Goblin Heavy Dependence

Chapter 455 [Albatross Type III Fishing Rod]

Life at sea was as dull as ever.

This is especially true for adventurers.

The sailors handle all the miscellaneous tasks on the ship, but as for the battles that may occur during the voyage... there are indeed many monsters in the ocean, but on such a vast sea, and considering the round trip of more than ten days, encountering one is already considered unlucky. If it happens twice or more, the adventurers on the ship will have to wonder if they have been targeted by some evil spirit. The more cautious ones might even set up an altar for worshipping gods on the deck right there.

It has been nearly three days since the Blade of Vengeance sailed out of Barracuda Bay.

The journey was smooth and uneventful.

All you see is a vast expanse of blue, and of course, there's not much else to see.

Sailing on the high seas, facing those seemingly endless, unchanging undulating waves, Xia Nan wouldn't even be able to tell how far they had traveled if he couldn't sense the passage of time through the changes of day and night.

Meanwhile, the slight ripples in their hearts at the start of the voyage, the excitement and surging emotions of anticipation for the upcoming adventure and unknown enemies, were gradually worn away by the endless roar of the waves.

Fortunately, the crew members were all experienced adventurers with their own ways of relieving boredom. Even the two newcomers, Alton and Xia Nan, had developed new hobbies.

"Buzz..."

The melodious sound of the piano echoed on the deck with the sea breeze.

Alton, a halfling, sat alone on a wooden barrel by the ship's railing, his exquisite leather boots embroidered with four-leaf clovers swinging back and forth, his equally small and miniature lute in his arms.

He was clearly not playing seriously. The breeze that brushed his cheeks messed up his slightly curly hair. He squinted, his eyes were unfocused and he didn't know what he was thinking. His fingers casually plucked a few strings, and a light and unrestrained melody flowed from the strings.

The long tail hung down from the air, and about three yards above the ground, a hemp rope as thick as a baby's wrist was taut between the two masts.

Sasha, the spotted cat, was lying on it.

At this moment, his reserved personality revealed a touch of the unrestrained elegance unique to felines.

Despite being supported only by a single rope, he maintained his balance on the rope with remarkable ease, his hands supporting his head like pillows, one foot's pad resting on the rope, and the other foot lazily resting on his opposite knee, as if he were standing not on a taut, sinking rope, but on a warm afternoon meadow.

With its eyelids closed, it seemed to be taking a nap. Its long, fluffy tail swayed gently like bait, rising and falling with the music in the air. Its pointed ears would occasionally stand up and turn, catching any unusual movements on the deck.

"Boom...boom..."

The heavy thud of leather boots hitting the wooden planks was like the beating of a drum in the middle of a piece of music, interspersed with the sound of the lute.

Arken, shirtless and covered in sweat, with his bronze skin adorned with flashy tattoos, was squatting and training on the deck, holding a huge iron anchor with both hands.

The swollen muscles seemed like some kind of living thing hidden deep in the skin, twitching and writhing under the skin with each breath.

The Barbarian class grants him muscle strength and power far exceeding those of other classes of the same level, while the "Flame of Wrath," a source of power that burns deep within his heart, drives his body like a furnace, preventing him from finding peace.

The only way to suppress the heart fire is to expend a lot of physical energy through repetitive training.

Several young trainee sailors responsible for cleaning the deck stood at a distance, their eyes filled with awe and curiosity. One of them even mimicked the training method of the others by making a gesture with the mop in the air, which made his companions chuckle.

"What are you doing?! Is the deck all cleaned up yet?!"

The shouts coming from the other side of the deck made the little guys tremble involuntarily, and they quickly lowered their heads to continue working.

The usually quiet and reserved Ryan stood with his hands behind his back, supervising the sailors who were doing various tasks on deck, occasionally giving instructions:

"Take the cable over there and make sure it doesn't trip anyone!"

"Check the rigging again; there might be a storm tonight."

"Who ordered those wooden barrels to be brought up there! Captain? Fine, just leave them there."

"..."

His twin brother Gordon was in the cabin with the cabin crew preparing dinner for the day.

ga-

A seagull with pure white feathers flew low without fear, its flapping wings stirring up the white smoke from the captain's cabin before gently landing on the figurehead of the siren embracing the ocean.

