Goblin Heavy Dependence

Chapter 441 Luck Strikes
Having already obtained the core address of the Shark Gang from Hera of the Three-Legged Sea Dog, Xia Nan and his group's plan was proceeding very smoothly.

Especially with the help of guards sent by the Baron, at this point in time, the thugs in the Saltwater District were not so blind as to face the official law enforcement officers from the Governor's Palace.

They encountered no obstacles along the way and arrived at the Shark Gang's base at almost the fastest speed after leaving the Baron's mansion.

The entrances and exits of several nearby streets and alleys were also surrounded by guards.

As for the result... it was just as Xia Nan had predicted:
—The place is deserted.

As if they had been preparing to evacuate for a long time, the camp was cleaned up and everything was left behind, not even a single copper coin.

When Xia Nan and his group arrived, the two-story building was in complete disarray, with nothing of any use to be found, let alone any clues to guide the "Horned Shark Gang" members to their current location.

"But at least it further proves the gang's suspicious nature."

After all, if it were just a random kidnapping of a passerby, a gang like the Horned Shark Gang, with professionals in charge, would never make such a big fuss as they are now, so decisively abandoning their base.

Such behavior is absolutely abnormal!
This makes one wonder if the Shark Gang's unusual behavior is related to the disappearance of the Baron's daughter yesterday.

Xia Nan stood amidst the clutter, walking slowly, his attention highly focused, his senses expansive, carefully searching for anything suspicious.

As a druid, Hein also possesses excellent perception attributes, and with the help of "Silver" on her wrist, the two of them, one human and one snake, moved among the piles of miscellaneous materials inside the house.

The twin warriors following behind her seemed to know they weren't good at this, so they kept quiet and focused on their role as guards. One followed behind Hein in case of any emergencies, while the other quietly stood guard at the door, responsible for keeping watch outside.

Time passed quietly. In thirty minutes, Xia Nan and Hai Yin had searched the entire building thoroughly, almost digging up the foundation to check it, but their findings were meager.

Staring at the rusty blade he had rummaged through the corner, he glanced at its floating attribute panel. Finding nothing amiss, he casually tossed it back into the trash heap on the ground.

Xia Nan turned his head and looked at Hai Yin on the other side of the room. Just then, Hai Yin also turned her head and looked at him. The two looked at each other.

The druid shrugged.

"It seems we won't find any useful clues here," Hein said with some disappointment.

"I remember there should be tracking spells, right?" His dark eyes shifted slightly, his gaze lingering for a moment on the [Practice Staff] at the druid's waist. "Do you know any?"

“Yes, there is…” Hein looked hesitant, glancing down at the trash on the ground around her. “It just requires a few conditions to use.”

She is a spellcaster, but that doesn't mean she can master all spells of the corresponding level in this world.

On the one hand, as a druid of the Coral Society, his spellbook is limited to a relatively narrow scope, and his learning and memorization of spells are somewhat restricted, far less free than those of proper mages;
On the other hand, reality is not a game.

It's not like your job level will suddenly increase by one level and a skill tree will inexplicably appear in front of you for you to choose from.

Aside from the few "inherent spells" granted by their own school of thought and bloodline, spellcasters who want to expand their spell repertoire truly need to work hard, staying up all night to memorize book after book, engraving spell models in their minds, remembering the transmission method of each spell's spiritual power, and becoming familiar with the corresponding spell materials and incantations.

Often, even for the most basic [Light Spell], spellcasters have to spend many days and nights conducting targeted research to ensure that its brightness, duration, and even range reach the ideal level.

However, as long as one is human, or rather, as long as one is an intelligent being, one's energy is always limited within a certain range.

Even if such a treasure trove containing all the world's magic were placed before us, very few people would bother to study it.

After all, to some extent, the cost-effectiveness of honing one's mental strength to improve one's professional level is much higher than simply expanding one's spellcasting at a low level.

The terrifying power of a single three-ring Fireball spell is unmatched by any number of zero-ring tricks.

