Chapter 96: Sea Race 3
"Of course it’s nothing like that." Moira Lynch pointed to herself and then to the others behind her. "We’re in a competition. Can you help us complete our tasks?"
’The game only said the competition lasts for three days,’ she thought. ’It never said we couldn’t ask the local residents for help. This doesn’t count as cheating.’
Hearing this, the Cetabeast had a moment of realization. "Oh, I know what you’re talking about! The water race, right? It’s held every year. I can’t believe time has flown by so fast. I’ve been so busy dealing with the invaders lately that I completely forgot about it."
The Cetabeast swished its tail. "As long as you can help us purify the sea, helping you with your tasks will be no problem."
"Then it’s a deal."
Moira Lynch turned to the three expectant faces behind her and said, "It’s agreed. Who wants to go first?"
"Me, me, me! I’ll go first," Kai York said, jumping at the chance.
"My first task is to get ten Lesser Goldfish, the second is ten Greater Golden Fish, and the last one is to help drive away one hundred invaders and collect their spines as proof."
Soon, a problem occurred to them. Where were they going to put everything?
This didn’t stump Moira Lynch. She looked around the boat and found nothing, but then she examined the Task Card and discovered it had a hidden feature.
When unfolded from the middle and pressed firmly, it turned into a simple storage box.
The other three were no strangers to this, as it had been an essential item for them during the first three rounds of the game.
After hearing Kai York’s tasks, the Cetabeast said, "The Lesser Goldfish and Greater Golden Fish are easy. As for the invaders, they’re all on the seabed. I can’t help you with that."
Moira Lynch heard this and figured that was already good enough.
She glanced at Kai York’s Task Card. The invader pictured on it was a creature covered in spines from head to toe.
’It looks just like a sea urchin. So, sea urchins are the invaders.’
The Cetabeast swished its tail and went off to catch the Lesser and Greater Golden Fish.
Meanwhile, Moira Lynch secretly sprinkled purifying moss into the water as she directed the other three to paddle toward a nearby coral reef.
As they paddled, they discussed how to deal with the invaders, because it wasn’t just Kai York who had this task; Shane Rhodes had a similar one.
However, the picture for his task wasn’t a spiny sea urchin, but a five-pointed star.
’A starfish?’
Moira Lynch had diving gear in her storage space, but she hesitated to take it out. After all, who would casually carry around four sets of diving equipment? The Yoyo Fruits were also a no-go; their origin would be a problem unless she wanted to blow her cover.
She asked inwardly, ’Patience, is there anything around here that can let people breathe freely underwater?’
Moira Lynch had already made up her mind. ’If there isn’t anything, then Kai York and Shane Rhodes will just have to manage somehow.’
’Alternatively, I could collect the invaders into my space, break off their spines and points, and then drop them back into the water for the two of them to find and pick up.’
Moira Lynch thought this was a pretty good idea. ’It wouldn’t really count as cheating, either. Since I’d have already taken the invaders away, how would that not count as eliminating them?’
’Besides, sea urchins and starfish are delicacies. They’re perfect for steamed eggs.’
[Based on the scan, two solutions are currently available.]
’There really is a way? And two of them, at that!’
’Tell me, quickly.’
[In the direction of the reef ahead, there is a group of sea ears. There is a one percent chance they will contain a Sea Pearl. Holding it in your mouth will allow you to breathe freely in the water.]
’Wow, something that good actually exists? The effect is pretty much the same as a Yoyo Fruit. But a one percent chance is a bit too low. What’s the second method?’
[Near the reef are white, sponge-like masses formed by white zooplankton called Thornmites. Eating one will also grant the ability to breathe freely underwater. However, you cannot eat too much, as it can easily lead to a Thornmite infection. The effect is also time-limited, lasting only for about two hours.]
After hearing both options, Moira Lynch thought about them carefully. The first had too low a probability, while the second was too dangerous.
As the boat neared the reef, Moira Lynch looked around. ’Patience, where are the sea ears? I don’t see them.’
[Three meters directly ahead. The largest one.]
Moira Lynch stared at a rock larger than her wok and was silent for a long moment. ’This thing looks so much like an abalone. Then again, abalone are also called sea ears. This one is way bigger than the abalone on Caelus.’
But Moira Lynch had long since gotten used to the fact that things in the interstellar era were generally larger than those on Caelus.
The problem now was how to tell the other three about the Sea Pearls.
Planet Aelmar was a completely unknown planet. Logically, she shouldn’t know so much.
’I could pretend the Cetabeast told me... but on second thought, better not.’
She took the Learning Machine out from the Space Button at her waist and quickly fiddled with it.
Of course, this was all an act. Patience was the one actually controlling it behind the scenes.
Soon, information about the sea ears, Sea Pearls, and Thornmites appeared on the screen.
Shane Rhodes and the others couldn’t fully understand the interstellar language yet, so after hearing Moira Lynch’s explanation, their eyes lit up as they looked at the reef.
"Then let’s look for Sea Pearls while we wait for the Cetabeast. If we really can’t find any, we’ll have to resort to the Thornmites," Shane Rhodes said.
In truth, it wouldn’t be a big deal even if they got infected by the Thornmites. In the interstellar era, this condition wasn’t a terminal illness, just an unpleasant one. Besides, the purifying moss Moira Lynch had could cure it.
Still, the three of them began their search.
On Caelus, abalone had immense suction power. A wild adult abalone with a shell length of about fifteen centimeters could exert an adhesive force of up to two hundred kilograms—enough for one to lift two adults.
The sea ears on Planet Aelmar were even larger, so their suction power was naturally even stronger.
But for every lock, there is a key. The sea ears had a fatal weakness: they were afraid of heat.
As long as you held a lit torch near their shells and heated them up, the sea ears would automatically release their grip on the reef.
Moira Lynch held a burning torch in her hand and began toasting the sea ears one by one.
Actually, with her spiritual power, she could quickly find which sea ear contained a Sea Pearl.
’However, finding it so quickly would be a little too suspicious. It would be like I knew in advance... which, of course, I do.’
She casually tossed the heated sea ears into the ocean, and in the instant they disappeared from view, she quickly collected them into her storage space.
After being busy for a while, Moira Lynch couldn’t help but sigh. ’It’s so much more convenient when I’m alone. Having teammates just ties my hands when I’m trying to gather supplies.’
This game was team-based, so there was no helping it. ’Next time, I’ll just go solo.’
However, she didn’t plan on cutting ties with Shane Rhodes and the others just yet.