I Can Fish Up Everything!

Chapter 3: Chapter 3: Unlocking a New Species

’The fishing rod has no stat bonuses. It looks like I won’t be able to catch any of the rarer fish.’

The six Star Chicken Fish, however, were not small at all. In fact, the first one he caught was the smallest. Now, the six of them had completely filled the livewell; there was no room for even one more.

Gu Nan went over to take a look. The weather was hot and the fish were becoming a bit listless. He decided to just pack up his rod, pick up the livewell, and head back first.

’After I get back and put the fish away, I’ll put on my sun shirt and go finish off the remaining four guaranteed bites.’

He rode his electric scooter and quickly returned to his shop. By this time, many of the other shop owners had already closed up, either to play mahjong or to go home and rest. No one noticed what Gu Nan was up to.

He opened the shop door and quickly found an empty fish tank, adding some of its water to the livewell.

The temperature difference was too great, so the fish needed to acclimate to the water temperature first. At the same time, he also took out a small aerator to supply them with oxygen.

To be honest, fish caught through normal sea fishing were nowhere near as energetic as these few Star Chicken Fish he’d caught. They were still doing fine even now.

The reason he hadn’t returned sooner while fishing on the shore was that he had been keeping a close eye on these fish. Seeing that none of them had gone belly-up, he didn’t bother making trips back and forth.

’Perhaps this is another unique feature of fish from the game’s map—their vitality is stronger.’

After waiting a short while and seeing that the fish seemed to be in much better shape, Gu Nan finally scooped them up and placed them in the nearby fish tank.

Now in a larger space, the Star Chicken Fish became noticeably more active. Once he was sure the fish wouldn’t kick the bucket anytime soon, Gu Nan turned his attention to his daily quests.

[Daily Quest 1: Catch one fish 40cm long. Reward: 2 EXP, 100 Gold Coins. (Completed)]

[Daily Quest 2: Catch five fish of any species. Reward: 3 EXP, 200 Gold Coins. (Completed)]

Quests One and Two were both complete. Gu Nan tapped to claim his rewards.

Three hundred Gold Coins were successfully added to his account, bringing his total to three hundred and fifty.

As for the experience points, he only got five. Leveling up from one to two required one hundred EXP, and unlocking the next map required reaching level 11. He still had a long way to go!

’Catching fish in the game gives EXP, but after synchronizing with reality, that feature is gone. Thumbs down.’

As for Quest Three, it required catching a three-star fish, which was quite difficult.

The gifted equipment had no stat bonuses, and the Star Chicken Fish was only a one-star fish in the guide. Clearly, this daily quest wouldn’t be easy to complete.

Gu Nan sighed but didn’t dwell on it too much.

’If I can’t catch one with my ten guaranteed bites, I’ll just keep trying after I close up for the night. If my luck is really that bad, then there’s nothing to be done about it.’

This time, Gu Nan deliberately put on his sun-protective shirt, brought the small aerator, a landing net, and his usual fishing tackle box, and set out to fish again.

Activating the Fengqi Coast map required being at a specific location, but the synchronized area was massive, covering the entire coastline of Bazhou City.

As long as he was anywhere on the coast of Bazhou City, Gu Nan could catch fish that would only appear on the Fengqi Coast.

So this time, he chose a closer spot and didn’t travel so far.

Not far from the seafood market was a fishermen’s wharf, so he decided to just fish there.

The game had given him a lure rod, not a rockfishing rod, so it wasn’t actually that effective on the reefs.

The wharf was also very quiet at this time. It was the off-season for fishing, so no one dared to go out to sea.

Even the most daring fishermen wouldn’t show up at the wharf at this hour!

After the sun set, however, the number of recreational anglers would increase.

Gu Nan only brought his lure rod and a Minnow lure, which didn’t violate the local off-season fishing regulations.

’I have four guaranteed bites left. Now that I’ve changed spots, I wonder if the fish I catch will be different.’

He filled the livewell with water and placed it in the shade by the guardrail. Then he came back, tied on the Minnow, and, as before, simply flicked his rod lightly, letting the lure land three or four meters in front of him before waiting quietly.

About half a minute later, the rod suddenly bent. Another bite.

SWOOSH! Gu Nan quickly raised his rod to set the hook. Since he was using a guaranteed bite, the fish didn’t even test the bait—it was a solid hookset every time.

After setting the hook, he quickly raised his rod and reeled in the line. The hooked fish had only managed to run a few meters toward the bottom before he yanked it to the surface.

