stonecrandall Chapter 410 Ice Fishing for a 200-Jin Giant
Chapter 410 Ice Fishing for a 200-Jin Giant
Chapter 410 Ice Fishing for a 200-Jin Giant
April 24, 2022, Ilulissat.
Lin Yu-an stood on the spacious terrace of her new home, holding a steaming cup of hand-drip coffee.
Before us lies the magnificent, mythical Iceberg Graveyard of Disco Bay.
Having escaped the oppressive and somber atmosphere of Devil's Fjord, we return to this "Paris of the Arctic," enveloped in modern civilization.
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A series of urgent knocks broke the silence.
When the door opened, Hans, the top real estate agent, stood there with a warm smile on his face.
"Mr. Lin! Good morning! Sorry to bother you!"
Hans rubbed his hands, which were red from the cold, and breathed out white steam as he excitedly rushed into Lin Yu'an's warm and cozy cliffside wooden house.
He held a beautifully printed, color brochure in his hand; the paper had become somewhat stiff due to the low temperature.
As soon as Hans entered, he eagerly spread the brochure out on the huge black walnut wood island counter: "Great news! Hugely great news!"
"To celebrate the passing of the storm and to provide some entertainment for tourists stranded due to flight delays, the Ilulissat Ice Fishing Halibut Open has been moved up to tomorrow!"
The cover of the brochure features a giant flounder that is longer than a person.
It lay on the ice, its body covered in a layer of white frost, next to the tempting prize figure in bold: 50000 Danish kroner.
Hearing this, Noah curiously came over.
Hans's gaze swept quickly between Lin Yu'an and Noah, then he said to Lin Yu'an, "This is not just a fishing competition; it is one of the most important traditional events in Greenland in April, and its history is even older than the sled dog race."
"In ancient times, when the polar night ended and the sun returned in April, the ice was still solid. For our ancestors, this was the last chance of the year to store food."
"They would chisel holes in the ice fjords, drop fishhooks made of whale whiskers and walrus bones, and sink them hundreds of meters deep into the sea."
"They're not fishing for small cod, but this—" Hans pointed to the giant fish, "Atlantic halibut, what we call the musk ox of the sea."
"A 100-kilogram flounder is enough to feed a family for a whole month. Catching it means survival."
"And now," Hans changed the subject, "it has become an international event. Many professional anglers have flown in from Europe to sign up."
"They have Germany's ice fishing king and Norway's deep-sea champion. They brought sonar and electric fishing gear worth hundreds of thousands of dollars, all to conquer the sea monster here."
Hans glanced at Noah, who was preparing coffee in the kitchen, lowered his voice, and said in a tone that only men understood, "Don't you want to try, with your champion's luck, to fish up the biggest sea monster and hang it on the wall of this mansion?"
"Mr. Lin, you are the champion of land-based sledding; I think it's necessary for you to try and become the master of the ocean!"
"That's not just a trophy, it's the most impressive gift for the beautiful Miss Noah. It also tells everyone in Ilulissat that the man who owns this house is not only a champion in the sled race, but also the ocean floor is his home ground."
Lin Yu'an glanced at Nuoya, then at Huoxing, who was lying next to the expensive Bater leather sofa, gnawing on the sofa leg out of boredom. He shook his head helplessly.
He definitely needed some light entertainment to unwind after the tension of the past few days.
"Great!" Lin Yu'an smiled. "Perfect timing, I also want to see what kind of monster is lurking beneath this ice."
"Great! I knew you'd be interested!"
Hans rubbed his hands together excitedly, a calculating glint flashing in his shrewd eyes.
He knew that whenever this "Eastern Champion," who had just stunned all of Greenland with a bobsleigh race, went out, it meant huge commercial value and media attention.
"Leave the registration to me! I'll take care of it for you right away!"
Hans pulled out his tablet, skillfully opened the tournament registration website, and reported like a professional tournament manager as he operated it: "Mr. Lin, the registration fee for this open tournament is divided into two tiers."
"The fee for regular tourists is 2500 Danish kroner per person, and the organizers provide basic hand-cranked fishing gear and tents."
