The Illusion of Fishery (Part 1)

The Endless Sea spans the entire Azeroth Continent. Like all planets teeming with life, the surface is mostly water, with only a small portion forming the continents.

After executing a few more magical beasts that were blind enough to cross his path, Lin Lei arrived at a beach in the western part of the Crouching Dragon Ravine.

The flat beach shimmered like gold under the sunlight, and from time to time, a few starfish washed up by the tide curled their bodies.

In front of Lin Lei, a crab the size of an adult man's palm crawled sideways with an arrogant, "who else but me" posture.

Its two small eyes bulged and swiveled, and milky white foam bubbled at the corners of its mouth, as if it were mocking the fool shouting before it.

"Hey, with my temper, you little guy are quite bold. Red Fire, take care of it."

Lin Lei, who had been shouting, looked down and caught the mockery in the creature's eyes. Feeling insulted, he immediately ordered Red Fire to deal with it.

Crunch! Crunch!

Red Fire did not disappoint him. With one snap of its wolf jaws, the crab became a pre-meal snack, its succulent juices splattering onto the sand as the beast chewed.

"Such a fine crab, ruined by this little brat. What a waste."

Lin Lei sighed hypocritically from the side, feigning indignation on the crab's behalf.

This is my first time seeing the ocean; I should look around more.

Lin Lei thought to himself.

It was a shame to admit, but in his past life, Lin Lei had never seen the ocean. After reaching adulthood, he had rarely even seen a clear blue sky. Only now, having arrived here, could he truly witness the sea.

He continued walking along the beach, the tide washing over his ankles. The icy seawater provided a pleasant sensation, while Red Fire ran wild beside him.

The spray kicked up from the sea eventually fell back into the water; everything came from nature, and in the end, it would return to nature.

He gazed into the distance.

Snow-white waves crashed against the reefs far away, and from time to time, flying fish broke through the sky, experiencing the sensation of flight.

The sea surface was clear and pristine, free of modern plastic bags or mineral water trash. The azure vista and the roaring sound of the waves left Lin Lei momentarily intoxicated.

At the edge of the beach, there were trees similar to coconut palms, their fruits large and plump.

Lin Lei casually plucked one, split the husk, and took a large gulp of the juice inside.

"Pfft..."

Lin Lei spat it all out the moment he swallowed.

"Damn it, that tastes awful. It's exactly like wild coconut juice."

Wild coconut juice was not delicious; it was sour and astringent. The coconuts tourists usually drank were those already cultivated by merchants.

Discarding the coconut, Lin Lei climbed onto a massive rock and gazed into the distance.

"What is that? It's sparkling."

Driven by curiosity, Lin Lei approached a pool isolated from the sea.

The pool was about the size of half a basketball court and filled with seawater. Fish darted past his eyes from time to time; he assumed it had been left behind when the tide receded.

The light Lin Lei had seen earlier came from here, but by the time he arrived, there was only clear water and nothing else.

"Did I see it wrong?"

Lin Lei felt a bit disappointed, when suddenly, a golden flash appeared in the pool.

"Wow, that's the legendary Golden Carp."

He shouted in surprise. The Golden Carp had always been the most coveted catch for anglers. He had heard legends of it in the modern world, but he never expected to encounter one in this other world.

Azeroth also had legends of the Golden Carp. Just as its name suggested, the Golden Carp was like a koi fish, representing good fortune. If someone were to consume an entire Golden Carp, their luck would increase many times over.

It could turn a passerby into a supporting character, a supporting character into a protagonist, and make one a child of destiny, even if only for a single day.

"I can't wait to catch it."

Lin Lei stripped off his heavy armor and dove into the pool with a splash. The pool didn't look large, but it was at least ten meters deep.

As Lin Lei moved, the Golden Carp seemed to sense the danger and darted away at high speed. It was more than five times faster than Lin Lei—so fast that he couldn't even track its silhouette.

He could only spot its position when the Golden Carp paused. It seemed the legendary Golden Carp was not so easy to catch after all.

Lin Lei climbed back onto the shore, unwilling to give up.

If one plan failed, he would hatch another.

"If I drain the water, it won't have anywhere to run."

No sooner had the thought occurred than he began to execute it.

Lin Lei lacked modern equipment like large water pumps; he had only his own two hands. Relying on his strength, he moved a hundred liters of water at a time.

As Lin Lei worked, the water level in the pool dropped at a speed visible to the naked eye. It wouldn't be long before the Golden Carp had nowhere left to hide.

Slap! Slap-slap-slap-slap-slap!

Unexpectedly, the cornered Golden Carp leaped into the air, slapped Lin Lei across the face several times, and then used his body as a springboard to jump back into the open sea.

"The Golden Carp... it got away."

