"Captain, the drifting ship has reached the designated location. Awaiting your orders."
The helmsman's voice came through the walkie-talkie.
'Oh, as expected of a drifting ship. 150 nautical miles, and we've already arrived.'
Shi Ming, who was practicing his marksmanship in an open area on deck, put away his machine gun and instructed into the walkie-talkie:
"Cease navigation for now. Have the drifting ship stabilize its position with minimal disturbance… five hundred meters ahead." In contrast to the Land Era, ships of the Wandering Era didn't rely on anchors to stop; they used a new technology—wave stabilization.
Then, he turned to Yellow Cannon nearby and said,
"Go find some fishing tackle. Something sturdy."
"Yes, Captain." Yellow Cannon never questioned Shi Ming's orders, only carried them out without fail.
'He was also curious, though. Was the captain going to all this trouble just to fish? Wouldn't it be much faster and easier to use the ship's own fishing equipment, like the sonar or the nets?'
A short while later, a sturdy fishing rod was found.
Shi Ming baited the hook with a piece of red meat from a beef can, cast the line far out into the sea, then sat down firmly on the deck, his eyes fixed on the bobber floating on the water's surface.
"Cap—"
"Shhh…"
Blue trout were extremely sensitive creatures. Casting nets or using sonar would alert the school, causing them to flee into the deep sea. There was only one way to catch them in greater numbers: use bait and let them take the hook willingly.
The bobber twitched.
With a swift, precise, and powerful flick of his wrist—as smooth as drawing and sheathing a blade—Shi Ming yanked a large, plump fish onto the deck.
It was a fish that was a crystalline blue all over. Each of its scales shimmered like the most beautiful sapphires, and its eyes were as lustrous as deep-sea pearls.
"Amazing… Ah! Cap—"
Shi Ming shot Yellow Cannon a look, and he immediately clamped his mouth shut.
"Go on, take this to Old Yang the cook. I want this for lunch."
"Right away."
Shi Ming cast his line again and sat quietly on the deck.
'Today, I'm just a regular fisherman.'
...
"You're telling me the captain had the ship hold position in this godforsaken place just to go fishing? The Sea Crystal Stone energy in the water here is extremely low. How much energy will we waste holding position for a day?"
Breakfast wasn't even over yet, and a crewman was already whispering in shock after hearing the news from others.
"He's still too young. Someone should try to talk some sense into him, maybe he'll listen?"
"Shh, would you dare?"
"What's there to be afraid of? We're just trying to give him some advice, nothing more!"
THUMP, THUMP, THUMP.
Yellow Cannon came downstairs carrying a huge fish, placing the large, ice-blue creature on the galley's counter.
"Master Yang, the captain said he wants to eat this fish for lunch."
Hearing this, the few crew members nearby felt another pang of indignation.
'Great. All this trouble just to satisfy his own appetite. Just what you'd expect from a former slave—never had anything good to eat, so the moment he becomes captain, he starts indulging himself. Oh well, what can we do? He's the captain. He's an Awakened. He's the one with the fists and the guns!'
'No point trying to talk to him. Let him do what he wants.'
Hearing this, Old Yang rushed out from the prep area.
He glanced at the fish on the counter, and his eyes immediately went wide as saucers!
"This is… Heavens! Such a big blue trout! This one could sell for over a thousand Sailing Coins!!!"
"What?"
Yellow Cannon's hand, still holding the fish, trembled slightly!
Over a thousand Sailing Coins!
He and his younger brother had been bought by the former captain from another drifting ship for only five hundred Sailing Coins!
'The fish in his hands, one the captain had casually caught, was worth as much as four or five slaves like him?!!'
'Is there any justice in this world?'
'Is there any law anymore?'
The few crew members in the corner were also stunned when they heard this.
Sailing Coins were the universal currency of the world. As drifting ships sailed on the Endless Ocean, they would occasionally encounter other vessels. After confirming that there was no mutual hostility, they would usually communicate and trade. Besides bartering, Sailing Coins were the most common form of payment!
This crystalline blue fish was actually worth over a thousand Sailing Coins?!
Their monthly pay as a crewman was only 300 Sailing Coins!
"This fish is really that expensive?"
Yellow Cannon asked in disbelief.
"This is a mutated creature! The previous captain went to great lengths to catch one much smaller than this. He kept it in his cabin and supposedly traded it at his Black Society for 1500 contribution points! This one is much bigger, so it's probably worth even more! Sigh… It's just a shame. I, Old Yang, have never cooked a fish this expensive. I'm afraid my skills will just ruin something so precious!"
"If the captain wants you to cook it, it means he trusts you. I'm leaving it with you. I need to get back and report to the captain."
"Don't sneak any bites," Yellow Cannon added.
"Don't worry, I wouldn't dare."
...
Yellow Cannon had just returned to the deck when he saw two more identical blue trout lying beside Shi Ming.
One of them was even bigger than the one from before!
'That's thousands more Sailing Coins!'
'Enough to trade for more than a dozen slaves!'
Yellow Cannon's eyes darted around. He was even tempted to grab a fishing rod himself and spend the whole day fishing right there.
"Captain, since this fish is so valuable, why don't I grab a rod and fish with you? We'd be more efficient that way!"
He offered quietly.
"I'm afraid you can't handle it. This fish is incredibly strong," Shi Ming replied casually. "Go get Stone Pillar and have him bring a rod over to try. Also, tell everyone that any crewman who can lift fifty kilograms with one hand can come and take turns. Two hundred Sailing Coins for every fish they catch!"
'Fishing by myself isn't the best way to do this; it's too slow.'
But all Yellow Cannon heard was—
200 Sailing Coins!
His breathing grew ragged.
'That's a hefty sum!'
'Today, I'm going to see just how strong this fish really is!'
The ship only had three sets of fishing tackle in total. Many of the crew, tempted by the bonus, were eager to give it a try—including the same few who had been complaining in the mess hall earlier. Even if this crystalline blue fish wasn't a sea beast capable of making someone Awaken, it was clearly very valuable! A 200 Sailing Coin reward for one fish was more than half a month's pay!
Unfortunately, though they all took turns, no one managed to catch anything.
Shi Ming, on the other hand, had a bountiful harvest. He even had someone bring over a fish tank, and he placed all the blue trout he caught inside it.
'The crew's physical condition… they really need to get a lot stronger.'
'If we run into a powerful enemy, am I the only one they can rely on?'