Goblin Dependency

"Hey, I caught one!"

"Bite the hook, bite the hook!"

"Stop making noise, you’re scaring my fish away!"

The adventurers’ cries merged with the roar of the tide hitting the shore, filling the air with a lively atmosphere.

This is a large fishing ground located southeast of "Thousand Pile Island" in Stodd.

Hundreds of Water Iron Stakes are arranged in circles, one layered on top of another, piercing straight into the seabed, and you can vaguely glimpse the ropes and large fishing nets connecting some of the close wooden piles.

The "Thousand Pile Island" is located at the core of the reef area and boasts a unique geographical position with abundant shallow sea areas nearby, ample sunlight, and nutrient-rich conditions provided by the forest of Water Iron Wood, making the island’s fishery resources exceptionally abundant.

Sunlight penetrates straight to the clear seabed, allowing groups of sea fish to be seen swimming among the piles, seemingly easy to catch with a casual scoop.

This is also one of the economic pillars the "Piledwellers" rely on for survival.

But at the moment, there are no fishermen in this fishing ground, and even the nets and cables for aquaculture have been mostly removed.

Instead, the place is filled with a large number of chaotic adventurers.

With the Moon Tide Banquet approaching, this fishing ground has been requisitioned by Dodd’s "Algae Scale" faction as the venue for celebratory activities.

In order to participate in the final draw, the first of five events is being held here.

"Time Limit: Three hours."

The middle-aged man dressed in formal wear, sporting a neat goatee, stood smiling by the shore.

"As long as you can catch fish worth more than one Gold Coin within the time limit, you pass."

It doesn’t sound like much, just one Gold Coin, which isn’t a significant amount for any adventurer present.

Many might spend more on fancy wines and a hearty meal in the tavern.

But if you convert this Gold Coin into fish, it becomes very extravagant.

Unless it’s a Rare, special fish species, it’s tough to gather with just ordinary sea fish, even filling a large basket might not be enough.

Not to mention the three-hour time limit.

Undoubtedly, this is quite a challenging task.

Yet, the prizes of "Battle Skill" and "Enchanted Equipment" mentioned by the man with the goatee were too tempting for the adventurers.

Knowing the difficulty of the task, the adventurers were still full of enthusiasm, each one eagerly casting their rods into the sea.

Xia Nan, carrying his [Albatross III Type Fishing Rod - 1015 Year Model], stood by the sea, his emotions fluctuating.

He had to admit, he hadn’t expected such a fishing activity on the island.

For a moment, thoughts ran through his mind.

After all, during his travels in the Southern Islands, he had developed quite an interest in fishing and delved into it, learning a lot of relevant knowledge.

Although his luck with fish often seemed poor, to some extent, he could still call himself a "seasoned angler."

Now, coinciding with the Moon Tide Banquet and his time in the Southern Islands nearing its end, this fishing competition was perfect as a summary of his experiences and an attestation of his improvement and gains in fishing.

Xia Nan took this very seriously.

He found an empty corner and from the [White Pot] pocket watch, he took out his professional fishing rod stored there—the people of the Vengeance Blade Ship Group had known since Xia Nan obtained this Tool during the Twin Canyon ordeal that it was a type of space storage Equipment, so there was no worry about exposing it to Sasha and Alton.

Of course, while participating in the event, he hadn’t forgotten his main job of gathering intelligence today, seizing the opportunity to observe adventurers on the field worth noting.

The Half Elf who just caught a Silver Needlefish over there is probably a Wanderer with a Professional Level around Level 3, with a brisk and forceful rod retrieving action;

The Half Orc next to him, is this his teammate? Clearly seems like his Professional Level is similar or even higher, yet his fishing skills are significantly poorer, even his casting posture isn’t standard...

As Xia Nan’s gaze swept across the shore, his eyes paused, lingering on a figure that appeared particularly sturdy.

The man had the intricate braided beard common to the Dwarf race, adorned with copper rings and iron buttons for decoration. His muscular body matched the stereotypical image of dwarves, solid and bulging like a boulder, with sharp contours.

But peculiarly, the man’s height was not low, probably around 165 cm, resembling a scaled-up Dwarf.

You could even see tattoos peeking from the skin near the collar and between the arms.

Xia Nan speculated that the man might be a "Half Dwarf," possessing Dwarf and other race’s bloodlines, thus having such a height while retaining the characteristics of the Dwarf race.

Of course, the thing that truly caught his attention wasn’t just the Half Dwarf’s appearance but the solid aura the man emitted under his Perception.

The intensity was comparable to Lorin, and leaving actual combat strength aside, judging by Professional Level, he was likely around Level 6 or Level 7.

Worth noting.

As he contemplated, his companion, the Spotted Cat race Sasha, was already brought to the fishing ground by the enthusiastic Alton.

"Xia Nan, quickly, only three hours left!"

The small figure was raring to go, speaking excitedly while already casting his rod forcefully.

Unlike other adventurers who meticulously prepared and focused intently, Alton seemed particularly casual. The fishing rod in his hands was borrowed from the nearby tackle shop owner, and he didn’t specifically prepare any bait or pre-bait the area, just using the most common lure.