Chapter 536 Windforged

In many cases, the overall style of an adventurer squad is inextricably linked to its leader.

Take the Flying Fish Oil Barrel, for example, which Xia Nan had already wiped out, their bones buried at the bottom of the sea. Their captain, "Oily Hand" Bourne, was a notoriously dangerous figure in nearby waters. Though he claimed to be an adventurer, he frequently engaged in piracy.

As a result, the other members of the squad acted like a pirate crew as well, reveling in plunder and slaughter.

The Blade of Vengeance was an adventurer fleet Lorraine had formed many years ago. Though her personality was as fiery as her wavy red hair, her conduct within the adventurer profession was open and honorable, earning the fleet a solid reputation across the Southern Archipelagos.

Because of this, her crew members were mostly upright, rarely doing anything despicable in their daily lives.

The same held true for the Raging Tide Warband.

Reflecting the mixed heritage of their founder, Tieg, the squad's style combined the bluntness of a dwarf with the fury of a Barbarian.

They were straightforward in their dealings, hiding no dirty tricks, but they were almost too direct, preferring to settle every conflict with blood and battle.

As allies, such personalities were certainly fine in certain situations.

As enemies, or even just bystanders, running into such hot-tempered brutes was never a pleasant experience.

Crash!

A tankard was smashed violently against the floor.

A solidly built dwarf stood on a table, one hand gripping his Fine Prismatic Hammer tightly, eyes wide and round with a tangible burn of fury.

Tattooed on the center of his right arm was a split shield—the left half a dwarven hammer, the right half a Barbarian's greataxe—marking him as a member of the Raging Tide Warband.

Beside the table, several squad members bearing the same tattoo glared in the same direction, faces full of rage.

Opposing them at the next table was an adventurer squad with a completely opposite style and demeanor.

Unlike the varied attire of the Raging Tide Warband, this group shared a uniform color scheme, differing only in their weapons and whether they wore light or heavy armor.

While not quite at the level of a military force, such a cohesive, orderly presentation was rare among adventurers.

The squad emblem embroidered on their garments was a double-edged rapier crossed with lightning and fierce winds.

The Windforged.

They were a veteran adventurer squad on the same level as the Blade of Vengeance and the Raging Tide Warband.

They had clashed with the Warband on many past quests, building up countless grudges, and the bitter blood between them was well-known among the adventurer community throughout the Southern Archipelagos.

For years, many had believed that a final showdown between these two squads was inevitable, ending only when one side was erased entirely.

Yet due to various factors, both the Raging Tide Warband and the Windforged were still alive and well.

Now, with the Lunar Tide Banquet approaching, these two veteran squads had found themselves in the same venue for the first time in a long while. Unexpectedly, yet predictably, after competing in the Fishing Competition, they bumped into each other at the Glass Oar tavern near the square.

There was no need for a specific spark; accumulated grievances caused both sides to explode the moment they spotted each other, locking them in a tense, hair-trigger standoff.

A fight could break out at any second.

Brawls were common in taverns, but an incident involving two veteran adventurer squads was a first for the Glass Oar.

Not daring to offend either side, the tavern owner could only cower behind the bar with a miserable grimace, praying they would leave him at least a couple of intact tables and chairs when the dust settled.

Tieg, having just finished speaking with Xia Nan's group, stepped forward quickly upon seeing his men clash with the Windforged.

He patted the thigh of the dwarf standing on the table, signaling him to calm down.

In a few strides, he reached the very front of his squad.

At one point six five meters, he was not particularly tall, but paired with his dense, solid aura, he radiated an exceptionally reliable presence as a leader.

Ignoring the hostile glares from the Windforged members, Tieg looked straight past them into the deepest part of the opposing group.

There sat a figure in a dark blue long coat and a high-collared silk shirt, styled like a noble.

He wore his silky hair in a style rarely seen among male adventurers, leaving it unbound so the silver-white strands draped over his shoulders.

His features were finely sculpted and his skin fair and flawless, showing no sunspots or tan lines, as if the scorching sun of the Southern Archipelagos had no effect on him whatsoever.

The two pointed ears poking through his hair explained why.

He was a pure-blood Elf.

At the moment, he sat casually with his legs crossed, gently swirling a half-full glass of wine as he looked at Tieg with a mocking, contemptuous gaze.

Even without saying a word, his demeanor and eyes carried enough arrogance to make anyone with a shred of observational skill feel the hostility.

In the past, Tieg likely would have charged at him with a roar and smashed his skull with his hammer.

Now, however, he forcibly suppressed the burning Rage in his chest, grumbling in a sarcastic tone, "Looks like 'Algae Scale' Dodd's reputation is massive indeed, if even our noble Windforged captain, Lord Zephyr, condescends to participate in an event with mud-legged brutes like us."

Unsurprisingly, sharp words were not Tieg's strength.

His barbed remark failed to provoke the slightest anger from Zephyr.

The Elf simply swirled his glass and replied offhandedly, "Captain Tieg, you used the word 'condescends' just now. I think it fits exceptionally well, because—"

He raised his chin, letting the belittling look in his crystalline eyes grow even colder.

"—for you lowborn types to sit in the same room as me tonight is indeed an honor."

"I can understand your anxiety, but after roaming the sea for so many years, getting an occasional glimpse at the bottom of the world isn't so bad."

The moment he spoke, a sudden commotion erupted among the Raging Tide Warband.

Several members, infuriated, brandished their weapons as if to charge, only to be held back by Tieg's glare.

