Chapter 120

Liyue Harbor, Chihu Rock.

This is where the common people of Liyue live, with the most small shops and street food stalls in the entire city. Liyue's manufacturing industries are also rooted here, including the largest shipyard in Liyue.

Following the main road of Chihu Rock all the way down, passing Wanmin Restaurant, the Liyue Adventurers' Guild, and Cold Steel—the most iconic buildings of Chihu Rock—you can reach Liyue's shipyard. Further down the steps lies the port of Chihu Rock.

Splash, splash, crash!

The damp sea breeze blew in, bringing with it the salty scent of the ocean.

Looking up at the many ships setting sail on the sea, Hiroshi couldn't help but stretch his arms out, giving his body a good stretch.

Turning to look at Klee, who was copying his actions, Hiroshi couldn't resist picking her up, giving her a few affectionate rubs as the sea wind blew through her hair.

"Mmm, Hiroshi, this Mora Meat pie is so delicious!"

Kazuma Satou, focusing all his attention on the food in his hands, stuffed it into his mouth. Beside him, Megumin and Aqua were doing the same.

Darkness opened her arms wide, embracing the sea, her eyes shining as she took a deep breath. Suddenly, she leapt forward.

"Sea monster! I'm coming! Let me, Darkness, be your opponent!"

Yelling, Darkness swam rapidly, slicing through the water faster than the sailing ships, disappearing into the distance.

Seeing where Darkness had gone, the others silently took a few steps back, distancing themselves from the pervert.

Kazuma Satou swallowed his last bite of food, licked his fingers, and patted his stomach with satisfaction. "I have no regrets in life..."

"Stop fooling around. Weren't we going fishing?"

Hiroshi slapped Kazuma on the shoulder. Seeing Megumin and Aqua doing the same thing, Hiroshi shook his head. "They really are cut from the same cloth."

He pulled out two fishing rods and handed one to Klee, who was looking at him eagerly. Hiroshi then leaped towards the sea, named Yunlai Sea by Liyue, walking further on the waves.

"Here we go."

Following Hiroshi's actions, Klee jumped down as well, quickly moving her short legs, much to the shock of an old fisherman nearby.

"Let's go, let's go!"

Clapping his hands, Kazuma Satou raised his fishing rod and shouted, "Today, I'm going to redeem myself! Just wait, big fish! Today, I'll challenge you with this enchanted ultimate fishing rod, plus thirteen!"

The three figures jumped up and dashed away on the sea surface as if they were running on solid ground.

Scratching his head in confusion, the old fisherman Uncle Tian looked at the vast blue sea in front of him, tentatively sticking out a foot.

Frowning, Uncle Tian watched Hiroshi's group disappear on the distant sea, shaking his head, and grabbed his fishing rod. The wrinkles on his forehead smoothed out as he stood on the shore, the fresh-caught big fish in his hand. The old man sighed softly in the sea breeze.

"I'm getting old."

The deep blue sea, rippling under the gentle breeze.

Far from Liyue Harbor, Hiroshi and his group stopped, finding themselves near towering stone pillars that formed a small island.

Kazuma Satou swung his fishing rod and took out a piece of fresh beast meat, hooking it onto the line.

"Sea King-class meat captured by Admiral Kizaru himself, plus this fishing rod enchanted thirteen times by the Demon King's general, Wiz. I have no reason to go home empty-handed today!"

"Ah! Kazuma, you cheater!"

Megumin snatched a piece of meat from Kazuma's hand, hooked it onto her rod, and cast it out.

On the other side, Hiroshi and Aqua exchanged a glance before silently extending their hands.

"Kazuma, what a waste. This is such a perfect snack to go with some sake."

Aqua shook her head reluctantly as she held the piece of meat.

"You guys!!!"

Kazuma Satou looked down at the piece of meat, now only half its original size, and sighed. He then felt a tug on his clothes.

"Brother Kazuma, Klee wants some too."

Looking up, Klee held out her small hand in front of Kazuma.

"Alright, alright."

Kazuma split the meat in half, handing a piece to Klee.

Looking at the three fishing floats bobbing on the water, Kazuma adjusted his line length with a look of determination.

With a mighty swing, Kazuma watched the splashing waves and said fiercely, "Today, I'm definitely going to catch a big one."

Meanwhile, due to Klee's insistence, Noelle stayed at Wanmin Restaurant to help Master Mao and Xiangling, practicing her culinary skills.

In the deep, dark sea, Darkness swam downward quickly, hoping to encounter a massive sea beast that could swallow her whole.

Bang.

"Ouch..."

Darkness rubbed her head, her hand touching something hard.

"Did I hit a mountain?"

Meanwhile, inside the hard rock, within a space glowing golden-yellow, a pair of giant eyes opened, looking out.

"A strange presence, not of this world?!"

The giant eyes turned up to look at the large stone spear sealing it, surrounded by talismans glowing faintly. It growled in anger.

"Morax!!!"

Outside, Darkness found herself surrounded by solid rock, and, finding no way forward, began to climb upwards along the rocky walls.

Splash.

Breaking through the surface of the water, Darkness pulled her wet blonde hair back and took out a hairband. As she tied her hair, she observed her surroundings.

Towering peaks stood above the sea surface. Having just climbed up from the seabed, Darkness could comprehend the height of these peaks. Remnants of ruins were scattered sparsely around the mountains.