When he saw what the fish looked like, Gu Nan’s eyes lit up. He had actually unlocked another species! The fish had a long, slender body and sharp teeth, looking a bit like a Sea Wolf.

But there were many species of Sea Wolf, and he wasn’t sure of the exact name.

He tightened the drag to the maximum. Seeing that the fish could no longer run, he quickly grabbed the landing net with one hand, scooped the fish up in one swift motion, and lifted it out of the water.

The fish’s teeth looked dangerous at a glance. Gu Nan didn’t dare unhook it directly like before, so he took out the hook remover from his tackle box.

He tossed the fish into the livewell, turned on the small aerator, and only then did he open the game’s guide to see what kind of fish it was.

It turned out this fish was called a Bushi Golden Needlefish, a type of Sea Wolf.

Length: fifty-one centimeters. Size: large.

A half-meter-long fish seemed large, but Golden Needlefish have slender bodies. This one probably only weighed three or four pounds.

The Bushi Golden Needlefish is mainly found in the Indo-Pacific region, including places like East Africa, South Africa, and the Red Sea. Gu Nan suspected that the fish from the Fengqi Coast might all originate from these areas.

Maximum length: 90 cm. Flavor rating: three stars. Not a major commercial fish. Suitable for braising. Suggested price: 20 yuan.

It was also a one-star fish in the guide, so Gu Nan earned another fifty Gold Coins, bringing his total to four hundred.

’If I unlock two more one-star fish or complete Quest Three, I can buy a new fishing rod. Then I’ll get one more guaranteed bite. Hope my luck is a little better later.’

However, his hopes were high, but reality was cruel.

As expected, the remaining three fish were all Bushi Golden Needlefish. They were all between half a meter and sixty centimeters long, weighing around three to four pounds each.

Although Gu Nan was disappointed that he hadn’t unlocked any new fish species, he wasn’t disheartened.

’If I sell all ten of these fish, that’s several hundred yuan in income. I hope some customers will be willing to buy them tonight.’

With his ten guaranteed bites used up, Gu Nan had no desire to continue fishing in this scorching heat. He quickly rode back to his shop.

Using the same method, he moved the Bushi Golden Needlefish to a conspicuous tank near the entrance and waited to see if customers would come to buy them in the evening.

While he was waiting, a courier suddenly arrived and handed him a document.

Gu Nan knew he wasn’t expecting any deliveries, but the recipient on the package was indeed him.

He opened it curiously and had a sudden realization. It was the relevant import documentation and tax receipts for the Star Chicken Fish and Bushi Golden Needlefish.

Gu Nan hadn’t known the total weight of his fish, but the invoice provided the answer directly.

Six Star Chicken Fish, weighing a total of 18.3 pounds. Dutiable value: 166 yuan. Customs duty: 6%, which came out to 9.96 yuan.

The 13% value-added tax was calculated on the dutiable value plus the 9.96 yuan customs duty, totaling 22.88 yuan.

For 18.3 pounds of Star Chicken Fish, he had to pay a total of 32.84 yuan in taxes.

But if he sold all 18.3 pounds of Star Chicken Fish, he could earn 415 yuan. After deducting taxes, that was 382.16 yuan. That was some decent income.

After all, earning three hundred yuan a day was already a high salary, not to mention he still had the sixteen pounds of Bushi Golden Needlefish.

Gu Nan put all these receipts away carefully, to be used in case of an inspection.

Time passed without him noticing. The sun moved from its zenith to the west. The seaside scenery under the setting sun was magnificent, but Gu Nan, who was used to the sight, was in no mood to appreciate it.

All the shops in the seafood market had opened for the evening, and customers would be arriving soon.

"Huh, Ah Nan, where’d you get these fish? I’ve never seen them before. They look like some kind of trash fish. Are they even edible?" A voice that Gu Nan found rather loathsome spoke up.

The speaker was the owner of the seafood shop next door. Everyone was in the seafood business, and of course, they all hoped their own business would thrive while their competitors’ faltered or, even better, went bankrupt.

Less competition naturally meant more profit.

It was normal for businesses to have good and bad days, and most shop owners wouldn’t show their rivalry so openly. But his neighbor just had to be that one weirdo who loved to come over and be passive-aggressive whenever he saw Gu Nan’s business was slow.

But that was also to be expected. When Gu Nan had first opened his shop, it had indeed affected his neighbor’s business.