Chapter 335 - 291: Fishing

"Are you sure this will actually catch that monster fish?" Pazani stood at the edge of the pitch-black pool, his eyes glued to the water below, unblinking.

"I can't be sure, but it's worth a try." Shire squatted by the water, scooping it up with his hand. The water was indeed frigid, much colder than the underground river in the Fortress. Even Pazani, after testing the temperature, had no desire to jump into the pool.

This just went to show how incredibly resilient the Frogman Race must have been to survive and continue their lineage here for thousands of years.

"Wa Er San Wu Qi Yi," Shire said, pausing for a moment. "That's the number, right? The names of these Frogmen are really something..." He gave a wry smile and continued, "He said the Frogman Race hasn't gone into the water for a long time. Do you think that monster fish is hungry right now?"

"If it were me," Pazani said, "and there were no other large creatures besides the small fish underwater, I'd even work overtime to catch a few Frogmen to fill my stomach." With a flick of his tail, he sent a small stone flying. It sank into the water with a PLUNK.

But as the stone disappeared into the water, the pool remained completely still, save for the spreading ripples.

"Looks like this thing is pretty cautious," Shire said, shaking the water from his hand. He then casually reached over and wiped it on the nearby Naga Prince.

Pazani paid no mind to the gesture, his gaze still fixed on the pool. "When is that thing going to be ready?"

"It still needs a little more time. Wa Er San Wu Qi Yi said the Black Mud needs time to harden. It should be ready in a bit. The real issue is Red Eyes and the Frogmen. Digging a pit that big, especially in ground this hard, isn't so easy."

"Don't you have those things you brought," Pazani said, thinking for a moment. "Slimes?"

"I only brought three." Shire glanced over at a group in the distance, a mix of Goblins and Frogmen, swinging various tools to dig at the ground.

For this expedition, he had the help of Worker Ants to carry large amounts of supplies. In the carriages on their backs, Shire had prepared three glass tanks containing Slimes, specifically for encounters with hard-to-kill creatures that could regenerate, like Giants.

Now, Shire had his subordinates and the Frogmen digging a large pit not far from the pool. The pit had to be large enough to hold the monster fish, but digging it was proving difficult. Inside this cavern, the ground was solid rock, unlike the soft soil of the surface.

Their method was to first use the acid from one Slime to corrode the ground. Once the acid had eaten away at the stone, they would excavate until they hit resistance, then use the next Slime.

Pazani had no idea why Shire was digging this pit. He frowned, glancing at the bustling "construction site" and muttered, 'Is that monster fish supposed to just jump into the pit on its own?'

"How do you know it won't jump into the pit on its own?" Shire said with a smile.

Just as Pazani was about to say something, the Centaur leader, Ocorre, walked over. "Chief, as you ordered, the fake Frogman is ready."

"It's ready?" Shire raised an eyebrow and immediately followed him over. Standing before him was a one-meter-tall "Frogman."

He sized up the Frogman model before him, which was fashioned from a tree trunk, branches, and grass. The Black Mud covering it had mostly hardened, and its overall appearance was quite similar to a real Frogman. More importantly, because it had been coated in several layers of Black Mud and then covered with green leaves, the entire model even smelled like a Frogman.

"Good. Go tell everyone to get ready for some fishing." Shire circled the model a few times, then grabbed the rope on the ground and gave it a few tugs before nodding with a smile.

The rope was attached to the model, and its other end was very long. After Ocorre went to notify everyone, a crowd of Goblins and Centaurs soon gathered nearby.

"Everyone, grab hold of this rope," Shire commanded his subordinates loudly. "When you hear me tell you to let go, everyone let go at once. Do not, under any circumstances, get pulled into the pool."

He then assigned his men to their positions and called over Pazani, who had been watching the commotion from the side. "In a minute, I need you to throw that thing into the pool with all your might."

"Me? Throw it?" Pazani glanced at the Frogman model. "You're going to use this thing for fishing?"

"Something like that."

"I don't think this will work. The Frogmen said that monster fish is powerful. You saw the pit they're digging over there—it's huge." Pazani reached up to scratch his cheek. "This feels like when Shan Xi Ao's father goes fishing in the underground river. If it weren't for his old buddies, the fish would've dragged him right in."

"Don't worry, I've got it under control," Shire said with a smile.

The Naga Prince shrugged and said no more. After everyone had gripped the rope, he walked over to the model. He glanced at Shire, who nodded to signal he was ready. Then, with a powerful spin of his body, he whipped his tail and sent it crashing into the target. With a dull THUD, the Black Mud-covered Frogman model was launched into the pool, landing with a huge SPLASH.

"HSSS," Pazani hissed, sucking in a breath. He bent over to rub his tail. "That thing's pretty hard."

'It's basically a concrete block.' Shire held back a laugh as he watched the Naga Prince. It seemed Pazani was regretting his little show-off maneuver.

After the Frogman model hit the water, the rope was pulled taut as it was dragged into the pool. But nothing out of the ordinary happened. Everyone still gripped the rope tightly, waiting in silence.