"But since you are an invited champion, we can directly register you for the VIP professional group, which costs 5000 kronor."
"Although it's a bit more expensive, we can grab the prime fishing spot in Area A—the deepest water there, and the easiest place to spot sea monsters."
"I'll sign up for the professional group," Lin Yu'an said casually. This amount of money was nothing to him.
"Okay! But—about fishing tackle—"
Hans abruptly changed the subject, a sly smile spreading across his face: "Mr. Lin, if I may ask, did you bring any professional deep-sea ice fishing equipment with you to Greenland? Like an underwater sonar or an electric winch?"
"No, I only brought a hunting rifle," Lin Yu'an said truthfully.
"That's wonderful...no, what a coincidence!"
Hans immediately seized the opportunity, magically producing three different sponsorship documents from his briefcase and presenting them to Lin Yu-an like a professional sports agent.
"I contacted the Greenland agents of several major fishing tackle sponsors in advance, and they almost came to blows as soon as they heard you were interested in participating!"
Hans pushed three documents in front of Lin Yu-an and began his sales presentation: "These are the Japanese brands 'Daiwa' and 'Shimano'."
"They're willing to provide the complete set of top-of-the-line electric winches and carbon fiber masts, electronic displays—the most feature-rich, the lightest, and the most sophisticated. This is the choice of tech-savvy individuals."
Hans pointed to the second document, which bore the logo of the Swedish company "AbuGarcia": "A native Nordic brand, with the most beautiful designs that best suit the local aesthetic. They're even willing to custom-make a fishing rod with your name engraved on it."
Finally, Hans pushed over a document that looked the most unassuming, bearing the logos of "Penn" and "Lowrance": "American stuff—you know, big and clunky. But they're willing to provide a brand-new ActiveTarget2 with real-time dynamic sound."
"That thing is like underwater radar, it's cutting-edge technology. As for the electric wheels, they provided Penn's flagship model, which is as heavy as a brick."
"Mr. Lin, which company would you recommend? Japan's precision? Europe's elegance? Or America's power?"
Hans looked at Lin Yu'an expectantly. In his opinion, these three dishes were like windfalls, and he would make a fortune if he chose any one of them.
Lin Yu'an looked at Hans and couldn't help but laugh.
This guy wasn't just a real estate agent; he was a born business genius. In just a few minutes, he turned the competition into a perfect business show.
"How much of your cut do you take?" Lin Yu'an asked directly.
"Hehe, 20%." Hans didn't hide anything. "That's standard practice."
Lin Yu'an nodded, pointed to the Lawrence logo on the American document, and said to Hans, "I'll take this one. 'ActiveTarget2'—its technology is indeed a generation ahead. Contact them for me; we can discuss the sponsorship terms."
"Okay! Then Penn's electric wheels—" Hans thought he was going to accept the US team's sponsorship in its entirety.
"No."
Lin Yu'an shook his head and pushed away the page about Penn: "Penn is a good brand, but they've added too many fancy electronic features, making it less pure."
"Then—then what will you use?" Hans was dumbfounded. He didn't want the best sponsorship. Was he going to pull it by hand?
"I'll figure out the rest of the fishing gear. You just need to get that Lowrance sonar sorted out for me."
"I—I understand." Hans nodded. "I'll contact Lowrance right now! Tell them you've chosen their voice!"
"By the way, Mr. Lin, their only condition is—"
"We hope that when you are using this equipment, you will allow their photographers to take pictures nearby."
"Of course, most importantly, if you win the championship, you can hold up their product on the podium and say 'Thanks Lowrance'."
"Deal." Lin Yu'an nodded. "Tell them to send the equipment to me. Also, help me rent the best tracked vehicle; I don't want to be exposed to the wind on the ice."
"No problem! Leave everything to me!"
Hans excitedly turned around and ran out to make phone calls to the sponsors and rental company.
Seeing his manager-like demeanor, as if he wanted to sell Lin Yu'an for an astronomical price, Nuoya came out of the kitchen with two cups of hot coffee and couldn't help but smile.
"It seems you've become a cash cow in other people's eyes again."
