Chapter 397 Hera and Savoring the Delicacies

The interior of the Three-Legged Sea Dog was far more spacious than it appeared from the outside. Tables were packed tightly across the hall, crowded but not chaotic, and the roar of voices boiling through the aroma of alcohol and food felt loud enough to blow the ceiling off.

Various decorations adorned the dark wooden walls: rusted cutlasses stained with dried blood, torn pirate flags, oddly shaped pale fish bones, and yellowed, hand-drawn nautical charts—

They shared no obvious connection, but together they gave the tavern a wildness unique to Barracuda Bay, setting it apart from adventurer hangouts in other regions of the Aifala Continent like the White Chickadee.

The sun hadn't completely set, but the atmosphere inside was already boiling. The raucous shouts of adventurers filled the air. Light and shadow swayed violently across the space as the dimming evening outside and the flickering lamps indoors blurred and distorted through the haze of heat and noise.

Yet right in the center of it all, behind the counter directly facing the entrance, a calm sat like the eye of a storm.

A woman stood there.

She looked about forty and clearly didn't fuss over her appearance; faint crow's feet marked the corners of her eyes. Her thick, curly hair was a seaweed-like dark green, tied back simply with an elastic band, leaving unruly strands to frame her forehead and temples.

Her features were striking, marked by a high nose bridge and a sharp jawline. A few freckles dotted her cheeks, and her emerald eyes resembled the surface of the sea after a storm—calm and sharp, gleaming through a lazy half-squint with a light that seemed to pierce right through everything.

She wore no makeup and lacked any delicate styling. She had on the most ordinary of linen shirts, three buttons casually undone to reveal her collarbones and a small patch of tan lines. Her sleeves were rolled up to the elbows, offering a glimpse of a sea snake tattoo that emerged from the sleeve and coiled all the way down to her wrist. A dark brown apron wrapped around her waist, accentuating a slender, powerful core, while everything below was hidden by the counter.

At this moment, she was leaning lazily against the counter, wiping a glass with her right hand. Her indescribably relaxed posture made it seem as though she held the room's chaotic noise and all the dangerous adventurers firmly between her fingers.

When Xia Nan first arrived in Barracuda Bay that day, he had already learned this woman's name from Paddy:

—Hera.

She was the current owner of the Three-Legged Sea Dog, a tavern with a century of history.

Having spent over a year as an adventurer, and as a former regular at the White Chickadee himself, Xia Nan knew perfectly well how dangerous it was for a beautiful person with a hot figure, regardless of gender, to run a place like this.

Hormones catalyzed by the night and alcohol, combined with Transcendent power that surpassed ordinary mortals, meant adventurers could turn into beasts controlled by their desires at any moment.

Under such circumstances, there was only one reason why this woman behind the counter could control a tavern swarming with adventurers year-round with such relaxed ease:

She possessed some kind of threat formidable enough to make the adventurers wary, preventing them from letting desire devour their reason.

Did Hera possess considerable strength herself?

With his acute Perception, Xia Nan could sense the solid aura of a Class Holder on her.

It could also be something else entirely, such as the connections she controlled as the tavern owner, her relationship with the three major factions of Barracuda Bay, or the prestige she had accumulated among adventurers from past incidents—

Regardless, this woman was worth treating with caution.

He watched with his own eyes as Hera stopped an escalating scuffle at a nearby table with just a single glance.

Xia Nan suppressed his thoughts, silently taking a deep breath to maintain his usual placid expression.

He stepped forward slowly and sat down at an empty seat by the counter.

"Welcome."

"Take a look at the menu. What'll you have?"

The woman's slightly hoarse voice reached his ears, and Hera's sea-green eyes were already on him.

Her gaze was subtle, seemingly treating him like any ordinary customer, but Xia Nan's Perception attribute was outstanding. He could clearly feel her eyes sweep over his youthful face and his equipment.

He was used to it.

To some extent, "a young adventurer with decent strength and Fine equipment" was an identity label Xia Nan intentionally put on display for the outside world.

