Goblin Heavy Dependence

Chapter 417 Shahua Fishman
Compared to the planet Xia Nan lived on before his transmigration, the continent of Aifara may be quite different in terms of its worldview, cultural environment, and other aspects.

But when the ancients first looked up at the starry sky, the seeds of wisdom sprouted in their minds.

Those thoughts about existence itself, about the world and "I," and the fundamental ideas that drive civilization forward bear a striking resemblance to the development process in this other world and in my previous life.

The concept of "animism," a philosophical idea previously known as panpsychism, resonated with the natural spirit of various races and religions on the continent because it asserted that all things possess a soul and life. This idea was mentioned in various ways and from various perspectives.

The very existence of magical particles in the air has even proven the theory itself.

Some scholars believe that nature inherently possesses life and consciousness, but because it is so vast, ancient, and slow to the point of being eternal, it is beyond the comprehension of normal living beings and thus goes unnoticed.

The celestial gods, who are scattered and hold the power of nature, are the embodiment of the laws of nature. They are different individuals differentiated from the original will of nature and serve as a bridge connecting chaotic forces and intelligent beings.
The flesh and blood creatures on the continent are a more direct and material expression of natural consciousness.

Tree spirits and vine monsters thrive in the forests and trees, while lizard-like beasts and hyenas are hatched in the desert wastelands.

The vastly different natural environments and the primordial, chaotic energies will give rise to different life forms.

The "Shahua Fishmen" are one of the most inconspicuous of the billions of living beings in this world.

Born amidst the waves and brutal plunder of the deep ocean, these creatures, a hybrid of eel, sea shark, and humanoid features of intelligent beings, together constitute this bizarre half-human, half-fish being.

Under normal circumstances, they are considered monsters by adventurers on the high seas, with an average challenge level of "0.5".

However, from another perspective, they had already given birth to primitive civilizations, and could even be described as "intelligent races".

They have their own unique writing system and language, know how to use basic tools, have a relatively long racial history, and have clear social division of labor and class differences within the tribe.

If this trend continues to develop and innovate, it might actually create a maritime civilization that shines like the stars.

Unfortunately, the constraints imposed by other races, as well as the watchful eyes and strategic maneuvering of those great beings above the divine realm, destined these seemingly bright-future fish-men to fight and plunder like wild beasts on the sea, ultimately becoming stepping stones for other major races on the continent.

Lacking highly developed brains, the physical structures of the vast majority of individuals within the Shahua fish-men race are almost entirely designed for adaptation to the environment and combat.

Their streamlined bodies significantly reduce drag when swimming; their huge, dark, ink-like eyes help them capture the faintest light in the dim seabed; their constantly growing and replacing sharp, claw-like teeth, combined with their powerful jaw muscles, allow them to bite their prey with abandon and easily tear apart the shells of shrimp and crabs.

Muscular, with skin covered in fine blue-green scales; sharp claws and thick webbed feet that can be used to tear flesh and paddle effectively; exceptionally strong lower limb muscles, with huge webbed feet that act like propellers in the water, and not slow when moving on land in a crouching position.

With an average height of nearly six feet, these fish-men can easily take on a professionally trained human soldier when armed. If the environment is changed to water, their combat power will increase exponentially.

Their swarming, group-based operations and their bloodthirsty, ruthless raiding practices have earned them the nickname "sea devils" among the islanders.

To some extent, these fishmen and land goblins share similar characteristics.

Of course, this is only a superficial similarity.

In actual experience, you can ultimately feel the difference between the two.

Xia Nan has a deep understanding of this.

It must be admitted that, just like some heavy smokers who have quit smoking for a long time, suddenly smell that all-too-familiar, dreamy scent in the middle of the night when their willpower is weak.

The moment he heard Ellison describe the fishmen as goblins, the desires he had suppressed and deliberately ignored since arriving at Barracuda Bay, driven by the clear objective of the [Dream Corridor] key, began to grow wildly like weeds.

Walking on a tightrope with your head in your hands, constantly facing the danger of death, the pressure in the adventurer industry is exaggerated to the extreme.

