As a Fisherman, My Fish Can Level Up
Chapter 280 - Chapter 280 Chapter 235 Conch Shell

Chapter 280: Chapter 235 Conch Shell Chapter 280: Chapter 235 Conch Shell Having returned to the entrance of the coral cave, Chu Mingcheng turned on his flashlight and shone it inside.

There were many highly poisonous creatures in the seabed, but his biggest current fear was the sea snake.

Usually, when encountered, the sea snake would slink away on its own, sparing him the need for extra vigilance.

However, if a sea snake were present in the cramped space of the coral cave, venturing inside recklessly would leave him no escape.

Chu Mingcheng had expected the coral cave to be a long tunnel, similar to the caves he usually encountered.

Contrary to his expectation, it wasn’t like what he imagined but rather a vast space of almost fifty square meters.

He used his flashlight to survey the entire area, observing many swimming fish, crabs crawling on the floor, and a huge conch.

Regarding the conch, Chu Mingcheng wasn’t interested in the shell because it was a national-level protected species, which could lead to severe penalties.

Speaking of conchs, most people would think that they originate from the South Sea, but the waters around Treasure Island also had them.

Therefore, such resource-rich waters should really be in the hands of the state.

Chu Mingcheng had heard that there would be exercises this year, and he was somewhat looking forward to whether they could open up the waters on the eastern side of Treasure Island. That way, he wouldn’t need to try his luck in Dongsha but could go directly to the eastern part of Treasure Island to find Bluefin Tuna.

However, on another note, the appearance of a conch in this body of water was somewhat surprising to Chu Mingcheng.

Even just looking at the entrance, the conch was enormous, seemingly with a diameter of seventy to eighty centimeters.

Though not over a meter, which would have been extraordinary, it was nonetheless sizable.

After confirming multiple times that the area near the entrance was safe, Chu Mingcheng slowly swam inside.

From the entrance, the space inside felt quite extensive.

But once inside, it felt somewhat cramped.

Due to his presence, some of the swimming fish became very agitated, and some darted straight out through the entrance.

Chu Mingcheng didn’t care about these small fish; he was searching for any hidden sea snakes and some large fish.

This cave was clearly a natural sanctuary, and like sunken ships, it would likely be a favored gathering area for fish.

As Chu Mingcheng shone his flashlight downwards, he spotted a huge Dragon Eel at the lower left side of the entrance, also known as a Hook-nosed Sea Eel.

It was a type of sea eel, primarily identifiable by the two small horns above its eyes, hence its name.

For the time being, he ignored it as he needed to ensure there were no dangerous creatures in this cave before he could safely hunt.

He continued using his flashlight, scanning the entire cave again.

He didn’t find a single sea snake, only two poisonous Lionfish.

But Lionfish had delicious flesh which could sell for one hundred yuan per kilogram, making them worth hunting.

Nevertheless, he didn’t let his guard down but continued to check again to confirm that the cave was relatively safe. Then, he approached the conch.

The only area in the entire cave yet to be explored was around the conch.

But as he got closer, Chu Mingcheng felt puzzled.

The conch’s surface was covered with many red algae, and the shell was open; the flesh inside was long gone, leaving only a milky-white empty shell.

And the sea snake that Chu Mingcheng had failed to find earlier was hiding inside it.

The sea snake was very slender, like a thin cord, but nobody would underestimate it.

But this didn’t make sense, as sea snakes, though aquatic, also breathe with lungs.

They could stay underwater for a long period, but they still needed to surface to breathe.

In this regard, his ability to swim freely was somewhat similar to that of the sea snakes.

Chu Mingcheng had originally been on guard for sea snakes that swam and hunted inside the cave.

This sea snake, however, seemed to use the shell as a temporary resting place or a home, which would be somewhat strange if it considered it as a home.

Of course, that was not the point.

What was important was that through his flashlight, he discovered that the inside of the shell was as polished as jade, resembling the Mutton Fat Jade he had given to Jiang Luoluo.

Could this conch shell be a treasure?

Despite his limited knowledge about conchs, Chu Mingcheng felt uncertain, yet he still didn’t recklessly touch the conch shell.

Let alone the fact that a sea snake was still inside, if the conch shell was also restricted and not to be tampered with, bringing it back would be a huge problem.

In this age of technology, it’s best not to engage in sneaky activities.

If one were to be investigated, detection was certain, unless there were other hidden details involved.

Nonetheless, the cave housed many valuable fish, but with the sea snake present, he couldn’t feel secure about clearing them out.

With only a spear and a harpoon gun, which could easily damage the conch shell, Chu Mingcheng had no choice but to return to the boat first.

Upon seeing him return, Jiang Luoluo curiously asked, “Ah Cheng, what’s in the cave?”

“I found a massive conch shell and several expensive seafoods. Some are easy to catch with a sea-tongs. I came back to get tools.”

Chu Mingcheng didn’t mention the sea snake to avoid worrying her.

Jiang Luoluo initially thought there was something special in the cave, but upon realizing it was just some aquatic creatures, she instantly lost interest.

Their home wasn’t spacious enough for a large aquarium, and to her, a conch shell seemed useless.

With the sea-tongs in hand, Chu Mingcheng returned to the cave, saw that the sea snake was still in the conch shell, and quickly clamped its neck, approximately at the vital seven-inch mark, with the tongs.

The sea snake, caught at its vital spot, had no strength to resist. Chu Mingcheng swam out of the cave and found a rock at the seafloor to smash the sea snake dead.

