Goblin Heavy Dependence

Chapter 434 The Bracelet and the Silver-Black Snake

Barracuda Bay, Adventurers' Guild branch.

Perhaps it was because Xia Nan arrived too early, and it wasn't the active time for those professionals who had finally returned from their missions and were taking a break in Suckerfish Bay.

In the entire underground lobby, there were only a dozen or so scattered figures.

It was much quieter than the bustling upstairs.

The specially made glass that occupies an entire wall, as always, reflects the shimmering light refracted from the sea above. Combined with the small sea fish that occasionally swim past the glass wall and the gentle sound of flowing water, it gives people a sense of tranquility that seems to calm the mind.

Of course, now is not the time to enjoy the scenery.

Xia Nan glanced at it briefly before looking away and continuing to follow the receptionist, Mar.

The two walked through the lobby and past the counters for professionals, heading straight to a meeting room that already had a "in use" sign.

The delicate women's leather shoes slowly landed on the floor, no longer moving forward, but instead, with the twist of her graceful ankle, the toes of the shoes pointed sideways towards the door.

With a smile on her face, Mar leaned forward slightly, raised her right hand, bent her index and middle fingers together, and gently tapped the door with her knuckles.

"Thump, thump, thump..."

"Please come in."

A gentle, calm female voice came from inside the room.

Upon hearing the other party's reply, Mar, who had knocked on Xia Nan's door, took two steps back, making way for him with great tact.

This is a crucial moment for her to deepen her relationship with this young adventurer. Having honed her skills in the front desk position of the association for many years, Mar would not dare to overstep her bounds or do anything that might offend Xia Nan.

As a receptionist, she wouldn't directly participate in such professional-level transactions, and she wouldn't even enter the meeting room that had been specially prepared for her.

Only after the two people in the room finish their conversation will the process proceed according to the association's regulations.

Xia Nan nodded to the receptionist in front of him, then pushed open the door and entered.

What comes into view is a small, simply furnished conference room.

There wasn't much decoration, just two oil paintings of marine life hanging on the wall.

A small round oak table and a few chairs with backs that match the colors of the walls and floor are all the furnishings in the room.

At this moment, Xia Nan's [Type III Practice Staff - 1007 Edition], which she had consigned to the Adventurers' Guild, was resting quietly on a small wooden stand in the center of the table.

Across from the wooden table sat a young-looking human woman.

She looked to be around twenty-five years old, with thick, silky brown hair draped over her shoulders, and her dark brown eyes were calm and serene.

Unlike those who live by the sea and bask in the sun for a long time, the local residents have a healthy complexion like wheat and honey.

Her skin tone was a cool white that seemed to reflect light, like fine sand under a clear, shallow sea during the day, making the small scars and sunspots on her exposed skin, such as her neck and the back of her hands, particularly noticeable.

His attire was ordinary, and from the outside he didn't even look like an adventurer.

She wore a durable gray-green linen shirt with coral-like patterns embroidered on the collar and hem; on the bottom, she wore dark brown tight-fitting trousers, and a loose knee-length overcoat.

No earrings, no rings.

The only accessory visible on her entire body was probably the round, silver and black bracelet on her left wrist...

and many more!

Xia Nan's exceptional perception worked silently, causing his gaze to unconsciously linger on the other person's wrist.

Then, he saw the other party's "bracelet" surface, with its delicate and closely arranged scales, and the ring itself, which was undulating and expanding in a barely perceptible manner, as if breathing.

Animals also have excellent sensory abilities.

When Xia Nan noticed the unusual thing about the "bracelet", the other party also noticed his gaze.

"hiss……"

With a soft exhale, golden vertical pupils quietly emerged between the silver and black. Her slender body coiled and intertwined, and a small diamond-shaped head peeked out from the woman's sleeve. Her gaze, tinged with curiosity amidst the icy coldness characteristic of a cold-blooded animal, met Xia Nan's eyes.

This was not the "bracelet" that Xia Nan had originally thought it was.

It is a black snake with silver rings, capable of killing an adult with a single bite!

"A Yin!"

Fearing to offend, the woman spoke in a low, reproachful tone, scolding him.

