Chapter 5: Shirley Came to Find Him, and They Set Out to Sea Together

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Da Chun had a bold idea: since he couldn’t choose just one boat, why not take them all? He went to the old man’s warehouse, found some ropes, and tied nine boats together in a “nine-tube” formation.

It wasn’t just boats—if you strung together random pieces of wood or buckets like this, you’d have a raft that wouldn’t sink.

By rowing nine small boats at once, he’d be exceeding the standard by eight times. It was like training with eight times the weight strapped to his hands and feet. If he could master this, what kind of realm would that be? Perhaps it was a hidden skill?

Even if he failed to grasp it, at least the fishing technique would be a free gift, and fishing and cooking complemented each other, so he’d get both for nothing.

Once the plan was clear, he went to the old man’s warehouse to get fishing rods and ropes, preparing for night training.

From afar, he could hear the old man snoring thunderously, sound asleep. So much for waiting for him to wake naturally—he might sleep for a whole day and night!

He found six fishing rods:

— Lucky Fishing Rod: Fishing gear, Luck +2, Weight 5, Durability 300.

— System Prompt: Warning! You have used the old drunkard’s property without permission. Affinity decreased...

No wonder the old man’s fishing rods all came with a luck attribute! Although the luck value wasn’t very high, a newcomer trying to buy one would find it impossible within a week.

There was extra coal in the kitchen corner, so he grabbed a bag to use for cooking on the boat. He also spotted a sailor’s oil lamp and took it—after all, it was night training.

As for other items... forget it. He couldn’t afford to waste affinity, or the old man would explode upon waking!

Loaded with supplies, Da Chun returned to the beach, ready to begin.

With the remaining time, he dove into the shipyard to gather fresh shells for cooking ingredients.

...

It was 5 a.m. in real time, which corresponded to 5 p.m. in the game—the sky darkening as the workday neared its end.

At that moment, the shipyard gate guard approached with an impatient expression.

Da Chun’s heart tightened. Was it time to close up and kick people out? If so, his preparations would be for nothing.

“There’s someone asking for you at the gate,” the guard said, then turned away.

Da Chun was stunned! Who in this game would specifically look for him? And the guard was delivering a message?

With a mix of hope and doubt, he went to the gate and saw a little girl holding a basket and umbrella, waving.

It was Shirley! Da Chun was thrilled, barely able to believe it. “Darling, what are you doing here?”

Shirley said, “School just got out, so I came to find you! Actually, starting today, we have a one-week internship break. Miss Vivian said you started working here, but you might mess things up because of the drinking, so I came to see if I could help.”

Mess things up because of drinking? No surprise there—the old man’s drunkenness caused Da Chun to miss his task deadline...

But that wasn’t the main point. The main point was Da Chun’s eagerness to know her better and cherish this reunion. “How can you help me?”

Shirley pulled a bottle of wine and some jerky from her basket and handed them to the guard. “Big brother guard, my friend needs some help...”

The guard grinned. “No problem, no problem. Go on, go on...”

The guard just let an outsider in? The shipyard’s management was really lax.

Da Chun wanted to clarify. “Shirley, can anyone get in here just by bribing the guard with wine?”

“It has to be a friend of a shipyard employee. I spent five coins to have him deliver the message for you...”

As she spoke, Shirley took a button-like ornament from her collar. “Actually, I came to ask you something more important. I used the money you sponsored me to buy this attendant’s badge. Would you be willing to be my attendant?”

— System Prompt: Apprentice Mage Shirley wishes to sign the “Mage’s Attendant” contract with you. The mage and attendant default to a master-servant team relationship and share tasks. Do you agree?

The traditional mage NPCs always gathered a bunch of loyal bodyguards as attendants. Who better than me? Agreed!

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— System Prompt: Congratulations! You have signed a contract with Shirley. Affinity has risen to “Mutual Trust.” You can now view Shirley’s basic attributes.

Shirley smiled and pinned the button on Da Chun’s collar. “This is the attendant’s badge. Wearing it lets you enter the mage school and communicate with me over long distances, but it consumes my mana. I don’t have much mana now, so we can’t talk far yet. When we grow stronger, the badge’s effect will improve.”

— System Prompt: You have obtained the profession equipment “Mage’s Attendant Badge.” This badge is contract-bound and cannot be discarded or dropped.

It could even be used for communication!

This game, besides stamina, weight, and hunger, had a cruelly realistic feature to save server resources and recycle mining coins: it completely lacked the usual friendly chat system common in traditional MMOs! Players could only buy an in-game magical phone called “Golden Apple” with zero down payment, or use guild and legion channels.

After all, how could top-tier communication like friend chat be available to just any newbie? The game was as stubborn as it was real, focused on mining and earning money.

Players could always contact each other offline, and Da Chun wasn’t interested in chatting much, so it wasn’t a big deal. But communication with NPCs was a game-changer!

Excited, Da Chun checked her stats:

— Shirley: Level 5

Profession: Apprentice Mage

Skills: Basic Meditation, Basic Frost Spell, Basic Tailoring, Basic Floristry

Attack 15, Magic Attack 5, Defense 1, Spirit 1, HP 115, Mana 15, Weight Capacity 115, Stamina 150

...

