Chapter 492 Fishing and Unexpected Guests

Seven days later.

Near Barracuda Bay, at a certain coral reef.

"Scree..."

A sharp, high-pitched cry echoed through the sky. A Short-Tailed Albatross with pure white feathers, noticeably larger than its ordinary kin, could be seen faintly circling high above.

Xia Nan had found a good spot.

It was an exceptionally flat slab of reef rock located above the coral reef and close to the shore, riddled with holes from countless years of crashing waves.

The location of this rock was practically perfect. It wasn't too close, helping him avoid the annoying Dinggong fish that were only the length of a palm yet relentlessly attacked the bait. Nor was it too far out, ensuring he wouldn't inexplicably get dragged into the water, hook and all, by some tentacle bursting from the ocean abyss.

It allowed him to perfectly leverage the coral reef's rich ecosystem, greatly increasing his chances of hooking the best, most impressive, and most rewarding large fish.

His sharp Perception even allowed him to sense the enticing shadows darting back and forth through the water within the coral reef below.

His heart couldn't help but stir, and for the first time in a long while, he felt a touch of nervousness.

'Stay calm. Fishing requires you to stay calm...' Xia Nan reminded himself.

His goal for today was to catch a large fish at least a meter long.

Compared to the abundant schools of fish in the coral reef, he had already lowered his expectations as much as possible. This way, if luck was on his side today, he might even get a few little surprises.

With plenty of time ahead, he wasn't in a rush to cast his line. Instead, he sat on the rock and began his preparations.

Truthfully, considering the sheer volume of sea fish in this part of the coral reef, "chumming" the water wasn't really necessary.

But he had always been meticulous. It was rare to get the chance to visit such a spot, so he had naturally prepared thoroughly, hoping to make the most of the rich ecosystem here.

Xia Nan reached into the space between his armor and its inner lining. With a faint metallic scrape, he pulled the [White Flask] pocket watch from his chest.

Compared to when he first obtained this spatial storage item in Twin Canyon over ten days ago, the pocket watch was no longer bare and unattached. It now sported a platinum watch chain of the same hue, fastening it securely to the lining beneath his armor.

This was the little trinket Xia Nan had commissioned from the owner of [Pearl Spun Yarn] a few days ago.

Using the [White Flask] required him to manually press its button. This meant he had to constantly pull it out of his pocket, greatly increasing the risk of losing it.

If he just kept it in his belt pouch like a Healing Potion, there was a very real chance it could fall out during an intense battle against a well-matched opponent.

Besides, with a storage item this precious—just like the [Fate Coin] from before—Xia Nan simply wouldn't feel at ease unless he kept it tight against his body.

Because of this, the moment he returned to Barracuda Bay, he asked Celianne to custom-make a watch chain for the [White Flask].

As a perfectionist with outstanding aesthetics and an extremely high level of skill, he used the [White Flask]'s design as a reference and fulfilled Xia Nan's request, crafting a platinum watch chain that perfectly complemented the watch without being overly flashy.

It looked as though it was originally part of the pocket watch itself. The length was just right, making it perfectly convenient to draw out and stow away. Xia Nan was very satisfied with it.

"Click."

A crisp mechanical sound snapped at his fingertips.

The watch hands spun rapidly.

About three seconds later, accompanied by a momentary distortion in the surrounding space, a slender Stone Spear appeared in Xia Nan's grip.

He had borrowed back the [Tide-Surge Lure Pole] he had previously sold to Ellison.

At the same time, to trigger the equipment's special effect, he had also brought along the "spotted whale" that Ellison had specifically gone out to the open sea to catch. Right now, it was swimming feebly in a glass fish tank by his feet.

Speaking of which, despite having obtained the [Tide-Surge Lure Pole] a while ago, Xia Nan had never actually used it due to its strict activation conditions.

Now, however, he could finally test the power of this godly "chumming" tool.

...

Effect:

When the stone spear is thrust vertically into calm seawater, it will release an infrasonic vibration capable of attracting all small plankton within a 1-mile radius. The effect lasts for 6 hours.

Activation Conditions:

Use the spear tip to stab a living, healthy cetacean creature at a frequency of 60 times per minute for 10 consecutive minutes, without any interruptions.

...

