Happy Fishing

"So what now?" Dan repeated, emphasizing to 'Nia' what was next. 

Since she could talk, it meant that she might not be as barbaric as Dan had surmised all of savage-kind were.

"Uuum..." Nia cowered, uncharacteristic of the savages known for their ferocity. "I... I am Nia..."

"Yes, I know. You can talk, so we talk." Dan was surprised when she heard her answer once over. After all, in his inherited memories, the savages were basically unreasonable and very barbaric.

They were animals that looked like humans!

Though these savages had been human once, this was only applicable to their ancestors. To be frank, Dan's bias was quite strong. The inherited memories he possessed strongly contributed to his thinking process.

But more than that, he was constrained by his own stereotypes and preconceptions which was dangerous. Dan should know better. This world was different from the one he knew.

Even if he was the knowledgeable and imaginative novelist he believed himself to be, there were bound to be details that would elude him. Dan began thinking, that maybe not all savages were savage.

Bah~! Who was he kidding?

For Dan to know that, he had to continue observing.

"Nia? What a nice name!" Anna clapped her little hands, and she bounced like a hyperactive chubby ball that could not be contained. It was cute of her, and that made Dan smile a little bit realizing the positivity beginning to emanate from his daughter.

Dan sighed and said, "Niya, since you seemed to understand 'words' and stuff, then I will accommodate you. I see that you're not just a mere savage, but a human."

"But I also wanted to remind you that if you dared to have any dangerous thoughts on me and Anna, I would kill you. Obviously, I couldn't trust you, so I'd love for your activities to be restricted. I hoped that you would follow the ground rules I set up."

Anna's eyes were downcast, perhaps sad to hear Dan's words, but Dan had to be strict. He wanted to trust people. He wanted to help. He wanted things to be like before.

The 'inherited memories' were more than just motivators to him, and Dan knew there must be a reason why he now found himself in this particular timeline, in this post-apocalyptic world, where humanity stood at the precipice of total extinction.

"I want to trust people, I really do. But my life and Anna's life are more important to me. Do you see this place around us? This is my home, and you are its guest."

Dan's ambition was beginning to seep from the crevices of the hidden corners in his mind. "I want to trust people. So I want to start with you, Nia."

"..." Nia's silence provokes a frown from Dan for reasons of embarrassment.

"I see that I am starting to bore you, so..." Dan scratches his cheek. "I will give you food. And plenty of space for activities... or exercises."

"Umu..." Nia responds demurely.

Without any more segways, Dan took out his pistol, and Nia seemed to understand. She looked at her legs and the gun again, as if she was genuinely scared.

"Follow me, move." Dan ushered her, while Anna stayed, busying herself with what was left of her food.

Shortly after, the duo: Dan and Nia arrived at a relatively small room perfect for a single person.

Dan cleared out a space as he arranged Nia's accommodation in an isolated area with a separate bathroom and a separate bed.

Originally, this place had been used for confinement. Dan explained to Nia in detail how to use the toilet and bathroom, and reiterated the instructions. She genuinely learned to use these amenities.

Due to her injuries, she felt much more secure in this room.

Nia began to like the small room she was allowed in. It didn't feel confined to her. Normally, a person would not want to be confined in the same space for a long period of time, but Nia was different.

She was a Savage of all things. The tribe Anna belonged to had always lived a nomadic lifestyle. So Nia knew how scary it was in the free wild where competing tribals roamed, and mutated beasts of all kinds existed. Not to mention the bandits that came in organized plunder, and the disease and natural disasters that wrought the world.

When Dan was at home, Nia was allowed to move freely and explore under supervision, but when Dan was away or sleeping, Nia was not allowed to move freely.

This was to ensure Anna's safety.

Taking in the woman savage, Dan felt that he was truly daring.

How dare he take in such a person?

But there was no way; she couldn't kill in front of Anna.

Moreover, as he said, he wanted to trust people.

Dan of course was being hypocritical as he had already killed a person. It was not really hypocritical if he didn't think so that way, but that was just how Dan was--- complicated.

He really meant it when he said he wanted to trust people. After he had secured his base enough and had amassed enough strength through his system, he would start recruiting people to form groups.

Because of the addition of Nia, their consumption of food increased.

Now that the food situation had become tense again, Dan decided to go out to find food. Nia couldn't just stay here, but the bandits outside would definitely not leave so easily. They were obviously interested in this base.

After all, it was so safe here and occupied such a favorable geographical location, suitable for both attack and defense. It could be considered an excellent place.

Thinking of this, Dan could only brainstorm ways to deal with them now. But how could he handle these people by himself?

Dan was deep in thought when he unknowingly walked to the underground artificial lake and sat by the water. He looked at the clear lake water and the water plants, feeling mesmerized. "Would they go away if I give them enough water? Oh, that's silly Dan... It would be never enough for them."

[There are still 75 hours until the blind box refreshes.]

"Eh?"

When Dan heard the system's prompt for the blind box, he excitedly realized, it was time to open a blind box. He had been so busy, and tense lately that he forgot it.

Dan immediately looked around, and his eyes locked onto the artificial lake.

He thought about it for a while and then immediately searched for tools. After a while, he used the rod of a broken broom and the nylon thread he found in the toolbox. Then she took a sewing needle and burned it to make a fish hook. Dan devised a homemade fishing rod, dug a few earthworms from the moss by the lake, and started fishing.

But after sitting for about an hour, Dan found that there was still no movement.

Anna came down from upstairs and said curiously, "Dad, what are you doing? Why are you holding a stick?"

Dan smiled, he touched the little girl's head and said, "Dad is not holding a stick, but was fishing instead."

"Fishing? Just hold it like this?" The little girl squatted once, Dan smiled, and he said with a smile, "You'll know in a while!"

Originally, he was just joking with Anna, but he didn't expect a sudden pull on the fishing rod.

"Wow! There are really fish!" Dan excitedly began to pull the rod, but luckily, she pulled hard, and a big fat fish was pulled out of the water.

Anna was stunned.

But Dan?

Dan was flabbergasted.

How the fuck in the world was there a fish here? And this big? Dan was sure he had checked the lake twice over.

Dan hurriedly grabbed the big fish, and he and Anna looked at each other.

"Dad? Was this a fish? It was so easy to catch?" Anna asked.

Dan blinked and said, "Why didn't I expect there were fish in the water? Originally, the motor wasn't turned on, but now it's working. The water here starts to flow, and there are fish in it!"

Anna didn't understand what her father had said, but her little eyes kept looking at the fish on the ground.

Dan smiled and said, "Let's go. Let's grill the fish!"

"Okay!" Anna exclaimed, slapping her little hands excitedly. Dan confidently led Anna back to the dining area.

Dan cooked the fish, while its fragrance wafted everywhere. Thankfully, there was good ventilation so they did not have to suffer from the smoke but still enjoyed the aroma.

Nia stood up curiously, and her face was plastered rather awkwardly at the door's window pane. Dan opened the door, gave her a piece of fish meat, and said, "Pay attention to the fishbone."

Nia looked at the fish and then at him. She took it and ate it bit by bit.

Contrarily, Anna's mouth was full of oil as she eagerly devoured her share, while Dan also ate a few pieces, which was the only thing he had eaten these days — this was food. Dan almost felt like crying

Anna jumped and said, "Dad, the fish is delicious!"

Dan touched her shiny hair. He smiled and said, "Take a bath in a while, Anna. I can take a hot bath later. Nia, you are injured; don't move around. Don't mess with your bandages. I will help you later. For now, go back to rest after eating."