Chapter 36: The Sea Lion Comes Ashore

Chapter 36: Chapter 36: The Sea Lion Comes Ashore

She didn’t water them too much at once. After she was done, she squatted down to clear away the weeds.

This place was too much like a farm. Just as fields grew weeds and attracted bugs, the black soil also grew weeds and pests.

Fat green caterpillars would appear on some of the larger vegetable leaves, and she picked them all off, crushed them, and buried them in the black soil.

She checked the temperature. Once she confirmed it wasn’t cold, she took out a few hatchable chicken and duck eggs, along with an incubator.

She placed the eggs in the incubator. After harvesting all the mature vegetables, she sent a portion to Jiang Yu and the others.

It was too early, so they hadn’t claimed them yet. She then took out some newly acquired sprouted potatoes to cut up and plant.

By the time she had finished planting all the potatoes, it was eight-thirty.

A message popped up in the background. She opened the panel and saw it was from Jiang Yu.

[Friend Jiang Yu has sent two blueprints. Claim?]

"Claim!"

Two blueprints appeared before her. She reached out and took them, surprised to find they were blueprints for a furnace and armor.

’With a furnace, I can start making glass.’

She exited the Planting Space. Inside the tree hollow, Jiang Yuxing had changed into a set of work clothes.

Compared to his refined attire, Shi Zhile looked like a beggar.

She took out the vegetables. "We’re having vegetable soup this morning."

Jiang Yuxing took out a bag of rice and accepted the vegetables from her. "We’ll have vegetable porridge. I’ll make it."

After a simple breakfast, the two of them set sail.

A thin mist dissipated from the sea’s surface wherever the sailboat passed. Standing at the bow, Shi Zhile kept a constant watch on the water.

Once they entered the deep sea, Jiang Yuxing walked over from the stern and casually pulled out two deck chairs.

He lay down on one of them, took out a pair of sunglasses, put them on, and then cast his fishing line.

The moment his line hit the water, the bobber twitched. He reeled it in—it was a large salmon.

Shi Zhile immediately squeezed in next to him and cast her own line out.

Two fishing rods extended over the water. One was cheerfully catching fish and shrimp one after another, while the other remained as still as death.

Just as Shi Zhile’s patience was about to run out, her bobber twitched.

Delighted, she yanked the rod hard. The line went taut, and in the next second, an earthy stench filled the air over the entire sea.

She was dumbfounded. "Holy shit! It couldn’t be last night’s monster, could it?"

Jiang Yuxing reached out to help her hold the rod. "We’ll know what it is once we see it. Pull it up."

The thin mist over the sea grew thicker. The two of them, on high alert, held the rod with one hand and their weapons with the other. The next second, a SPLASH broke the surface, and a strange shriek came from not far away.

The instant the hook broke the water’s surface, Shi Zhile yanked the fishing rod into her backpack. Both of them stared intently at the sea.

A moment later, a chubby, upright-walking sea lion climbed onto the sailboat.

It didn’t attack them, merely tilting its head and looking at the two of them with a goofy expression.

Shi Zhile and Jiang Yuxing exchanged a look, not daring to let their guard down for a second.

They considered themselves highly vigilant, yet they hadn’t even noticed when this thing had boarded the boat.

Shi Zhile took out a torch, but was pulled back just as she was about to step forward.

Jiang Yuxing took the torch from her. "I’ll go!"

Just as he tried to get closer, the sea lion opened its mouth wide and let out a piercing cry, making him immediately back away.

Shi Zhile tentatively took two steps forward. The sea lion didn’t move. She took two more steps, and the sea lion tilted its head in the other direction.

"You need something?"

After asking, Shi Zhile couldn’t help but laugh at herself.

’What am I doing?’

’Trying to talk to a Sea Monster?’

"ROAR~"

Shi Zhile cautiously retreated again.

"ROAR! ROAR!"

The sea lion was clearly getting anxious.

’What’s going on? It wants me to get closer.’

She tentatively moved forward again. This time, the sea lion stood there obediently, even lowering its head slightly.

Shi Zhile reached out and tentatively patted it twice. It felt cool and smooth, like jelly.

[Familiarity with undersea creature, sea lion, +50. Can be accepted as a pet. Accepting this pet will unlock dialogue between your pets. Add to pet roster?]

Shi Zhile pulled her hand back and thought for a moment. "Yes!"

’This sea lion doesn’t seem to have any ill intent. We can’t communicate, so to be safe, I can at least listen to what it’s saying first.’

[Pet binding successful. Current pets: Green Snake, sea lion.]

Shi Zhile observed the sea lion carefully and noticed it was different from the monster she had encountered during the novice period. This one was fatter and a bit shorter.

If it weren’t for the fact that the earthy stench was the same, she wouldn’t have dared to connect the two so easily.

"Do you kill people?"

The sea lion blinked its dazed, wide eyes. "ROAR~" *Yes!*

’It kills people.’

Shi Zhile took a step back. "Does the sea lion species like to kill people?"

"ROAR!" *Yes!*

She continued to back away. "Does the sea lion species live by killing people?"

The sea lion tilted its head, its clueless eyes filled with pure innocence and stupidity.

Jiang Yuxing took a deep breath. "Ask it if it’s looking for a relative or a friend."

Shi Zhile asked, and it nodded its head excitedly.

Jiang Yuxing continued, "And you smell your friend’s scent on her?"

The sea lion nodded.

"You can’t find your friend, so you want her to help?"

More nodding!

While Jiang Yuxing questioned the sea lion, Shi Zhile focused on fishing.

With no interference from the sea lion, Shi Zhile’s bobber started moving quickly this time.

Ignoring everything else, she reeled in her line. It was a treasure chest.

’Since the sea lion is an undersea creature,’ she thought, ’letting it open the chest might yield some unexpected treasures.’

She passed it over. "You open it."

The sea lion tapped it once, and the treasure chest popped open.

Three keys appeared inside the chest.

Shi Zhile suddenly thought of the three unopened metal chests.

’Could these be the corresponding keys for the metal chests?’

’I’m not sure!’

She really wanted to try them out right now, but the chests were still back in her shelter.

Shi Zhile cast her line again, but she perked up her ears to listen in on the conversation.

The morning flew by. The sailboat headed for home, this time with the sea lion on board.

「Just as they landed on the island, space began to distort.」

In the blink of an eye, Shi Zhile was back inside her shelter.

It happened so fast that Jiang Yuxing didn’t even see her disappear.

Soon, a video call from Jiang Yuxing came through.

He was calling to confirm that Shi Zhile had returned to her own island. Once he knew she was safe, they ended the call.

[Shelter basement construction complete. Please inspect.]

[Ding! Acquired: Super Incubator ×1, Breeding Space ×1. Rewards have been sent to your backpack. Please inspect.]

[Super Incubator: Can incubate all hatchable eggs at once and ensures a 100% survival rate for hatched creatures, but... (Help! The Planting Space is eating me!)]

[Breeding Space: A 10-square-meter space, as warm as spring all year round. Chickens, ducks, cows, sheep, pigs, fish, etc.—as long as it’s an animal, I can raise it and help it grow strong. (Ooh! A super supplement! *nom, nom, nom, nom!* BUUURP~ I’m full. Current space size: 15 square meters.)]

Shi Zhile: "..."

She tried to sense the Super Incubator, but felt nothing. She opened her panel and searched her backpack, but among the pile of supplies, she couldn’t find even a trace of the incubator.

’Well, I’ll be. So items really can devour each other.’

’Was the incubator in the Planting Space eaten, then?’