Zephyr did not stop. Instead, he deliberately brought his wine glass to his nose, dramatically sniffing it with an exaggerated frown, then raised a hand to wave the air in front of him.

"Captain, what's wrong? Has the wine gone bad?" a quick-witted squad member asked.

"It hasn't gone bad, exactly, but there seems to be rather a lot of water mixed in. Even the original flavor is lost."

"You know how it is. When two things like that mix, they can never be stirred clean."

Under ordinary circumstances, no one would think twice about such a comment.

Yet as Zephyr displayed his disgust, his eyes remained fixed on Tieg across the room.

The pure-blood Elf's meaning was unmistakable.

He was mocking the captain's mixed dwarven and Barbarian heritage.

The entire Raging Tide Warband reacted violently.

Had Tieg not restrained them, a battle would have broken out on the spot.

Normally, even if he were standing there alone, the half-dwarf's temperament would never have permitted him to sit by while such words were uttered.

Right now, however, circumstances were different.

They had come to the Isle of a Thousand Piles for the Lunar Tide Banquet at the request of the collector Auriel; they had a far more important task to fulfill.

If a petty dispute of pride compromised Auriel's plan, along with the effort and lives of his crew, Tieg could never forgive himself as captain.

That was why he forcibly held back his burning Rage and stayed his hand.

The same logic applied to Zephyr and the Windforged.

Anywhere else, they would not have minded settling their long-standing feud with these mud-legged brutes once and for all.

Yet they were currently on Stodd Island, packed with adventurers and hosted by "Algae Scale" Dodd for the upcoming Lunar Tide Banquet.

Acting rashly and exhausting their strength would only allow other factions to reap the rewards, leaving them empty-handed.

With that in mind, Zephyr's taunt was already noticeably restrained.

Otherwise, a direct insult like "half-breed," coupled with a few jabs at Tieg's parents flippantly asking how a Barbarian and a dwarf had managed to breed, would have been enough to trigger a fight to the death.

Zephyr abstained.

Another reason for his restraint was the group of adventurers watching quietly at a nearby table.

If he was not mistaken, the Tabaxi among them belonged to the Blade of Vengeance.

And the black-haired, black-eyed youth beside her with twin swords on his back had to be "Sea Fang" Xia Nan, who had recently made a name for himself.

Judging by their expressions when chatting earlier, Xia Nan seemed to share some acquaintance with Tieg.

Though Zephyr did not fear the Blade of Vengeance or this new arrival known as Sea Fang, making unnecessary enemies and raising his risks for no reason was not his style.

Thus, despite the standoff appearing ready to explode at any moment...

In truth, neither Tieg nor Zephyr was going to let a fight happen here and now.

The adult male Elf's faint Adam's apple bobbed slightly.

Downing his wine in a single draught, Zephyr stood up, his gaze sweeping over the Raging Tide Warband before glancing toward Xia Nan.

"Heh. Enjoy the festival."

Leaving Tieg with that final sarcastic remark, the Elf gestured for his squad to follow and led the Windforged out of the tavern.

After this ordeal, Tieg no longer had any appetite for lingering conversation.

With a dark expression, he nodded to Xia Nan in acknowledgement and led his men out as well.

Buzz—

The tavern, which had fallen into an eerie silence under the tension of the two veteran adventurer squads, instantly burst back to life as soon as both parties left.

Adventurers eagerly discussed their thoughts, trading rumors—both true and false—about the two groups.

The tavern owner breathed a visible sigh of relief, clearly thankful that his establishment had escaped destruction.

Xia Nan withdrew his gaze.

Back in Barracuda Bay, he had heard vague rumors about the relationship between these two squads, though he hadn't given it much thought at the time.

Seeing it in person, he realized the feud between the Raging Tide Warband and the Windforged ran far deeper than he had imagined.

Curious, he asked those beside him for details.

As a fellow newcomer from the mainland, the Halfling Alton had no idea.

It was Ellison who answered.

Having grown up in the Southern Archipelagos, and having gathered vast amounts of information while searching for traces of his father, Lyle Morton, few knew more about the recent history of these waters than he did.

Seeing Xia Nan's confusion, Ellison concisely explained the origin of the clash between the two squads.

"I forget the exact year—it was quite a long time ago. A Spellcaster from the mainland supposedly offended a powerful force and was forced to come to the Southern Archipelagos incognito to rebuild his life."

"As you know, Spellcasters are rare at sea, and those willing to join an adventurer squad are rarer still. Since his spellcasting ability was quite good, it didn't take long for various teams to extend olive branches."

"Among them, the Raging Tide Warband and the Windforged came closest to recruiting him."

"I'm not clear on the exact details of what happened next, but in the end, both squads got the Spellcaster they wanted, in a way."

"One got his upper half, and the other got his lower half."

The mainland Spellcaster had died during the struggle between the two squads, planting the original grudge between the Raging Tide Warband and the Windforged.

The conflict continued to escalate over the years, eventually reaching its current state.

With his curiosity satisfied, a thoughtful look appeared on Xia Nan's face. He pressed further, "What about 'Algae Scale' Dodd? Does he have any connection to these two squads?"

Ellison frowned in thought for a moment, then slowly shook his head.

"As far as I know—none."

Like the humid air, distant thunder, and subtle rain preceding a gathering storm...

Sahuagin, sea beasts, adventurers—

Even though no obvious anomalies had been uncovered, Xia Nan, with his sharp Perception, had felt an ominous sense of an approaching storm ever since arriving on Stodd Island.

He only hoped it would not interfere with his plans regarding the [Dream Weaving Corridor] encryption keys.