On the flat ground nearby, some broken, rust-colored, scrap-like robots were sitting there.

Watching a butterfly slowly fly past her, Darkness stretched her body, preparing to return to the ocean floor and search for her imagined giant sea beast in another direction.

"Intruder!"

A distorted mechanical voice called out, and Darkness turned her head in confusion to see those broken robots suddenly standing up.

The four Ruin Guards squatted down, their cruciform cores locking onto the intruder.

Boom!!!

Amidst the flames, 24 missiles targeted Darkness.

Boom! Boom! Boom!

In the huge explosion, Darkness' body was blown away instantly.

Bang! Bang, bang, bang!

Falling onto the ground, Darkness bounced up and fell again, rolling until she hit a hard rock wall.

Lying on the ground, her face covered in dust, Darkness looked at the four gigantic figures surrounding her, her face flushed. She shouted with excitement.

"This is it!"

Boom!!!

"Ahhhhh!"

Kazuma Satou shivered, crossing his arms tightly and looking around in confusion. "Why do I feel like I just heard Darkness screaming?"

"Hahaha, Kazuma, stop talking nonsense."

Aqua laughed, holding a fishing rod in one hand, and patted Kazuma on the shoulder. "Darkness might already be lying in the stomach of some sea beast right now. Maybe you'll even fish her out later."

"That makes sense."

Nodding, Kazuma sighed with relief. "With Darkness' perversion, there's no way she'd willingly float to the surface. She could probably survive in the deep sea for days."

Tugging at his fishing rod, Kazuma extended the line once more.

Beneath the surface, a magic-infused hook was sinking into the depths of the ocean.

A faint ripple appeared within the golden-yellow space, causing the giant closed eyes to open again. They looked at the hook falling slowly above its head, confused.

'How did that get here?'

Meanwhile, Kazuma suddenly felt a weight on his line. A look of joy spread across his face as he shouted, "This is definitely the enchanted fishing rod from Wiz! Though she never explained exactly what the enchantments were, getting a bite this quickly means it's definitely a good one!"

With his hands taut, Kazuma pulled with all his might. The fishing rod let out a deep hum.

"Argh!"

Kazuma's face turned red as he exerted himself, feeling the big fish still resisting. Spiritual power surged from his body, instantly creating a giant cavity in the sea surface.

Below, a giant shadow was being pulled up by a thin fishing line, pressing against the golden sealing barrier.

The talismans that floated gently in the space began to rotate rapidly, beams of golden light shooting at the giant shadow.

Pain surged through its massive body, and feeling the small hook embedding itself in its flesh in a way it couldn't comprehend, the giant let out a thunderous roar, snapping the line.

Boom!

Falling back into the center of its seal, the giant used divine power to push the hook out of its body. Feeling the strange power above, its eyes shone with boundless joy.

"Morax! The heavens are on my side! With this, I won't need centuries to break free, and our war will continue!!!"

"Roar!!!"

Above, Kazuma looked at the snapped line in disbelief, suspended in the air. He howled in frustration, "My ultimate fishing rod, which cost me half a year's savings!!!"

"Kazuma!!!"

Megumin appeared beside Kazuma, her face contorted as she grabbed his shoulder. Her voice was cold, "You seem to have said something very troublesome just now, didn't you?!"

"Huh?!"

Holding his rod, Kazuma looked at Megumin's eyes, which were starting to glow red, and Aqua, who was running on the waves with her fist raised, shouting.

"Unlucky!!!"

Beside them, Klee saw everyone putting away their fishing rods, and an excited smile appeared on her face.

"In this situation, Klee can bomb the fish, right? Since no one is fishing anymore."

Raising both hands, Klee stared at the sea below and tossed a custom-made bouncing bomb—the ocean fishing version.

Boom!

With Klee's cheer, a column of seawater shot up to the sky, waves rolling up into the air, creating a spray dozens of meters high.

With her hands up, Klee shouted, "Stop right there! Go back quietly!"

The crashing waves suddenly halted as if in submission, and with a crash, the water returned to the ocean.

Lowering her hands, Klee looked at the various unfamiliar fish floating on the water and cheered, "Yay! We have so many fish to eat!"

Space rippled, and Hiroshi appeared, carrying Darkness, who had been beaten unconscious by Ruin Guards. Looking at Klee happily collecting fish below, Hiroshi said, "Klee, only this once, okay?"

"Got it, Brother Hiroshi."

Hiroshi tossed Darkness to Kazuma, who had bruises on his face and looked terrified. "Next time, keep an eye on Darkness. When I found her, she was actually getting thrilled being beaten up by the Ruin Guards until she passed out. It's terrifying!"

"Huh?!"

In the depths of the ocean, the giant figure, which had been focused on the power within the hook, opened its eyes once again. Looking at the now dim talismans as they repaired the cracked stone spear, it closed its eyes again.

"Ten years. In ten more years, we will meet again, Morax!"

In the fantasy world, inside a magic shop, Wiz looked at the completely ruined magic scroll in her hands, tears welling up in her eyes.

"Kazuma! I got the enchantment wrong! I mistook Fusion, Penetration, and Boundary Break for Luck, Magic Bait, and Lure!!!"

"Waaah, I've suffered such a huge loss this time!"

"Vanir, please think of something!"