Chapter 393 Adventurers' Association (Barracuda Bay Branch)

Both were massive organizations with sweeping spheres of influence.

This was entirely unlike the Church's monotonous grand cathedrals, which were built exclusively for prayer and divine offerings and varied only slightly in interior decor and sheer scale depending on a region's prosperity.

Architecture alone was enough to highlight the stark differences between the Adventurers' Association and the Church, reflecting their divergent founding principles and organizational styles.

Perhaps it stemmed from a former Association executive's pursuit of art, or perhaps it was a way for this continent-spanning monolith to respect local environments and customs while highlighting its own uniqueness.

From what Xia Nan understood, whenever the Adventurers' Association established a new branch across the Aifala Continent, they hired top-tier architects to design it, incorporating the local environment and unique regional elements.

Take the Rivervale Town branch, for example. Constructed from oak sourced from the Deep Forest within the Misty Forest, its eaves and finer details were adorned with lush greenery. From a distance, it looked just like a giant treehouse.

Now, the Adventurers' Association's Barracuda Bay Branch featured a similarly localized exterior design.

It looked like a massive reef perched beside the sea.

The exterior walls were built from dark cobbles gathered from the nearby beach and combined with sections of hemlock timber. The edges were deliberately left with patches of damp, dark-green sea moss. The roof was covered in dark clay tiles and decorated with thick seaweed, creating a mottled grayish-brown hue that blended perfectly into the "reef" aesthetic.

Its unique shape stood in stark contrast to the clean, refined buildings lining the surrounding streets, as if it belonged to an entirely different art style. Yet, when viewed against the vast ocean behind it, it exuded an indescribable sense of harmony.

The front of the building was only one story high. Even though its rounded "reef" roof gave it a ceiling height roughly one and a half times that of a normal building, it still appeared somewhat squat compared to the three- or four-story houses towering around it.

Like the Rivervale Town branch, it lacked an identifying signboard. However, the adventurers bustling in and out of its wide-open doors clearly announced the building's identity:

—The Adventurers' Association (Barracuda Bay Branch).

As for Xia Nan's confusion over why the Association lacked a second floor, the weathered middle-aged man beside him couldn't provide a clear answer.

Although Paddy had lived in Barracuda Bay for many years and was intimately familiar with the port city's power dynamics and customs, he was ultimately just a petty merchant running a grocery store.

His knowledge was limited when it came to matters outside his field—things ordinary people rarely encountered.

The Adventurers' Association never restricted entry; in theory, even a street vagrant could stroll inside.

But one had to admit that when facing adventurers who wielded Transcendent power and walked hand in hand with death and slaughter, very few ordinary people possessed the mental fortitude to remain calm under their malicious gazes in the Association hall.

In fact, even in a tavern like the Three-Legged Sea Dog, perpetually packed with adventurers, ordinary commoners were rarely seen unless absolutely necessary.

Seeing Paddy stammering, unable to produce an answer, Xia Nan stopped pressing the issue. He figured he might as well go inside and see for himself. He could ask a receptionist—perhaps the Barracuda Bay Branch had more than one location?

He had originally wanted to bring Colin and Paddy inside with him, but noticing the conflicted look on the middle-aged man's face, he realized Paddy was likely reluctant to enter such a place.

He didn't force them. Instead, he found them seats at a roasted oyster stall across the street from the Association and treated them, handing the stall owner three silver coins. He told them to eat their fill and that he would cover any extra cost when he came out.

Then, he headed toward the Adventurers' Association by himself.

Likely to accommodate the sheer volume of adventurers coming and going, the reef-like building's entrance was designed to be incredibly wide. The two dark wooden doors, reinforced with decorative black iron bands, were pushed wide open for easy passage.

He hadn't noticed it from afar, but now that he was close, Xia Nan suddenly realized the Association's interior featured a sunken design.

Illuminated by luminescent lamps affixed to the stone walls on either side, a wide flight of stone steps led downward.

After descending the twenty-odd steps, the space abruptly opened up:

A massive circular atrium surrounded by a corridor!

The floor was paved with smooth, light-colored custom sandstone. Bright sunlight spilled through the seaweed-patterned window lattices overhead, illuminating the entire hall perfectly.