He had no intention of playing the pig to eat the tiger. A first impression like this saved him a lot of trouble and earned him respect when needed.

Since arriving in Barracuda Bay that day, he had strolled all the way from the Saltwater District to the Cormorant District. The fact that he and Colin had gotten lost and wound through countless alleys without encountering any trouble was partly thanks to this guise.

He gave a polite nod in response.

As if he really were just a simple diner here to enjoy dinner, Xia Nan earnestly studied the menu hanging on the wall behind the counter:

[Sailor's Stew Set], [Crab Meat Mashed Potatoes], [Flash-Scale Fish Crepe]—

When a person was hungry, even food that was usually hard to swallow became delicious.

Xia Nan didn't have any dietary restrictions to begin with. Looking at the menu full of seaside specialties, he wished he could order every single dish to taste.

He fell into hesitation.

If the dish he loved most and hadn't tasted in a long time appeared on the menu right now, it would settle the matter, and he could use it as a main course to build a meal around.

Unfortunately, after scanning the menu twice, he still couldn't find the long-awaited dish he had tasted countless times in his dreams during his journey.

Seemingly noticing the young adventurer's hesitation, the tavern proprietress stopped wiping the glass, tilted her head slightly, and leaned forward.

"What's wrong? Nothing to your liking?"

He already planned to use Hera as a channel to gather information about Algae Scale and didn't mind chatting with her. Plus, he genuinely needed the delicious flavor from his memory to soothe his exhaustion from the journey.

Xia Nan didn't hide it, directly stating his request. "Excuse me—do you have cream of mushroom soup?"

"Cream of mushroom soup?"

As if surprised by Xia Nan's words, Hera raised her eyebrows slightly, a flash of astonishment crossing her mature, charming face.

Having run the tavern for many years, her ability to read people went without saying.

The very second Xia Nan walked through the doors of the Three-Legged Sea Dog, Hera had already made a judgment based on her rich experience:

He was a Class Holder.

And definitely not a newly advanced Level 1 with weak foundations, but a veteran who had already progressed on his class path and was perhaps even starting to plan for a class change.

With this premise in mind, seeing him hesitate over the menu, Hera assumed he was intentionally acting this way to prompt her to speak first, using it as an opening to negotiate.

Gathering intelligence, looking for a party—anything was possible.

But to her surprise, this young man—actually seemed to just be here to order food?

But why "cream of mushroom soup"?

Was it the secret jargon of some underground organization? Or did it hide some other profound meaning?

Hera's mind spun rapidly, even beginning to recall the passcodes used for message handovers by the various organizations she knew of in Barracuda Bay.

Reflected in reality, this appeared as a momentary freeze in her expression and a thoughtful gleam flashing in her emerald eyes.

"Of course we do, sir."

Hera ultimately failed to recall any secret codes related to "cream of mushroom soup," and her rich experience taught her exactly how to deal with this situation.

She simply needed to set aside her other identities and respond purely as a tavern owner. If he had ulterior motives, he would naturally reveal them.

"However, I must clarify upfront. Since it's not a formal dish on the menu, we can guarantee it will be made with care, but the final taste might differ from what you expect, and the price will be slightly higher."

"That's fine. Just make it."

Hearing that she could make cream of mushroom soup, Xia Nan's expression remained unchanged, but his emotions surged, just as thrilled as when he unexpectedly stumbled upon a Goblin Lair during his travels.

He was already looking forward to it.

With his appetite greatly increased, he ordered a few unfamiliar seaside specialties as side dishes.

Then, he waited patiently.

Quite enthusiastically, the proprietress gave Xia Nan a few Sugar Tangerines as a pre-meal snack while he waited.

They looked no different from the ones he had eaten in Sheep Horn Town, and the flesh was equally plump and juicy. The taste, however, was noticeably sweeter with a hint of tartness, making them incredibly delicious.

Seeing that Hera didn't seem too busy, Xia Nan took the initiative to ask about the price of spending the night. He wanted to chat and lay the groundwork for gathering intel later, and he genuinely needed to find a place to stay in Barracuda Bay.

