The actions of the red-nosed captain also drew the attention of those on board who were still in decent condition, such as the first mate, Kurapika, leorio, and others.
He lifted the pipe in his mouth—which miraculously remained dry despite the heavy rain—tapped it lightly, and said,
"Boy, I've been sailing these seas for decades, and this is the first time I've heard someone give such an explanation for St. Elmo's Fire. 'Traditionally'? 'Mythically'? I've drifted at sea my entire life. I won't claim to have traveled all six continents, but I know the basic countries. I've never heard of Italy or Greece. Are there really such countries on the six continents?"
The captain wore a smile, clearly thinking Roy was making it all up.
Roy calmly opened his eyes. "Italy and Greece are countries that existed on the six continents a long time ago. They're recorded in ancient history books in various libraries. Uncle, you probably haven't read much, right?"
The red-nosed captain felt a sharp sting in his chest.
"As for the cold-light coronal discharge phenomenon, it's explained in modern school physics textbooks. If you have time, Uncle, you should check whether it's the same phenomenon as St. Elmo's Fire."
"In addition, the phenomenon of St. Elmo's Fire is mentioned in the writings of several great historical figures. It appears in ancient works such as Caesar's African War and Pliny the Elder's Natural History. In the famous novel Moby Dick, the first mate Starbuck even shouts 'Eucharist!' when he sees St. Elmo's Fire—Eucharist! That chapter."
"Antonio Pigafetta, a historian and merchant from a small country called Venice, also wrote about this in his diary during his voyage with a captain named Magellan."
"And Darwin, a bio–snowman, once wrote to his good friend, botanist John Stevens Henslow, during a voyage near the mouth of the La Plata River: 'Everything seemed to be on fire. The sky was glowing. There were points of light in the water, and even the mast glowed with blue flames.' That is also a description of St. Elmo's Fire."
"So, Uncle, as the captain and backbone of this ship, you should read more books."
First mate: "…"
Kurapika: "…"
leorio: "…"
The red-nosed captain's lips trembled.
Am I really that old?
Have I fallen behind the times?
Why have I never heard of any of these people or books?
Is this the difference between reading and not reading?
For a moment, the captain fell into deep self-doubt.
The others on the ship were completely lost as well. The first mate felt his brain shutting down, and leorio barely managed to close his mouth as he muttered,
"I didn't expect a small sailing phenomenon to have so much complicated knowledge behind it… If being a doctor means facing incurable diseases with this level of complexity, my head might explode. Yeah… doctors really don't have it easy…"
Kurapika searched his memory, but none of the names or books Roy mentioned appeared.
"It seems… I haven't read enough. This candidate…"
Kurapika looked at Roy solemnly.
"Troublesome."
Meanwhile, the red-nosed captain finally regained his composure. After all, he was a man who had weathered countless storms—he wasn't going to be shaken by a few sentences.
But because of that, Roy had impressed him even more.
The captain removed his pipe and asked,
"Who are you?"
"Me?" Roy sensed the storm fading and closed his eyes again.
"Just an ordinary cartoonist searching for inspiration."
…
The captain did not question Roy's identity further. After the storm, even though it was still raining outside, the ship gradually stabilized. He then led Roy, No.18, and gon to a small cabin.
"What's your name?" the red-nosed captain asked.
"My name is gon," gon replied quickly.
"My name is Kurapika," Kurapika said, sitting up straighter.
"Ugh… troublesome. My name is leorio," leorio sighed, answering since everyone else had.
"Roy." Simple.
"No.18." A cold voice.
Even though her name was clearly written in the registration, it was obvious that No.18 didn't want to use her previous identity.
And as for using pseudonyms—well, Ilumi had also entered under the name Gittarackur. None of that mattered.
But No.18's name was unique, attracting everyone's attention.
"Why would such a beautiful lady use such a strange name?" the captain muttered to himself.
But judging from the situation on deck, Roy and No.18 were obviously a couple, so Kurapika did not pry further.
"Then why do you want to become Hunters?" the captain asked.
He had received countless candidates over the years and had seen all kinds of strange names.
But this question was like poking a hornet's nest when aimed at two teenagers from problem backgrounds.
"Why should we tell you? This isn't an interview," leorio and Kurapika said sharply, eyes full of vigilance.