Goblin Heavy Dependence

Chapter 415 The Hollow, the Fishman

This "Limunia silver barracuda," which men described as incredibly rare, certainly gave off an expensive vibe at first glance, at least in terms of its appearance.

It is about two feet long, with a slender body like a forged silver cone, and its widest part is no more than three fingers. The smooth lines taper from the head to the sharp tail.

From a distance, the scales appear as a dazzling silver-white layer. Upon closer inspection, one can discover iridescent light that shimmers on the surface as the angle changes. A slightly raised, pale golden ridge extends from the back edge of the gill cover to the end of the fish's tail, resembling a metal wire.

What's most special is the silver barracuda's eyes.

Its large, round shape occupies almost a third of the side of its head, and its transparent cornea is like a crystal ball, reflecting the dark vertical pupil behind it, which looks like a slit.

These fish eyes were supposed to help it identify prey and determine direction in the seawater, but now, they could only reflect two blurry figures as the water gradually dried out.

The silver barracuda lay quietly on the cutting board, but a gentle tap on the back of its head with a finger joint rendered it completely powerless.

The man held a sharp, gleaming short blade and gently stabbed it between the fish's eyes, just above its head. The silver barracuda lost its life in a final tremor.

His movements were more skillful than those of the fishmongers at the fish stall. He held the fish's head down with his left hand, and with his right hand, he held the knife flat against the fish's body, gently pushing it from the tail towards the head against the scales.

With a sharp "hiss," the fine, silvery-white scales that refracted iridescent light, clinging to the thin, transparent membrane, shed their sheath under the blade, revealing the tender, slightly pinkish fish flesh beneath.

The fish's belly was smoothly cut along the natural texture of the fin base, avoiding all the internal viscera sacs. The tip of the knife severed the fascia, and with a gentle grab of the fingers inside the belly, the entire set of internal organs was completely removed.

The blade tip pierced the fish again, cutting along the spine. With a slight press of the left hand against the fish flesh, the spine and skull were removed like a comb.

One minute, or it could be thirty seconds.

The movements were so fluid and skillful that they drew everyone's attention, and even time seemed to slow down.

When I realized what was happening, only two pale pink, translucent pieces of fish remained on the cutting board.

The fish was simply cut and not arranged on a fancy plate; the fish meat was simply piled neatly on two plates.

There was no scorching or any complicated treatment.

The man simply sprinkled some coarse rock salt on the surface of the fish before handing the plate to Xia Nan, who was standing to the side.

"Try it, I hope you like it."

Although the fish looked incredibly tempting, Xia Nan remained vigilant.

First, use your senses to carefully observe the food and the other person's expression to check for anything unusual. Then, watch as the other person puts the fish slice into their mouth, chews, and swallows it right in front of you.

Only then did he concentrate, carefully sensing the fish while picking up the thickest piece of fish meat from the middle section and putting it directly into his mouth.

The texture is unexpectedly bouncy and smooth, with a slightly cool and refreshing sensation on the tongue. When the teeth cut into it, there is no resistance at all, just like some kind of solidified fat. But at the moment of biting it, you can feel the elasticity of the muscle fibers breaking.
Without any fishy smell typical of marine life, what bursts in the mouth is a deep and refreshing sweetness. The rough, mineral flavor of the salt grains adds more layers to the fish, perfectly combining the sharp saltiness with the tender and juicy fish.

She knows how to fish, and she also has such a great appetite...

Although Xia Nan didn't show it outwardly, her impression of the man in front of her was rising sharply.

The two seemed to have developed a tacit understanding when it came to enjoying food.

No one speaks.

Just as Xia Nan put the last piece of fish on the plate in front of her into her mouth, chewed and swallowed it, the man timely brought her a cup of steaming hot water, which she took a sip of.

Only then did he tentatively open his mouth and ask:
"I heard you came from Suyu Bay?"

"Just call me 'Ellison'." The man nodded slightly, appearing remarkably relaxed.

From the patient waiting while fishing to the focused and attentive way he enjoyed the fish, he demonstrated a heartfelt love for food.

Even though he didn't know the name of the black-haired youth in front of him, he had already implicitly accepted him.

