I spent the rest of that day and the next with my boyfriend. At sunset the next day, we all packed up and set off on my [Traditional Chinese Ship] for a night of fishing and exploration. [Traditional Chinese Ship: ᴛʜɪs ᴄʜᴀᴘᴛᴇʀ ɪs ᴜᴘᴅᴀᴛᴇ ʙʏ 𝗻𝗼𝘃𝗲𝗹•𝑓𝑖𝑟𝑒•𝙣𝙚𝙩 A pleasure boat that has a single mast and crimson sails. Its shallow keel ensures smooth passage through narrow waters. Passengers can relax on opulently cushioned benches, and enjoy unobstructed views of the scenic surroundings.] Like all of my System sailing vessels, this one, despite the text description, didn’t actually cut through the water. Instead, it hovered six feet above it. “Fishing can be done at any time, and we’ve always done it during the day, since we need to sleep to regain energy. However, night fishing will allow us to catch special ones that are only active during this time,” I said to my apprentices. “Let’s have dinner first, then we’ll Fish right before midnight.” The ship’s dining room was only large enough for me, my apprentices, Prince Baiyu, and Scholar Wu. The rest of the royal guards and staff ate at the salon or at the aft deck. Afterwards, we all went outside on the deck to socialize and enjoy the sea breeze. I had set the ship to sail for open water. Now we were so far out that there was no longer any land in sight. The Demon Chef set up a bar where he made drinks for everyone. These days, the clan members’ taboo on eating in public has been officially repealed after the demon war, with the justification that there was no longer any need for it since food was plentiful in this era. Also, their easy victory over the monster, along with the breaking of the curse of the desert lands and the return of the Vermillion Bird clan’s zidan, had given them what many considered to be a sign of great favor from the gods. Not to mention, the qilin’s appearance was said to herald a golden age of peace and prosperity. Thus, everyone was now free to feast as much as they liked. I stood at the promenade deck leaning against the railing and pondering recent events. The salty breeze made my robe flap gently against my skin, and I had to tie up my hair to stop it from becoming too tangled. Beneath us, the dark water streamed past, and the sky above was a velvety black expanse dotted with tiny dots of light. There was no moon, which was key to my plan to catch one of the rarest fish in Adventure Incarnate. Prince Baiyu walked over to me and said, “Well met by starlight.” “Hey, you. Did they teach you that line in the bridegroom training classes?” “They did, actually. Did you like it?” “Yes.” The words themselves were supremely cheesy, but the charm of the line was all in the execution, and things always sounded better when they were spoken by an extremely attractive person. “Are you cold?” Prince Baiyu murmured as he put his arm around me. I giggled. “Not with your arm around me, no.” We spent an hour outside enjoying the fresh air and whispering sweet nothings to each other until it was time to go Fishing. “Yes! I am going to be the one to get the special fish!” Lari grinned cockily at us and used a finger to tilt his sailor hat up at a jaunty angle. “I’m close to a Fishing level, too.” “Hmm. You know, I’ve often thought that there’s a hidden ‘luck’ skill, and you seem to have a high level in it.” I straightened his hat since it seemed like it was about to fall off. “I hope we get the three [Orchid Island Turtles] that we need.” “Teacher seems to like turtles a lot,” said Kharli. “What’s not to like? Turtles are awesome. And tortoises, of course.” I put an arm around Mo because I knew she considered herself a very unlucky person. “Here. I have something that might boost your luck. I managed to harvest one from the Mushroom Cave. We’ll all take a bite.” I knew from the Adventure Incarnate Wiki that there was no “Luck” stat and that the item descriptions that mentioned it were just flavor text, something that was meant to add to the game’s atmosphere and lore without actually affecting its mechanics. However, my apprentices didn’t know that. This should make them feel better. I solemnly handed her a [Lucky Red Mushroom]. Of course, I had a lot of them in my inventory, but only the ones I Foraged myself could be shared with Lari, Kharli, and Mo. A shimmering, almost impossibly vibrant mushroom with a white-dotted red cap that seems to hum with quiet possibility. A bite fills you with fleeting confidence, as if the odds have suddenly, inexplicably, shifted in your favor.] “Thank you, Teacher!” Mo’s eyes shone, and she immediately took a bite before passing it around. The rest of us ate our shares quickly. “I’ll go first.” We were at the stern of the ship, though I didn’t need to physically cast the net. I navigated to the System’s [Fishing] tab and chose [Trawl Fishing]. “Whoa! Look at that!” Scholar Wu bent down so far off the railing to look at the glowing magic circle that appeared below us that she almost fell off. It flashed brightly three times, then disappeared. A large conical net with a wide mouth on one end appeared in its place, attached to the ship by two long wires. The [Trawl Fishing] interface appeared, displaying my current catch and a [Stop Fishing] button. I watched my energy bar closely and clicked the stop button when it was almost empty. The net retracted and then disappeared, leaving its contents behind in my inventory. My catch was pretty good, save for a few junk items, but, sadly, I didn’t get what I wanted the most. [12 Lobster] [3 Sea Turtle] [18 Tuna] [5 Manta Ray] [16 Swordfish] [1 Old Boot] [2 Sea Glass] [3 Caskets] [2 Seaweed] [1 Driftwood] I pouted a little. “Okay, you guys try your luck. We'll open the caskets later.” Back on Earth, there was some confusion over the word "casket," as in American English it referred to a coffin, while in British English it meant a small, decorated box for storing valuables. Therefore, "opening caskets" meant something totally different depending on where you learned English. Lari volunteered to go next. His catch was better than mine, and he got the all-important [Orchid Island Turtle]. [18 Lobster] [5 Sea Turtle] [27 Tuna] [7 Manta Ray] [24 Swordfish] [2 Old Boot] [3 Sea Glass] [5 Caskets] [2 Seaweed] [1 Driftwood] [1 Orchid Island Turtle] “Success! I wish I’d gotten two.” Lari stepped back and let Kharli take his place. “Now it’s my turn. Wish me luck, please.” She looked a little nervous, which was unusual for her. [10 Lobster] [7 Sea Turtle] [15 Tuna] [8 Manta Ray] [13 Swordfish] [3 Old Boot] [4 Sea Glass] [1 Caskets] [1 Seaweed] [1 Driftwood] [1 Orchid Island Turtle] Mo and Kharli both screamed and hugged each other when we saw she also got the turtle we needed. When they calmed down, Mo nervously stepped up and deployed the net. [6 Lobster] [1 Sea Turtle] [8 Tuna] [3 Manta Ray] [8 Swordfish] [10 Old Boot] [9 Sea Glass] [1 Caskets] [1 Seaweed] [10 Driftwood] [1 Orchid Island Turtle] “I can’t believe it! I got one!” Mo ran around the deck screaming with glee and hugging everyone. “I did it!” “Good work, you guys.” I took the turtles, storing them in my inventory for later. [Orchid Island Turtle: A common sea turtle. No fancy shell, no glowing eyes, and no ancient prophecies etched on its flippers. It’s just a regular sea creature.] “We got what we needed. Let’s go back to the farm and get some sleep. We can do the rest tomorrow.” I yawned. “Lady Violet, what do you mean by ‘the rest’? You haven’t told us what the turtles are for.” Intense curiosity lit up Scholar Wu’s face. I smiled at her enthusiasm. “It’s late. Why don’t we discuss this tomorrow? I’ll give you a hint, though: we’re going to a very special place, and we’ll need the bird mask costume I asked Fengying to order last week.”