Chapter 596 Recovery Regulations, A Change in Attitude

It took the adventurers—always eager when it came to loot—only three days after the coastal battle ended to finish dividing the spoils.

Distributing the Sahuagin weapons and armor, along with the spellcasting items from a few fishman priests, was actually quite easy. They simply divided them based on each adventurer's contribution in battle.

Simply put, in a one-on-one fight, whoever killed the fishman claimed the loot on its body.

For joint kills or special non-combat contributions—like Alton's lute support or the Blade of Vengeance stalling the Bloodskin Shark Beast—the loot was allocated accordingly. The leaders present discussed the specific circumstances and decided on a fair distribution.

Since they were all experienced veterans, the adventurers knew exactly who had done what. They kept an eye on one another, ensuring no one could lie or falsely claim credit.

Overall, the distribution process went very smoothly.

Beyond that, the unspoken rules of the adventurer trade had to be addressed.

To a certain extent, the equipment and weapons of the adventurers who died fighting the fishmen were also considered part of the spoils.

Under normal circumstances, if an Adventurer Squad still had surviving members, morality dictated that these items be handed over to them as relics of the deceased.

However—

These were adventurers with their own selfish motives, individuals practically driven by their desires.

How could they possibly remain as unmoved as saints in the face of such wealth?

For the Adventurer Squads with more surviving members and relatively intact combat strength, fairness could perhaps still be maintained.

But what if it was a squad like the Windforged or the Raging Tide Warband, where the entire core of the team—including the captain and vice-captain—had perished in battle? With only two or three insignificant members left, even the continued existence of their team names was uncertain.

Would they really leave an inheritance worth four figures in gold from those deceased members to a few individuals with a Class Level of merely Level 1 or Level 2?

They were not that kind-hearted.

As a result, the finer points of the distribution went through a tortuous process, leading to a few unseemly incidents.

Perhaps because these remaining adventurers lacked influence, even after raising a fuss, they were ultimately forced to compromise and back down.

Naturally, this clamor over the loot distribution did not affect Xia Nan.

His contributions to the battle were obvious to all.

Moreover, his strength spoke for itself.

He received exactly the loot he was due. He wouldn't demand more, nor would anyone dare to deliberately shortchange him.

It was worth noting that because Tieg, the captain of the Raging Tide Warband, had once shown him goodwill, Xia Nan spoke up during the distribution of their deceased members' inheritance. His words likely secured some extra benefits for the squad's few remaining members.

However—whether this inheritance from Tieg and the other core members would actually reach their families in Barracuda Bay was no longer up to him.

With the distribution settled over the past few days, the adventurers were busy calculating how many gold coins they would earn from this trip, how long they could splurge, or what grade of equipment they could afford.

So, when faced with the Governor's Mansion's recovery regulations, they showed fierce resistance, even with the promise that everything would be purchased at market price.

"These are my spoils! I'll sell them to whoever I want, and it's not up to you to decide!"

"Why should we hand everything over to you? Just because you're the Governor's Mansion?"

"Send us out first! We can talk about the rest when we get back to Barracuda Bay!"

As soon as these sharp complaints rang out, voices of agreement continuously echoed from the crowd.

Of course, while adventurers were greedy and calculating, they were not stupid.

While a small fraction of these voices might have genuinely felt offended by the Governor's Mansion's recovery regulations, the vast majority merely wanted to use the opportunity to apply pressure and secure the greatest possible profit for themselves.

In response, the young noble named Orisi maintained a rather unhurried demeanor.

It was unclear why someone who looked so young possessed conflict-resolution experience far beyond his years.

Faced with the adventurers' pressure, Orisi kept his smile, but his attitude noticeably cooled.

Knowing full well that yielding now would only cause these greedy adventurers to push for more, he raised his voice, his tone forceful. "You are right."

"You all do indeed have the right not to sell your spoils to the Governor's Mansion. After all, this is not a mandatory purchase decree."

"However, if you wish to bring the Sahuagin spoils back to Barracuda Bay to sell yourselves, you must pay a thirty percent tax and apply for the relevant permits three weeks in advance."

"If, as some of you suggested, you merely wish to keep them at home as ornaments, you naturally won't need to bother with this."

