Chapter 3

"Hey, college boy, how's your fish farm going? Don't tell me it'll barely be enough to get stuck between our teeth."

I turned a deaf ear to Victor and continued feeding the fish and cleaning the nets on schedule.

On the last day of the first week, I lifted a corner of the net and saw a translucent layer of fish eggs floating on the water.

[Sawgrass carp have spawned. Estimated hatching time: three days.]

I scooped up the two fattest adult carp and threw them onto the main ship's deck.

The fish slapped against the planks, alive and kicking.

Everyone nearby swallowed at once.

Captain White walked over, looked at the fish, then at me. Shock flickered through his eyes.

"You actually raised them?"

I wiped the water from my hands.

"There'll be more. Enough for everyone to get sick of eating fish. These two are for everyone to taste today."

To keep possession of the old barge in a reasonable way, I did not bother being modest. I painted them a future.

The promise worked at once. For the next several days, no one mentioned making me move back to the main ship.

Since most land had already been swallowed by the ocean, we could not remain in one patch of water for long if we wanted enough food.

Today was another day of migration.

"We can't go near that reef ahead. Pirates show up there all the time!"

Victor stood at the bow and pointed at a dark cluster of rocks barely visible in the distance.

Captain White frowned and looked toward me on the barge.

"Finn, what do you think?"

My eyes were closed. The Dragon Lord's perception had already covered the entire stretch of water.

A submarine ridge rose there, forming a natural barrier.

The currents were calm, and plankton was abundant. It was a perfect natural ranch.

More importantly, I sensed a group of valuable creatures hiding in the cracks of the reef.

"Anchor there," I said, opening my eyes.

"Are you insane? If you want to die, don't drag us down with you!" Victor roared.

"If you're scared, you can jump overboard and swim away." I glanced at him.

Captain White gritted his teeth but finally gave the order to anchor.

The fleet slowly approached the reef cluster and stopped on the leeward side.

I ignored the complaints and paddled a plank toward the largest reef.

About fifteen feet underwater, more than a dozen long blue-gray shadows were cruising.

Mutated sentry eels.

I reached into the water and released the pressure of the Dragon Lord.

"Submit or die."

The eel school froze instantly. Then they all swam toward my hand and rubbed against my fingers.

[Tamed Creatures: Sentry Eels x12]

[Status: Absolute Obedience / High Voltage Discharge Available]

I ordered them to spread around the edge of the reef cluster, forming an invisible line of defense.

In the distance, two speedboats carrying ragged black flags appeared on the sea.

"Pirates! Run!" Victor collapsed onto the deck in fright.

Captain White drew the rusty knife from his belt and stared at the approaching speedboats.

I stood on the reef without moving.

The speedboats rushed toward our fleet. The lead pirate held up a homemade firearm and laughed wildly.

The moment they crossed the eel line, I gave the command in my heart.

"Discharge."

Blue-white lightning burst beneath the surface.

Crackle.

The engines of the two speedboats smoked, sparked, and died.

The pirates on board convulsed from the shock, screaming as they fell into the sea.

The remaining pirates desperately paddled away and fled in disgrace.

The crisis ended so strangely that everyone on the boat simply stared.