“I don’t have very much fertilizer... It might not cover it.”
“Well... I’ll do some fishing. I can try to convert that into fertilizer.”
Fish meal was a classic fertilizer in the real world. It existed in game too, and I knew that because I could craft it myself with bait, fishing, and cooking skills.
“I unlocked the recipe by leveling farming!”
“That’ll do it. I guess that covers the basics... Next, we should check the soil acidity.”
“Soil...acidity? That’s a thing?”
“For real life, yeah. It’s not just about adding fertilizer—we need to achieve an appropriate pH level for each crop.”
At least, the other game my sister mentioned had it. Hopefully, this game simplified the process, but considering how they reproduced continuous cropping hazard, it was safer to assume Dimension Wave wasn’t going to be that easy on us.
“Mm... How do we measure it?”
“In real life, we’d use a meter. In games, there’s usually some sort of status screen...”
“I’ll try checking it with my farming skills... Ah, I found it. It says pH 6!”
“That’s in the safe zone for most things.”
Despite this and that, Emoji had completely devoted herself to farming while she was here, while I’d only dabbled a little. Her in-game Farming Skill levels were higher than mine. I had the real-world knowledge, but when stats carried more weight, it was better to let her take charge.
“There’s temperature and a couple of other factors, but let’s take it one thing at a time. Next, we’re prepping the soil!”
“Ooooh! Aye aye, sir!”
And so, Emoji and I began to work the Crystal Lake’s soil into a proper field; we aerated, organized, mixed in fertilizer, and planted seeds. We started small—just enough to get into the swing of things. Once Emoji had a good enough grasp, I left the rest of the tilling to her while I got ready to fish.
She’d even brought sprinklers to take care of the watering. Automating that kind of repetitive chore was one of the key joys of a farming sim.
“Now, we’ll regularly check on the temperature, airflow, and moisture. If anything looks off, we’ll just use pesticides in moderation.”
“If something looks off, I’m counting on your advice!”
“Count on it. In the meantime, I’ll set up some crab traps in the Crystal Lake and start fishing!”
I promptly dumped the traps...but it frustrated me that I couldn’t set more. My stock was finally running out. I’d need to craft some eventually, but for now, I’d just have to put up with it.
With that out of the way, it’s time to cast... Should I start with bait fishing? No, it won’t be too late to make the call after I’ve figured out what you can catch here.
For now, feeding the Pekkles came first. I needed to guarantee as many fish as possible.
“Fever Lure!”
In order to check the fish selection, I whipped out my Fever Lure that could catch anything and everything! Now what’s my powered-up Fever Lure going to get me?!
The lure plopped into the water. And immediately, I had a bite!
“Fish on!”
It latched on quickly, but...the pull’s strength was close to what I’d gotten used to on Cal Mira. It wasn’t a match for Mikakage’s fish.
With my Hunting Gear Skill on top of my freshly reacquired Fishing Mastery, I could keep pulling it in if I wanted to. A tug this weak wasn’t going to break the line; I could be a little forceful with it.
So, I gave a firm yank. The fish that came up...was a fish streaked in gold and green stripes.
“Yellow Perch.”
Huh, I got a fish you don’t often see in Japan. What was it again... I remember reading about it in the research I did before I got into the game. I get the feeling it’s fairly common overseas.
It seemed to be a freshwater fish. My Hunting Gear, Fishing Mastery, and Culinary Arts were warning me that we couldn’t eat it raw, but it was a white-fleshed fish perfect for frying.
Anyway, let’s keep it up.
I cast again.
The lure plopped. The rod bent. I had another bite.
This time, it clearly wasn’t a yellow perch...
“Lungfish.”
Just as the name suggested, it was a fish that breathed with lungs. A living fossil just like the coelacanth—though not quite related—and it could technically be eaten too.
“Next!”
I cast again to see if there was anything else I could catch.
The next bite...
“Congo Tetra...”
Now that one was completely outside of my research.
It’s kinda small...around ten centimeters. The vibrant colors make it look like an ornamental fish.
The next tug was a lot stronger. It was the strongest pull yet, but...not anywhere close to the level of a lord. I pulled it in without any real difficulty.
“Crystal Fish...”
Perhaps because I was at the Crystal Lake, I ended up with a fish that didn’t actually exist. It was hard, angular, and sharp, glistening like a crystal. This fish had a good enough edge to use as a throwing weapon.
I...can’t eat this. And I can’t dismantle it either. I might actually have to use Excavation if I want to take it apart.
After a bit more fishing, I’d gotten a general idea of the fish selection. The fish I’d identified so far: carp, catfish, yellow perch, Nile perch, lungfish, Congo tetra, and Crystal Fish.
I had to tip my hat to the sheer survivability and adaptability of the carp and the catfish for making a home even down here. There were also Vampyre Fish and Ghost Fish, both familiar faces from Cal Mira’s underground lake.
There was a fair variety overall.
The crab traps would take some time, so I’d have to wait on them.
“Bun!”
Occasionally, I’d fish up new Bunownies, just like I’d fished up Pekkles long ago.
Back on the island, you’d find the development creatures whenever you did any action related to developing the island, and it seemed it worked the same way here.
Eventually, I’d have to dive into the Crystal Lake to see if there were any hidden areas, but that about covered it for now. Now then... I can’t wait to see what kind of lord is hiding here.