Fishing in Another World! (On Hold)

Chapter 3

"That was way to expensive..." David sighed as he looked at his new item box. It was actually a rectangular device that was almost as thin as a card and could easily fit in his pocket, but he was shocked to find that it easily opened up to eat his new fishing rod and the can of bait. It was extremely useful because he could take the items out again in a heartbeat, but it was also horribly expensive at eight S. The purchase had left him with almost nothing, though he hoped that he could earn that money back by fishing.

"Everything is expensive in this profession." Alfred replied. "Adventurers find fish by killing monsters related to water, and there are so many of them that the meat is almost worthless. The only reason that I, as a fisherman, can live off of it is because a lot of nobles in the capital prefer fresh fish that hasn't been eaten before."

"They told me that it was a worthless profession, but if there's a guild for it, then it can't be all that bad." David explained.

"Nope. It's pretty bad." Alfred replied immediately. "Not only am I the guild master, but I'm also the guild's only member."

"Why?" David asked, thinking that there were surely some people that at least fished because it was relaxing.

"Because it's a dangerous job without hardly any pay lad!" Alfred exclaimed with a broad smile. "You can't sell fish for hardly anything and there are monsters everywhere! Who in their right mind would want to do it?!"

"People who understand the threat!" David yelled in reply, and Alfred stopped in his tracks and looked at him. "Not even just the monsters, but normal fish can kill people! There are adventurers everywhere on the ground, but who's fighting them in the water?! Who knows what they could be plotting underneath the surface!"

"You..." The barrel of bait that Alfred had been carrying dropped to the ground as he looked at David with tearful eyes. "You really get it, don't you?! Fish, amphibians and monsters! They're all plotting to overthrow the kingdom one day, aren't they?!"

"I don't know about that, but they have to be stopped regardless!" David confirmed, and for the first time in what felt like a long time, David felt as if he'd truly found a friend as he and Alfred exchanged a firm handshake.

"If you join the guild, we'll buy any fish meat that you gain from fishing as well as any special parts that might drop from them." Alfred stated as he picked the barrel of bait back up and continued leading David in the direction of the lake. "A merchant from the capital comes by every week to pick up our supply so that they can sell it to the nobles, so we always have a supply of money as long as they come by. And other than that, all you have to do is meet Maria before you can officially become a member of the fishing guild. She's my receptionist whom I've hired to look after the guild building."

"Alright. But then I can start fishing, right?" David asked. "I'd like to start as soon as possible."

"Sure thing." Alfred stated eagerly. "You're going to need to catch a lot of fish if you want to make enough to be able to stay at the inn tonight. It costs three S a night."

"That's expensive!" David accidentally yelled in shock. "Why?! I saw a tent earlier that sold for three S by itself!"

"A tent doesn't provide a decent meal or a bath. That's why." Alfred explained. "But you'll probably want to get the tent anyway because the life of a fisherman is going to be a life of camping for a few years until you've finally saved up enough to buy a house."

"Such hardships for such a noble cause." David sighed. "So, is there any fishing license that I have to buy here?"

"There's a fee of one S that you have to pay when registering with the Fishing Guild." Alfred explained. "That's for the fishing license, but after we take care of that, you'll be able to fish anywhere in any of the kingdoms save for maybe the ponds in the royal gardens."