Moreover, spellbooks are expensive on the continent of Aifara, and sometimes even if you want to learn a certain spell, you may not be able to find a reliable spell model.

Faced with the current situation, Hein claims to be a spellcaster, but in reality, she may not know more than Xia Nan.

“I think…we might be able to ask the local residents for information; maybe we can find something.”

As she spoke, Hein looked somewhat embarrassed, and as if to ease the awkwardness, she deliberately raised her right hand to wipe away non-existent sweat from her forehead.

Xia Nan readily agreed to the Druid's suggestion.

At the same time, his keen senses made him notice a purplish-blue tinge that flashed across the cuff of the other person's right wrist during the brief moment when the other person raised their hand.

"Are those your fleet's tattoos?"

Calling to the twin warriors guarding them, Xia Nan and Hein walked together toward the house's exit, casually asking a question.

The same tattoo also appeared on the side of the twin warriors' necks.

Xia Nan initially thought it had no special significance, but seeing that Hai Yin also had it, he couldn't help but feel a little interested.

Hein was only slightly taken aback before quickly realizing what was happening.

Without any attempt to conceal it, but rather with a strong sense of pride, he proactively rolled up his sleeve to show Xia Nan the specific design of the tattoo:

Two crossed, dripping blood scimitars.

"'The Blade of Vengeance' is the banner of our fleet!"

When the team's name was mentioned, even Hein's voice became a few decibels louder.

"So every adventurer in your team has this tattoo?"

“Of course!” Hein waved her arm at Xia Nan. “Or rather, only official members are qualified to keep the team’s flag on their bodies.”

Xia Nan neither confirmed nor denied this.

He respected the local customs and traditions of the world and fully understood the maritime culture of the Druids' fleet.

But if it were him, unless the team really did a lot for him and made him feel loyal enough to the team, he would never leave such a thing on himself.

As for the reasons, one is that tattoos are extremely troublesome to remove, and they are things that will almost stay on the surface of the skin until death. If one's views change in the future and one regrets it, one will not be able to wash them off. So one might as well not start this in the first place.
On the other hand, it's also out of a certain fascination with his perfect physique. He has worked so hard to hone his body to this point, so how could he let some random patterns obscure his smooth and powerful muscle lines?

In contrast, it was the name "Blade of Vengeance" that Hein mentioned that attracted Xia Nan's attention more.

Every day while living in Barcarolle Bay, he diligently studied and urgently sought out various information and intelligence about this bay town.

He had, of course, heard of the "Blade of Vengeance" adventure group.

I heard it's an adventure fleet that's been honed over many years and is quite well-known in the bay.

Their overall strength is much greater than that of "Flying Fish Oil Barrel". Over the years, they have become a medium-sized team with considerable reputation in the Southern Islands.

Anyone who has spent a few years at Broken Wave Wharf has surely heard of it.

Of course, Xia Nan had only glanced at the name of this adventure fleet when he was learning about the forces related to the Southern Islands, and casually remembered it without going any further, so he did not know the specific composition of its members.

He was somewhat surprised to suddenly hear this familiar name from Hein's mouth.

"So you went back to the tavern to report to your captain?" "Yes!" Hein nodded. "The captain asked me to bring Ryan and Gordon along."

They're certainly carefree.

Given the rarity and importance of spellcasters in regular adventurer teams, if Xia Nan were the captain of the opposing team, he would at least call back his teammates who were enjoying themselves in casinos and bars, and protect them by their side, if not personally.

Having only known each other for less than a day, Hein didn't discuss much about her team with Xia Nan. After a brief chat, they quickly changed the subject.

The twin warriors remained silent and followed behind. The group left the Shark Gang's base, intending to inquire about their target from the ordinary civilians living nearby.

But unexpectedly, we had just stepped out of the small building, and were even still deep in the alleyway.

A sudden, inexplicable commotion arose from an inconspicuous house by the roadside.

Perhaps it's an unlicensed place known only to locals, because this roadside shop has no sign hanging outside and looks no different from an ordinary house.

