Read Novel Full Chapter 317: Fishing
Chapter 317: Fishing
Richard wouldn’t have attracted so much attention if he had merely been a human.
However, Damian was the Prince of the Fire Spirit Kingdom, the Queen’s own nephew.
Everyone knew him. In fact, his face was even more familiar throughout the kingdom than the Fire Spirit Queen’s herself.
His status was unquestionably noble, yet he was personally accompanying a young human.
Naturally, the people—especially the Fire Spirits—became curious about Richard’s identity.
Richard acted as though nothing was unusual.
He walked over to a small stall run by a very young Fire Spirit girl, perhaps only thirteen years old.
She still carried the innocent curiosity of someone who had yet to see much of the world.
"Your Highness!" she greeted Damian respectfully before looking at Richard with curious eyes.
"Sir, would you like to buy some bait?" she asked.
"That’s right. Which one would you recommend?" Richard replied with a smile.
There were at least ten different options.
Among them were thumb-sized mosquitoes, blue two-headed worms, white rubber-like lumps mixed with brown soil, and many other strange baits.
"Everything I sell is top-quality bait that can survive in the Fire Dragon River for at least an hour. You can choose whichever you like, but if you’re aiming for stronger fish, I recommend using live bait," the girl explained skillfully.
"Sir Richard, these worms are an excellent choice," Damian added.
"Alright." Richard nodded. "Give me one box of those worms."
"Right away!"
The girl quickly scooped a handful of blue worms into a small wooden box.
Just as Richard was about to ask for the price, Damian suddenly handed the girl a glowing fire gemstone.
"This is the payment. Give us a little extra."
The girl’s eyes immediately lit up.
"Thank you, Your Highness!" she said repeatedly as she hurriedly added more worms to the box.
Richard accepted the bait and carried it together with his fishing rod.
Looking toward the Fire Dragon River, he wondered where he should cast his line.
Strictly speaking, it wasn’t really a river.
It was more like a gigantic trench.
If it was already two hundred meters wide, who knew how deep it truly was?
"Sir Richard, just follow me," Damian said.
Richard did so.
Damian approached several Fire Spirits who were apparently acquaintances of his.
After a brief conversation, they happily vacated their fishing spots.
Soon, an empty location was available for them.
"Sir Richard, to prevent weaker Fire Dragon Fish from taking your bait, you need to continuously channel your power through the fishing rod into the bait. Of course, that also means you’ll have to wait much longer if you’re hoping to catch a Fire Dragon King or even a Fire Dragon Emperor," Damian explained.
Richard calmly nodded.
He quickly assembled the fishing rod with practiced ease.
Even attaching the bait took only an instant, and a trace of his power naturally seeped into it through his touch.
Whoosh!
He cast the bait straight into the middle of the river.
It immediately sank at an astonishing speed.
Although his fishing line was incredibly long, half of it disappeared almost instantly, as if an overwhelming current deep below was pulling everything downward.
Once the reel was locked, the tip of the rod bent sharply toward the river.
Naturally, Richard continued channeling his power into the rod.
Even a Fire Dragon Emperor wasn’t particularly interesting to him.
What truly interested him was the legendary Fire Dragon Ancestor.
Even then, he doubted it would be of much use to him.
According to his estimation, it would probably only increase Fire Affinity from ninety percent to ninety-one percent.
That was already the world’s natural limit.
Even if he caught one, he would most likely give it to the Fire Spirit Queen.
Now that she was his woman, it would be embarrassing if he couldn’t offer her something truly valuable.
Still, he wasn’t sure whether his power was enough to attract the legendary Fire Dragon Ancestor.
If even his strength wasn’t enough...
Then whose could be?
Richard wasn’t trying to overestimate himself.
Judging by history, his current strength at the Lord Realm was probably unmatched.
He waited patiently.
Every now and then, someone nearby successfully hooked a fish.
The reason they were called Fire Dragon Fish was because they were as large as humans, covered in crimson scales resembling those of dragons.
Even their heads vaguely resembled dragon heads, while their fins looked like wings.
Every successful catch often required nearly an hour of struggle before the fish could finally be pulled ashore.
Many fishermen failed entirely.
Richard simply waited, casually sipping wine without saying a word.
Most of his attention remained fixed on the tip of his fishing rod.
Fifteen minutes later...
The rod suddenly bent to its absolute limit, looking as though it might snap at any moment.
Massive waves erupted beneath the surface.
Shua!
Richard immediately yanked upward with all his strength.
An equally terrifying force answered from below.
Whoosh!
The river exploded into towering waves, as though an enormous bomb had detonated beneath the surface.
One thunderous boom followed another.
"What is that?!"
Everyone was stunned.
Those who had been sitting immediately jumped to their feet.
"Has anyone ever seen something like this?"
"Never! Last month someone caught a Fire Dragon King, but it didn’t create waves like these!"
"Could it be something stronger than a King?"
"A Fire Dragon Emperor?"
"I... I don’t know!"
Even Richard couldn’t believe everything was happening so quickly.
But what shocked him the most was that he couldn’t even turn the reel.
Instead, the line was being pulled back out.
He realized that if he were even slightly weaker, he would have already been dragged into the Fire Dragon River.
Boom!
His aura erupted.
He unleashed the hidden power within his heart, sending out a devastating shockwave that blasted countless spectators away—including many Lord Realm experts.
Even Damian, a Peak Lord himself, could barely remain standing.
He was forced backward again and again by Richard’s aura alone.
The difference in their strength was simply too overwhelming.