Right in the center of the hall, aligned with the entrance, sat the quest commission area and the reception desk.

The entire left wall was a quest noticeboard made up of countless small wooden cubbies. The edges of each cubby were painted in different colors to signify various quest types and difficulties. All sorts of adventurers jostled and shoved beneath the wall, searching for suitable quests for their teams.

The right wall featured an equally massive relief map centered on Barracuda Bay, displaying the surrounding Maritime Archipelago and parts of the mainland. A sizable number of adventurers were gathered there in their respective squads. Holding parchment scrolls detailing their quest information, they frequently glanced up to cross-reference their intended destinations.

And directly in the center, naturally, was the reception desk.

A long sea-rock counter curved in an arc. The countertop stood quite high off the floor, its surface polished to a mirror-like shine. Ink bottles, quills, and stacks of quest registration ledgers were visible on top of it. Receptionists dressed in the branch's light-blue uniforms sat behind the counter, facing long queues of waiting adventurers.

Xia Nan swept his gaze across the corridors surrounding the atrium. He spotted shops partnered with the Adventurers' Association, such as alchemist stalls and general stores for everyday supplies. Glancing toward the very back of the hall—where a massive window offered a direct view of the distant ocean—he formed a rough guess as to where the so-called "second floor" was located.

He was in no rush.

After standing there and observing his surroundings for a moment, Xia Nan picked one of the relatively shorter lines in front of the counter, walked to the end, and waited quietly.

His luck was fairly good.

The vast majority of the dozen or so adventurers ahead of him had already picked their quests and were simply there to register. Only a bloodstained few were turning in completed commissions.

While tallying up the spoils took a bit of time, there was practically no haggling or bickering with the receptionist.

After waiting for about twenty minutes, Xia Nan finally reached the front of the line.

The person receiving him was a young woman named Mar.

She had slightly high cheekbones and a sharp jawline. Her skin possessed the healthy honey tone typical of coastal residents, kissed by the sea breeze. While her face wasn't stunningly beautiful, her features came together in a highly pleasant, attractive way.

She looked to be in her early thirties. She had shed the awkwardness of her teens and twenties, yet hadn't succumbed to the typical weariness and rigidity of middle age. Her posture wasn't perfectly straight, but it remained suitably proper.

Her light-blue Association uniform was perfectly ironed and devoid of wrinkles. Around her neck hung a thin silver chain carrying a small, dark-blue seashell pendant—a highly personal touch. Paired with the meticulously braided reddish-brown hair pinned to the back of her head, she gave off a gentle yet distinctly individualistic vibe.

It was a clever little detail on her part. Without violating Association regulations, it allowed her to leave a recognizable, memorable impression on important clients in a very short time.

After all, to be selected by the Adventurers' Association as a receptionist—a role that served as their public face—a good physical appearance was the most basic requirement.

To keep such a lucrative, promising job with significant growth potential, the receptionists naturally had to take the initiative and boost their performance.

Xia Nan observed her very closely.

Unlike the blonde Miss Molly back in Rivervale Town—who always seemed perpetually sleep-deprived, looking so sluggish it was as if she were waiting to clock out the moment she arrived for work—this red-brown-haired Ms. Mar carried herself with the utmost professionalism.

Her expression management was like that of a veteran actor who had spent years in the industry. When dealing with young, first-time adventurers who were so nervous they could barely speak, she would intentionally curve her lips into an encouraging smile utterly devoid of mockery. With boundless patience, she would answer their questions, using her demeanor and subtle gestures to soothe their panic.

However, when dealing with seasoned adventurer veterans trying to haggle or deliberately exaggerate a quest's difficulty, her sea-fog gray-blue eyes would narrow into a calm, scrutinizing gaze. A slight raise of her brow and a noncommittal tone were often all it took to make them sheepishly drop the act and get back on topic.

It made Xia Nan wonder—they were both receptionists, so why was Molly always slacking off? She never seemed worried even when receiving complaints, yet she somehow managed to keep her position entirely secure.

When he left Rivervale Town, he had even heard the girl mention she had gotten a raise because of him.

