Chapter 49: Fishing with a Hand Net

Chapter 49: Chapter 49: Fishing with a Hand Net

Seraphina Sinclair crouched before the pool of black water, staring at the fish swimming inside for a long while.

She’d suddenly understood why people in her past life liked keeping fish, but it seemed a little late to be realizing that now.

Seraphina Sinclair idly tapped the ground with her finger. As she saw another fish swim to the edge of the black water, a bold idea suddenly struck her.

She had never fished before, had no rod, and no bait. The odds of getting a fishing rod now, learning how to use it, and actually catching a few fish were far too low.

’But I can net them!’

’With a hand net!’

This kind of aerial lake was different from a river. You could see the exact location of the fish. Seraphina Sinclair refused to believe she couldn’t scoop one up with a hand net.

The thing was just a stick with a net bag. It didn’t need bait, and you could use it right away.

’Whether it’ll actually work or not, I’ll have to get one and try.’

Seraphina Sinclair immediately opened the regional channel. The net should ideally be transparent, and a homemade one would surely be inferior to a manufactured one. So, she decided to first see if anyone was selling one.

After searching for a while and finding nothing, Seraphina Sinclair expertly switched to the regional channel, and her fingers flew across the virtual keyboard:

[Blacktiger Ford]: WTB one hand net. Can trade materials. PM if interested.

After the message was sent, a few replies immediately popped up in the channel.

"A hand net? What’s the boss up to now?"

"I have fishing net fragments, Boss. You want them?"

"The boss isn’t going after fish again, is she? Was that last fish really that good? The meat looked pretty tender, but without scallions, ginger, garlic, or cooking wine to get rid of the fishiness, it must have tasted awful, right?"

"Still better than compressed biscuits..."

Seraphina Sinclair ignored the irrelevant replies, focusing on filtering through her private messages for any useful information.

[Caleb Morgan]: I have what you’re looking for. Brand new, with a telescopic handle.

Seraphina Sinclair’s eyes lit up, and she quickly replied: [What’s the price?]

The other party’s message came back almost instantly: "Do you have any antibiotics? Anti-inflammatories would work, too. Even if you don’t have those, any items from this world that can treat injuries will do."

’He’s asking for a lot.’

Seraphina Sinclair closed his private message window without another thought.

’Seriously? It’s just a hand net!’

’To put it bluntly, it’s just a tool collecting dust, and he actually wants to trade it for medicine.’

’This isn’t a trade, it’s a robbery.’

Seraphina Sinclair opened the next chat window. It was someone she recognized.

[Miller’s Hardware]: Boss! What do you think of this? (Image)

Seraphina Sinclair stared at the image Miller sent. It was a metal net, with some rust on the edges, but its overall structure was still intact. Although it wasn’t the transparent hand net she’d hoped for, it was usable.

[Blacktiger Ford]: This will work. What’s the price?

[Miller’s Hardware]: You’re too kind, Boss! This thing is no different from junk to me. If you want it, just take it... It’s just, well... if you really manage to catch a fish, could you spare me one? No, just a bite of the meat?

’One whole fish is a no, but a bite is acceptable.’

Seraphina Sinclair was quite satisfied with this deal, but she didn’t initiate the trade right away.

Her mobile hut would be parked here until the next time it could move anyway. She wasn’t in a hurry. She wanted to see if there were any better options.

After quickly scanning the other trade offers, Seraphina Sinclair immediately sent a trade request to Miller’s Hardware.

The trade contract stated clearly that if she caught a Black Mist Catfish, she would give him one-sixth of the meat.

Since a Black Mist Catfish yielded three pieces of meat when processed, this meant giving Miller’s Hardware half of one piece.

But there was a catch. If Seraphina Sinclair couldn’t catch a Black Mist Catfish, Miller would essentially be giving her the net for free.

Miller, however, had no objections and happily agreed.

The hand net was officially hers!

It was a little bigger than she had imagined, but that also meant it would be more effective!

Next up, it was time to catch some fish...

Seraphina Sinclair gripped the handle of the hand net, standing at the edge of the pool of black water and holding her breath.

Beneath the surface, several shadowy figures of fish swam slowly, carving elegant arcs through the inky water.

"Come on, little guys. Don’t be so selfish. How about you make a small contribution to humanity..."

Seraphina Sinclair murmured softly as she slowly dipped the net into the water.

The instant the net entered the water, the leisurely swimming school of fish scattered abruptly, as if they’d received some kind of alarm.

Seraphina Sinclair made a quick scoop but only brought up a splash of black water.

"Tsk." She shook the water droplets from the net and frowned at the regrouping fish. "Clever little things."

’But can they outsmart a human?’

For her second attempt, Seraphina Sinclair changed her strategy.

She held the net motionless above the water’s surface.

She counted the seconds, waiting for the fish to lower their guard.

A slightly smaller fish was the first to swim back to the edge, curiously approaching the interior of the mobile hut.

’A small fish is still a fish! Get it! Now!’

With a flick of her wrist, Seraphina Sinclair plunged the net into the water like a bolt of lightning.

Amidst the splashing water, she felt the net hit something, but when she lifted it, it was still empty.

"Oh?"

She couldn’t help but frown. The cunning fish had actually twisted away at the last second and escaped.

A third time, a fourth time... each attempt ended in failure.

Seraphina Sinclair fell silent for a moment. Her arm was starting to ache.

These fish were far more agile than she had imagined, and they even seemed to anticipate her movements.

"This shouldn’t be happening..." she muttered, crouching down to carefully observe the school’s activity patterns.

The surface of the black water reflected her faint outline.

Her hand was idly tapping the floor when she suddenly noticed that every time she tapped, one or two fish would curiously approach the source of the sound.

’Isn’t that their weakness?’

A flash of inspiration struck. Seraphina Sinclair carefully began to tap the floor in a regular rhythm.

Sure enough, a few fish followed the sound, and one particularly bold little fish swam almost to the very edge of the water.

Holding her breath, Seraphina Sinclair used her other hand to control the net, slowly approaching from the other side...

SPLASH!

This time she changed her angle, scooping the net up from below instead of pressing down from above.

The water splashed onto her face. It was bone-chillingly cold and stung a little, but she paid it no mind.

Something was struggling in the net!

"Got it."

Seraphina Sinclair immediately gripped the net with both hands and quickly lifted it from the water.

A small, palm-sized fish was thrashing desperately in the net, but it was useless!

’Haha!’

Seraphina Sinclair held the small fish and used Insight.

[Blackmist Silverfish (E+ Level)]

[Description: A silver sprite that roams the depths of the Blackmist Waters, its entire body shimmering with a pearlescent luster. Its meat is exquisitely tender and smooth, and its crystal-clear bones are edible. When eaten raw, it imparts a cool, minty sensation on the tongue. When stewed, the meat dissolves into a milky-white broth akin to ambrosia. It is particularly fond of chasing tapping sounds, but if startled, it will splash corrosive black water with its tail fin!]

[Special Effects: None]

’Oh, this one should be stewed!’

Seraphina Sinclair’s lips curled into a smile. She raised her hand and killed the fish with a swift blow from the net’s handle, then stuffed it into her Silver Moon Earrings.