Chapter 18: Nearshore Dominator!

The deep-sea monster swayed its body, lifting its head, its sharp black scales and surging waves dancing in unison, its massive form moving like a mountain.

The Deep Sea Hunter's treasure did not deceive him, "Fishing in the Storm" was a life skill that allowed one to catch fish even in a storm.

However, could this really be called a fish?

Chen Qi stood on the boat, looking up at the colossal creature, at least twenty meters long, and stroked his chin.

Well, good thing he thought he encountered some strange creature.

Upon closer inspection, it was just a sea dragon capable of annihilating fleets and striking fear into people's hearts.

He recognized this monster as a species that loved to race across the ocean, one of the few frequently found in nearshore areas.

Its name was the Black Ship Sea Dragon, a renowned deep-sea species in nearshore regions.

Based on its size, it seemed to be a juvenile.

If we didn't consider Chen Qi's special circumstances, this could be one of the most terrifying legends of the "Black Ship with Lights."

Due to several serious maritime accidents it caused in nearshore areas.

Therefore, it had a more domineering and widely recognized title –

Nearshore Dominator!

Many people on the sea would shudder just hearing this name!

Even the fleets under the four Pirate Emperors gave it a wide berth upon sighting the Nearshore Dominator.

However, despite having Deep Sea Affinity, the massive difference in size made Chen Qi slightly afraid.

"Ha!"

The Black Ship Sea Dragon opened its jaws wide, waving its black-scaled tail, and roared at Chen Qi!

Such big talk!

Chen Qi shielded himself with his hand and took a closer look at the colossal sea dragon.

"Ha, ha, ha—"

The Black Ship Sea Dragon's blue eyes, as big as bronze bells, kept spewing blood vapor, shaking its tail.

"..."

Chen Qi was somewhat surprised.

The appearance of the deep-sea monster before him reminded him of a hardy canine species from Siberia on Earth.

This thing, why does it feel like a husky?

Upon closer inspection, those round blue eyes carried no ferocity but a bit of blue wisdom and a hint of cross-eyedness.

Silly and goofy.

"Is it asking me for food?"

Chen Qi retreated slightly; the other party showed no hostility, but its size was just too enormous.

He couldn't withstand such a size difference.

If the other party acted spoiled with him, forget about him—the fragile steamboat beneath him would instantly collapse.

Too terrifying, he thought he should quickly get rid of it.

Chen Qi gently moved the fishing rod, realizing the bait on the hook had already been bitten off.

"Ha, ha, ha—"

As the hook moved, the Black Ship Sea Dragon gasped, shaking its steel tail even more vigorously.

Just for a piece of bait...

Outrageous! Not at all like the Nearshore Dominator!

Chen Qi reprimanded it, reconsidering his "Extraordinary Fishing" skill.

This extraordinary fishing skill appeared more effective than he had imagined.

Many deep-sea transcendent creatures were picky eaters, and large carnivorous monsters like the Black Ship Sea Dragon generally were rarely interested in a simple ball of spiritual power.

Yet this bait, constructed with transcendent power, wasn't nutritious but was incredibly tasty!

"Hahaha—"

The Black Ship Sea Dragon squinted its eyes and followed the movement of the fishing rod.

Got it, got it... Chen Qi helplessly concentrated his spiritual power again, forming an extraordinary fish bait on the hook.

As soon as it formed, the Black Ship Sea Dragon opened its mouth wide, bit down on the bait, and splashed in the water!

Boom!

Boom!

Clearly, it was very happy!

Chen Qi, soaked to the bone by the splashes, felt conflicted.

Obviously, this was not a pet he could control!

"Alright, alright, once you're full, go play somewhere else..."

Chen Qi waved his hand, unsure if the other party could understand his language.

Right now, he still had to outwit and outlast the storm, leaving him no energy to entertain the Nearshore Dominator.

The storm continued to batter his poor little boat.

The Black Ship Sea Dragon shook its head; seemingly understanding something, it swiftly dove underwater.

Chen Qi also bent down, reducing the speed of the steamboat, cautiously navigating through the storm.

The storm was approaching; it was going to be a long journey…

Splash!

Before Chen Qi could sigh, a huge head with a lit lamp emerged from the water again and exhaled in his direction.

"Still here? I don't fear you, but my little boat does..."

Chen Qi reluctantly turned his head, looking at the silly Nearshore Dominator.

Although he had Deep Sea Affinity, his current strength wasn't sufficient to directly drive away the deep-sea monster.

