Chapter 55: Completing the Task Smoothly
The system switched to a mechanical voice.
[The host has actively requested a task and can now choose one.]
[Demon Hunting Task 1: Silver Carp Fish *100]
[Description: A Silver Carp Fish under 1 meter isn’t a good one. ]
[Time limit: 30 days]
[Reward: 100 magic points]
[Penalty for failure: Deduct 100 magic points and close the dimensional gate for 1,000 days]
[Demon Hunting Task 2: Invisible Fish *30 ]
[Description: A master of invisibility in the Magic Sea.]
[Time limit: 30 days]
[Reward: 300 magic points]
[Penalty for failure: Deduct 300 magic points and close the dimensional gate for 3,000 days]
[Demon Hunting Task 3: Little Blue Demon *1]
[Time limit: 30 days]
[Reward: 100 magic points]
[Penalty for failure: Deduct 100 magic points and close the dimensional gate for 1,000 days]
Judging purely by the number of magic points, the Invisible Fish task was the best choice. However, the Invisible Fish was hard to catch, and if he failed and got stuck in the Magic Sea dimension, the Culinary God system task would be ruined, leaving him in huge debt.
Lin Jiu had a hunch that Invisible Fish liked eating Little Blue Demons. Capturing a live Little Blue Demon was difficult, but he had a dead one.
He came up with a good plan. To be cautious, he didn’t accept the Invisible Fish task right away. He decided to test it in the Magic Sea first, and if it worked, he would take on the second task later.
For now, Lin Jiu chose the first task. Silver Carps were old rivals of his, and his Siren scream ability should work well against them.
Lin Jiu called Si Xu, telling him he was going out to restock.
As soon as Si Xu heard this, he recalled Lin Jiu’s battered state from last time and became worried.
“Where are you going to restock with the current sea ban in place?”
Lin Jiu evaded the question. “There’s a place where the ban doesn’t apply. I can go there.”
“The seas are dangerous right now. The radiation from unknown energies is way over the limit. Even we can’t stay in the water too long, or our bodies won’t handle it. Not to mention the sea creatures, which have grown much larger—it’s too risky.”
Si Xu tried to dissuade him. He knew Lin Jiu still had plenty of ingredients, especially the large Little Blue Demon, which he had barely touched. Si Xu hoped Lin Jiu would wait until the danger passed.
Seeing that Si Xu misunderstood but couldn’t explain, Lin Jiu felt stifled and only said, “I have a reason I must go.”
His magic points were running low, and completing tasks was the only way to earn more. He had no choice.
Si Xu heard the resolve in Lin Jiu’s voice and was silent for a moment. “When are you leaving? I’ll go with you.”
Lin Jiu: “…”
Lin Jiu called out to the system: ‘System, your “dad” wants to come with me. Can you bend the rules?’
[I’d love to, but the rules don’t allow it. You’ll just have to hope you two get married soon.]
Lin Jiu had no choice. “I have to leave now. I can only go alone.”
After a long silence, Si Xu asked, “When will you be back?”
Lin Jiu calculated the time. He had to return before the shop’s task deadline. “I’ll definitely be back within 10 days.”
Another silence from Si Xu followed. “Be careful and come back soon.”
Both felt uneasy—Si Xu because of Lin Jiu’s clear secrecy, and Lin Jiu because he hated deceiving Si Xu but had no choice. He wanted to come clean and share everything to ease his guilt.
Before hanging up, Lin Jiu said, “Give me some time, and I’ll tell you everything.”
Si Xu: “…Alright.”
Lin Jiu posted on social media, announcing that the shop would be closed for a few days because he was going out to restock.
Just before turning off his phone, Lin Jiu remembered that he forgot to tell Si Xu about the green plum wine he’d prepared for him. He sent a message, letting Si Xu know the wine was in the shop and that there was a spare key under the leg of the bench by the window. He told him to take the key with him afterward and keep it.
