Fishing Tournament

"Fishing competition?"

Stark immediately became interested.

Every autumn, when the fish catch is at its peak, we hold a large-scale fishing competition on the lake.

"Participants need to set off simultaneously to fish in the lake after sunrise and return to the dock before noon, using their own fishing rods. The person who catches the most fish and the person who catches the heaviest single fish will receive a corresponding reward."

Do you prepare your own fishing rod?

Fern seemed thoughtful. They obviously didn't have such things with them, so if they decided to participate, they would have to either make or buy some fishing rods before the competition started.

"To be fair, the use of True Magic is prohibited during this period."

The stall owner must have noticed that there was True Magic among them, so he specifically reminded them.

"In past competitions, some True Magic have used detection True Magic to find schools of fish, while others have tried to manipulate the lake water to directly lure fish to their hooks."

"The worst time was when a hot-tempered contestant waited for ages without a bite, and finally just used an attack True Magic to blast the entire surface of the water up."

Fried fish?

As the stall owner recounted past "cases," the corners of their mouths twitched involuntarily.

"From then on, the prohibition of True Magic became the most important rule in the fishing competition."

That's perfectly reasonable.

What is the prize?

Frieren asked the stall owner.

"Besides the prize money, there seems to be a magic book that can remove all fish bones. Well, our town isn't very big, and we don't have anything else to offer."

The stall owner even sounded a little embarrassed.

After all, in his view, this kind of True Magic was just a minor trick. It could neither be used to deal with monsters nor help fishermen catch more fish. Apart from saving some effort when eating, it seemed to have no other special use.

"When does the competition start? I want to participate."

Frieren's attitude instantly became more positive.

"The day after tomorrow, the location is right by the pier."

The stall owner pointed to the fishing boat that had just docked not far away and said to them.

"If you want to participate, just go to the fisheries association next to the pier to register before tomorrow evening."

"Then let's hurry up and get ready, Lady Frieren."

Fern immediately said.

"By the way, do they know how to fish?"

Looking at the two who had suddenly become full of energy, Stark asked Lorenzo beside him in a low voice.

"Probably not."

Lorenzo's answer was not very certain.

He had never seen Frieren and Fern with a fishing rod on the entire journey.

"What's so difficult about that?"

Frieren overheard their conversation and immediately turned around.

"Listen up, Fern. Fishing is simply putting bait on the hook, casting it into the lake, and then retrieving it after the fish bites."

She spoke as if it were the most obvious thing in the world, making the steps as simple as putting an elephant in a refrigerator.

However, Lorenzo felt that her nose seemed to have gotten a little longer, though he wasn't sure if it was just his imagination.

"At least in terms of confidence, he has surpassed most of the contestants."

Afterwards, the group found a hotel and dropped off their luggage.

"Next, we should find a suitable fishing rod. But since it's a competition, and there can only be one winner, then we're competitors, right?"

After packing her luggage, Frieren seemed to suddenly remember something, and her expression became particularly serious.

"So let's split up for now."

The atmosphere suddenly became serious.

"In that case, let's get back to the hotel before dinner."

Fern also wore an expression full of enthusiasm.

She wasn't particularly interested in the magic book, but for some reason, the thought of defeating Frieren fairly and squarely in the competition made her feel that she absolutely couldn't lose.

So the four of them chose different directions and left from the entrance of the hotel.

Stark wandered aimlessly through the town's streets.

I brought my own fishing rod. I used to make one myself using branches and vines when I was doing wilderness survival with my mentor.

But such things are ultimately just emergency supplies. If you can catch a few fish from the river to fill your stomach, that's considered its mission accomplished. In the end, they are often just thrown into the campfire to be used as firewood.

But since this is a competition, we definitely can't use this method again. If we just find a tree branch and tie the line to it like before, we'll already lose to the other contestants in terms of sheer momentum.

But what exactly should a fishing rod suitable for competition look like?

First and foremost, the rod must be sturdy. Otherwise, if you catch a huge fish and the rod breaks before you even get it ashore, you'll just have to watch your victory slip away.

We should definitely choose the thickest and heaviest one, preferably one that won't break even if we fish up a monster from the water.

Wait, isn't it true that the heavier a regular fishing rod is, the better?

Stark became increasingly confused.

Why don't we go and see how they do it? After all, Frieren didn't say we can't inquire about the situation, and ultimately, waging an "intelligence war" against competitors is only natural.

After convincing himself, Stark changed direction and headed in the direction Lorenzo had just left.

As one of only two male members of the team, Lorenzo always gave off the impression of a reliable adult. No matter what happened, he seemed to remain calm and composed, with a confident and composed demeanor as if everything was under control.

That is precisely why it is the most dangerous and deserves our vigilance!

It's just fishing; who knows, he might have already come up with some amazing method. If I participate in the competition unprepared, I might not even understand how he won.

So Stark searched along the street and soon spotted the familiar figure in front of a workshop.

He quickly hid behind a wooden barrel by the street, peeking out only half his head to observe secretly.

Very good, it seems he didn't realize that my tracking skills are quite good.

"Stark."

"Ah?"

Your hair is showing.

Lorenzo said without turning his head.

Stark subconsciously reached out and touched his red hair.

This color is definitely not suitable for following others.

"I just happened to be passing by."

Stark emerged from behind the barrel and casually glanced at the shelves in the workshop.

"What a coincidence, I didn't expect to see you here."

"Did your master ever tell you that you're really bad at lying?"

Lorenzo looked at Stark, who had a completely guilty expression, with a speechless look on his face, and said to him.