Chapter 450 What Do You Want?

Lorraine had never met Xia Nan before.

Everything she knew about the black-haired adventurer standing before her came from the descriptions provided by Hein and the twin warriors.

She knew he was an exceptionally young Class Holder with impressive strength.

But to be honest, Lorraine had not paid him much mind until he actually walked into the room.

As the captain of the "Blade of Vengeance" adventurer fleet, she was no longer young. Having navigated Barracuda Bay for years, she had seen too many dazzling figures flash by like shooting stars.

Perhaps a small fraction of them managed to streak across the sky and fly further on, establishing a firm foothold in the Southern Archipelagos and even becoming renowned figures.

But the vast majority were just flashes in the pan. Within a few years—or even a few months—they would rapidly fall and be forgotten amid the clamor of the taverns.

Therefore, even though she trusted her teammates' judgment, Lorraine only kept a mental note of this young adventurer named "Xia Nan" whose combat performance they praised so highly. She held no deeper interest.

That was until she saw the young man with her own eyes as Hera led him into the room.

She was somewhat surprised.

Contrary to the high-spirited arrogance she expected of someone gaining fame, she could not detect a single trace of impetuousness in the black-haired youth carrying two swords on his back. His demeanor completely lacked the pompous air common among adventurers who felt superior simply because they wielded some power.

His aura was calm and steady, even coming off as somewhat aloof, much like a windless sea on an overcast day.

It made Lorraine instinctively think a bit more highly of him, and she subconsciously began to scrutinize him more carefully.

This careful attention allowed her to catch more details about him.

First and foremost, what naturally drew her attention was his equipment.

More often than not, for adventurers without much experience in reading people, judging a peer's specific strength level could usually be done just by looking at their attire.

It was the most superficial and simple method, yet also the most effective.

There were quite a few dual-wielding adventurers in Barracuda Bay, but most of them wielded small to medium-sized weapons like daggers, scimitars, and handaxes.

Almost no one carried two longswords at the same time like Xia Nan.

And judging by the combat report from Hein and the others, this black-haired adventurer did not have a dual-wielding combat style either.

For him to still carry two longswords on his back despite that... it most likely meant one was his primary weapon, while the other was reserved for special situations, such as underwater combat or dealing with unconventional enemies.

His leg armor was made of a special material and had an extremely snug design; it must have been custom-made by a specialized blacksmith for a hefty price. His Pitch-Black Arm Shield looked like it was forged from some unknown monster material, its sheer toughness apparent just from a glance.

He wore two silver rings on his right hand with slight differences in design, and a necklace could be seen dipping deep into his inner shirt.

Of course, they could just be minor decorative accessories, but there might also be enchanted accessories among them.

Yet compared to the excellent quality of the gear on the rest of his body, his most crucial piece of protection—his chest armor—was merely a studded leather armor commonly found in the blacksmith shops of Barracuda Bay. It seemed somewhat jarring.

He was likely in a transitional phase of either replacing or repairing his armor.

Lorraine guessed inwardly.

All of the above was merely her overall assessment of Xia Nan on a superficial level.

If she observed more carefully from her perspective as a veteran adventurer...

The condensed aura exuding from the black-haired youth, the extreme stability in his movements that clearly came from extensive training, and his limbs that moved with a certain rhythmic cadence...

All these details revealed an image of this young adventurer named "Xia Nan" that was completely different from what she had imagined.

At the same time, the extra attention he paid to her saber on the table after entering the room piqued Lorraine's interest even further. As if testing him, she handed the scimitar over, letting Xia Nan examine it.

The sudden burst of flames on the surface of the [Scale-Fire Scimitar] was to be expected. Because their work was inextricably linked with combat, the vast majority of adventurers harbored pent-up anger deep within their hearts.

If the person holding the blade was a Barbarian who specifically used anger as a source of power, the flames rising from the scimitar might have even exploded directly.

What truly surprised her was how the flames quietly died out on the blade's surface after that fierce combustion.

As the owner of the [Scale-Fire Scimitar], she could not be clearer on what this phenomenon represented.

It meant that the black-haired youth sitting on the sofa across from her had smoothed out the emotions stirred by anger in just a few breaths.

It signified a powerful sense of self-control and a resilient will that surpassed ordinary people.