Following the instructions on the equipment's Attribute Panel, Xia Nan gripped the stone spear with one hand. In a rhythmic, extremely light manner, he used the tip to prod the spotted whale in the tank.

His control over his own Strength was superb. Every time the spear tip fell, it didn't hurt the arm-length little whale, nor was it so light that it failed to meet the requirement of a "stab." It looked more like he was giving it a massage, causing the spotted whale to flick its tail quite comfortably in the tank.

Ten minutes passed in a flash.

Hum—

Xia Nan suddenly felt the moisture in the surrounding air thicken, and the cold stone spear in his hand began to vibrate slightly.

Knowing it had taken effect, he carried the spear to the edge of the reef and slowly thrust it vertically into the sea.

He let go.

"Splash!"

Centered on the [Tide-Surge Lure Pole] gradually sinking into the water, the originally calm surface suddenly churned. The azure seawater reflecting the sky slowly turned murky amidst the rising waves.

Like an aroma wafting from a kitchen at dinnertime, the schools of fish darting through the nearby coral reef were drawn in by the gathering plankton, converging toward the rock Xia Nan stood on.

Plankton attracted small fish, and small fish attracted large fish.

Within a few minutes, Xia Nan spotted several strikingly huge silhouettes beneath the surface.

'Now!'

The [Tide-Surge Lure Pole]'s chumming effect was unexpectedly good. Not wasting a single second, he tightly gripped his expensive [Albatross Type III Fishing Rod - 1015 Model]. The hook disappeared between the rolling waves.

In theory, fishing was a very simple activity based on probability.

Skill, equipment, and environment—Xia Nan had optimized everything within his power. And so, the large fish he had envisioned arrived right on schedule.

It came fast!

The hook had barely been in the water for long when the bobber floating on the distant surface abruptly vanished.

"Creak!"

The fishing line snapped taut. The rod bent near the breaking point, letting out a shrill, overwhelmed groan.

Facing this sudden "big catch," Xia Nan displayed textbook-level technique.

Carefully feeling the tension through his palms, he engaged in a tug-of-war with the hooked fish. When it struggled, he eased up slightly to drain its stamina; when it grew tired, he quickly reeled in the line.

Ten feet, twenty feet, thirty feet...

Xia Nan could even see the dark silhouette of the massive fish just beneath the surface.

But just as he thought he was about to succeed, the great fish underwater launched its final bout of resistance.

"Crash!"

Its powerful tail slapped the water with such force that it churned up a rolling wave across the surface.

Water sprayed everywhere as the gradually rising shadow suddenly plunged diagonally downward.

Relying on the fishing techniques he had learned over the past few days, Xia Nan remained incredibly patient during the fish's final struggle, allowing it to swim deeper despite being on the verge of success.

He knew this would be the fish's last chance to fight back. Soon, it would completely lose its strength to resist and become a major milestone in his fishing career.

What he hadn't anticipated, however—whether by pure coincidence or because a large fish living in a mana-filled alternate world had developed some level of intelligence—was that the direction it chose for its struggle was directly beneath the rock Xia Nan stood on.

Down there, the incredibly hard, pitch-black reef rocks had long been ground by countless years of surging waves until they were as sharp as blades.

Pulled taut by extreme force, the fishing line was dragged by the fish and simply brushed lightly against those razor-sharp rocks.

"Snap."

The severely bent rod instantly sprang upward. The powerful recoil transmitted through his hands forced Xia Nan to take two steps back.

Restored from its curved state, the rod vibrated and drooped naturally, the severed fishing line dangling limply from the end.

Xia Nan stared at the rod in his hand, his gaze freezing for two seconds.

No one knew what was going through his mind at that moment.

His expression remained unchanged.

But a second later, he gently set the fishing rod on the ground.

He stepped forward. One step, two steps...

"Splash!"

Water erupted.

The fully armed figure vanished from the shore.

In his place, a muffled wolf howl echoed faintly from beneath the surface, accompanied by a fleeting, pitch-black shadow.

...

Pure white feathers drifted down from the sky.

Accompanied by the high-frequency hum of magical energy, the Short-Tailed Albatross slowly descended. Swathed in radiant light, its body shifted and shrank with perfectly timed precision.

By the time a pair of women's leather boots touched the ground, the final feather at the wingtip had scattered into motes of light, transforming into slender fingers.

