Chapter 436 Coral Society

Once they reached an agreement, the transaction went incredibly smoothly.

With the help of the Association receptionist, Mar, they quickly handled the final details, including paying the processing fees and deregistering the item.

A dozen minutes later, when the two arrived at the Association's entrance, Xia Nan's account had swelled by over two hundred gold coins, and the [Practice Staff] hung at Hein's waist.

Even if it was just a transitional piece, finding a suitable spellcasting tool after such a long search left Hein in exceptionally high spirits, and the tension around her had noticeably eased.

She offered a natural smile and took the initiative to address Xia Nan beside her. "A pleasure doing business."

"I hope we'll have the chance to meet again."

"Of course. I'm sure we will," Xia Nan replied politely, giving her hand one last shake.

They both appeared perfectly civil, maintaining an air of mutual respect and restraint.

But they both knew the truth.

Their courtesy and friendliness stemmed purely from a mutually satisfying transaction.

It didn't mean they were friends. They barely even counted as acquaintances.

Their amicable dynamic was strictly bound by time and place.

Both were veteran Adventurers with established Class Levels; their professional conduct went without saying.

They might look perfectly friendly right now.

But if they ever crossed paths in the vast waters outside Barracuda Bay and a conflict broke out, the magical glare unleashed from the [Practice Staff] wouldn't be dimmed in the slightest by today's interaction. Likewise, the straight sword [Ember Fall]—maintained by the very gold coins she had just paid—wouldn't hesitate for a second to slice her head off.

Evidently, neither had any intention of lingering. After exchanging a few more pleasantries, they parted ways.

For Xia Nan, this was just a perfectly normal equipment trade.

At most, her status as a Druid Spellcaster left a fleeting impression on him, but he didn't care much beyond that.

The Southern Archipelagos were massive. He would be heading back to Rivervale Town after the Lunar Tide Banquet anyway. Barring any accidents, they would likely never meet again. She was just a passing NPC.

At least, that was what he thought.

However...

After leaving the Adventurers' Association, Xia Nan walked down two streets and took three turns before suddenly coming to a halt.

He turned his head, his dark eyes looking toward a spot not far behind him.

There, standing by the street with a thoroughly awkward expression, was the same Hein he had just parted ways with. She looked exactly like a stalker who had just been caught red-handed.

His Perception attribute was silently at work.

Xia Nan knew perfectly well that she hadn't tried to hide her tracks. She had initially been walking down the street alongside him, and only when she realized their routes were overlapping had she consciously lagged behind.

Given Hein's identity as an Adventurer and her awkward expression, the reason she had "tailed" him all the way here was easy to guess.

"Are you heading to the Three-Legged Sea Dog too?" he asked.

...

...

Xia Nan and Hein walked side by side down the street, the atmosphere between them slightly awkward.

They had just bidden each other farewell at the Association doors, assuming they would never cross paths again, only to immediately bump into each other.

Fortunately, neither had a difficult personality. After a brief exchange confirming they shared the same destination, they simply walked the rest of the way together.

"So, you've only been in Barracuda Bay for about a month?"

Hein studied the black-haired Adventurer beside her out of the corner of her eye, a look of realization dawning on her face.

"No wonder I don't recognize you."

As a major adventuring hub in the south of the Servia Kingdom, Barracuda Bay drew large numbers of Adventurers year-round. Class Holders made up a significant portion of them. Coupled with the extremely high turnover rate of the profession, it was virtually impossible to recognize everyone unless one was an intelligence specialist.

Even though Hein had operated in Barracuda Bay for years and had built up quite a reputation alongside her team, she still wouldn't dare claim she could name every outstanding Class Holder or recite their titles in town.

But Xia Nan was different.

Although she didn't know his exact level, the Perception bonus granted by her Druid class had allowed Hein to sense a faint threat radiating from the young man the moment he stepped into the meeting room.

His Class Level was likely higher than her own Level 3, definitely not lower.

This was one of the reasons Hein had been so polite throughout the transaction.

Yet she had absolutely no recollection of him.

