Goblin Heavy Dependence

Chapter 413 Morton's Past

Qiaoyan Village is relatively poor and is basically self-sufficient in its daily life.

But just as Qingmai Village is to the Misty Forest, and Cuixi Village is to the River Valley Town.

Located only five days' voyage from Barracuda Bay, and with the abundant catches in the sea, the villagers here live a much more comfortable and prosperous life than the residents of the remote inland villages where Colin was born.

At least there's something to look forward to.

If one day while fishing at sea, you catch a few rare fish, it could provide food for the whole family for a whole year.

Given this premise, the residents of Qiaoyan Island all make a living by fishing, and sometimes they do have some spare money, which allows them to improve their quality of life.

Therefore, Qiaoyan Village, under the leadership of the village chief, would gather information on the necessary supplies every quarter or every six months, raise funds together, and entrust a reliable fleet of ships to purchase and transport them.

It is not isolated from the world; this small island maintains communication with the outside world.

However, because the island itself is not particularly outstanding, and the intervals between each purchase are too long, the adventurers in Barracuda Bay have little impression of this remote village, and few of them have the leisure to take the initiative to contact the local residents after the goods are delivered to learn more about the island.

If Xia Nan had inquired with the fishmongers at the harbor instead of the drunken adventurers in the tavern, he might have gotten some information about Cliff Village.

Steven did have some guesses about the "Flying Fish Oil Barrel" pirate ship that was currently docked at the pier.

As the village chief of Qiaoyan Village, he was well aware of the quantity of goods purchased this time.

We know that a medium-sized cargo ship is fully capable of carrying it all, and no additional ships are needed for transportation.

Furthermore, judging from the wooden boat's low and slender appearance, it didn't resemble a normal cargo ship at all; rather, it looked more like some kind of...

"Pirate ship."

"It's not information worth hiding," Xia Nan replied rather directly to the man in front of him who was cautiously probing.

"On the way here, we had some bad luck; we ran into a bunch of ignorant pirates."

"Fortunately, their strength is relatively average, so they did not cause any damage to our fleet."

Seeing Steven's thoughtful expression, Xia Nan lowered her voice slightly, stared into his eyes, and changed the subject:
"I heard that a monster has been suspected to have appeared near your village?"

Upon hearing this, Steven's eyes lit up and he leaned forward involuntarily.

"Yes, you've heard about it too?"

"The first time was two months ago, when Old Crow, who lived at the northernmost part of the village, was on his way home alone after mooring his boat..."

As if he had misunderstood Xia Nan's meaning, the village chief began to recount the whole incident in great detail.

Out of politeness, and also for safety reasons over the next two days, Xia Nan listened patiently to the other party's introduction.

Everyone knew that the monster that attacked the village was huge, cunning and ferocious, and always left behind extremely tragic scenes, but no one had ever seen its true form.

The closest they ever came was when a child hiding in the bushes saw the other person reflected on the ground, a deep shadow with fins on their back.

After the village chief finished his introduction, Xia Nan slowly asked again:
“I understand the situation, but as far as I know, you seem to have already issued a request to the Adventurers' Guild?”

“That’s right.” Steven nodded repeatedly. “Judging from the release time, if all goes well, adventurers may have already accepted the mission and are heading this way. Perhaps before you leave, sir…”

He only got halfway through his sentence before suddenly seeming to realize something.

Suddenly turning around, he looked at the "pirate ship" on the dock.

Seeing Steven's reaction, Xia Nan realized he had guessed, and having no intention of deceiving him, replied:
"I'm sorry, it seems you'll have to wait a little longer."

"We only discovered their route map and mission assignments while cleaning the pirate ship's cabins."

"But rest assured, Gregory and I have already discussed this, and he will report the relevant intelligence to the Association as soon as we return to Barracuda Bay."

"Your requests will soon be relisted on the association's lower-level task panel."

This is also one of the operational procedures entrusted by the Adventurers' Guild.

