Cast:
Hero: Ray (Formerly Roys)
Vi - Vania (Sister)
Papa K - Kelsier (Father)
Mom Z - Eliza (Mother)
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The Priest - Priest Byron
Bad Uncle - Surt
The God of this Universe - Alpha
The Evil One - Damon
Kala or Big K - Our neighbor
Bob - Town prankster
The Mayor - Hose Bosse
Honorable mentions and terms:
Planet Praxis - Planet Before
Planet Valis - The planet now
Church of the Radiants - Unknown
Ultramenschen - Mixed race people
It seems that our fishing adventure was a success.
We may not have earned some money fishing yesterday, but with team work and the right tools, we would be able to in the future.
I told Vi that we can try different forms of fishing on the next few days and see which one makes the most fish. The earning that we would have selling fish will be used to buy papers and pens, so I can teach her different things more easily. I can summarize and simplify ideas in fishing and other things so she can do things faster and easier.
The next day, we built a fishing rod so she won't need to use to hold the line with her hands and it fishing would be safer for her. We also created 5 more hooks and added it to the line. Hoping to get more fish faster.
We tried fishing again during the early morning the next day with father and the neighbors kids and we were surprised we were able to get 12 fishes at the same amount of time we did 2 days ago.
Soon, the children asked Vi to make hooks for them and when she ran out of extra needles, she bought more from the store from the earnings that we got from selling fish.
Pretty soon, all of the children in the neighborhood noticed what we were doing so they started fishing as well. We earned a little bit of money teaching the kids to fish and making fishing rods (more like fishing sticks) and making simple metal fishing hooks made from needles.
I told her that while this is a good short term method for earning money and food, it is not advisable to do this always, as we may deplete the river of the fish so I proposed to her if we can advise father and the townsfolk to make a man made pond in the middle of town and try fish cultivation and farming so that the river can replenish the fish population while we also raise our own.
Vi told father the plan and he was astonished that her daughter has thought of building a pond in the middle of town to cultivate fish. When he asked where she got the idea from, I told her to say she got it from a dream.
Father and mother thinks about it and finds it impossible but when Vi told them on how to build the pond with specific measurements they gave a pause and thought to at least try it. What harm could it do? It's not like they have other things to do beside plant vegetables, fish and take care of farm animals. They could do them in half a day.
If this becomes successful, they would have easy access to fish. Vi also told my parents about the worm cultivation she is doing at the back of the house as they scratched their heads when they learned the reason behind it. They instead told her that they would better if i they dig a small raised mud pit beside the house where we can put the worms and feed them leaves, compost and food leftovers.
Vi then told father on how to make a small pond in the backyard, a 8x8 meter pond, 2 meters deep (estimated due to language constraints). It is small for a pond, but this is just the testing phase so that this would be enough. There would be a 2 meter slope or gradient surrounding the pond so that it would be easy to walk to in the future. Father marked the outline of the pond and the 2 meter gradients in it. One big square and a smaller one inside of it, I say to Vi. He then removes the rocks and plants in the area and began digging the pond.
After 4 days, the outline of the pond is visible for our neighbors to see, so they asked what he was doing. When he told them that he was making a small pond for the family, they all laughed at him as if he was crazy. After digging for another 4 days, the online of the pond was a lot better. They were not laughing anymore and offered to help with building the pond. Father smiled and promised them a portion of the fishes caught in it if he ever successfully breeds fish. They agreed. They asked if he could make one for them as well in the future if possible. Father said he would gladly do so.
The work on the pond became a lot easier, with 4 men working in it. After the embankment, gradient and the rest of the pond were done, they put mud, sand, pebbles and gravel inside of the pond so that water would not seep into the ground.. After 2 months, the pond was finished. They put stones, old logs, river plants, lichens and lilies inside the pond added small crayfish, small shrimps and sucker fishes in it. This took about a month. Finally, they added some river fishes in it over the course of 2 weeks, some guppy looking fishes, some small carps look alike and some small mudfish. Basically a free for all survival arena for fishes.
They add more guppies from time to time as fish food for the other fishes. They would be monitoring the pond and sure that it is cleaned once in a while, more river water added to it and see if the fishes would survive in the next few months.
During this time, Vi, father and the neighborhood kids continue fishing as our parents sell the fish we caught and make some profit. Father went to the book store in town for a pen and some sheets of paper as Vi requested. She also asked father if they can buy spell books or tomes in the book store to learn some new magic.
Kelsier was astonished. As far as he knows, his daughter can only cast a level 1 light spell and a weak one at that. Pretty normal for the common folk, so there is no need for her to learn other spells because she has no affinity for the other elements. This is according to the priest who checked on her years ago. She also has a small magic reserve and can only cast one light spell a day. He wonders why the request now? Aside from learning how to fish, getting a dream on how to build a fish pond, what else did the God revealed to her?
Kelsier told Vi that he would have to discuss the matter with her mom. As far as he knows, spells are not bought, but taught. They are taught in the adventurers guild when you become an adventurer or be taught in the top magic schools and universities. Since she has no talent for magic, going to the university is impossible for her. Only way she can learn better magic is to become an adventurer.
I looked at my father and he seems to be in deep thought. I understand him, as Vi seems to be acting different these few days. He talked with my mother and she is horrified of the thought that her daughter become an adventurer because most adventures die young in this chosen profession. She refused taking her daughter to the adventurers guild. She's just 10 years old.
She has a valid point but it would be not Vi who would be learning magic, it would actually be me. If I become an adventurer, I would apply as an instructor in the future, to teach future adventurers of magic and to make them stronger. I would also teach them about Alpha tenets and commands, so that they would become good people who would combat the forces of Damon and possibly save this planet from his influence.
I may need to take drastic measures to convince my parents into letting Vi train in the adventurers guild. For now, we fish.
(To be continued)