"But if any of you change your minds after returning to Barracuda Bay—by then, the profits from selling such spoils on the market might not even cover the taxes you'll have to pay."

The primary reason the vast majority of adventurers went on missions was to make money.

After Orisi said this, the protesting atmosphere stirred up by the instigators plummeted instantly.

Seeing the shift in the crowd's mood, he knew well that combining a warning with the promise of profit would maximize the effect.

Orisi suddenly shifted gears, his tone becoming brisk once more as if speaking from the bottom of his heart. "You are all heroes who saved Stodd Island and ruined the evil schemes of the Sahuagin. You are meritorious contributors who saved the kingdom and the Governor's Mansion from massive losses."

"Please rest assured, the price offered by the Governor's Mansion will not be discounted by a single copper."

"A grand celebratory banquet is already in preparation. Once we return to Barracuda Bay, you will all be able to enjoy your victory with pockets full of gold amid the cheers of the people."

A short distance away from the crowd.

Xia Nan listened to Alton and Lorraine explain what had happened at the port earlier while watching the noble scion named Orisi practically subdue the adventurers single-handedly.

A thoughtful gleam flashed through Xia Nan's eyes.

The blond man certainly possessed excellent interpersonal skills, and his speech had clearly been designed in advance. No wonder he had been sent to handle such a troublesome matter.

What caught his attention even more, however, was Orisi himself.

His enhanced and sharper Perception attribute allowed Xia Nan to notice more details than the other adventurers present.

The blond noble might have had a slender build, looking like a pampered scion who hadn't trained a day in his life.

But judging by his posture, his subtle movements, and the aura his body instinctively emitted, there was no doubt he was a Class Holder, and his Class Level couldn't be low.

As for the rapier hanging at his waist—which looked like a mere decoration—Xia Nan's intuitive judgment from his Perception attribute made him highly certain it was a high-quality enchanted weapon.

Clearly, even if the situation had escalated to the worst-case scenario and Orisi was forced to face a siege from the surrounding adventurers, he could have stalled them for a considerable amount of time.

By then—

Xia Nan suddenly looked up, turning his gaze toward the deck of the Governor's Mansion ship docked at the pier.

His line of sight passed over the rows of strictly disciplined soldiers, looking further back.

In that direction, he could faintly sense a slight turbulence in the magic particles.

He already knew in his heart that there was likely a Spellcaster on the ship.

As if thinking of something, Xia Nan turned his head and asked Lorraine, "Aren't there a lot of Sahuagin lying in ambush around the island? How did they get in?"

"I'm not sure." The captain shook her head, her long, flame-like curls swaying gently against her shoulders. "But the fishmen didn't attack their ships."

It seemed the Governor's Mansion possessed some ability capable of either shielding them from the fishmen's senses or temporarily driving them away.

This was naturally a good thing.

No matter how things developed next, leaving Stodd Island safely was at least a certainty. He wouldn't need to dive into the water and engage in hand-to-hand combat with the Sahuagin in the surrounding sea.

However, despite standing apart from the crowd, Xia Nan was also opposed to the Governor's Mansion's recovery regulations.

The most crucial reason was that he planned to use the core materials from the Bloodskin Shark Beast, along with its anchor weapon, to craft and repair enchanted equipment.

Most of the time, materials of this quality could only be stumbled upon by chance, not sought out on the market. Even with a mountain of gold coins, if they weren't for sale, they simply couldn't be bought.

He couldn't possibly give up such rare and precious monster materials just for some monetary profit.

At that moment, Xia Nan even began considering the feasibility of hiding the Shark Beast's corpse and weapon inside the [White Flask] Pocket Watch's storage space to "smuggle" them back to Barracuda Bay.

Well—considering everyone present had witnessed his battle with their own eyes, they all knew of this monster's existence.

For the plan to work, he would need to contact the leaders of each squad to get their stories straight.

Putting aside the unlikelihood of everyone agreeing, the sheer amount of favors he would owe, along with the risk of exposing his possession of spatial storage equipment to strange adventurers, forced Xia Nan to abandon the idea.

However—

Suddenly, his mind wandered to the bizarre efficiency of the Governor's Mansion.

