novelraw Chapter 265: Fishing Tournament and the Tentacle Treasure Chest
Chapter 265: Fishing Tournament and the Tentacle Treasure Chest
In this gloomy sea, this golden light was exceptionally dazzling.
"So bright!"
Melanie exclaimed in surprise, wondering if Chen Qi had directly hooked a deep-sea lantern fish?
"Hmm?"
Chen Qi swung his fishing rod, and at that moment, the hook held a small, round golden thing.
Its body was round and plump, like a golden spherical lantern, with a curved rod on its head topped by a small golden apple.
Additionally, it had two large, round golden eyes, extremely adorable.
A golden legendary water spirit? Chen Qi and Water Spirit Number Three on his shoulder both stared in shock.
At that moment, Melanie's eyes widened dramatically as she said in amazement:
"G-golden, golden apple, apple fish!!"Golden apple fish... Chen Qi vaguely recalled specific information about this little creature.
Golden Fruit Fish, also known as Golden Apple Fish, is a special supernatural fish with Shell and Lamp affinities.
The Golden Apple Fish symbolizes good luck and the courage to explore, and the golden apple on its head is an extremely nourishing item.
Legend has it that Golden Apple Fish bear fruit once every fifty years, granting these fruits to sea beasts that protect them—sea beasts at least on par with the Black Lantern Dragon level.
Therefore, to obtain the golden apple from a Golden Apple Fish, one must defeat a sea beast of Black Lantern Dragon caliber!
Of course, there are occasional exceptions, depending entirely on luck.
With enough luck, one could even find a Golden Apple Fish while sleeping on a ship.
Chen Qi faintly remembered that this small, glowing golden spherical fish seemed to have appeared when they encountered the Black Rock mecha.
Unexpectedly, it had followed them all the way here!
Melanie couldn't help but say:
"Lamp Keeper, are you using a Dice affinity item?"
Melanie, who typically had average luck, couldn't hide her envious look. As a seasoned angler, she had always believed that rare fish like the Golden Apple Fish, Golden Fish, and Divine Lamp Fish existed only in books.
Anglers who could catch rare Shell affinity fish would receive the ultra-rare "Lucky Angler" badge in the White Tower Federation's Fishing Association!
And now, she had actually witnessed a novice angler with poor fishing posture and a casual attitude hook an ultra-rare Golden Apple Fish.
The Sea of Calamities truly has many good things... Chen Qi smiled happily as he took the Golden Apple Fish from the hook.
Can I take it? Chen Qi gave the Golden Apple Fish a look and politely asked.
Golden Apple Fish: "Wow! ✧⁺(●▾●)⁺✧!"
Okay then... Chen Qi smiled and directly used his merciless iron hands to pluck the golden apple hanging from the Golden Apple Fish's head.
This dazzling golden light is just too adorable... In that moment, Chen Qi even felt that the Golden Apple Fish was ten times cuter than the water spirits—no, a full hundred times cuter!
A prompt appeared before his eyes.
[Sea's Golden Apple
Affinity: Shell, Lamp
Description: Consume the Golden Apple to obtain a body beyond ordinary limits!
Effect: Contains special divine power of Shell and Lamp. After consumption, gain 24 hours of sustained energy, along with increased luck, improved learning efficiency, enhanced disease resistance, recovery, and stamina.
Additionally, upon consumption, receive substantial constitution and inspiration attribute bonuses, plus permanent disease resistance.]
Chen Qi's eyes lit up.
As expected of a golden apple, it really has many bonuses.
However, the main benefits are two: first, the attribute improvements.
After advancing to the third tier, the requirements for supernatural items that boost his constitution have become increasingly strict.
For example, the first attribute-boosting item Chen Qi obtained in the Witch Sea, the Yellow Needle, aside from providing an energy buff, could no longer offer him any attribute bonuses.
Until reaching legendary status, the golden apple remains an extremely nourishing item.
Second is the improved learning efficiency, which is also a great temporary bonus. Combined with his Lamp Inspiration, he might directly max out his Dark Flame Fist.
"Thank you~"
Chen Qi stored the golden apple, patted the round Golden Apple Fish with his hand, and then tossed it back into the sea.
"Whoo! ✧⁺(●▾●)⁺✧!"
The Golden Apple Fish's round face blushed as it swam a few circles in the sea before happily diving into the depths.
Melanie and the other White Tower Hunters stared dumbfounded at this scene, filled with envy.
This person's luck is just too good!
Legend says that if you make a wish upon seeing a Golden Apple Fish, it will bring good fortune.
While marveling, glasses-wearing hunter Aelor silently made a wish:
"Wow! Bless me to pass my exams."
Little Mary the mechanic also earnestly wished:
"Bless me to never gain weight no matter how much I eat."
What a bunch of hopeless guys... Among the seven White Tower Hunters, only Melanie didn't make a wish.
