Chapter 55: Casualties and Harvest

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Wang Shouzhe immediately picked up his strong bow and sword and rushed out at lightning speed.

Upon reaching the deck,

Wang Dinghai, holding a fishing spear with barbs and a rope, directed the sailors to beat the water rapidly with long bamboo poles. Wang Zhong and Wang Yong, the two family guards, also drew their strong bows, ready to shoot at any moment.

"Shouzhe, you came just in time," Wang Dinghai said with a serious expression, but could not hide his joy. "It's a solitary East Sea Arrowfish. It must have been washed into the freshwater by the tide, so it shouldn't be too difficult to deal with. Pay attention when it surfaces and shoot it at its vital points."

Overall, aquatic beasts are no less formidable than terrestrial beasts. When they are underwater, they are often powerful and fierce, often capsizing or smashing ships.

Wang Dinghai, a veteran fisherman for over a decade, had his own methods for dealing with aquatic beasts. The sound of the bamboo poles beating the water can disturb the aquatic beast's judgment, making it hesitant to attack the ship, while also provoking its anger.

Except for a few fish, most aquatic beasts, even those that are fierce, are generally less intelligent than terrestrial beasts.

As soon as Wang Dinghai finished speaking, a large splash suddenly erupted about fifteen feet from the left side of the ship. A nearly twenty-foot-long aquatic monster leaped out of the water, fiercely charging towards the ship.

With Wang Shouzhe's dynamic vision, he could only see that the aquatic beast had a long, sword-like front spike and a triangular dorsal fin, somewhat resembling a sailfish on Earth.

However, in terms of size and ferocity, it far exceeded a sailfish.

"Zing! Zing! Zing!"

Three arrows were shot almost simultaneously, hitting the beast. However, the arrows shot by Wang Zhong and Wang Yong only penetrated a few inches into its body, while Wang Shouzhe's arrow buried itself over a foot deep.

The difference was not due to the bows, but because the mystic energy Wang Shouzhe attached to the arrow was of higher quality.

"Beast, you dare."

Wang Dinghai, the most experienced fisherman, was the fiercest. His body swelled as his mystic energy erupted to the extreme. He threw the specialized fishing spear used for hunting large fish, which pierced over two feet into the beast's side with a "thud."

However, the beast's front spike struck a sailor, and as it fell back into the water, its tail swept two more sailors into the water.

"Boom!"

With a huge splash, the beast, along with the sailor, fell into the water.

However, the fishing spear was attached to a specially made thick rope.

Before it could swim more than thirty feet, the rope tightened with a "creak." The medium-sized merchant ship was pulled to one side, and the bow was pulled by the strong force.

This was the experience and skill humans had in dealing with large aquatic beasts on ships. The East Sea Arrowfish clearly made a wrong decision, which would inevitably cost it its life.

The pain and struggle caused by the fishing spear and its barbs made the beast thrash about, trying desperately to break free but unable to do so. The more it struggled, the more severe its injuries became, and the specially made rope wrapped around it more tightly.

Then, it faced the long-range attacks from Wang Shouzhe and the others.

Even so, it took a full quiver of arrows for the East Sea Arrowfish to finally stop struggling and flip over. The sailors worked together to slowly drag it back.

At this point, the sailor who had been impaled by the beast's front spike had already been thrown away, carried off by the tide. Of the sailors who fell into the water, only one was rescued, while the other was likely swept away by the undercurrent and could not be found.

Although they had killed a second-stage aquatic beast, it had cost them two lives, which cast a shadow over Wang Shouzhe's face.

The sailors' morale was also low, as the dead were their daily companions.

"Shouzhe, today's battle against a second-stage aquatic beast was quite successful. This is a great victory," Wang Dinghai patted Wang Shouzhe's shoulder and comforted him, "Even clan members and family guards can die in battle."

Wang Shouzhe understood that although second-stage beasts were at the same level as high-stage Qi Refinement, they were generally much stronger.

Moreover, this world was different from Earth. Humans have always been in conflict with beasts for survival. Since humans live on land, terrestrial beasts in human habitats have long been eradicated, making these areas relatively safe.

However, the number of casualties in such eradication and reclamation efforts is unpredictable.

But the situation is different in the water.

Humans do not live in the water. Rivers like the An River have their origins in the wilderness and numerous tributaries, some of which lead to unexplored, beast-infested waters. These are the paradises of aquatic beasts.

