Appraisal Reward

Just as Li Miao ran off to have the Spirit Candle appraise his catch, movement came from Yuanfang's side as well.

He reacted quickly and reeled in the catch without much effort.

[You caught: Little Yellow Croaker ×1.]

Like the Sea Crab Li Miao had caught, this Little Yellow Croaker seemed to possess some special effect, but it needed to be appraised by the Spirit Candle.

"I got one too!"

Just as Yuanfang finished reeling in his catch, Brother Mangzi's eyes lit up. He shouted and grabbed his Fishing Rod, yanking it upward.

But unlike the others, whatever he had hooked put up no resistance at all, sending it flying straight into the air!

Then, with a whoosh, it smacked Brother Mangzi in the face.

[You caught: Torn Stinky Shoe ×1.]

[Torn Stinky Shoe]

[Description: A stinky shoe with no use whatsoever. Please do not attempt to bring it to the Spirit Candle for appraisal.]

Brother Mangzi instinctively spat several times after being hit in the face by the stinky shoe. The lingering stench even made him retch twice.

Guagua nearly lost it at the sight, but she was too embarrassed to laugh outright and could only hold it in.

Yuanfang couldn't help curling his lips into a smile as well.

"Damn it! What the hell is this?! A stinky shoe can bite a hook? This game is targeting me, isn't it?!"

Brother Mangzi's face darkened as he angrily tossed the shoe into the sea.

"Guys! Major discovery!"

Li Miao shouted as he came rushing over.

He held up the Sea Crab in his hand and said directly, "If you appraise these unknown items at the Spirit Candle, the Candle Keepers will give you a reward!"

By now, the Sea Crab in Li Miao's hand had already been appraised.

[Sea Crab]

[Type: Item]

[Effect: Can be processed at a Spirit Candle by consuming candle wax. After processing, eating it will slightly increase your Strength attribute for a period of time.]

[Rarity: Common]

[Description: Crunchy and crisp, tastes like crab.]

After carefully examining the Sea Crab, Yuanfang handed it back to Li Miao.

"There's a rarity setting after appraisal, too..."

"What reward did the Candle Keepers give you?"

"A little candle wax." Li Miao played with the Sea Crab in his hand. "But the Candle Keepers also said that unknown items of the same type can only be appraised once, and the reward can only be claimed once."

"...This is meant to encourage players to explore actively." Yuanfang understood the key point after a brief thought and nodded slightly. "It doesn't matter if the reward is small. This information is important."

"If we can appraise some important information, maybe the rewards will be even more generous!"

Li Miao stroked his chin and made a reasonable guess.

"That makes sense." Guagua nodded in agreement.

Yuanfang put away his Fishing Rod and said to the others, "Keep fishing if you're interested. I'm going to practice my skills first."

As Yuanfang turned and left, the others did not follow him.

"Two more casts, then I'll go to class."

Li Miao sat down, humming a little tune.

Though he was also an experienced gamer, he differed somewhat from Yuanfang.

Yuanfang was highly goal-oriented, while Li Miao preferred enjoying the process of playing. Sometimes, even without any particular purpose, he was happy just sitting around and spacing out.

For some reason, he simply wanted to cast his line two more times.

Then he noticed Brother Mangzi sitting nearby with a dark expression, saying nothing.

Li Miao found that a little strange and couldn't help asking, "Brother Mangzi, what's wrong? Why do you look so unhappy?"

"..." Brother Mangzi's face darkened further. "Nothing."

Do you look like nothing's wrong...

Li Miao muttered inwardly, but since Brother Mangzi did not want to talk about it, he wasn't about to press him.

Guagua, who knew the reason, was struggling not to laugh.

The two of you caught something, while Brother Mangzi alone reeled in a stinky shoe. Of course he can't be happy...

But out of consideration for Brother Mangzi's dignity, she did not tell Li Miao.

"Guagua, aren't you fishing? Don't you still have Meat Bait? Why not give it a try?"

Li Miao looked at Guagua.

"Mm... I think I've learned enough, but I don't really want to fish here."

Guagua thought for a moment before replying.

"What do you mean?" Li Miao immediately grew interested. "Don't tell me your talent gives you some kind of premonition too?"

"No, not that. It's because..."

As she spoke, Guagua looked up at the sky. Before she could finish, two bird calls came from overhead.

"Coo coo..."

As if he had seen something, Li Miao's pupils shrank. "Brother Mangzi, get out of the way—"

But his warning came too late.

Splat.

With a soft sound, a sticky mixture of white, black, and yellow fell with perfect accuracy onto Brother Mangzi's gleaming bald head, splashing up a few droplets...

Li Miao's words caught in his throat. A powerful urge to laugh shot straight to his Skull Cap, but he could only force it down with sheer willpower. His face turned red, and his body trembled uncontrollably.

Don't laugh, don't laugh. Brother Mangzi's already in a bad mood...

Guagua clamped a hand tightly over her mouth to keep herself from bursting into laughter.

"What?"

Still depressed over catching the stinky shoe, Brother Mangzi turned toward Li Miao's voice, only to suddenly feel a warmth on his scalp.

Then a warm stream trickled down his forehead.

A terrible premonition immediately rose in Brother Mangzi's heart.

He lightly touched it with a finger. Looking at the unknown liquid on his hand, he found it hard to believe and instinctively sniffed it.

"..."

"You damned stinky bird!!!"

Beneath a rocky cliff.

Brother Yu stood on a swaying rock, holding his Fishing Rod.

The terrain here was extremely dangerous. From the side, the rocky cliff formed a T shape, and Brother Yu was standing on the small hook at its bottom.

The Seawater ahead was comparatively calm, seemingly due to the terrain beneath it.

In Brother Yu's eyes, this was an excellent fishing spot.

He propped up his head and idly tapped his knuckles.

After smacking his lips, he instinctively reached for his pocket, wanting to light a cigarette and play a mobile game for a while.

But he quickly froze, his mouth twitching.

What am I thinking? Playing a game inside a game?

After realizing this, Brother Yu could only lie down and rest with his eyes closed.

Of course, he could not actually sleep. Players in a virtual reality game were essentially in a dormant state physically, their minds full of energy.

This state happened to make it convenient for him to watch his Fishing Rod.

Just as he rested with his eyes half-closed, a soft sound suddenly came from ahead.

Plop.

"Hm?" Though the sound was faint, it still made Brother Yu rise in surprise.

Then he saw another slender fishing line hanging down over his own float.

A familiar, leisurely humming drifted down from above.

This is... Guagua?

There were only five players on the island including himself, and only one was female, so he knew who it was the moment he heard the voice.

Brother Yu immediately understood, finding it both amusing and exasperating. Why had this girl come here too?

Shaking his head, Brother Yu prepared to put away his Fishing Rod and go say hello.

But the movement from the sea ahead made him stop in his tracks.

"Huh, that fast?"

Feeling the pull on her line, Guagua's eyes lit up and she hurriedly gripped her Fishing Rod tightly.

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