W1.A2-9: Underground River Fishing

The rocky side of one of the hills was covered with layers of vines and wild plants, looking no different from the surroundings. But if one felt carefully, a faint wave of cold mana could be detected coming from the wall, which then diffused as quickly as it appeared due to the high temperature in the surroundings.

It was quite difficult to imagine the presence of such intense coldness. Even though the intense heat outside diffused it, it was impossible to ignore the fact that the cold mana continued to flow without stopping for even a brief moment. This emphasized the fact that there existed a source from which all this coldness was emanating.

Amidst the confused gazes of the two ladies, I walked near the hill before raising a hand suffused with mana to strike. As the thick layer of old and new vines was removed, a cold breeze suddenly flew out, making even Lena and Mom behind me shiver.

"What is that?" Lena was quite stunned as she glanced at the dark cave that was revealed. She had never expected to feel such coldness while being in the Red Emerald Forest, which was known for its fiery heat.

"Well, that's the shortcut that'll help us reach the Black Fire City without any trouble," I smirked after watching their surprised faces. I, too, was surprised when I first heard of this route from my master. It was something that was in use decades prior; it was used to transport forces of the kingdom around the whole domain to catch enemies off-guard.

"Lena, do you happen to have a boat in your storage?"

"A boat?" Lena paused for a moment before reacting. "Yeah, I think I should have some."

A normal person would have replied negatively; even the most resourceful person would carry one at best. It was really something to hear someone have "some" boats. But I was not too surprised, as I knew of her fondness for boating in lakes whenever she came across one.

Waving her hand, she took out a medium-sized boat from her storage ring. It seemed to be made of wood but was carved intricately, thus looking quite luxurious.

"This is the smallest one I have." Lena looked at me before asking. "Will this do?"

"Yeah, it's great." I nodded before taking a look at the cave entrance, saying, "Alright, put it away for now. We'll summon it once we've entered." The cave entrance was too small for the boat to be carried in; plus, it was too much trouble.

As we entered the cave, the sudden shift in temperature made Lena shiver as she thickened the layer of mana around her. Mom was fine since I was protecting her.

Stopping at last, we finally saw the underground river flowing silently despite its vastness. A cave-like formation had appeared wherever it passed, having a height of around ten feet from the surface, assumedly a result of erosion due to a great torrential flow in times past.

A splash was heard as Lena placed the boat in the river. Then, supporting each other, both ladies boarded the luxurious vessel.

Placing a leg on the boat, I used the other to push forward, making the boat advance. The current was mild, but still enough to propel us forward. But this was still much faster than crossing the forest on foot. Estimatedly, it would only take around a day and a half to cross on the other side.

"This feels nice." Lena removed the mana barrier covering her body and took a deep breath of the slightly cold and fresh air that filled the area above the underground river.

"The cold aura from before was a result of accumulation over many years. The stagnant mana was then disturbed due to our intrusion, resulting in the chilly feeling earlier. But the river cave itself isn't that cold." I paused my words before smirking. "Of course..." Moving my hand, I scooped some water and threw it over Lena.

"Ah! So cold!" Lena jumped where she stood. Thankfully, the boat was steady enough to tolerate the impact.

"Just you wait!" Saying so, my cute girlfriend gave me an angry glare before bending down to the river.

"Take this!"

"Hey! You're not allowed to use a mana barrier! Be a man!"

"Ah! You did it again! You bastard..."

On the side, my mother was having a good laugh as she saw us two messing around.

The boat continued its tranquil journey through the cave's dark waters.

After we settled down, the ladies began to chat, as there was nothing much to see in the dark cave. Or that should be what ignorant people would think...

"Hey, Lena, lend me a fishing rod."

"What for?" Lena asked. "Don't tell me there are fish in this cold river." She and my mother looked at the tranquil surface of the cold river, which had no indication of any life present within. Still, she handed me a fishing rod out of her storage ring.

"Why not?" I asked while checking the rod. "Normal animals might not be able to survive, but mana beasts can."

Swoosh!

The fishing line was thrown out, not too far from the boat. The bait was actually a piece of berry that exuded some traces of mana.

Curious about my claims, Lena and Mom came over to my side, watching over the entire process, though they got bored soon enough and went back to have a chat.

But it didn't take as long as they had anticipated. Soon, I could feel some disturbance just below the river surface. A creature seemed to be making its way over to the bait; its movement was delicate and silent, contained within a small range.

Too bad, though. I still felt the ripple of mana it exuded for a moment before lunging over the bait.

"Gotcha!"

Maintaining my sitting posture, I simply applied some force before quickly reeling in the line.

Thud!

As the fish fell on the wooden floor, an echo was heard within the silent cave, followed by more noises as the small creature struggled.

"Be good." Grabbing the fish, I flicked a finger imbued with mana over its head, stilling its movements for good.

"You really caught something?" The commotion alarmed the two gossipy ladies as they walked over to examine the fish I was holding in my hand.

Under the light of the lamp in the boat, the skin of the fish exuded a crystal blue glow. It was the size of two palms, with a slightly plump body. Its fins were thin and soft, but capable of allowing nimble and hidden movement.

"Is it really eatable?" Lena remembered my claim about it being a mana beast but couldn't gather any clues just from its appearance.

"Just wait for a bit." I laughed lightly and began to prepare the fish. Cleaning up only took a few minutes before I asked Lena to take out some condiments we had packed, mainly some sour and spicy sauces.

"Ready?" Sitting in front of a round table, I asked while observing the two. Lena's expression was especially eager, as she knew I would never have bothered to do so much preparation if it was not something really worth having.

"Hurry it up! You're making me hungry!" She clamored while gazing at the thinly sliced fish meat placed in front of me.

"Alright, try this!" After coating it with some spices, I placed a slice on Lena's plate before preparing another.

Lena impatiently dipped it in some sauce before placing it in her mouth.

"Mhmmm! So good!" Exclaiming so while chewing, Lena already began to eye the rest of the meat.

"Oh, so it was not poisonous." I nodded before giving the next piece to my mother. "Here, Mom. You can have it now.

Lena almost choked but quickly swallowed down the bite before coughing. Mom quickly passed her some water while giving me a rebuking glance.

"Hehe, here, have some more." Ignoring Lena's angry eyes, I quickly placed two pieces of fish on Lena's plate. Soon, the meat was all gone, with me having none of it.

Lena and Mom also looked as if they had not had enough as they looked at me in anticipation.

"Fine." Shrugging my shoulders, I could only begin a new round of fishing. Plus, I was eager to try some myself.

Just like that, I kept catching the fish before passing them over to my mother, who then cleaned them up and passed them over to Lena for slicing. After gathering enough, we sat around the table and began another round of feasting, and I finally had the chance to eat.

The meat had a subtle sweetness in addition to the fresh umami. The salty and savory sauces we brought helped to make up for the lack of brininess.

Gazing at the two ladies, I saw them both carrying a satisfied smile on their faces. Lena even patted her slightly bloated tummy with no care for her image.

"That was so, so awesome!" Lena simply laid down on the floor as she tilted her head towards me with a curious face. "By the way, how did you come to know about this place?"

"Oh, master told me about it." I said it casually while catching another batch. This one was a gift for my master. I didn't notice the skeptical look Lena gave me when I mentioned our master.