Due to the interconnected water systems, aquatic beasts frequently appear in human habitats. Otherwise, the constant hunting by humans would have long eradicated all aquatic beasts in these areas.

This East Sea Arrowfish was clearly a sea beast that, by bad luck, was washed into the freshwater river by the tide. It also lacked experience in dealing with humans. The vast ocean hides countless terrifying and fierce species, which humans still cannot fully understand.

Therefore, merchant ships are usually large, very sturdy, and equipped with siege weapons. The city walls on Jinsha Island are not just for preventing human intruders...

The beasts in the sea are not to be underestimated.

After a moment of composure, Wang Shouzhe said, "Uncle Six, we should provide compensation and rewards."

"Of course, we will follow the traditional high standards. Each deceased sailor will receive 30 gold coins in compensation, totaling 60 gold coins, which I will handle personally," Wang Dinghai, who was accustomed to such matters, showed little emotional fluctuation. "The remaining twenty sailors will each receive 2 gold coins as a reward, totaling 40 gold coins. We need to spend 100 gold coins in total."

100 gold coins is not a small amount, and the compensation for sailors is usually high.

However, Wang Shouzhe readily handed over 100 gold coins to Wang Dinghai to handle the matter.

When the living sailors heard they would each receive 2 gold coins, their emotions immediately lifted, and their morale soared. The overall income from their dangerous work was not bad, but 2 gold coins in pure profit was a significant amount.

Their spirits high, they helped Wang Zhong and Wang Yong drag the beast's body onto the deck.

"We need to set sail quickly. Wang Zhong and Wang Yong, drag the prey into the ship's hold and clean the deck as soon as possible. We shouldn't linger here," Wang Dinghai immediately issued another order and explained to Wang Shouzhe, "This area is not our hunting ground but belongs to the Zuo family of Donggang. We should leave as soon as possible to avoid any trouble."

Without a doubt, Wang Dinghai, a man who had spent his life on the water, made a wise decision.

After a short while, they encountered the Zuo family's fishing fleet, which was taking advantage of the rising tide to fish, the best time for fishing in this area.

Seeing a passing medium-sized merchant ship and busy with their own fishing, the Zuo family's fleet had no intention of questioning them. Merchant and passenger ships passing through the An River were not uncommon.

Next, they passed through the Zuo family's territory without incident.

"Congratulations, Master," Wang Zhong and Wang Yong, who had temporarily processed the East Sea Arrowfish, reported with joy, "The Arrowfish is expected to weigh over a thousand pounds. After removing the inedible parts, there will be at least seven hundred pounds of meat, a significant profit."

The meat of a second-stage beast is about 50% more expensive than that of a first-stage beast and has better effects on replenishing qi and blood. The pure meat alone is worth hundreds of gold coins.

The skin of the Arrowfish is also very valuable. After special tanning, it can be used to make high-end waterproof clothing, enhancing the water evasion and defense of mystic warriors.

All edible parts, even the intestines and liver, will be consumed.

The inedible bones and spines can be dried and ground into spirit fish bone powder for fertilizing spirit fields.

In short, such a valuable and rare spirit fish will not be wasted in any way.

The swim bladder of the spirit fish is also a very expensive item. After special processing and drying, it becomes the famous spirit fish gelatin.

This is the most expensive part of the spirit fish, used to prevent postpartum bleeding and replenish qi and blood in women after childbirth.

Of course, only the women of the mystic warrior clans would have access to such precious items during childbirth, while ordinary women would not.

"Remember to note on the ledger when the fish gelatin is stored in the clan's treasury. I want it to be part of my sister's dowry," Wang Shouzhe thought and instructed.

"Of course," Wang Zhong replied with a smile. "The spirit fish gelatin from the red-tailed spirit fish hunted by the previous master is also stored, and it will definitely be part of Miss Luoyi's dowry."

Wang Luoyi, the direct descendant of the Wang family, would naturally have the best spirit fish gelatin as part of her dowry.

Moreover, under normal circumstances, Wang Shouzhe did not need to consider this for the daughter of the Liu family.

When the Liu family's direct descendant marries him, she will also have high-quality spirit fish gelatin as part of her dowry, a gesture of goodwill from her family, hoping for her recovery after childbirth.

The customs and traditions of the mystic warrior clans are deeply ingrained in every aspect of life.

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