And to a certain extent, this was precisely the key to whether an adventurer could go further down this path.

Of course, a flare and extinguishment lasting mere seconds was absolutely not enough to judge a person's future prospects.

But... it was enough for Lorraine to elevate Xia Nan's level of importance in her mind by a few notches.

"Tap."

The heel of her pointed leather boot tapped lightly against the wooden floorboards, producing a crisp sound in the room.

Lorraine's right hand, which had been resting on her knee since handing the scimitar to Xia Nan, slid to the outside of her thigh. Her fingertips familiarly slipped into the gap between her breeches and the leather straps. Pressing her fingers against the firm, full curve of her thigh, she pulled out a bright silver, flat, square case.

She pressed the latch with her thumb. With a soft click, the silver lid sprang up lightly, revealing the neatly arranged white cigarettes inside.

Her crystalline brownish-red eyes looked toward Xia Nan. Turning her palm to face the cigarette case outward, her fiery red curly hair swayed slightly.

She lifted her chin in an offering gesture and said, "Good stuff from Shire Island. Want one?"

Seeing this, Xia Nan had not yet reacted, but Hein, standing quietly by the window to watch, was momentarily stunned.

Having spent years with her captain, how could she not know exactly what such a gesture meant?

After all, even she had only received her first cigarette from Captain Lorraine after joining the "Blade of Vengeance" for more than three months and truly proving her worth during a mission.

Of course, a large part of that was because she had only just reached adulthood at the time.

But even to this day, Hein still remembered the pungent smell that filled her nose and choked her until tears came out.

It was clearly only their first meeting, so why...

The Druid wearing the silver-banded snake bracelet felt faintly unbalanced inside. Yet in the very next second, when she recalled the phantom black wolf above the sea earlier, she found it acceptable again.

She even started fantasizing about what it would be like if he became her teammate.

Speaking of which, based on what she knew, he really did not have a fixed party.

If Xia Nan could actually become her teammate... that did not seem too bad?

Meanwhile, Xia Nan, sitting on the sofa, naturally had no idea what the Druid beside him was thinking.

He looked at the silver cigarette case offered to him on her palm.

A polite smile surfaced on his face.

"Thank you, but I'll pass," he declined gracefully.

His stress levels were quite high, both in his past life and now.

But he had never been very interested in things like tobacco, and he had no desire to try it now.

In comparison, he was actually more curious about how an invention like "cigarettes" could exist given this world's level of technological development.

Although Xia Nan did not know much about cigarettes, he knew that a little thing no longer than a finger carried a surprisingly high level of technological complexity.

Whether it was the rolling paper, which required extremely high flexibility and breathability, or the precision tools needed to mass-cut countless tobacco leaves into fine threads, neither was achievable at a normal medieval level of development.

However, considering that this world's technological development levels varied drastically from city to city—like isolated islands—due to factors like faith, race, and magic, it was not impossible for them to exist.

To some extent, Xia Nan would not even be too surprised if an airship flew right over his head.

Faced with the black-haired youth's polite refusal, Lorraine did not show any special reaction, acting as if she had really just been asking casually.

She gave a slight nod, pulled a cigarette from the silver case, spun it a half-circle in her fingertips, and swiped it lightly through the air toward the [Scale-Fire Scimitar] on the table.

"Sizzle."

Accompanied by a fleeting spark in the air, the tip of the cigarette ignited.

She took a very deep first drag, her cheeks hollowing and the lines of her neck pulling taut.

Tilting her head back against the sofa, a long exhale echoed through the room. Pale white smoke drifted from between her slightly parted lips, spiraling upward and veiling half of her face like a shroud.

"You want to attend the Lunar Tide Banquet?"

The quiet female voice reached his ears along with the pervasive scent of tobacco in the air, causing Xia Nan's heart to jolt.

They had finally arrived at the main topic. He braced himself.

"Yes," he replied affirmatively.

"I won't ask for your reasons for wanting to attend the banquet." She held the cigarette between her index and middle fingers, her slender digits—bearing obvious calluses—wreathed in smoke. "But you should know that the number of people I can bring is limited."

Her brownish-red eyes narrowed slightly as her gaze crossed the table with the scimitar to look at Xia Nan on the other side.

