Chapter 602 All Settled

Under normal circumstances, a standard Rare (blue) quality piece of equipment with average stats across the board would sell on the market for around 5,000 gold.

Of course, in most cases, demand far outstripped supply.

Adventurers or collectors who could afford this grade of equipment were rarely stingy when they found a piece that suited them. Because of the unique nature of the adventurer profession, some of the more radical individuals were even willing to sink their entire net worth into upgrading their gear, completely ignoring savings or investments.

To some extent, Xia Nan also belonged to this category.

However, as a lone wolf, he earned money so efficiently that his depleted coffers quickly recovered every time he dropped a fortune to forge equipment. He often bounced back with even more wealth than he had before spending, so he never seemed financially strapped.

He also had to thank the countless Green-Skinned Goblins in the forest for their support. Even if he overspent on gear from time to time, he never fell to the point of not being able to afford a meal. He could still drink a few bowls of cream of mushroom soup every day and maintain a decent standard of living.

Right now, the situation with the [Flame-Scale Hybrid] was a bit complicated.

The equipment quality displayed on the longsword's Attribute Panel was undoubtedly the blue Rare tier, but the few key attributes in its effects column that gave it a qualitative edge all required the wielder to meet the "dragonborn" mixed-blood condition to unlock.

This was an excessively harsh requirement, which would obviously impact the longsword's selling price to a great extent.

On the other hand, because it was the personal sword of "Algae Scale" Dodd—the infamous great pirate who had recently caused an uproar in Barracuda Bay over the Stodd Island incident—the weapon itself had gained a certain premium from his notoriety.

With these two factors combined, pricing the equipment became a difficult problem.

Even the senior appraiser in front of him had deliberated for a long time before consulting Xia Nan and cautiously offering the Association's guideline price:

"Let's go with 3,600 gold. After all, this equipment has specific requirements for its wielder, so it will definitely be a bit cheaper than normal weapons of the same quality."

Of course, this didn't mean the [Flame-Scale Hybrid] would ultimately only sell for this price.

Consigning it at the Association was essentially still a type of auction, just not as direct as face-to-face bidding at an auction house.

The 3,600 gold was merely the reserve price the Association had set after comprehensive consideration. Given the current hype surrounding the [Flame-Scale Hybrid] in Barracuda Bay, the final transaction price would likely be much higher.

"Alright, we'll do as you arranged."

Xia Nan nodded slightly, agreeing to the appraiser's pricing suggestion.

His face remained expressionless, maintaining the calm demeanor expected of a veteran Class Holder.

But he had to admit his heart skipped a beat when he heard the number 3,600 gold.

Since transmigrating, Xia Nan had indeed made a lot of money, but this was his first time seeing a single piece of equipment fetch such an exorbitant price.

To some extent, this single [Flame-Scale Hybrid] longsword alone was worth the haul of an entire routine expedition. He couldn't help but sigh inwardly, 'High-level Class Holders like "Algae Scale" Dodd are truly dripping with wealth.'

'Three or four thousand gold coins... how many Goblin Lairs would I have to grind to match that?'

But the risks involved were naturally far greater too.

During this Stodd Island trip, although he hadn't fought Dodd head-on outside the Secret Realm, that Bloodskin Shark Beast had forced him to exhaust all his trump cards. In the end, he even had to use the Crystal Knife he normally used for skinning monster materials. If even the slightest thing had gone wrong, he feared he wouldn't be sitting in the Association's meeting room right now, discussing the selling price of his spoils.

He couldn't let these tempting gains blind his reason; he needed to be even more cautious in the future.

With this, the three major spoils from this adventure all had their appropriate arrangements and were settled in one go. Xia Nan couldn't help but breathe a sigh of relief.

Seen off by the receptionist Mar, Xia Nan left the Adventurers' Association and walked down the street back to the Three-Legged Sea Dog Tavern.

The lingering festive cheer of the Sea Rhythm Festival still hung in the air. Coinciding with the grand celebrations held by the Governor's Mansion for the Stodd Island incident, the streets were exceptionally bustling.

Children who had just received candy from Church Clerics clustered together to play little role-playing games. A bard strummed a melodious tune, recounting a tale of Stodd Island—a story he had coaxed out of an adventurer at the tavern just last night, now made even more convoluted through his artistic embellishments. With the [Dream Weaving Corridor] key in hand, his milestone objective complete, and his loot mostly dealt with, Xia Nan was fully in his post-mission vacation state. Feeling relaxed, he even joined the crowd beside the bard to listen to him play for a while.

