Fishing rod selection

"Is Mr. Lorenzo planning to make his own fishing rod?"

Stark finally couldn't hold back and could only ask frankly.

"That's right."

Lorenzo then produced a bunch of strange materials from somewhere and placed them on the table in front of him.

Bones, scales, long whiskers, and teeth—why does it seem so familiar?

"I plan to use keel to make the main body of the fishing rod, and then cover the surface with a layer of dragon scales."

Then he picked up one of the long tendrils and tugged at it forcefully.

"As for fishing line, dragon whiskers are indeed the best choice; no matter how big the prey is or how much it struggles, it's impossible to break it."

As for the fishhook--

He picked up the sharp dragon tooth again.

"Let's use this one."

Stark finally found out where the parts of the Red Mirror Dragon had gone. If the dragon knew that it would be "humiliated" like this after its death, I wonder what it would think.

Are you really just planning to go fishing?

Stark couldn't help but ask.

With a fishing rod like that, you could practically catch a monster, let alone fish!

Moreover, it's a bit unfair to use such a fishing rod in a fishing competition. Other contestants are using wooden hooks and iron rods, but he's already using materials from a dragon's body.

"Of course, while the rules prohibit the use of True Magic, there are no regulations regarding the materials used for fishing rods."

Perhaps after this term, the corresponding regulations will be introduced next year.

"Would you like to take a look at my design? I have some dragon bones and scales here."

Lorenzo asked quite generously.

"No, no."

Stark shook his head without hesitation. He had absolutely no idea how to process the parts of the dragon's body, so he decided to save the materials for later.

And as expected, Mr. Lorenzo's intelligence was not very useful.

Let's go see what Fern has prepared; after all, her way of doing things is always much more pragmatic. Just take a look...

I'm sure she won't make a mistake in her choice.

After bidding farewell to Lorenzo, Stark turned and headed in the direction Fern had gone.

Speaking of which, it's best not to follow Fern. After all, she's not like Mr. Lorenzo who doesn't care if she's discovered. If she catches you red-handed, she'll probably stare at you with that calm yet frightening look for a long time.

So he walked confidently down the street, and as long as he acted naturally enough, he could explain any encounter with Fern as a coincidence.

After all, this town is only so big.

He hadn't gone far when he spotted Fern in the crowd ahead.

The girl did not go to the shop selling fishing rods, but stopped in front of a stall selling fresh fish and carefully examined the fish that had just been caught from the lake in the wooden box.

Where in the lake were these fish caught?

Fern asked the stall owner.

"The reed beds near the north bank, where the water is shallower, attract many fish every autumn."

"So what do they usually eat?"

"Small insects, snail meat, and grass seeds that have fallen into the lake—earthworms and dough bait are all good options if you're fishing with a rod."

"Will these fish be there in the morning too?"

"When the weather is cold, we don't dock too early; more often we do after sunrise."

Fern nodded and jotted down the information in the notebook she always carried with her.

Stark was observing from a short distance away, suddenly realized what was going on.

I see.

Rather than buying a fishing rod directly, it's more important to learn about the location and habits of fish from vendors who handle fish daily.

His style of doing things is indeed much more reliable than Mr. Lorenzo's.

After asking her questions, Fern walked over to a nearby grain stall and bought a small bag of flour and dried corn kernels. Then she went to a spice shop, a herb stall, and a meat shop.

When she returned to the street, she was carrying several paper bags of different sizes.

Is she planning to mix her own bait?

Stark suddenly felt that he had obtained some very important information.

If you keep watching, you might even figure out the exact recipe for the fish bait.

Wait, didn't we agree not to stalk each other?

After hesitating for a moment, Stark finally decided to go up and ask him directly.

After all, as long as you ask openly and honestly, it shouldn't be considered spying, right?

"Fern."

He pretended to have just noticed the other person and raised his hand to greet them.

Fern stopped and turned to look at Stark, then glanced at the corner where he had just been standing.

"Stark."

Her tone remained calm.

"You haven't been staring at me the whole time, have you?"

"How could that be? I didn't."

Stark immediately denied it.

It turned out like this after all. Even though I wasn't secretly following her, why did she still look at me with such a terrifying gaze?

Staring?

