Time passed.
"Cousin, still no fish?"
"Soon…"
"You sure?"
"Sure…"
The moment he finished speaking, Xia Zhi felt the rod twitch violently, suddenly bending into a deep arc.
"Boss! It's a big one!"
"I know."
Xia Zhi gripped the rod tightly, feeling a massive force tugging on the line.
Good thing he had [Innate Super Strength].
"This one's tough…"
"Boss, your rod is bending so hard—is it gonna snap?"
"Hard to say…"
The girls all gathered to watch the excitement.
Xia Zhi tried to wear the fish out through a tug-of-war.
But minutes passed, and the fish was still going strong—thrashing even harder than before.
With a sharp crack, Xia Zhi's rod finally gave out and snapped in half.
"What a shame…"
He looked at the broken rod in his hand with a hint of regret.
Guess buying a cheap one on sale really was a bad idea.
To pair with such an extraordinary bait, you needed an extraordinary rod.
Just as Xia Zhi was about to give up—
Shenhe suddenly drew her spear and flew off in the direction the fish had gone.
"Eh?"
Everyone stared, stunned.
"Shenhe's… what's she doing?"
"Chasing the fish, maybe?"
"Can she even catch it underwater?"
"No idea…"
Xia Zhi chuckled and tossed the broken rod aside.
After a while, Shenhe returned.
She had her spear propped on her shoulder—with a massive sea fish dangling from it. The fish was so large it practically obscured her silhouette, like a looming black cloud.
Xia Ci snapped a photo with the camera at just the right moment.
"Boss, I brought back the fish you caught."
"Thanks for going through the trouble."
Diona was already poking the fish, eyes wide in amazement. "This fish is huge! Gotta be hundreds of pounds!"
"Definitely!"
"Shenhe's so strong! No wonder she's an adeptus disciple!"
"Guess Boss wins the contest."
"Not really. Shenhe's the one who caught it, not me."
"It was the rod's fault. If it hadn't broken, you totally would've reeled it in."
"Ha ha, alright, no need to split hairs. Help me prep this fish. We're having grilled fish for lunch."
Diona cheered. "Yay!"
They pulled out firewood from the ring, set up the grill, and began their beach barbecue.
The fresh fish sizzled to perfection, a sprinkle of seasoning turning it into a delicious feast.
"Boss, we can't finish it all!"
"Shenhe, freeze the leftovers. We'll bring them back."
"I kinda want fish soup now…"
"I'll make fish soup for dinner."
"Boss is the best!"
After eating, they rested a bit.
Xia Zhi picked up the broken rod, shaved it into thinner pieces, wrapped them with fishing line, and stretched an oilcloth over the frame.
"A simple kite's ready. Anyone want to try it?"
The girls exchanged glances, the air suddenly growing tense.
Eventually, they decided to go in the order of how many fish each had caught in the morning.
Fair enough.
But when Zhu Zi, the third person in line, took her turn, the string snapped—and the kite drifted out to sea.
Shenhe retrieved it once more.
Since the string was broken, it couldn't be flown anymore, so Shenhe tucked it away as a keepsake.
Later, everyone lay on the beach, basking in the sun.
The December sunlight was warm and cozy on their skin.
Chi Yu sighed, "The weather today is perfect."
Ying'er nodded. "Mm, if only every day could be like this…"
Xia Ci turned to look at Xia Zhi, who smiled without a word.
"Cousin."
"Mm?"
"Do you know the legend of Fontaine?"
"No. What legend?"
"They say there was once a Hydro Dragon in Fontaine. No one knows where it went. But whenever it cried, the sky would rain."
"Oh?"
"What if, when we go to Fontaine someday, the Hydro Dragon starts crying… but the sky can't rain anymore? Wouldn't that be funny?"
"…"
"You wouldn't want it to rain every day either, right? We wouldn't be able to go outside and play!"
"We'll see when the time comes."
"Mm."
"Cousin, sing a song."
"What song?"
"Anything. Use that special voice of yours."
Xia Zhi closed his eyes, listening to the sea breeze and the waves, then began to hum softly.
"Daughter of the Sea."
He used the [Mermaid's Voice].
The melody was beautiful and ethereal, like a spirit of the ocean singing.
The girls sat in silence, listening intently.
Xia Ci pulled out the recorder and began to record.
Suddenly, Ying'er gasped in shock.
"Look at the sea!"
"The sea?"
Everyone snapped out of the music and turned toward the shoreline—only to be stunned by what they saw.
Fish!
So many fish!
Shrimp, crabs, all sorts of sea creatures!
They'd swarmed the shore in massive numbers, an awe-inspiring sight.
"What's going on?"
"Where did they come from?"
"No clue."
"Kinda spooky."
Xia Ci fiddled with the small square recorder and said, "They were probably drawn here by Cousin's voice."
"Huh?"
"You mean Boss's singing?"
"No way…"
Xia Ci grinned. "Let's test it."
"Test?"
"Cousin, let's go to the other side of the beach. Sing again like just now."
"Alright, let's try it."
They moved to another part of the beach.
Everything looked normal there.
Xia Zhi stood at the shore and began to sing the same song again.
This time, he didn't use [Mermaid's Voice].
When he finished, nothing happened.
He even waited a few extra minutes—but not a single fish appeared.
Then he started singing again.
This time, he used [Mermaid's Voice].
Halfway through the song, something strange occurred.
A tide of fish surged toward the shore, as if answering his call...
Just as Xia Ci had said—his voice really was the key.
Xia Zhi pondered.
This must be a hidden effect of [Mermaid's Voice].
And it was part of a set.
There were still six other voice potions left:
[Siren's Voice], [Fairy's Voice], [Angel's Voice], [Succubus' Voice], [Flower Spirit's Voice], [Celestial Fox's Voice].
Could it be… each of these potions had a similar lure effect too?
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