Free Web NovelChapter 222: Chapter 195: Invention Always Happens Inadvertently (Part 2)
"Really?" The little boy blinked. "I just wanted to give it a try. Nothing’s ever set in stone, right?"
"Ha! But some things *are* set in stone. The Druids have studied the fish here, and their diet doesn’t include..."
Before he could finish, the boy’s fishing rod twitched, and he immediately yanked it back hard.
"You can’t just yank it like that! You have to fight it first, wear out its stamina, or the line will snap..."
Then, a 20-centimeter yellow sea bream was pulled out of the water.
Zog’s eyes widened in shock.
’Wait, what? Why?’
’He can catch a fish like that?’
’Is this the legendary beginner’s luck? If so, why didn’t I get any?’
’We’re even in the exact same fishing spot!’
’Luck. It has to be luck.’
’He’ll definitely be just like me now—sit here for half the day and catch nothing.’
However, after the boy baited his hook with more bread and cast his line again, he caught another sea bream within minutes.
Zog couldn’t believe his eyes.
The kid’s ridiculous streak continued. Before long, his small wooden bucket was overflowing with sea bream.
Zog wasn’t even paying attention to his own rod anymore. He just wanted to see how many Ah Diao the kid could catch.
Finally, half an hour later, the boy stopped.
The fish in his bucket were piled into a small mound. The only reason he stopped wasn’t because he ran out of space, but because he’d used up all his bread.
The little boy noticed Zog staring at him and grew a little shy.
He tugged at the hem of his shirt, unsure of what to do. After a moment’s hesitation, he picked up a fish from the bucket—or more accurately, from the pile on top of the bucket—and offered it to Zog.
"Here, for you."
"What do you mean, for me?!" In his agitation, Zog squeezed his Mountain Copper Fishing Rod so hard it bent.
"My teacher says you should help people who are having trouble."
The kid’s tone was utterly sincere, but sincerity can often be the most devastating weapon.
"I don’t really know how to fish, either. I’m just a beginner, too. Fishing isn’t hard at all, so don’t lose heart! Believe in yourself, and I’m sure you’ll succeed."
"Take your fish back!" Zog’s bow tie voice modulator cracked.
"I’m going to catch one right now and show you!"
"But I already believe you can catch one. You don’t have to prove it to me," the boy said, looking wronged.
He didn’t understand why the red Sub-Dragon in front of him had suddenly gotten so worked up.
"No! You have to watch!"
"I have to go. I need to sell all these fish to get a member card for Zog’s Game Store. Their sale ends tonight."
The kid had been wanting this member card for a long time. Being a member granted you priority in the game store’s queue, which would make him an absolute star among his friends.
He’d been saving up for months but was still a little short, which is why he’d thought to try his luck with fishing.
Hearing this, Zog slapped down a Bronze Member Card from the game store without another word.
It wasn’t that Zog was being stingy. A top-tier Dragon Scale Member Card was nothing to him.
But giving something that valuable to a child who was clearly not well-off wasn’t a gift, it was a ticking time bomb. It was a certainty he’d get robbed.
The little boy’s eyes went wide when he saw the Bronze Member Card.
This was a tier higher than the card he could afford.
"How about a bet?" Zog said. "I’ll catch more fish than you have in that bucket within one hour. If I can’t, the member card is yours."
’I have to show this kid what I’m made of.’
’There’s no other way. As a game-designing Dragon, I have to maintain a heart full of childlike whimsy.’
’In a cultivation novel, if I don’t prove myself to this kid, my thoughts won’t be clear, and my cultivation realm might plummet.’
"And if you succeed?" the boy asked.
"Hm, if I succeed, then the next time you go fishing, if anyone asks where you learned how, you tell them you learned from me."
The boy thought about it. It didn’t seem like he had anything to lose. Besides, he didn’t even know who this guy was. If someone asked, he’d just say he learned from some random Dragon.
Based on his observations so far, he doubted this Dragon could catch more than a few fish in a whole day, let alone an hour.
"Okay, it’s a deal." He held out his hand, and it met Zog’s claw in a high-five.
Zog cast his line with confidence, not at all in a hurry. He even struck up a conversation with the boy.
"What’s your favorite game?" He was even conducting some consumer research.
"Mario! I absolutely love Mario!" the boy answered without a hint of hesitation.
"I can beat Mario in under 11 minutes now! I’m the fastest on my block!" he said proudly.
’So he’s a speedrunner.’
"That’s really impressive."
"It’s okay, I guess. The best person I know can beat it in under 10 minutes. Hey, you got a bite!"
As they were talking, the bobber sank beneath the waves. With a gentle tug, Zog pulled the fish right up.
With his absolute strength, there was no need for so-called "technique" to tire the fish out.
"Why do you want to practice speedrunning? Wouldn’t it be better to try other games with that time?" Zog continued.
Speedrunning wasn’t a playstyle kids usually enjoyed. It was repetitive, tedious, and came with a lot of frustration.
"I don’t like the other games as much. Besides, a lot of the time, my friends and I only get to play on one machine, so we each get less than half an hour. We have to play the game we know best."
’That sounds pretty miserable.’
As they spoke, Zog quietly reeled in several more fish.
"So, what would your ideal game be like? Just say whatever comes to mind. Maybe someone will make it one day."
"My ideal game..."
The little boy thought very seriously.