But Xia Nan could also hear the lively voices coming from inside, as well as the more distinctive noise of a large number of dice violently hitting the wooden cup.

—A small casino.

What gave him an even stranger sense of déjà vu was the subtle commotion and restlessness emanating from the clamor.

The sensation took effect almost instinctively; he subconsciously stopped and stood still.

"What's wrong?" Hein turned around in confusion, and the twin warriors also looked at her with puzzled expressions.

Xia Nan didn't answer immediately, but inexplicably began counting down in her mind:

Three, two, one...

"Crench."

The casino doors were suddenly pushed open from the inside.

The white feathers on the pointed soft hat swayed gently in the wind, and the small high-top leather boots embroidered with four-leaf clover patterns stepped back and forth alternately.

A short, half-human figure with a bright smile on his face walked lightly out of the door, tossing a copper coin up and down in his hand.

Then, the first thing I saw was the young, black-haired adventurer across the street.

His smile grew even brighter, and he stood on tiptoe, waving and calling out loudly:

"Xia Nan! Here, in Xia Nan!"

"..."

Xia Nan didn't want to involve the short guy in this dispute that had nothing to do with the other party, but if they happened to bump into each other on the street and he didn't even say hello before turning around and running away, it would seem too exaggerated and deliberate. That's why he stopped after noticing the commotion.

When Alton, as if they were old friends, struck up a conversation with Hein and the twin warriors beside him, and then asked Xia Nan about their purpose in coming here...

Xia Nan naturally wouldn't give a perfunctory answer or lie.

Therefore, what happened next was obvious.

Upon learning that Xia Nan and the others were searching for Baron Faro's missing daughter, Alton, despite having no connection to the matter, volunteered enthusiastically to join the mission.

Few people would refuse a halfling's well-intentioned gesture of hospitality, especially if the other person is blessed by Lady Luck.

"So, do you have any tracking skills, like the half-elf skills used by the 'Silver Claw Osprey' team on Cliff Isle?"

Clinging to a sliver of hope, Xia Nan asked the short man in front of him.

“I didn’t!” Alton answered in a high-pitched voice, but before the people in front of him could speak, he drew out the last syllable as if keeping them in suspense, “But…”

The halfling chuckled and tossed the copper coin in his hand.

"The lady was very satisfied with my sacrificial rites over the past few days."

"what do you mean……"

The name "Temora's Eyebrow" used to be too famous in Fish Bay. Now, considering the commotion in the casino and Alton's halfling identity, Hein could roughly guess that the "lady" the other party was referring to was the Goddess of Fortune.

Hearing what the other person said, I couldn't help but perk up.

"What do you need us to do? Prepare offerings? Or should we go in and gamble a couple of times?"

She pressed on urgently.

In response, Alton simply replied with three words:
"do not know!"

"Uh...you don't know?"

"I just don't know." Alton's attention was suddenly drawn to a seagull flying overhead. He raised his head, his gaze following the seagull's outstretched wings as it swept across the street. "Just let nature take its course!"

Hein couldn't understand, nor did she know how to respond to this situation. She could only look at Xia Nan beside her with a bewildered expression, hoping that the other person could help explain the "Zen meaning" in her short friend's words.

Unexpectedly, as soon as he turned his head, he found that Xia Nan was staring intently at the coin being tossed in the halfling's hand... no, his gaze wasn't focused on the coin, but rather on something further behind it...

Hein subconsciously followed Xia Nan's gaze.

Suddenly, I was stunned.

"That is……"

What came into view was a familiar figure whom I had seen not long ago.

A tall, burly thug with a bandage wrapped around his right hand walked out of the casino, looking dejected as if he had lost all his wealth.

It was one of the two henchmen who had followed "Bloody Nose Rat" Jerry before!

Hein felt a sudden stirring in her heart, as if the mission's progress was being subtly accelerated.

"Snapped."

The coin landed gently in the halfling's palm, his five fingers together, holding it in his hand.

"So, have you found any clues?"

Still with that same grinning expression, Alton asked the two people in front of him.

(End of this chapter)