Shiki also wanted to go fishing.
After planting crops and running out of stamina, he didn’t want to sleep, so fishing was the only way to pass the time.
In his original world, he would often go to Luopu Park near his home on his days off to cast a few lines.
That park was built along the Luo River, and the riverbank was filled with fishing enthusiasts every day.
The problem was that he couldn’t catch anything.
The density of fishermen on the shore was probably higher than the density of fish in the water.
Shiki hadn’t learned much about fishing techniques, but his ability to chat and brag had improved significantly.
“How about this: I’ll take the commission.
When I’m free, I’ll go fishing to relax, but I can’t guarantee any results.
I have to eat too, but if I have any extra, I’ll save a couple for you.” Shiki still accepted the commission, mainly because he was eyeing the fishing rod Yakumo Ran was carrying on her back.
The one he made himself was fine to use as a whip for herding, but using it for fishing would be an insult to the fish’s intelligence; he wouldn’t even dare eat a fish caught with that.
“Then I’ll leave it to you.” Yakumo Ran gave a standard 90-degree bow and handed all five or six fishing rods on her back to Shiki.
Because of the level of technology in Human Village, most fishermen used bamboo or wooden rods; after all, you couldn’t expect an agrarian civilization to produce carbon fiber fishing rods.
After completing the task, Yakumo Ran politely bid Shiki farewell and left the farm.
Returning to Lost Home, she looked at Chen playing in the woods and sighed.
Back at the farm, Shiki hadn’t cut down a single tree today.
All his stamina had been used for tilling the land.
The sooner these things were planted, the sooner they could be harvested; he was getting heartburn from eating so much fruit.
With only a bit of stamina left, Shiki finished handling the farm chores, picked a random fishing rod, put a wild horseradish, a hoe, and a crafted chest into his bag, and left the farm.
The wild horseradish wasn’t for fishing; it was because if he found any ancient spots on the way, he would need stamina to hoe the ground and dig for treasure.
He remembered there was a high chance of digging up radish seeds from the ground in spring.
Compared to the windbreak grass, garlic, and other random things he planted, radishes could be eaten directly after washing.
For Shiki, who didn’t have a kitchen, it was the best choice.
“I’ll go to the beach today.
If I’m lucky, I might even find some shells or something.” To the southeast on the unethical map, south of the town’s buildings, lay the sea.
The vast ocean was rich in fish resources.
If this were Ed Stafford or Bear Grylls from TV, there would be no talk of wilderness survival in a place like this; they’d need to go on a diet after the show finished filming.
But Shiki couldn’t do that.
As a child born inland, the most water he had seen in his life was the Luo River.
He didn’t have a car, so he couldn’t even go as far as the Luhun Reservoir.
Having rarely seen water, let alone swimming, was out of the question.
Standing by the beach and looking at the ocean, Shiki felt his feet go soft and felt a bit dizzy.
For someone who had never seen the sea, it felt a bit too big and empty.
He tentatively stepped onto the wooden pier extending into the sea.
It creaked, but it seemed sturdy enough.
However, Shiki swore that once he was wealthy, he would definitely replace this path with stone.
No!
Metal!
Iridium!
Accompanied by the rustling sound of the waves, Shiki strolled along the beach.
The Seaside in spring was still a bit chilly.
Perhaps because he was the only one there at the moment, the beach and the sea were very clean, and many shells washed up by the waves could be seen on the shore.
However, most of the shells were empty.
By the time Shiki walked along the shoreline to the broken bridge, he had only found seven or eight live shells.
Not many, but enough for a bite to eat.
Bringing that wild wild horseradish was definitely the right move.
This was pure natural seafood that hadn’t been soaked in nuclear wastewater.
Shiki picked out the edible parts and took a small bite of wild horseradish with a piece of shell meat.
Finally, he could eat something good.
The flavor of wild wild horseradish was very intense.
This kind of spiciness didn’t just stay on the tongue; it went straight to the top of the head, stimulating the nose and being very intoxicating.
Paired with the slightly sweet Scallop meat, it was like a national banquet for Shiki, who had never eaten high-end cuisine.
Having finished his meal, Shiki used a shell to carry the remaining innards to the end of the wooden pier.
He hung the innards on the hook.
What humans found fishy and foul was a delicacy for fish.
Shiki had once caught a turtle in the Luo River using raw chicken hearts; back then, he walked along the Luo River all day, showing off his turtle to every fisherman he saw.
He checked his phone; it was just past 1 PM.
It had taken him about an hour to walk here.
He could pack up and go home at 5 PM.
Since he didn’t have a Glow Ring for illumination, he didn’t want to walk back in the dark.
The hook hit the water, and Shiki sat on the ground holding the rod, starting to zone out.
The sudden feeling of leisure was a bit strange.
A few days ago, he was still in an office building, facing a computer screen, replying to customer service inquiries with “Hello, dear” and “Goodbye, dear.” Now, suddenly here, he could do whatever he wanted, and the abundance of time made him feel a bit surreal.
Perhaps the fish here were a bit foolish; after a short while, a downward pull came from the rod, startling Shiki out of his daze.
He carefully pulled and tugged to wear down the fish’s stamina.
He was holding a bamboo rod, the kind that would snap if the fish caught was even slightly large.
Shiki didn’t dare lift the rod forcefully.
Instead, he kept the rod and the line in a straight line, pulling the fish while backing away.
Compared to the sturdiness of the bamboo rod, he felt the fishing line was a bit stronger.
Backing off the wooden pier onto the sand, and then slowly retreating further, he used this cowardly method to drag a fish onto the shore.
With a flat body and both eyes on the same side, Shiki had caught a Flounder.
For Shiki, who had never seen the sea, he basically didn’t recognize any fish species except for the common ones people ate.
However, there was no need to worry; his stardew valley app had a dedicated scan function.
It could record the fish he caught to fill the encyclopedia and also let him know what kind of fish he had caught, so he wouldn’t accidentally eat something poisonous and drop dead.
“Good luck.
This fish is similar to Basa fish, with only one row of main bones and no intramuscular bones.” While the fish was still alive, Shiki quickly put it into his backpack.
This was his dinner for today; if possible, he didn’t want to eat fruit anymore.
He put more innards on the hook.
He had eaten seven shells, so he had seven chances.
If he was lucky, that would be seven fish, which should be enough to sustain him until the crops matured.
“But I don’t have any tools…
Should I share a table with Miss Ran?
I provide the fish, and she provides the pot?” Casting the line again, Shiki thought while fishing.
Although sea fish shouldn’t have parasites and his current body probably wasn’t afraid of them anyway, who would want to eat raw food if they could eat it cooked?