novelraw Chapter 159: The Parsnips Are Ripe
Chapter 159: The Parsnips Are Ripe
Rasmodes gave Leon a strange look at his words, then vanished right before him.
Leon didn’t mind the departure of this Archmage. Just like when Rasmodes appeared, his movements were utterly unpredictable—nothing Leon could ever figure out.
What did pique his curiosity was whether Rasmodes had sensed something unusual at the seaside or had simply been keeping tabs on him. If it was the former, Leon would gladly commend him for living up to his reputation as a devoted guardian.
But if it was the latter… well, then Leon would seriously consider filing a complaint with the Mage Administration about this creepy old pervert.
The merman was gone, Leon’s hook was retrieved, and he rebaited it with a red worm before casting into the sea again.
This time, nothing unexpected happened. When the bobber started to twitch, Leon reeled in—only to pull up a piece of seaweed.
“Seaweed: It can be used in cooking.”
The system’s description was so bland that it made the green, slippery plant seem utterly mundane. Staring at it, Leon couldn’t help thinking of kelp.
He tossed it into his backpack and baited the hook again.
The wait was much longer this time. Only when he spotted a steady stream of bubbles rising from the surface did Leon quickly reel in and cast toward them.The moment the baited hook hit the spot, the bobber vanished completely under the water, and the reel spun wildly as line was pulled out at high speed. Leon gripped the rod tightly, controlling the reel’s drag and slowly reclaiming the line.
The fish wasn’t very strong, but it darted left and right in a chaotic frenzy. It felt like trying to leash-train an overexcited husky.
Fortunately, his fiberglass rod and line were sturdy, and he had plenty of length to play the fish. After more than a minute of this give-and-take, the pull began to weaken.
Seize the moment when your opponent is weak—that was an ancestral truth. Leon spun the reel rapidly, dragging his slippery foe up to the surface.
When the creature broke the water, Leon blinked. For a moment, he thought he’d hooked a snake.
While he wasn’t terrified of snakes, sea snakes were another matter—their venom could be deadly with just one bite. That thought alone made him tense.
Once he pulled it fully out of the water, relief washed over him. It wasn’t a snake—it was an eel, evident from the distinct dorsal fin along its back.
He dragged it onto the dock but didn’t rush to unhook it. Eels weren’t like ordinary fish—their flexible bodies and sharp teeth made them dangerous to handle.
Thanks to his small magnetic ring, he didn’t need to touch it at all. With a thought, the eel vanished into his backpack.
It felt a bit soulless to skip the hands-on part of fishing, but Leon valued his fingers more than tradition.
Catching an eel would have been a fine end to the trip, but seeing his fishing skill still hadn’t leveled up, Leon quietly rebaited his hook and cast again.
When he finally hauled up a herring, the system’s voice rang out:
“Long hours of fishing have given you new insight into catching fish. Your Fishing skill has increased by one level.
You have received the Blessing of the Sea. For the first three fish you catch each day, your bait will be much more attractive, and the chance of hooking a fish will be greatly increased.”
No new recipes—just a blessing. It had nothing to do with physical strength, but it was tightly linked to fishing.
Leon wasn’t sure exactly how much “greatly increased” meant, so he cast his line again to test it.
To his surprise, less than ten seconds after the bobber hit the water, it started bouncing. The instant he pulled, he felt the small fish struggling against the hook.
Small fish were no challenge for him. Without even tiring it out, he reeled in a sardine.
“So that’s how it works. Fast indeed.”
If there was one thing more frustrating than pulling up seaweed, it was the long, mind-numbing wait for a bite. This blessing cut that annoyance down entirely—though it was a shame it only worked for the first three catches each day. Otherwise, he could make a living from fishing alone.
Not wanting to waste his remaining two boosted catches, Leon quickly cast again. Both fish bit within twenty seconds—one herring, one flounder.
But on his fourth cast, the wait stretched on again.
Compared to other skills, Fishing’s level-up perk felt a bit underwhelming. Still, it was a free bonus—hard to complain.
After waiting over two minutes without a bite, Leon reeled in and headed home. The bike was only useful in Pelican Town; the rest of the journey was on foot.
That was the reality here—outside of town, there were no proper paved roads, just rustic dirt paths. After rain, they were barely walkable, much less bikeable.
Unless someone repaired them, rainy days would always be a miserable trek.
By the time he returned home, it was past nine in the evening. He took a quick shower, watched TV while his hair dried, then went to bed.
He slept soundly through the night. When the morning sun spilled into the cabin, Leon woke, stretched, and washed up. After a light breakfast, he grabbed his watering can and stepped outside.
But before watering, he noticed something unusual—his parsnips were glowing faintly green.
At first, he thought his eyes were playing tricks on him from lack of sleep. But after rubbing them, the glow was still there. Curious, he approached, choosing one of the sturdier stalks and grasping it by the thick stem.
“Mature Parsnip (Ready to Harvest)”
The moment he touched it, the system prompt appeared. And it wasn’t just the one—every parsnip in sight bore the same glowing notice.