Instead, Melanie looked serious as she tossed her white Hunter's Garb behind her, revealing her sturdy arms, then took out her fishing rod worth one hundred thousand from her Backpack Card!
Then, she took out a golden fishing badge and pinned it to her chest.
"Let me introduce myself—I am a Gold-ranked senior angler of the White Tower Federation Fishing Association, three-time city fishing tournament champion!"
Who asked you... Chen Qi sensed trouble brewing.
Since childhood, Melanie had been a top student at White Tower Federation Academy. In areas she excelled at, she always developed an inexplicable competitive drive.
It could be said that Melanie's motivation for studying and fighting was to surpass others, to continuously exceed others.
Driven by this motivation and her noble family background as a supernatural card maker, Melanie maintained top positions in every competition she entered.
Back then, she firmly believed she was a true genius destined to earn the coveted "White Tower Outstanding Student" honor that countless dreamed of, even having the opportunity to join the Lighthouse and the Knowledge Hunters Association!
Until she met An. At that time, young and arrogant, she even brought two girlfriends to mock An before a competition, calling her an out-of-town slacker just scraping by.
Then, during the competition, she was ruthlessly humiliated by An Aotian, becoming nothing but a stepping stone for An's rise. Since then, her confidence shattered, she became despondent, drifting further from the ranks of White Tower Federation geniuses.
Later, she joined the Hunter Association, distancing herself from the competition-filled atmosphere of White Tower Hunter Academy.
Only then did she emerge from her arrogant young mistress mentality.
But now, seeing Chen Qi, Melanie's competitive spirit reignited.
Novice angler Chen Qi had touched upon her area of greatest expertise!
With a serious expression and considerable confidence, Melanie said:
"Lamp Keeper, since nights are boring and we're keeping watch anyway, why don't we have a fishing competition? We'll see who catches more valuable fish, betting fifty Wriggling Shadows. How about it?"
Chen Qi looked speechlessly at Melanie.
Why was Melanie suddenly challenging him out of nowhere?
Besides, fifty Wriggling Shadows wasn't a small amount either.
Chen Qi didn't understand—this was about her pride as an angler, and even more about her dignity as a captain!
Melanie wanted to show off in front of her crew members.
Chen Qi thought for a moment:
"Alright, keeping watch is boring anyway. But I've used up all my Wriggling Shadows, so I can only make up the difference with money."
"No problem!"
Melanie sat beside Chen Qi and took out a bucket:
"Lamp Keeper, many people say fishing on a moving ship depends entirely on luck, but actually, there are techniques."
"What techniques?"
Chen Qi looked curiously at Melanie.
Melanie curled her lips into a smile:
"That would be praying, and sucking away luck!"
As she spoke, Melanie closed her eyes, crossed her legs, and made praying gestures!
Begin the prayer!
"O twenty-sided dice of the God of Luck, please grant me fortune!"
"God of Luck, disciple of the twenty-sided dice, six-faced angel, please let me absorb his lucky power! Bestow upon me the supreme soul of angler's luck!"
"O Sea Goddess of the Witch Sea, let me drain all his luck!"
"O Shell Witch, I offer you twenty years of my crew's love luck in exchange for showering me with lucky coins!"
Melanie prayed with utmost devotion.
"..."
Is this person really an elite hunter from the White Tower Federation?... Chen Qi's stereotype of White Tower Hunters being rigorous, knowledgeable, and serious had been completely shattered by Melanie.
After a series of prayer rituals, Melanie suddenly cast her fishing line and said confidently:
"The competition officially begins!"
Extremely speechless, Chen Qi silently continued fishing.
As long as he was here, Melanie's fishing harvest shouldn't be small.
No helping it—he was just a natural fishing hotspot.
And the next second, another golden light flashed from the sea surface!
What, a second golden light! Chen Qi was shocked.
Even with his Deep Sea Affinity, encountering a Golden Apple Fish was an extremely low probability event.
Yet in such a short time, a second golden light had appeared.
Was this Sea of Calamities some kind of wishing well?
Chen Qi couldn't help but be surprised—with his Deep Sea Affinity and fishing skill card, could he actually lose to Melanie in fishing?
"My, my, my prayer..."
Melanie was utterly astonished as she quickly stood up, reeling with all her strength.
"Such a heavy feeling! Something big is coming!"
Melanie's face was full of excitement, her eyes completely covered by the dazzling golden light.
Was her luck tonight even better than Chen Qi's?
Whoosh!
"Up!"
Melanie laughed as she lifted her catch.
The moment she pulled it up, massive golden light dazzled everyone.
What she had hooked was a large golden treasure chest.
On the glittering golden treasure chest, colorful gemstones were inlaid.
"Wow!"
Melanie was stunned by the golden light:
"Lamp Keeper, this round goes to me."
"Melanie, that's..."
Chen Qi looked at the treasure chest and sighed.
Melanie blinked:
"Why that expression? Don't tell me you're jealous of my luck..."
