174: Hire killer whales to find pearl oysters

Orcas are indeed highly intelligent creatures of the sea. After several attempts, they understood that only live pearl oysters could be exchanged for food.

So, they diligently searched for live pearl oysters, and for each one found, they would receive a reward of Secret Bait.

Just like that, the Orcas made several trips back and forth, and all the pearl oysters in this sea area were found.

Chen Xiangbei thought to himself: As expected, only creatures living in the ocean truly understand the ocean. They know where different marine life inhabits and where to find them.

The Orcas' search brought him back over a dozen pearl oysters, but unfortunately, many were very small baby pearl oysters that hadn't started cultivating pearls yet.

Chen Xiangbei could only helplessly stuff them back into the crevices of the coral reef, letting them slowly grow.

Counting the pearl oysters with pearls, there were a total of 6. They weren't very large, and the pearls inside were just ordinary white pearls, worth a few hundred yuan each on the market.

Chen Xiangbei didn't mind; every little bit adds up! After searching this sea area, he didn't linger but continued to the next coral reef area.

When they arrived at the next coral reef, they discovered a small school of Groupers, and they were the relatively rare Red Spotted Grouper.

Chen Xiangbei had to temporarily abandon the task of searching for pearls and switch to fishing for Groupers first, because this type of Red Spotted Grouper is very expensive, priced at around six hundred yuan per jin on the market.

He began leading the two Orcas that had cooperated before, surrounding the school of Groupers, and soon had them encircled.

The other three Orcas, seeing it was a game they were familiar with, also joined in. Having experienced ones guide the new ones always makes it easier to get started.

Meanwhile, Chen Xiangbei continuously herded the scattered Groupers into the Orcas' encirclement. Although the number of fish in this school was larger, the number of Orcas had also increased by a few, allowing them to easily trap the fish as well.

After being fed Secret Bait several times, the Orcas were like they had been given stimulants, keeping a firm watch on the school of fish.

Chen Xiangbei quickly returned to the fishing boat, took out his fishing gear, adjusted it quickly, and then cast his line.

Some people might be curious why he didn't just catch them by hand, or let the Orcas catch them.

Because it's impractical. It's extremely difficult for a person to catch fish by hand, unless it's a foolish fish.

And Orcas are very powerful; one bite would leave the fish dead or crippled. He wanted fresh, live fish, not dead ones; the price difference between the two is several times over.

So, fishing was still the most reliable method. Although it was a bit troublesome, having the Secret Bait didn't affect the speed of catching fish. It would be much easier to use fishing nets after the sea opened up in a few days.

Soon, not long after casting the line, the first Red Spotted Grouper took the bait. Chen Xiangbei quickly reeled it in and placed it in the catch box next to him to keep it alive. Once he had more fish, he would transfer them all at once into the live well.

Just like that, one after another, the Groupers were caught. They were all quite large, averaging about three jin each.

The Red Spotted Grouper has a unique and captivating appearance. Its body is a vibrant red, covered in distinctive spots, small and charming like melon seeds.

The weight of this fish is usually within a certain range, and its body shape is relatively moderate.

In terms of living habits, the Red Spotted Grouper prefers to inhabit specific areas of the ocean. They favor environments with relatively calm currents and moderate depth.

As for market value, the Red Spotted Grouper is highly sought after due to its delicious meat and scarcity. It is a gourmet delicacy chased by many food enthusiasts, and its market price is relatively high.

The scale of Red Spotted Grouper farming is relatively small, which is also the reason for its consistently high price.

Wild Red Spotted Grouper costs around 500-600 yuan per jin, while farmed ones are a bit cheaper.

Therefore, whether in the marine ecosystem or the culinary field, the Red Spotted Grouper holds an important position.

He fished for over two hours straight, catching one fish approximately every three minutes, for a total harvest of about 40 Red Spotted Groupers.

There were also some other types of marine fish mixed in, which he threw back into the sea because they weren't worth much.

After the last, larger Red Spotted Grouper was caught, Chen Xiangbei returned to the water and rewarded the Orcas. After all, they had spent such a long time working and must be hungry.

One of the characteristics of Secret Bait is that it increases satiety, so even eating just a little bit can keep them from needing to eat for a long time and not feel very hungry.

Chen Xiangbei was much more generous this time, feeding each Orca a handful of Secret Bait, making the Orcas extremely happy and excited as they ate.

After they finished eating, Chen Xiangbei signaled for them to continue searching for pearl oysters.

With the experience from the first time, they could react quickly. Seeing him take out a pearl oyster, they immediately swam off in different directions.

The Orcas scattered, quickly disappearing into the seabed. Chen Xiangbei remained where he was, waiting for the Orcas to return.

Not long after, one Orca returned first, carrying a huge pearl oyster in its mouth.

Chen Xiangbei was ecstatic. He carefully took the pearl oyster and opened it, only to find a rare pink pearl inside!

This pink pearl emitted a mysterious glow and could definitely be considered a treasure. It's important to know that pink pearls are usually produced in freshwater, while seawater ones are uncommon!

Chen Xiangbei was thrilled. He immediately put the pink pearl away and continued waiting for the other Orcas to return.

As time passed, more and more Orcas returned with pearl oysters. Among these pearl oysters, several also contained precious pearls. Although not as rare as the pink pearl, they were enough to make Chen Xiangbei feel satisfied.

He opened all the pearl oysters, took out the pearls inside, and left the shells in the sea.

With a bountiful harvest, Chen Xiangbei decided to end today's fishing operation. He led the Orcas back near the fishing boat, while he returned to the boat to organize the harvested pearls and Groupers.

Then he processed all the sea urchins, finally getting a full basin of sea urchin roe.

Chen Xiangbei wasn't in the mood to eat. He added some Secret Bait into the sea urchin roe, stirred it evenly, and brought it to the stern of the boat, where several Orcas were currently resting.

He prepared to feed each Orca several large spoonfuls of the Secret Sea Urchin Bait. The spoons were the large kind used for scooping porridge, and a full spoon would weigh three to four hundred grams.

The fresh and tender sea urchin roe combined with the delicious Secret Bait emitted a rich aroma that made the Orcas somewhat restless, crowding around and wanting to take the first bite.

Looking at these giant eaters, Chen Xiangbei shook his head helplessly. He used his body to create distance between the Orcas before feeding the bait into one of their mouths.

It was like feeding kittens; he had to feed them one by one, otherwise they would crowd together.