Goblin Heavy Dependence

Chapter 411 Cliff Island

Xia Nan and his companions' destination was a remote island called "Qiaoyan Island," about a five-day voyage from Suoyu Bay.

The island itself is not famous. Although a certain number of sea people have settled here for many years, its geographical location far from popular shipping routes means that, apart from the pirates who roam around, few people pass by here on this vast ocean.

Before setting off, Xia Nan had inquired about "Qiaoyan Island" at the Three-Legged Seal Tavern, but found almost nothing.

All we know is that a considerable number of islanders live here, and the fishing industry is doing quite well. Occasionally, you can see a few lucky fishermen who claim to be from Qiaoyan Island, bringing rare fish species they have caught to sell in Suoyu Bay.

No one could give him an accurate answer regarding the specific population of the island, the size of the towns or villages, or whether there were any noteworthy figures.

Even when Xia Nan inquired with Hera, the tavern owner, the elegant middle-aged woman seemed to know very little, making Xia Nan, who was used to making thorough preparations before traveling, feel uncertain.

But it was just a regular cargo escort mission: travel, arrive at the destination, unload and rest, replenish supplies, and then set off for the return journey.

If you don't want to interact with the locals, you don't even need to get off the boat; you don't need to think too much about it.

Yet this remote island, where even intelligence gathering places like the "Three-Legged Sea Dog" struggle to obtain detailed information, has now become the common target of both the Black Gull and the "Flying Fish Oil Barrel" pirate ship.

While searching for loot on the pirate ship, the sailors on the Black Gull discovered the navigation charts of Bourne and his crew, whose destination was "Cliff Rock Isle".

There was even a quest request from the Adventurers' Guild on the table in the captain's cabin.

……

[Mission ID]: D-89367
[Type]: Investigation/Hunting
[Reward]: 500-1000 Gold / 15-30 Points
[Task Summary]:
In recent months, there has been a surge in disappearances of islanders living on "Cliff Isle," and monster footprints have been discovered around the villages. Adventurers with relevant experience are now needed to investigate. Rewards will be given based on the success of the mission.

[Time Limit]: 30 days

……

Xia Nan frowned slightly as he looked at the mission assignment he had received from Captain Gregory.

He had never heard of any monsters attacking people on Cliff Island while he was in the tavern.

However, since the information comes from the Adventurers' Guild, its accuracy is extremely high.

Given the association's exaggerated information channels—they can even mark the exact location of goblin lairs—it's normal that they're more well-informed than the adventurers in Barracuda Bay.

Considering that they happened to encounter the "Flying Fish Oil Barrel" team during their voyage.

The commission was probably accepted as soon as it was posted, and before any information could even spread among the adventurers, the two left the harbor one after the other.

Xia Nan certainly had no intention of taking on the task and continuing it himself.

On the one hand, they were unclear about the specifics of the monsters mentioned in the commission and did not want to take unnecessary risks;
On the other hand, even if he had such thoughts and even completed the hunt for the monster, he would not be able to obtain the association's commission reward.

This is a rule explicitly stated in the Adventurers' Guild.

For tasks that have already been registered with the association—specifically those professional-level commissions with corresponding level numbers on the second floor of the association—unless they are bounties with extremely long time limits, short-term tasks like the one that must be completed within a month must have team members present when they are delivered.

Otherwise, even if you have the team badge, you won't be able to claim the reward.

I remember when Xia Nan first transmigrated to this world, he used the "Stinky Fish and Shrimp (Bow of the Mountains)" team badge to receive mission rewards, thus earning his first pot of gold.

Now that I've become a professional, there's no longer any loophole to exploit.

This can be seen as a form of implicit protection from the association for experienced adventurers who have already obtained professional ranks and are worth nurturing.

Otherwise, it could easily foster "hunter" gangs that specialize in intercepting commissions, waiting for other adventurer teams to complete their missions and then ambush them halfway through, in order to efficiently seize wealth.

It affected the development of the Adventurers' Guild on the continent of Elfala.

In conclusion, Xia Nan can forget about getting those several hundred gold coins from the mission request.

However, these are not what he cares about right now.

