Chapter 97 - Power of Demonic Fishes
Han Fei thought to himself, If the first-level fishery was surrounded by the eight villages, where was the second-level fishery?
The village leader seemed to know Han Fei’s thoughts as he said, “The level-two fishery is further away, two thousand miles away from the eight villages.”
Han Fei was surprised. “So, it is not that we have surrounded the level-one fishery, but that the level-one fishery and the level-two fishery have surrounded us?”
The village leader nodded with a smile. “Exactly!”
“Then what about the level-three fishery…”
The village leader glanced at Han Fei. “Do you know why the fisheries other than those fisheries we mentioned above is called the Place Unknown?”
Han Fei shook his head.
“The level-three fishery has surpassed the range that the villages can explore. A great fishing master in the level-three fishery is just like a fisherman in the mixed zone and there is a good chance that he’ll die there. So the level-three fishery is not around the villages but lies in a remote area and can only be reached through the teleportation circle in the town.”
Han Fei nodded and continued to ask, “What about the Place Unknown?”
“As you become stronger, you will know more about it. Even I don’t know much about it. Well, I think you’ve understood the classification of level-one, two, and three fisheries. Now let’s talk about the level-one fishery.”
Then he took a meaningful look at Han Fei. “Do you know what the significance of the Fishing Trial is? The parents of those children knew that their children may die, why did they still make them participate in it? Why do parents cry over their child’s death but do not regret it?”
Han Fei tried to guess. “Is it for the level-one fishery?”
The village leader nodded. “Yes, the level-one fishery is far more dangerous than the Fishing Trial. When you get there, you may meet people who you don’t know. You don’t even know who will suddenly pop up, trap you, or even kill you. So what is most dangerous is not the fish, but people.”
Han Fei took a deep breath. He could imagine how fierce the competition was as the eight villages had to share one single fishery. Now he finally understood why people allied but then fought each other in the Fishing Trial. If a village couldn’t form an alliance within itself, internal strife tended to occur. Then even if the village got a treasure, the villagers would fight each other for who would keep it.
Han Fei suddenly remembered something and said to the village leader, “The power of demonic fishes. Tang Ge once told me that the power of demonic fish could be absorbed by us.”
The village leader glanced at Han Fei with appreciation. “Yes, he was right.”
“It is said that even a common fisherman can absorb the power of demonic fish. Can we directly absorb the power from demonic fishes from the level-one fishery?”
“Haha! It’s not that simple.”
The village leader seemed to be glad to see him so ignorant.
Han Fei: “???”
The village leader explained, “I think you’ve once witnessed the so-called power of demonic fish. At least a lot of members of The Fish Dragons have it, so did Li Jue, but we call those demonic fishes contractual spiritual beasts.”
“Huh?”
Han Fei looked at the village leader in amazement. “How could it be? If they are contractual spiritual beasts, why did I only see Li Jue and Li Gang have them? No other people seem to have them…”
The village leader’s face turned solemn. “So, this is why all villages have to enter the level-one fishery. The failure rate of ordinary fishermen or fishing masters to sign contracts with common demonic fishes of the first-level fishery is too high, mainly because those ordinary demonic fishes are too low-leveled and have no spirituality. So those who fail can only get some strength from the demonic fish but cannot make a contract with them. But as you remember, Li Jue’s Tiger-Head Fish was quite spiritual, right? It’s of a rare species, which is essentially different from ordinary fishes.”
Han Fei was curious. “So, are there a lot of rare demonic fishes in the level-one fishery?”
The village leader shook his head again. “No, only a small amount of rare demonic fishes or those mutated from ordinary demonic fishes. The level-one fishery is only this big, but so many people rush in to catch demonic fishes, so it is not uncommon for people to kill and steal. Sometimes, when someone of a village acquires a rare demonic fish, the other villages will even besiege this village together.”
“What for?”
The village leader smiled bitterly. “For restricting the development of other villages. Once a village has a genius, the benefits he will bring to that village are unexpected…”
“What’s the benefit? Is Tang Ge considered a genius?”
The village leader nodded. “Sure! Did you know that when Tang Ge was taken away by the angel it caused a sensation in the town and other villages?”
“That makes sense. Perhaps even in the town, there hadn’t been a person with a level-seven spiritual heritage before!”
The village leader sighed. “Yes! But it is both a blessing and a curse. Since Tang Ge had been taken away by the angel, our Heavenly Water Village should move to where the Heavenly Heart Village is and replace it.”
