Chapter 450: [Albatross-Type Fishing Rod]

Life at sea was as boring as ever.

This was even more so for adventurers.

The chores on the ship were handled by sailors, and as for potential battles during the voyage... there were indeed many magical beasts in the ocean, but on such a vast sea, stretching the time out to the ten-plus days of the round trip, being able to encounter one could already be considered unlucky. If they encountered two or more, the adventurers on the ship would have to wonder if they had been targeted by something dirty; the cautious ones would probably have set up an altar to sacrifice to the gods on the deck right then and there.

Right now, it had been nearly three days since the Oath-Breaker sailed out of Shoal Bay.

The journey was smooth, without any waves.

All that met the eye was a vast expanse of blue; of course, there was no other scenery to see besides that.

Sailing on the vast sea, facing those undulating waves that seemed to never stop and never change, if he couldn't feel the passage of time from the changes between day and night, Xia Nan wouldn't even be able to tell how far they had sailed.

And at the same time, the excitement and agitation in his heart when they set sail, regarding the upcoming adventures and unknown enemies, were gradually worn away by the endless sound of the waves.

Fortunately, the few people on the ship were all experienced adventurer sailors and had their own ways of relieving boredom. Even for the two who had just boarded, Alton went without saying, and Xia Nan had already developed a new hobby.

"Hum-thrum..."

The melodious sound of the lute echoed with the sea breeze on the deck.

The Halfling Alton sat alone on a wooden barrel by the ship's side, his exquisite leather boots embroidered with clover patterns swinging back and forth, and in his arms was his equally small and miniature lute.

Clearly, he wasn't playing seriously. The breeze brushing against his cheeks blew his slightly curly hair into a mess. He squinted his eyes, his gaze dazed, not knowing what he was thinking about. His fingers plucked the strings casually, and light and free-spirited tunes flowed from the strings.

His long tail hung down from the air, and about three yards above the ground nearby, a hemp rope as thick as a baby's wrist was stretched tightly between two masts.

The Catfolk Sasha was lying on it.

Introverted by nature, he displayed a unique, wanton elegance characteristic of a feline at this moment.

Even though his entire body was supported by only a single hemp rope, he maintained his center of gravity on the rope with a quite natural posture, his hands supporting his head like a pillow, one paw pad stepping on the rope, and the other leg lazily resting on the other knee, as if what was beneath him wasn't a taut, sagging hemp rope, but a warm meadow in the afternoon.

With his eyelids closed, he seemed to be taking an afternoon nap. His long, furry tail, which hung down, swayed gently like bait following the rise and fall of the music's melody in the air, and his pair of pointed ears pricked up and turned from time to time, capturing abnormal movements on the deck.

"Thump... thump..."

The dull sound of leather boots landing heavily on the wooden boards was like a drum beating in the middle of the music, interspersed with the sound of the lute.

Aken was shirtless, his bronze skin covered in flashy tattoos and sweat, and at this moment, he was holding a huge iron anchor with both hands, doing squats on the deck.

The bulging muscles were like some living creature hidden deep within the skin, twitching and squirming under the skin with his breathing.

The Barbarian profession endowed him with muscle strength and power far exceeding professionals of the same level, but the "Flame of Anger," the source of power that always burned deep within his heart, was like a furnace driving his body, unable to stay quiet.

He could only use repetitive training to consume a large amount of physical strength to suppress the fire in his heart.

Several young apprentice sailors responsible for cleaning the deck hid far away, their eyes filled with awe and curiosity; one of them even imitated the other's training method and gestured in the air with the mop in his hand, causing a burst of giggles from his companions.

"What are you doing!? Is the deck cleaned up yet!?"

The scolding from the other side of the deck made the little guys tremble violently, and they hurriedly lowered their heads to continue working.

Ryan, who was usually slightly silent and dull, supervised the sailors doing various things on the deck with his hands behind his back, occasionally giving orders:

"Put away the cables over there, don't trip anyone!"

"Check the sail ropes again; there might be a storm tonight."

"Who let the wooden barrels over there be moved up!? Captain? That's fine, just put them there."

"..."

His twin brother, Gordon, was in the cabin with the stewards preparing today's dinner.

Caw—

A seagull with snow-white feathers flew low without fear, its flapping wings stirring the pale white tobacco mist drifting from the captain's cabin, and it landed lightly on the siren figurehead that embraced the ocean.

This caused the silver ring snake "A-Yin," which had been coiled on it sunbathing, to raise its body and hiss in dissatisfaction.

But before it had even opened its mouth, which was baring its fangs, its head was pressed down by a fair palm that popped out from behind.

"A-Yin, don't be so fierce!"

Haian scolded in a low voice.

Her fingers wound lightly around A-Yin's slender snake body, and she coiled it back into the crook of her arm.

The position of the "bracelet" couldn't be reached by the sun, and the cold, silver-and-black snake body followed her arm all the way up until it transformed itself back into a slightly thicker "necklace," resting its small diamond-shaped head in the Druid's collarbone hollow; only then did the little female snake finally rest.

Squinting its eyes, it nudged the Druid's neck with its head and continued to lazily enjoy the sunlight.

Already used to A-Yin's willfulness, Haian sat cross-legged on the spot, closed her eyes again, and continued to meditate.

And the seagulls around her body, which had scattered slightly because of her movements just now, flapped their wings and gathered around again, calling "caw caw" incessantly.

On an afternoon in the middle of the voyage, everyone was doing their own thing.

Of course, this included Xia Nan.

However, the expression on his face was more serious and earnest than anyone else on the deck at this moment. His pair of pitch-black eyes stared fixedly at the water surface in the distance, where a bright float was bobbing up and down with the waves, and one could faintly see a line so thin it was almost transparent hanging from its tip, extending all the way to the off-white fishing rod in Xia Nan's hand.

【Albatross Type III Fishing Rod - 1015 Model】—from a boutique fishing gear shop in the White Cliff District called "St. Andrew." It is said that the champion of the 127th Shoal Bay Fishing Tournament used this very fishing rod to catch the King of Fish of that year.

Xia Nan had personally seen the specimen of that fish, which was nearly the size of an adult's torso, in the shop. The portrait of the champion holding the fishing rod and squatting in front of his prey was also hanging on the wall of the fishing gear shop, with many newspapers recording the news at the time pasted next to it.

The main body of the fishing rod was made of perennial Subin white wax wood from the coast. The wood had been specially treated by professional craftsmen, making it tough and elastic, capable of bending to an almost exaggerated degree; the reel seat was hand-carved with anti-slip patterns by craftsmen, and the exquisite wave pattern not only enhanced aesthetics but was also believed to bring good luck.

To take down this top-tier fishing rod, Xia Nan paid the price of nearly ten gold coins.

You get what you pay for; this quality of fishing rod was basically the limit that ordinary people could touch, and even many nobles in the White Cliff District might not be willing to spend that much. Anything higher would be enchanted equipment with special effects.

Xia Nan did not regret this.

Just like how he didn't care about the price of food and lodging at the Three-Footed Sea Dog Tavern, it was perfectly fine for him to use the money he had worked so hard to earn to enjoy himself, not to mention investing it in his own hobby.

Xia Nan believed that soon, the value of the catch he caught with this fishing rod would be worth its ten-gold-coin price tag.

Even now, on the third day after leaving port, he remained full of confidence in this—

Even though, up to now, the biggest catch he had caught with this fishing rod was a rotten leather shoe that had been soaked and rotted, having fallen into the sea who knows how many years ago.

It definitely wasn't a problem with his own ability, Xia Nan was certain. ===== CHAPTER 451 =====