This coral reef was his hunting ground before the closed fishing season; dangerous creatures like sea snakes were best dealt with swiftly if encountered.

After Chu Mingcheng smashed the sea snake’s head to confirm it was dead, he released the sea pliers and let its body drift in the water.

This sea snake was too thin and its bones were particularly numerous, almost completely devoid of any meat.

Therefore, it lacked any food value, making it better suited as a meal for some lucky creature at the bottom of the sea.

Afterwards, Chu Mingcheng returned to the cave and began clearing it out.

He entered with empty hands but came out with more than eighty pounds of catch.

The largest was a twenty-plus pound tiger spot, the smallest were the two lionfish, and there was also a Big Dragon Eel nearly ninety centimeters long, weighing almost five pounds.

This kind of sea eel was quite rare and could probably sell for four thousand dollars.

However, the incident with the Conch Shell made Chu Mingcheng suddenly realize how troublesome it is to be at sea without a mobile mini base station.

A person’s energy is limited; he couldn’t possibly know everything about seafood and its data.

Having internet access is essential; you can look up anything you don’t know online.

Luckily, he only needed to endure a few more months; by then, the big boat would have a mobile mini base station.

In the future, while sailing on the ocean, there would essentially always be a network signal.

Bringing back more than eighty pounds of catch, with the Dragon Eel still alive, he stored it separately.

It’s better to keep it apart to keep it from killing other fish in the live water tank; this thing is very fierce.

Chu Mingcheng mentally calculated and discovered that he had now caught over four hundred pounds of seafood, with even the cheapest fish costing eighty-one per pound and the more expensive Rat Spot could sell for over one thousand per pound.

These more than four hundred pounds of fish could possibly net seventy to eighty thousand dollars; it seemed a bit excessive!

He checked the time; it was just past three in the afternoon. This money was too easy to earn.

Speaking of the Little Sea Lion, where was it?

Chu Mingcheng went into the pilot cabin and honked the horn, hoping to attract the Little Sea Lion.

Having caught so much today, he decided to reward it with the Big Blue Spot he had caught.

The Bluefin weighed around twenty pounds and was worth over one thousand dollars, roughly covering the Little Sea Lion’s daily food expenses.

At this moment, about a nautical mile away from the small island, three sea lions were frolicking in the water.

Upon close inspection, one could see that one of them was the Little Sea Lion.

The other two sea lions, smaller in size than the Little Sea Lion, were female.

The Little Sea Lion was still playing with its companions when it suddenly heard a familiar sound.

There were many ships on the sea, and ship horns were common.

The Little Sea Lion had initially mistaken other ships, but fortunately, modern conservation laws that prevent fishermen from harming these protected animals had helped it escape disaster.

Later, after hearing the horn from Chu Mingcheng’s ship many times, it learned to recognize it.

Now, this horn was very familiar to it; upon hearing it, it quickly communicated with its friends before swiftly swimming toward the island.

Its companions stayed where they were, but unexpectedly followed after a little while.

Sea lions do not have a fixed habitat; they generally go wherever resources are abundant.

The two female sea lions had just met the Little Sea Lion the night before.

They were close to adulthood and had roamed the seas for a long time.

In the Far Sea, too many sharks posed a deadly threat to them, and near the shore, they struggled to find areas with abundant food resources; life was indeed not easy.

What the Little Sea Lion communicated to them was to follow for food.

Chu Mingcheng on the fishing boat had no idea he’d been marked as an easy target by the Little Sea Lion; after resting a while and not seeing the Little Sea Lion, he prepared to continue fishing.

Just as he was about to get into the water, he spotted a black figure swimming not far off.

Seeing that the Little Sea Lion really came, Chu Mingcheng decided to wait a bit longer.

Just as the Little Sea Lion was about to get to the boat, he then noticed the two sea lions following behind it.

“Well, well, found some friends?” Chu Mingcheng said, a bit surprised. He then patted the Little Sea Lion’s head and handed over the Bluefin.

The Little Sea Lion hadn’t eaten much since last night; as soon as the Big Bluefin appeared, it immediately turned around, called out twice, then lowered its head and started nibbling on the fish.

The two female sea lions, initially staying not far from the boat, heard its calls and saw that it got food, thus they boldly moved closer.

They didn’t dare board the boat but stayed near the rear stairwell, peeking curiously and appearing very amusing.

Chu Mingcheng immediately understood the scene before him and felt somewhat speechless.

At the sound of the call, Jiang Luoluo came out and saw the two unfamiliar sea lions, expressing surprise: “I didn’t expect the Little Sea Lion to find companions; I thought it was rather lonely alone!”

“The critter isn’t mature yet, it’s not in heat, what does being lonely matter?” Chu Mingcheng replied, somewhat resigned. Two more sea lions meant two more big eaters. It looked like he’d have to dish out more this time.

He rummaged through his catch and found two parrotfish, each priced below one hundred yuan.

The pair of parrotfish wasn’t small; one weighed about ten pounds.

He handed the fish to the two unfamiliar sea lions, and they immediately joyfully received the fish.

Sea lions usually swallow their food whole, but since the fish were too large, they had to hold and gnaw at them.

Watching the three sea lions, Jiang Luoluo, stroking his chin, pondered, “Ah Cheng, if we could train the three sea lions to help us find and catch fish, do you think it’s feasible?”

“It’s feasible, but I don’t know how!” Chu Mingcheng spread his hands. Training sea lions sounded like a lot of trouble to him.

Search the lightnovelworld.cc website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.