Claire didn’t rush to answer but her pulse quickened. If her instincts were right, these were not just any fish. They were valuable fish. The question was how valuable. Depending on that value, she needed to plan how best to leverage it.
"Why? Is there something wrong with these fish?" she asked, leading him back to the deck. She waved a lazy hand toward the vast blue horizon, and shrugged. "I went out there to see what the sea had to offer, threw a hook in the water, and pulled out fish. From the water. You know, where fish live?"
Vidar blinked rapidly, staring at her as she explained as if she had just climbed a tree and picked these fish like simple fruits. He rushed back to the freezer and Claire followed him. Vidar reached out with a trembling hand, touched the glossy, icy skin of the giant Bluefin. He shook his head violently.
"No," Vidar breathed, his voice squeaking slightly. "No, no, no. This is not possible."
Now Claire was far more curious than confused. "Why? Is it illegal to catch big fish around here?"
Instead of answering, Vidar rushed to the deck and yelled across the dock. "Diggy! Get over here! NOW!"
Diggy, who was busy supervising a group of knights carrying crates of Claire’s trading goods, trotted over while wiping sweat off his brow. "What’s the emergency, sire--"
Vidar pulled him into the freezer and pointed to the fish. Diggy stopped dead in his tracks. His jaw unhinged. He clapped both hands over his mouth, letting out a stifled, high-pitched gasp that sounded like a squeaky toy being stepped on.
"Is... is that real?!" Diggy squeaked through his fingers, his eyes bulging. "Am I dreaming? Did I faint from the heat?!"
Claire folded her arms over her chest, a smug grin tugging at her lips, though she tried to act humble. "Honestly, I was pretty shocked by the size, too. I wonder why you do not give me such seafood--"
"Miss Claire, it is not just the size!" Vidar interrupted, gripping his hair with both hands.
"Okay, then what is it?" Claire asked, blinking. "Are they poisonous?"
Vidar pointed a shaking finger at the fish. "These are... these are fourth-ranked sea creatures!"
"Fourth ranked sea creatures in the waters of a sixth-tier city!" Diggy added in a voice that was a cross between a squeak and a whisper.
Claire’s heart slammed against her ribs like a trapped bird. Her breath hitched. She looked down at the silvery ribbon fish, then at the big bluefin, then back up at Vidar, her brain running a mile a minute. "Are you... are you completely sure?" she whispered.
Vidar puffed out his chest, looking deeply offended by her doubt. "Of course, I am sure! I have eyes and magic!"
Claire’s mind raced back to their conversation about sea creature rankings. According to Vidar, fourth-ranked sea creatures were rare. Eating their meat didn’t just fill your stomach--it sharpened your mind. If she put these on the market back at home, how much would she get? She couldn’t sell them as ordinary fish.
Vidar’s sharp voice suddenly snapped her right out of her golden daydream. "Where did you find them?" he asked, leaning in close. His eyes were wide, practically glowing with greed and desperation. He pointed frantically out toward the open water. "Where were they?!"
Claire froze. A cold splash of reality hit her.
Hold on a second, she thought, her internal alarm bells ringing loudly. I just stumbled upon a literal gold mine. A secret green water gold mine. If I hand over the exact GPS coordinates, these guys will fish it dry in a week and I’ll never get such fish again! This was a business secret that she was not just going to hand over!
Vidar was an old fox; he saw her hesitation instantly. His eyebrows twitched. "Miss Claire," he said, his tone dropping into something much sharper and far more impatient. "You said you went fishing in the sea. Where exactly did you pull these out? That place has to have a magical artifact that shouldn’t be there."
Claire put on her best innocent, air headed smile, blinking sweetly. She channeled all of her inner Maddy. "Oh, you know... I just cast my fishing rods into the water! Plop! And then-- bam!-- the fish bit! Honestly, Vidar, it was pure, absolute, 100% dumb luck."
Vidar stared at her for three long seconds. Then, he clapped his hands together once, a loud snap that made Paddy jump.
"This is great, but also dangerous because not all fourth ranked creatures are edible and cute. Some have claws and kill. I need you to take me in the direction you went fishing. With my magic, I might be able to locate it."
"Oh, I would love to, really," Claire lied smoothly, pressing a hand to her chest. "But gosh, I almost died out there! The water suddenly turned into a raging, boiling nightmare and nearly flipped my boat! So, sadly, we’ll just have to wait for another day."
Vidar didn’t argue. "Of course! We will wait until the sea is calm, and then we go!"
He turned and began climbing off the boat onto the dock.
Claire winced, jogging to the edge of the deck, and called out after him. "Vidar? Quick question! Weren’t you literally just warning me ten minutes ago about monsters lurking in the sea?"
Vidar waved a dismissive hand over his shoulder without even turning around. "Forget all that! If the monsters come, we will simply fight them!" He turned back, a manic, radiant smile spreading across his face. "Miss Claire, you do not understand-- this can change everything for Driswen! If we have fourth-ranked creatures swimming in our territory, it changes our standing, our economy, our entire future! The Prince must hear about this immediately!"
Claire hummed quietly, tapping her chin. As long as you guys sell them to me cheaply or buy them from me at top dollar, you can throw a parade for all I care.
"I must excuse myself to send an urgent message to His Highness!" Vidar blurted, already summoning his mount.
"Go right ahead," Claire called back with a chuckle. "I’m getting down to the business that brought me here."
Claire was already thinking of dividing her time, going forward. Mornings could be spent trading in Driswen. In the afternoon, she would fish in the Abyssal Sea. She would make money from all sides.
The only problem she had was that there was just one of her and too much work. Was it possible to bring someone else with her? They could handle the trade while she focused on fishing.
She grimaced softly. Even if she could bring someone, it would probably be a family member. But after being burned by her old family once, could she trust her new one to keep her secrets and peacefully make money alongside her?
What if one of them got greedy for the pearl and decided to kill her and take it for themselves?