Which was very strange.

After all, purely from a visual standpoint, this Adventurer named Xia Nan was highly recognizable.

His sharp, striking features went without saying, not to mention his youth—he couldn't even be twenty yet—and the two longswords strapped to his back.

He was as far from "ordinary" as one could get.

With that kind of strength and those distinct traits, it was impossible for him to be a complete unknown in town.

The only explanation was that he was an outsider who had recently arrived in Barracuda Bay.

And Xia Nan's answer had confirmed exactly that.

Of course, she wasn't sure if he had noticed, but Hein had already put out a few feelers back in the meeting room.

By questioning the origins of the [Practice Staff], she had sussed out that he was the one who had annihilated the Flying Fish Oil Barrel adventurer team—a story that had been buzzing around the taverns for days.

Unfortunately, she had only returned to Barracuda Bay with her team over the last couple of days and hadn't found anyone to ask about the rumors in detail. Otherwise, with her sharp intuition, she would have recognized Xia Nan the moment she saw him.

While thoughts raced through Hein's mind, Xia Nan was simultaneously sizing up the Druid beside him.

From their brief exchange in the Association's meeting room and their casual chat along the way, he had gathered some details.

This Spellcaster named Hein wasn't a lone wolf like him. She belonged to a fixed adventurer party.

Given the rarity of Spellcasters in the Southern Archipelagos, a team of the Flying Fish Oil Barrel's caliber only had a Novice apprentice who barely qualified as a real mage. A professional-grade Spellcaster like Hein undoubtedly had teammates who were far stronger than the late Oily Hand Bourne.

They warranted his caution.

Lost in their own thoughts, the two walked side by side in silence for a time.

"Hiss..."

Unable to endure any longer, the banded krait coiled like a bracelet around Hein's wrist flicked its tongue and poked its small head out from her sleeve once again.

A pair of golden, slitted pupils stared at Xia Nan with brimming curiosity. Its diamond-shaped head swayed side to side in tandem with the swinging of his arm, drawn like a magnet.

"I'm so sorry. He's usually really well-behaved. I don't know what's gotten into him today," Hein apologized, noticing the constricting friction against her wrist and hastily pulling her arm back.

"Ayin, come back. Behave!" she scolded in a slightly stern tone, reprimanding the silver-black snake on her wrist.

"It's fine. I don't mind," Xia Nan replied casually, his train of thought interrupted. His eyes shifted toward the banded krait, lingering briefly on those golden, slitted pupils. A realization struck him: although the little snake appeared to be curious about him, it was actually interested in something else entirely.

Hein was just wondering why the usually obedient Ayin was acting so strangely today when she noticed the black-haired Adventurer's gaze. Misunderstanding his look, she instinctively turned her head and glanced at Xia Nan, noting that he showed none of the aversion or fear a normal person would have toward a venomous snake like Ayin.

After a moment of hesitation, she tentatively extended her arm toward him.

"If you don't mind, you can pet it. I suppose that's fine."

"Don't worry, Ayin absolutely doesn't bite!"

"Just... be gentle. Don't press too hard."

Of course, there was no way he was going to touch a venomous snake at close range.

For one, Hein hadn't earned Xia Nan's trust yet. How could he be naive enough to believe the snake truly wouldn't bite?

For another, it was genuinely a misunderstanding on her part. Xia Nan's intense focus was entirely due to where Ayin was looking.

Xia Nan waved his hand, signaling that it wasn't necessary.

But even as he waved, he casually stepped two paces closer to Hein.

And the arc of his swinging left arm was just a bit wider than usual.

"Hiss, hiss!"

For some unknown reason...

Like a moth instinctively drawn to a flame, the slender silver-black snake kept its eyes glued to Xia Nan's left forearm. Its expressive, slitted pupils started out curious, but as the arm drew closer, it instinctively shrank its head back.

The moment the distance between the arm and the snake crossed a certain threshold, the little snake let out a terrified hiss.

Its slender body violently recoiled. With a flash of silver and black scales, its diamond-shaped head retreated entirely into the depths of her sleeve.

