Goblin Heavy Dependence

Chapter 456 Storm and School of Fish

Xia Nan had never seen this kind of fish before.

It is about 2.2 meters long, much longer than an adult man. It has a blunt head, a thick snout, and slightly whitish lips that open and close to reveal fine, comb-like teeth. Its gill covers open and close slowly, revealing the gill filtering structure inside. Its eyes are round and lifeless, reflecting the blue sky above and the people on the deck.

The most striking feature is the fish's spine.

From the back of the head to the front of the tail fin, a layer of fine, dark green marine vegetation grows in the gaps between the rough, rock-like gray-brown scales.

Seaweed, aquatic plants, and even a few small pieces of coral are scattered around, their roots deeply embedded in the gaps between the fish scales, as if they have become some kind of symbiotic relationship with this large fish.

Xia Nan could even imagine the seaweed and aquatic plants swaying on the back of the big fish as it swam slowly on the seabed.

"Grassback fish".

Approaching the sound, and seeing the large fish lying on the deck, Hein began to introduce it.

"Judging from his physique, he should be a recent adult, around twenty years old."

"This kind of fish can grow very big!"

“The coral reef I’m in charge of next to Fish Bay once had a fish that was over eight feet long. It looked bigger than the small boats of the fishermen in the shallow water. But unfortunately it only stayed for two months before it swam away.”

Hein is indeed a druid, and she truly loves nature, even going so far as to protect a small area of ​​coral reefs near the bay.

But it's just like the various churches within the Kingdom of Serbia.

Druids on the continent of Aifara have very different philosophies of nature due to differences in their upbringing, family background, and affiliation.

Of course, there are extreme extremists who don't even allow cutting down trees for firewood, and who would kill your whole family if you caught a wild rabbit to fill your stomach.

However, Hein's own views are much more moderate, and the Coral Society to which she belongs also advocates the dynamic balance of nature.

As long as it's not overfishing, she doesn't mind normal fishing at all. She will even take the initiative to introduce Xia Nan and the others to the detailed information about this kind of fish, how to cook it, and which part of the fish tastes better.

"Don't be fooled by its rough and unsightly scales; the meat on the spine of this fish is actually the most delicious. Just boil it in water, and you can taste a unique, fresh, grassy flavor."

"It's a pity that it's still a little small. I heard from others in the tavern that some adventurers have seen grass ridge fish that are bigger than cargo ships, and that a single flick of its tail can create a huge wave."

If a fish that big were to come, it wouldn't be something Alton could fish out; it would probably capsize the whole ship.

Standing to the side, Xia Nan listened to the druid's explanation and muttered to himself.

However, at the same time, she couldn't help but look forward to the fish that Hein had described as having a grassy aroma. Since it was dinner time, she could cook it and try it out.

My gaze couldn't help but sweep over the fish's body, lingering on its back covered with seaweed and algae.

Suddenly, as if sensing something, Xia Nan frowned slightly and asked Hai Yin beside him:
"Why is this fish so lifeless? It didn't even thrash after I caught it. Is this how grass carp are supposed to be?"

“No, although they swim relatively slowly in the water normally, they are quite fast when they encounter predators.” The druid shook his head and looked at the soaking wet Arken that had just come out of the sea. “It’s probably because Arken was thrown up with too much force and stunned the fish.”

Such a large fish, over two meters long, is still in the water. Even if you are strong enough, trying to pull it up with a fishing rod would be difficult because the rod's strength would be insufficient. A little force would cause the rod to break.

It takes people using auxiliary equipment such as nets and hooks to get fish of this size ashore.

As a level 4 barbarian, Arken could easily handle such ordinary creatures even in the water, relying solely on his physical abilities. He practically lifted the fish from the sea and threw it onto the deck.

Upon hearing this, the burly man scratched his bald head and recalled:
"I remember I was afraid of throwing it too far, so I held back a little. I don't think it was that bad."

Catching such a big fish suddenly made quite a commotion on the deck.

It immediately attracted the attention of many crew members.

Even Sasha, the spotted cat-man who had been dozing on the rope, jumped down and stood aside, looking at the grass ridge fish lying on the deck with great interest.

