"Sea monsters?" Nalant frowned slightly. The Berick Family wasn't near the coast, and with transportation in this world so inconvenient, he knew very little about its oceans from his memories.
"Take me to see!"
Soon, with Kenbi Cowdung leading the way, Nalant arrived at the coast.
The coastline of Storm Territory was beautiful. Besides rocky shoals, it also had vast stretches of golden sand.
Now Nalant stood on a reef by the sea, gazing at the miles of coastline where gold met blue. His brows furrowed.
There really were sea monsters here. From their appearance, Nalant recalled some forgotten knowledge taught at the Noble Academy in the original owner's memories.
Merman sea monsters. They were only about a meter and a half tall, blue all over, and slight of build.
These merman sea monsters occupied almost the entire beach. They frolicked and played on the sand or searched for shells and crabs to eat, and the beach was dotted with numerous huts built from branches and shells.
"What a nuisance!"
Now Nalant finally understood why the serfs were starving despite having such a golden coastline.
Though each of these merman sea monsters was weaker than an adult, they were numerous, and if attacked, they would swarm their assailants.
Anyone weaker than them would naturally suffer badly. But if their enemies were stronger, the mermen knew to flee into the sea and hide. They were a bunch of shameless hooligans with no principles whatsoever.
"Have you ever tried fishing with rods among those reefs?" Nalant looked away and turned his gaze to the low reef formations along the beach.
With Nalant's current forces, driving away these merman sea monsters was impossible. But fish didn't have to be caught from the beach. Fishing with a rod would be more difficult, but it was still a way to make up for the food shortage.
"My lord, someone tried before. They used little caterpillars or black bread as bait, but once the bait was thrown into the sea, the merman sea monsters would usually eat it. They really like food from the land..."
The serf's answer made Nalant's heart sink. If the sea monsters even ate the bait, then what was the point of fishing?
"Let's go!" Nalant gave the blue sea one last reluctant look, then turned and called for everyone to leave. It seemed the ocean would have to wait until he was strong enough to develop it.
"Yes, my lord!" At his words, Quick and the others moved to escort Nalant away.
But as Quick turned, the hilt of his sword caught the light and reflected a silver flash onto Nalant's face.
Nalant squinted against the glare and was momentarily dazed. Then he suddenly stopped.
"Wait. You don't necessarily need bait to fish!"
An idea flashed through Nalant's mind. He thought of a way from his previous life to catch fish without using food.
"My lord, what's wrong?" Vivian nearly walked into the lord's back. She stopped just in time and asked with concern.
"I thought of a way to fish without using food!" Nalant didn't hide it.
"Huh? How can you fish without food?" Everyone looked at one another. Did fish eat iron hooks?
"Kenbi Cowdung, do you have a fishing rod in your village?" Nalant didn't explain further. There was indeed a way to fish without using food in his previous life; he just didn't know if it would work in this world.
"My lord, there isn't one in the village, but a fishing rod is easy to make. I'll go make one right away!" Though Kenbi Cowdung thought the lord was talking nonsense, he didn't dare neglect the request.
"Mm. Go make one. Oh, and do you have a small iron spoon? Bring one over if you do!"
"I happen to have one at home, my lord. I'll go get it right away." Kenbi Cowdung promptly agreed and dashed toward the village with several villagers.
Before long, Kenbi Cowdung came running back with a fishing rod in hand.
It was an unmistakably medieval-looking fishing rod, made from a slender branch and a length of brown hemp rope, with a very large iron hook tied to the end.
"This fishing rod..." Nalant felt a little uneasy.
But the guards and serfs around him were all watching, so he could only grit his teeth and give it a try.
"My lord, here's the spoon!" Kenbi Cowdung handed him a small spoon. It was made of iron and polished until it gleamed. Clearly, Kenbi Cowdung treasured the spoon. After all, most serfs in this world could only afford wooden ones.
"Mm. I'll have someone pay you for the spoon later." Nalant took it, then, before Kenbi Cowdung could react, snapped it in half.
"Ah!" Kenbi Cowdung winced at the sight, but quickly covered his mouth.
Nalant paid him no mind. He drew the longsword at his waist and poked two small holes above the spoon's bowl.
Once the holes were made, he tied one to the fishing line and attached the hook through the other. The hook was only a centimeter away from the spoon.
"This is the simplest kind of metal lure! I hope Lure Fishing works in this other world, too!"
Lure Fishing used artificial bait to imitate a small, weak creature or an injured little fish, provoking predatory fish into attacking.
This method caught carnivorous fish without using any food, such as bass or small groupers from his previous life.
Nalant had gone out to try it once with a friend in his previous life, and had actually caught a fish.
The gleaming silver spoon could reflect a strong light, attracting fish and provoking them to attack.
"Come on, let's go to those reefs over there!"
With the fishing rod and lure ready, Nalant headed straight for the shore.
"Yes, my lord!"
Though everyone exchanged bewildered glances, unsure how he planned to fish, they obediently followed.
Nalant said nothing more. He walked onto a low reef about a meter above the sea.
Then, with a smooth flick of his rod, he cast the silver spoon and hook seven or eight meters out.
In his previous life, Lure Fishing used a spinning reel, which let the bait be cast much farther. But Nalant had nothing like that now.
As the silver spoon sank into the water, it rolled and flashed, immediately drawing a crowd of fish that circled nearby.
"This might work!"
Seeing this, Nalant's face lit up.
Without hesitation, he began gently flicking the rod up and down, making the silver spoon look like an injured little fish, struggling weakly in the water.
"..." The guards and serfs watched, cold sweat beading on their foreheads. Was their lord dancing?
Did he think the fish would eat the iron hook and leap right to him if he danced for them?
"Got one!" But just as everyone was cringing, Nalant suddenly shouted.
Whoosh!
The next moment, they heard a whoosh as the hemp line on the fishing rod snapped taut.
"Did he really catch one?" Everyone stared, dumbfounded, at the rod bent into a great arc.
Splash! Nalant raised his arm, hauling up a sea fish weighing more than half a kilogram.
"Do fish really like watching dancing?"
With a lively sea fish that big right in front of them, the guards and serfs were the ones questioning reality now. Some even wondered whether the fish was safe to eat, and whether eating it might affect their intelligence.