The little snake, clearly curious, cleverly shrank its head and snaked back into the depths of the sleeve.

"I'm sorry, Ah Yin is usually very shy and rarely acts so rudely."

With an apologetic look on her face, the woman stood up, extended her hand to Xia Nan, and introduced herself.

"My name is Hein. I'm here at the association today to discuss the possibility of selling the [Practice Staff]."

"Xia Nan".

After shaking hands with the other party, Xia Nan sat down across the table.

"It's okay, I don't mind."

His face showed no emotion, but in those few short seconds, he had already formed a general impression of the female adventurer named Hein in front of him.

First, the other party should be a professional-level spellcaster.

This can be seen from the fact that he was able to sit on the first basement floor of the association despite his obviously frail body.

Furthermore, upon closer inspection, the concentration and activity level of the magical particles surrounding the other party's body were different from their usual state.

However, the professional level is unlikely to be very high.

In Xia Nan's understanding, those high-level spellcasters, from an economic point of view alone, truly deserve the title of "magic master".

Often, a simple ring can be worth as much as a property in a prime location in a major city.

They may occasionally encounter financial difficulties due to various circumstances, but at the same time, their earning efficiency is also extremely impressive.

Even if he were to ask for the absolute lowest price for his practice staff, selling it for a maximum of 300 gold would already be considered "greedy".

To be honest, the short time it takes for those high-level spellcasters to wait in the conference room is enough for them to earn back that "small amount of money."

There is absolutely no need for them to come in person for a face-to-face meeting.

Xia Nan estimated that the other party's professional level should be between lv3 and lv5, and it couldn't be too high.

Secondly, he also had some guesses about Hein's specific profession.

After all, not everyone has the courage and ability to wear a venomous snake like the banded krait as a "bracelet".

It even appears to possess the ability to communicate with non-intelligent beings.

Unless the woman in front of him comes from a family with a tradition of keeping snakes and has received related training from a young age.

Otherwise, there's a high probability that he's a druid who can communicate with wild animals and live in harmony with nature. It's just a pity that this is their first meeting, and they don't know each other very well.

No further information can be collected.

Otherwise, given how diligently Xia Nan has studied recently, he might even be able to guess fairly well what kind of organization the other party belongs to.

Xia Nan is always straightforward, and Hai Yin doesn't seem to be the type to procrastinate. Although there was a small hiccup, after a brief exchange of pleasantries, they quickly got back to the main topic.

"Excuse me……"

Hein reached out towards the staff in the center of the table, but did not touch it directly. Instead, she looked up at Xia Nan with her brown eyes, her gaze questioning.

"Please go ahead."

"We've already reached the stage of face-to-face consultation, so I won't care about such things," Xia Nan replied.

Only after receiving his confirmation did Hein extend her arm, which had been suspended in mid-air, forward to grasp the staff handle and examine it closely.

Having reached this point where she could negotiate the price face-to-face with the seller, she naturally already had a clear understanding of the staff with the help of the association staff, which was why she had the intention to buy it.

Now that they've almost reached the final step before the transaction, she needs to check it one last time, even if only out of caution.

Hein's gaze was extremely focused, from the end of the staff to the tip, from the wood grain on the surface of the staff to the overall design, and he even switched between his left and right hands to feel the staff's texture and weight.

"If I may ask... how long has it been with you?"

She chose her words carefully, cautiously avoiding any phrases that might displease Xia Nan, and asked very tactfully.

Xia Nan didn't care about any of that. The law of the jungle was the rule of survival in this sea area, especially since those pirates had come to provoke him.

Moreover, the relevant information had already been circulating in Suoyu Bay, so there was nothing to hide.

He answered frankly:
"About ten days ago, a spellcaster from an adventure fleet called 'Flying Fish Oil Barrel'."

“I don’t know his name, but ‘Flying Fish Oil Barrel’ seems to be quite famous in the Southern Islands. If you want to find out the specifics of how this staff is used, you might be able to ask some people who know about it.”

Hein nodded silently, her gaze fixed on the staff.

After examining her carefully for a moment, she finally let out a slight sigh of relief and turned to face Xia Nan.

