The deep sea monster twisted its body as it raised its head, sharp black scales dancing with the crashing waves, its massive form like a moving mountain.

The Deep Sea Hunter’s treasure hadn’t lied to him — “Fishing in the Storm” really was a life skill capable of catching fish even during a storm.

But… could this even be called a fish?

Chen Qi stood on the boat, looking up at the behemoth that was at least twenty meters long, and rubbed his chin.

Whew. He was worried it might be something weird.

But on closer look, it was just a sea dragon capable of wiping out an entire fleet and terrifying all who saw it.

He recognized this creature. It was a species known for rampaging across the ocean and one of the few deep sea monsters that frequently appeared in coastal waters.

Its name was Blackship Sea Dragon — a notorious deep-sea species in the coastal regions.

Judging by its size, this one should be a juvenile.

If not for Chen Qi’s own special circumstances, this could very well be the most terrifying variant in the many “black ship with lantern” legends.

It had caused multiple serious sea incidents in the coastal waters.

Thus, it had another, even more badass and widely known name —

Lord of the Coastal Sea!

Just hearing this name was enough to make seasoned sailors tremble!

Even ships under the Four Great Pirate Emperors would show some respect when encountering a Coastal Lord.

But despite his Deep Sea Affinity, the massive size difference still made Chen Qi a little uneasy.

“Ha!”

The Blackship Sea Dragon opened its bloody maw and let out a roar at Chen Qi, shaking its black-scaled tail.

What a breath!

Chen Qi shielded his face with a hand and once again examined the massive sea dragon.

“Ha, ha, ha—”

Its copper-bell–sized blue eyes puffed out blood-scented air while it wagged its tail.

“……”

Chen Qi was a little stunned.

The monster in front of him oddly reminded him of a certain tough canine species from Siberia.

Why… did it kind of resemble a husky?

Looking closer, its round blue eyes lacked ferocity and even had a glint of intelligence... and maybe just a hint of a lazy cross-eye.

Absolutely dopey.

“Is it… asking me for food?”

Chen Qi shrank back a bit. The thing didn’t seem hostile, but it was huge.

He couldn't handle a size gap like this.

If it tried to snuggle up, not just him—his fragile little steam boat would instantly collapse.

Terrifying. I need to get rid of it quickly.

Chen Qi gently tugged on the fishing rod. At this point, the bait on the hook was already gone.

“Ha, ha, ha—”

As the hook moved, the Blackship Sea Dragon puffed again and wagged its steel tail even harder.

All this for a bit of bait…

Shameless! Where's your dignity as the Coastal Lord!?

Chen Qi muttered, rethinking his “Transcendent Fishing” skill.

Apparently, this skill was a lot more powerful than he’d thought.

Many deep-sea Transcendent creatures were extremely picky eaters. Large carnivores like this dragon usually had zero interest in a basic spiritual orb.

But this bait made with Transcendent power wasn’t nutritious — it just tasted great!

“Ha ha ha—”

The Blackship Sea Dragon squinted its eyes and followed the rod with its head.

Alright, alright… Chen Qi sighed and condensed another Transcendent bait on the hook.

The moment he did, the sea dragon lunged forward and snapped it up, then bounced in the water twice!

Boom! Boom!

Yeah, it was very happy.

Soaked in seawater, Chen Qi had mixed feelings.

Clearly, this wasn’t a pet he could control!

“Alright, alright, if you’re full, go play somewhere else…”

Chen Qi waved his hand, unsure if it could understand him.

He still had to outwit this storm — he didn’t have the energy to babysit the Coastal Lord.

The storm kept battering his poor little boat.

The Blackship Sea Dragon tilted its head, as if it understood, then swooshed and dove underwater.

Chen Qi crouched down and slowed the steam boat, carefully navigating the storm.

A long road ahead…

Splash!

Before he could even reflect, a massive, glowing head burst back out of the water and exhaled at him.

“You’re still here? I’m not scared of you, but my little boat is…”

Chen Qi turned, helplessly eyeing the dopey Coastal Lord.