Did Molly have some sort of powerful backing within the Association? Or was Rivervale Town just so remote that the Association paid less attention to its staff there?

Xia Nan shook his head, dropping the thought.

He got along very well with Miss Molly. When it came to handling his affairs, she couldn't have been more proactive, and her actual work competency was quite good. He was very satisfied with her.

To a certain extent, the two of them could already be considered good friends. The fact that she was able to advance in her career because of him brought him a sense of relief and happiness.

"Ding—"

He heard the crisp ring of the bell from the counter ahead.

Xia Nan quickly stepped forward.

Immediately, his sharp Perception seamlessly kicked in.

He noticed a change in the Ms. Mar before him.

Having sat at the Association's front desk for nearly ten years, greeting a three-digit number of adventurers every single day, Mar's eye for people was exceptionally sharp—especially when it came to adventurers who walked on a knife's edge alongside death. This was true even without factoring in the Association's regular training sessions.

The aura exuded by veteran adventurers who had obtained a Class Level was starkly different from that of the ordinary adventurers at the bottom rung.

To put it bluntly, it was like the difference between a street punk and an underworld gang boss.

The former had to rely on flashy tattoos, foul language, and deliberate displays of crude aggression to disgust those around them and ward off trouble.

The latter, however, could often just sit there, acting no differently from an ordinary passerby without a hint of abnormality. Only when necessary would they release that oppressive aura—honed by years of status and past experiences—rendering others too terrified to even meet their eyes.

Take the black-haired adventurer currently walking toward her. Even though his face was exceedingly young—he likely wasn't even twenty yet—every step he took carried a solid, grounded weight born from a powerful physique and the absolute bodily control of intense training. It was a presence that many seasoned veterans, who might have spent forty or fifty years in the adventurer trade frequenting countless casinos and taverns, could never hope to possess.

Hidden beneath his unapproachable, icy exterior was an innate confidence in his own strength, forged through countless high-intensity battles.

Compared to all of that, the Fine equipment the black-haired youth wore served merely as an accent.

After all, anyone with money and connections could buy weapons and gear. Over the years, she had seen plenty of lavishly spending rich heirs who threw gold coins around as if they were copper pennies.

However, the superficial vanity of a disguise was easily distinguishable from true, grounded composure.

Thus, just as the black-haired youth approached her and she realized the performance boost this adventurer could bring her, Mar's demeanor quietly began to change.

Unlike Miss Molly—who would snap from dozing face-down on the desk to sitting perfectly upright with boundless energy as if struck by lightning—this gentle-looking lady's movements were significantly more subtle.

Her shoulders, which had been leaning slightly forward to receive adventurers, pulled back half an inch almost imperceptibly. It wasn't a flinch, but rather an adjustment of her center of gravity to increase her body's tension.

Her breathing rhythm seamlessly shifted from a shallow, even pace to a slightly deeper draw after a brief pause, subconsciously inhaling more air to prepare for the upcoming interaction.

Of course, she couldn't just stare straight at Xia Nan as he walked over. That would expose her intentions far too obviously and might even offend him.

She simply offered a calm, fleeting glance before lowering her head. Gripping her quill, she pretended to be busy with her paperwork.

At the same time, she naturally tucked a stray lock of hair behind her ear. Taking advantage of her lowered head, she tilted it slightly to the side, carefully listening to the steady footsteps drawing closer, accompanied by the metallic clinking of his armor.

She anticipated his pace in her mind.

Until the footsteps finally stopped right in front of the counter.

Before Xia Nan could even speak, Mar raised her head in a natural, relaxed motion.

She blinked softly. Her gray-blue eyes, which normally appeared slightly aloof due to their color, were now softened by her intentionally lowered eyelids and upturned corners.

Her lips curved upward in an almost imperceptible smile. It didn't look noticeably different from before, yet it made her entire expression feel far more intimate and attentive.

A pleasant feminine voice, pitched slightly higher than usual and brimming with warm enthusiasm, rang through the air. "Hello, welcome to the Adventurers' Association's Barracuda Bay Branch."

"Respected Mr. Adventurer, how may I help you?"