"There is a sizable coral reef near Qiaoyan Island, which is located at the confluence of two ocean currents. Fishing here often yields some good catches, like that silver barracuda we just saw."

Ellison exhaled a breath of hot air, holding his water glass in his right hand, and replied.

To be honest, the moment Xia Nan climbed onto the reef and saw the other person's back from the edge of the cliff...

What came to mind was an idea that sounded somewhat melodramatic, highly dramatic, but not impossible.

Perhaps... the man from Barracuda Bay before me is none other than Lelo Morton, the one I've been searching for who died more than twenty years ago in an attack by "Algae Scale" Dodd?

But now, when the other person actually took off his cloak and hood and sat in front of him, Xia Nan rejected his guess.

On the one hand, Lelo Morton disappeared only 27 years ago, and many elderly people in Cliff Rock Village, including the village chief, have seen him in person and even had close contact with him. There is no reason why they would not recognize him.
On the other hand, based on the intelligence regarding Lelo Morton's age, if he were still alive today, he would be at least seventy or eighty years old.

But the man sitting across the table, named "Ellison," looked to be only in his early forties, and his age didn't seem to be due to natural rejuvenation caused by supernatural power.

Xia Nan observed very carefully.

Although the man appeared somewhat carefree and willful amidst his dejection, his words and actions lacked the world-weariness that comes with decades of experience.

Of course, the fact that the other party is fishing near Morton's former residence on the island at this time makes it hard not to suspect that he may have some connection with the missing inland nobleman.

If we follow the typical process of gathering intelligence, Xia Nan should approach the conversation indirectly, make a few digressions, use skillful conversation techniques to build rapport, and then subtly bring up the information the other party wants to know when they are off guard, thus obtaining the information through indirect means.

But as everyone knows, he is not good with words.

Xia Nan prefers to solve problems with the blade in his hand rather than with words.

Sometimes, even if you have prepared the appropriate words beforehand, mistakes may still occur during the actual operation for various reasons, or even have a negative effect.

On his way here from Cliff Village, he had already prepared several different reconnaissance plans in his mind, based on Ellison's possible personality and attitude towards him.

But now, after actually getting to know him, Xia Nan's intuition tells him that perhaps... he could be more direct.

"Do you know Lelo Morton?"

There was no pre-launch hype or any build-up whatsoever.

Almost the instant Ellison finished introducing the abundant fishery resources near Cliff Island, Xia Nan threw the important question he wanted to know right in his face.

At the same time, with all his senses activated, his dark eyes were fixed on the man in front of him, carefully observing even the slightest change in the muscles on the other man's face.

Ellison's reaction was quite interesting.

Clearly not expecting Xia Nan's direct attack, he was taken aback for a moment, then his pupils trembled and contracted slightly, as if surprised by the name spoken by the other party.

But in the next instant, he immediately regained his original calm expression.

"I've never heard of this name."

Ellison replied in this way.

He's lying. Xia Nan is almost certain of it.

The expression on the man's face just now did not seem like the reaction one would have upon hearing the name of a stranger.

However, although I have always been direct, I am not so direct as to lack emotional intelligence.

Since the other party is so secretive and deliberately pretends not to know, if I continue to press them for answers, the conversation may just end there.

It was their first meeting, and he hoped to get some useful information from the other person; there was no need to make the atmosphere so awkward.

So he didn't point it out directly, but nodded slightly in agreement.

Perhaps realizing that his change in expression had been noticed by the black-haired youth opposite him, the man leaned back in his chair, completely slumping his eyes.

"Aside from the noisy seagulls that defecate everywhere, North Cliff doesn't often get visitors."

“I don’t know this ‘Lello Morton’ you’re talking about. You climbed all the way from Cliff Village to here, surely not for me?”

Upon hearing this, Xia Nan nodded. Since things had already been so direct, there was no point in hiding it anymore.

“I heard that this cabin is the former home of Lelo Morton, who lived here for a long time, so I thought I’d come and see it.”

This time, Ellison paused for a slightly longer time, his slightly cloudy eyes shrouded in shadow cast by his high brows, making it impossible to discern any change in his expression.