Stunned by the fish, Lin Lei stared blankly as the Golden Carp turned into a streak of gold and vanished into the horizon, leaving only a few red marks on his face.

"Just like that, it ran away."

Lin Lei repeated the words calmly, once again demonstrating the principle that the essence of humanity is being a broken record.

To be honest, it was impossible for Lin Lei not to be annoyed. In fact, for a while after the Golden Carp vanished, he had smashed the surrounding rocks into smithereens.

Rock: It was the fish that slapped you, why take it out on me?

"Forget it."

Looking at the scene where he had spent several hours working, the water in the pit had dropped to less than half a meter, and he could catch the remaining fish just by touching them with his hand.

"Since I didn't catch the Golden Carp, I'll just have to use you lot as a substitute."

Lin Lei casually took a bag over a meter large from his pack and loaded it with the remaining carp, crucian carp, crabs, lobsters, sea urchins, and every other edible seafood he could find.

He weighed it slightly; it was probably a few hundred pounds. Not too much, but enough for a few dozen people to have a meal.

In the end, Lin Lei carried these seafood items away, concluding his first experience with the Endless Sea.

"Give this to the head chef. Tell him I only want to eat carp tonight. Keep the rest for later. Use the carp to make dishes tonight—steamed, braised, every style you can think of."

Upon entering the Lord's Mansion, Lin Lei handed the bag to the maid standing nearby, instructing the little Halfling to have them prepare a good meal with these.

After handing the bag of fish to the servant, he walked into his bedroom, stripped off his armor and weapons, and lay down in his bathtub.

The water temperature in the bathtub was just right, having already been tested by the servants. As Lin Lei's body was completely submerged in the hot water, a feeling of extreme comfort welled up.

He felt the pores all over his body open, with heat flowing through them. It was incredibly comfortable.

Without a word, Lin Lei lay lazily in the bathtub until the water turned icy cold before he finally climbed out.

"My Lord, the head chef has prepared dinner according to your requirements. Miss Aierlan is waiting for you to dine."

"Understood. You may go; tell her I'll be there immediately."

"Yes, My Lord."

The butler bowed and withdrew.

Lin Lei straightened his clothes—a suit manufactured in his own territory. It was created by the local tailor shop according to his will. Although Lin Lei's explanation hadn't been very clear, the garment still resembled a modern suit by over ninety percent.

"Wow, it really is all carp dishes."

Seeing the table full of carp dishes, Lin Lei was surprised. This had originally just been a remark made in a fit of pique; he hadn't expected them to actually pull it off.

"There's boiled carp, braised carp, steamed carp, as well as minced garlic fish head, stir-fried fish fillets, spicy grilled fish... this is truly impressive. Butler, record a reward of one hundred gold coins for them and add it to their wages."

Lin Lei said.

"Yes, My Lord."

The butler standing to the side replied, then tactfully directed the other servants to leave, leaving only the necessary attendants behind to give Lin Lei and Aierlan some space.

"Darling, how do you think I should talk to your parents? Will they be dissatisfied with me and make you find some noble lady with a higher status?"

Aierlan looked worried, making Lin Lei unable to help but chuckle.

"That won't happen. Have you been reading too many cheesy knight romance novels? How could my parents not like you? Don't overthink it, just be yourself when you're with them. Also, stop reading those messy, melodramatic novels."

"Oh."

Aierlan felt a bit embarrassed. A new bookstore had recently opened in Crouching Dragon Ravine, run by an outsider. It stocked all kinds of books; aside from mage cultivation biographies or other professional texts, the rest were just escapist novels of every genre.

She had accidentally stumbled upon one while looking for a mage cultivation manual, and ever since, she had been obsessed with these vacuous stories, often crying over them, which left Lin Lei feeling deeply unsettled.

"By the way, why are there so many fish dishes today? I asked the butler, and he said it was your instruction. Why?"

Aierlan forcibly changed the subject, a question that instantly wiped the smile off Lin Lei's face.

After less than five minutes, Lin Lei told her the whole story from start to finish. When she heard that a noble of the kingdom had been slapped in the face by a fish, she burst into laughter once again.

But this time, it was Aierlan who was laughing.

And so, with the two of them exchanging words, the dinner party passed in a flurry of laughter and joy.

"The Baron and Miss Aierlan have such a good relationship. I've never seen such an open and lively noble before," said a maid standing outside the door.

Another maid nearby quickly chimed in.

"I heard the Baron is planning to marry Miss Aierlan in half a month. He's already started buying materials for the banquet outside."

"What are you doing, slacking off here? Get back to work!"

The head maid, who had just walked out, scolded them.

She had always been the person all the maids feared. If caught making a mistake, they risked being fired, and in Crouching Dragon Ravine, finding a job as comfortable and well-paying as the one at the Lord's Mansion was nearly impossible.