This caused the silver-ringed snake "Ah Yin," which had been basking in the sun, to stand up and hiss in dissatisfaction.

But just as it opened its mouth, baring its venomous fangs, a fair hand sprang out from behind and pressed its head down.

"Ah Yin, don't be so fierce!"

Hein whispered a shout.

With a gentle twist of his fingers around Ah Yin's slender snake, he wrapped it back into the crook of his arm.

The "bracelet" was out of the sunlight, and the cool, silver-black snake body slid up her arm until it transformed back into a slightly thicker "necklace," resting its small, diamond-shaped head in the druid's collarbone. Only then did the little female snake finally find peace.

Squinting, it nudged the druid's neck with its head and continued to lazily enjoy the sunlight.

Having long been accustomed to Ah Yin's capriciousness, Hein sat cross-legged on the spot, closed her eyes once again, and continued to meditate.

The seagulls that had been slightly dispersed by her earlier movement flapped their wings and gathered around her again, cawing incessantly.

One afternoon, halfway through a voyage, everyone was doing their own thing.

This also includes Xia Nan.

However, his expression was more serious than anyone else on the deck at that moment. His dark eyes were fixed on the water in the distance, where a bright red buoy was bobbing up and down with the waves. A thin, almost transparent line could be vaguely seen hanging from its tip and extending outwards to the off-white fishing rod in Xia Nan's hand.

[Albatross Type III Fishing Rod - 1015 Edition] - From a boutique fishing tackle shop called "Saint Andrew" in Baiya District. It is said that the champion of the 127th Suoyu Bay Fishing Competition used this fishing rod to catch the king of fish that year.

Xia Nan saw the fish specimen, which was almost the size of an adult's torso, in the shop. The portrait of the champion holding a fishing rod and squatting in front of his prey was also hanging on the wall of the fishing tackle shop, next to many newspapers that recorded the news at that time.

The main body of the fishing rod is made of perennial coastal ash wood. The wood has been specially treated by professional craftsmen, making it tough and flexible, and able to bend to an exaggerated degree. The reel seat is hand-carved with anti-slip texture by craftsmen. The exquisite wave pattern not only enhances the aesthetics, but is also believed to bring good luck.

Xia Nan paid nearly ten gold coins to acquire this top-tier fishing rod.

You get what you pay for. This quality fishing rod is basically the limit that ordinary people can afford. Even many nobles in the White Cliff District might not be willing to spend the money. Anything higher would be enchanted equipment with special effects.

Xia Nan did not regret it.

Just like how you can eat and stay at the Three-Legged Seal Tavern without worrying about the price, it's perfectly fine to use the money you've worked so hard to earn to enjoy yourself, let alone invest in your hobbies.

Xia Nan believed that the value of the fish he caught with this fishing rod would soon equal its price of ten gold coins.

Even now, three days after leaving Hong Kong, he remains full of confidence.

Even now, the biggest catch he's made with this fishing rod is a worn-out leather shoe that's been soaking and rotting, and who knows when it fell into the sea.

It definitely wasn't a problem with his own abilities, Xia Nan was certain. After all, he had already proven that.

There should be no need to remind him again that on the way back to Suyu Bay from Qiaoyan Island, at 3:27:18 pm on the second day after the storm, he caught that 80-kilogram blue grouper that was 3 feet 2 inches long.
If Xia Nan forgets, he can repeat it again.

Such a glorious past has proven that my fishing skills are not a problem!

He has now upgraded his fishing gear to the highest level, but if he still can't catch any fish... it can only be due to luck.

"Damn it!"

Xia Nan felt indignant, believing that his identity as a transmigrator was being targeted by this world. He even took out the [Fate Coin] from his pocket, which had already run out of uses, and rubbed it in his hand a few times, praying that the goddess would grant him good luck.

"Alton, do you have a more soothing piece?"

Xia Nan, holding a fishing rod, asked the halfling sitting on a wooden barrel beside him.

"The kind of music that even the fish in the sea love to listen to."

It was just a lame joke I made casually during a break from fishing, but to my surprise, Alton actually looked like he was carefully recalling it.

Could it be that……

"Hehe, no."

The short man gave a sly smile, then leaped off the wooden barrel.

