Chapter 130: Let’s Try Fishing at the Harbor
Before I knew it, three days had already passed. The sashimi I had after such a long time was delicious, but without soy sauce, it just didn’t feel quite right. Still, I was satisfied with the variety of seafood I had enjoyed.
The view of the sea from my room was stunning. The sight of the sunset sinking into the horizon was simply breathtaking. I spotted a few fishing boats heading out to sea, but there were no large vessels like those found on Earth. It seemed they didn’t venture far offshore, perhaps only fishing in nearby waters.
Speaking of which, I wondered if there was a continent beyond the sea. I hadn’t seen any ships heading overseas, but I might have been too focused on eating to notice.
“I’m starting to get a bit bored,” I said.
“Yeah… How about we look for ingredients next?” Rio suggested.
“Hmm?”
I tilted my head at Rio’s proposal. While I couldn’t say I had fully explored everything in these three days, I felt I had tasted a decent variety of seafood. I had enjoyed not only fish but also crustaceans like shrimp and crabs, as well as shellfish.
But now that she mentioned it, I realized I had only been sampling dishes made from seafood. I hadn’t actually sought out the ingredients themselves.
“Think about it—seaweed, octopus, and fish roe like ikura; we haven’t tried any of those yet.”
“Oh, right! We’ve been sightseeing at the harbor, but it might be nice to try fishing ourselves.”
I had no experience with fishing, but this seemed like a great opportunity. Catching a big fish and preparing it myself sounded appealing. Besides, I couldn’t recall seeing seaweed in any of the dishes served at the inn. I quite liked wakame, but perhaps it didn’t exist in this world.
“Plus, we should make sure we can eat fish even after we leave here,” I added.
Now that I thought about it, I had been eating to my heart’s content without stocking up in the Dimensional Box.
“Alright then. Let’s get ready and head to the harbor,” I decided.
We left the inn and made our way to the harbor. It was just before noon, but most of the boats had already returned to port. Observing the harbor, I noticed that even the largest boat was only about thirty meters long. I wasn’t well-versed in size classifications, but it seemed to be a medium-sized vessel by Earth standards.
We approached one of the piers extending from the shore into the sea and settled down at the end. Rio sat beside me, and Nil plopped down next to her, peering curiously into the water.
From the Dimensional Box, I pulled out the fishing rod I had hastily crafted that morning. It was a simple contraption—a sturdy metal rod with a hook made from the Metal Spider Thread that was part of my master’s legacy.
“I’ve never fished before, but I’m feeling a bit excited,” Rio said.
“I haven’t either, but…” I glanced around, noticing that there wasn’t a single person fishing on the pier.
“Is there even anything to catch here?”
The absence of other fishermen made me a bit anxious. I had no idea how fishing worked in this Otherworld. Was it that there were no fish here, or…?
“Well, we won’t know until we try,” Rio replied.
“True. We should also be cautious of any Monsters lurking beneath the surface.”
“In that case, let’s set up a Barrier from the start.”
“Ha ha, let’s do that.”
A thin, sturdy Barrier was established around us, extending about five meters in radius, parallel to the water’s surface.
“Is this enough?” I asked.
“Seems good to me… Alright.”
Not knowing what kind of bait would attract fish, I decided to use some dried meat. I tore off a piece of an appropriate size and hooked it onto the line before lowering it into the sea. The line passed through a small hole in the Barrier, so there was no issue there. Surely, no large Monsters capable of destroying boats would appear in the harbor.
“From what I can see, it doesn’t look like there are any big fish around,” I observed, peering into the clear, blue water. The visibility was so good that I could see the seabed about twenty meters down. There were plenty of small fish, but that was about it. I could see some seaweed swaying a little further away, but I wondered if it was edible.
“Yeah, I’m not sure we can expect much,” Rio replied.
After about five minutes of fishing without any bites, Nil seemed to lose interest and lay down on the pier, closing his eyes. Another ten minutes passed with no change. By the time thirty minutes had gone by, Nil had grown impatient and began poking me with his front paw.
“Ugh… I guess we should just give up…”
“I’m starting to get bored too… The scenery is nice, though.”
As I looked out over the endless sea, I took in the view. This harbor, located on the southern side of the continent, formed a large bay with calm waves. About a kilometer to the east, a cape jutted out into the sea, while to the west, the seabed gradually became shallower, leading to sandy beaches a few kilometers away.
“Ha ha ha! So, how’s the catch?” a voice called out from behind us, interrupting my thoughts.
I turned to see a jovial, red-faced fisherman standing there, a bottle of alcohol in one hand, looking down at us.
“Not a single bite,” I admitted.
“Yeah, I figured as much.”
“Oh, really?”
“Hmm? You noticed, huh?”
His words confirmed my suspicion about why there were no other fishermen around.
“Well, if no one else is casting a line, it’s pretty obvious!”
He explained that to prevent boats from being damaged, a Monster-repelling potion was regularly sprinkled around the harbor. It turned out that not only did it keep large Monsters away, but it also deterred medium-sized fish that would otherwise attract the larger ones.
“Want me to take you out on a boat this afternoon?” the fisherman offered with a grin.
I was taken aback. Did he really want to help us for no reason?
“Wait, really?”
“Of course, I’ll take you out, but I expect a little something in return,” he chuckled, making a money gesture with his hands.
Well, if it meant getting a boat ride, I could understand his motivation.
“Alright, then. Can we count on you?”
“Leave it to me!” he replied confidently.