Chapter 910: Chapter 454: [Albatross III Type Fishing Rod]_2

An afternoon halfway through the voyage, everyone was busy with their own tasks.

Of course, this included Xia Nan.

However, his expression was more serious and focused than anyone else on the deck at that moment. His dark eyes were fixed on the distant water surface, where a bright float was bobbing up and down with the waves. A thin, nearly transparent line was suspended from its tip, extending toward the creamy white fishing rod in Xia Nan’s hands.

The [Albatross III Type Fishing Rod - 1015 Year Model]—originating from a premium fishing tackle shop in the White Cliff District called "Saint Andrew." It was said that the champion of the 127th Suo Yu Bay Fishing Tournament caught the fish king of that year with this rod.

Xia Nan had seen with his own eyes the fish specimen, nearly the size of an adult torso, in the shop. A portrait of the champion holding the fishing rod, squatting in front of his prey, also hung on the tackle shop’s wall, accompanied by many newspaper clippings of the news at that time.

The fishing rod was made from Su Bin white ash wood growing on the coast, specially treated by professional craftsmen to be tough and elastic, capable of bending to an exaggerated degree. The reel seat was hand-carved with anti-slip patterns by craftsmen, with exquisite wave designs believed to bring good luck in addition to enhancing its appearance.

To obtain this top-tier fishing rod, Xia Nan paid nearly ten gold coins.

Quality matches its price; this level of fishing rod is already the limit ordinary people can afford. Even many nobles in the White Cliff District might not be willing to part with it. Beyond this, it’s enchanted equipment with special effects.

However, Xia Nan did not regret this.

Just like he didn’t mind the cost of dining and lodging at the Three-legged Sea Dog Tavern, there’s no problem using the money he painstakingly earned to enjoy life, especially when it’s invested in his hobby.

Xia Nan believed the value of the fish he would soon catch with this rod would offset its ten-gold-coin price.

Even now, on the third day after leaving port, he remained confident—

Even though the largest thing he’d caught with this rod was, to this point, a pair of rotted soaked leather shoes, likely fallen into the sea years ago.

Definitely not a problem with his abilities, Xia Nan was sure.

After all, he had proven it before.

No need to remind again that on the way back to Suo Yu Bay from Cliff Island, at exactly three twenty-seven eighteen seconds in the afternoon the day after the storm, he had caught a three foot two inch eighty-kilogram blue mottled grouper.

If anyone forgot, Xia Nan could repeat it again.

Such glorious pasts already prove his fishing skills are not the issue!

Now that the equipment has been upgraded to the top level, if there’s still no catch... it could only be due to luck.

"Darn it!"

Xia Nan felt indignant in his heart, believing his identity as a transmigrator was being targeted by this world. He even pulled out an already exhausted Destiny Coin from his pocket, rubbing it in his hands to pray that the goddess would grant him luck.

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

With the fishing rod in hand, Xia Nan asked the Half orc sitting on a wooden barrel beside him. 𝒻𝑟ℯℯ𝑤𝑒𝑏𝑛𝘰𝓋𝑒𝓁.𝒸𝑜𝘮

"The kind even fish in the sea would like to hear."

What was meant to be a casual joke during the fishing gap unexpectedly made Alton show a pensive look upon hearing it.

Could it be...

"Hehe, no, I don’t have any."

With an elusive smile, the little fellow jumped off the barrel.

Plucking the strings with his fingers, he walked towards Xia Nan.

"But if you really want a similar effect, maybe you could try catching a Siren. I heard their singing can attract schools of fish."

Xia Nan seriously made a mental note of this piece of knowledge.

"Hey! Haiya!"

"Come arm-wrestle with me! The loser has to get up an hour earlier for training tomorrow!"

Supporting a heavy anchor, the bald strongman Akken called out from the other side of the deck.

Originally, Xia Nan hadn’t intended to accept, as he had more important things to do.

But at the same time, he was also considering that his physical fitness, enhanced by the gains from several Secret Realms, already exceeded that of ordinary adventurers.

In terms of agility and perception, he had almost reached another level.

However, his strength attribute was "only" at 9 points.

If every battle skill he mastered was of the basic type like "Vortex Slash," providing attribute bonuses only when practiced to Level 5 Master, even if every skill added to strength, it would take reaching Level 4 to bring the strength attribute to its current level.

The barbarian named Akken before him, his professional level surely not exceeding Level 5.

In a certain sense, despite his robust and burly appearance, purely from a strength standpoint, he might not actually be stronger than Xia Nan.

This was a suitable opportunity, perhaps he could use it as a reference?

With these thoughts, Xia Nan stood up from the deck, casually handing the rod to Alton beside him to watch.

And just in that instant when the professional-level fishing rod left his hand and was thrust into the Half orc’s arms, he suddenly realized.

Oh no!

And indeed, almost at the very moment Xia Nan let go of the rod.

The Spotted Cat race Sasha, who was napping on the braided rope nearby, suddenly twitched their gap-eared tips, the fine tufts inside the ear abruptly turned towards the direction of the fishing rod.

Whirr—

The rod, which had been hanging low, suddenly bent!

"It’s on, Xia Nan!"

"Fish on the line!"

Alton cheered excitedly, clinging tightly to the fishing rod, whose upper part, originally gently sagging, now formed an exaggerated arc in the air. The float on the distant sea had long since disappeared, replaced by the fishing line being pulled taut, nearly to the breaking point.

Words could hardly express Xia Nan’s feelings at that moment.

Moreover, his exceptionally keen perception ability informed him clearly that the fish had bitten after the rod left his hand—making it impossible to fudge the truth.

But no matter what, he had at least been sitting there for half the day; it was his carefully prepared fishing rod. Rounding up, it should count as his catch, right?

With this thought, Xia Nan reassured himself and stepped forward to retrieve the struggling rod from Alton.

The force was unexpectedly great!

More powerful than that eighty-kilogram blue mottled grouper before, yet it unexpectedly stirred a sense of anticipation in Xia Nan’s heart.

He was well-versed in all kinds of fishing techniques, combining fishing rod and battle skills while pulling the rod. Normally, any fish couldn’t last long against Xia Nan’s tug.

But unexpectedly, this fish was particularly hard to handle. Xia Nan even noticed that the Elite Fishing Rod in his hand seemed to be reaching its limit.

As he exerted force, the large silhouette beneath the water’s surface appeared in its looming outline as it struggled.

It seemed... really quite large.

The fish body Xia Nan could see from the deck was estimated to be over five feet in length.

Taller than Alton by several heads!

It was beyond the extent conventional fishing gear could bring up directly.

A net or personal dive was required to capture it further.

In contemplating, Xia Nan thought about removing his Plate Chain Composite Armor first to avoid the trouble of maintenance later; he decided to dive in personally to capture the struggling sea fish.

Unexpectedly, in the next second, the wild barbarian Akken, summoned by the call, had already sprinted over from the corner of his eye, charging like a bomb, and leaped into the water with a resounding splash.

The physical attributes of a veteran expert were vividly displayed at this moment.

Only a few breaths passed, and amidst a muffled sound and the slight vibration transmitted through the grip of the fishing rod.

The rod, which had been bent almost to its breaking point, finally returned to its original state, gently lowering with its natural weight.

And the unprecedentedly large fish Xia Nan had caught was now being carried out of the water by Akken.