Adventurers vary in strength, and unexpected situations arise frequently during missions.

Even those high-level adventurers who have reached the "extraordinary" level cannot guarantee that they will complete the quests they have accepted 100%.

In this case, apart from some bounty missions, many similar investigation and hunting commissions will have an implicit time limit that varies flexibly depending on the difficulty of the mission after being accepted.

This time is usually relatively ample, enough to perform the task two to three times.

However, if the adventurer who accepted the commission fails to return and complete the task before the deadline, the association will assume that the adventurer encountered danger during the mission and could not continue, and will put the commission back on the market.

Of course, there are many related details behind this rule, such as how to distribute the mission rewards for adventurers who return after the deadline, compensation for teams that find the mission has already been completed after accepting it, and detailed standards for setting time limits...

However, given the current situation, if Xia Nan and the others do nothing and simply deliver the goods and return home, the people of Cliff Rock Village will likely have to wait a long time until the association's time limit expires before new adventurers can accept the mission.

However, if Xia Nan and the others who killed the "Flying Fish Oil Barrel" adventurer team return to Harbor Bay and proactively explain the situation to the association, they can save the residents of Cliff Rock Village a lot of time.

"Thank you, thank you so much, Mr. Xia Nan!"

Steven's expression was sincere, showing no trace of resentment.

Perhaps deep down, there was a grudge against the adventurers who helped their village investigate monsters, who were then dealt with by the Black Gull crew along the way.

But at least on the surface, his behavior was very respectable.

Steven knew it.

The reason this powerful young adventurer said this was also to imply that the Black Gull fleet would not help Cliff Rock Village investigate the surrounding monsters.

The village chief understood this.

After all, one is a guard helping to transport goods, and the other requires investigation and hunting in dangerous places; the nature of their missions is different.

The former only requires making normal travel plans, while the latter requires targeted preparation based on the specific conditions of the destination environment and detailed information about the monsters to be dealt with.

Any seasoned adventurer with a certain level of expertise and experience would never accept a request from us on a temporary basis.

This is very dangerous.

Therefore, Steven wisely avoided the topic and did not bring up any requests that he knew would be rejected.

To some extent, even if it's just a verbal promise, adventurers like the black-haired youth named "Xia Nan" who are willing to explain the specifics and promise to relay the information after returning home are extremely rare.

It was already good enough that he didn't ask them to pay for the "losses" they suffered from encountering pirates on their way there; how could he dare to ask for more?

It was still early, and behind them, the crew members were clinking glasses and laughing. Ahead, on the dock, a few villagers could be vaguely seen being led by the crew members who remained behind to check the cargo. Moving, resupplying, and inspecting and repairing all required time.

It seems we'll have to wait until tomorrow or the day after to set sail and leave.

Leaning back against the wall, Xia Nan crossed her arms and gazed at the shimmering blue sea in the distance, chatting idly with Steven, thus learning a little about the local customs and culture.

"So the villagers basically make a living by fishing?"

“Yes, Mr. Xia Nan.” The village chief nodded, a hint of helplessness on his face. “After all, in a small place like ours, if we try to fill our stomachs with the crops we grow, several families will probably starve to death every year.”

"Fortunately, it's not far from Suoyu Bay. Occasionally, if we catch something good, we can sell it at the market there to supplement our household income."

"Has no one considered settling down in Suyu Bay?"

After all, it is one of the largest cities among the southern islands, and it is so close to other places. If people are really in dire straits, finding a job in Suoyu Bay is an option for the residents here, in Xia Nan's opinion.

Steven simply shook his head with a puzzled expression.

Those who wanted to go have already gone.

For the villagers living on Qiaoyan Island, the advantages and disadvantages of relocating to Suoyu Bay are very clear.

For adventurers like Xia Nan who possess considerable strength and high income, or artisans with a skill, or wealthy merchants with substantial assets, the environment of Suckerfish Bay is undoubtedly better.