Interestingly, when Aken, covered in seawater, walked in, the furry leopard-man instinctively took two steps back, seemingly very averse to the water droplets on the other's body.

Are you afraid of water...?

It would be quite abstract for a sailor who spends most of his time navigating between islands to be afraid of water.

Xia Nan thought to himself with amusement.

"Snapped!"

Perhaps it was because the number of crew members gathered around it was increasing, or perhaps it was because it had been out of the sea for a long time and was having difficulty breathing, but the grass carp, which had looked lifeless ever since it was thrown onto the deck, finally thrashed about in place.

The thick fish tail collided violently with the wooden plank beneath it, producing a loud thud.

The fish, which had been lying steadily, also lost its balance and tilted to the side, revealing its relatively soft, grayish-white belly.

Ok?
Xia Nan's gaze suddenly sharpened.

On the lower middle of the fish's belly, a dark gray shadow hung between the scales, resembling some kind of malignant tumor.

It was a slender sea fish, less than two feet long and about the length of an adult's arm.

It is grayish-brown all over, with blunt, rounded ends resembling a cigar, and a slightly bulging belly. Overall, it looks unremarkable.

Only its mouth, that disproportionately large, blood-red maw that took up almost half of its head, was now clinging tightly to the soft belly of the grass carp like a suction cup.

Even though it was on the verge of death from being crushed by the heavy fish body that had been thrown from the water onto the deck, the little fish's mouthparts still instinctively clung tightly to the flesh, refusing to loosen their grip even slightly.

“A scorched-necked shark.” Hein’s face showed a thoughtful expression. “No wonder this grass carp looks so weak. It turns out it’s been targeted by this guy.”

She stepped forward, bent down, grabbed the shark's tail, and gave it a sharp tug!
The next second, with a sharp "hiss," the "scorched-necked shark" she had mentioned was ripped off the grass carp.

On the belly of the grass carp, where its mouthparts were originally attached, a deep, regular circular wound was exposed, sending chills down one's spine.

You can vaguely see the clearly defined, wriggling pinkish-white fish flesh inside.

One can imagine how painful it would be if such a thing bit a human's delicate skin; the exaggeratedly round wound would likely leave a scar that would be difficult to heal for a lifetime.

"The habits of this spiral shark are very special. Although it is a type of shark, it does not usually hunt other fish, and its body length is at most a little over half a meter."

"Their prey are large creatures in the sea."

“Whales, sharks, dolphins, seals... as long as they are relatively large enough, they can become their prey.”

"Of course, given their length, it's unlikely they could cause any serious actual damage."

Hein held the nearly dead shark upside down in her left hand, and pointed at its mouth with her right.

Looking at it, you can see the very unique snout structure of this fish. It's like a strange disc, with sharp, triangular teeth spiraling down below the lips, contracting inward to form a perfect arc.

"This special mouth structure allows them to instantly bite off a large chunk of flesh from their prey, and because of their small and agile bodies, they can bite and run away, making it impossible for large prey such as whales to catch them."

"Sometimes, the shark will act like a parasite, using its teeth to attach itself to other fish and using their bodies to migrate."

"Ships sailing on the sea are also their means of transportation. Sailors often find round wounds on the wooden planks at the bottom of the ship when they return to port for maintenance. These wounds are left by this kind of fish."

"Very troublesome."

Finally, he added one more sentence.
"It doesn't taste good either."

Hearing what the other party said, Xia Nan's initial interest in this spiral-toothed fish immediately dissipated.

He remembered that there seemed to be similar sea fish in his past life, something called "Darmo Shark". However, he only had some impression of it when he was watching short videos and did not learn more about it. He did not know if it was the same kind of fish.

“But…” Hein didn’t finish her sentence.

The druid frowned deeply, his dark brown eyes fixed on the neck of the sea fish in his hand.

There was a dark, wide stripe that looked like a collar, as if it were a burn mark.

This is also the origin of its name, "Flaming-necked Spiral Shark".

"While not common, the shark is very widely distributed and can be encountered in almost any part of the southern islands."