She handed Lin Yu'an a cup of coffee: "Yu'an, I heard everything just now. Why did you refuse those top-tier sponsorships?"
Noah looked at him with some concern: "Are you planning to use those traditional hand-cranked rods and nylon lines to fish? That's a huge disadvantage compared to those Europeans with electric reels."
Lin Yu'an took a sip of coffee, a mysterious smile appearing on his face: "No, darling. I refuse because—I have a better option."
As he spoke, he took out his phone, opened a bookmarked webpage, and showed the screen to Noah.
"I chose this electric wheel – the EZH5000 from Ekuda."
"Noya, many people think that the best electric wheels come from Japan or the United States."
"But what they don't know is that this company from Weihai, China, is backed by the world's largest fishing tackle manufacturing base. They have been doing OEM for top global brands for decades and have long mastered all the core technologies."
"Look at this EZH5000, its design philosophy is very extreme. It doesn't have the delicate large color screen of Japanese products like smartphones, nor is it as bulky as an American product like a brick."
Lin Yu'an began to explain its performance in detail: "Its body is made of high-strength aluminum alloy in one piece, which ensures that the gearbox will not undergo even a one-micron deformation under the pressure of hundreds of meters of water and the pulling of huge objects."
"The internal components are no longer ordinary brake pads, but instead use multiple sets of thickened carbon fiber friction systems."
It can provide a terrifying braking force of up to 30 kilograms, a figure that even surpasses the comparable Shimano Beast Master.
"Enough to slowly wear down a 200-kilogram halibut without breaking the fishing line."
"Most importantly, it has a heart—an industrial-grade brushless motor."
"At international fishing forums, many professional guides who take clients flounder fishing in Norway say that the Chinese Ikuda is like a tractor."
"It may not be quiet enough, but its torque is incredible and it never tires. Even if you throw it into icy seawater, its fully sealed circuit board will ensure that it continues to work as if nothing happened."
"As for the fishing rod—"
Lin Yu-an scrolled to the next picture, where two powerful Chinese characters were printed on the rod: "Guangwei (GW)".
"This is—" Noah looked at the equally unfamiliar brand.
"This is a national brand of our country."
"Guangwei doesn't pursue thinness like Japanese brands, nor does it emphasize design like European brands. Its philosophy is simple: to build fishing rods with the same standards as building tanks."
He pointed to the model code "BigGame130H" on the screen: "Look at this series, BigGame, which means 'giant.' This rod was born to fight sea monsters."
"Its rod shaft is made of ultra-high-density fiberglass cloth, not pure carbon fiber. Although it's a bit heavier, its toughness is more than three times that of a pure carbon rod!"
"In icy and snowy environments, carbon fiber may become brittle, but this glass fiber is almost unaffected."
"And look at its accessories," Lin Yu-an zoomed in on the details, "the thickened metal wheel seats can lock the electric wheels, which weigh several kilograms, in place."
"Each guide ring is reinforced with double straps, which is sufficient to withstand the high temperature friction of the PE line under extreme tensile force."
"So," Lin Yu'an put away his phone, "I don't need their sponsorship, because I have a better fighting combination."
"We will use the Chinese-made Ekuda electric reel to power the Chinese-made Guangwei fishing rod. This combination may not be the most aesthetically pleasing, but it is absolutely stable and reliable."
"An—" She looked at Lin Yu'an, her eyes filled with admiration, "You know so much."
Lin Yu'an held her hand, gazing at the magnificent icebergs outside the window: "Once the competition begins, I'll show those European champions just how tough this steel duo from the East really is!"
Noah was still a little worried. "Ann, the competition starts tomorrow. Is it possible to airlift the equipment in time? I heard that recent cargo flights have been delayed due to the weather."
Lin Yu'an smiled and flicked her nose: "Air freight is definitely too late, but before that, I think we should go and take a look at a place first."
"Where to?"
"To the armory in Ilulissat."
Half an hour later, the two arrived at an unremarkable-looking shop near the port.
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The shop is called "Lystfiskeren & Jægeren" (Fisherman and Hunter).
Pushing open the door, a strong smell of fish and leather hit me.
