Chapter 283: Section 71: Saliva Fish
The youth named the bloodline he had previously collected the Blue Scale Bloodline. The peak of this bloodline was only Bronze.
After slaying the old Fishman and collecting his bloodline, he named it Brown Scale. The grade of this bloodline reached Black Iron, which meant that a Fishman with a complete bloodline could potentially cultivate to the Black Iron level. However, any progress beyond that was basically hopeless.
The Fishman youth was elated in his heart.
Of course, the higher the Fishman bloodline, the better.
Since his current cultivation was at the Silver level, there was a significant flaw in disguising himself as a Blue Scale Fishman—
Once he used the Silver Fighting Spirit, it would expose his disguise.
...
It was like a person who did not have wings suddenly being able to fly.
The old Fishman Zong Ge and his new companion hadn’t seen through the Fishman youth’s disguise because the latter carried Pearl Bubble with him.
But Pearl Bubble couldn’t unleash its full power, and the Justice Pirate Group had a very crude and superficial application of it.
Therefore, as soon as the youth used the Silver Fighting Spirit and revealed its characteristic traits, it would shock and raise doubts among other Fishman.
“Decided, from now on, I should mainly collect the Brown Scale Bloodline and still need to train and enhance the Fishman form’s fighting prowess,” the youth thought to himself as he turned and headed back.
It was about time; he should head back to the ship.
If he went missing for too long, it would cause unease throughout the Justice Pirate Group.
Lan Zao stood by the ship’s rail, staring intently at the seawater.
A group of pirates gathered next to him, among them was Bai Ya, and all instinctively held their breath, some looking at the sea’s surface, others watching Lan Zao.
Lan Zao held a net in his hands.
The net emanated a Bronze-level aura; it was an alchemy item—the Elastic Black Silk Fishing Net.
“Here it comes,” Lan Zao said, eyes gleaming as he watched the turbulent water below the ship.
In an instant, he vibrated his arm and threw the net.
The net fell, rapidly expanding mid-air.
By the time it reached sea level, it had encompassed an area ten times its size.
As the net entered the water, it quickly sank and then fiercely contracted, resembling an open hand capturing many fish.
The end of the net drew together like a closing fist.
“Pull!” Lan Zao bellowed, using all his strength to haul the net back.
The pirates by his side exerted themselves, forming a long line pulling a rope like a tug of war.
The net was very heavy, but with everyone’s combined efforts, it swiftly left the water.
Excitement bubbled among the pirates by the rail.
“Another big haul!”
“I think this catch is the largest.”
“Let’s all put in more effort!”
Bulging with fish, the net resembled a wagon, quite heavy, yet still, the pirates managed to tug it up onto the deck amidst their collective chants.
Lan Zao flicked his palm, and the Elastic Black Silk Fishing Net fully retracted. The net returned to its pre-cast state in a few breaths’ time.
Free from the net’s constriction, the pile of fish scattered. There was a lively frenzy of fish jumping about the deck.
“Captain Lan Zao, you really have a knack for this!” someone praised loudly.
Lan Zao laughed heartily. Being originally a fisherman, net casting was the skill he had relied on for half his life; naturally, he was very skilled at it.
The pirates began picking up the fish and placing them into large wooden barrels prepared earlier.
There were a plethora of fish in quantity and variety: Tuna, Salmon, Cod, Sakamushi, Red Stingray, Belt fish, Sea Eel, Sea Bream, and more.
“Look, Saliva Fish!” a pirate suddenly shouted, lifting a fish from his catch.
This fish was clearly fatty and had large scales. Struggling in the pirate’s grasp, its efforts were feeble, giving it a slow, dopey appearance.
Bai Ya didn’t recognize this type of fish, but hearing the other pirates’ excited shouts, he grew curious and asked around.
“This fish may seem to have an ordinary aura, but that’s just a disguise. Once cooked, the fish’s flesh emits Bronze or Black Iron-level aura. Not only is it a Magic Beast Meat, but it’s also delicious. It’s said that just smelling the aroma of the meat makes one salivate uncontrollably,” Lan Zao explained with a smile.
“So that’s it,” Bai Ya realized, understanding why Saliva Fish was so valuable since most sea fish were ordinary, unlike this one.
Bai Ya continued to collect fish.
But it wasn’t long before he heard Lan Zao’s soft warning, “Be careful!”
Then, he was yanked aside by Lan Zao.
Lan Zao had pulled with such force that Bai Ya landed heavily on the deck and slid backward a considerable distance.
“What the…” Bai Ya came to his senses, his bewildered look turning into one of terror.
He saw a Water Elemental emerge from the pile of fish.
Had Lan Zao not pulled him, Bai Ya would have been either dead or severely injured.
Bai Ya shivered with fear.
The Water Elemental emitted a Bronze aura and was slightly taller than an adult. It attempted an ambush attack but, failing to kill Bai Ya, it abandoned that target and turned to confront Lan Zao.
Lan Zao, wielding a scimitar, sparred with the Water Elemental.
The other pirates encircled the scene; after their initial shock, they began to jeer.
“Come on, Captain Lan Zao, finish it off!”
“Chop off its head!”
“Target its lower half, lower half, bet on how many rounds Captain Lan Zao will take to defeat this Water Elemental.”
“Are you trying to get yourself killed? Have you forgotten our group’s rules? Gambling is forbidden!”
In fact, not just the Justice Pirate Group, but the majority of pirate groups had this prohibition against gambling.
Bai Ya watched nervously from among the crowd.
Lan Zao focused intently, now advancing, now retreating.
The Water Element’s intelligence was no match for him, and after being toyed with a few times, it began to shoot Water Arrows.
Water Arrows came one after another, but none hit Lan Zao. Instead, it was an unlucky spectator who didn’t dodge in time and got hit.
