Chapter 163: Fishing Gear

Chapter 163: Chapter 163: Fishing Gear

But she quickly realized she didn’t have the strength to handle this fish with just one hand.

’What should I do?’

Seraphina Sinclair tried to loosen her grip, intending to pull her long blade from the Silver Moon Earrings and hold it in her teeth. But the ferocious fish in the net refused to give her even that small an opening.

She could feel that if she didn’t haul it out soon, the bamboo pole Miller had given her...

...was going to break!

Seraphina Sinclair could only give it her all, but her efforts only served to make the bamboo pole break faster!

Her brow furrowed in frustration. Just when she thought she was out of options, Auric Young suddenly popped out.

In that instant, Seraphina Sinclair saw a glimmer of hope. She shouted, "Auric Young! Go stun it! Ram the fish! The one in the water!"

Auric Young wasn’t the sharpest tool in the shed, but it was a B-level entity, after all.

Hearing the command from its favorite human, it immediately shot into the water.

A muffled impact came from beneath the surface, accompanied by a strange, distorted shriek.

The frantic struggling traveling up the net’s handle suddenly ceased, the force weakening by more than half!

Seraphina Sinclair wasn’t about to miss this chance. With a low cry, she put all her strength into her arms and heaved upward!

SPLASH——!

A splash more violent than any before erupted, and a huge black shadow, along with the landing net, was viciously thrown out of the water. It smashed heavily onto the floor of the mobile cabin with a dull BANG, and the floorboards themselves seemed to tremble.

The bamboo handle of the landing net finally gave way under the strain. At the moment it fulfilled its final duty, it snapped in two with a CRACK.

But the net itself still held strong, trapping the giant fish.

Seraphina Sinclair, holding half of the broken pole, panted slightly as her gaze immediately fell upon the creature in the net.

It was a monstrous fish, even larger than the last. Its form was ferocious, its entire body a dull Bronze color. The edges of its scales were as sharp as knives, its head was covered in thick Bone Armor, and its protruding snout was filled with a mouthful of gleaming, dagger-like teeth.

Its eyes were the color of molten lava. It was currently twisting its body frantically, its powerful tail fin slapping against the floor and creating a cringe-inducing metallic scraping sound.

"Whoa!"

Traveling Merchant 001 was startled and jumped back half a step, then her eyes lit up!

"What a catch! A Bronze Predator! This thing is rare, a real tough customer among D-level creatures, even rarer than some C-level fish! You could sell it for a good price even without processing it! Interested in selling it directly?"

At the same time, Seraphina Sinclair’s Insight provided her with information.

[Bronze Predator (D+ Level)]

[Description: A top predator of the waterways. Its scales are as hard as alloy, and its bite force is strong enough to tear through steel. It is extremely ferocious and aggressive. It is exceedingly rare and extremely dangerous to process. Please note, she can maintain her formidable combat prowess for a considerable time even out of water!]

[D-level ingredient detected. Proceed with processing?]

[Acquirable: Dense Bronze Scales x6, Purified Fish Essence x4, Resilient Predator Sinew x4!]

The Bronze Predator suddenly sprang up, its great, tooth-filled maw gaping open as it lunged straight for the calf of the nearest person, Traveling Merchant 001!

Its speed was astonishing!

"Waaah! What’s this got to do with me?!"

Traveling Merchant 001 shrieked and nimbly hopped away, dodging the vicious bite.

Seraphina Sinclair reacted in a flash. The moment it sprang up, she used the broken pole in her hand to strike it squarely on the Bone Armor of its head!

THWACK!

With a crisp crack, the pole shattered on impact. The Bronze Predator was clearly dazed by the blow, its movements freezing for an instant.

Without the slightest hesitation, a cold glint flashed in Seraphina Sinclair’s other hand as her dagger left its sheath. Seizing the fleeting opportunity, she plunged the tip of the blade precisely and deeply into a gap in the Bone Armor!

The movements were clean and decisive, bearing the mark of a seasoned veteran!

The Bronze Predator convulsed violently a few times, its lava-colored eyes gradually dimmed, and then it finally went still.

Seraphina Sinclair pulled out her dagger, flicked off the beads of blood, and bent down to store the clearly valuable D-level monster fish in her Silver Moon Earrings.

The whole process was as smooth as flowing water. Traveling Merchant 001, watching from the side, blinked and swallowed the complaint that had been on the tip of her tongue.

She rubbed her hands together, her face instantly plastered with a professionally enthusiastic smile:

"Ahem... A master is a master! Such technique, such efficiency!"

"So... Human, are you interested in processing this catch on the spot? Or selling it directly? The price will be absolutely fair! I just got a new batch of fine goods, and there might be a fishing Divine Artifact in there that’s perfect for you?"

Seraphina Sinclair finally gave her a direct look, weighing the remaining half of the pole in her hand before glancing out the window at the endless expanse of water.

Traveling Merchant 001’s smile grew even wider, knowing that business was at hand.

But Seraphina Sinclair just held out her hand. "A total of twenty runes, 45 Black Fog Coins each, for a total of 900. How are you paying?"

The smile on Traveling Merchant 001’s face froze for a moment. She didn’t seem to expect Seraphina Sinclair to demand payment so directly.

She pouted resentfully and muttered under her breath, "...Humans are so petty."

But she still deftly pulled a small, heavy pouch of coins from the seemingly ordinary pocket at her waist and tossed it to Seraphina Sinclair.

"Here, 900 Black Fog Coins, all there. You can count it."

The moment Seraphina Sinclair caught the pouch, a new panel popped up in front of her.

[Obtained: Black Fog Coins x900!]

"Alright, all settled."

Traveling Merchant 001 clapped her hands, immediately switching back to her slick, salesperson’s demeanor. "So now, esteemed Top-Ranker, are you interested in seeing my new wares? I have some fine items specially prepared for... uh, dedicated fishing professionals like yourself!"

As she spoke, she pulled several items from her pocket as if by magic.

First was a pair of translucent gloves with a rather high-tech look. Traveling Merchant 001 introduced them:

"The Rushing Touch Gloves, a C-level support item! Put these on, and you’ll be able to more clearly perceive the slightest movements underwater. You can even interfere with the current to a certain extent, making it easier to net those slippery little guys! Only 180,000 Black Fog Coins!"

Seraphina Sinclair was initially unfazed, but after hearing the number, she couldn’t help but shoot the merchant a sideways glance.

’Is she crazy? That’s not one-eighty, not even eighteen hundred. It’s one hundred and eighty *thousand* Black Fog Coins!’

’Are C-level items really this expensive?’

’And besides...’

’Is this merchant an idiot?!’

’Who has that many Black Fog Coins at this stage?’

Traveling Merchant 001 didn’t understand Seraphina Sinclair’s mood. Or rather, a non-human creature like her was simply incapable of understanding human emotions.

Traveling Merchant 001 was passionate about hawking her wares. She took out another item: a spool of metallic thread that shimmered with a silver light.

"Look at this! The Chaining Fishing Line! It’s a D+ Level material!"

"It’s extremely tough and has a weak paralyzing effect that can effectively slow a catch’s struggles. Tie it to your fishing rod... ah, your landing net..."

"Er, well, your landing net is broken, but it’ll definitely work great tied to a new one! Only 120,000 Black Fog Coins!"