The Knight from the Fairytales

Chapter 69: Goldfish

Returning to the sea once more, the ocean surface was calm.

Elsa sat by the railing, holding a rolled-up map. After opening it, she could find their current location and navigate to their destination.

Beihai stood nearby, holding some macadamia nuts. With a light squeeze, the shells shattered, and he then fed the kernels into Elsa's mouth.

"I didn't expect to come back to the sea again, yet be unable to go into the deep ocean. I was still a bit careless, not asking for more potions."

Beihai was somewhat troubled. He had just remembered that he only got two bottles of potion from that Old Lady.

Once used, they were gone;

they were single-use items. So, if he wanted to go deep into the ocean again, he could only find Aladdin's Lamp.

Following the Magic Mirror's guidance, he could naturally find it. But there was a problem: how do you determine direction on the sea? The scenery all around was exactly the same.

On land, there were obvious landmarks, but on the sea surface, there were none at all.

"Sir, it's right here below. We can stop the boat now."

After repeatedly studying the map, Elsa came to this conclusion and excitedly pointed downward. Once they had the direction, the rest was simple. He just needed to carry the ship's anchor by hand, aim at the location, and throw it into the sea floor.Elsa gestured in amazement. The anchor was so huge, yet he lifted it so effortlessly?

No wonder, when she had heard about salvaging something from the sea floor before, she thought it generally required a massive amount of manpower and resources—common sense even a child knew. Now it seemed like it wasn't needed at all.

After doing this, Beihai went to the ship's hold and picked up a large net. Then, with a bit of strength, he cast the net out.

Confirming it had caught something, he tightened his grip on the rope and pulled back forcefully, bringing the Fishing Net bursting out of the water.

"Whoops, this seems a bit too much."

Beihai went to the opening, untied the knot, and poured all these fish, victims of an undeserved calamity, back into the water. This was called releasing them.

Beihai was now an angler, just like the legendary Anglers. Generally, besides catching a fish that satisfied him, often he would just catch them and immediately throw them back into the pond, letting them return to freedom.

This wasn't due to a sudden burst of kindness, but because these fish were still a bit too small;

they should be allowed to grow some more.

One by one, the fish all poured back into the sea. Among the many silvery-white fish, suddenly, a goldfish also slipped into the water.

That flash of gold naturally caught Beihai's attention, but he didn't want to bother with it right now.

When that goldfish returned to the sea, it immediately surfaced and initiated communication with Beihai: "I am a cursed prince. I thank you for releasing me. In return, I can grant your wish."

"Fish! It's a goldfish, and it's talking!"

Elsa was surprised. This rare pet suddenly made her want to catch it and keep it in a fish tank.

"I heard your request. However, I am looking for a lamp. If I can find it, perhaps I can help you break the curse."

Seeing what this goldfish said, Beihai suddenly felt the sea was truly a Wishing Machine.

This goldfish came from "The Fisherman and the Goldfish."

In such a story, the fisherman's daily work was fishing. One day, he caught a goldfish.

The goldfish begged the fisherman to release it, saying it was a cursed prince, and reasoned: You hooked me, but my flesh isn't tasty, and I'm not big enough. Why not let me go?

The fisherman thought that made sense, so he returned the goldfish to the sea. But when he got home, he was scolded by his wife.

The wife berated the fisherman, saying the place she lived in every day was a dilapidated hut, and today he hadn't even caught a single fish. "I've had enough of you!"

The fisherman then told his wife about his encounter.

Upon hearing this, the fisherman's wife told him, "Why didn't you ask it for a wish? You should have asked it for a wish. I don't want to live in this broken hut anymore!"

The fisherman returned to the seaside and began his performance.

"Oh, fish of the sea, come, I pray!

Listen to me, for I have something to say.

I caught you and let you go without asking for a fee,

But my wife won't let that be."

Hearing the fisherman say this, the goldfish immediately appeared and told him, "Your wish is granted."

After obtaining a large house, the fisherman's wife was not satisfied. She demanded to live in a castle.

The next day, the fisherman continued with his request, still using those words: "I caught you and let you go without asking for a fee."

After moving into the castle, she wanted to become a king. The fisherman also tried to advise his wife, "I think this is good enough," but his wife still wanted more.

So, from king, she became emperor. From emperor, she became pope. Every time he went to ask the goldfish, the turmoil on the sea surface would become increasingly fierce.

But every time, as long as he said, "I caught you and let you go without asking for a fee," the goldfish would always help fulfill the wish.

Until later, the fisherman's wife wanted to control the rising and setting of the sun. The fisherman actually went and asked for that too. In the end, everything turned to bubbles, and they could only live in the dilapidated thatched hut again.

Some say the wife was wrong, too greedy. But actually, the one most in the wrong was still that fisherman. And if you talk about early-stage henpecked husband, it's still somewhat inappropriate. One could only say the fisherman also wanted it;

he just used his wife's mouth to ask.

He enjoyed all the benefits without bearing any of the blame.

So, facing this goldfish, Beihai could make very excessive demands. Material demands could easily be satisfied.

As for demands transcending the material, reaching some magical level, the goldfish couldn't do it. It was, after all, just a prince.

So, what it gave to that couple was most likely its own family property, its own castle, its own kingdom. One has to admit, it had a vast family fortune.

I seriously suspect if this goldfish could really control the sun and moon, it would have satisfied that fisherman's demands.

It's just a pity that Beihai truly had no material wants. He had plenty of money, more than he could ever spend. He could responsibly say he wasn't interested in this money.

Hearing that Beihai didn't want a castle, didn't want gold coins, didn't even want power, and only wanted a lamp from the sea floor, the goldfish also very readily turned around to help.

Not long after, a porcelain bottle was pushed to the surface by the goldfish.

When Beihai took the porcelain bottle in his hand, he was also very surprised. This didn't seem to be Aladdin's Lamp;

Aladdin's Lamp was too distinctive.

Beihai touched the bottle, then opened it. Soon, a thick mist drifted out, and a Demon appeared with a ferocious expression.

"Hahahaha!!!

When I was locked in this bottle for 100 years, I swore whoever saved me would have any wish granted!

By the 200th year, I began to feel hatred. Why hadn't anyone come to save me? Why did I have to suffer this pain?

By the 500th year, I swore that whoever let me out, I would give them the most painful death! Whoever releases me, I will kill them!"