"I wonder if I could test the effectiveness of this staff?"

"Now? Here?" Xia Nan raised an eyebrow.

Having understood his meaning, Hein nodded quietly: "I had Ms. Mar report to her before you came. It was just some ordinary spells with no destructive power. The association has already registered them."

"Then it's alright."

Xia Nan understood, and waved to the brown-haired woman in front of him, indicating that she could do as she pleased.

At the same time, the senses were already silently gathering in the shadows.

After receiving his approval, Hein stood up from across the table, turning his body to the side so that his staff was not pointed directly at Xia Nan, as a sign of respect.

The silver-black snake ring on his left wrist contracted slightly.

Breathe steadily, keep your eyes half-closed, concentrate fully, and move your lips.

"Om..."

Compared to the purest emerald green life energy, the light emanating from the surface of the practice staff is a bluish-green that seems to be mixed with seawater.

Xia Nan could sense that the magical particles around the other person's body suddenly became chaotic, as if an invisible vortex was drawing these unseen and intangible yet most important elements of this world towards the staff.

The humidity in the air increased sharply.

It might only take a breath, accompanied by a light, whistling sound of energy bursting forth.

The turquoise life energy gathered at the tip of the staff and suddenly fell onto the table in front of the two people.

Sizzle—

The verdant green spread outwards, with strands of aquatic plants, softer than thorns and more intricate than vines, sprouting from the cracks in the wooden table under the influence of the rich moisture, and in the blink of an eye, they covered half of the tabletop.

Hein stood before the wooden table, staff in hand, her expression focused, as if recalling the experience of casting the spell just now.

After a long while, he opened his eyes again, a satisfied expression on his face, his thumb rubbing the staff he held in his hand:
"Very clean."

"The wood grain follows the natural direction, without any trace of forced twisting or splicing, allowing the transmission and delivery of magic to be very smooth."

"It is indeed a fine staff."

Instead of taking the opportunity to belittle or pressure the price, Hein gave her honest evaluation quite frankly, sparing no praise.

Xia Nan, who was sitting opposite her, couldn't help but think more highly of this druid, and felt that the other party was not bad.

After thinking for a moment, he still spoke up to remind her:

"Actually, just like its name, the Practice Staff, this staff doesn't have any special effects. It's relatively mediocre and more suitable for newcomers who are just getting started with arcane magic."

Hein was actually very clear about this.

After all, when Xia Nan entrusted the [Practice Staff] to the association for consignment, he had already listed its attribute information on the panel.

Of course, if effects involving specific numbers, such as "casting speed +5%", are openly stated, there is a possibility that it will expose the existence of cheat codes in the attribute panel.

Therefore, he changed it to words like "weak" or "a little," so as not to arouse suspicion.

Sensing Xia Nan's sincerity, a smile unconsciously appeared on Hein's gentle and calm face.

"I know."

"It's just that my original equipment for assisting in casting spells was accidentally damaged during the last mission. Now that I'm back in Suckerfish Bay, the staves on the market are either too expensive or of poor quality."

"There are a few items that I think are reasonably priced and of good quality, but the sellers and the equipment themselves are not located in the Southern Islands; they are too far away."

"I didn't want to waste my teammates' time by waiting idly in town, so I thought I'd use this [Practice Staff] as a temporary solution."

"At what price are you planning to transfer it?" With no issues regarding quality or compatibility, Haiyin changed the subject and moved on to the final negotiation stage.

Xia Nan remained calm on the surface, but pondered to himself.

Although it's just a basic item, staves are relatively expensive. Considering the "collectible" value of the [Fishbone Snail] staff, it sold for 295 gold to the half-elf Seliane...

"245 gold, what do you think?"

Xia Nan gave a price that is slightly above the market average for staff-type equipment.

"make a deal!"

His offer was clearly within Hein's budget.

Knowing that the young adventurer opposite her hadn't raised the price recklessly because of her honesty, she simply stopped haggling.

At this point, all the spoils brought back by Xia Nanqiao Island and his group had been processed. After deducting the association's handling fees for the staff, his net worth reached an unprecedented 3017 gold, 3 silver, and 8 bronze!
(End of this chapter)