The fiercer the storm, the higher the price of fish!

A ripple of space spread through the ethereal interstellar dust. The white, elongated ship gently emerged from the starlit void. The Leonine had finally arrived at the Sise star system, home to Mist Ocean Star.

This was a star system shrouded in delicate dust clouds. Legend had it that Sise once possessed dozens of massive gaseous planets, all dismembered during wars and reduced to drifting debris throughout the system. Now, only two planets remained: the small Sise Star and the enormous Mist Ocean Star.

Sise Star was a solid, diminutive planet, serving as a branch outpost of the Interstellar Anglers’ Alliance along the Dawn Route. The Anglers’ Alliance ranked among the three thousand stellar elites on the Pangu Celestial Ladder, wielding much greater influence than the Interstellar Scavengers’ Guild. After all, fishing enthusiasts were far wealthier than scavengers!

Mist Ocean Star resembled Jupiter, with a vast atmosphere and a dense, compact solid core. Its thick atmosphere was like an ocean, forming an immense ecosystem. Besides the white-bearded whales, various birds, colossal herbaceous plants, and plankton thrived within.

Leonine remained in the outer reaches of the Sise star system. Radar showed the system was crowded with ships—over three thousand vessels of all kinds hovered outside Mist Ocean Star’s atmosphere or scoured the dust for interstellar bait. Pirate ships, sightseeing cruisers, influencer airships, media vessels, and even Imperial warships sneaking in from the Pangu Corridor for a bit of fishing—it was a bustling scene that Dust had only ever witnessed during holiday rushes at tourist hotspots in his previous life. Even Hero Harbor wasn’t this lively!

Soon, Dust received a warm welcome and a guided tour advertisement from the Interstellar Anglers’ Alliance. The ad mentioned that the white-bearded whale was an artificial species rescued by Federation forces from an Imperial lab during the humanoid wars. It was said to be a failed attempt to revive the dragon race, possibly bearing dragon lineage. After its rescue, Federation captain Alexei, an insectoid, released the white-bearded whales onto Mist Ocean Star. The Anglers’ Alliance managed their breeding, donating half the earned spirit stones to the Galactic Spirit Beast Protection League.

“Dragon blood in the white-bearded whale? That’s probably just the Anglers’ Alliance boasting,” Dust mused skeptically. If it truly had dragon lineage, would the Anglers’ Alliance be able to control it? The real powers would have claimed it long ago!

The Anglers’ Alliance also provided a list of the easiest baits for catching the white-bearded whale. First, interstellar insects—preferably of the insectoid kind. Second, giant serpentine spirit beasts like spirit snakes. Third, death row convicts or personal enemies. And, of course, various artificial baits.

Except for human bait, everything was sold on Sise Star. Alternatively, for fifty spirit stones, one could venture into the interstellar dust of the Sise system and dredge up bait personally.

Dust piloted his ship into the star system.

Within the system’s airspace, countless motes, ice chunks, and meteorites drifted, some hosting bacteria and insect beasts. Odd-shaped meteorites were everywhere, with massive ice blocks encasing firebirds and even some living interstellar floating sea snails. When the dust wind blew, the snails emitted beautiful sounds.

That was why, upon reaching adulthood, the white-bearded whales flew beyond Mist Ocean Star’s atmosphere to devour interstellar plankton and complete their coming-of-age ritual.

Yet, Leonine circled the system’s outskirts several times, and Dust’s treasure map revealed nothing.

“Strange, so many white-bearded whales, but none showing up… Could it be the cheat program doubts my angling skills and doesn’t consider them easy prey?” Dust wondered.

Gloria awoke from her lounge chair, stretching languidly. “What are you doing, dawdling and not going in?”

Dust had no choice but to head toward Mist Ocean Star. Yet, no sooner had his ship entered the system’s airspace than he received a hazard alert.

[Mist Ocean Star system may harbor powerful adventure ships with ill intent toward the Primordial Star Dome Expedition. Please keep your distance!]

No treasure, only danger? He hadn’t even arrived yet!