Even with his Deep Sea Affinity, his current strength wasn’t enough to directly drive off a deep sea monster.

If he tried to attack, it might retaliate.

And even if he did go all out, the sea dragon might think he was just giving it a massage.

Thankfully, the little sea dragon was at least smart enough not to ram his boat.

Then suddenly, Chen Qi’s eyes lit up.

Its goal… wasn’t food.

It wanted to give him something!

The Blackship Sea Dragon opened its mouth wide, revealing three rows of razor-sharp teeth.

On its blood-red tongue, something sparkled.

“?”

Chen Qi carefully used his rod to fish it out of its mouth.

Palm-sized — it was a small golden-yellow fish?

He held the dead fish in his hand.

He’d seen this in the last few pages of the Sea Beast Material Usage Guide that Little Crow had given him.

The last five pages were filled with rare sea beasts. As a deep-sea enthusiast, Little Crow dreamed of raising one of them!

Of course, she didn’t have a single one.

“Goldscale Fish…”

At that moment, Chen Qi’s eyes were blinded by golden light.

Goldscale Fish lived in deeper waters and were fast swimmers.

Ordinary fishing boats couldn’t catch them — usually, only powerful Transcendents diving into the depths could.

Chen Qi pulled out the waterlogged book and carefully flipped to the last few pages.

As he read, a virtual prompt appeared before his eyes.

In New Sun, interface prompts depended on many factors — most importantly, the player’s existing knowledge.

His player interface wasn’t omniscient. It followed the game’s internal logic.

【Goldscale Fish:

Element: Shell, Cup

Effect: A Transcendent fish symbolizing wealth and health. When cooked and consumed, it can permanently increase constitution and grant minor self-healing.

Description: Lucky!】

“Well done, Coastal Lord!”

Chen Qi looked down at the now-dead Goldscale Fish in his hand.

The “Shell” element represented money, contracts, fortune, and trade.

Goldscale Fish were like koi on Earth — it was said that seeing one would bring a week of good luck and prosperity.

Live Goldscale Fish were prized ornamental creatures — but the one the Blackship Sea Dragon gave him was dead.

The “Cup” element represented its core function.

High constitution was a key threshold for many paths to power.

And though the “minor self-healing” sounded modest, in practice it meant faster recovery from physical injuries — a very potent ability.

This was a true high-grade supplement...

Yellow Needle boosters could be bought, but Goldscale Fish relied heavily on luck.

The guide said it wasn’t suitable for raw consumption.

It had decent shelf life and storage conditions... Chen Qi tucked it into his backpack.

With the Yellow Needle, the Goldscale Fish, and his starting stat bonuses, his early-game constitution was shaping up to be top-tier.

Well done! Blackship Sea Dragon!

In a way, this counted as having “fished up” a Goldscale Fish.

Chen Qi reached out and gently patted its head.

“Ha, ha, ha—”

Sensing Chen Qi’s mood, the sea dragon nodded, wagged its tail happily, and circled the boat a few times.

Then it gave a few low hums — as if saying goodbye.

Leaving already...? Chen Qi waved:

“See you again—”

He memorized the location. Maybe they’d meet again someday.

The Blackship Sea Dragon flicked its tail.

Whoosh!

With a sharp slicing sound, it rocketed off like a missile, raising huge waves as it vanished from sight.

That speed... it could probably tear right through a massive iron steamship!

The Lord of the Coastal Sea — fast as lightning...

Chen Qi gazed into the distance. Maybe it was the Goldscale Fish dazzling his eyes, but he actually thought the beast looked kinda... cute.

Splash! Splash!

As the Blackship Sea Dragon disappeared, the waves battered his little boat again.

His clothes were completely soaked — his cotton shirt now felt like he was wearing a layer of cold, heavy armor.

The chill deepened, and weakness slowly crept in. The Yellow Needle’s effect was fading.

This storm... was going to be rough.

“To make it to land... I’ve got to hang in there for a while longer...”

Chen Qi bent down, timed it right, and drank some freshwater and ate some food from his backpack.

He still had a long way to go before reaching land.

Now came the grind.