Chapter 451: Storm and Fish School

Xia Nan had never seen this kind of fish before.

Its body length was about 2.2 meters, much longer than an adult man. It had a blunt head, a thick snout, and the edges of its fish lips were slightly white, opening and closing to reveal fine, comb-like fish teeth; the gill covers opened and closed slowly, and one could see the filtering structure of the fish gills inside; a pair of fish eyes were round and dull, reflecting the azure sky overhead and the people on the deck.

The most conspicuous feature was the fish's spine.

From the back of its head all the way to the front of its tail fin, in the gaps between those rough, gray-brown scales like rocks, grew a layer of dense, dark green marine vegetation.

Seaweed, water grass, and even a few small coral fragments were attached, with roots deeply embedded in the gaps between the fish scales, as if it had become some kind of symbiont with this big fish.

Xia Nan could even imagine what the seaweed and water grass on the fish's back looked like as they swayed and swung when this big fish swam slowly on the seabed.

"Grass-Spine Fish."

Hearing the sound and walking over, looking at this big fish lying on the deck, Haian spoke up to introduce it.

"Looking at its size, it should have just reached adulthood, about twenty years old."

"This kind of fish can grow very large!"

"The coral reef I'm responsible for next to Shoal Bay had one come by before; just the fish body alone was over eight feet long, and it looked bigger than the small boats of the fishermen in the shallow sea when it swam in the water, but unfortunately, it only stayed for two months before swimming away."

Haian was indeed a Druid, and she did indeed love nature, even specifically protecting the coral reefs near a small bay.

But just like the various churches within the Servia Kingdom.

Druids on the Aifala Continent had very obvious differences in their natural philosophies due to their growth environment, family background, and the circles they belonged to.

Of course, there existed those extreme, radical fanatics who wouldn't even allow you to cut down trees for firewood, and would kill your whole family if you caught a wild rabbit to fill your stomach.

But Haian's own views were much milder, and the Coral Circle she belonged to also advocated the dynamic balance of nature.

As long as it wasn't overfishing, she didn't mind normal angling at all, and would even take the initiative to introduce detailed information about this kind of fish to Xia Nan and the others, how to cook it, and which parts of the fish meat were delicious.

"Don't look at the rough and ugly fish scales on its back; in fact, the meat on the spine of this fish is the most delicious. Just boil it directly, and you can taste a special, fresh, grassy fragrance."

"It's a pity that its size is still a bit small. I've heard others say in the tavern that some adventurers have seen Grass-Spine Fish bigger than cargo ships, and a casual flick of the fish tail creates a layer of giant waves."

If one that big really came, it wouldn't be something he... Alton could catch; it would probably capsize the whole ship.

Standing on the side, Xia Nan listened to the Druid's explanation and muttered in his heart.

However, at the same time, he couldn't help but look forward to the fish meat with a grassy fragrance that Haian mentioned. Since it happened to be dinner time, he could take it to cook and taste it.

His gaze couldn't help but sweep over the fish body, his eyes lingering on its spine, which was covered with water grass and seaweed.

Suddenly, as if he had sensed something, Xia Nan frowned slightly and asked Haian beside him:

"Why is this fish so lifeless? It didn't even flop around when it was caught. Is this how this kind of fish is?"

"No, although they swim relatively slowly in the water on a daily basis, they move very fast when they encounter natural enemies or predators." The Druid shook her head and looked at Aken, who had just come out of the sea and was soaking wet on the other side. "It should be that Aken used too much force when throwing it up, and knocked the fish unconscious."

For such a big fish over two meters long, even in the water, if one wanted to catch it by pulling and dragging with a fishing rod, even if one had enough strength, the strength of an ordinary fishing rod would probably be unable to support it, and it would explode the rod with a little force.

One needed auxiliary equipment like a landing net or a gaff to get a fish of this size ashore.

Aken, as a lv4 Barbarian, even in the water, could easily handle such an ordinary creature just by relying on his physical fitness, almost directly lifting the fish from the sea and throwing it onto the deck.

Hearing this, the burly man couldn't help but scratch his bald head and recalled:

"I remember I was afraid of throwing it too far, so I even held back some strength. It shouldn't be that bad, right?"

Suddenly catching such a big fish caused quite a stir on the deck.

For a time, it attracted the attention of many crew members.

Even the Catfolk Sasha, who had been dozing on the rope just now, jumped down and stood on the side, looking at the Grass-Spine Fish lying on the deck with a very interested look.

Interestingly, when Aken, who was covered in seawater, walked over, this furry leopard-man subconsciously took two steps back, as if he was very repulsed by the water droplets on the other party.

Afraid of water, huh...

If a crew member who had been active among the islands for years was afraid of water, that would be very abstract.

Xia Nan thought it was interesting in his heart.

"Slap!"

Perhaps it was because the number of crew members gathered around was increasing, or perhaps it was because being out of the seawater for a long time made it difficult for it to breathe, but this Grass-Spine Fish, which had been lifeless since being thrown onto the deck, finally flopped around on the spot.

The thick fish tail collided violently with the wooden board beneath it, making a huge, dull sound.

Along with it, the fish body, which had been lying steadily, lost its balance and tilted to the side, revealing its relatively soft, gray-white fish belly.

Hmm?

Xia Nan's gaze suddenly focused.

He saw a gray-black shadow in the middle of the fish belly, slightly to the lower side, hanging between the fish scales like some kind of malignant tumor.

It was a slender marine fish, less than two feet long, the length of an adult's arm.

It was gray-brown all over, blunt at both ends, cigar-shaped, with a slightly bulging belly, and overall, it looked like nothing special.

Only its mouth—that disproportionate, blood-basin mouth that occupied almost half of its head—was now tightly stuck to the soft belly of the Grass-Spine Fish like a suction cup.

Even though it was dying from being crushed by the heavy fish body that had been thrown onto the deck after being abandoned by the water, the small fish's mouthparts still instinctively clung firmly to the flesh and blood, not relaxing even a bit.

"A Saw-toothed Shark." Haian wore a thoughtful expression on her face. "No wonder this grass-ridge fish looks so listless; it turns out it was targeted by this guy."

She walked up, bent down, grabbed the shark's tail, and gave it a fierce tug!

The next second, accompanied by a sluggish "chi" sound, that "Burnt-Neck Spiral-Toothed Shark" she mentioned was directly torn off the Grass-Spine Fish's body.

And on the belly of the Grass-Spine Fish, at the place where its mouthparts had originally been attached, a circular wound was revealed that made one's spine chill and was deep and regular.

One could faintly see the clear texture of the squirming pink-white fish meat inside.

One could imagine how painful it would be if a human's fragile and soft body skin were bitten by such a thing; that kind of perfectly circular, exaggerated wound would probably leave a scar that would be difficult to heal for a lifetime.

"The habits of this kind of Spiral-Toothed Shark are very special. Although it is said to be a type of shark, it basically doesn't hunt other fish on a daily basis, and its body length grows to at most a little over half a meter."

"Their prey are those large creatures in the sea."

"Whales, sharks, dolphins, seals... as long as the body size is relatively large enough, they can become their hunting targets."

"Of course, with their body length, it's also very difficult to cause any serious actual damage."

Haian held the Spiral-Toothed Shark, which had already entered a dying state, upside down in her left hand, and pointed to its mouth with her right hand.

Looking over, one could see the extremely special fish snout structure of this kind of fish. ===== CHAPTER 452 =====