Dust calmly analyzed the situation: Only Prince Tali and Scorpion Lady Scorpio knew of his journey to Mist Ocean Star. Prince Tali would not harm him; most likely, the Guernica Beastmasters were wary. Afraid he might actually hook the Shadowless Whale!

Dust didn’t force his way in. Instead, he skirted around Sise, avoiding confrontation, and explored the neighboring star systems, hoping to find some bait.

Gloria sprang from her lounge chair. “Why did you go in and come right back out?”

Dust sat at the leisure table, sipping tea leisurely. “I’d rather find some higher-grade whale bait first.”

“Isn’t whale bait available for purchase?” Gloria asked.

“Think about it—how much is a white-bearded whale worth? If the Anglers’ Alliance sold you effective whale bait, they’d lose a fortune.”

“That’s true,” she conceded.

Soon, Leonine departed Sise and roamed the peripheral star systems. The surrounding regions were similarly filled with interstellar dust, but appeared more barren and less lucrative than Sise. High-energy storms and gravitational turbulence abounded, with signs of space having been folded and stretched—rarely did ships pass through.

Dust sailed leisurely, watching for any reaction on his treasure map. Meanwhile, he opened the most popular streaming site along the Pangu Corridor, Helium Flash Network, and in an inconspicuous corner, found a Mist Ocean Star special for the Dawn Route.

He opened the special, and it was bustling. As Dust expected, many interstellar influencers were checking in at Mist Ocean Star.

There was even full live coverage on Helium Flash Network of the whale angling spectacle at Mist Ocean Star.

“These influencers really have no regard for their own lives!” Dust thought, stumbling upon a live broadcast from the Electric Eel. The female host’s username was Qianqian Sparrow Song—the very agent who wanted to sign Dust aboard the Electric Eel. He’d previously dismissed her for her short stature and unremarkable looks, thinking her just an agent with heavy makeup. Who would have guessed she doubled as a streamer!

Yet, on camera, she looked as beautiful as a fairy. In her broadcast, she posed as a shipboard reporter, paying to pull strings and secure Skoll’s release from Imperial prison, livestreaming their perilous adventure from scratch.

“No restrictions on location, ship, or bait—the Anglers’ Alliance hosts this five-day quarterly Mist Ocean Star Angling Festival, now already two days in. Following principles of fairness and transparency, the Anglers’ Alliance charges each vessel five hundred spirit stones for angling. Additionally, you may purchase a whale bait package for one hundred spirit stones or spend fifty to personally search for bait, which is also quite fun. Look, our Electric Eel spent fifty spirit stones and just dredged up a few enemies… These folks treated our ship as whale bait, opened fire, and ended up as enemies and bait themselves.”

With that, Qianqian Sparrow Song led viewers to the aft cabin, displaying the human bait aboard the Electric Eel. Like slabs of beef, they hung upside down from the ceiling, battered and writhing.

The comments and tips flooded the screen—what a spectacle!

Dust couldn’t help but marvel. Gloria grew restless, itching to join the fray. “If only we’d streamed our bait hunt—short clips would earn more than whale fishing!”

Dust patiently explained, “We’ve drawn too much attention lately. If any real powers lie in wait, we’ll end up as bait ourselves… Let’s wait and see. If the Shadowless Whale appears, we’ll let them fight it out and then swoop in for the prize.”

In the stream, Qianqian Sparrow Song stepped onto the external deck, taking in Mist Ocean Star’s majestic scenery. “The Anglers’ Alliance rules: fishing only by ship—no netting, no blasting… But I’ve seen some ships blast-fishing. The Anglers’ Alliance says the more blast-fishing, the bigger the storm. These past two days, Mist Ocean Star’s storms have grown fiercer, with several storm belts forming around blast sites. Some small media ships have gotten trapped. Most anglers have gone empty-handed for two days, but spirits remain high, almost oddly excited. Skoll explains: In the angling world, the bigger the storm, the pricier the fish! Now I understand—it’s not just blast-fishing, it’s baiting the waters.”