"Ayin? Ayin?"

Hein found its behavior incredibly bizarre. This skittishness was completely at odds with its usual docile, even lazy, demeanor.

Off to the side, Xia Nan had taken the opportunity to figure out exactly why the little snake was simultaneously curious about and terrified of him.

Ultimately, it came down to the [Darkscale Coiled Guard] equipped on his left arm:

— Effect 4: The wearer gains an advantage on Charisma (Intimidation/Persuasion) checks when interacting with serpents, nagas, serpentmen, and similar creatures.

Crafted primarily from the serpent scales found in the Secret Realm cave, the Rare-grade Arm Shield possessed a unique intimidating effect on serpentine creatures.

At first, the little snake might have caught the scent of its own kind on him, prompting its curiosity.

But once it got close enough, the Arm Shield's intimidation effect was triggered.

After soothing it for a long while without getting any response, Hein helplessly gave up.

She turned to look at Xia Nan, who appeared completely unfazed. Feeling like a parent whose child had just caused trouble, she wore an apologetic expression and wanted to explain further, but ultimately swallowed the words that had reached her lips.

Her gaze swept over a squad of guards passing by. Seeking to ease her own awkwardness, Hein instinctively cast around for a topic of conversation.

"There seem to be an awful lot of Governor's Mansion guards in town today. Did something happen to a noble in the White Cliff District?"

That was supposed to be exclusive intel known only to a few.

However, once that bounty request was plastered onto the quest board in the Adventurers' Association lobby, the information completely lost its exclusivity. There was no point in hiding it anymore.

"I heard Baron Farrow's daughter was attacked and is now missing."

"These guards are probably all here for that. The Association has already posted the related quests. The town is going to be very lively for the next few days," Xia Nan explained to her.

Unexpectedly, the moment he finished speaking, an unusually loud female voice exploded in his ear.

"Baron Farrow!?"

Hein stopped dead in her tracks, a look of sheer shock washing over her face.

"That's right," Xia Nan replied with a slight nod, noticing her abnormal expression. "Didn't you notice there were way more Adventurers than usual when you left the Association just now? They're all here because of this."

"Why, do you know this Baron Farrow?"

As it turned out, Hein really did know the father who had just lost his daughter.

Druids considered themselves the guardians and practitioners of the "Way of Nature," but nature itself was a grand and complex concept.

Due to differences in their living environments, sources of power, backgrounds, and other factors, Druids held differing views on "how to protect nature."

And "Societies" were the physical manifestation of these viewpoints and philosophies.

Druids of the Circle of Spores focused on the cycle of life and decay, wielding the power of fungi in the belief that the balance of nature existed in the microscopic details.

Druids of the Wildfire Society, on the other hand, adhered to the philosophy that "destruction is rebirth, a necessary prerequisite for creation." They advocated burning down forests and land with fire, nourishing the earth with ash, and curing deep-rooted maladies through "fire therapy."

To a Druid, a Society wasn't merely an organizational structure or an ideological faction; it was the very source of their power and their method of practice.

As a Level 3 Druid, Hein had naturally joined a local nature organization long ago.

However, unlike the widely established Earth Society or Star Society on the Aifala Continent, the organization she joined was regionally limited by its philosophy, operating exclusively in oceans, archipelagos, and coastal areas.

—The Coral Society.

Its philosophy mirrored the ocean itself: dynamic, profound, and all-encompassing. It believed that the balance of nature lay in flow and circulation—not just protecting a specific species, but maintaining the dynamic equilibrium of an entire region.

Any unclean elements that might pollute or corrupt the ocean had to be purified and remolded. At the same time, it held that appropriate pressure and challenges were like the deep sea itself, forging powerful life and resilient souls.

Hein obviously wasn't a major figure within the Coral Society. Her primary jurisdiction was nothing more than a small patch of Coral Reef near the coast southwest of Barracuda Bay.

Typically, she only went over to check on the local environment when she was taking a break in Barracuda Bay midway through an adventure.

And the crux of the current problem was Baron Farrow.