Only after Luo Qian had sailed some distance from the coast and was certain no one ashore could see the Mirage Tide Pearl's glow did he carefully take it out. Then he ordered the Golden-Armored Automaton to lie in wait underwater. They were already in coastal waters, far from the fierce Astral Winds of the Carefree Cloud Sea. The breeze was gentle, the sun warm, and the sea air pleasantly heady. Even Luo Qian no longer needed the Torch Dragon Lamp's protection.
Back on the shore, Luo Qian had flattered an old man into teaching him the trick of taking a pearl without harming the fish. He had claimed to be a novice, catching Divine Pearl Fish for the first time that year. The kindhearted old man had not doubted him. He had even said the trick was no secret; every old fisherman knew it. As a fisherman, the old man wanted Luo Qian to learn it. So long as the fish lived, another pearl would form inside it, ready for a future harvest—like chives that could be cut again and again. Many young fishermen nowadays were too lazy to expend their divine power. They caught a Divine Pearl Fish, slit it open, and killed it for its pearl, much to the old man's anger.
The Mirage Tide Pearl gave off a faint glow. Before long, dark currents stirred beneath the surface as fish, unable to resist the lure, swam straight into the trap. Luo Qian had learned to recognize Divine Pearl Fish. Looking down from the boat, he spotted three or five among the gathering fish, all considerably larger than the one the old man had caught. He ordered the Golden-Armored Automaton to scoop up every Divine Pearl Fish. Bewitched by the Mirage Tide Pearl's illusion, they offered no