Triggering a Hidden Quest, the Powerful Lotus Lantern, and a Bountiful Haul! (Continued)
The old fisherman thought for a moment and said, "How about this, I won't ask for your help for nothing. If you can help me catch a 'Soul Crystal Bream,' I can give you one of my treasured items, the [Water-Repelling Pearl]."
As soon as he finished speaking, a notification flashed before his eyes.
[Ding! At the request of the mysterious old man, you have triggered a hidden quest: The Trail of the Soul Fish]
[Quest Objective: Use the 'Unknown Lotus Lantern' to help the mysterious old man attract the 'Soul Crystal Bream'.]
[Quest Rewards: Water-Repelling Pearl (Orange)*1, Favorability with the Mysterious Old Man]
Shen Xing saw the mission information flash by, and a thoughtful look appeared in his eyes.
"Senior, what is this [Water-Repelling Pearl]?" he asked.
"Just like its name suggests, its main function is naturally [to repel water]."
The old fisherman explained, "Using this bead, you can create a barrier, allowing you to walk safely in the water."
"But..."
He then changed the subject, "The water here doesn't just refer to Common river or lake water, but rather to water suitable for most bodies of water."
"Whether it's the deep sea, the abyss, lava, swamps... or even this Blackwater River, you can use it to briefly dive in."
Upon hearing this introduction, not only Shen Xing, but the other generals were also surprised.
There really is such an incredible treasure!?
After all, everyone knows how terrible the Blackwater River is; apart from the native creatures of this river, almost no one can survive in it.
But now he's saying that the Water-Repelling Pearl can help them dive to the bottom of the river!
"Oh! Old fisherman, since this bead is so powerful, why don't you go into the water and catch fish?"
Gorehowl asked curiously, "Why go through all that trouble to slowly fish up there?"
The old fisherman seemed to have anticipated his question and countered with, "In the sky, can you outfly those birds of prey?"
"Uh... then it definitely can't fly over."
"So... how can you outrun those fish in the water?"
Gorehowl paused for a moment, then realized what was happening and scratched his head sheepishly.
The old man smiled and explained, "This Water-Repelling Pearl has a limited movement speed; I usually only use it to dive underwater and survey the fish population."
"In your hands, it might be able to realize even greater value."
He paused, then looked at Shen Xing in the wheelchair and asked, "Young man, so would you be willing to help me this once?"
Shen Xing thought for a moment, then tentatively asked, "That's possible, but could I have an additional condition?"
"Additional conditions?" The old fisherman frowned slightly, seemingly thinking he was greedy and wanted more rewards.
Shen Xing saw through his thoughts and explained, "If you catch any extra 'Soul Crystal Bream,' could you share one or two with me?"
If there really isn't any, then forget it.
"That's it?" The old fisherman glanced at him speechlessly. "Fine, I agree."
Shen Xing was overjoyed upon hearing this and cupped his hands in thanks, saying, "Thank you, senior!"
[Ding! Quest accepted successfully: The Trail of the Soul Fish...]
At this moment, the old man solemnly took out a red ball of light and attached it to the bait.
"Alright, light the lamps." He said in a deep voice.
"Good."
Shen Xing responded and then relit the Lotus Lantern.
A pale green flame ignited from the wick.
Immediately afterwards, that sacred and vast green light surged forth once more, completely illuminating the waters within a radius of 1,500 meters.
Everyone could clearly see the scene in the center of the Blackwater River.
The waves surged all around, with jagged rocks appearing and disappearing on the surface, the spray crashing against them with a booming sound.
The old fisherman took a deep breath, released the bait into the river, and a small red light gradually sank to the bottom.
Everyone held their breath, watching with expectant eyes.
Time passed slowly, and five minutes went by in the blink of an eye. The small boat had already traveled more than 300 meters.
But strangely, after so much time, the old man's fishing rod remained motionless.
You know, last time without the light of the Lotus Lantern, his 'bait' was hooked by fish in less than two minutes.
But this time there was absolutely no response.
Even Shen Xing began to feel a little insecure.
Could it be that... the light from this Lotus Lantern only provides illumination and doesn't attract the 'Soul Crystal Bream'?
