Chapter 062 – Fishing for Bluefin
Once Jiang Jianzhou and his group left, two more rooms in the Earth section of the inn were occupied, seemingly by visitors coming for the white dolphins. Zhao Zhao was quite satisfied with this, having achieved her monthly KPI.
She spent another week training with Da Linzi at home. His foundation had significantly improved, and his physical fitness had greatly increased. Soon, it was time for the Yaoguang to head north, as the Atlantic bluefin tuna fishing season was about to begin.
Those who hadn't obtained their seafarer's certificate weren't taken along this time. Xiong Haiming brought on ten new crew members. This trip, the plan was to head north and chase the bluefin tuna, which meant they would need to dock at ports in other countries for supplies.
As the Yaoguang left Jinshi Island, the playful Siren, along with the white dolphins, followed. Seeing its large ship set sail, Siren knew it was time for an adventure. It hadn't been out in a while!
The white dolphins seemed to understand too, leaping and making clear calls on the sea's surface. Dolphins jumping like this supposedly indicated both "roll call" and "departure." Siren, mixed in with them, leapt alongside the ship, mimicking them perfectly.
Having played with the dolphins for so long, Siren had become quite dolphin-like in its behavior.
Seeing them willingly follow, Xiong Haiming felt both happy and worried.
He was happy because Siren was more effective than radar at locating fish schools. He worried that taking the white dolphins away would negatively impact the island's burgeoning tourism.
Zhao Zhao was not concerned: "We can't prevent Siren from leaving the East Sea forever for the sake of tourism. If they come with us and then return, it will be seen differently. It would show that they consider this place a significant home and living area. Jinshi Island could be marked as a white dolphin habitat, not just a place they occasionally pass by. Even Professor Fan doesn't believe they will stay long in Jinshi Island's waters. If they return next time, experts might come to evaluate this, and we could soon establish a white dolphin nature reserve."
Xiong Haiming had another concern: "I'm worried they'll find it too cold and leave halfway. These white dolphins prefer southern seas." Xiong Zhao learned that the older generation referred to dolphins as "sea pigs." Please, how do they resemble pigs? She felt a bit indignant for the national treasures!
If they tried to leave, she planned to put them in the Yaoguang Realm and bring them back.
This wasn't something she could say out loud, so Zhao Zhao reassured him a few more times.
As the ship sailed, Zhao Zhao kept busy, using her tablet to show Yaoguang images of bluefin tuna.
"Yaoguang, keep an eye out for these deep-sea fish, the bluefin tuna. Look at its spindle shape, dark blue back, and silver belly. They travel in schools, and the larger ones can be over three meters long. We want all sizes so we can breed them in the Inner Sea. You don't know how valuable these fish are—they can be auctioned off in Japan. Once we fill up with bluefin, we'll be financially free again."
Gun Gun also peeked at the tablet, but Yaoguang pushed it away. "What are you looking at? This fish could crush you into a dog pancake." Gun Gun had offended it earlier that morning.
The dog had grown rapidly, and everyone who saw it asked what Zhao Zhao fed it. Gun Gun had grown to a meter tall and looked more majestic than ever. Its rapid growth and increased food intake had made it curious about anything edible. That morning, it had dared to steal a pecan Zhao Zhao had shelled for Yaoguang. Yaoguang had fought it on the deck, using its wings to fight without using its spiritual power. The two had fought fiercely, with dog fur flying everywhere, until they were finally separated.
Gun Gun had been running around the Yaoguang Realm, with the space enhancing its growth. It had entered a rapid growth phase, unnoticed daily but remarked upon during a recent live stream when a viewer exclaimed: "Whoa! Did the dog inflate?"
However, its appearance was impeccable. It had grown even more majestic and handsome, with long, sleek fur. Zhao Zhao had become quite fond of it, pampering it daily with grooming services.
Gun Gun, feeling spoiled, even dared to provoke Yaoguang.
Now, holding Gun Gun, Zhao Zhao smoothed its ruffled fur. "Gun Gun, you need to recognize your own strength. Just because others praise you doesn't mean you should take it seriously. Big brother Yaoguang went easy on you today, so let's not provoke it anymore, okay?"
Yaoguang interjected, "Shut up! I don't want to be its big brother!"
"How about little brother Yaoguang?" She found the idea of calling it a "food bucket" kind of cute.
"Bluefin!" Yaoguang threatened.
"Alright, Lord Yaoguang! This dog doesn't deserve to be your sibling. I understand. It doesn't deserve it!"
Being spoiled has its limits.
