reminded her.
[Helena] thought for a moment and picked out some things to tell her.
"I don't know the number of people in the organization, because I'm basically out and about, I rarely go back, and I don't have much chance to communicate with them."
"The Meta Cube should have been given by the Siren, right? Although I am not a very competent member of the Embers, at least I know the course of action of the Embers."
"What we pursue is steady development, so that all the major camps and organizations in the world can seek common ground while reserving differences and make progress together. This is very different from the idea of [Siren] to intensify conflicts in order to achieve rapid progress."
"I guess the cube was given to us by the Siren on purpose in order to speed up the technological process, but this is like forcing things to happen. The Enterprise will take it back."
"The Meta-Cube did not exist from the beginning. It is... the product of natural evolution. In other words, the end point of evolution that we know of so far is the Meta-Cube."
"I can't tell you the rest." Helena sighed, "After all, you haven't even popularized the technology of ship girl breakthrough, let alone the others."
Su Xin nodded. Although she knew from the games in her previous life that in addition to [Breaking the Boundary], there was also [Cognitive Awakening] which relied on consuming [Mind Units]. (Note 1
But even though she knew it, she had no idea where the [Mind Unit] came from or how it should be produced, let alone other deeper concepts.
[Helena] finally breathed a sigh of relief when she saw that the little commander had no intention of asking more questions. "Okay, it's getting late. Do you have any more fish? I'll do it this time."
"Eh? Of course, I'll give it to you." Su Xin flipped through the space, "I ate too much the past few days, and I've finished it."
"...Why don't you catch it?"
"Okay, then you and the little fox wait for me here? I'll be back soon."
[Helena] nodded, watched Su Xin leave, and exchanged glances with the little fox, then turned her head away at the same time, neither of them wanting to look at the other.
The silence in the cave lasted for only five minutes, and suddenly there was a loud bang in the distance, and the explosion was extremely crisp.
[Helena] She thought about sitting down as if it was normal, but suddenly she realized that the sound of a torpedo exploding underwater should be duller and not so loud.
"So this is... a bombardment?"
