Chapter 336 - 291: Fishing 2

"So patient, are you?" Shire walked to the edge of the pool, his eyes locked on the rope. "I don't believe a big fish like you can resist the scent of the Frogmen. That Black Mud is made from their mucus. Once it hits the water, you'll definitely be able to smell it."

He picked up a small stone from the ground and threw it forcefully into the water. The ripples spreading across the surface seemed to reveal the turmoil within the Lake of Darkness.

Suddenly, gasps arose from the crowd as a great force yanked the rope. Soon, everyone was shouting. They all pulled hard, lowering their centers of gravity as Shire had instructed, and gradually stopped being dragged toward the pool.

Shire immediately rose and moved toward the crowd. He watched the water tensely. The rope was being jerked back and forth by something in the water, causing a commotion among his people.

"Quite strong, I see," Shire said, squinting at the water. The contest between the big fish and the crowd was escalating, the rope whipping back and forth through the air. "Looks like you're getting impatient."

He hadn't assigned the Frogmen to pull the rope this time, fearing their mucus would reduce the grip. Now, seeing the people at the front being dragged toward the water's edge by the whipping rope and in danger of falling in, Shire made a swift decision and shouted, "Everyone, let go!"

WHOOSH! As everyone let go at once, the rope was yanked into the water by an immense force. The pull was so strong that it whipped the rope up into the air, causing many Centaurs and goblins to be pulled over and fall to the ground.

"We couldn't beat it in a tug-of-war." Pazani shuffled over gingerly, the pain clearly not having subsided.

"I never planned on pulling it ashore so easily," Shire said, shaking his head with a smile. "Even if everyone had been strong enough, the rope wouldn't have held."

"Then what was all that for?" Pazani scratched the scales on the back of his head, confused about what Shire was up to.

Shire chuckled and walked to the side, where four freshly opened jars of Black Mud were placed. He strode over slowly and silently cast the [Group Dumbing Curse] and [Group Language Curse].

"So, you've figured out it tastes wrong, haven't you?" he said with a laugh, then kicked over a jar of Black Mud. The viscous black liquid flowed out, pouring directly into the pool before it could solidify. "Getting a little angry? After all, it's too hard to eat. Grates on the teeth, doesn't it?"

THUD. Another jar was kicked over, Black Mud spilling out.

"These little things actually dared to trick you, using a fake Frogman to fool you. They even dared to have a tug-of-war with you."

THUD. The third jar went down.

"They should just be your food. With no one going in the water recently, you must be itching for the feeling of a full stomach."

THUD. The last jar rolled directly into the pool, the Black Mud blooming in the water.

"So if you're this annoyed, why don't you dare come take a look?"

Shire stood at the edge of the pool with his hands behind his back, his eyes fixed on the water below. Unfortunately, the light in the cavern was dim, with only a few Blue Fluorescent Mushrooms on the ceiling providing some illumination. Without night vision on par with a goblin's, he wouldn't have been able to see clearly.

As the four jars were kicked over, the pool gradually grew calm again. But Shire remained at the edge. He could sense a restlessness under the water; the big fish wouldn't give up so easily.

Finally, he thought he saw something flash underwater. Shire immediately took a step back while trying to call up the creature's panel.

[Name: Bottom-dwelling Demon Fish]

[Race: Magical Beast]

[Danger Level: 9, a bit dangerous]

[personality: Vicious and Greedy]

[Ability: Enslavement]

'It really is a Magical Beast, and even a little more dangerous than a Fearsome Claw Bear.' Shire continued to back away, afraid the creature would unleash some strange Ability on him.

[Enslavement: Individuals with a weaker Mind Ability than yours are more susceptible to Charm. Once Charmed, they will obey your commands, are unable to resist, and can only communicate via Mind Communication.]

'This Ability must be why those Frogmen fell into the deep water.' Shire narrowed his eyes. 'It's quite dangerous.'

"There's something in the water." Pazani hurried over to stand beside Shire, also staring nervously at the surface. The flash of light from underwater just now must have been the strange fish's scales.

"Looks like this thing is very angry." Shire bent down, picked up a few pebbles, and tossed them toward the Bottom-dwelling Demon Fish. The water's surface continuously splashed and rippled. Just as he was about to throw another pebble, the water began to churn, which made Shire laugh. "This fish is getting impatient."

"Then what do we do?" Pazani had now backed up two steps farther than Shire.

Shire chuckled. "In the end, it's still just a beast."

"How's the pit coming along?" he asked loudly, without turning his head.

Soon, Red Eyes came running over, carrying his Longsword. "Chief, big pit 'di' done."

"Good." Shire walked over and glanced at the Longsword in Red Eyes's hand. The Black Sword was covered in dirt and debris; it looked like Red Eyes had used it to dig the pit. "Didn't we bring tools? Why did you use the Longsword to dig?"

"'Sword 'di' good use." Red Eyes lifted the sword to look at the dirt on it, then gave it a few forceful shakes.

'The corner of Shire's mouth twitched. He couldn't imagine what the original owner would think of the [Shamrah Black Sword], with its Dimension Stripping effect, being used this way. Not that he needed to worry about it.'

Then, a freshly dug pit appeared before Shire. It was a few meters from the pool and quite deep. Based on the Frogmen's earlier description of the Bottom-dwelling Demon Fish's size, it should be large enough to contain it completely.

"Red Eyes, go check on the boiling water," Shire ordered as he crouched down, surveying the large pit.

After getting a definitive answer, he stood up, dusted the dirt from his hands, and walked toward the Frogman Race Leader, who was not far away.

"Next, I'm going to need your help."

"Outsider, can this really kill that strange fish, ribbit?" The Frogman Race Leader sat on a stone platform, stroking his white belly.

"If my plan goes off without a hitch, it should," Shire said with a smile. 'This battle is a bit rushed. The cavern entrance is too small for the Worker Ants to get inside. Expanding it enough for them to pass would be a massive undertaking, and I can't be sure if it would affect the tunnel's stability.

Moreover, to communicate with the Frogman Race effectively and with authority, this was the only plan I could come up with on such short notice.'

"So, what do you need us to do, ribbit?"

"It's simple. Can you provide me with one of your members?" Shire asked.

"Our Frogmen are all fine lads. Whatever you want done, they can do it, ribbit."

"Is that so?" Shire smiled. "Since you put it that way, I'm sure they're all very brave. In that case, I think Wa Er San Wu Qi Yi will do."

After speaking, he paused for a moment to confirm he had the number right. "The Frogman who first met us."

"Him? He is indeed a fine young lad. Very diligent in his work, ribbit."

"He certainly is... interesting." Shire thought back to his first meeting with Wa Er San Wu Qi Yi, and the corner of his lip curled up.

"So, what exactly do you need him to do, ribbit?" the Frogman Race Leader asked, patting his own belly.

Shire kept his hands behind his back and paused for a few seconds. He glanced at the lake's surface, where some ripples still lingered—the Bottom-dwelling Demon Fish was probably still lurking there. Then Shire turned back, a confident smile on his face.

"I plan to feed him to the big fish."