Regarding that one, or rather that group of unknown monsters active on Cliff Island, for some reason, the request did not provide detailed information.

Although it's also possible that further information can only be obtained from the association's receptionist after accepting the mission.

But for Xia Nan, all he knew was the mission request he was currently seeing; there was no further information.

Fortunately, the association has a clear classification of task difficulty levels, so you only need to look at the characters before the task number.

The investigation/hunting quest for the unknown monster on Cliff Isle has a difficulty level of "D".

Based on Xia Nan's past experiences, the Morton family's bounty on the red dragon "Krogbarry" who stole their family's heirloom was a B-level quest; the source of "Tears of Spring," the beastman "Mint" hidden in the adventurer's party, was a E-level quest.

He has also taken on D-level missions before.

The petrified lizard that almost created a time machine for itself before becoming material for the [Emberfall] straight sword, was at this quest level.

I know that the association has a very complex and difficult-to-explain method for assessing the level of a commission, which takes into account a large number of factors, and the level of a mission cannot be simply interpreted as its degree of danger.

Even though he didn't intend to get involved, he still unconsciously became more vigilant.

What seemed like an ordinary cargo delivery mission took an unexpected turn midway through.

This feeling of déjà vu made Xia Nan feel a little strange.

I subconsciously turned my head to look at the edge of the deck not far away.

There, the halfling Alton was standing on tiptoe, clinging to the railing, straining to stick his head out, staring wide-eyed at the sea below where pirate corpses floated and blood was everywhere.

"Hey, there's movement, Xia Nan!"

"Just two more minutes and I can cast my line. I guarantee a big catch!"

Calmly withdrawing his gaze from the other person, Xia Nan turned his attention to Captain Gregory of the Black Gull, who looked somewhat hesitant, and said:

"These pirates' missions are none of our business, so we won't participate. We'll just stick to the original plan."

"But we need to explain the specific situation to the crew members. They should be careful when they get there and it's best not to leave the village."

Upon hearing this, the dark-skinned man in front of him visibly breathed a sigh of relief.

"understand!"

He nodded heavily.

……

……

Xia Nan ultimately failed to catch the so-called "big catch" that Alton had mentioned.

The pieces of flesh and limbs floating on the sea surface were indeed very effective at attracting fish. In no time, they attracted many fish. He even saw several huge shadows that looked like sharks swimming across the surface.

But perhaps this was precisely why the baiting was so effective, backfiring and hindering his fishing. Even as the blood in the seawater gradually diluted and the crew finished their cleanup, he still hadn't caught his desired catch.

In the end, Xia Nan even thought that maybe he could get more efficient by going into the water and grabbing it with his hands.

I've already made up my mind to take a good look around the fishing tackle shops when I get back to Suoyu Bay.

If your skills are average and you still can't catch fish, then it can only be a problem with your equipment.

Xia Nan has always been persistent in this regard and has a perseverance that far exceeds that of ordinary people.

In addition, life at sea is monotonous and boring.

For the next two days, apart from his daily rest and training, he devoted all his spare time to fishing.

As for the result... it can only be said that it further solidified his idea of ​​updating his fishing gear.

In addition, the Black Gull had many experienced crew members who had been sailing for many years.

His prize, the pirate ship "Flying Fish Oil Barrel," was also taken by the sailors who volunteered to steer and control the sails, following behind the Black Gull.

The two ships, one in front of the other, were quite different in shape and size, but from a distance they looked rather similar.

"Shh!"

Clear water rushed across the deck, washing away the remaining bird droppings.

Colin, slightly out of breath, placed the empty bucket at his feet, wiped the sweat from his forehead with his sleeve, and subconsciously straightened his back to relieve the soreness in his back muscles.

From exhaustion and boredom to current numbness.

Today, five days at sea have completely shattered the young man from a remote village's romanticized view of the "sailor" profession.

If you feel bored at first, you can comfort yourself with reasons like, "That's just how it is when you go to sea. You'll get excited when you encounter something special at sea."

The boarding action two days ago completely shattered his illusions.

To be honest, Colin's performance at that time was already very good for a sailor.