"But this 'smoky-necked spiral shark' with its special neck pattern has only been found in the Twin Oceans."

"We are still many days away from our destination, and under normal circumstances, it is almost impossible to encounter this kind of fish."

A type of fish appeared where it shouldn't have been.

As a seasoned adventurer who has sailed the seas for many years, how could he possibly overlook such details?

The discovery of the charred-necked spiral shark aroused the suspicion of the Druids.

If this fish deliberately left its original habitat, then there is only one reason.

There's a problem with the Twin Oceans.

Of course, there are exceptions where only a few individual Spiral-necked Sharks exhibit unusual behavior, but adventurers... it has become their habit to consider the worst-case scenario for everything they encounter during a mission.

"It's alright, I'll report the situation to the captain later and prepare some precautions," Hein smiled. "This kind of fish isn't poisonous, and grass carp is still safe to eat. If you don't like it, just scrape off the flesh near the wound on its belly."

It was just a minor incident during the voyage. Although we learned a lot about this kind of fish from the druid, our experience at sea was limited. It was better to leave the professional matters to Lorraine and the others, and not let Xia Nan interfere.

But if we look at it this way, does it mean that I caught two fish with one cast?
Xia Nan thought to himself.

"quack!"

The sharp, noisy cries of seagulls abruptly interrupted his thoughts.

The seagulls that had been perched on the railing near the bow of the ship because of the druid suddenly flew away from their original spots for some unknown reason.

The way it was losing feathers and flapping its wings so hard made it look rather disheveled.

To some extent, among everyone on the deck today, Xia Nan reacted the fastest.

He probably doesn't know what happened.

But his keen senses, far exceeding those of ordinary professionals, almost immediately made him aware of an indescribable sense of danger and oppression, like a storm brewing.

Then there's Sasha the spotted cat and Hein the druid.

The former's reaction is more inclined towards a certain animal instinct.

Its back arched unconsciously, the downy hair on its back stood up with the sudden tension of its muscles, and its long tail, which had been swaying slightly upwards, was now tucked down between its legs, with the end pressed against the deck.

Although Hein's perception attribute was not as good as Xia Nan's, and her reaction was a beat slower, the Druid class's unique ability to communicate with nature made her realize something from the cries of the seagulls that were rapidly moving away.

He suddenly turned around, walked quickly to the side of the ship, put his hands on the railing, leaned forward, and looked straight into the distance.

There, at the meeting point of the sky and the sea.

A barely perceptible gray-black shadow is spreading across the clear blue sky at a seemingly slow but actually extremely fast pace, like ink.

The wind stopped.

The fierce sea wind that had been making the sails howl had somehow dissipated, leaving only an eerie silence; the air had become heavy and viscous, making one's chest feel suffocated.

Dark clouds grew on the horizon, their leaden shadows surging and expanding, swallowing the surrounding blue sky. Xia Nan could even see intermittent, oppressive flashes of lightning deep within those thick, bulging clouds; a blurry, gray-white curtain of rain hung between the clouds, moving slowly as the shadows spread.

This is an experience with a strong sense of contrast.

Despite being bathed in warm sunshine and under a clear sky, the vastness of the sea allowed Xia Nan to clearly see a small patch of leaden clouds and torrential rain drifting towards him in the distance.

as well as……

"boom."

A muffled sound suddenly broke the silence.

"Sizzle."

Immediately following behind was a sound coming from the side of the ship, like the sound of something being gnawed on a plank.

The cylindrical fish body twitched and swayed, and a scorched-necked shark, seemingly out of nowhere, burst out of the water as if it had gone mad, its spiral-shaped, sharp mouthparts clamping tightly onto the hull of the boat.

hum-

Before it could exert any force, a beam of emerald light fell from above, smashing the shark to pieces.

[Practice Staff] Magical particles rippled in the surrounding air. Hein stared with a grim expression at the storm drifting toward the Blade of Vengeance in the distance, and at the terrifying school of fish that was faintly visible beneath the surface of the water.

Behind them were the belatedly aware crew members.

"Fall the sails! A storm is coming!"

"Captain, go and call the captain!"

(End of this chapter)