Novel Full Chapter 360: Fishing
Chapter 360: Fishing
Chapter 360: Fishing
2 hours later
So boring… Leo thought and lazily stretched with one hand while holding the handle of the fishing rod with the other.
Both Leo and Brant had been sitting on the rocky platform for more than 2 hours.
“Aha! Caught another one!” Brant exclaimed, pulling hard on the long, black, metallic fishing rod.
Rippleback Salmon (Low 3-star) – Mortal Bloodline
This salmon was nearly 4 meters long and had a powerful, thick tail and a slightly hunched back lined with wave-shaped ridges.
Leo sighed as Brant swiftly sliced the fish’s gills and stored it in his ring. For two hours, Brant was doing this and had been singing the song of how he would make Katherine cook him a good fish dish.
Apparently, it was the spawning season of these salmon, and they would be crossing this estuary to reach a location deep within the land territory. Brant, seeing the opportunity along with Leo’s request, chose to catch a few fish to eat.
Leo looked at his fishing rod, which could be called a masterpiece of medieval art. Upon inquiry, Leo got to know that these things cost around 5 million AC.
“Professor… the bait that you attached to my rod doesn’t seem to be working,” Leo said, gazing at the fishing line that disappeared into the water.
“Have patience. The bait is only attractive to a specific kind of fish, and they are way too cautious. Don’t move the rod in the slightest, or you’ll have to wait even more.”
Brant said this before once again continuing his catching spree. He might have already caught nearly 20 so-so salmon, all 3 meters or above.
As Leo waited, his eyes naturally drifted over the water’s surface to see any activity. While doing so, his eyes widened slightly when he noticed a huge figure gently floating inward toward the river at a depth of nearly 30 to 40 meters.
It was a big beast, nearly 15 meters in length, and the body size suggested it must weigh around 90 to 100 tons.
An orca…? Leo thought, since the beast’s colour patterns were strangely similar.
As Leo focused on it, the system prompt appeared.
Dread Orca (Pseudo 3-star) – Super Bloodline
*pic*
Brant also noticed the beast.
“Oh? Did this little fellow get lost from his pod?” he said.
“Why so?” Leo asked.
“These Dread Orcas are one of the apex predators in the moderate risk zones, and if the pod strength increases, they might even be found in high risk zones, with the female leading Dread Orca at strength levels of High 6-star, at sizes of 100 or even 150 meters.”
Brant looked at the orca and closed his eyes to sense something, then gazed into the distance.
“There they are. This little guy must have sensed something and came to play with it. But be mindful; though he is weak, I sensed the pod’s highest member to be a Peak 4-star individual, and they will come rushing here the moment they sense him in danger. And don’t be fooled by the fact that it’s just Peak 4-star. The pod has 13 members and can easily take on a Low 5-star beast.”
Leo scoffed.
“Who’s getting fooled that it’s ’just’ Peak 4-star? I don’t even have the strength to deal with a High 4-star.”
Leo immediately disregarded the idea of attacking or taming, and even if he wanted to tame it, there was no place he could allow this orca to swim in his territory. A 15-meter beast was very chonky for him right now. Not to mention they will be very uncomfortable living in clean water since they were saltwater beasts, rarely going in fresh water for food
“He won’t attack?” Leo asked.
“Generally no… they have some level of intelligence and are a very curious species. So instead of attacking, they might play with you. It’s another thing that their playing might include a small bite that can devour you whole.”
Brant chuckled after seeing Leo’s long face.
“By the way, why is it so far away from its pod?”
“The males in the pod must be having fights for mating rights. The young one got bored and drifted apart, might have sensed something interesting upstream,” Brant said, watching as the orca slowly disappeared into the river.
While Leo was looking around, he spotted an interesting fish, and once again, if not for the system prompt, he might have missed it.
Threadfin Drifter (High 1-star) – Ordinary Bloodline
Threadfin Drifter (Mid 1-star) – Ordinary Bloodline
Threadfin Drifter (Peak 1-star) – Mortal Bloodline
Threadfin Drifter (High 1-star) – Ordinary Bloodline
It was a thin, thread-like greenish fish that floated vertically and swayed like aquatic plants. And there was a whole school of them. Leo could clearly imagine a predator mistaking them for vegetation and them getting to live another day by safely drifting sideways through the water current.
*pic*
Brant noticed Leo’s curiosity and saw the fish.
“You have sharp eyes; most would miss them. They come in the category of fodder fish that only eat and swim… or, in this case, drift. You find many such fish all around the lake that, even though they don’t have fighting capabilities, have developed unique traits that let them survive in dangerous waters.”
He started listing things.
“This thread-like fish camouflages like aquatic plants, some have reflective body armour that makes the predator disoriented and gives them time to escape, some release blinding flashes and quickly dart away, then those silver fishes that we encountered way back there—they move in schools of millions in a perfectly synchronised pattern and confuse the enemy by splitting and reforming their swarm. Many have very high reproduction rates.”
Brant looked toward Leo’s fishing line, which was dipped in the water, and smiled.
“And some, almost transparent in clean water.” As he said that, Leo’s line stirred.
His attention snapped toward the water, but he found nothing.
“Huh?” He focused more because something was still tugging on his line. And then he saw it—an almost transparent fish that would be completely missed on any casual glance.
Crystal Fish (High 1-star) – Ordinary Bloodline
On closer inspection, Leo could actually see a huge school of them all around the fishing line, though very deep, nearly 50 meters below where eyes couldn’t see clearly. The fish were floating casually and nibbling at aquatic plants; some were eating dead remains of some beast that floated in the current, and some were just enjoying life.
“Wha–? They were always here?”
*pic*