Upon initiating the attack, the deep-sea monster could also counterattack him.

Moreover, even if he exerted all his strength to drive it away, this Nearshore Dominator might just think Chen Qi was giving it a massage.

Fortunately, this small sea dragon was quite smart and did not collide with his boat.

Suddenly, Chen Qi's eyes lit up.

Its intention seemed not to be asking for food.

But to give him something!

The Black Ship Sea Dragon opened its bloodthirsty mouth with its three rows of sharp teeth.

On its scarlet tongue lay a shiny object.

"?"

Chen Qi cautiously used his fishing rod to pull it out of its mouth.

Palm-sized, this was a small goldfish?

Chen Qi held the dead little creature in his hand.

He had seen this thing in the last few pages of "Sea Beast Medicinal Materials Collection Guide" given to him by the shipdoctor, Little Crow.

The last five pages were all extremely rare sea beasts; Little Crow, being a deep-sea enthusiast, dreamed of raising one!

Of course, she had never owned even one.

"Golden Scaled Fish..."

At that moment, Chen Qi's eyes were blinded by the golden light emanating.

The Golden Scaled Fish lived in deeper waters and swam at considerable speeds.

Thus, ordinary fishing boats found it hard to catch them; usually, it required powerful transcendent beings to personally dive deep to catch them.

Chen Qi took out the soaked book and carefully turned to the last few pages.

As he read, an illusory prompt also appeared before his eyes.

In the new day game settings, the panel's prompts depended on various aspects, with the most important one being one's own known knowledge.

His player panel wasn't omniscient, partially adhering to this setting.

[Golden Scaled Fish:

Nature Form: Bei, Cup

Usage: An extraordinary fish symbolizing wealth and health. Consuming it after cooking can permanently increase one's constitution and provide a small amount of self-healing speed.

Description: Lucky!]

"Well done, Nearshore Dominator!"

Chen Qi looked at the introduction of the dead Golden Scaled Fish.

Bei symbolized money, contracts, wealth, transactions, and other elements.

The Golden Scaled Fish was similar to the koi fish on Earth; people believed that seeing one would bring continuous good luck and wealth for a week.

Living Golden Scaled Fish were extremely expensive ornamental species; however, the one given by the Black Ship Sea Dragon was already dead.

Whereas the Cup represented the primary use of the Golden Scaled Fish!

A strong constitution was the core threshold for many ways to get stronger.

Moreover, small healing speed might sound minimal, but in actual combat, it could increase the self-healing speed of external injuries, making it a quite powerful skill.

This was truly a great supplement...

The attribute-boosting Yellow Needle was at least purchasable, but the Golden Scaled Fish largely depended on luck.

According to the Sea Beast Usage Guide, this thing wasn't suitable for raw consumption.

The Golden Scaled Fish had a reasonably long shelf life, and the temperature was quite stable. Chen Qi put it into his backpack.

With the Yellow Needle, Golden Scaled Fish, plus the initial attribute boost, his early constitution would reach a rather formidable level.

Well done, Black Ship Sea Dragon!

In a sense, it was like he had caught a Golden Scaled Fish.

Chen Qi gently patted its head with his hand.

"Ha, ha, ha—"

Seemingly feeling Chen Qi's mood, the Black Ship Sea Dragon nodded and happily wagged its tail, circling his boat a few times.

Then it summed a few times, making sounds implying it was about to leave.

Leaving? Chen Qi waved his hand:

"Goodbye—"

Chen Qi marked this spot in his memory; maybe they would meet again someday.

The Black Ship Sea Dragon wagged its tail.

Swoosh!

With a swooshing sound, like a rocket, it shot out, raising waves on the sea surface, disappearing from his sight in an instant.

With that speed, it seemed capable of crashing through a large steel steamship!

The Nearshore Dominator was indeed fast...

Chen Qi gazed into the distance, and perhaps blinded by the golden light of the fish, he found the fierce beast somewhat cute.

Splash! Splash!

With the departure of the Black Ship Sea Dragon, waves hit his small boat once again.

His clothes were already thoroughly soaked by the seawater, and despite being cotton, they felt like a heavy, cold armor.

The cold intensified, bringing about a sense of weakness, as the Yellow Needle's effect diminished.

The storm was quite a trial...

"To last until the shore, I'll have to endure for a while..."

Chen Qi bent down, seizing the moment to consume the food and fresh water in his backpack.

There was still a considerable distance to the land.

The upcoming period would be a strenuous one.