Just as Li Miao ran off to the Spirit Candle to get his catch identified, there was some commotion from Faraway’s side.
He reacted quickly, reeling in the hooked sea creature without much trouble.
[You have caught: Small Yellow Fish ×1.]
Like the sea crab Li Miao had caught, this small yellow fish also seemed to have some special Effect, but it needed to be appraised at the Spirit Candle.
"I’ve got a bite over here too!"
Faraway had just reeled in his catch when Brother Mangzi’s eyes lit up. With a roar, he grabbed his fishing rod and gave it a mighty heave.
But unlike the others, whatever he had hooked offered no resistance at all. The thing on his line went flying!
Then, with a WHOOSH, it smacked right into Brother Mangzi’s face.
[You have caught: Holey Stinky Shoe ×1.]
[Holey Stinky Shoe]
[Explanation: A completely useless stinky shoe. Please do not attempt to bring it to the Spirit Candle for an appraisal.]
"Ptooey, ptooey, ptooey! Urgh..."
Brother Mangzi, having been smacked in the face by the stinky shoe, instinctively spat a few times. The lingering stench made him gag twice.
Seeing this, Guagua was on the verge of cracking up, but she felt it would be rude to laugh openly, so she had to stifle it.
Even Faraway couldn’t help but crack a smile at the sight.
"Damn it! What is this?! How can a stinky shoe bite the hook? This game has it out for me, doesn’t it!"
Brother Mangzi’s face darkened as he angrily hurled the stinky shoe back into the ocean.
"Guys! Major discovery!"
Li Miao shouted as he rushed over.
He held up the sea crab in his hand and said, "If you get unknown items appraised at the Spirit Candle, the Candlekeeper gives you a reward!"
By now, the Effect of the sea crab in Li Miao’s hand had been revealed.
[Sea Crab]
[Type: Item]
[Effect: Can be processed at the Spirit Candle by consuming Wax Oil. After processing, consuming it will grant a minor, temporary boost to your Power Attribute.]
[Rarity: Common]
[Explanation: Crunchy and crab-flavored.]
After carefully examining the sea crab’s description, Faraway handed it back to Li Miao.
"So after appraisal, it also gets a rarity rating..."
"What reward did the Candlekeeper give?"
"A bit of Wax Oil." Li Miao said, fiddling with the sea crab. "But the Candlekeeper also said you can only get a reward for appraising each type of unknown item once."
"...They’re encouraging players to be proactive about exploration." Faraway figured out the reasoning after a moment’s thought and nodded. "The reward itself is small, but the information is crucial."
"If we can get some more important information appraised, the rewards might be even better!"
Li Miao mused, stroking his chin.
"Makes sense." Guagua nodded in agreement.
Faraway packed up his fishing rod and said to the others, "You guys can keep fishing if you want. I’m going to go practice my Skills."
Seeing Faraway turn and leave, the others did not follow.
"A couple more casts, then time for class."
Li Miao sat down, humming a little tune.
Although both were experienced gamers, he was still somewhat different from Faraway.
Faraway was intensely goal-oriented, whereas Li Miao preferred to enjoy the journey. Sometimes he was perfectly happy just zoning out with no particular goal in mind.
Right now, for some reason, he just wanted to cast a couple more times.
Then he noticed Brother Mangzi sitting off to the side, silent, his face grim.
He found this a bit odd and couldn’t help but ask, "Brother Mangzi, what’s wrong? You look pretty down."
"..." Brother Mangzi’s expression soured even more. "Nothing," he grumbled.
’You call this ’nothing’?...’
Li Miao grumbled to himself. But since Brother Mangzi clearly didn’t want to talk about it, he wasn’t going to push.
Guagua, who knew what had happened, had to suppress a giggle.
’You two both caught something, while Brother Mangzi was the only one to reel in a stinky shoe. Of course he’s not happy...’
But, to spare Brother Mangzi’s feelings, she didn’t say anything to Li Miao.
"Aren’t you going to fish, Guagua? I thought you still had some Fine Meat Bait. Don’t you want to give it a shot?"
Li Miao looked at Guagua.
"Mmm... I think I’ve got the hang of it, but I don’t really feel like fishing here."
Guagua said after thinking for a moment.
"What do you mean?" Li Miao’s interest was piqued. "Don’t tell me your Talent gives you premonitions or something?"
"No, it’s not that, it’s because..."
As she spoke, Guagua glanced up at the sky. Before she could finish, two bird calls echoed from above.
"COO... COO..."
Li Miao’s pupils contracted as if he’d seen something. "Brother Mangzi, watch out—"
But his warning came too late.
SPLAT.
With a soft squish, a viscous, white, black, and yellow concoction landed squarely on Brother Mangzi’s big, shiny bald head, creating a small "splash"...
Li Miao froze. An overwhelming urge to laugh shot right up to his Skull Cap, but he could only use his formidable Will to suppress it. His face flushed red, and his body began to tremble uncontrollably.
’Don’t laugh, don’t laugh. Brother Mangzi’s already in a bad mood...’
Guagua also clamped a hand over her mouth, desperately trying not to burst out laughing.
"What?"
Already sulking from having caught the stinky shoe, Brother Mangzi heard Li Miao’s choked-off warning and turned to look. Suddenly, he felt a warmth on his scalp.
Immediately after, a warm stream trickled down his forehead.
A terrible premonition instantly surfaced in Brother Mangzi’s mind.
He reached out a finger and gently touched it. Staring at the unidentified liquid on his fingertip in disbelief, he instinctively gave it a sniff.
"..."
"DAMN YOU, YOU FILTHY BIRD!!!"
...
Below a reef-lined cliff.
Brother Yu was standing on a wobbly rock, holding his fishing rod.
The terrain here was treacherous. Viewed from the side, the reef cliff formed a "T" shape, and Brother Yu was currently perched on the small ledge at its base.
The water before him was also relatively calm, likely due to the underwater topography.
In Brother Yu’s opinion, this was an excellent fishing spot.
He propped his chin on his hand, tapping his knuckles out of sheer boredom.
Smacking his lips, he instinctively reached for his pocket, thinking of lighting a cigarette and playing a game on his phone.
But he quickly froze, the corner of his mouth twitching.
’What am I thinking? Playing a game inside a game?’
Realizing this, Brother Yu could only lie back and pretend to nap.
Of course, he couldn’t actually fall asleep. The physical bodies of players in a virtual reality game were essentially in a dormant state, leaving their Spirit brimming with energy.
This state was perfect for keeping an eye on his fishing rod.
Just as he was resting with his eyes half-closed, a soft sound suddenly came from up ahead.
PLOP.
"Hmm?" Even though the sound was faint, it still made Brother Yu sit up in surprise.
Then he saw another long, thin fishing line dangling right above his own bobber.
From above came a familiar, leisurely humming sound.
’Is that... Guagua?’
There were only five players on the island, including himself, and only one of them was female, so he recognized the voice instantly.
It dawned on Brother Yu, and he didn’t know whether to laugh or cry. ’How did that kid find her way here, too?’
Shaking his head, Brother Yu prepared to reel in his fishing rod and go say hello to her.
But soon, a disturbance from the sea surface in front of him made him stop in his tracks.
"Huh, so fast?"
Feeling a tug on her line, Guagua’s eyes lit up, and she quickly tightened her grip on her fishing rod.
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