Endless Ocean: Escape Starting from a Canoe

Chapter 25 Fishing
"Captain, the drifting vessel has reached the designated location. Please provide further instructions."

The voice of the helmsman came through the walkie-talkie.

"Oh, as expected of a drifting ship, it has arrived so quickly, only 150 nautical miles away."

Shi Ming, who was practicing his marksmanship in an open area on the deck, put away his machine gun and gave instructions into the walkie-talkie:

"Temporarily halt the voyage. Allow the drifting ship to settle its course with minimal disturbance, 500 meters ahead." Unlike the land-based era, ships in the drifting era did not stop sailing by anchoring, but instead employed a new technology—the "catch-the-wave" technique.

Then, he turned to Huang Pao, who was not far away, and said:
"Go find some fishing gear. Something sturdy."

"Yes, Captain." Huang Pao never questioned Shi Ming's orders; he simply obeyed them.

Although he was also curious, was the captain going to all this trouble just to fish? Wouldn't it be much more convenient and faster to use the fishing gear that came with the ship, whether it was sonar or fishing nets?
Before long, a sturdy fishing rod was found.

Shi Ming threaded a piece of red meat he had fished out of a can of beef onto the fishing hook, cast the fishing line far below the surface of the sea, and then sat steadily on the deck, staring at the float floating on the water.

"Boat……"

"Shh..."

Blue trout are extremely sensitive creatures. Whether it's a net or sonar, the fish will be alerted and then dive into the deep sea to escape. If you want to catch more of them, there is only one way: use bait to lure them to take the bait willingly.

The float moved.

With a swift and decisive movement, as if drawing and sheathing a sword, Shi Ming tossed a large, fat fish onto the deck.

It was a fish with a crystal-blue body; every scale of its was like the most beautiful sapphire, and its eyes were as bright as deep-sea pearls.

"Amazing... Ah! The ship..."

Shi Ming glanced at Huang Pao, and Huang Pao immediately shut his mouth.

"Go and give this to Chef Yang. I want to eat this fish for lunch."

"okay."

Shi Ming continued casting his fishing line and sat quietly on the deck.

Today, he is just an ordinary fisherman.

……

"What did you say? The captain sent the drifting ship Dinglan to this desolate place just to fish? The sea crystals here have extremely low energy. How much energy does Dinglan waste every day?"

Before breakfast was over, one of the crew members listened in surprise to the news from the other crew members and whispered among themselves.

"He's still too young. Why don't you try to persuade him? Maybe he'll listen?"

"Shh, do you dare!"

"What are you afraid of? We're just offering some advice, nothing more!"

Dengdengdeng.

Huang Pao came down carrying a large fish and placed the ice-blue fish on the counter.

"Master Yang, the captain said he wants to eat this fish for lunch."

Upon hearing this, several crew members nearby felt indignant again.

Well, all that trouble was just to satisfy his appetite. He's clearly a slave, never had a decent meal. He started indulging himself as soon as he became captain. Oh well, what can he do? He's the captain, an awakened one, and wields fists and guns!
"I won't try to persuade him anymore, let him be." Upon hearing this, Old Yang, who was inside the control room, hurriedly came out.

He glanced at the fish placed on the bar, and his eyes immediately widened!
"This is... my god! Such a huge blue trout! This one could sell for over a thousand nautical coins!!!"

"what?"

Huang Pao's hands, which were holding the fish, were trembling slightly!

More than a thousand nautical coins!
He and his brother were acquired by the former captain from other drifting ships for only five hundred sailing coins!

The fish in his hand, a fish the captain casually caught, was actually worth as much as four or five slaves like him?!

Is there any reason?
Is there any royal law?
The crew members who were sitting in the corner were also stunned when they heard this!
Nautical coins are the universal currency of this world. When a ship sails on the endless ocean, it will occasionally encounter other ships. If they confirm that there is no hostility between them, they will usually communicate and exchange goods and services. In addition to bartering, nautical coins are the most commonly used tokens!
This crystal-blue fish is actually worth over a thousand nautical coins?!

Each crew member can only earn 300 sailing coins a month!
"This fish is so expensive?"

Huang Pao asked in disbelief.

"This is a mutated creature! The previous captain went to great lengths to catch one much smaller than this and kept it in the captain's cabin. It's said that he exchanged it for 1500 contribution points from his [Black Society]! This fish is much bigger than that one, so it can probably sell for even more! Alas, it's a pity that I, Old Yang, have never cooked such an expensive fish before. I'm afraid my cooking skills will ruin such a precious fish!"

"Since the captain entrusted you with this task, it means he trusts you. I'm handing this fish over to you. I need to go back and report to the captain."

"No stealing food," Huang Pao added.

"Don't worry, I wouldn't dare."

……

As soon as Huang Pao returned to the deck, he saw two more identical blue trout next to Shi Ming.

One of them is even bigger than the previous one!
That's several thousand more nautical coins!

That's enough to exchange for more than a dozen slaves!

The man in the yellow robe rolled his eyes and even considered taking a fishing rod and fishing there all day.

"Captain, this kind of fish is so precious, why don't I go get a fishing rod and we can fish together? That way it'll be more efficient!"

He quietly volunteered himself.

“You probably can’t handle it; this kind of fish is incredibly strong,” Shi Ming replied casually. “Go and call Shi Dun over. Have him bring a fishing rod and give it a try. Also, tell everyone that any crew member who can lift 50 kilograms with one hand can take turns trying. For each one caught, you’ll get a reward of 200 sailing coins!”

Fishing alone isn't a good solution; it's too inefficient.

What Huang Pao heard was—

200 sailing coins!
His breathing became a little rapid.

That's a considerable sum of money!

Today, I'm going to see just how strong this fish is!
There were only three sets of fishing gear on board, and many crew members, especially those who had complained earlier, were eager to try their luck at the fishing station. These crystal-blue fish, even if not sea monsters that could awaken supernatural abilities, were undoubtedly extremely valuable! The reward was 200 sailing coins per fish—more than half a month's income for them!

Unfortunately, everyone tried in turn, but to no avail.

On the contrary, Shi Ming reaped a great harvest during this period. He even had a fish tank brought over and kept all the blue trout he caught in it.

"The crew's physical fitness needs to be significantly improved!"

If they encounter a formidable enemy, are they really going to rely solely on him, the captain?
(End of this chapter)