Having apprenticed with the village hunters since childhood, his years of shooting experience allowed him to make significant contributions in battle with the hand crossbow given to him by the boatswain, killing one and wounding two.

But after the battle, Colin felt no excitement or joy.

I just felt my mind go blank, as if I were in a daze.

Subconsciously, I recalled the image of my own arrow piercing through the body of another of my kind. I smelled the intensely pungent stench of blood that filled my nostrils with the sea breeze. I saw the blood-red mass of mangled flesh and severed limbs on the opposite deck.

Unfortunately, Colin threw up all of his breakfast.

He initially thought it was just the unfamiliarity of his first time at sea and wanted to toughen himself up, so he even forced himself to take on the job of cleaning the pirate ship's deck.

As a result, she vomited twice more while cleaning up, and eventually her abdomen started to spasm from vomiting.

"If you can't be an adventurer, you can't even be a sailor..."

"What can I possibly do?"

The series of setbacks left Colin feeling utterly lost and confused.

He didn't expect to be like Mr. Xia Nan, whose mentality seemed completely unaffected after the battle, and who could still sit calmly fishing by the ship's side.

But at the very least, they shouldn't have behaved so poorly.

Perhaps... going back to Soi Lek Bay to run a grocery store with Uncle Paddy is the path I should take?

"Colin, come watch my fishing rod for a bit."

Not far ahead, Xia Nan keenly sensed the boy's dejected mood and waved to him.

“Your brother Alton said he’s going to make a pot of seafood chowder this morning. I’ll go to the kitchen and see, and I’ll serve you a bowl to try later.”

"Thank you, Mr. Xia Nan, I..."

Colin straightened his posture and answered.

Before he could finish speaking, a fishing rod was shoved into his hand.

"Fish well, and if you catch something valuable, Gregory will give you a bonus when we get back to port."

Since the encounter with the "Flying Fish Oil Barrel" two days ago, Xia Nan's reputation on the Black Gull has received an epic boost.

Previously, in the eyes of the crew, he was merely a "professional sir" who required respect but whom they encountered on almost every voyage.

Currently, its status has risen dramatically, becoming an existence outside the norm—carried with a sense of awe and fear.

As for the reason, one aspect is naturally his exaggerated feat of beheading seven professionals who belonged to the "big shot" level all by himself in a very short period of time.

On the other hand, it was because of the horrific scene he left on the deck after the battle.

In fact, when facing enemies other than goblins, Xia Nan's methods are very clean; he only cuts off their heads and doesn't torture them too much.

However, once the skill level of [Fang Hunt] reaches "Mastery", in addition to its own displacement effect, it also comes with a certain amount of impact damage.

The wolf howled, and its body was enveloped in a fierce wind as sharp as blades. If an ordinary person were to be accidentally caught in it, it would be no different than being caught in a meat grinder.

Xia Nan himself found the corpses, riddled with holes, utterly filthy.

Not to mention the sailors who stood on the opposite deck and witnessed the whole thing.

In addition, the changes in the "Silver Claw Osprey" squad create an extremely strong sense of contrast.

Captain Nick's smile was more natural, and at times even seemed a bit obsequious;
Since the encounter, the orc Boneka had not shown any resentment on his face. He may not have been very shrewd, but having grown up in a tribe, he knew that when facing someone far stronger than himself, he needed to minimize his presence and keep quiet.
The usually haughty half-elf Leda, as before, subconsciously avoided Xia Nan's gaze. But now, after lowering her head, she also forced herself to raise her head, straighten her neck, and force a smile at Xia Nan, as if afraid that he would think she was not respecting her enough.

It can only be said that in the adventurer industry, especially for those with some experience whose advancement has slowed down.

Compared to so-called "interpersonal skills," "emotional regulation," "adaptability," and "conflict management"...

Strength is the best medicine for solving all problems and conflicts.

Xia Nan handed the fishing rod to Colin and stood up. Before he could even enter the cabin, a loud horn blast suddenly rang out from the captain's cabin.

As if realizing something, he turned and looked towards the distant sea.

A towering, precipitous island, its rock walls piercing the sea like dark swords, comes into view amidst the surging waves and thick morning mist.

We've arrived at Qiaoyan Island.

(End of this chapter)