When a "professional" who has already established themselves in the industry neither indulges in alcohol nor enjoys the thrill of the card table, and is reluctant to engage in simple and crude prostitution because of their satisfaction and fascination with their perfect body, the pressure and desires accumulated in their heart must have a direct outlet in order to avoid self-destruction.

He certainly had to find the cliffside cave that Morton had left traces of his life in; but if it was on his way, it seemed... just right to kill a few blind "fish-goblins" that happened to be blocking his path.

Xia Nan remained cautious, but compared to when he climbed the cliffs before, he felt a greater sense of anticipation.

The result, however, disappointed him.

As it turns out, these sawa fishmen were not enough to serve as a substitute for the green-skinned goblins.

What does Xia Nan enjoy when he uses the green-skinned goblins to release stress?
It is the goblins' ugly faces, covered with sores and full of expressions, that show a complete transformation from their initial excitement and bloodlust when they discover human prey to their fear and panic when facing death.

He admired the way these lowly beasts went from noisy to deathly silent and trembling in the face of him, and he also observed with great interest their different reactions when they put up a stubborn resistance, tried to escape, or betrayed their companions.

It is the wonderful tactile sensation of a weapon cutting into flesh at close range, the precise feedback of dirty life flowing away in your hand, and the instantaneous pleasure of tearing apart and shattering the already fragile, sinful flesh.

The countless cries of agony that vanished beneath the blade, the goblin lairs reduced to nothing but severed limbs and mangled flesh, even taught him a few simple goblin words, such as "prey," "adventurer," "escape," and "rescue."

It is the feeling of standing alone amidst the piles of corpses after the battle, bathed in blood, where the once noisy and chaotic environment is now only tranquil, a profound and empty peace that comes from the absence of noise in the world.

However, the experience of the Shahua fish people is far inferior.

They are large in size, and although they also move in groups, their numbers are only about half that of a normal goblin community, and their individual strength is much greater than that of goblins.

Although for Xia Nan, it was still one sword at a time.

But when the blade strikes those hard fish scales, cutting and tearing through the more flexible flesh and bones... the feeling is completely different.

Faced with a powerful and invincible enemy, the merfolk might show fear like the goblins, but their higher intelligence and the nascent form of civilization mean that the attitudes and expressions of the Shahua merfolk do not exhibit the same reversal of human nature and beastly desires as the goblins.

Finally, this was Xia Nan's first time encountering such a monster, completely different from the goblins that had left a severe psychological scar on him when he first transmigrated.

This made the experience of cutting down those dozen or so murlocs particularly terrible.

They were treated as ordinary monsters encountered during missions, their heads quickly chopped off and done with, too lazy to bother with them further.

"Hey!"

The dark gray blade left a perfect arc in the air.

The powerful physical attributes amplify the already sharpness of the [Whirlwind Slash], making it even more potent.

The scales on the neck, along with the tendons, bones, and flesh inside, were instantly shredded and separated.

The last Shahua fishman on the field lost its head.

Standing still, Xia Nan took out a gauze from his waist pouch to wipe the sword, glanced at the armor stained with fluorescent blue fish blood, and frowned slightly.

Although I was on the shore, there was a vast ocean all around me.

However, he currently lacked the means to clean his armor. As is common knowledge among adventurers in the Southern Islands, washing metal equipment with seawater is an absolutely wrong choice.

The salt in seawater will drastically accelerate the corrosion process of armor, significantly weaken the internal metal structure, and make it more prone to cracking, which is tantamount to slow suicide for adventurers.

After the water evaporates, the precipitated salt crystals form tiny particles that adhere to the seams of the armor plates and between the rings, thus aggravating wear and producing unusual noises that reveal their presence.

Xia Nan knew that his [Purgatory Pulse] equipment had already been damaged in the battle with the Crystal Priest, so he couldn't possibly reduce its lifespan further.

It's a proper enchanted item, after all. Even if it can't be passed down to future generations, it should at least be used a few more times.

After carefully wiping the [Ember] sword clean, Xia Nan sheathed it.

He glanced at the fishman corpse on the ground, his expression thoughtful.

