Chapter 6: The Whale Mission—Does Weakness Breed Success?
With the tide's aid, the two sped up their rowing considerably, quickly leaving the shore behind. From afar, the bustling Black Iron Pioneer City shimmered like a sea of flickering lights.
Yet, Dachun hadn’t even received a single hint about mastering the art of navigation. Where was the problem? Perhaps the speed was still insufficient, or maybe this cluster of small boats tied together couldn't be properly recognized by the navigation system.
There was no way to increase speed further. Logically, speed and thrust aren’t proportional; if a ship’s speed increases by several knots, its engine power must multiply several times over.
By now, both had nearly exhausted their strength and decided to rest and eat.
Dachun offered his stir-fried shellfish: “Shirley, try this!”
Shirley sampled one and exclaimed in amazement: “Is this shark oil? It smells incredible!”
Encouraged, Dachun asked, “How does it compare to the restaurants in the city?”
Shirley awkwardly replied, “The restaurants are expensive; I rarely go.”
Um…
Dachun shared his idea: “I was thinking, maybe I could open a restaurant with this recipe.”
Shirley said, “You could share the recipe with Miss Vivian’s tavern. If the dish sells, you’ll get a share of the profits, though it might not be much. Shark oil is expensive, so it’s only used for specialty dishes. You don’t have a chef’s reputation yet, but if you can reach expert-level cooking, it’ll be easier.”
Ultimately, real profit comes at the expert level; ordinary advanced skills only ensure self-sufficiency. But for now, money was secondary; improving rapport was what truly mattered.
Dachun laughed, “A share of the profits together then—I’ll share it with you first!”
—System prompt: You have shared the recipe for “Shark Oil Stir-fried Shellfish” with Shirley.
Shirley replied gratefully, “That’s so kind of you!”
Dachun smiled, “The profits will only grow from here!”
Suddenly, a fishing rod twitched taut. Could it be?
Dachun reeled in swiftly, the rod bending under strong resistance—damn, it really was a big catch! He reeled in and let out line repeatedly.
After a struggle, a half-meter-long big fish broke the water’s surface.
—System prompt: Congratulations! You have successfully caught a small “Sardine” and a large “Yellow Croaker.” Your fishing proficiency has greatly increased; your beginner fishing skill is now level 5. Achievement unlocked: Stamina +4, Carrying Capacity +4.
Damn! Two fish in one hook and a four-level jump—was the open beta guide reliable, or was this lucky fishing rod setup just amazing?
Shirley was even more delighted: “So you really can use small fish as bait!”
Dachun was struck by inspiration: Could he use this big fish as bait to catch an even bigger one? That would skyrocket the fishing skill again! Though a single rod and line wouldn’t hold, he had nine boats tied together; what if he tied six rods together and twisted the lines into one? Shirley was skilled with ropes and had beginner tailoring skills—maybe she could help twist the lines?
He shared the idea with Shirley.
She showed interest: “Let me try. You hold the six rods tightly first...”
Moments later, Shirley braided the six fishing lines together like a plaited braid, her technique boosting Dachun’s confidence—the plan might just work!
But Dachun snapped back to reality. A fish large enough to swallow such big bait would be at least a shark, and a shark’s strength could easily tear apart these nine fragile boats. Wasn’t this courting death?
Spotting the red flashing light of a distant lighthouse, Dachun recalled the old man’s mention of a professional quest involving an ancient whale there. The red light signaled danger.
His heart pounded wildly. Whale fishing? Whales are usually stronger than sharks, but this was an old whale! Because it moved little, it was covered in barnacles, painfully weak and old, unable to catch prey, and likely starving—making it prone to biting the bait. Damn, what was he thinking? This was his professional quest boss!
His thoughts in turmoil, Dachun shared with Shirley: “Shirley, there’s an old whale near the lighthouse...”
Shirley was surprised: “Yeah, everyone in the city knows about it. It’s an S-rank bounty quest by the Maritime Trade Guild, but no one has completed it yet.”
Damn! The scavenger’s professional quest boss overlapped with the world boss of the bounty hunt! But the old drunk’s tone didn’t sound like it was that strong—was he telling me to plan ahead and finish it before the bounty is collected?
Dachun was incredulous: “Even a sea monster bounty is only S-rank. Why is a barnacle-covered old whale also S-rank?”
Shirley was puzzled: “I usually only pay attention to beginner quests, not high-level ones. The difficulty rating for bounty quests also depends on time; if no one completes it for a long time, it means it’s tough, and the rating naturally rises.”
Dachun grew more suspicious: “Grandpa said this whale has brought considerable benefit to the shipyard, so the shipyard probably doesn’t want it killed. Maybe they secretly bribed or threatened city experts to avoid whale hunting, letting the whale live longer and thus becoming S-rank?”
Shirley said, “Since we’re here, let’s go take a look!”
Makes sense! But Dachun worried for her safety: “It’s dangerous!”
Shirley’s expression was resolute: “As a mage, I’ll face even stronger Abyss monsters in the future. Let’s bloom bravely like roses in the dark!”
Alright, NPCs would just respawn anyway...
“Let’s go then!”