"The rooms in the Three-Legged Sea Dog are divided into three tiers."

"If you're only staying in Barracuda Bay for a couple of days, I recommend a third-tier room. The environment is average and there are no windows, but it's a single room, and it's cheap. Five copper coins will get you a peaceful night's sleep."

Hera casually tucked a strand of hair behind her ear, her eyes crinkling in a smile as she explained.

"Of course, if you care about comfort, you can choose a second-tier room for one silver coin a night. The room is much more spacious and comes with a desk. The window faces the street so you can watch the pedestrians go by. This is the type our adventurers choose most."

"As for the highest-tier room, the price might be a bit steeper at two silver coins a night, but the environment and service will absolutely satisfy you. It has a double bed, a balcony facing the ocean with a view of the distant port, and comes with breakfast."

"Additionally, if you need to stay for over thirty days, we can give you a fairly good discount on all three tiers."

Xia Nan was immediately tempted.

It was foreseeable that the search for the [Dream Weaving Corridor] key was not a task he could complete quickly. He would most likely stay in Barracuda Bay for more than a month.

Under these circumstances, having a safe and comfortable resting place where he could peacefully recover his mental and physical strength between tasks and training without worrying about anything else was incredibly important.

There was no need to hesitate over the price. He had never been the type to shortchange himself in this regard anyway. Risking his life to painstakingly earn money, only to live frugally back in town, simply made no sense.

In his past life, after graduating, he had toiled under the stars and moon, living a mundane commute between his company and his rental apartment, exhausted like a beast of burden. Just as his career finally started to take off, he was sent to another world by a truck.

Having been reborn, with over eight hundred gold coins saved up, what was wrong with enjoying himself a little?

He had already set the highest-tier ocean-view room Hera mentioned as his goal.

Safety was also guaranteed.

As an adventurer tavern famous throughout Barracuda Bay, the Three-Legged Sea Dog had been in business for many years and boasted an excellent reputation. It was also connected to the three major factions in the town.

Drunken troublemakers were common, but if anyone crossed the line and dared to attack or steal from the guests in the rooms—they would likely be hung at the docks the next day as a public warning.

To some extent, staying here was much safer than at the White Chickadee.

As such, only one factor remained for Xia Nan to consider before checking in:

Whether the food was delicious.

Just as he was pondering this, a waiter in the tavern's uniform delivered a steaming tray to the table in front of him.

Unlike the kind Xia Nan had tried in Rivervale Town before, Barracuda Bay's cream of mushroom soup incorporated the local characteristics of a bay town.

The milky-white, slightly yellow broth had been simmered from fish bones for a long time, with minced onion, celery, and radish tossed in. Melted butter and flour turned the soup into a thick, fragrant paste. Evenly sliced mushrooms were gently enveloped by the broth, their edges giving off a faint roasted aroma from being seared beforehand.

Beyond that, the most eye-catching feature was the two palm-sized, shelled fresh shrimp that took up almost half the bowl.

The firm, crystal-clear white shrimp meat was coated in the rich, sweet-and-savory thick soup. The flavors of cream and mushrooms perfectly blended with the fresh aroma of the seafood, transforming into the purest natural delicacy from the forest and the sea.

And it didn't stop there.

The chef at the Three-Legged Sea Dog had clearly incorporated their own unique understanding of cooking during preparation, slightly showing off their own "little ingenuities."

With a slight stir, Xia Nan even found chopped scallops and deboned fish meat churning within the thick, curd-like soup.

He casually pinched off a small piece of the complimentary garlic bread, baked golden and crispy, dunked it into the soup, and scooped it into his spoon. Along with the mushroom slices, minced scallops, and fish meat, he sent a heaping spoonful into his mouth.

He felt the savory richness of the thick broth instantly burst upon the tip of his tongue. As he chewed, the fresh taste of the sea bloomed sequentially between his teeth—incredibly layered yet not overpowering, perfectly merging with the sweet, tender mushrooms.

As for whether he would stay long-term at the Three-Legged Sea Dog—

Xia Nan already had his answer.