Watching Aitar run off, the tackle shop owner remained silent for a moment, then sighed.
Rogel observed this, seemingly deep in thought.
He didn't take the young Aitar's words to heart.
Though a bit troublesome and seemingly annoying, Rogel was not one to fuss over such trivial matters.
Moreover, it seemed like his relationship with the tackle shop owner was not ordinary.
After a while, the tackle shop owner turned around and came to Rogel, forcing a smile.
[Mr. Rogel, I hope you won't take Aitar's words to heart, he's not inherently bad, it's just...]
The tackle shop owner hesitated.
[Was the young man killed by pirates named Matt?]
Rogel had overheard their quarrel clearly, and with a bit of thought, pieced together the gist of it.
The tackle shop owner smiled bitterly at this.
[Yes, that child was Aitar's older brother, Aitar often followed him around.]
With that said, the tackle shop owner sighed.
[Little Aitar is an orphan, when he was found he was on a small boat.]
[I don't know what kind of heartless parents could abandon a newborn out at sea.]
[The one who found him was an old drunkard in town, this guy, though his character wasn't great, took care of Aitar for a time.]
[But the old drunkard passed away after a few years, leaving him all alone.]
[One day while I was fishing, I saw this kid hiding under a rotten plank, so I gave him some food, and he frequently started coming by.]
It seemed that after the old drunkard passed away, it was the tackle shop owner who took care of Aitar.
Truly a kind person.
Rogel smiled inwardly.
[...I don't know if he picked up bad habits from the old drunk, but his mouth is foul, always mocking and ridiculing others, exposing their scars, so none of the town's children play with him.]
[This made the boy more and more withdrawn.]
[When the pirates came before, Matt died at the hands of a pirate, Aitar was heartbroken.]
[He thought you should have come sooner...]
At this, the tackle shop owner was a bit angry, pounding the table.
[That rascal, I certainly never taught him to be an ingrate!]
Hearing this, Rogel just smiled.
He didn't mind, nor did he feel upset about it.
When you do bad things, some will despise you; when you do good, some will think it's not enough.
Even if you do nothing at all, you might still be blamed just for standing there.
So nothing in the world is perfect; you just need to have a clear conscience.
[Let's not talk about the boy anymore.]
[Come, Rogel, let me show you my fishing rod, a rod I once bought on Jeweler Island, its quality is top-notch.]
[And there's this...]
Boss Jack stopped thinking about Aitar and began eagerly introducing the fishing rods to Rogel.
Rogel listened as if it were a small story, soon focusing on the fishing rods in front of him.
These fishing rods were quite nice, much better than the ordinary ones Rogel had bought before.
The quality ranged from green upwards, with names bearing prefixes like "Exquisite" and "Special".
It was clear that Old Jack had brought out his own cherished collection of fishing rods.
But even so, Rogel felt it wasn't enough.
After thoroughly inspecting them, Rogel finally found what he considered the best rod.
[Special Threaded Fishing Rod]
[Type: Item]
[Quality: Blue]
[Explanation: A rod crafted by a highly skilled artisan, made from special materials, extremely resilient, even able to withstand the pull of beasts.]
This was the fishing rod from Jeweler Island that Old Jack mentioned earlier, the only blue quality one.
When Rogel set his sights on this rod, Old Jack had a "just as expected" expression.
He had guessed that Rogel would definitely choose this rod.
[You have a good eye, finding the most special rod at a glance.]
[...by special, do you mean the threading on this rod?]
Rogel teased.
Old Jack paused at these words, then chuckled, scratching the back of his head.
Indeed, even from appearances alone, the threaded rod was the most distinctive.
[By the way, Mr. Jack, you mentioned Jeweler Island before? What kind of place is that?]
Rogel was a bit curious.
For Rogel's question, Old Jack, after contemplating his words, explained.
[It's the arena for artisans and blacksmiths among the Five Major Seas, where skilled masters gather.]
[It's also a place that produces weapons and equipment.]
[Perhaps you should check it out after setting sail, there's bound to be something that interests you there.]
You definitely wouldn't be able to sleep on that island.
Just from Old Jack's description, Rogel felt as if he could hear the "clang clang clang" and "bang bang bang" already.
[I indeed am quite interested.]
[I'll take this fishing rod then, how much?]
Rogel picked up the threaded rod to inquire.
At these words, Jack retracted his smile and became serious.
[This fishing rod is not for sale.]
[But I intend to give it to you as a gift.]
[Firstly, to thank you for your kindness to Sea Serpent Island, and secondly, to apologize for Aitar's rudeness.]
[I hope you'll accept it.]
After listening, Rogel thought for a moment and then nodded.
[Alright, I'll take it then.]
With that, Rogel picked up another fruit from the nearby fruit plate and popped it into his mouth.
[I'll take another apple, that's enough.]
[The fishing rod is separate.]
[See you, old fisherman.]
With that, Rogel smiled, turned, and walked out of the tackle shop.
The fruit plate on the table jingled with the crisp sound of several gold coins.
Seeing this, Old Jack panicked, quickly grabbing the gold coins from the fruit plate and chased after him.
But when he reached the door of the tackle shop, he found that Rogel had already disappeared without a trace.
...
After placing the fishing rod into the item inventory, Rogel returned to his small cabin.
The Dark Sea Mayfly had already devoured the pieces of meat Rogel had thrown in.
At this moment, after the intense feeling of fullness came a sleepy drowsiness.
The Dark Sea Mayfly needs to sleep to quickly digest these foods and turn them into nutrients for metamorphosis.
The Dark Sea Mayfly wiggled its body, pressing its abdomen against the barrel wall, gently swaying its four soft feelers on the sides.
[Meow~]
Big Orange meowed nearby, seemingly quite interested in this creature.
"Don't eat my clone."
Seeing this, Rogel quickly put a lid on it.
He was filled with anticipation for this tiny insect, merely one or two centimeters in size.
Although now it was just a little bug.
Someday, it would grow into a giant creature of the deep sea.
After settling the Dark Sea Mayfly, Rogel went to Felix's place.
[By observing and assisting Boatman Felix, you have increased your learning progress by two points.]
[By observing and assisting Boatman Felix, you have increased your learning progress by two points.]
[...]
[Learning progress is full, congratulations on acquiring the skill—Artisan Lv1.]
Oh my, I've finally learned my first skill!
It's not easy!
Rogel's face was full of tears.