It wasn't until he heard the bard utter the title "Sea Fang" that he felt a bit awkward and hurried away.

Along the short stretch from the Association to the Three-Legged Sea Dog Tavern, Xia Nan stopped and started, taking his time.

Nearly two hours later, peeling a honey tangerine he had just bought from a fruit stand, he turned sideways and pushed open the tavern doors with his shoulder. The hall of the Three-Legged Sea Dog Tavern was even livelier than usual.

Familiar faces were scattered across the various tables. Some wore mysterious expressions as they spoke of "Algae Scale" Dodd's conspiracies, while others looked terrified as they vividly acted out the sheer might of the Shark Beast monsters.

Under the deliberate guidance of the Governor's Mansion, news regarding the Stodd Island incident had been hyped to a fever pitch in Barracuda Bay long before Xia Nan and the others even returned.

Now that the survivors who had personally experienced the island's events were back, it was inevitable that curious adventurers would pester them for details.

"Really? Dodd turned the entire island into his advancement ritual!?"

"Why would I lie to you? Grab any adventurer who came back from the island and they can prove it!"

"I heard someone say earlier that when adventurers got swept up in the ritual, they couldn't even control their bodies. Their souls turned into beasts, like entering another world where they had to slaughter each other in animal forms. Is that true?"

"You're pretty well-informed. They were right. Furthermore, dying in the ritual affects your body in the real world too. It's like catching a disease; you become so weak you can't muster any strength at all."

"What exactly was the environment inside the ritual like? Hurry up and tell us!"

"..."

Since his personal strength level clearly hadn't been high enough to be pulled into the Ritual Secret Realm, the impassioned expression of this adventurer—who had only recently arrived at the tavern from the port—faltered in the face of everyone's pressing questions.

For the sake of his pride, he obviously couldn't just admit the truth. His mind spun rapidly as he tried to cook up a few lies to bluff his way past the topic. Just then, Xia Nan's timely appearance at the doorway drew the attention of the surrounding adventurers, cutting the conversation short. Because of Xia Nan's arrival, the originally raucous tavern hall suddenly fell quiet for two seconds before resuming its clamor, as if nothing had happened.

At the same time, however, streams of curious, scrutinizing, and suspicious gazes fell—some covertly, some directly—onto his overly youthful face.

Xia Nan had long expected this, so he didn't show any particular reaction.

It was entirely foreseeable. As the rumors regarding the Sahuagin and "Algae Scale" Dodd spread, his own title of "Sea Fang"—having played a pivotal role in the event—would also become increasingly famous across the Southern Archipelagos.

This was only the beginning. He guessed that his background and identity information had already been placed on the desks of the leaders of various factions by now. If he stayed at sea any longer, it wouldn't be long before people started approaching him.

But Xia Nan's goals were clear, and he had no desire to be dragged into the vortex of these factional disputes. Refusing them later would just lead to another pile of trouble. Fortunately, he had already decided on his way back that once he finished processing his loot, he would return straight to Rivervale Town.

That way, he wouldn't need to worry about the entanglements of these local factions.

Tossing the last slice of tangerine into his mouth, Xia Nan braved the stares and sat down at the tavern's bar counter.

"The usual?" a slightly husky female voice came from behind the counter. Hera, the tavern owner, set down the glass she was wiping and asked with a smile.

"Of course." Xia Nan nodded in greeting.

The so-called "usual" naturally referred to the cream of mushroom soup—an off-menu dish that almost no one but him ever ordered.

During his stay in Barracuda Bay, whenever he came to the tavern to eat, Xia Nan would order a bowl.

Over the past few days, even the back kitchen's soup-making skills had improved significantly.

"Hehe, you've got quite the reputation these days."

Tucking a strand of seaweed-dark green hair behind her ear, Hera smiled, the faint crow's feet at the corners of her eyes crinkling as she teased. "I was even thinking about borrowing your fame and officially adding this 'Seafood Cream of Mushroom Soup' to the menu."

"I imagine there'd be quite a few adventurers willing to try the dish that 'Sea Fang' eats so often."

"I don't mind either way." Xia Nan accepted the glass of water the tavern owner handed him, his tone casual. "I'm just worried it'll ruin your tavern's reputation."

