Baby bear

After finishing the aperitif, it was time to prepare lunch. Shark had brought beef burgers and sausages. He lit a portable alcohol stove commonly used for picnics to start cooking.

While grilling the sausages, Shark sighed and said, "The Alice is still too basic. Modern fishing boats now come with small generators, so people just use microwaves and induction cookers—safe and tasty."

Eddie, preparing eel, replied, "Trust me, buddy. Microwaves will come, induction cookers too, even color TVs and home theaters."

Having worked away from home for years, Eddie had picked up some decent cooking skills, and he loved watching cooking shows. So even though it was his first time seeing eel, he knew how to handle it.

Shark had brought plenty of seasonings—he often ate on the boat since every trip costs fuel.

Eddie deboned the eel, cut each one into four segments, and then sliced each segment into three pieces along the grain. He marinated them with cooking wine, salt, sugar, and egg.

There was also a stalk of lettuce, something Eddie had asked Shark to prepare. He had planned to stir-fry some greens at sea—seafood alone can get overwhelming. Now, it was the perfect side for the eel.

He sliced the lettuce, boiled it, dried it, and used the empty pot to fry the fish.

After marinating for about twenty minutes, the eel was ready. Eddie heated up olive oil, sautéed minced garlic, shredded green peppers, and the lettuce slices. Then he added the eel and finished with a touch of starch to thicken the sauce. A beautiful, fragrant dish was ready.

Shark, still holding a pile of burgers, was stunned. Once the dish was done, he grumbled, "We're just making do with lunch, boss. We're here to fish, not vacation on the Sunshine Coast!"

"You're not eating?" Eddie asked with a grin.

Shark didn't reply. The stir-fried eel looked amazing—only a fool would refuse.

Eddie wanted to pour some iced wine and enjoy a sip, but once they started eating, Shark devoured the food like a beast. He stabbed pieces of eel with his fork and shoved them into his mouth, taking down half a burger in one bite, clearly delighted.

"Damn it, Shark! Slow down!" Eddie had no choice but to join the food fight.

The North American eel was full of roe at this time of year. Eddie only used the meat—the roe he planned to cook more carefully later.

Roe has always been a premium ingredient throughout history.

After a good meal, it was back to work. Eddie had anticipated the outcome—the trawling net hadn't caught much fish, just like when Forrest Gump and Lieutenant Dan first started fishing in Forrest Gump—many hauls came back empty.

"Boss, looks like we need to buy fry this year. Otherwise, I'm not sure your fish farm will be profitable," Shark said with a bitter smile.

Eddie shrugged and replied, "No worries, buddy. When God closes a door, He opens a window."

Shark responded, "But we live on the 50th floor. You can walk down the stairs from the door, but jump out the window—and we're dead."

Eddie laughed, "Hey, not bad! That's pretty deep for you."

They joked on the way back. As they reached the dock, a fishing boat named "Norwegian Sea Monster" was also returning. Shark knew the captain, but the man looked dispirited—clearly, he had an even worse trip.

Now, the preparations were complete. Eddie needed to stock up and start building his fish farm.

He had caught over twenty North American eels. Keeping two for himself, he released the rest near a coral reef, guided by his Sea God awareness.

Circling the reef with his Sea God sense, Eddie felt a mix of excitement and tension. He soon discovered a female sea bream giving birth!

These were beautiful blue-striped sea breams. In the water, their bodies glowed with a golden shimmer and horizontal blue stripes—an ornamental marvel.

The pregnant bream, about 28 cm long, smartly swam into a cup jellyfish for protection. During labor, it was vulnerable, and the jellyfish offered shelter.

Sea breams are one of the few viviparous fish species. Early-stage embryos feed on yolk, but later they absorb nutrients directly from the mother.

Eddie watched with interest. The bream's belly split open, and a tiny baby fish the size of a knuckle was squeezed out.

Blood slowly merged into the seawater, agitating the surrounding carnivorous fish. They swam circles around the jellyfish but didn't dare attack due to its massive size.

Eddie sent some mysterious energy into the scene through his Sea God sense and left.

On the way back, he had a pleasant surprise: a school of 40–50 hardhead trout was swimming toward the coral reef, led by the same stray trout he had once rescued.

Hardhead trout are social. It likely discovered this ideal habitat and brought its tribe along.

Eddie was pleased. The little guy had a sense of gratitude. He bathed it in energy again with his Sea God sense.

Then he expanded his Sea God domain a bit more and went to sleep.

The next morning began with a jog, accompanied by the squirrel, Little Ming, perched on his shoulder.

Possibly due to absorbing Sea God energy in the reservoir, the squirrel was not only intelligent but surprisingly athletic. As Eddie ran, it clung tightly to his clothes without falling off.

Eddie changed his route, following the snow-fed stream through maple woods up to a waterfall.

Feeling tired, he found a clean spot to rest.

Suddenly, he heard some grunting. Looking up, he saw a baby brown bear scrambling down the rocks.

The cub was covered in yellowish-brown fur, less than half a meter long. Its round head and small ears were barely visible under its winter coat, making it look like a ball stacked on another ball.

It clumsily climbed down, squealing now and then—either to pump itself up or scare off threats.

But it was too small. Its claws hadn't grown, and its limbs were weak. After a few steps, it slipped and tumbled down the slope!

Eddie stood up, thinking it was hurt.

But the moment the cub saw him, its little black eyes froze. Then it screamed, scrambled up the slope, tail tucked so tightly it nearly disappeared.

Eddie couldn't help laughing. Is this bear cub for real? It's afraid of humans! To bears, humans are just a snack when food is scarce!

The site staff said my novel's plot is too slow and not exciting enough.

Is that true? I'd love to hear your thoughts and feedback!