Chapter 50: School of Golden Fish

Although the sea storm had stopped, Lily Rhodes decided to play it safe. Instead of going out, she picked up her fishing rod and started to fish.

Boosted by the golden fishing rod, she reeled in a catch almost every minute. However, once she confirmed they weren’t Special Fish or Golden Fish, she casually tossed them over her shoulder.

Behind her, the Baby Orca opened its mouth wide to catch the discarded fish. After swallowing its treat, it licked its lips, seemingly unsatisfied, as if to say, "Delicious. Keep them coming."

Just then, Mother Orca returned. Clamped in her jaws was a large, golden moray eel speckled with green spots—the very creature that had given Lily a scare earlier.

Mother Orca dropped the eel onto the ground and nudged Lily with her massive head.

"Follow me."

With that, Mother Orca took the lead and swam outward. Seeing this, Lily signaled Shelly to follow.

After swimming for about an hour, an island gradually appeared ahead, surrounded by a ring of shallow reefs. She hadn’t encountered anything like this at the previous two islands she had come across. More importantly, despite the distance, she could clearly see several Golden Fish weaving through the rocks. Their glittering golden scales were impossibly conspicuous.

Excitement instantly surged through Lily.

Because of Shelly’s massive size and the shallow waters of the reef, they couldn’t get too close. Just as Lily was about to use her raft to cross the distance, Mother Orca surfaced in front of her, exposing her sleek back.

"You want me to ride on your back?"

Mother Orca nodded.

Lily didn’t stand on ceremony. Compared to the raft, riding an orca was undeniably faster. She climbed onto the whale’s back, but before she could even steady herself, Mother Orca darted forward. To avoid getting thrown off, Lily flattened herself against Mother Orca’s back, her hands gripping tightly onto the slippery skin.

A second later, Mother Orca slammed on the brakes. The sudden stop launched Lily through the air, and she crashed heavily into the water. Fortunately, she hadn’t taken off the Fish Tail Necklace she had obtained earlier; she kept it on her at all times.

While the water level here was shallow compared to the open ocean, it was still about two meters deep. The surrounding seawater had turned into a crystal-clear blue with incredibly high visibility, looking exactly like the pictures on seaside travel posters she used to see.

"It’s just a shame about the weather." Lily glanced up at the sky, which remained thickly blanketed in dark clouds.

Not wasting any more time, she turned her focus back to the Golden Fish she had spotted earlier. Initially, she had only noticed one or two, but now she realized that the area was teeming with them. There had to be an entire school living here.

Startled by the commotion of her splashdown, the free-swimming Golden Fish had all scrambled into hiding. She wasn’t in a rush, however, choosing instead to explore the rest of the surrounding waters. Aside from the Golden Fish, the reef held an abundance of other resources: coral, starfish, kelp, and seashells. These were all valuable supplies.

Of course, her main goal was simply to wait for the Golden Fish to calm down and emerge from the coral reefs.

After about a ten-minute wait, sensing that the coast was clear, the School of Golden Fish finally ventured out from their hiding spots. Seeing this, Lily still held back. She waited patiently for the Golden Fish to group up before making her move.

A few minutes later, the fish naturally schooled together, moving as a single unit—a typical habit of schooling fish. Seeing the time was ripe, Lily locked onto the School of Golden Fish’s position. She activated her Water Manipulation, slicing out that entire section of water—along with the fish inside—as easily as cutting a block of tofu.

Veins bulged on her forehead, and her face contorted with the immense strain, but she gritted her teeth and held on.

She had already prepared a container for them: a massive water tank she had previously opened from a Treasure Chest. She deposited the block of water and the fish directly into it.

Plucked from the vast ocean and suddenly confined to a cramped space, the Golden Fish panicked. A few of the larger ones frantically rammed their heads against the inner walls of the tank, letting out a rapid THUD THUD THUD.

Afraid these precious treasures would bludgeon themselves to death, Lily called Mother Orca over and raced back to Shelly as fast as possible.

Reaching the stream on Shelly’s back, she dumped the tank’s water and the Golden Fish straight into it. The moment the frantic Golden Fish felt the fresh water, they immediately calmed down. Whether it was just her imagination or not, their golden scales seemed to shine even brighter in the fresh water.

The two Golden Fish she had placed there previously seemed to sense their kin. They darted out from some hidden nook and seamlessly merged into the school.

Just then, the System’s voice suddenly echoed in Lily’s ears:

[Congratulations to Survivor Lily Rhodes for completing the hidden quest: The Journey Home of the School of Golden Fish.

You have helped the School of Golden Fish find their optimal habitat. Reward: Loyalty of the Golden Fish.

Do not underestimate these fish; their tiny bodies contain massive Energy.

Divinity +1]

Lily stared at the System notification, her eyes lingering on the final reward.

"Another thing I’ve never seen before."

Divinity? Could it be that someone among them would eventually become a god?

Lily was quickly startled by her own thought. That shouldn’t be possible. After all, from what she had seen so far, this felt far more like a survival game.

"System, what is Divinity Value used for?"

[Please explore this on your own. The System does not have the authority to disclose this information.]

Hearing the System’s cold mechanical voice was like having a bucket of ice water dumped over her head. Her excitement instantly vanished, leaving her completely calm.

Forget it. If she couldn’t figure out the Divinity Value, she would just study the Golden Fish instead. The System said their tiny bodies contained massive Energy. What kind of Energy was it exactly?

She dipped her hand into the freezing stream. The Golden Fish instantly swarmed over, repeatedly nudging her fingers with their mouths.

"Do you guys have any special abilities? Show me."

It was just a casual request, but a second later, the Golden Fish actually levitated out of the water. Just like the two orcas from before, they could move freely through the air.

The fish circled around her once before swimming off into the distance. Curious, Lily immediately followed them to see what they were up to.

To her absolute astonishment, she found the Golden Fish actually working. To be precise, a portion of the school was busy cleaning, while the rest swam nimbly among the fruits and vegetables. As they wove through the garden, the produce that brushed against their scales began to emit a faint golden glow.