The cuisine in the Southern Archipelagos generally leaned toward the bland side. Most people weren't very accustomed to the sweet, rich, and savory flavor of cream of mushroom soup. This was also why, even though the tavern's kitchen made it every day and their proficiency with the dish had skyrocketed, they had never officially added it to the menu. If they really did as Hera said and used "Sea Fang's" current fame to launch the cream of mushroom soup as an official dish, they might attract a large wave of curious customers in the short term due to the Stodd Island hype. But with Xia Nan's departure and the fading of that hype, this dish—which simply didn't suit the local palate—would soon lose all interest. The cost of wasted ingredients and the subsequent drop in reputation would completely cancel out any initial profits.

"What, are you really that unconfident in your 'Sea Fang' moniker?"

As the actual controller of one of Barracuda Bay's major intelligence hubs, Hera's experience in dealing with people was honed to the absolute limit. Even though Xia Nan hadn't explicitly said it, she could faintly sense his intention to leave Barracuda Bay soon.

Knowing that the black-haired youth before her didn't like beating around the bush, Hera asked directly, "Where do you plan on going next?"

"I'll head back inland first," Xia Nan said, shaking his head. "And then... we'll see."

In the vast majority of cases, ordinary adventurers in this world basically operated around a single core town.

For example, Rivervale Town and Barracuda Bay.

The former sat on the Misty Forest, a resource-rich monster gathering point, while the latter was the heart of the entire Southern Archipelagos.

Usually, once an adventurer carved out a livelihood locally, they wouldn't relocate again unless under special circumstances. Instead, they would continue utilizing local resources to earn money and improve themselves.

But when an adventurer's strength reached a certain level—even obtaining a Class Level—they gained both the ability and the motivation for long-distance travel, migrating between the various Adventurers' Association branches across the Aifala Continent in pursuit of greater profit.

Although Xia Nan claimed he planned to return to Rivervale Town, in reality, if he caught wind of a suspected Secret Realm or news of a suitable new combat technique, he could go anywhere.

His own outstanding combat capabilities gave him the confidence to act freely.

"Then... do you still plan on coming back?" Hera asked next.

Xia Nan was very frank about this.

He just took a sip of the water in his glass, shook his head, and said, "I don't know either."

Having already anticipated this, and noticing the atmosphere turn slightly subdued, tavern owner Hera joked, "Then I'll have to prepare a lot more ingredients for cream of mushroom soup over the next few days. I guarantee you'll get to drink your fill before you leave."

Sensing the goodwill in her words, Xia Nan was just about to speak when he suddenly caught a glimpse of a familiar figure out of the corner of his eye.

'Colin?'

He definitely still remembered this kid.

The boy had originally come to Barracuda Bay together with him.

Like countless other naïve youths leaving their hometowns with hearts full of hope.

Colin had once been a hunter's apprentice in his village. Later, he wanted to become an adventurer like Xia Nan, and after arriving in Barracuda Bay, he had toyed with the idea of becoming a sailor.

But the cruel reality had shattered these dreams one by one.

However, unlike the piles of bleached white bones in the Deep Forest and at the bottom of the sea, Colin had accepted reality.

After realizing that he lacked the courage of an adventurer to face monsters head-on, and that he feared the storms and pirates he might encounter at sea, he abandoned all his previous fantasies of an adventurous life. He obediently followed his uncle—who ran a grocery shop named 'Salmon Roe'—and became a diligent shop apprentice.

The income was nowhere near as high as that of an adventurer or sailor, but it was safe and stable.

And judging by the way he was sweating profusely yet full of energy as he unloaded crates of goods from the carriage at the tavern's entrance and carried them to the warehouse, the kid seemed to have fully adapted to his new life.

"The 'Salmon Roe' grocery shop has been helping me purchase some daily necessities for the tavern recently. They're just small items, so it doesn't earn them much, but you know how it is. They're daily goods, so there are orders every month."

As an intelligence merchant, Hera possessed a shrewd mind and had long since investigated the relationship between the 'Salmon Roe' grocery shop and Xia Nan.

She could have handed a small business like purchasing daily goods to any shop. But if giving it to 'Salmon Roe' could even slightly improve this clearly high-potential young adventurer's impression of her and the Three-Legged Sea Dog Tavern, what harm was there?

Hera didn't try to hide her actions.

And to be honest, Xia Nan truly didn't feel the slightest bit of aversion toward the tavern owner's little scheme.

Taking one last look at Colin's back as he carried the goods, Xia Nan raised his glass to Hera behind the counter and drained the last bit of water. "Thank you. It's nice."