Stark only lasted a few seconds before giving up.

"Okay, I admit it, I did want to see how your preparations were going."

He helplessly raised his hands.

"Lady Frieren said that we will split up from now on."

"She only said to split up, she didn't say we couldn't communicate with each other."

"Is this what they call spying on their competitors?"

"It was just normal conversation—I'm sorry."

Stark finished speaking, his voice grew softer and softer, so he could only immediately bow his head and apologize.

Fern sighed softly, but wasn't actually angry about it.

"So, what does Lord Stark want to ask?"

Why were you asking those stall owners about the fish in the lake?

Stark pointed to the several paper bags in her arms.

"And they also bought flour, corn, and meat. Are these all for making fish bait?"

"That's right."

Fern did not deny it.

"I asked the fishermen in town, and they said there are three main types of fish that are easy to catch in the lake this season, but they prefer different foods, so using only one type of bait probably won't be very efficient."

"So you prepared several kinds?"

"Okay, let's try them out separately tomorrow, and then adjust the settings based on how well the fish bite."

As expected of Fern, so reliable.

What is the specific recipe?

Stark quickly pressed for an answer.

"That's a secret, and we're competitors now. Stark should figure out a solution himself."

Fern clutched the paper bag in his arms, then walked past Stark and continued towards the inn without looking back.

Stark stood there, watching Fern's receding figure and sighing helplessly.

After all that work, I haven't gotten anything useful. Mr. Lorenzo's "Dragon Fishing Rod" is a bit...

It's too shocking and unconventional; it's not something an ordinary person could handle.

Fern's preparation methods are worth learning, but she is completely unwilling to reveal the most crucial bait recipe.

It seems that the only person we can investigate now is Frieren.

But can that elf really be trusted?

Stark couldn't help but wonder what was going on.

Finding Frieren in town wasn't difficult.

After all, the town wasn't big, and elves were a very rare race; you could easily find out her location by asking anyone on the street.

"You mean that white-haired elf, the one eating dessert at that dessert shop?"

Dessert shop?

Stark looked in the direction the other person was pointing.

It was a cozy little shop with various cakes and baked goods displayed in the window, and a wooden sign at the entrance that read "Autumn Limited Chestnut Honey Cake" in colorful paint.

He spotted Frieren sitting by the window almost immediately.

A silver-haired elf was currently using a small spoon to scoop out pieces of chestnut cake drizzled with honey from the cake in front of her. Several empty plates were piled on the table, and a steaming cup of black tea sat beside it.

No matter how you look at it, it doesn't seem like someone preparing for a fishing competition.

"Frieren, weren't you here to prepare for the fishing competition?"

Stark walked over and sat down opposite her.

"Of course I was prepared, look."

Frieren swallowed the chestnut cake in her mouth, then took out a fishing rod from the side.

"Let me introduce this fishing rod; it's the one I bought earlier."

Frieren placed the fishing rod on the table.

"Wait a minute, I remember there was an instruction manual."

She rummaged through her suitcase for a while before finally pulling out a yellowed piece of paper from a folded compartment in a magic book.

"First of all, it's the material, right? Uh, they said they 'randomly combined natural elements with Mana alloy,' no wonder it's so sturdy, although I don't really understand what that is."

Even True Magic who has lived for over a thousand years can't figure out what materials the person who made this fishing rod used.

"Hmm, and then there's the automatic tracking function that will quickly return even if it leaves the holder." That's amazing, but it can't automatically track schools of fish.

It sounds somewhat useful, but would a normal person really lose the entire fishing rod?

"And—we offer 24-hour complaint handling service." That's thoughtful, but please still file your complaint at a Holy City physical store. Where's the thoughtfulness in that?

They Holy City, and more importantly, the fishing rod is over a hundred years old, so it's hard to say whether the store that handles complaints even still exists.

Frieren read the instruction manual again from beginning to end, and after confirming that no other functions had been missed, she folded it up and put it back into the magic book with satisfaction.

"In short, all the problems are now solved."

She picked up the small spoon and continued eating the rest of the chestnut cake.

With a sturdy, durable fishing rod that will miraculously return to you even if lost, all you need to do is relax and wait for the competition to begin.

I shouldn't have had any expectations of her after all.