Chapter 51 Swamp Fishing: Willing People Take the Bait

Wang Qian crossed her arms and sneered, adding, "That's right, there's fierce infighting among them. If a patrol team is gone, the vacant positions and resources will probably be fought over by many people. As long as you're alright, that's all that matters."

One of the reasons they were able to easily abandon their long-term town and come to the Star Territory was this: although they are now high-level players and receive preferential treatment in Fuguang Town, they suffered a lot in the early stages.

Hearing them say that, Lin Nanxing immediately removed Fuguang Town from the shortlist of towns for establishing friendly diplomatic relations. She nodded and said, "I understand. Things have been a bit unsettled outside the territory these days. You should be careful when you go out."

After three full days of rest, and with the help of the high priest, the members of the Sand Fox caravan finally recovered their health and their spirits were lifted again.

But soon, after touring the entire territory, their mood turned worried.

Team member A-Liang looked at the dazzling array of goods in the fresh food supermarket and clicked his tongue: "Boss, we're probably going to be stuck with this shipment. They have everything here. These local specialties that we brought from other places are probably not worth the attention of the people in this area."

The other team member's attention was on the forge not far away. He had been carefully examining the weapons made by the iron tree spirit in the forge over the past few days, and sighed: "That's right, there is actually a top-notch forging master here. Although the weapons we have are good, they are not enough compared to those forged by that magical plant."

Aside from a few rare ores and monster materials that the blacksmiths could buy as raw materials, the rest of what they brought was completely ignored.

Listening to the team members' discussion, Wu Fan glanced at the bustling streets of the territory and said in a deep voice, "The goods aren't urgent. The problem now is that we need to find a way to become official residents of this territory."

In Star Territory, as long as you have money, you can spend it at the water park, milk tea shop, and blacksmith shop. There is also a vending machine at the entrance of the water park, which has all kinds of fast food that regular residents don't care about, but are still very popular.

However, restaurants and supermarkets are still only open to registered residents, and becoming a registered resident here brings various additional benefits.

Those who spend most of their time away from home know best that these benefits are not noticeable within the territory, but when traveling, they are equivalent to having an extra life.

"But I've heard that because this territory is so popular, they just released some new conditions these past few days. Only those who meet all the territory's requirements can apply to become official residents. And this is just the application process, not the final selection. This spot is even harder to get than the rarest monster blood."

Wu Fan scoffed lightly, "As long as it's territory, there's a need for people to do things. If there's value, why should we be afraid they'll turn us away?"

Upon hearing this, someone recognized the meaning and asked, "Team leader, do you have a solution?"

The team members immediately surrounded them, their faces filled with longing. Having witnessed the beauty of the Star Territory, who would want to go back to the days outside when they had to wear heat-resistant protective suits every day?

A shrewd glint flashed in Wu Fan's eyes as he lowered his voice: "The conventional methods definitely won't work. We need to show the people in charge here our unique value."

“Value? What do we have besides some goods?” A-Liang scratched his head.

"Do you remember Muddy Town?" Wu Fan prompted.

The team members were stunned for a moment, then suddenly realized what was going on, and their faces showed an expression of disbelief.

"Boss, you mean... you're going to fish in the swamp?" one of the veteran team members asked, his voice trembling.

“That’s right.” Wu Fan nodded emphatically and solemnly took out a uniquely shaped fishing rod from his storage bag.

The rod is dark purple, as if it were made from the bones of some kind of creature. A strange bead that keeps flashing is embedded in the tip of the rod. There is no fishing line on this fishing rod, and the whole thing exudes a mysterious aura.

"This Swamp-Eating Rod is a treasure we went to great lengths to get from the blacksmith in Mud Swamp Town. There are only two of them. Resources are scarce there, and monsters don't spawn very often. The whole town relies on this rod to fish for something to make a living when the swamp is active in winter."

Wu Fan stroked the fishing rod, his tone wistful, "This thing is useless outside of a certain level of swamp, but there just happens to be a high-level swamp right next to the Star Territory, which is perfect for us."

"But...isn't it too dangerous? And can it even succeed?" Ah Liang was still a little worried.

"You've been following me for so long, how come you're still so slow-witted?" Wu Fan looked at A Liang with exasperation and said, "This swamp is right next to the barrier. We can fish inside the barrier. Even if we do fish out high-level monsters, what danger is there as long as we don't step out of the barrier?"

"Fortune favors the bold. If you don't have something real to offer, how can you expect people to respect you? You don't need to worry about anything, just cooperate with me."

So, for the next two days, Wu Fan unfailingly appeared at the edge of the territory's most dangerous swamp, where energy fluctuations were most intense, and cast out that fishing rod that looked extraordinary.

It did initially attract quite a crowd of onlookers.

"Dude, what are you fishing for? There are no fish in this godforsaken place!"

"This pole has a rather unique design, is it some kind of magical equipment?"

Wu Fan simply smiled enigmatically: "Let's try our luck."

After two days of silence, the onlookers gradually dispersed, with some even complaining, "Tsk, it's just a joke after all. Everyone should leave now. I thought there was something interesting to see."

