Here's a refined version of the passage with simpler language and corrected grammar:
"I should be considered half a breeder, right?" Kuroyu thought to himself.
Although he hadn't yet passed the assessment of the Cultivation and Processing Association, he had already stepped halfway into the field by being able to produce energy cubes.
It would just take more experience to make energy cubes easily in the future.
"But I made this energy cube after thousands of experiments. I wonder how many kinds my teacher can make."
Kuroyu's mind began to wander. He had heard about the difficulty of the breeder assessment. In addition to many written questions, one had to produce high-quality energy cubes within a set time.
Only if you succeed can you become a respected junior breeder.
Black Feather looked at the corner where the wasted materials were piled up and said, "Although breeders are money-making machines, the investment is huge. No wonder the teacher held such high status on the ship before."
When the captain was still around, Mrs. Sanju's position on the Giant Shark was one of the highest. It was all because she had a monopoly on energy cubes. In this sea, the hardest material to get was the water-type primary energy cube.
Almost everyone here has water-type elves, most of which are trained as main fighters.
Energy cubes on land are hard to find and extremely expensive. Therefore, Mrs. Sanju's energy cubes are highly sought after.
Water energy cubes are so valuable that supply can never meet demand, making Mrs. Sanju even more respected.
"But now I should also…"
The corners of Black Feather's mouth turned up slightly.
As expected, once the news of his energy cube production spread on the Giant Shark, more and more people came to see him.
And their purpose was clear—they all wanted to buy energy cubes.
In the following days, Kuroyu worked hard on his practice. At first, he could only succeed once out of hundreds of attempts, but now he could succeed once out of a hundred. Occasionally, he'd get lucky and succeed twice.
Half a year passed quietly.
The Giant Shark had returned to the waters of the Fengyuan region. In this familiar area, every pirate group had its own place to operate.
During this time, they occasionally robbed tourist boats, captured rare water-type elves, and sold them to the mainland.
The number of people on the pirate ship had also grown, reaching nearly 200.
"Black Feather, your skills are getting better. This energy cube's purity is almost as good as the ones I make," Mrs. Sanju said, holding a pure white energy cube in her delicate fingers.
Black Feather responded respectfully, "Thank you for your careful teaching, teacher. I'm just lucky."
Despite his rising status, Kuroyu understood his position clearly.
He respected Mrs. Sanju deeply for both her status and the resources she provided.
"You're still such a smooth talker," Mrs. Sanju smiled, clearly pleased with her student.
The two continued chatting for a few more days, with Kuroyu bringing up all the questions he had faced in his studies and practice. Mrs. Sanju answered each one carefully, using a teacher's tone.
Back on the deck, Darian voss looked at the elves training every day. Over the last six months, they had grown a lot, thanks to the abundance of resources, especially the stable energy cubes.
The lobster soldier had reached level 24, and the fang fish was at level 22. Both were close to the level 30 mark for evolution.
"Spike, I won't need you to do reconnaissance for now. You're about to evolve, so save your energy," Black Feather said, letting the Spearow land on his arm, speaking gently.
"Li~~"
Black Feather noticed a boy standing below, his face full of fear and excitement.
"Are these new people? I hope they can handle it. The Giant Shark is still short on manpower," Black Feather asked an ordinary pirate nearby.
The pirate quickly replied, "Sir Kuroba, this batch has 27 new members. I'm showing them the ropes. Here's the roster, do you want to see it?"
Kuroyu had become an important figure on the ship. Not only was he Captain Sanju's student, but his ability to make energy cubes had earned him great respect.
"I've become Lord Black Feather now?" Kuroyu thought with a laugh.
He took the roster and skimmed through it briefly. Most of the new recruits were street gang members or people forced into piracy by circumstances.
Some were kidnapped, looking frightened and not daring to look up.
Then, Kuroyu's eyes fell on a name: "Hoshino Bow."
"What? This little fat guy is actually an Alliance trainer? How did we catch him?" Kuroyu's voice was filled with concern. If the Alliance found out, there would be severe consequences.
The pirate explained quickly, "Sir, we didn't catch him. We bought him on the black market. We didn't know his identity until after. We found out that he's an Alliance trainer. His father was a businessman, and because of his wealth, a high-ranking member of the Alliance targeted him. Eventually, he was sold to the black market."
After hearing this, Kuroyu's face twitched. He understood more about the Alliance's corruption and darkness.
"No wonder the Alliance can't wipe out these dark organizations—they're corrupt beyond imagination," Kuroyu thought silently.
Just then, the fat boy in the crowd stood up and shouted confidently, "Hurry up and tell your captain to come see me. I have a project that will make us a lot of money!"
The boy looked about 11 or 12 years old, but his words and attitude were full of confidence.
The pirates on guard immediately rushed forward, punching and kicking him. "What kind of jerk do you think you are? You're just a prisoner here!"
The other pirates weren't surprised. It was normal for them to bully newcomers, especially an Alliance trainer.
"Ouch, stop hitting! Stop hitting! Let me go…"
The boy, once so arrogant, was now rolling on the ground, clutching his stomach and head, crying out for mercy.
For this pampered child who had lived in wealth, this was the first time he had suffered such pain and humiliation.
His face, once red with pride, was now pale with pain. Tears streamed down as he begged, "Please let me go!"
But the other teens just watched in silence, some terrified, others relieved it wasn't them getting beaten.
The fat boy looked at their indifferent faces, feeling a deep sadness. For the first time, he saw the harsh side of human nature.
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