Carried by momentum, Hein couldn't help but take two steps forward upon landing before finally steadying herself.

She looked ahead at the dripping wet Xia Nan and the giant grouper lying motionless before him—a fish larger than a normal human body that looked as if it had suffered a heavy blow. "Looks like you had a good haul today?" she casually remarked.

"It's alright," Xia Nan replied, his expression unchanging as his eyelids drooped slightly. "This coral reef of yours is indeed pretty good. It's a great spot for fishing."

"Hehe." Hearing his praise, a smile broke across Hein's face. She was clearly quite pleased by his approval. "That's good to hear."

As a druid of the Coral Society, she didn't mind hunting occurring within her protected area. As long as it wasn't destructive overfishing, she found it acceptable.

In fact, if any nearby fishermen were struggling to make a living, she was more than happy to use the resources from her sanctuary to help them.

Her focus was on the balance of the entire ecosystem.

Suddenly, as if recalling something, her gaze shifted upward to Xia Nan.

As a proper Spellcaster with a formal Class Level and a seasoned adventurer, how could she not notice the sheer quality and uniqueness of his brand-new armor?

That layered mix of white bone and steel that perfectly contoured to his body was absolutely not the work of an ordinary craftsman. The faint disturbance of magical particles in the air further proved it was an enchanted piece of gear.

For some reason, when Hein looked at this armor, she experienced a fleeting illusion—it felt as though she was staring at the terrifying Shark Beast that had nearly wiped out their Blade of Vengeance Squad back in Twin Canyon.

This feeling was especially strong when she watched the seawater run down the muscular contours of Xia Nan's arms, dripping over his dark, shark-skin-like form-fitting underlayers.

Her lips parted slightly as she wanted to ask him something.

In the end, however, she held her tongue, mindful of the adventurer industry's taboo against prying into personal secrets.

Noticing the druid's gaze from nearby, Xia Nan shifted his attention away from the grouper. He looked up at her with a confused expression and asked, "What is it? Is something strange?"

"No..." Hein shook her head, changing the subject. "Regarding this type of fish, I've heard people mention a unique way to cook it."

"You heat it over a stove using steam. They say it preserves the fresh flavor of the meat to the fullest extent. Do you want to try it?"

'Steam heating?'

Possessing memories of his previous life, Xia Nan seemed to realize something, and his expression suddenly turned a bit strange.

Come to think of it, grouper really was much tastier when steamed. He hadn't expected the people of this world to have figured that out as well.

He nodded and replied, "Sure. Once I bring it back to Barracuda Bay, I'll have the chef at the Three-Legged Sea Dog try making it."

"When it's ready, remember to invite Lorraine, Sasha, and the rest to taste this fish I caugh—... hauled out of the water."

Failing to notice Xia Nan's very particular choice of words, Hein smiled and was just about to say something when her expression suddenly froze. She turned to look toward the other side of the coast.

This coral reef was her designated protection zone as a druid. Over the years, an intangible connection had formed between them. Because of this, even though Xia Nan possessed a higher Perception attribute, his reaction was still half a beat slower than hers.

It was only after Hein turned around that he followed her gaze to look in the same direction.

Coming into view were several mid-sized fishing boats.

They were of a standard make, quite common around Barracuda Bay.

However, the people currently standing on the decks weren't the weather-beaten, dark-skinned fishermen who spent all year baking under the sun. Instead, it was a large group of fierce-looking, thuggish young men.

Most crucially, it was the fishing nets they were casting into the sea.

The sturdy ropes were tightly woven together, and the mesh holes were so small that not even a finger could fit through.

Hein didn't mind normal fishing activities, even if they took place in the coral reef she protected.

But if they were using this kind of dense trawl net that wouldn't even spare the fish fry, then as a druid, she really had to have a word with them.

Amidst a flash of magical light, she once again transformed into a Short-Tailed Albatross.

Flapping her wings, she flew rapidly toward the fishing boats.

Standing on the shore, Xia Nan naturally wasn't going to just watch.

Even disregarding their relationship as teammates, the simple fact that she had willingly brought him to this coral reef to fish was reason enough for Xia Nan to step in and help if she ran into trouble.

Not to mention, his exceptional eyesight had allowed him to spot a familiar, swaggering figure on the deck of one of the boats.