As an important port city in the kingdom, given the official financial strength of Barracuda Bay, why had they made such a huge fuss? They had sent a Spellcaster, a noble, and even specially drafted recovery regulations.

Could it really be just for these meager Sahuagin spoils?

Thoughts swirled in his mind, leaving Xia Nan inwardly puzzled.

Meanwhile, the originally restless crowd at the pier ahead was gradually being swayed by Orisi's excellent rhetoric. All they lacked was a key figure to make the final call.

Making no effort to hide his figure, he had been noticed long ago.

The young blond noble named Orisi skirted around the crowd and took the initiative to walk toward Xia Nan.

"You must be Sea Fang, right? I have heard much about you."

"Thank you for your contributions to Barracuda Bay. By wiping out both the Horned Shark Gang and the Ebb Tide Gang, the street thugs in the Saltwater District now don't even dare speak too loudly at the mere mention of your name."

The reality was certainly not as exaggerated as he claimed. Xia Nan knew the man was just spouting empty compliments, and he truly did oppose the proposed recovery regulations.

But since Orisi's attitude was so friendly, Xia Nan wouldn't respond coldly.

He nodded in acknowledgment and politely replied, "It was just a coincidence. They were merely enemies I encountered in the middle of a mission."

The two exchanged a few brief pleasantries.

Orisi had a wealth of experience dealing with people. Through just a few short sentences of exchange, he roughly judged that the young adventurer before him had a relatively straightforward personality and disliked beating around the bush. Taking the cue, he cut straight to the point.

"I just heard from the other adventurers at the pier that you killed an extremely powerful Shark Beast monster?"

As soon as the words left his mouth, Xia Nan sighed inwardly.

It seemed someone had already spilled the beans. His original plan to use the [White Flask] Pocket Watch to hide the monster materials was declared a failure before it even began.

Since things had come to this, there was nothing left to hide. He responded directly, "It was summoned by the Sahuagin through a Sacrificial Ritual using the corpses of the adventurers and villagers on the island."

"I've encountered them a few times before, but they weren't as strong as this one."

"Speaking of which, I submitted intel to your Governor's Mansion a while ago, but I hadn't received a reply by the time I left Barracuda Bay."

"That is our fault," Orisi admitted decisively, his attitude sincere. Yet, in the next second, he bypassed the topic and continued pressing in his original direction. "I wonder if you have the time to take me to see the location of that altar first?"

Since it had come to this, even if he refused, there would certainly be other adventurers willing to guide him there.

He might as well take the opportunity to interact with this Orisi further to see if he could find out what the Governor's Mansion was really trying to do and what their exact role was in this incident.

After some brief consideration, Xia Nan agreed to his request.

After Orisi arranged for his personnel to handle the matters related to the recovery of the adventurers' spoils at the pier, Xia Nan took him, Alton, Lorraine, and Orisi's two accompanying guards toward the coast that had served as the battlefield.

The distance was a bit far, but since everyone in the group was a Class Holder—a fact Orisi himself made no effort to hide—they moved very quickly, arriving at their destination in no time.

The beach was in complete disarray.

The blood-soaked sand still retained the mixed red and blue hues of the adventurers' and fishmen's blood. Fragments of Sahuagin corpses holding no salvage value had already begun to rot, emitting a thick, foul stench.

Xia Nan carefully observed Orisi's reactions.

Faced with the sight, the young man of noble descent frowned slightly, seemingly experiencing a vague sense of discomfort. Yet, he recovered in the very next second. His gaze swept carefully across the scene, ultimately landing on the coral rock altar near the reef—which had been reduced to ruins due to Xia Nan's sudden interruption during the Sacrificial Ritual.

One could see Orisi's incredibly observant eyes suddenly freeze the moment he saw the altar.

He seemed not to have expected it to be on such a massive scale, and his expression stiffened.

His mind recalled Xia Nan's earlier mention of "using the civilians and adventurers on the island as sacrifices," as well as the unusually empty town they had passed on their way there.

Under Xia Nan's gaze, Orisi slowly turned his head, a bizarre expression of things exceeding his expectations written on his face. "Mr. Xia Nan, could you please tell me a bit more about the Shark Beast monster you killed?"