His fingers plucked the strings as he walked towards Xia Nan.

"However, if you really want to achieve a similar effect, you might try catching a siren. I've heard that their songs can attract schools of fish."

Xia Nan carefully memorized this knowledge.

"Hey! The Hague!"

"Come and arm wrestle with me! The loser has to get up an hour earlier to train tomorrow!"

Holding up the heavy anchor, the bald, burly man Aken shouted from the other side of the deck.

I hadn't originally intended to agree, since I had more important things to do right now.

But at the same time, he was also thinking that his current physical condition, thanks to the bonuses he gained from the multiple secret realms, was already much better than that of ordinary adventurers.

In terms of agility and perception, it has almost reached another level.

However, his strength attribute is currently "only" 9 points.

If every combat skill you master is a basic type like "Whirlwind Slash," and only provides attribute bonuses when you reach level 5 mastery, then even if every combat skill adds to strength, you would still need to reach level 4 to raise your strength attribute to your current level.

The barbarian named Arken in front of us is definitely no higher than level 5.

To some extent, despite the opponent's strong and burly appearance, in terms of pure strength, he might not actually be as strong as himself.

The opportunity is just right now; perhaps I can compare and refer to it?
While pondering this, Xia Nan stood up from the deck and handed the fishing rod to Alton, who was standing nearby, to watch over it.

And just as that professional-grade fishing rod slipped from his hand and was shoved into the halfling's arms, he suddenly realized what was happening.

broken!

Sure enough, almost the instant Xia Nan released the fishing rod.

Sasha, a spotted cat-man who was resting on a rope nearby, suddenly turned her pointed ears, which had only a notch, so that the fine downy hair inside her ears pointed directly towards the fishing rod.

Zla—

The gently drooping pole suddenly bent!
"Here you are, Xia Nan!"

"A fish has taken the bait!"

Alton cheered excitedly, gripping the fishing rod tightly with both hands. The rod, which had been hanging naturally, now bent into an exaggerated arc in the air. The buoy on the distant sea had long since disappeared, replaced by the fishing line that was being pulled so hard it was almost about to snap.

It's hard to describe Xia Nan's feelings at this moment.

Furthermore, his exceptionally keen senses allowed him to clearly know that the fishing rod had only actually caught a fish after he released it, leaving no room for ambiguity.

But in any case, he had been sitting here for half a day, and the fishing rod was specially prepared by him, so he should be able to count the fish he caught.

Xia Nan comforted himself with this thought as he stepped forward and took the fishing rod from Alton, who was clearly struggling.

The force was unexpectedly great!

It was much stronger than the previous 80-kilogram blue-flowered grouper, which made Xia Nan feel a strange sense of anticipation.

He is proficient in various fishing techniques, and when he pulls the rod, he can combine his own combat skills. Normally, most fish cannot withstand Xia Nan's pulling for long.

But to his surprise, this fish was exceptionally difficult to handle. Xia Nan even discovered that his elite fishing rod seemed to have reached its limit in terms of dragging.

As it exerted its strength, the massive figure that swayed its tail fin beneath the water's surface revealed its ferocious outline in the struggle.

It seems... to be quite big.

Judging from the fish I saw on the deck, it was already over five feet long.

He was several heads taller than Alton!

It's beyond the point where it can be pulled up directly with conventional fishing tackle.

You need to use a net or go into the water yourself to catch them.

While pondering this, Xia Nan was already thinking of taking off his plate chainmail armor to avoid the trouble of maintenance later, and then going into the water to scoop up the struggling sea fish.

Unexpectedly, just a second later, the barbarian Arken, who had rushed over upon hearing the noise, burst into the water like a bomb, flashing past out of the corner of his eye in a rather wild manner.

The physical fitness of a seasoned professional is on full display at this moment.

All that could be heard was the sudden bursting of the wave ridges that were rising and falling on the surface of the sea, and the faint sound of a rapidly moving object moving underwater.

Within a few breaths, a muffled thud was heard, accompanied by a slight vibration from the fishing rod in the palm of the hand.

The fishing rod, which had been bent and almost snapped, finally returned to its original state and gently slumped down with its natural weight.

And the unprecedentedly large fish that Xia Nan had caught was also lifted to the surface by Aken.

(End of this chapter)