After a long while, he opened his mouth again:
"There's nothing you're looking for in the house."

Xia Nan's heart skipped a beat: "How did you know what I wanted?"

"Wealth, power, strength—all things that can change one's destiny. Aren't these what people at sea pursue?"

Ellison picked up his bone-white fishing rod from the wall and carefully arranged it.

"You're not the first one here."

“Didn’t Steven tell you that over the years, many people have come to North Cliff with scimitars and greed? They smashed every plank, hollowed out every crevice, and searched every place where things could be hidden.”

"I rebuilt and restored this wooden house myself."

"If there's anything in the house that you like, feel free to take it; I don't mind."

Xia Nan seemed to be deep in thought.

"So... the original owner of this wooden house left nothing behind?"

"Leave behind? Leave behind what?" Ellison shook his head slightly. "A will? A treasure map? Or a whole chest of gold coins?"

“Friend, this is ‘Cliff Island’, and its greatest treasure is the fish below the cliff.”

“If the person who built the wooden house really had something they couldn’t bear to leave behind…” He turned to look at the boundless blue sky outside the window, “they would naturally take it with them, even if it meant throwing it into the sea, rather than leaving it to a complete stranger.”

"Oh?" Xia Nan raised an eyebrow, staring intently at the other person. "How do you know he would definitely do that?"

“Because…” The man remained silent for a long time.

"If it were me, I would do the same."

"..."

As dawn broke, the misty fog gradually dissipated under the bright sunshine, and the surface of the sea refracted a shimmering light like fish scales.

A ray of sunlight shone through the window, dispelling the last trace of chill from inside the wooden house.

He drank the lukewarm water on the table in one gulp.

Xia Nan prepared to leave.

His intangible senses had already begun to work when he followed the other man into the cabin. Taking advantage of Ellison's preparation of the fish sashimi and the opportunity to eat and talk, he carefully examined every corner of the cabin.

Nothing was found.

But having finally found a clue, it's still a little hard to give up.

Before leaving, Xia Nan asked one last question:
"Isn't there anything else?"

"Anywhere he might have left something?"

Ellison hesitated for a moment for no apparent reason, which made Xia Nan feel that there was a chance.

"The northern waters of Qiaoyan Island are filled with sharp reefs and dangerous undercurrents, and even the local residents of Qiaoyan Village rarely dare to venture out."

“I’ve been fishing here for more than a year or two. Sometimes I have to go up and down the cliff to find the best fishing spot. In some ways, I’m even more familiar with the environment here than Steven and his team.”

The man paused, seemingly considering whether to continue.

But then he glanced at the exceptionally fine equipment of the black-haired youth in front of him and sensed the refined aura that set him apart from ordinary adventurers.

In the end, they continued talking.

"Further north, at the end of this rocky mountain, eighty feet down from the edge of the cliff, there is a hollow."

“I once caught a glimpse of it from afar during low tide and vaguely saw some traces of human habitation, but I didn’t go any closer because the cave was in such a dangerous location.”

"I can't guarantee you'll find anything there, but if it's just a clue, the hole might be helpful."

Upon hearing this, Xia Nan's heart stirred, and he immediately set this place as his next target.

"Why are you telling me this?"

Ellison lowered his head slightly, hiding half of his face in shadow.

"Because you don't look like those pirates and mercenaries, at least... you're very patient."

"But please be careful, as fishmen often appear near the sea on the North Cliff. Those little creatures are very fierce and carry crude weapons salvaged from the seabed. They come in groups, just like goblins."

"If it is absolutely unavoidable, it is best to fight on the shore. Otherwise, if these fishmen jump into the sea, even the best swimmers will not be able to catch them."

After hearing such a detailed introduction, Xia Nan stood up, her expression sincere, and extended her right hand to the other person:

"Thank you for the information. My name is Xia Nan. After we return to Suyu Bay, you can come find me at the Three-Legged Sea Dog. I'll treat you to a drink."

Ellison reached out and shook hands with Xia Nan, grinning slightly.

"It's just a matter of a word or two, nothing at all."

(End of this chapter)