Chapter 95: Maritime Competition 2
Besides that, Moira Lynch had another task: to see if there were any resources here that she could take back.
This was the ocean, so the first thing that came to mind was naturally seafood.
Moira Lynch scanned the depths with her spiritual power, detecting many fish moving beneath the surface, but she couldn’t determine if they were edible.
Besides, the fish weren’t very intelligent, making it impossible to communicate with them.
"By the way, what are all your tasks?" Yuzu Garner asked.
"My first task is to catch ten Azure Shrimp."
"My first task is to catch ten Lesser Goldfish, and my second is to catch one hundred Greater Golden Fish."
Kai York looked at his task glumly. ’Greater Golden Fish, Lesser Goldfish... Am I supposed to catch ten Golden Fish sons and then a hundred Golden Fish dads?’
"I only have one task: find an Isle Turtle and mark it. It’s a three-star task."
Moira Lynch listened to the three of them describe their tasks, then looked at her own first and only task: purify a region of the sea. Three stars. The score would be determined by the area she purified.
Moira Lynch: ...
Purifying the sea wasn’t difficult for Moira Lynch. After all, she had Purifying Seaweed, and she had already successfully cultivated it in her space. It was just that...
’Why do I get the feeling I’m being fleeced? Are they sure this task isn’t deliberate?’
Seeing her silence, Kai York couldn’t help but lean over out of curiosity.
When he saw the glittering three-star task on Moira Lynch’s Task Card, his expression shifted from curiosity to pity. He then patted her shoulder with a solemn look. "Don’t worry, Moira. We’ll help you."
Seeing Kai York’s reaction, Shane Rhodes and Hugh Finch also leaned in for a look, and their faces immediately mirrored his expression.
Even though Hugh Finch also had a three-star task, Moira Lynch’s was clearly much harder by comparison. Were they sure this wasn’t just to make things difficult for her?
They even wondered if Moira Lynch had somehow offended the game system. Why else would she be assigned such a task?
Moira Lynch stared at them with a deadpan expression. ’What’s with those looks? It’s not clear who should be pitying whom yet.’
"Since the system issued this task, it must be achievable."
Seeing her reaction, the others just thought she was being optimistic. "Don’t worry, we’ll definitely make sure you pass."
Moira: ’What I just said wasn’t me trying to be comforting. Forget it. I’ll just blow your minds when I complete the task.’
"I have fishing nets and rods. Do you want them?" Moira Lynch asked.
Both Shane Rhodes’ and Kai York’s tasks involved catching aquatic life.
After she took out the fishing nets and rods, the group started piloting the small boat toward deeper waters.
As expected of a planet with ninety-five percent ocean coverage, the sea seemed to stretch on without end.
Moreover, Moira Lynch looked down at the seawater. ’It looks pretty clean. I don’t feel like it needs purifying. Could it be that only specific areas need to be purified?’
’If that’s really the case, then this isn’t just getting fleeced—this is being targeted by the game system.’
Once the boat reached a suitable spot, Shane Rhodes started casting a net while Kai York cast his fishing rod. Moira Lynch and Hugh Finch helped from the side.
Moira Lynch looked at the surrounding water, took out a small piece of Purifying Seaweed, and tossed it onto the surface.
A moment later, there was no change in the seawater.
Just when Moira Lynch thought she had failed and was truly being targeted by the game, she happened to glance at her Task Card and saw that one of the stars had lit up.
It worked!
’Looks like I’m not being targeted after all.’
Excited, Moira Lynch tossed some more Purifying Seaweed into the water, hoping to complete the task quickly.
However, no matter how much more she tossed in, the second star only flickered, hovering on the verge of lighting up without ever fully doing so.
Just then, Hugh Finch suddenly cried out, "Quick, look over there! Something’s approaching."
Hearing him, the group turned to look and saw a huge, pink figure rapidly approaching from beneath the surface, its target their very boat.
"Don’t panic. It means us no harm."
The moment she saw the pink creature, Moira Lynch used her spiritual power to communicate with it. The answer she received was that it held no hostility toward them. In fact, it had come specifically to thank them.
[Cetabeast: Revered as the spirits of Planet Aelmar. They are extremely intelligent and despise those who pollute the ocean environment. They feel an affinity for those who protect and purify the seawater, and may even approach them proactively.]
Hearing Patience’s introduction, Moira Lynch understood that the Cetabeast’s sudden appearance was most likely due to her recent actions.
She said to the three behind her, "Watch me in a bit. If all goes well, our tasks are as good as done."
At her words, the three of them immediately lit up, their eyes filled with ecstatic joy as they watched the pink figure speeding toward them.
When the Cetabeast got closer, they realized it was just a giant dolphin, only with pink skin.
The Cetabeast surfaced, spraying a jet of seawater from its mouth that landed right on Moira Lynch’s face.
[Cetabeasts spray water at others when they are happy or meet someone they like. If they receive a response, they will become even happier.]
Seeing this, Moira Lynch took out a Water Storage Mushroom, squeezed it hard, and a stream of water splashed onto the Cetabeast.
The next second, the Cetabeast let out an ethereal, joyous cry.
Shane Rhodes, Kai York, and Hugh Finch saw this and followed suit, taking out their own Water Storage Mushrooms and spraying the Cetabeast.
Now the Cetabeast was even happier, leaping joyfully through the surrounding water.
"Is it... happy?"
Shane Rhodes, Kai York, and Hugh Finch all fixed their gazes on Moira Lynch, their eyes filled with excitement.
They had a feeling that the rest of their tasks might be very easy.
Once the Cetabeast had its fill of fun, it returned to the side of the boat and nuzzled its mouth against Moira Lynch’s cheek as a sign of gratitude.
Seeing this, Moira Lynch quickly released her spiritual power to communicate with the Cetabeast.
"This area of the sea looks very clean. Why does it need to be purified?"
At her question, the Cetabeast once again made its ethereal cry, but this time it was tinged with a hint of unhappiness.
It turned out a group of invaders had recently appeared on the seabed. Not only did they eat everything in sight, but their reproductive rate was also astonishing.
After eating their fill, these invaders’ bodies would secrete a toxin that didn’t affect the water quality itself, but caused the plankton and various nutrients in the seawater to rapidly disappear.
And the Purifying Seaweed Moira had just scattered was able to neutralize the toxins in the water.
’So that’s how it is.’
"I can continue to help you purify the sea, but could you help us with something in return?" Moira Lynch asked.
Hearing this, the Cetabeast thrashed its tail excitedly. However, it didn’t agree immediately, asking cautiously, "What is it? If it’s something that would harm the ocean, I won’t help."