However, his injuries were not severe, and he still chose to continue watching the battle.
“Five Water Arrows… it shouldn’t be able to shoot any more of those,” Lan Zao muttered while dodging.
When he saw that the Water Element’s state had visibly weakened, he launched his real attack.
His scimitar struck the body of the Water Element, but the damage wasn’t significant.
But as Lan Zao landed hits repeatedly, the injuries accumulated, and eventually, the Water Element collapsed.
The Water Element died, its body dissolving into a puddle which splashed across the deck. In the middle of the water pool was a light blue, glass-like core of the Water Element.
Lan Zao, panting, picked up his spoils and won another round of cheers from the pirates.
The Dragon-man youth, who had just sneaked back on board, saw this scene and smiled slightly.
There were plenty of alchemy items like the Elastic Black Silk Fishing Net.
When Cang Xu led half of the ships to New Moon Port to resupply and rest, they exchanged for many with the Empire.
This was a decision made by the youth after discussions with Cang Xu, Zong Ge, and others. To save time and find the temple of Mei Lan as quickly as possible, the Justice Pirate Group might need to drift on the sea for a long time. Hence, they needed some methods to reduce the pressure of resupplying.
Now, it appeared that the Elastic Black Silk Fishing Net was quite effective.
Of course, this also had a lot to do with the environment.
In most seas, the catch from casting nets was very small, almost tending towards zero.
The real catches were generally at natural fishing grounds formed at the confluence of ocean currents.
This place wasn’t a fishing ground, but it was the Sky Pillar Sea Eye. The swirling torrent brought rich nutrients, attracting massive schools of fish to gather. The abundant Water Elements made this place teeming with Magic Beasts.
The Justice Pirate Group was currently on the outer edge of the Sea Eye, so they didn’t encounter many Magic Beasts.
Come dinner time, everyone gathered in the dining hall.
In everyone’s meal were a few extra fish, while the amount of other meats was reduced a little.
Di Lou stood at the main seat of the long table. He stood up, “Alright, my brethren, let us begin our prayers.”
He clasped his hands, bowed his head, and closed his eyes, loudly praying.
The other pirates at the table also clasped their hands and prayed in unison.
They prayed to the God of Life, expressing thanks for the food bestowed by the deities and showing their reverence for the God of Life.
After the Great Resurrection Technique, most pirates in the Justice Pirate Group had become followers of the God of Life. Di Lou appeared to be the most devout among them.
Lan Zao was also silently praying.
He prayed to the Goddess of Fishnets. Legend had it that this goddess didn’t wear ordinary clothes but was draped in fishnets that could cover both heaven and earth.
Unlike Di Lou, Lan Zao’s faith was eclectic, worshipping many deities.
The Goddess of Fishnets was just one among them.
Lan Zao didn’t often pray to her, but today, he felt a great sense of gratitude from the great catch with the Elastic Black Silk Fishing Net, and he quietly offered his silent prayer to the goddess alone, expressing his thanks.
The Goddess of Fishnets had few followers and no dedicated missionary organization, let alone a temple.
Compared to Di Lou, who was devoted solely to the God of Life, Lan Zao’s situation was more common.
Most people worshipped multiple deities at once. During travels, they would worship the Travel God, and during childbirth, offerings were made to the Fertility God. Hence, most people were general believers.
The Dragon-man youth also pretended to pray.
Since Mysterious Monster Island, he had become a Non-believer.
Non-believers were extremely rare. In a world filled with faith, non-believers often faced ostracism and misunderstanding by others.
Common belief held that life is short, and after death, souls are afraid of destruction and seek a peaceful dwelling.
The Divine Country is considered the best final resting place for souls.
The youth wasn’t steadfastly committed to the path of a Non-believer; he was just in a period of changing faith and felt quite lost.
“If someone truly ascends the pirate throne, then people here will probably believe more in the God of Pirates,” Cang Xu concluded his prayer.
Although he was a Mage, he also had faith.
He worshipped one of the gods of death, the Ghost Lord.
Magic and faith did not conflict.
Zong Ge worshipped the God of War, who was also the God of War.
He, Cang Xu, and the youth sat at one table.
The Half-beast suggested to the Dragon-man youth, “If someone becomes the God of Pirates, I suggest that the majority of the pirate group switch their faith. That way, we could gain the support of the pirate city and send priests or pastors. Or perhaps someone from within us could be promoted to become a pastor.”
The power of Divine Arts was tremendous.
Large-scale wars could lack Magic, but they couldn’t be without Divine Arts.
The Dragon-man youth put a piece of Fishman into his mouth, pensive.
The issue of faith required attention.
Many sects of believers were naturally opposed, which could be a significant internal threat for a collective organization.
And if everyone in the organization worshipped the same deity, there were also significant hidden worries.
It could lead to the leader being subordinate to the deity, losing control over the organization.
“Hm? This fish tastes good.” The Dragon-man youth, still chewing subconsciously, was startled and blurted out praise, “Is this the Saliva Fish?”
“Yes,” Cang Xu nodded, “It’s a pity we don’t have a great chef. This ingredient is of upper-middle quality; a culinary creation perfectly balanced with Magic Power could greatly assist us Transcendents.”
“Right now, this fish meat is a huge failure. Its inherent Magic Power has almost entirely dissipated, and the taste leaves much to be desired,” Cang Xu shook his head, his and Zong Ge’s dinner also included Saliva Fish.
“Therefore, in this regard, I do envy the Fishmen. They can eat Saliva Fish raw and fully absorb the Magic Power within the fish to strengthen themselves. Unlike us from the Human Race, who need to process the ingredients and can only eat cooked food,” Zong Ge interjected.
Hearing this, the Dragon-man youth paused slightly.
“Eh?”
“Is that so…”