Lin Jiu turned off his phone and left for the Magic Sea dimension, unaware that a flood of messages had come in on social media. People were tagging him, urging him to abandon his restocking trip. Someone even sent news from a small town abroad, warning him not to take any risks since no one was allowed to go to sea. Many seafood restaurants had already shifted to other businesses due to the lack of seafood supply. Life, after all, was more important than money.
Unfortunately, Lin Jiu missed the concerned messages from his followers, as well as the packed inbox filled with resumes from people applying for positions as lobby managers and servers.
Lin Jiu appeared on Xipuluo Island and wasted no time diving into the sea in search of a Silver carp school.
During his search, Lin Jiu kept practicing his “Siren Scream” technique. When he had fought the Little Blue Demon, he hadn’t controlled his power well, and the Little Blue Demon’s head had exploded. This wouldn’t do—he needed to capture the seafood alive. Damaged catches weren’t aesthetically pleasing or fresh.
He tried to reduce the lethality of his scream. He let out a scream toward a group of no-star sea monsters ahead, and all of them froze in place, their bodies stiffening under the soundwave attack. However, it only lasted for a moment before they regained movement and fled in panic.
The scream’s power was too weak; its killing force wasn’t enough, allowing the sea monsters to escape.
Lin Jiu gave chase and tried again when he spotted another group of no-star sea monsters. This time, the scream was slightly more powerful, but the sea monsters still managed to get away.
Lin Jiu gradually became familiar with this ability through repeated attempts. At one point, he accidentally used too much power and killed some low-level sea monsters. Not wanting to waste them, he packed them all into a fishing net bag to bring back.
This soundwave attack instilled fear in the low-level sea monsters. However, for higher-star sea monsters, if it didn’t kill them, it was considered a provocation. As a result, Lin Jiu ended up being chased across the sea by a mid-tier star-level sea monster. After finally shaking it off, he resumed his attempts.
His primary goal was to find the Silver Carps, and practicing his new skill was just a side activity. After wandering for several days without any sign of the Silver Carps, Lin Jiu called the system: “It’s time for you to do your job. Help me locate where the Silver Carp Fish are hiding.”
“[To locate a Silver Carp Fish school, each 1 hour in the Magic Sea will cost 1 magic point. Would you like to continue?]”
Lin Jiu: “…”
So much for getting something for nothing!
“Just one hour in the Magic Sea costs 1 magic point? Isn’t that a bit too much? If one day here is like Earth’s 24 hours, that would be 24 magic points! Who could afford that?”
Looking at his remaining 7 magic points, Lin Jiu decided to test the demon-hunting system’s capability. Holding on to those points wouldn’t help him anyway. If he couldn’t complete the task, he wouldn’t be able to return to the Earth realm, and he’d end up with even more debt. He figured it was better to use the points to shorten his mission time.
Lin Jiu: “Go ahead.”
“[1 magic point deducted. Locating the Silver Carps school…]”
The system quickly provided a direction, and with his fishing spear in hand, Lin Jiu followed its guidance in search of the Silver Carp Fish school.
Soon, he spotted a few Silver Carp Fish—about a dozen of them. With the thought of gathering them bit by bit, he tried to catch these. But the system’s guidance didn’t stop and prompted him to continue. After a brief hesitation, Lin Jiu followed the system further.
After swimming for what felt like a long time, with three deductions of magic points already made, Lin Jiu suddenly felt as if the system was like a shady taxi driver taking him on a detour. Something that could have been resolved for 10 bucks was now being dragged out to cost 30.
“[The Silver Carp Fish school is about to appear. Please prepare yourself. 5, 4, 3, 2, 1…]”
“Whoosh—!!!!”
A massive wave of silver-white “waterfall” swept past Lin Jiu, its force leaving him staggering in the water.
Lin Jiu: “……!!!”
He had never seen so many Silver Carp Fish in his life!
Almost blinded by the overwhelming white mass, Lin Jiu barely had time to react before the Silver Carps school suddenly circled back, forming a continuous loop that trapped him in the middle.
Lin Jiu: “…”
With a powerful flick of his tail, Lin Jiu surged upward.
