This "Sulmania Silver Needlefish," which the man describes as extrely rare, indeed gives an impression of being expensive just by its appearance.
Two feet in length, its slender body resembles a well-forged silver awl, the widest part rely three fingers across, with smooth lines converging from the head to the sharp tail fin;
From afar, the scales appear to be a layer of dazzling silver-white, but upon closer inspection, one can notice the iridescent shimr changing with the angle, a slightly raised pale golden dorsal line extending from the rear edge of the gill cover to the end of the tail, like a tal thread.
Most special are the eyes of the Silver Needlefish.
Large and round, they occupy nearly a third of the side of the head, with transparent corneas resembling crystal balls, reflecting the dark slit-like vertical pupils behind.
While these fish eyes should aid it in identifying prey and distinguishing directions in seawater, at the mont, they can only reflect two blurred figures as they gradually lose moisture.
The Sulmania Silver Needlefish lies quietly on the chopping board, unable to resist, after a gentle knock on the back of its head with knuckle joints.
The man holds a sharp, glinting short blade, gently piercing between the eyes atop the fish head, and with one last tremor, the Silver Needlefish loses its life.
His movents are even more skilled than those of the fish stall vendors; pressing the fish head with his left hand, he holds the knife in his right hand, flat against the fish body, pushing from tail to head against the scale.
With a "sshh" sound of resilience, those densely packed scales refracting iridescent light adhere to a transparent film as thin as a cicada wing, shedding under the knife, revealing the tender fish at beneath with a faint pink hue.
The belly is smoothly cut along the natural pattern at the fin base, avoiding all internal pouches, the knife tip severing mbranes, fingers reaching inside the belly to gently grasp and remove the entire set of organs intact.
The blade tip inserts again into the fish body, cutting along the spine, and with a slight pressure from the left hand on the fish at, the spinal column connected to the skull is stripped off like a comb.
A minute, or perhaps thirty seconds.
The overly fluent and skillful actions unwittingly capture attention, making ti seem to slow.
When attention returns, only two pieces of crystal-clear fish at with a pale pink hue remain on the cutting board.
Simple cutting, not deliberately plating, just neatly piling the fish at onto two plates.
No grilling, no complicated treatnt.
The man sprinkles a little coarse rock salt on the fish at and hands the plate to Xia Nan standing beside him.
"Try it. I hope it suits your taste."
Although the fish looked extrely tempting, Xia Nan remained vigilant at that mont.
First, using his perception ability, he carefully observed the food and the man’s expression, checking for any anomalies, then watched as the man ate the fish slice in front of him, chewed, and swallowed.
Only then did he focus, carefully perceiving, while picking up the thickest middle piece of fish at and sending it directly into his mouth.
Unexpectedly elastic and smooth in texture, the tip of the tongue cool and refreshing, teeth encountering no resistance upon entry, like so kind of gelatin, yet feeling the sensation of muscle fibers elastically breaking at the mont of biting;
There is no hint of the typical oceanic odor, instead bursting in the mouth is a profound, refreshing sweetness, the coarse mineral taste of the salt itself adding layers to the fish at, perfectly blending sharp saltiness with the tender and rich fish at.
Skilled in fishing, yet so adept at dining...
Though Xia Nan showed no outward expression, his impression of the man before him skyrocketed internally.
In enjoying the delicacies, the two seed to have ford an unspoken understanding.
No one spoke.
Not until Xia Nan sent the last piece of fish at from his plate into his mouth, chewed, swallowed, and the man promptly offered a steaming cup of clear water, sipping a mouthful.
Only then did he tentatively ask:
"I heard you’re from Suo Yu Bay?"
"Just call ’Ellison.’" The man nodded lightly, his attitude appearing especially relaxed.
From patiently waiting while fishing earlier, to the focus and seriousness when enjoying the fish at later, displaying a heartfelt love for food.
Even though he still doesn’t know the na of the black-haired youth in front of him, he has already subtly recognized him internally.
"Near Cliff Island is a sizable coral reef, positioned at the junction of two ocean currents, often yielding good catches, like that Silver Needlefish just now."
Ellison exhaled warmth, holding a water cup in his right hand, and replied.
Honestly, when Xia Nan climbed the reef and saw the man’s back at the cliff’s edge.
What surfaced in his mind was a sowhat cliché, highly dramatic yet not impossible thought.
Perhaps... the man from Suo Yu Bay before him is the person from the intelligence who died over twenty years ago in an attack by Dodd of Algae Scale, the carrier of the key to the [Dream Weaving Corridor] he’s been searching for—Lailo moerton?
Yet now, as the other pulls down his cloak hood and sits before him, Xia Nan dismisses his guess.
On one hand, Lailo moerton disappeared only twenty-seven years ago, and many elders in Qiao Yan Village, including the village chief, had seen him personally and even had close encounters, with no reason not to recognize him;
On the other hand, according to intelligence on Lailo moerton’s age, if the person lived till now, he would be at least seventy or eighty years old.
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