Dachun’s heart raced wildly. When a normally unkillable bounty boss overlapped with a story quest boss, it was bound to trigger a plot.
Finally, Shirley finished braiding the fishing lines together with exquisite craftsmanship. The biggest flaw was that the hooks couldn’t be combined into a larger one. Relying on six small hooks to catch a whale seemed unlikely, but enraging the old whale to smash the boats was almost guaranteed—damn, why was he still thinking about fishing it?
Dachun decided to take an unconventional approach—like Jiang Taigong fishing without a hook!
Shirley asked in surprise: “How do you fish without a hook?”
He forced an explanation: “The city’s hunting experts can’t do it, and neither can we. We’re just here to ‘observe’ and maybe feed it to gain its favor. If it doesn’t work... we’ll come back next time.”
Shirley said, “If you want to feed it, just throw the yellow croaker directly.”
Dachun explained, “The yellow croaker might swim away. What if the old whale can’t get it?”
Ultimately, he still wanted to fish—if the whale bit the bait, whatever happened next would skyrocket his fishing skill.
“Got it, I’ll tie the yellow croaker with fishing line.”
After tying it up and securing the rod to the boat, they were ready.
The boat drifted with the current to the lighthouse area, and from afar came the thunderous sound of a jet of water.
Dachun’s heart jumped—this was the whale exhaling. No need to search anymore.
They extinguished the sailors’ lamps and placed the yellow croaker in the water.
As the boat drifted closer, aided by the lighthouse’s residual light, a spout of water appeared on the sea’s surface.
But the whale showed no reaction—no subtle signs, no special plot triggered.
Dachun grew anxious. If it didn’t interact soon, the boat would drift away with the tide. Was the bait not fresh or aromatic enough?
He recalled having shark oil. They said whales and sharks are mortal enemies; the whale should react upon smelling the shark oil.
He quickly retrieved the fish, coated it thoroughly with shark oil, stuffed extra oil into its belly, and released it again.
The thunderous spout ceased.
There was a reaction!
Suddenly, the red light before Dachun’s eyes exploded. The fishing line snapped taut, the rod shook violently, and the boat jolted!
It bit! Dachun’s nerves were stretched to the breaking point.
Time seemed frozen. The line remained tight, the water surface calm, and the boat anchored firmly, no longer drifting.
Shirley’s trembling voice whispered, “It... neither swallowed nor released the bait...”
Dachun was absolutely certain the plot had been triggered! The whale scraping the hull was a plea for help; now it still sought aid. As an unordained “scavenger,” the only right move was to swim over and remove the barnacles.
Just as he thought this, the frantic flashing red warning softened—the hostility was waning.
Was it because there was no hook?
Suddenly, Dachun realized the key to triggering the plot might be the absence of threat! The weaker the newcomer, the more likely to be ignored. He was weak enough to be disregarded and had only drawn attention by the shark oil scent. Perhaps this was the subtlety the old man hinted at when urging him to “consider it early.” He came early enough—only level one!
No matter the guesswork, Dachun had to act: “Shirley, I’m taking the hoe over. If anything happens, you wait for the tide to rise tomorrow and come back.”
Shirley nodded nervously.
They set off. Normally, intermediate swimming skills wouldn’t suffice in the turbulent tidal sea, but Dachun had a swimsuit, and with the thick fishing line between them, he could slowly cling and move across.
—System prompt: Your intermediate swimming proficiency has increased by 20!
The surge in skill thrilled him!
In the dark sea water, a pair of window-like eyes stared back!
Stay calm!
Finally, just a few meters away, Dachun saw it—a sperm whale, its mouth and head covered in pockmarked barnacles, a shocking sight.
Starting at the mouth, one hoe strike!
—System prompt: Your beginner underwater mining proficiency has increased by 5. You have cleared barnacles from the whale, increasing its friendliness toward you!
—System prompt: Your diving suit successfully resisted acid water corrosion.
Dachun rejoiced—success!
He continued...
—System prompt: Congratulations! You have accumulated a large amount of proficiency and advanced to “Intermediate Fancy Swimming” level 1. Water resistance is somewhat reduced. Achievement unlocked: Stamina +1, Carrying Capacity +1.
—System prompt: Congratulations! Your intermediate swimming skill reached level 3. Achievement unlocked: Stamina +1, Carrying Capacity +1.
—System prompt: Congratulations! Your beginner underwater mining skill is now level 2. Achievement unlocked: Stamina +1, Carrying Capacity +1.
Hahaha! The thrill of rapid skill gain was intoxicating, but the anticipation of completing a major quest was even sweeter!
After clearing a large patch of barnacles near the whale’s mouth, the whale lost all hostility and turned neutral. But Dachun’s stamina was nearly drained from battling the waves; he needed to save energy to return to the boat and rest.
Just as Shirley helped pull him aboard, the whale let out a mighty roar, blasting a spout into the air. The fishing line tightened again, and the boat moved with the whale.
—System prompt: Congratulations! Your fishing proficiency has greatly increased. Your beginner fishing skill is now level 10. Achievement unlocked: Stamina +5, Carrying Capacity +5!
Damn! Five levels in one go!
But the barnacles weren’t finished yet. Where was it heading now?