The river flows slowly.
Two slender fishing boats move towards the opposite shore under the fishermen's rowing.
For a fishing boat, squeezing five people onto it at once, plus the fisherman and a fishman, is really a bit too difficult.
Not to mention that four of them are wearing armor.
Even now divided into two boats, it still feels a bit cramped.
"Your Highness, why, why can you communicate with these fishmen?" Alyris asked, sitting next to Kana.
The fishman with blue spots sat at the edge of the boat, paddling with its short arms, muttering something in excitement, seemingly fascinated by the experience of sitting on a boat.
"It's not really communication. The language among fishmen is actually quite crude. They mostly use tone and body language to express themselves.
Thus, they can usually understand the intent of other races quite easily, but it is a bit challenging for other races to understand them.
That's how they communicate internally, especially between different fishman tribes."
Kana explained such knowledge on the side.
Alyris and Blake both looked enlightened.
"Your Highness, your knowledge is deeper than I thought." Blake expressed with some admiration.
He considered this knowledge to be quite niche.
He couldn't imagine how boring one would have to be to learn about such things.
Yet Kana not only knew but was also able to apply it.
If Kana heard this, he would have to tell Blake, "It's just like how players are."
However, Blake frowned slightly and asked with some seriousness, "Your Highness, is there any motive for going to the other side of the river? I must tell you, these fishmen, although they have no conflict with us,
they are not civilized beings, which might lead to some unforeseen conflicts."
He worried that Kana might do something to anger the fishmen, as Kana is, after all, a prince—a noble being.
And fishmen... they are only slightly better than beasts, at least in Blake's mind.
Kana smiled, giving him a reassuring expression, "Since I understand these fishmen's customs, I naturally know how to interact with them properly. So don't worry."
Blake nodded. Just one reminder was the limit of his duties.
With the river's gentle breeze, the fishing boat became quiet.
Kana looked at the fishman.
The Blue Spot fishman was of interest because, near the coast where the plot begins at Newbie Village, there was such a fishman tribe, a neutral entity where some quests could be taken.
Fishmen are known to be found anywhere there is water in this world, are not aggressive, and clean up some trash along riverbanks.
Due to some internal system among fishmen, they rarely form large tribes.
A thousand-strong fishman tribe is almost the limit, which means they don't occupy much of the coastline.
Often, to ensure their safety, they build their tribes in reef areas and under cliffs.
This also results in most intelligent races rarely clearing out fishman tribes without reason.
In the game, there are many quests related to fishmen, issued by fishmen.
That kind of animated way of communication is familiar to players in the mid to late stages.
The reason players are so eager is that fishman quests often yield uniquely styled equipment.
You have to admit that players enjoy quirky things once they reach mid to late game.
The way to distinguish fishmen is by their spots—the color and density of the stripes indicate different tribes.
And "Blue Spot" almost certainly confirms it's the tribe by the Newbie Village coast.
Most importantly.
The first quest featuring the Stone of Creation starts with this fishman tribe.
In the early to mid-game, this item is more of a background element. Once obtained, it's a crucial quest item that players can't use themselves.
But each Stone of Creation triggers quests with extremely generous rewards.
So in the early to mid-game, Stone of Creation equals top-tier rewards.
Lost in thought, Kana was brought back to reality by old Pete's voice.
"Ladies and gentlemen, we've reached the shore."
Kana returned to his senses, and the group disembarked.
They instructed the fishermen to wait by the shore for their return, and Blake casually gave them a few Copper Coins.
Amidst a chorus of thanks, they followed behind the chattering fishman into the distance.
They hadn't walked far.
Two fishmen came running from a distance, holding long spears made of stone.
They cast a wary look at Kana and his group, then began communicating animatedly with the fishman in front of them.
"They really do communicate this way," Alyris found it fascinating.
After some communication, the fishman that brought them gestured animatedly at Kana.
Kana merely nodded.
He turned to the others and said, "He wants us to follow him."
They followed him and took a short detour, eventually seeing the fishman village by a shallow beach.
A simple shelter made of branches and leaves.
There were also some bones and various kinds of debris.
This place could almost be considered a small village.
Fishmen were everywhere.
Of varying sizes, some fat, some thin.
"Look at that. Is that even a fishman?" One of the accompanying knights, Kecha, pointed in the distance and asked.
It was a fishman about 1.5 meters tall, towering over the other fishmen who were less than a meter tall.
Moreover, its physique was much more robust, wielding a giant bone club with an unknown fish skull attached.
Seeing this fishman, Kana was pretty much certain that this fishman tribe was indeed the one near the Newbie Village coast.
"Strongfish" was the name of this fishman.
A Level Three Fishman Warrior.
At least in the game, that's how it was labeled.
"To be honest, although I've lived on the other side for so long, it's my first time coming here to see a fishman village with my own eyes," Blake remarked with some emotion.
"What's your first impression?" Kana asked with a smile.
"It's much better than I thought; I expected them to just dig a hole in the sand or something.
I'm surprised they even build houses, though these houses... are quite basic," Blake said.
While the group was chatting, an elderly fishman, visibly older than the ordinary fishmen, walked out of the village.
Different from other fishmen, this elder fishman wore decorative clothing made of shell strings.
Its appearance was also somewhat different; other fishmen's heads resembled fish with eyes on the sides.
But this fishman's head sides protruded outward, triangular, with eyes slanting on the sides.
In its hand was a giant Coral Staff, with shell-made bells hanging from its head.
The bells jingled as it walked.
"Strongfish" followed beside it for protection.
Seeing this elder fishman, Kana smiled slightly, placing his hands behind his back and bending slightly.
"Frogtop Prophet, hello."
This elder fishman appeared very surprised, seeing Kana perform an internal fishman courtesy. It instantly felt a connection.
"Hello, friendly human."
The four standing behind Kana widened their eyes as the fishman spoke.
And it was speaking in the common tongue.
"I didn't expect to meet a human who understands fishmen; I already heard from Little Bay that you saved him. Thank you for your kindness."
The fishman's intonation was odd, but his words were understandable.
"I'm curious, thus I have some understanding.
Prophet, I've heard you have a half-round Relic Stone Slab, which piques my interest.
What must I do to have you give it to me?"
Kana's words were direct and blunt.
The four accompanying him were baffled.
However, the fishman prophet seemed to appreciate this straightforwardness. They disliked any ambiguity.
Intentions should be stated clearly; otherwise, fishmen might take the circumvention seriously.
"Is this what you mean, human?"
The elder fishman took out a half-round stone slab from a small cloth bag carried by the Fishman Warrior beside him.
He handed it directly to Kana.
Taking it and examining it, Kana confirmed its authenticity, even though past memories had faded, the stone slab seemed right.
"Indeed, this is it."
"Human, this stone slab used to be a whole piece, but it became half not long ago."
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