Witch, I'm really not an ancient god of the deep sea!

Chapter 18: The Overlord of the Coast!

The deep-sea monster swayed its body, raised its head, and its sharp black scales danced with the surging waves, its massive body resembling a moving mountain.

The deep-sea hunter's treasure did not deceive him; 'fishing in the storm' is a life skill that allows one to catch fish even in a storm.

But can this really be considered a fish?
Chen Qi stood on the boat, looking up at the behemoth that was at least twenty meters long, and stroked his chin.

Fortunately, he thought he had encountered something strange.

Upon closer inspection, it turned out to be nothing more than a sea dragon capable of wiping out an entire fleet and striking fear into the hearts of all.

He recognized the monster; it was a species that liked to race across the high seas and was one of the few monsters that frequently appeared in coastal areas.

Its name is Black Ship Sea Dragon, a well-known deep-sea species in nearshore areas.

Judging from its size, this should be a juvenile.

If we disregard the special circumstances of Chenqi itself, this could be the most terrifying of the many legends surrounding the "lights on, black ship".

Because it is located in coastal waters, it has caused several serious maritime accidents.

Therefore, it also has a more imposing and widely known title—

Coastal hegemon!

Many people at sea tremble at the mere mention of this name!
It can be said that even ships under the command of the four great pirate emperors had to show respect to the coastal overlord.

However, despite the deep-sea affinity, the huge difference in size still made Chen Qi slightly afraid.

"what!"

The Black Ship Sea Dragon opened its blood-red maw, shook its black-scaled tail, and roared fiercely at Chen Qi!
What a loud tone!
Chen used his hand to block the view and took another look at the enormous sea dragon.

"Hahaha--"

The Black Ship Sea Dragon's blue eyes, like copper bells, constantly spewed bloody breath and wagged its tail.

"..."

Chen Qi was somewhat surprised.

The appearance of the deep-sea monster before him reminded him of a fierce canine species from Siberia on Earth.

This thing looks a bit like a husky.

Upon closer inspection, those round, blue eyes, far from being fierce, instead possessed a touch of blue wisdom, and were even slightly cross-eyed.

Stupid.

"Are they asking me for food?"

Chen Qi shrank back. The other party showed no hostility, but its size was simply too large.

He couldn't handle such a poor physique.

If the other party were to act coquettishly towards him, not only would he be speechless, but even this fragile steamboat would fall apart.

This is terrifying, I need to get rid of it right away.

Chen Qi gently moved the fishing rod, and at that moment, the bait on the hook had been bitten off.

"Hahaha--"

As the fishing hook moved, the Black Ship Sea Dragon panted, its steel tail shaking even more violently.

This is all for a piece of bait...

This is outrageous! It doesn't act like a coastal superpower at all!

Chen Qi rebuked, then reconsidered his 'extraordinary fishing' skills.

This extraordinary fishing skill seems to be working better than he imagined.

It's important to know that many extraordinary deep-sea creatures are very picky eaters. Large carnivorous monsters like the Black Ship Sea Dragon are generally not interested in a simple ball of spiritual energy.

This bait, made with extraordinary power, has little nutritional value; its most notable feature is that it tastes delicious!
"Hahaha--"

Black Ship Sea Dragon squinted and moved in sync with the fishing rod.

"Okay, okay..." Chen Qi sighed helplessly and gathered his spiritual power again, conjuring an extraordinary bait on the fishhook.

In the instant it coalesced, the Black Ship Sea Dragon suddenly opened its mouth, bit into the bait, and then hopped around in the water twice!
boom!
boom!
It's obvious that it's very happy!
I woke up soaked to the bone by the splashing water this morning, and my feelings were complicated.

This is clearly not a pet he can handle!

"Alright, alright, now that you're full, let's go play somewhere else..."

Chen Qi shook his hand, unsure if the other person could understand his language.

Now, he has to outwit and outmaneuver the storm, and simply doesn't have the energy to play with the coastal overlord.

The storm continued to batter his poor little boat.

The black-shiped sea dragon shook its head, as if it understood something, and then suddenly plunged into the water.

Chen Qi also bent down, reduced the speed of the steamboat, and carefully moved forward in the storm.

A storm is coming, and the road ahead is long...

thump!
Before Chen Qi could even express his feelings, a huge head with a light on emerged from the water and breathed on him.

"You haven't left yet? I'm not afraid of you, but my little boat is..."

Chen Qi turned his head helplessly and looked at this silly-looking near-shore overlord.

