Chapter 911: Chapter 455: Storm and the School of Fish

Xia Nan had never seen this kind of fish before.

Its body length was about 2.2 meters, much longer than an average adult man, with a blunt head, broad snout, and fish lips slightly tinged with white, opening and closing to reveal its dense, comb-like fish teeth; its gill cover opened and closed slowly, showing the gill filtering structures inside; a pair of fish eyes were round and expressionless, reflecting the azure sky above and the people on the deck.

The most striking feature was the fish’s back.

Extending from behind its head to the front of its caudal fin, amidst the rough, rock-like gray-brown scales, grew a dense layer of dark green marine vegetation.

Seaweed, water grass, and even a few small coral fragments were embedded, with root systems deeply entrenched in the spaces between the scales, as if they had formed a kind of symbiotic relationship with the big fish.

Xia Nan could even imagine how, when this big fish swam slowly along the ocean floor, the seaweed and water grass on its back would sway gracefully.

"Grassback Fish."

Hearing the voice, Hai Yin walked over and introduced, looking at the big fish lying on the deck.

"Judging by its size, it should’ve just reached adulthood, around twenty years old."

"These fish can grow very large!"

"Near the coral reef I’m responsible for beside Suo Yu Bay, there was one previous fish, just its body was over eight feet long, and swimming in the water, it looked larger than the small boats of those shallow-sea fishermen, but unfortunately, it only stayed for two months before it swam away."

Hai Yin was indeed a Druid, and she truly loved nature, even going out of her way to protect a small patch of coral reef near the bay.

Nonetheless, much like the various churches within the Sevia Kingdom.

On the Aifala Continent, Druids, due to their upbringing, family backgrounds, and differing associations, held very distinct natural philosophies.

Of course, there were extremists who wouldn’t allow even chopping wood for firewood and would hold you accountable if you hunted a wild rabbit for food.

But Hai Yin’s own views were much milder, and the Coral Association she belonged to advocated for a natural dynamic balance.

She had no objection to normal fishing activities as long as they weren’t excessive or reckless; she would even proactively introduce such fish to Xia Nan and others, detailing how to cook it and which parts of the fish were tastiest.

"Don’t judge its back scales as rugged and unsightly, the meat on this fish’s back is actually the most delicious, just boil it and you can taste a distinct fresh grass flavor."

"It’s a pity it’s still a bit small; I’ve heard in taverns that some adventurers have seen Grassback Fish bigger than cargo ships, whose tails could create giant waves with a single swipe."

If such a massive one really came, it would not be something that Alton could catch, and it might even capsize the entire ship.

Standing by, Xia Nan listened to the Druid’s explanation, muttering in his heart.

Yet, at the same time, he couldn’t help but look forward to the fish meat Hai Yin described with a grassy aroma; it happened to be dinner time, so it would be worth cooking up for a taste.

His gaze swept over the fish body, lingering on its back filled with water grass and seaweed.

Suddenly, as if noticing something, Xia Nan frowned slightly and asked Hai Yin beside him:

"Why is this fish so lifeless, not flopping at all after being pulled up? Is this characteristic of Grassback Fish?"

"No, although they usually swim around slowly in the water, when faced with predators, they can move quite quickly." The Druid shook her head, looking at Akken, who had just emerged from the water, all wet, "It might be because Akken used too much force when throwing it up and stunned the fish."

For such a large fish over two meters long, even in water, pulling it straight up with a fishing rod using sheer force is challenging, as most rods would break under stress unless nets, hooks, and other auxiliary equipment were employed.

As a Level 4 barbarian, Akken could effortlessly handle such ordinary creatures, even in the water, practically holding and tossing the fish directly onto the deck.

Upon hearing this, the burly man scratched his bald head, recalling:

"I remember being afraid of throwing it too far, so I held back a little, it shouldn’t be, right."

Catching such a big fish out of the blue, the commotion on the deck was considerable.

It attracted the attention of many crew members.

The Spotted Cat race Sasha, who had been napping on the ropes, even jumped down, standing nearby and gazing intently at the Grassback Fish on the deck, a very interested expression.

Interestingly, as the drenched Akken approached, the Leopard-man subconsciously stepped back twice, seemingly very averse to the water droplets clinging to Akken.

Afraid of water, huh...

For a sailor active among the islands for years, being afraid of water is quite an abstraction.

Xia Nan found it amusing.

"Clap!"

Perhaps it was the increasing number of crew members gathering around or the prolonged time out of water making it difficult to breathe, but the Grassback Fish, which had shown no signs of life since being thrown onto the deck, finally flapped a little on the spot.

Its hefty tail struck the planking with a loud thud.

The fish’s body, which had been lying still, tilted to the side with the impact, revealing its relatively soft grayish-white belly.

Hmm?

Xia Nan’s gaze suddenly focused.

He saw a gray-black shadow pinned in between the scales slightly lower towards the center of its belly, like some sort of malignancy.