This place is completely different from the tourist souvenir shops in the town center. Instead of postcards, the walls are covered with cow skulls and large-caliber rifles.
Instead of plush toys, the shelves were filled with rows of bullets and sharp skinning knives.
Upon seeing Lin Yu'an, the shop owner immediately put down what he was doing and greeted him warmly, "What would you like to buy? Bullets are 10% off right now!"
"I need a set of equipment that can pull the sea monsters up," Lin Yu'an said bluntly.
The boss paused for a moment, then put down the shotgun in his hand, a knowing glint in his eyes.
"A monster? How big of a monster?" the boss asked with great interest.
"Starting at 100 kilograms, with no upper limit."
"Ha! Interesting! I hope you win the championship."
"Do you have a preferred brand? Shimano from Japan? Penn from the US? Or Abu from Sweden?"
"Neither."
Lin Yu'an shook his head and directly stated his requirements: "I need an EZH5000 electric wheel."
"I also need a GW BigGame13OH short heavy-duty rod."
"European tourists who come here either specifically ask for the most expensive Shimano or the most famous Penn."
"What? Out of stock?" Lin Yu'an asked.
"Yes! Of course there is! How could there not be!"
"Although they aren't as well-known as Japanese products, they consistently sell very well among professional hunters and deep-sea guides!"
He pulled out an industrially aesthetically pleasing electric reel from a desiccant box: "EZH5000! Look at that metallic finish! This thing has a nickname in deep-sea fishing circles: the Chinese Monster."
"It's more powerful than comparable American products, but only half the price. Many long-term customers have worn out Shimano machines, but this one is still working perfectly."
Then, he took down a thick, dark blue fishing rod: "And this one, the Guangwei BigGame13H! This isn't for ordinary people; it's the AK-47 of fishing rods!"
"It's incredibly heavy, but you can use it to lift a seal straight out of the water without the pole breaking!"
"Many local Inuit hunters buy it because it's cheap, durable, and they don't feel bad if it breaks."
Lin Yu'an took the Chinese set, feeling its weight and solid workmanship, and nodded in satisfaction: "Very good. This is the set."
The next morning at 09:00, Ilulissat Fjord.
When Lin Yu-an drove the rented Hegelon BV206 tracked vehicle, he arrived at the competition area after traversing the thick snow.
A small gasp immediately erupted in the carriage.
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"Wow—An, look!"
Noah pressed her entire face against the glass window, her dark eyes sparkling with an unprecedented brilliance.
The scene before me didn't look like a tense competition; it looked more like the Woodstock Music Festival being held on an icy planet.
This is the core area of the UNESCO World Natural Heritage site.
On the vast, white plain-like ice fjord stand dozens of giant icebergs that broke off from the inland ice sheet.
They resemble a white fleet frozen in time, each one larger than a New York skyscraper, their dark blue hue under the polar sun creating a chilling effect.
On this ice surface surrounded by giant objects, a grand ice carnival is currently taking place.
Hundreds of colorful ice fishing tents are scattered like stars, resembling a colorful mushroom forest growing in the snow.
The roar of snowmobiles rose and fell, people gathered in twos and threes drinking hot coffee, and the air was filled with excited conversations and the aroma of grilled hot dogs.
Lin Yu'an watched this scene with a relaxed smile on his face. He said to Nuoya, "Honey, you play with Mars for a while. I'll go to the check-in area to complete the formalities and get my number."
Noah opened the car door, and a crimson bolt of lightning shot out.
"Awooo—!"
This fierce dog, which had been cooped up in the backyard for several days, has finally returned to its familiar environment.
Like a child having a good time, it rolled around wildly in the thick snow, rubbing its back against the cold snow, kicking its legs upside down, and making satisfied humming noises.
Then, as if it had discovered a new continent, it let out a long howl towards an iceberg in the distance.
Then it lowers its head, uses its nose to lift its toy ball, then suddenly flicks its head and throws it into the air, before jumping up and biting it.
"Slow down, Mars!" Noah laughed and chased after them. The two of them played and frolicked in the snow, attracting the attention and taking photos of many tourists.
As soon as Lin Yu'an drove his tracked vehicle into the competition area, he saw a familiar figure.
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