Melanie lifted the heavy treasure chest onto the ship, a slight smirk on her lips, ready to show off dramatically.
However, the next second, the massive treasure chest suddenly opened, extending several smooth tentacles that wrapped around Melanie's upper body and dragged her into the chest—
Thump!
"Wow, wow, save, save me! Wuwu—"
Now only Melanie's perky butt and legs remained outside, struggling frantically.
The White Tower Hunters watched this scene with speechless expressions.
The dignity of White Tower Hunters had completely vanished.
Thankfully, Chen Qi was the only outsider present!
"..."
Tentacle Treasure Chest, a mimic monster of the high seas, one of the hunters' nightmares.
Actually, mimic chests weren't uncommon in Shell affinity dimensional rifts, but clearly, Melanie had been blinded by competitive desire.
Chen Qi was utterly speechless.
The professional team he had assembled didn't seem very reliable.
Melanie, with her head buried in the mimic chest being tormented by slimy tentacles, struggled wildly:
"Quick, quick, save, save me, or I'll... use self-destruct on the spot... wuwu..."
So embarrassing... Aelor adjusted his glasses and said:
"Lamp Keeper, we can't choose our own captain."
"Stop talking, just... save your captain!!"
Melanie struggled desperately, her butt wriggling even more violently.
"..."
Damn, I really want to kick that wriggling butt... Chen Qi shook his head and, along with the other White Tower Hunters, knocked out the mimic chest and rescued White Tower Hunter captain Melanie.
Finally, the sticky Melanie was saved, and she became somewhat more subdued.
However, the Tentacle Treasure Chest was actually very rare material—its internal tentacles were excellent for making Flesh Armor, and its external "chest shell" was perfect for crafting mimic clothing.
Melanie's luck was quite good, though compared to Chen Qi's, it was still slightly inferior.
And so, Chen Qi used his Lighting Technique to light an ordinary oil lamp, and he sat with Melanie on the ship, quietly fishing, enjoying the leisurely time from dusk to night.
Everything around was immersed in tranquility.
As time passed, the stars in the night sky seemed to grow brighter, and the Smiling Moon quietly climbed to the highest point in the sky. From time to time, the cheerful sounds of White Tower Hunters and water spirits could be heard.
Melanie and Chen Qi's iron buckets filled with fish, one after another.
Before they knew it, the pale sky ignited once more as the first rays of morning light sprinkled down.
Mist gradually rose from the sea surface, intertwining with the dawn light to create a dreamlike scene.
Chen Qi finally snapped out of his fishing tranquility, surprised to find he had fished from night until morning.
At least I got to see the Witch Sea at four in the morning... Chen Qi glanced at the drowsy Melanie and said:
"I'll go make food first and rest a bit. The rest is up to you all."
"Make food... you can cook too?"
The groggy Melanie rubbed her eyes.
After speaking, Chen Qi picked up the iron buckets filled with materials and headed toward his ghost ship's bedroom.
With the Lamp Keeper's buff, plus nearing the island where the deep blue fire was located, he actually felt more energetic after the night passed.
In the kitchen, Chen Qi sorted out the useful supernatural materials separately, placing the ingredients in the kitchen.
Most fish attracted by his Deep Sea Affinity were dangerous types that required combat to obtain rewards.
But there were exceptions—Shadow Fish, a mutated fish species that appeared after the Smiling Moon. Similar to Ghostfire Fish, they were covered in a special shadow oil that would writhe and form massive shadowy hands to attack nearby creatures when approached!
This special shadow oil could be used to enhance Shadow affinity attacks and assist in learning Shadow affinity skills. Chen Qi had collected a full bucket of it this night.
This was his second biggest harvest of the night, after the golden apple.
After sorting the materials, Chen Qi took out the golden apple and began cooking.
Time to use his Chef skills.
First, after preparing the apple slices, Chen Qi prepared the ingredients for the pie crust.
Selecting flour, butter, and fine sugar, Chen Qi mixed them in proportion before continuously kneading and pounding with dexterous hands until the dough became soft and elastic. Then he rolled the dough into thin sheets, gently covering the pie pan with edges neatly trimmed.
Next, Chen Qi arranged the sliced golden apple pieces neatly on the crust, each slice placed perfectly.
Finally, he took out the secret syrup mixed with honey, combined with his skill Soul Seasoning, and gently drizzled it over the apple slices!
Chen Qi smiled slightly:
"Secret technique. Soul Juice!"
As the Soul Seasoning sprinkled down, the entire apple pie once again glowed with dazzling golden light.
[You have completed cooking the super legendary food 'Golden Legend Apple Pie'!]
Perfect! Chen Qi couldn't help but marvel inwardly—his skills hadn't rusted.
This wasn't an ordinary apple pie—it was an apple pie sprinkled with Soul Seasoning, an apple pie containing supernatural energy!
And at this moment, the newly awakened crew members, seeing the dazzling golden light from the kitchen window of Chen Qi's ship, instantly became fully alert.