After all, in a bustling metropolis like that, as long as you have money, you can get anything.

But for ordinary people without any special skills, there are many more things to consider.

This is a very real issue.

From the perspective of food and lodging alone, unless one is blessed by the goddess of fortune or the goddess of the sea, it would be very difficult for an ordinary fisherman to barely cover his food and lodging expenses with his income.

However, if one accidentally contracts a disease or suffers an injury requiring professional treatment, the additional expenses will instantly disrupt this balance.

They sold their fishing boats and incurred debts.

From a self-sufficient fisherman to a penniless vagrant on the streets, it only took one night.

This is why there are so many small towns and villages in the Southern Islands.

Based on the few words revealed by the village chief, Xia Nan quickly understood the reason after a little thought.

Knowing that he was powerless to change the situation and that there was nothing he could do with his current strength, he changed the subject and started talking about other things on the island.

"On the way here, you mentioned that the fishermen in the village are all very skilled?"

Upon hearing this, Steven's weathered face broke into a smile.

“Mr. Xia Nan, don’t underestimate the size of our Qiaoyan Island. The surrounding waters are teeming with fish, and we always manage to catch something, more or less, every time we go out to sea.”

“With this approach, even a novice with little experience can become an excellent fisherman.”

“There are even guests from Suyu Bay who come to stay on the island for a while every year, specifically to fish.”

"Oh?"

Hearing this, Xia Nan immediately became interested.

His experience with the Air Force aboard the Black Gull was still fresh in his mind. Even though his fishing gear was indeed a bit lacking, given his personality, how could he possibly compromise on that?

"You mean... you can serve any fish you want here?"

"It's not as exaggerated as you say, but as long as you find a good spot and squat there all day, you'll eventually get something out of it."

Steven replied.

“There is a guest living on the north side of the island from Suyu Bay who came here specifically to fish. He arrived a few days earlier than you.”

"The north?" Xia Nan frowned slightly, recalling, "Isn't that all reefs and cliffs? Can people live there?"

“Oh, Mr. Morton built a cottage here when he stayed here before, and that guest is staying there now.”

Morton!?

The long-sought goal suddenly emerged from the mouth of the village chief on this remote island in an extremely abrupt manner.

This made Xia Nan's heart skip a beat.

On the surface, he remained calm, but he had already directly changed the subject.

"This Mr. Morton you mentioned... the name sounds familiar. Could you introduce him?"

"Of course!"

Not noticing anything strange, and taking it as a normal inquiry, Steven answered without hesitation.

"It must have been thirty or forty years ago, when I was just a young man who hadn't been to sea many times. A distinguished gentleman unexpectedly came to our village because of a shipwreck."

“He was seriously injured at the time, and even the oldest woman in the village shook her head when she saw him.”

"Fortunately, Mr. Morton is a strong professional. We only helped him treat his wounds a little and provided him with food and water every day, and he managed to get through it on his own."

"After that, he settled down on the island and built a small cabin on the cliff on the north side. He would also help us drive away any pirates we encountered."

"This went on for more than a year. Then he went back to Suoyu Bay, built his own fleet, and would occasionally stop by the village to see us and bring us some supplies."

"But for some reason, I haven't seen him since more than 20 years ago. I don't know if he encountered some accident."

The more he listened, the more interested he seemed. Forcibly suppressing the turbulent emotions within him, Xia Nan remained expressionless, and asked with a hint of probing in his tone:

"Did this Mr. Morton you mentioned... leave anything behind?"

“What was left behind?” Steven tried to recall. “If there’s anything that might have been left behind, it’s probably just that little cabin.”

"But the cabin is built on a cliff, and it's too dangerous to climb up unless you're a professional. So over the years, very few people in the village have ever been there."

"If you are interested in this story, you may consider going to take a look, but be careful, the stones there are sharp and slippery, and it is difficult to keep your footing."

Xia Nan nodded to indicate that she understood.

"Tell me the address."

(End of this chapter)