NOVEL WEB Chapter 067 – Sunken Wooden Ship
The bluefin tuna stored in the inner sea had accumulated to over 500. Having almost combed through George Strait, Zhao Zhao was ready to leave.
Among these 500, she planned to release the larger ones back into the Pacific on their return journey, allowing the Yaoguang to drag them up with a trawl net. Keeping these big eaters in the inner sea was unsustainable.
On the last day in George Strait, Siren discovered a group of giant king crabs.
Whenever Siren found a group of something, it had to notify its ship, and this time was no exception. Zhao Zhao was already back on the ship when Siren, playing outside, discovered them and immediately alerted the crew of the Yaoguang.
This was the first time on this trip they received a signal from Siren. Xiong Quan immediately followed, and finding the giant king crabs made everyone happy. But after the initial excitement, they became worried. They had come for tuna and hadn’t brought crab cages. Using trawl nets would likely damage the crabs' legs, reducing their value.
Zhao Zhao dove underwater to check the situation. The crabs were at a depth of about 800 meters, and it was quite a large group. Siren had made another significant contribution.
After some consideration, they still had no better method and reluctantly used bottom trawl nets. There was no way she could catch them one by one, and no one else could go down to 800 meters. A bit of damage was inevitable.
Before deploying the net, she collected the larger ones into her space. Whether for personal consumption or later release into a fishery, it was better than broken legs. Who doesn’t love big crabs? These were around ten kilograms each, many the size of washbasins, making one drool just at the sight.
The Yaoguang made two trawls, with a number of crabs having broken legs, but it was acceptable. Xiong Haiming began training the crew to tie up the giant king crabs. Most of them had never seen crabs this large, let alone tied them. Usually, catching a few swimming crabs or flower crabs was a big deal.
Zhao Zhao took a smaller net to the seabed to pick up leftover crabs. These crabs were valuable, and leaving them here would only benefit the annoying New Zealanders on the Princess Bella.
She attached the net to Siren’s front flippers, securing it with clips and tossing crabs into it. Siren soon got the hang of it, cutely bringing the net over for more crabs. Zhao Zhao, charmed, rewarded it with a condensed spirit water orb.
While they were busy, Zhao Zhao’s sharp eyes caught sight of a green wooden plank sticking out of the mud, resembling a ship’s side but corroded beyond recognition. A closer look revealed a significant find—a wooden ship overturned on the seabed, about twenty meters long, half-buried in mud and sand.
A sunken ship?
“Yaoguang, come out! We found a sunken ship!” Zhao Zhao felt incredibly lucky. “Is today my lucky day?”
Yaoguang came out to watch. She and Siren stopped crab hunting and started clearing the mud and sand, attempting to enter the ship and search for treasures.
She taught Siren to use its big tail to sweep the mud off the wooden ship. Siren quickly understood, but it didn’t know how to control its strength. One swipe with its tail, and the waterlogged stern, soaked for who knows how many years, shattered.
Zhao Zhao feared the ship would collapse, preventing entry, so she asked Siren to rest nearby.
I’ll handle this myself.
After clearing the loose soil, Zhao Zhao grabbed Yaoguang for courage. She was afraid of finding the crew’s corpses inside. Yaoguang, barely restraining itself from discouraging her, said, “Even if there are, they’d be just bones. What’s there to fear? You dared to come to the deep sea, yet you fear a few hundred-year-old skeletons?”
“...That’s true.”
The ship was overturned, so she entered cautiously, fearing the hull would collapse today.
In the first cabin, she found some overturned wooden boxes. Opening them revealed only decayed cloth, but no human bones. Maybe the crew escaped? That’s good.
Zhao Zhao opened each box: “I can’t tell what kind of cloth this is. The wooden boxes are ordinary. I have a feeling our first treasure hunt is about to fail. Well, it’s just a small wooden ship.”
Yaoguang flew ahead, and Zhao Zhao quickly followed.
It found a small room, and under the bed, discovered a metal box, old and heavy, making it hard to identify the material. This was likely a merchant ship. Even if the box contained silver, it wouldn’t be worth much.
Zhao Zhao didn’t open it underwater, tossing it directly into the Yaoguang realm. They concluded it was a cloth transport ship with little value. Yaoguang, after a quick tour, found nothing interesting and was more interested in returning to catch crabs. This sunken ship wasn’t worth as much as a single giant king crab.
When they came out, they saw Siren waiting obediently at the spot where they had entered, with fishing nets still hanging from its front flippers. It opened its mouth wide, looking very much like it was smiling. Zhao Zhao, wishfully thinking it was indeed smiling, went over to pat its big forehead. Such a good boy.
After searching the nearby waters and catching over forty crabs, they brought Siren back onboard before heading home. The trip had been worthwhile.
Back on the ship, Zhao Zhao secretly pried open the metal box. As she had guessed, it contained a small chest of silver coins mixed with a few gold coins. After checking online, she found that these coins were common and not very valuable, useful only as precious metal or collectibles. Zhao Zhao picked out a few shiny ones, saying, “I’ll make a display piece for the antique shelf as a memento of our first treasure hunt.”