With two lively companions on board and a group beneath the ship, the journey was far from dull. The further north they sailed, the colder it got. Besides Zhao Zhao and Da Linzi, no one else ventured onto the deck.
Soon, they reached the Gulf of Lhasvia, a prime fishing ground for tuna. Many international fishing vessels were there to try their luck, as winter-caught bluefin fetched triple the price. That morning, they encountered a large Japanese-flagged purse seiner.
The depth of this sea area was nearly ten thousand meters, and they were traveling at a depth of about two to three hundred meters. Siren's white dolphins couldn't keep up at full speed, so Zhao Zhao had to send them back to the inland sea.
Finding tuna wasn't easy. After searching for over an hour, it was like looking for a needle in a haystack. Meanwhile, Siren was having a blast with Zhao Zhao, playing around joyfully.
Zhao Zhao felt that their efficiency was too low, which wasn't ideal. Suddenly, her usually dull brain had a flash of inspiration. She remembered the habits of tuna! She started using the Boundless Sea Technique to sense the direction of the ocean currents and swam along with them.
When a spindle-shaped big fish appeared within visible range, Yaoguang sighed, "If only your cultivation insights were as sharp as this. So, this is the fish... I saw it earlier."
!!!
"What? You saw it already? Seriously? I gave you a whole lesson on this, and you weren't even paying attention!"
It was a small school, only seven or eight fish, with the largest three being about three meters long, and the others around one and a half to two meters. Zhao Zhao directed Siren to chase after them. The orca enthusiastically charged into the fish school, and Zhao Zhao took the opportunity to collect the fish into the Yaoguang realm, leaving the largest one for Siren to practice its big fish-handling skills. After all, our little Siren is just a baby.
She patted Siren's big head, pointed at the big fish swimming quickly ahead, and shouted, "Chase it!"
A nearly five-meter-long killer whale versus a three-meter bluefin tuna.
Siren's speed and explosive power were impressive. It quickly caught up and rammed into the middle of the bluefin tuna. The big fish flailed its tail in pain, lost balance, and wobbled away without even looking back. The nimble five-meter-long orca turned around and got ahead of the tuna. It faced the tuna head-on and rammed it again. The big bluefin tuna got dazed, flipped over, and started floating upwards. Zhao Zhao quickly scooped it back into the inland sea.
Gun Gun might be a steel-reinforced dog, but you, Siren, are a steel-headed fish!
"Son, your fighting style is a bit wild."
She thought this tuna would be sacrificed and torn apart by the orca, but it ended up being knocked out cold...
Yaoguang commented again, "No wonder it's called a killer whale. It's just like Gun Gun, takes after you."
"What do you know? An intact one is valuable. This one is quite fat and could be worth millions if rated highly."
After that, Yaoguang recognized the fish and helped guide the way. With its spiritual power, it could cover a considerable area of the sea. The orca was in charge of traveling, and Zhao Zhao was responsible for collecting the fish into the Yaoguang realm. They spent a busy day in the sea, exhausting their spiritual power before stopping. Finally, they found another school and sent the coordinates to the Yaoguang.
At this time, the people on the Yaoguang were feeling disheartened. In the afternoon, they encountered a fishing boat flying the Chinese flag in the distant sea. They chatted warmly upon discovering that they were from the neighboring province and exchanged information. The other boat had been drifting here for a week and had only caught one two-meter bigeye tuna. Now, they were turning to the Osari Bay to try their luck with snow crabs to minimize their losses.
Da Linzi wasn't worried about this. He was anxious that Zhao Zhao had been out for nearly a day and hadn't returned. As they paced around the cockpit, Quan received a signal, and the Yaoguang rushed over at full speed.
Seeing the Yaoguang approaching, Zhao Zhao quickly sent the orca back to the inland sea to rest, avoiding detection on the radar. Da Linzi pulled her up and complained incessantly about her late return. Xiong Haiming stretched his neck to look for the orca and the white dolphins, "Where's Siren? And the dolphins?"
"A school of small fish came by, and they chased after them to play. They won't get lost. Quickly, get the fishing gear ready! There are some big fish down there! You've been trained on how to use it, right?" Zhao Zhao diverted his attention.
"Got it. We've been learning. Right here?" Xiong Haiming got excited at the mention of tuna, rubbing his hands eagerly.
More than forty people on the ship sprang into action. They were still a bit inexperienced, and the deck was a chaotic mess on the first attempt. Zhao Zhao didn't stick around to watch, fearing it would make them even more flustered. She returned to her cabin to meditate. With her spiritual power exhausted, this was the best time for cultivation.