Well... her stats were excellent, but she was about the same level as him and definitely needed protection!

Da Chun grew anxious. “You guys have a week off. Does that mean I have to get strong enough in a week to protect you?”

Shirley shook her head. “Not really. At worst, I’ll just skip some of the harder internship tasks.”

“What kind of internship tasks?”

“Various citizen commissions and some assignments from the Adventurer’s Guild are subcontracted to the school. They pay the school, and the school sends interns to complete them. Students only get academic credits, but higher credits let you learn advanced spells...”

Damn! This wasn’t just unpaid internship labor anymore; it was interns paying to work! The school really knew how to play.

The two arrived at the shipyard dock.

Da Chun looked around and confessed, “I actually finished my task, but the old man is too drunk to submit it. So I have a plan for tonight...”

Shirley perked up, “I can help you practice rowing! Let’s think of it as our first teamwork!”

Lonely nights were the hardest! Actually, one person rowing would probably just go in circles, but two rowing together could push through the waves...

Da Chun’s heart skipped a beat. “Great, I’ll get ready!”

He began pushing nine somewhat reliable small boats into the water and started tying them together.

Shirley immediately pointed out, “That’s not how you knot it. This way is more stable...”

Da Chun was amazed by her intricate butterfly-like knotting. “Is this a folk skill?”

Shirley laughed. “Yeah! Just fancy knots. All girls know them.”

Damn! Even if I had the chance, I wouldn’t learn these folk skills.

After tying the nine boats together, none seemed to leak water. They loaded all their prepared gear aboard, Shirley settled on a boat, and six fishing rods hung from the gunwales.

Finally, Da Chun gave a strong push, and they began drifting away from the shore.

Shirley enthusiastically called out, “One, two, one!”

Together, they propelled the nine boats further from the shore.

Soon, a fishing rod’s bell jingled. Da Chun immediately pulled up the rod!

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— System Prompt: Congratulations! You successfully caught a small “Sardine.” You have gained Level 1 in basic “Fishing Technique” and earned the achievement: Stamina +1, Weight Capacity +1.

Here it comes!

No wonder the lucky fishing rods were so effective. Sardines, along with salmon, yellow croaker, and small yellow croaker, formed the “newbie meal” set and were staple recipes in major cities. New players rarely developed recipes beyond the system’s with these fish, but they could quickly level cooking to 10.

Shirley frowned. “You stopped rowing when you reeled in the fish. That interrupts rowing practice.”

Da Chun suddenly remembered the conflict—these weren’t sailboats.

“Then should we ignore the fish and only fish when we’re resting after rowing?”

Shirley blushed slightly. “But wouldn’t that affect fishing practice?”

Miss, you really know how to make things complicated!

Da Chun resorted to an unreliable fishing tip from internet pros: “If small fish bite and don’t escape, they become bait themselves, attracting big fish. Then we can catch the big ones directly.”

Shirley smiled, “That works.”

So they continued their “one, two, one” rhythm, and the bells on the other fishing rods began ringing too. Da Chun forced himself to ignore them. Honestly, who could resist that temptation?

— System Prompt: Night has fallen. Dear player, enjoy the romantic night, but don’t neglect the dangers darkness brings.

Night officially arrived!

The night wind picked up, and the waves grew stronger. One of the boats in the middle creaked and splashed under the pressure.

Sure enough, a leak! Da Chun believed the linked raft wouldn’t sink, but it was risky to have Shirley on board...

Shirley quickly covered the leak with her hand. “Don’t panic. Watch my Frost Spell!”

In an instant, a patch of ice crystals spread from her palm, quickly sealing the leak.

Damn! Frost Spell wasn’t even really an attack spell; its only practical use was to slightly slow enemies. Who knew it could be used like this?

Da Chun grew excited. “What other spells do you know?”

Shirley said, “I’ve learned all the basics: Basic Meditation and Basic Frost Spell. Next, I have to choose a specialty. The powerful combat specialties have very expensive tuition fees. I haven’t decided yet. Maybe you can help me choose?”

As expected, she still wanted me involved in her growth!

Da Chun became serious. “Do you have to decide before the internship break ends?”

Shirley smiled faintly. “Personally, I lean toward the ice specialization. It’s less crowded and cheaper. It’s useful for keeping flowers fresh in the shop and preserving seafood to sell inland.”

Heading inland, the priority would be combat power. Ultimately, it’s about money.

Just then, Da Chun noticed the wave direction was off. The boats were being pushed out toward the open sea, and the speed was increasing.

He suddenly realized, “The tide—it’s ebbing!”

Shirley was alarmed. “Won’t we be carried into the far sea?”

As her attendant, he had to give her a sense of security. Da Chun forced calm. “It’s okay. We have enough food and supplies. The tide will rise tomorrow morning and bring us back. The shipyard won’t even be open yet.”

Shirley relaxed. “We haven’t made much progress rowing—maybe it’s because we’re going too slow. We should just go with the tide.”

Does speed really matter?

Da Chun’s heart jumped. “Makes sense!”