Chapter 133: Festival Commotion at the Harbor
“Ahhh, I felt like I was living on borrowed time…”
As we returned to land, Mognov’s voice echoed from where he stood on solid ground.
“Haha, you were reeling in nothing but big catches,” Rio replied with a wry smile, and she was absolutely right. With fish so large that they could capsize the boat with just a bit of thrashing, maintaining a calm demeanor was no easy feat. There was even a fish that shot out of the water and cast Water Magic at the same time. I could only admire the prowess of the sea monsters.
“As an apology, I’ll give you one of these fish.”
“Really? Is that okay?”
In a spacious, roofed area resembling a fish market at the harbor, Mognov pulled out a rather sizable fish. It was nearly ten meters long. I couldn’t gauge its weight, but it was definitely not something one could carry around easily.
“Hahaha! A fish this size!”
“Looks like it’ll be quite the challenge to fillet it,” I remarked.
“Indeed. It seems like it would be tough for me to handle it alone, so I’ll call for some help.”
I felt like his tone had shifted slightly, but I decided not to comment on it.
With Mognov’s call, about five fishermen gathered, each expressing their astonishment. After exchanging introductions, they turned their attention back to the fish that had been caught.
“This here is a King Blue Tail!”
So this was the name of the fish. While we were fishing, Mognov had shared the names of the fish we caught, but there were so many unfamiliar creatures from this Otherworld that I couldn’t keep track of them all. The fish had blue patterns running from its eyes to its tail, and its tail was a vibrant blue.
“With a size like this… it must easily be worth over fifty million Fron.”
Wow, that’s quite a price! I wondered just how many of these giant fish we had caught today. I felt like Rio and I had reeled in at least fifty together… but I decided not to dwell on it.
“Either way, let’s get to filleting it quickly.”
“Then we’ll join you and help with the filleting.”
Since we had promised to learn how to fillet large catches for free, we decided to take this opportunity to learn. We planned to practice while being taught, so Rio and I pulled out another fish from the Dimensional Box, making sure it was another King Blue Tail for clarity. Thus, the filleting of the giant fish began.
Before long, a crowd began to gather, curious about the spectacle. It seemed that whenever a giant fish was caught, it turned into a sort of filleting show, where the inedible parts and less durable sections were served to the onlookers.
“This is incredible! They caught two of them…”
As the crowd noted, we indeed had two fish this time. Moreover—
“What’s happening over there with the filleting…?”
“The flesh is floating on its own!”
“I can’t believe it doesn’t break with such a thin blade!”
Many spectators watched us with keen interest. The fishermen were using all sorts of tools, working together to wrestle with the giant fish. They had set up a ladder shaped like a U over the fish’s body, with someone standing on top, lifting and supporting the fillets that were being cut away.
Meanwhile, we were using a single wakizashi-style blade, about fifty centimeters long, to fillet the fish. It was a weapon I had crafted myself, and it was proving to be quite effective for cutting fish. I used magic to lift and support the pieces I had cut, skillfully dividing the massive fish. With the fishermen’s guidance, we were making steady progress.
Before I knew it, the sun had set, and the area was dimming. Lights had been lit around us, and food was being served, creating a festive atmosphere.
“This is amazing! What is this?!”
We were also providing ingredients, and our mayonnaise-based carpaccio dish was receiving rave reviews. The fish we had filleted was already stored in the Dimensional Box, but it seemed that the fillets from the giant fish we had given to Mognov were already being traded with customers.
“This has a completely different vibe than filleting at the Adventurer’s Guild.”
“That’s right; there are no spectators at the Guild.”
People of all kinds, from adventurers to townsfolk and even slaves wearing chokers, were enjoying the food. Various dishes were being served, including sashimi, grilled fish, and seafood soup. It seemed that dishes made from the innards were a limited-time offering for today. I needed to make sure to learn how to prepare those properly.
“Hahaha! I never expected it to turn into such a big event, but I’ve had a great time. Thank you!”
Mognov approached us, starting with those words.
“Not at all! It was thanks to you, Mognov, that I came up with this fishing method.”
“Exactly. I just called out to adventurers fishing off a pier where nothing was biting, thinking it would be a little side hustle.”
Mognov laughed heartily, giving us a few hearty pats on the back.
“Tomorrow’s Harbor Morning Market is going to be quite the spectacle. Other seafood will be brought in as usual, so you should come check it out.”
I had looked around at the street stalls selling fresh fish, but I had never been to the Harbor Morning Market. This could be a great opportunity for sourcing ingredients.
“We’ll definitely make it a point to come.”
And so, we enjoyed the spontaneous festival that had erupted at the harbor.