Er Dongsheng and Little Lulu lay on a towering rock upwind. Not far ahead stretched a broad patch of yellow-black sand, its surface crisscrossed with clearly visible tracks.
"Those are the tracks Bug-Beasts leave when they move across the surface. See where the tracks are thickest? Toss your bait there in a moment!" Er Dongsheng instructed the excited Little Succubus.
Er Dongsheng held two specially made fishing rods. He had fashioned them from Abyss Bamboo, a plant much like bamboo on Earth. The lines were woven from thin vines, and the hooks were carved from a sturdy woody plant.
As for the bait, he was using the rotten meat that had nearly stunk him and his sister half to death earlier. Abyss Insect Beasts loved the stuff. They usually hid in the sand, feeding on rotting plants and soil. Their hearing was sharp, but their sense of smell was only average, so Er Dongsheng needed something as pungent as this meat to lure them out. Ordinary bait would never do it!
"Watch closely. I'll show you first, so pay attention, kiddo!" With a flick of his rod, Er Dongsheng sent the baited hook sailing out. It landed lightly and precisely on his chosen spot. Smooth, swift, flawless!
He was a seasoned angler of many years, after all.
"Here, kiddo. You try."
He pinned his rod to the rock and handed the slightly smaller one to the Little Succubus, who had been itching to give it a go.
"Here, lean back a little!"
"That's it. Swing gently and cast!"
Whoosh! The bait flew off, then landed with a plop beyond the sandy patch!
"Haha!"
"It's all right, it's all right. Let's try again!"
On her next attempt, the bait stayed within the fishing area, but she swung too hard and it fell off the hook.
... How embarrassing...
After fumbling through it for ages, the enthusiastic Little Succubus finally learned how to cast. The Abyssal Species really did have impressive coordination and control over their bodies.
The bug fishing began...
Like fishing in his previous life, bug fishing was dull beyond belief until the thrill of a catch. Er Dongsheng weighed down both rods with stones, then left them alone. He stretched out comfortably on the towering rock, pulled out a Blueberry Fruit, and began to eat.
The fruit was good, sweet and tart, and tasted remarkably like blueberries from his previous life. Er Dongsheng had gathered quite a few and planned to store up even more on their way back. Once this chance passed, there would be no second shop down the road. Fruit was abundant during the Abyssal Rain Season, but hard to find at other times.
The Little Succubus alone kept staring eagerly at the sand. This bug-fishing game still had her beside herself with excitement.
"She's just like someone fishing for the first time!" Watching her stare at the sand without blinking, Er Dongsheng shook his head and sighed.
"Then again, there's far too little entertainment in the Abyss. I should come up with some when we get home. I'm not living alone anymore, after all."
The wait dragged on. Even the Little Succubus gradually grew bored. Copying Er Dongsheng, she lay down on the rock and nibbled at her favorite fruit.
Her tastes differed from his. Rather than the sweet-and-tart Blueberry Fruit, she preferred a black fruit so sweet it was almost cloying. Er Dongsheng had promptly named it Syrup-Sugar Fruit.
He thought it would make excellent raw material for sugar.
A few creatures with no sense of danger came to bother the siblings, but Er Dongsheng's fierce aura frightened them off before they got close!
He pursed his lips and gave an enormous yawn. The Little Succubus copied him, yawning just as theatrically. The little thing loved imitating everything he did. That could be trouble!
He listened closely. Wait—something was moving!
Er Dongsheng quickly sat up and peered over the rock at the sand. Fresh tracks had appeared across it, and now and then a furrow of earth rolled forward.
The Little Succubus peeked around beside him. Leaning close to his ear, she whispered, "Brother, have the little bugs come out?"
"Mm. Looks like it, and there are quite a few. Time to take this seriously!"
"Mmm-hmm."
One clear furrow rolled through the sand, drawing closer and closer to the Little Succubus's bait. She was terribly nervous. Her eyes widened as she fixed them on the fresh track, hoping with all her heart.
"Brother's caught several bugs already, and Lulu hasn't caught a single one. I have to get this one!"
Suddenly, the track stopped. Anxiety flashed across her face, but she held still. Several times before, she had failed just as success was within reach. She had either pulled too soon, before the Bug-Beast swallowed the hook, or lifted too late, letting it eat the bait, spit out the hook, and escape. A fall into a pit had made her wiser. Now she knew she must neither rush nor dawdle. Steady timing was best!
The creatures of the Abyss were learning and improving every moment, especially the Abyssal Intelligent Species who lacked great power. They could survive only by banding together, learning, and improving, though the Abyss offered them precious little to learn from—sometimes nothing at all!
Suddenly, something white sprang out of the sand and clamped onto Lulu's bait with a snap!
"Now!"
The Little Succubus yanked back her rod, seized the Bug-Beast swinging toward her on the line, and drove a sharp nail straight into its head. With a faint squeak, it died instantly.
Clap, clap!
Her movements had been so quick and precise that Er Dongsheng could not help applauding. "Beautiful! Well done, well done!"
"Brother, Brother, look! Lulu caught a Bug-Beast too!" Beaming, the little one held out her catch like a child offering up a treasure, eager for his approval.
"Mm-hmm. Lulu, you're amazing!"
Er Dongsheng looked at the Bug-Beast in surprise. It was enormous, about the size of an adult's palm and plump beyond belief. Abyss Insect Beasts rarely grew so large. They were hard enough to catch, but few lived long, especially not long enough to reach this size. How many years had it taken?
Over the past three years, he had caught plenty of these bugs for his physical training, but never one this big. Could it be a bug king?
Delighted by Er Dongsheng's praise, the Little Succubus tucked the fat Bug-Beast into her little stone jar, which he had prepared especially for her.
A new round of fishing began...
According to the system's clock, about five hours passed before Er Dongsheng decided to end their bug-fishing game. He took the little girl by the hand. She was reluctant to leave, but he promised they would come back, and the siblings headed home.
They had made quite a haul. Er Dongsheng caught six bugs, while the little girl caught three. But one of hers was enormous—the equal of three or four ordinary ones. That thrilled her, and she promptly grew smug!
Er Dongsheng's face darkened. He had nothing to say...
"I never thought a seasoned angler could lose to a little girl. Ah, fate, how cruel you are..."
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