NOVEL NEXT chapter 3
The sky is clear, not a cloud in sight. A fine day for fishing!
`Location: Sea of Origin`
`Remaining Daylight: 5 hours`
`Temperature: 12~20℃`
`Wind Force: Level 1`
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Yang Yi took a deep breath and glanced at his status.
`Sanity: 100/100`
`Stamina: 90/100`
He had also used the log's simple crafting function to fashion a crude spear from 5 units of wood, just in case. The flintlock was tucked behind his back at his waist. If he hooked something massive, he might need to subdue it through physical means.
As for bait, Yang Yi had already confirmed in the log that it wasn't necessary for fishing here. However, using bait could increase his fishing efficiency.
Preparations were complete.
Now... time to fish!
Yang Yi cast his line. The hook carved a graceful arc through the air before plopping into the sea. He wasn't particularly skilled at fishing, but now... he had all the time in the world to learn!
Fifteen minutes passed. The float didn't even twitch.
Yang Yi opened the World Chat channel to see what the other fishing fanatics were catching, just to get himself mentally prepared.
"How did you guys know I got a bite? 100CM!"
A picture of a huge bass was attached.
"THE HELL, who asked you!"
"I caught a giant one too!"
"How big?"
"Super big, couldn't reel it in!"
"Then what's the point of you saying anything!"
........
Yang Yi scrolled up, finally spotting an interesting message.
"You guys need to be careful when fishing. If you see something weird, remember to cut the line immediately. There's no penalty. As long as you don't lose the rod, the line regenerates infinitely."
"So what did you catch?"
"It looked like a human silhouette. I just cut the line right away."
"Probably a mermaid. You just released your wife back into the wild!"
"That thing was definitely not right. Just look at my fishing rod and you'll know."
【Name: Carbon Fiber Refined Fishing Rod】
【Type: Tool】
【Grade: Fine】
【Description: An excellent fishing rod, one you can pass down to your grandson. Increases fishing success rate, reduces stamina consumption from fishing, and slightly increases the probability of catching unidentified objects.】
"What a great item! How come my rod is a common blank!"
"You should be content! I'm a veteran angler and I don't even have a fishing rod. Still messing around with the grappling hook. A simple fishing rod needs ten wood to craft!"
"You're envious way too early. Take a look at my ship."
【The Fisherman, Level 1, Durability 345/400, Capacity 500 units, Speed 25 knots】
【Hull Skills: None】
【Description: It's not sturdy, and it has no skills, but it will make you look more like a fisherman.】
Seeing the small boat with a speed of 25 knots, the number of envious people instantly halved.
"How did your fishing boat lose durability?"
"I just reeled in a three-meter great white shark. It almost swallowed me... Now when I hook anything big, I just cut the line. Otherwise, if I pull it on board, who knows who's eating who!"
........
Yang Yi continued to scroll. He discovered that fishing not only yielded fish, but some people had also caught other things, even treasure chests and fresh water.
"I caught a treasure chest!"
"A treasure chest? What's inside?"
"A secret!"
"You all can catch fish, but I haven't even seen a fish's shadow! I've only caught socks, Nongfu Spring, and even a balloon."
"Nongfu Spring......?"
"That balloon, is it... proper? It hasn't been used, has it?"
...........
By looking through the chat logs, one could deduce that fishing here could yield many incredible things. Even monsters. Yang Yi was already mentally prepared; if anything strange surfaced, he would cut the line immediately.
A few minutes later, the float finally began to bob. Something seemed to be biting the hook. Yang Yi held his breath. He had a spear, he had a pistol. As long as it was a fish, it shouldn't be a problem.....
The float plunged underwater. Now was the time, yank the rod!
Yang Yi pulled with all his might, his eyes glued to the azure surface of the sea. He didn't see any massive shadow; with a casual tug, he pulled the thing out of the water with practically no resistance.
What he flung onto the deck was a small, thumb-sized fish, but not entirely a fish. Its body, about three centimeters long, was streamlined like a normal sardine. But this fish, sprouting from its sides, were four long, five-centimeter legs. It stood on all fours, right on the ship's deck.
Yang Yi was stunned. He found himself in a staring contest with this fish....
"This is a fish?" Yang Yi was in shock.
【You have discovered a strange fish. Sanity decreased by 2.】
The next second, the fish skillfully used its long legs to scamper towards the sea, only to be smacked dead on the ground by the latter's spear.
【Name: Long-legged Sardine】
【Type: Food】
【Description: A species of abyssal fish. It is said that eating it often can give you long legs. Edible, non-toxic, and delicious, but eating it requires courage and may lower Sanity.】
Yang Yi pinched the fish. It probably weighed less than a hundred grams. Its four pale, long legs were already fractured, their structure identical to human legs, and they felt springy to the touch.
"Is this even edible?"
Yang Yi remembered the skill that came with this ship—Angler's Curse: You will not be able to catch normal fish.
He used his log to take a picture of the fish and shared it in the World Chat.
"Excuse me, has anyone caught this kind of fish before?"
A single stone that stirred a thousand waves.
"What the fuck, what is that thing? It's psychological pollution, Sanity -8."
"You call that a fish?"
"Why are you hurting my eyes, Sanity -10!"
"Blocked!"
"Blocked!"
"Never want to see this again in my life!"
Yang Yi was instantly blocked by over a billion people. These people, to varying degrees, had all lost some Sanity.
But one person suddenly sent him a private message.
"Is the seawater in your area black? You'd better leave quickly, or you might be attacked by some unidentifiable monsters!"
Yang Yi glanced at the clear blue sea beneath his ship and was somewhat speechless.
"It's not. My ship is a ghost ship..."
"Wow, you're something else! Wanna be friends?"
Captain of the *Gale*, Xu Da, has sent a friend request.
Yang Yi accepted. It was just adding a friend; there was no loss.
"You'd better not post pictures like that again. My Sanity is only at 54. If it drops any lower, I'll go mad."
"Got it."
Yang Yi also realized the seriousness of the situation, but for the sake of food and fresh water, he had to keep fishing!
【You caught a Long-legged Sardine.】
【You caught a Long-legged Sardine.】
【You caught a one-legged Long-legged Sardine.】
"SHIT!"
【Your Sanity has decreased by 1.】
Yang Yi felt like the system was doing this on purpose, giving him an abnormal ship. If it were a normal person, they'd go crazy before they even finished a day of fishing.
After three hours of fishing, he had harvested a total of eight long-legged sardines, some missing a leg. But as for fresh water, he hadn't seen a single drop! What happened to the promised Nongfu Spring?
Without food, a person can live for over ⊛ Nоvеlιght ⊛ (Read the full story) a week. But without water, a person will die in three to five days, unless... they drink their own urine!
Unless absolutely necessary, Yang Yi did not want to resort to that!
He steeled his heart, directly grabbed a long-legged sardine to use as bait, and began his next cast.