There were so many Silver Carps that they could easily tear him apart. He needed to find a strategic spot, fast.
Lin Jiu swam upward with all his strength as the school of Silver Carps pursued him, forming a spectacular silver chain behind him.
Reaching higher ground, Lin Jiu turned around and unleashed his Siren scream!
After much practice, he had now gained better control of the attack. The Silver Carps, caught in the soundwave, all stiffened and flipped belly-up, floating on the water’s surface.
These Silver Carp Fish were only stunned, not dead. Lin Jiu needed to quickly grab 100 of them before they woke up, or there would be a fierce battle on his hands.
He initially thought of using his net to catch them, but the bag couldn’t hold that many fish. Before he could collect enough, the awakened Silver Carp Fish would likely show their sharp teeth.
Lin Jiu sought help from the system to see if the fish could be directly transported to his fish pond.
“[To transport the fish directly into the pond, the host must touch each one.]”
Lin Jiu understood. Just like with his fishing spear, to store items in the inventory, physical contact was required. The same went for the Silver Carps.
Had he known earlier, he wouldn’t have needed to struggle so hard dragging the Blue Demon into the fish pond. One touch could have solved it all.
Stowing away his fishing spear, Lin Jiu dove into the school of Silver Carp Fish and started grabbing them with both hands. Each fish he touched vanished from the water, reappearing in the fish pond.
Working at his fastest speed, Lin Jiu grabbed 100 fish. He didn’t want more, as the fish pond couldn’t hold them. With the required amount caught, Lin Jiu made a quick escape. Just as he swam away, the Silver Carp Fish woke up, disoriented and wobbling as they chased after him. As time passed, the fish became more agile and pursued him with a relentless determination.
Lin Jiu wasn’t foolish enough to fight such a large school of Silver Carps head-on. Nor was he interested in playing a marathon game of cat and mouse. Spotting a reef, Lin Jiu quickly climbed atop it as the fish school surrounded him.
The stubborn Silver Carps, having suffered a major loss, were determined to fight him and kept leaping out of the water to taunt him. But Lin Jiu, now in his “salt fish” mode, simply ignored them, letting them jump and crash while he relaxed, knowing they couldn’t reach him.
“[Task completed. You’ve gained 100 magic points.]”
“[Congratulations, host! You’ve triggered a chest reward: 1 wooden chest.]”
Lin Jiu sighed in relief. Compared to previous tasks, this one had gone incredibly smoothly. The demon-hunting system had been well worth it, even though it had cost him 3 magic points to find the Silver Carp Fish school. It was far more efficient than aimlessly swimming around.
The wooden chest was an unexpected bonus. Lin Jiu stored it away for now, planning to combine chests later.
Having earned 100 magic points, Lin Jiu was in no rush. He decided to wait out the Silver Carp Fish. He had plenty of food and wouldn’t starve, but the fish couldn’t stay forever.
Sure enough, a few days later, the school dispersed, likely from hunger.
Checking his direction, Lin Jiu realized he was lost again.
Lin Jiu accepted the second mission—to catch 30 Invisible Fish for 300 magic points. The temptation was too great for him to resist.
He asked the system to locate the Invisible Fish. Now that he had magic points, there was no need to be stingy.
After spending 2 points, the system located an Invisible Fish school. Lin Jiu let out a Siren scream, but after the attack, he saw nothing.
Lin Jiu: “…”
He could only rely on his last memory to fumble around in the invisible fish school, grabbing one and tossing it into the fish pond before reaching for another.
It was much harder than catching the silver carps, as he was blindly groping around.
After some time, Lin Jiu felt water currents moving around him, and his body was bumped from various directions. Sensing that the invisible fish were regaining their agility, Lin Jiu quickly made a strategic retreat. If they fully recovered, they wouldn’t just bump into him — they’d likely tear him apart.
Even though his sonic attack was powerful, it was useless when he couldn’t see the invisible fish. This round of hunting yielded only a few fish, far fewer than he had hoped.