Yaoguang, curious, asked, “You know how to do crafts? What will you make?”
Zhao Zhao replied, “I’ll buy a frame online, fix the coins in it, and label it ‘George Strait Shipwreck Treasure.’”
Yaoguang: … I wasn’t expecting that.
That night, the ship celebrated with a giant king crab feast in anticipation of their return voyage. Even though most of the crabs’ legs were almost broken, Xiong Haiming was reluctant to eat them, hoping to sell them instead…
Sure thing! Here’s the translated text:
When they came out, they saw Siren waiting obediently at the spot where they had entered, with fishing nets still hanging from its front flippers. It opened its mouth wide, looking very much like it was smiling. Zhao Zhao, wishfully thinking it was indeed smiling, went over to pat its big forehead. Such a good boy.
After searching the nearby waters and catching over forty crabs, they brought Siren back onboard before heading home. The trip had been worthwhile.
Back on the ship, Zhao Zhao secretly pried open the metal box. As she had guessed, it contained a small chest of silver coins mixed with a few gold coins. After checking online, she found that these coins were common and not very valuable, useful only as precious metal or collectibles. Zhao Zhao picked out a few shiny ones, saying, “I’ll make a display piece for the antique shelf as a memento of our first treasure hunt.”
Yaoguang, curious, asked, “You know how to do crafts? What will you make?”
Zhao Zhao replied, “I’ll buy a frame online, fix the coins in it, and label it ‘George Strait Shipwreck Treasure.’”
Yaoguang: … I wasn’t expecting that.
That night, the ship celebrated with a giant king crab feast in anticipation of their return voyage. Even though most of the crabs’ legs were almost broken, Xiong Haiming was reluctant to eat them, hoping to sell them instead…
Southbound
On the return journey, they restocked food and fresh water at Grote Port, and the Yaoguang sailed back at full speed.
When they reached the Pacific Ocean, Zhao Zhao took the chance to release Siren and the white dolphins, letting them show themselves. The crew, who hadn’t seen Siren in a while, felt reassured that the orca and the dolphins hadn’t been lost.
In the Pacific, without fishing restrictions, Zhao Zhao took the opportunity to play with Siren while releasing some of the larger tuna. She then directed the Yaoguang to use trawl nets to haul them back. Her helpful “son” Siren even assisted in driving the fish back to prevent them from escaping.
These are our fish, not a single one can get away!
This instinctive behavior delighted Zhao Zhao, as she hadn’t taught Siren this.
Yaoguang remarked that Brother Gun was currently the dumbest in the household, as this fish was much smarter.
The crew was overjoyed. Xiong Haitao said if he had known there were so many bluefin tuna in the Pacific, he wouldn’t have gone so far north. Look at these big fish! They had caught plenty of bluefin, yellowfin, and bigeye tuna in the Atlantic, but not all were bluefin.
Zhao Zhao didn’t know what to say. The Pacific had been almost swept clean by Japan’s fishing fleets, with no fishing restrictions. Without her “cheating,” they wouldn’t have seen a single bluefin. Did he really think the Pacific had so many bluefin waiting to be netted?
Zhao Zhao asked him, “How many times have we been to the Pacific? Have we ever seen bluefin tuna?”
Xiong Haiming found an explanation, “Ah! I get it now. All the world’s tuna fishing boats have gone to the Atlantic, and they’ve driven the fish here. We’ve picked up the leftovers!”
Happy and foolish.
Zhao Zhao took photos of the big bluefin tuna and giant king crabs to send to Gu Nan. Her friend called immediately, “I want them all! Are you coming to Shanghai?”
“This time you can’t eat them all. I caught a boatload of tuna. Let me ask, do you know any reputable auction companies at the Tsukiji fish market? I have a few top-quality ones that can be auctioned.”
Gu Nan, already in awe of her friend’s fishing skills, said, “We’ve bought a lot from there and know two fishing companies. I’ll ask my dad to contact them for you. But save a few bluefin for Jingyu Trading. Don’t sell them all to Japan.”
“Don’t worry, I’ll save a few good ones for you. The giant king crabs won’t be sold in Japan. We’ll transport them back home, and Jingyu Trading can pick first. How about that?”
Gu Nan’s flattery was loud and clear, “Fairy, I love you! No need to come to Shanghai. Our Chonghai store is opening soon. I’ll have them wait for you at Chonghai Port. These bluefin and giant king crabs will be the stars. If Jingyu Trading becomes a hit in Chonghai, you’ll get the credit.”
Zhao Zhao stayed practical, “No need for credit. Just make sure I can eat for free at Jingyu Trading in the future.”
Gu Nan promised enthusiastically, “Of course! Lifetime VVIP!”
Zhao Zhao wondered if their friendship would remain this strong after she showed off her stunning skiing video.
