Chapter 8: Anglers Never Return Empty-Handed

One week later.

On the eastern side of what was basically barren wasteland, but which Luo Mu shamelessly called his farm, a stream of neither wide nor narrow breadth flowed gently.

In the crystal-clear water, numerous fish shadows of varying sizes swam past; looking closely, one could occasionally spot a few red fish shadows.

"Why is it you guys again? I'm not running an all-you-can-eat buffet; please, stop eating........."

A voice filled with anger yet hiding bitterness rang out; Luo Mu, holding his fishing rod, stared in complete breakdown at a pair of dead-fish eyes.

However, whether it was the System's gloating font or his Serperior beside him impatiently flicking its tail and looking at him with disdainful snake eyes,

it seemed they were both saying that Luo Mu, who had prepared a huge basin of bait shouting he would never return empty-handed, ended up catching not a single fish, finally feeding the Magikarp in the stream until they were full, and then delusionally trying to beg them to leave, must have something wrong with his brain.

Held by Luo Mu and looking completely given-up, as if knowing Luo Mu could do nothing to it, the Magikarp calmly wagged its tail, waiting for Luo Mu to toss it back into the water.

In reality, Luo Mu's fishing skills were not poor; before transmigrating, he often went alone to fish in a certain river during holidays, and although he didn't catch something every time, he basically always had some small harvest.

He came here to fish solely because of a sudden whim this morning; inexplicably craving grilled fish, he immediately prepared a basin of bait that only attracted ordinary fish and came to this newly discovered stream.

These baits contained no ingredients beloved by Pokémon; in the eyes of Pokémon, they were essentially no different from pig feed.

Yet, despite all his calculations, Luo Mu failed to anticipate that these shameless Magikarp would not only be willing to eat the bait but also utilize their uniqueness as extraordinary creatures to drive away the ordinary fish.

It was simply shameless to the extreme!

Seeing its good-for-nothing trainer so angry his face had turned crimson, Serperior secretly sighed.

Although Serperior maintained an expression of disdain on the surface, it still released a slight amount of pressure toward the Magikarp on Luo Mu's hook and the water surface.

The pressure was well-controlled by Serperior, covering only the Magikarp lingering in the stream nearby without frightening the school of fish.

The dull, dead-fish eyes of the Magikarp, which had been confronting Luo Mu, instantly showed visible panic; it directly released the bait from its mouth, used Water Sport at the fastest speed of its life, leaped into the stream, and vanished in an instant.

"Thank you, kind my lord Serperior!" Luo Mu looked at Serperior with gratitude, immediately dropped his fishing rod, and intended to give his dear trainer a thankful hug.

However, before Luo Mu could embrace it, Serperior, wearing an expression of full disdain, used two emerald-green vines to tie him up tightly and hoist him into the air, where he dangled swaying, looking slightly comical.

Serperior voiced its dissatisfaction: "Gah-lo!" (How many times must I say it, call me Her Majesty!)

Unfortunately, Luo Mu could not understand its language, but he could roughly discern Serperior's mood; it was undoubtedly currently in a state of "tsundere," and if he softened up and spoke nice words, Serperior would become happy.

Having long since figured out Serperior's personality inside and out, Luo Mu skillfully began speaking flattering words; within a short while, Serperior was blown by his string of rainbow farts into lifting its head and, acting with great mercy, allowed Luo Mu to hug its body, which was not cold like that of ordinary snake-type Pokémon.

Luo Mu carefully felt Serperior's warm snake body and, in a place it couldn't see, revealed a triumphant smile.

Hmph, a mere tsundere snake is taken down in minutes; don't underestimate this older otaku who has watched countless anime, kora!

After some horseplay, Luo Mu stared at some residue on the edge of the basin, estimating it should still be enough for one more cast...

This time, absolutely no returning empty-handed!

Although he could have Serperior bomb the fish, that held no meaning; what Luo Mu enjoyed was the process of catching fish.

Luo Mu's face showed a look of determination, and he immediately planned to roll up his sleeves and go all out.

"All my people, all my people~"

Suddenly, the mobile phone tucked into the pocket of his floral shorts downstairs began playing an incoming call ringtone.

Luo Mu's movements stalled; slumping his shoulders like a deflated balloon, he pulled out his phone, glanced at the caller ID, and answered: "Hello? Is there some other problem?"

A hearty middle-aged male voice came from the other end of the line: "Hiya, no problems at all, we can definitely start on time. It's just that a few of my employees have a matter for which they wish to obtain Mr. Luo's permission."

"Permission?" Luo Mu tilted his head, not understanding what the construction team leader on the other end was talking about.

"Isn't it that we haven't caught the child-trafficking criminal gang recently? I heard there have been cases of children going missing in the nearby town... Since it's school holiday, they worry something might happen to children left home alone, so they want to bring them to the construction site to keep an eye on them."

Before Luo Mu could speak, the construction foreman, fearing Luo Mu might have concerns or be unhappy, quickly guaranteed: "They promise not to let the children run around wildly and will keep them restrained by their sides at all times... I will also personally go to the site to supervise; could you please make an exception?"

Just this little thing?

Luo Mu instantly felt somewhat amused yet helpless; currently, large areas of the farm were in a state of abandonment, so even if those children held a disco there, he wouldn't care; he only cared about the final result.

Halting his thoughts, Luo Mu smiled: "No problem, just restrain the children well and don't let them get lost."

Having received Luo Mu's permission, the foreman on the other end of the phone showed a look of joy, thanked him repeatedly, and stated he would definitely keep a good watch on the children, adding that he would give Luo Mu a discount once the project was finished.

Hanging up the phone, Luo Mu shook his head, secretly sighing that there actually existed such a boss who thought so much for his subordinates; why had he never encountered one in the past?

"Gah-lo!"

Serperior gently tapped Luo Mu's palm with a vine, urging him to finish this cast quickly and leave, as it hadn't had its sunbath today yet.

"Alright, alright, fishing now." Luo Mu skillfully baited the hook, then elegantly cast it along with the line toward the distance.

Pity there wasn't enough bait left for chumming; it was all the fault of those few Magikarp!

Luo Mu swore that next time those Magikarp came to sneak attack again, he would definitely call on Luxray to electrocute the fish!

Sitting idly for several minutes, Luo Mu's bloodshot eyes stared fixedly at the water surface, as if trying to fish them up with his gaze alone.

It seemed that due to the earlier disruption by the Magikarp, the fish in this area had lost their appetite and weren't even willing to come and freeload Luo Mu's bait.

Just as Luo Mu thought he would return in defeat, the float bobbing on the water surface suddenly sank; clearly, there was a catch!

Luo Mu's drowsy brain instantly cleared, his eyes bursting with dazzling brilliance, and he immediately prepared to engage in a contest of strength with the swimming fish below!

Serperior cast a casual glance toward the water; even it hadn't expected that Luo Mu could actually catch a fish.

However, the instant Serperior saw clearly what exactly had been hooked, its snake pupils constricted!