Lin Jiu then implemented his backup plan. He took a piece of Little Blue Demon meat from his ultra-smart kitchen and spent some magic points to have the system locate another invisible fish school. He placed the prepared meat where the fish would pass and marked the area. As expected, the invisible fish were attracted to the meat and started tearing into it. Lin Jiu immediately unleashed his siren’s scream, stunning all the invisible fish.
He rushed over to scoop up the fish, grabbing them easily near the meat. He also searched within the marked range, where all the invisible fish had gathered, making them much easier to catch.
[Mission complete. You’ve earned 300 magic points.]
[Congratulations, host. You’ve triggered a treasure chest reward and received 1 wooden chest.]
The system hadn’t anticipated Lin Jiu using this kind of strategy. Those 300 magic points felt like an easy gift, making the process surprisingly simple.
Lin Jiu had braced himself for the system to penalize him for wasting resources, but no punishment came.
Looking at the chewed-up Little Blue Demon meat, Lin Jiu wondered if it didn’t count as wasted since sea creatures had eaten it. That seemed likely—perhaps food only counted as wasted if discarded. As long as it was eaten, whether by people or fish, it didn’t count as waste.
Lin Jiu considered the time and weighed the feasibility of completing a third mission.
The Little Blue Demon wasn’t in the same league as the silver lo fish or invisible fish. It could be dangerous if he wasn’t careful. Besides, even if he managed to catch it, he had no place to store it. His fish pond was already full of silver lo fish, and the non-star sea creatures he’d accidentally killed were stuffed into his freezer, waiting to be sold later. He couldn’t let them go to waste.
Lin Jiu decided to postpone the Little Blue Demon mission for another time. For now, he had some spare time and chose to continue practicing his sonic attack. He needed to master this ability so that he could protect himself in dangerous situations.
During practice, he memorized the maximum and minimum power levels, as well as the attack range. Several non-star sea creatures died in the process, and he packed them into his freezer, which was nearly full. Lin Jiu had to stop and head back.
This had been the easiest mission Lin Jiu had ever completed, and the fastest. His siren ability was incredibly useful, and the system’s tracking function saved a lot of time.
Dripping wet, Lin Jiu headed straight for the bathroom to shower, as he always did first thing after returning.
Once clean, his hair dried, and the room’s water tracks wiped up, Lin Jiu finally reached for his phone and powered it on.
As usual, Si Xu had left him a call every day, a habit he had formed.
This time, Lin Jiu had only spent five days in the magic sea dimension, his shortest trip yet. He called Si Xu to let him know he was safe.
The call connected, but before he could hear Si Xu’s voice, he heard Captain Lu Yu’s voice instead.
“Is Lin Jiu back?”
Lu Yu sounded anxious. The background noise was chaotic with voices, shouting, car sounds, and the heavy sound of rain.
Lin Jiu glanced out the window. It was afternoon on Earth, sunny, with no sign of rain.
“Si Xu, are you not in City A?”
Finally, Si Xu’s voice came through. “I’m in City S right now. Did you make it back safely? Are you hurt?”
It was raining heavily on his end, and Si Xu sounded like he was standing under a canopy, shouting to be heard over the rain.
“I’m back, no injuries. What’s going on over there?” Lin Jiu raised his voice to ask.
There was no immediate reply from Si Xu, but Lin Jiu heard the sound of a car door closing, and suddenly all the noise disappeared. The line became quiet.
“It’s been pouring rain here for two days. Something came out of the sea, one person is missing, and several others are injured. The ‘Special Security Division’ is handling it, and…”
Si Xu paused before continuing, “Unknown energy radiation has reached here, and people in the coastal town are starting to fall ill…”
Before Si Xu could finish, Lin Jiu heard the sound of someone banging on a car door, followed by Lu Yu’s voice cutting through the rain.
“Is that Lin Jiu? Is he back? We need his supplies!”
The rain sounds faded again as Si Xu presumably rolled up the window.
Ugh, I’m so invested, can’t wait for the next chapter!!!