"Senior, how about we return it...?"
Before Shen Xing could finish speaking, he suddenly saw a dark figure leap out of the water.
"Splash..."
Under the light of the Lotus Lantern, everyone could clearly see that it was a large fish over a meter long, covered entirely in Black Crystal scales, with smooth lines.
The large fish hovered in the air for a moment, its jewel-like eyes fixed on the Lotus Lantern in Shen Xing's hand, filled with an intense longing.
But alas, it was ultimately just a fish, incapable of flying.
Finally, with a "plop," it plunged into the water.
The people on the ship were momentarily stunned.
"That's... Soul Crystal Bream!?" Gorehowl asked incredulously.
"That's right!"
The old fisherman became excited. "Finally, I've seen its true form! Just as rumored, it possesses extremely powerful soul fluctuations!"
"Very well, now I'll use my centuries-old fishing skills to catch it..."
Before he could finish speaking, many dark shadows appeared underwater around the small boat, and they rapidly enlarged at a speed visible to the naked eye.
"Splash! Splash!"
A series of splashing sounds rang out, sending up a curtain of water that filled the sky.
They could clearly see that one after another, Soul Crystal Bream, of varying sizes and covered in crystal scales, broke out of the water!
Like the first sea bream, they all stared wide-eyed at the Lotus Lantern in Shen Xing's hand before "plop" falling into the water.
But this was just the beginning; after the sea bream entered the water, they jumped up again.
He exerted all his strength, seemingly just to get a little closer to the Lotus Lantern in his hand.
"Splash... splash..."
The sound of water continued unabated, and dark figures leaped out one after another.
It seemed as if all the 'Soul Crystal Bream' in the entire Blackwater River had been attracted, creating a truly grand scene.
Everyone was stunned, even the hunchbacked boatman was dumbfounded.
Clearly, the power of the Lotus Lantern exceeded everyone's expectations.
They originally just wanted to use the light so that the old man could catch fish.
This attracted the entire school of fish to the surface, even causing them to jump out of the water en masse—it was incredible!
"Senior, hurry and rescue him!" Shen Xing shouted immediately.
The old man realized what was happening and quickly put away his fishing rod, then conjured a black landing net out of thin air.
"Whoosh—whoosh—"
He swung the net repeatedly, catching a Soul Crystal Bream that had just leaped into the air.
The sea bream, caught in the fishing net, was suddenly jolted awake from its longing, and fear appeared in its eyes.
Then its body trembled, and with a "bang," it turned into a thick cloud of black mist.
This is the 'Soul Crystal Bream's' signature escape technique, which allows it to transform into an invisible soul form and blend into its surroundings.
But this time it miscalculated.
That black net looked simple, but it possessed a magical power.
The black mist tried to escape through the hole, but was blocked by an invisible wall.
Soon, the sea bream reappeared, struggling desperately in the net.
"Haha, I finally caught him!"
The old man laughed loudly and then magically produced a pitch-black water vat.
The water tank appears to be only half a meter in diameter, not even big enough to hold a single fish.
But miraculously, when the old man placed the net over the mouth of the tank, the Soul Crystal Bream seemed to be drawn in by an invisible force and automatically slid into the tank.
With a "plop," it disappeared.
Clearly, the old man had come prepared.
He prepared a full set of tools to catch the Soul Crystal Bream.
The biggest problem before was how to catch this kind of fish.
Now, Shen Xing's Lotus Lantern has solved this problem for him, and everything that follows seems to fall into place naturally.
"Again! Again!"
The old man laughed heartily and continued to swing the net, catching a Soul Crystal Bream, and then repeated the process.
"Thump... Thump..."
The sound of water being poured into the black tank echoed continuously as he collected all the Soul Crystal Bream into it.
Two...
Three...
Four...
In the blink of an eye, he had caught more than a dozen.
Shen Xing was astonished; this wasn't fishing at all, it was violent fishing.
But I must say, it was really fun!
This made Shen Xing envious.
According to the old fisherman, the Soul Crystal Bream is incredibly valuable; even a single one could be coveted by Master or even Grandmaster Rank expert.