Although he has an affinity for the deep sea, his current strength is still not enough to directly drive away deep-sea monsters.

The moment he attacks, the deep-sea monster may also attack him.

Moreover, even if he tried his best to drive it away, this near-shore overlord would probably think Chen Qi was giving him a massage. Fortunately, the little sea dragon was smart enough not to ram its ship.

Suddenly, Chen Qi's eyes lit up.

Its purpose doesn't seem to be eating.

Instead, give him something!
The Black Ship Sea Dragon opened its bloody maw, which had three rows of sharp teeth.

On its scarlet tongue, there was something glittering.

"?"

Chen Qi carefully used the fishing rod to hook it out of its mouth.

It's the size of a palm, and it's a small, golden fish?
Chen Qi held the dead little food in his hand.

He had seen this thing before; he had seen it on the last few pages of the "Guide to the Use of Marine Animal Medicinal Materials" that the ship's doctor, Little Crow, had given him.

The last five pages are filled with extremely rare sea creatures. As a deep-sea enthusiast, Little Crow's dream is to raise a rare sea creature!
Of course, she didn't have any.

"Golden-scaled fish..."

At that moment, Chen Qi's eyes were instantly blinded by the golden light.

Golden scale fish live in relatively deep water and have impressive speed.

Therefore, it is difficult for ordinary fishing boats to catch this kind of fish; it often requires powerful superhumans to personally venture deep into the sea to catch it.

Chen Qi took out the soaked book and carefully turned to the last few pages.

As you read, illusory prompts appear before your eyes.

In the game's setting, the prompts on the panel depend on many factors, the most important of which is one's own existing knowledge.

His player panel is not omniscient, and it partially conforms to this setting.

Golden Scaled Fish:

Sexual characteristics: shell, cup
Effects: This extraordinary fish symbolizes wealth and health. Cooking and consuming it can permanently increase physical fitness and provide a small boost to self-healing speed.

Description: Lucky!

"Well done, near-shore overlord!"

Chen Qi looked at the dead golden-scaled fish and introduced it.

Shells symbolize money, contracts, wealth, transactions, and many other elements.

The golden-scaled fish is similar to the koi carp on Earth. People believe that seeing a golden-scaled fish will bring good luck and wealth for the next week.

Live golden scale fish are extremely expensive ornamental species, but the one Black Ship Seadragon gave him was already dead.

The cup represents the most important use of the golden-scaled fish!
A strong physique is a core requirement for many ways to become stronger.

Moreover, while the name suggests a small amount of self-healing speed, in actual combat it can increase the self-healing speed of external injuries, making it a rather powerful skill.

This is a truly nourishing food...

While you can at least buy yellow needles that increase attributes, getting a golden scale fish largely depends on luck.

According to the marine mammal handling guide, this thing is not suitable for eating raw.

The golden scale fish has a relatively long shelf life, and the temperature is also acceptable... Chen Qi put it into his backpack.

With the yellow needle, the golden scale fish, and the initial attribute bonuses, his physique in the early game will reach a formidable level.

Well done! Black Ship Sea Dragon!
In a sense, this can be considered as him catching a golden-scaled fish.

Chen Qi reached out and gently patted its head.

"Hahaha--"

Seemingly sensing Chen Qi's mood, the Black Ship Sea Dragon nodded, wagged its tail happily, and circled its ship a few times.

Then it hummed a few more times, making a sound as if it was about to leave.

Are you leaving...? Chen Qi waved his hand:
"goodbye--"

Chen Qi remembered this point; they might encounter it again later.

The black-shiped sea dragon wagged its tail.

call out!
With a whooshing sound, it shot out like a rocket, creating waves on the sea, and disappeared from his sight in an instant.

That speed feels like it could smash a large steel steamship to pieces!

A near-shore overlord, that's some serious speed...

Looking into the distance, perhaps blinded by the golden-scaled fish, Chen Qi actually thought the ferocious beast was quite cute.

thump! thump!
As the black ship Hailong sailed away, the waves once again pounded against his small boat.

His clothes were completely soaked by the seawater; although they were cotton, they looked like he was wearing a thick, cold suit of armor.

As the cold intensified, a sense of weakness arose, and the effects of the yellow needles gradually diminished.

Storms are hard to endure...

"It'll be quite a while before we make it to shore..."

Chen Qi bent down, seized the opportunity, and drank the food and water from his backpack.

It is still quite a long distance from the land.

What followed was a period of agonizing waiting.

(End of this chapter)