Bitten by Little Paimon

In the face of Jams' aggressive gaze, the fisher Nantuck felt a chill run down his spine, his sphincter clenching involuntarily.

What does he want!?

Does he think he's inferior in fishing skills and plans to make me submit in some other way?

"Mr. Jams, I am a man..."

Nantuck tightened his grip on his fishing rod and watched Jams warily.

"What's wrong with being a man? I'm a man too. Am I proud of it?"

Jams rolled his eyes, finding Nantuck's constant startled reactions inexplicable.

He had already thought of a winning strategy for the fishing competition earlier, and now he felt confident, a smile of satisfaction gracing his handsome face.

"Mr. Nantuck, I'm willing to accept the fishing competition, but I'd like to make a small request regarding the rules."

"You want to play tricks with the rules?"

Nantuck squinted his eyes, becoming even more cautious.

Although he hadn't known Jams for long, he could tell from Jams' method of driving away Albert, the pervert, earlier that this guy was not only ruthless and cunning but also somewhat shameless.

If he let someone like this set the rules for the competition, nine times out of ten, they would propose unreasonable demands.

His thoughts churned in his mind, but Nantuck had to bow down to reality.

Regardless of whether the request was reasonable or not, as the initiator of the competition, Nantuck had an obligation to listen.

"Let me make it clear from the beginning. This is just a simple fishing competition, and I don't want to make it too complicated. If you make overly unreasonable demands, I have the right to veto!" Nantuck said in a deep voice.

"Rest assured, my request is simple."

Jams nodded with a smile, looking harmless: "I have only one request. Besides competing in terms of the quantity of fish caught, I also want to compare the quality of fishing."

"The quality of fishing... How do we compare that?"

Jams' words not only puzzled Nantuck, but also left Lumine and the others confused.

"Comparing quality... Are you suggesting we hold a beauty pageant for the fish we catch?"

"That would be too troublesome, Mr. Nantuck, and I'm sure you wouldn't agree to it."

Jams shrugged and said to the nervous Nantuck, "I want to compare the 'taste' of the fish. No processing is needed; we'll make sashimi directly, without any technology or fancy cooking. Let the judge taste the most authentic flavor."

"Comparing the taste of sashimi... That's not an unreasonable request."

Now Nantuck was the one struggling with a decision.

If Jams had said "cooking" instead, Nantuck would have refused without hesitation.

Because cooking allows for various seasonings and has a lot of room for manipulation.

If Jams secretly used some technology or tricks to make the fish taste incredibly delicious, Nantuck would be bound to lose!

But Jams proposed comparing the taste of "sashimi," which was simple and transparent.

As a fisher, Nantuck had decent cooking skills, and making sashimi was a common task for him.

He even felt that Jams had chosen the wrong opponent for the competition.

"Heh, if it's just sashimi without any additional processing, I agree to your request. But... how do we solve the issue of the judge?" Nantuck expressed his obvious lack of trust.

If Jams suggested having the group of beautiful girls around him as judges, Nantuck would firmly refuse!

"What's with that look? Afraid I'll cheat?"

Jams was somewhat speechless, "Who do you think I am? Since I've agreed to the competition, I will abide by the principles of fairness, justice, and transparency!"

"Then who do you want to be the judge for the sashimi?" Nantuck asked.

"I don't need to specify who the judge should be."

Jams waved his hand with a nonchalant expression, "Just have someone carry the sashimi we make and enter Mondstadt. Find random passersby to taste it. The dish that receives more positive feedback will determine the winner!"

"Alright, it's a deal!"

Nantuck's eyes lit up. He thought Jams' proposal was reasonable and added some excitement to the otherwise mundane fishing competition.

As everyone knew, fishers did more than just fishing. Especially Nantuck, who not only excelled in fishing but was also an aspiring but relatively unknown novelist.

Someone as versatile as him, apart from lacking the same level of beauty as Jams, believed he could outshine Jams in every other aspect!

"Why, why do you have to force me like this? Isn't peaceful fishing good enough? That way, you would only lose to me once, but now, you're going to lose to me twice."

When it came to his area of expertise, Nantuck reverted back to his rebellious and untamed self.

"Heh."

Jams grinned and patted Nantuck's shoulder. "Great, I love your rebellious attitude. The more arrogant you are, the less guilty I feel when I crush you."

"Arrogant!"

Nantuck sneered. After all, he was the wielder of the strongest fishing rod in Mondstadt!

What did Jams have?

He just had a hotel that was blown to pieces, right? He was just Mondstadt's number one pretty boy, right? He had a group of beautiful girls, right?

Who was Jams, compared to me, Nantuck, the head of Mondstadt's Fishing Association? Hmph!

Zzzt!

Electricity seemed to flicker between the gazes of the two, as they faced each other head-on. Each of them believed they would be the ultimate victor!

Nantuck didn't know what cards Jams held, nor did he care, because Nantuck was absolutely confident in his ability to effortlessly win the sashimi competition.

Why was Jams so confident?

That was because... he had the protection of the system "Mom"!

"The fish I catch are optimized by the system. Not only do they taste delicious, but they also come with enhancement effects. Each of them is a hero among fish!"

With the system's blessing, the fish caught by Jams were simply better than ordinary fish, and there was no disputing that.

So, whether the fish was cooked or eaten raw, their quality far surpassed that of regular fish!

When Klee ate my fish before, her constellations were instantly upgraded. Could ordinary fish be so delicious?

Regardless, when it came to sashimi, Nantuck was at the mercy of Jams!

"Brother Jams, Klee also wants to taste your sashimi. Pretty please~"

Klee's interest was piqued when she heard about the culinary competition. Her golden eyes were filled with anticipation.

"Paimon wants some too!"

Upon hearing about something delicious, Paimon, who had been knocked unconscious by Lumine earlier, suddenly woke up and cheerfully said, "Paimon heard from little Klee that the fish Jams makes is really tasty. Paimon has been wanting to try it!"

"I not only know how to cook fish, but I can also make emergency rations... Hiss... What are you doing? Ouch!"

"Awoo!"

Before Jams could finish his sentence, Paimon opened her small mouth and bit his ear, emitting a muffled and resentful sound. "From now on... anyone who dares to joke about emergency rations... umm... Paimon will eat them first! "

Paimon, who was always teased about being emergency rations, decided to strike back with a vengeance!

"Watch your words, and don't get your saliva on my ear... Hiss... No licking!"

Jams' face turned red. Paimon was playing with fire!

"Alright, I'll treat you to a grand fish feast later. Right now, I have a fishing competition to attend!"

Women truly do affect my fishing speed... but Jams thought he could increase his effort a bit.