Right now, it's only been a dozen minutes since he arrived at this cave from his wooden cabin on the cliff.

Thanks to Ellison's reminder, he had already prepared for battle before he arrived.

Sure enough, he encountered the group of Shahua fish-men on the only way to the cave they had mentioned, by the beach.

There are rock walls on the left and the sea on the right; there is no way to take a detour.

Xia Nan was well aware that a battle with these ferocious monsters was inevitable.

Strangely, when he arrived there, there were already many fish-man corpses on the beach.

Moreover, the wounds were uneven, as if they had been torn apart by some kind of wild animal.

He guessed that these fishmen might have been attacked by some kind of monster before they encountered him.

In that case, they really are quite unlucky.

Based on Xia Nan's perception, these fish-men had all died several hours earlier, when the Black Gull was still at sea and had not yet landed on the island.

Therefore, this monster was probably not targeting them, but rather a species that inhabits the island itself.

Thinking back to the mission commissioned by the "Flying Fish Oil Barrel" pirate crew, he had some guesses in his mind.

We remained vigilant throughout the battle, especially wary of dangers coming from the sea.

However, Xia Nan didn't know whether the other party's stealth ability had exceeded his perception or they were really not nearby, because he still hadn't noticed anything.

Perhaps he needs to continue heading in the direction of the void Ellison mentioned in order to achieve something...

My thoughts suddenly paused.

Xia Nan suddenly looked up at the cave entrance, his right hand already resting on the hilt of his sheathed sword.

But just a second later, as if sensing something, he quietly relaxed his body and lowered his hand from the hilt of the sword.

Without bothering to conceal their footsteps, they walked directly towards the cave entrance.

……

"Don't be nervous, it's me."

The two members of the Silver Claw Osprey squad, their bodies tense as if they had been frightened and gripping their weapons tightly, waved their hands. Xia Nan stepped over the scattered corpses on the ground and slowly approached.

"Xia Nan!?"

"How will you be here?"

When Xia Nan appeared, the team leader Nick was first shocked, then delighted.

Alton, the halfling, didn't show much surprise. He stood still, his face beaming with a warm smile, and waved from a distance.

"It's a long story. But you guys, shouldn't you be enjoying a feast in the village? Why did you come here?"

Nodding to the short man beside him, Xia Nan asked Nick and the half-elf Leda.

At the same time, his gaze swept across the group, and combined with the missing orc bone card and the complicated expressions of the two people at this moment, he already had some guesses in his mind.

Sure enough, the other party gave the answer they had guessed.

"The village was attacked by monsters. Bone Card happened to be alone and was kidnapped after the battle. We tracked it here by following the scent left by the monsters. Steven and Gregory have already led their men to block the other side of the North Cliff."

"So, some of these corpses were also left behind by that monster?"

Xia Nan raised an eyebrow and asked Nick for confirmation.

Now that things have come to this, Nick and Leda know that the black-haired adventurer who left a deep impression on the Silver Claw Osprey Squad during the naval battle is standing right in front of them. They know that the fishman corpses on the beach are either eaten by monsters or killed by the enemy's attacks.

His doubts were immediately resolved, and he explained the details to Xia Nan.

"Based on the traces, that's the case."

"This monster should also be aquatic, with a strong and heavy body, and a certain level of intelligence, but it doesn't use weapons much and prefers melee combat."

Subconsciously recalling the information he had perceived and observed, Xia Nan nodded slightly, his expression calm, though the blood and bits of flesh on his body seemed somewhat out of place.

"So, you plan to go further in?"

“Of course!” Nick nodded emphatically, glancing at the half-elf Lyda beside him out of the corner of his eye. “Even if only a corpse remains, Bonecard will still be my teammate.”

Knowing that the other person's expression might be an act, and that what they really think might differ from what they say.

Xia Nan didn't expose him, but simply nodded in agreement.

I need to find the beach caves where Morton might have some clues, and the other party is also looking to search for the bone card. Since our goals and paths overlap, we have an opportunity to cooperate.

"Let's go then, it shouldn't be too far."

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(End of this chapter)