Han Fei was stunned. “Excuse me? Grandpa Leader, wait a minute, can the floating islands move?”
The village leader smiled. “Yes, this is because of the formation left by the ancient peerless hero, which was to intensify the competition among the villages and cultivate stronger people… Forget it. Why do I nag on so much?! Sorry, people talk more as they get older… I tell you this because every fishing master in the villages has a task.”
Han Fei asked seriously, “What task?”
The village leader said solemnly, “Scramble, scramble for rare demonic fishes. As you know, all schools in our village give students free Spirit Swallowing Fish soup, which is also for fulfilling a task. Every village has an unwritten rule that every fishing master should go to the level-one fishery as much as they can and catch Spirit Swallowing Fish as much as they can. In theory, every fishing master shall catch 500 pounds of Spirit Swallowing Fish a month.”
Han Fei blinked. “Then I…”
“You have been a fishing master for three days, right? You still have 27 days to catch 500 pounds of Spirit Swallowing Fish. Of course, if you can contract a spiritual beast, you don’t have to catch fish… By the way, absorbing the power of demonic fish is not counted because the power of the demon fish is no match for that of a contractual spiritual fish.”
Han Fei almost fainted. Shit! I had thought my day had come and was thinking about how to expand The Fish Dragons! It turns out that I’ll have to go to the level-one fishery to grab resources. If I happen to meet two peak-leveled fishing masters at the same time there, I’ll be dead meat!
The village leader smiled. “Han Fei, you are still young. Don’t envy the fishing masters who can stay in the village. They have already paid a heavy price. Even Li Jue had killed more than 10 fishing masters from other villages and interrupted the spiritual-beast signing contracting process of the people of the other villages twice.”
Han Fei felt as if there were ten thousand Iron-Head Fish galloping in his heart. No, I am still a child!
With that said, the village leader handed him a book. “Take it. This is the mantra for contracting a spiritual beast. Learn it by heart as soon as possible. Don’t waste your time on trivial matters such as The Fish Dragons.”
Han Fei rolled his eyes. I’ve just become a gang leader! And I haven’t established a glorious image in the villagers’ heart yet! Why do I have to go back to cultivate again?!
…
He returned to the plantation.
Jiang Qin happened to be in the plantation today.
Han Fei laughed. “Sister Qin, don’t you go to work today?”
“I took the day off.”
“OK! Sister Qin, can I ask if you have a contractual spiritual beast?”
Jiang Qin responded by asking him, “Why do you ask me this? Are you going to the level-one fishery?”
Han Fei scratched his head. “The village leader came to me today and asked me to catch 500 pounds of Spirit Swallowing Fish every month. He also wanted me to scramble for demonic fishes with the others! But I’m so young. I don’t think I’ll have any chance to win over others. I might as well catch Spirit Swallowing Fish!”
“Hoho!”
Jiang Qin sneered. “You don’t think you’ll have a chance? Then how can you explain Li Jue’s death? How do you have the cheek to play weak?”
As Jiang Qin turned her eyeballs, with a flash, a blue lobster appeared in front of her.
“Attach!”
Han Fei was startled as Jiang Qin suddenly threw a punch at him.
“Sister Qin…”
Clang…
Han Fei held up his rod to block her fist but was still sent flying through the air.
Han Fei crawled out of the vegetable garden with tears. “Sister Qin, why did you suddenly beat me?”
“I just showed you the power of a contractual spiritual beast. I only used the power of a junior fishing master. How do you feel?”
Han Fei was shocked. Only the power of a junior fishing master? But why was the attack power so strong?
Han Fei immediately said, “No, Sister Qin, I’ve fought Li Jue. Even if he had had his Tiger-Head Fish attached to him, he had not exceeded the limit of a fishing master, nor had the strength of a great fishing master. But when your contractual spiritual beast attached to you, your strength seemed to rise by two levels.”
Jiang Qin nodded. “Accurately speaking, my strength climbed from that of a junior fishing master to an intermediate one, but still a step away from that of an advanced fishing master after Little Blue attached to me. Li Jue wasn’t this strong because the Tiger-Head fish he got was a mother and son pair. He gave the son to his son Li Hu. After the death of his son’s fish, the strength of the mother fish was greatly reduced. You are lucky.”
Han Fei broke out in a cold sweat. So, if I hadn’t killed Li Hu, I might not have been able to beat Li Jue?
“Gosh, this world is dangerous.”