"Give me a reason to bring you along."

It was entirely reasonable.

The terms of Xia Nan's deal with Hera were that she would provide him a channel to participate in the "Lunar Tide Banquet." As for whether he could successfully convince the other party afterward, that depended entirely on him.

Furthermore, this was his first time meeting Lorraine. Even though he had fought alongside the members under her command, he had no concrete ties of interest with the "Blade of Vengeance" adventurer fleet, much less Lorraine herself.

Right now, given that each attendee could only bring a limited number of companions, she had absolutely no obligation to take Xia Nan.

If he wanted to tag along with Lorraine to the Lunar Tide Banquet, Xia Nan would have to pay a corresponding price.

He had already prepared for this before coming.

Now that she had put it that way, he naturally brought out the terms he had readied in advance.

"1,000 gold, how about it?" he offered.

Without a doubt, it was a massive sum.

Even though Xia Nan's bank deposits now started with a "3," this was still a third of all his liquid funds—and that was after deducting future equipment forging costs.

But... it was worth it.

As long as he could get a clue for the [Dream Weaving Corridor] key, let alone 1,000 gold, even if he had to add another zero to the end of that number—and make the Goblins in the forest suffer a bit more for it—he would grit his teeth and pay it.

But to his surprise, faced with Xia Nan's rather hefty offer, Lorraine did not hesitate in the slightest. The moment his voice faded, she shook her head and rejected it.

"I don't want your money," she said.

She didn't want money?

Xia Nan's heart instantly sank.

This was going to be troublesome.

How could he not be clear on what his own value was?

Since Lorraine looked down on these gold coins, what she was after had to fall into one of two categories.

First, equipment.

Second, "combat techniques."

Regarding the former, he had to admit that compared to adventurers of the same—or even higher—levels, the number of enchanted items on Xia Nan's body far exceeded the average.

But if he really had to choose something to part with, it would be quite difficult.

After all, the vast majority of them played extremely important roles in combat, even acting as his "trump cards."

Blue gear was definitely out of the question. The [Ember Fall] straight sword went without saying, and parting with the [Tears of Spring Breath] and [Darkscale Coiled Guard] was not a possibility he would even consider.

Among the green gear, the [Deathline] ring was the first enchanted item he had obtained after transmigrating. Even now, its utility in combat was still quite high, so he had to keep it. As for the rest, like his leg armor and crystal dagger...

To be honest, he was rather reluctant to give those up either.

And if he approached it from the angle of "combat techniques," his choices were even fewer.

Reaching the Novice stage in [Fang Hunt] required the assistance of cold energy from the instructor. [Gravity Control] had conditions so stringent that he could not find a second person in the entire world with the same combat technique. [Gravity Etching] and [Heavy Tide] were both innate combat techniques, making it impossible to pass them on. [Ember Echoes] required otherworldly spark energy.

To sum it all up, if he really had to pick one combat technique from his repertoire to teach, the only option left was surprisingly the basic move left behind by his predecessor: [Spinning Slash].

But regardless, it was still a proper combat technique that someone could train to the Novice level, not the kind of trash you could buy by the basketful for a few copper coins at a general store.

If it was just the training method... trading it for a clue about the [Dream Weaving Corridor] key did not seem entirely out of the question.

Xia Nan weighed the options in his mind. After pondering for a moment, he slowly spoke up.

"If you want a piece of equipment off my body, I think we'll need to discuss the details of our trade more carefully."

"I don't want your equipment," the woman with long, fiery red curls replied unhurriedly, the pointed leather boot resting on her left knee bobbing in the air.

Then her goal was extremely clear.

Xia Nan felt a bit more settled.

"In terms of combat techniques, I can provide the training method for one of the skills I've mastered. It's definitely useful, but it requires a massive amount of practice, and there's no guarantee the trainee will reach the Novice stage."

"I don't want combat techniques either," Lorraine answered.

Huh? What did she mean?

"Then what do you want?" Xia Nan asked, his brows furrowing.

Her fingertip lightly flicked the cigarette, and ash glowing with dark red fire fluttered down, landing on the sofa beside her thigh.

Lorraine blinked, her brownish-red eyes shifting slightly to reflect the black-haired youth across the table.

"I want you."