"Hey, I caught one!"
"It's biting! It's biting!"
"Shut up! You scared all the fish away!"
The adventurers' shouts blended with the thunderous roar of the waves pounding against the shore, filling the air with a lively atmosphere.
This was a large fishing ground southeast of Stodd on Thousand-Stakes Island.
Hundreds of Water Ironwood stakes formed rings within rings, plunging straight into the seabed. Here and there, ropes and fishing nets with large holes could be seen connecting some of the nearby stakes.
Thousand-Stakes Island lay at the heart of a reef region and enjoyed an advantageous location surrounded by vast Shallow Sea areas. The abundant sunlight and the nutrient enrichment brought by the Water Ironwood forests made the fishery resources around the island exceptionally rich.
Sunlight pierced straight through the clear water. Shoals of fish could be seen swimming between the stakes, as though one could scoop up two of them with ease.
This was also one of the economic pillars the Pile Folk relied on for survival.
Yet there were no fishermen in the fishing ground at present. Even the nets and ropes used for aquaculture had mostly been removed.
In their place were large numbers of noisy, disorderly adventurers.
With the Moon Tide Feast approaching, this fishing ground had been commandeered by Algae Scale Dodd's forces and turned into the venue for the celebration.
The first of the five events, which would determine participation in the final lottery, was being held here.
"Time limit: three hours."
A middle-aged man in formal attire, sporting a refined goatee, stood on the shore and smiled.
"As long as you catch fish worth more than one Gold Coin within the time limit, you'll pass."
It didn't sound like much. Just one Gold Coin wasn't considered a large sum by any adventurer