Following Wu Fan's prior instructions, A Liang seized the opportune moment, squeezed into the increasingly impatient crowd, and began to complain loudly, seemingly helplessly yet with heartache:

"Sigh, Boss is too persistent! This Swamp-Eating Rod is our Sand Fox's most treasured possession. He's been soaking it in this mud pit every day to test it out. Although it can indeed catch amazing fish, this thing is exhausting and wears out the rod a lot!"

His words immediately piqued the curiosity of an older man watching nearby: "Brother, are you kidding me? What treasures could this wretched swamp possibly hold besides eating people? Can you really fish anything out of it?"

Ah Liang's voice rose a few decibels: "Of course I can! Why would I lie to you?"

"Last winter, we dragged a level 60 monster that was barely alive up from a high-level swamp in the north with this pole. We brothers killed it on the spot. The massive amount of experience we got was amazing! It directly leveled up two of our brothers!"

These words caused an uproar in the audience.

A level 60 dying monster, kill it on the spot and get a huge amount of experience!

For the past ten years, they have regarded the swamp as an ominous place and would avoid it at all costs. They never thought that such an opportunity was hidden beneath this deadly swamp.

Not only can you "fish" for things, you can even "fish" out heavily injured high-level monsters to pick up cheap loot?

In an instant, everyone's gaze towards the strange fishing rod in Wu Fan's hand completely changed.

The news naturally reached Lin Nanxing's ears, but instead of immediately reaching out to Wu Fan as he had predicted, she silently asked the system in her mind: "System, can you really fish in this swamp, and even catch high-level monsters?"

[Host, the mutated swamps generated by the system are not typical natural terrain. The substances they devour do not simply disappear; their interiors are all-encompassing, and all swamps are interconnected. Theoretically, anything could be found inside.]

Isn't this just like opening a blind box?

"So you can only fish with the fishing rod that Wu Fan has?" Upon learning that there was such a fun entertainment activity hidden in the territory, Lin Nanxing immediately became very interested.

The eternal night continued, and the sun never shone. It seemed that even people's spirits were easily fatigued and listless. The residents seemed to have grown tired of the existing entertainment facilities in the territory.

Seeing that everyone's mood was gradually getting a bit low, they needed some fresh stimulation to cheer them up. If we could develop this swamp fishing project, it would definitely improve things a lot!

Yes, only specific items can be fished out of the swamp.

Before Lin Nanxing could even feel disappointed, the system thoughtfully added: "[The Swamp Devouring Pole blueprints and finished products are available for sale in the shop, priced at 10,000 game coins each. If you are interested, you can purchase them yourself.]"

On the third day, Wu Fan ignored the team members' worries and returned to the old spot with a calm and collected demeanor, as if waiting for someone to take the bait.

Unexpectedly, there was another person next to him in the spot he usually stayed in, and there was also a Swamp-Eating Pole at the person's feet!

Wu Fan felt a sudden alarm bell ring in his mind, but he remained calm on the surface. He simply walked to his usual spot and sat down, then took out his rare fishing rod as usual.

"Hi, what a coincidence, we bumped into each other here."

Wu Fan hadn't decided whether to take the initiative to probe, but unexpectedly, the other party struck up a conversation with him first.

He subconsciously looked up, and when he saw the person's face clearly, a look of surprise appeared on his face: "It's you?!"

The girl sitting next to them, mimicking their actions as they fiddled with fishing rods, was none other than the girl who had rescued their entire group that day, bringing with her two tall magical plants.

Lin Nanxing smiled and responded to his surprised gaze, shaking the fishing rod in her hand: "Yes, I've seen you having a lot of fun fishing these past few days, so I'll try my luck too. This place... um, the scenery is unique, it's a great place to relax."

She spoke casually, as if she were simply discussing how nice the weather was today.

Wu Fan suppressed his surprise and forced a smile: "Last time I was in a hurry and didn't have time to introduce myself. My name is Wu Fan, I am the leader of the Sand Fox Caravan, and my profession is tank."

A caravan? Is it the kind of caravan she's thinking of?

Lin Nanxing was quick-witted, but still spoke enthusiastically: "My name is Lin Nanxing, and I am an employee of Star Territory. My profession is Summoner."

As she introduced herself, she mimicked Wu Fan's movements, dipping the pole into the bubbling swamp.

Incredibly, almost three seconds after the glowing bead on the fishing rod sank into the swamp, the swamp-devouring rod in her hand suddenly sank downwards!

"Huh, something's already taken the bait so quickly?" Lin Nanxing was a little surprised herself. She subconsciously gripped the fishing rod and forcefully swung her arm upwards.

With a muffled "pop," she dragged a tightly sealed metal box covered in black mud out of the mud pit, through the barrier, and onto the ground at her feet.

The system popped up a message: [Congratulations, host, you have successfully fished out a case of 'freshly produced beer'.]

When Lin Nanxing opened it, he saw a dozen or so cans of beer, though the brand was unfamiliar, that were in good condition.

Wu Fan's eyes twitched, and he couldn't help but exclaim, "Miss Lin, your luck is just too..."

He sat there for two days without catching anything, while others casually caught something that was highly sought after in the apocalypse.

Lin Nanxing simply smiled calmly and glanced at the four-leaf clover that had silently perched on her shoulder as an ornament.

With the luck attribute bonus, catching a small fish is just routine.