Goblin Heavy Dependence

Chapter 448 [Scaled Fire Curved Blade]

Upon hearing the knock on the door, the twin warriors, Ryan and Gordon, who were responsible for opening the door, had incredibly subtle expressions on their faces when they saw Xia Nan standing in the doorway.

It's like bumping into a stranger on the street during Chinese New Year, only to discover at night that they're a distant relative visiting.

They met Xia Nan during the battle with the Shark Gang and learned that he was a seasoned adventurer with considerable strength who had sold a staff to the spellcaster in the team.
They also knew that someone had used Hera's connections to try and get their captain's help.

But what they didn't expect was that it would be such a coincidence that it was the same person.

Xia Nan also found it interesting.

Just a few hours ago, the group was fighting side by side in the shed, searching for Baron Faro's daughter.

I thought we would each rest for a while after the matter was over before we met again to discuss the distribution of compensation. We had just said goodbye properly in the lobby of the tavern downstairs.

Unexpectedly, several tens of minutes later, we met again in this way.

The "Blade of Vengeance" Adventure Fleet...

The name that Hera uttered was one that Xia Nan had personally heard Hein and others mention in the afternoon; it was the name of their team.

He even remembered the two intersecting, dripping, curved sword tattoos on the other man's right wrist.

Xia Nan nodded to the twin warriors who helped open the door, his gaze unconsciously sweeping across the room.

Sure enough, the druid from the Coral Society was standing by the window at the far end of the room, looking at him with a surprised expression.

He still had the [Practice Staff] he sold to the other party tied around his waist, and the silver-ringed snake "A-Yin" who was enjoying the last rays of sunlight of the day by the bedside seemed to have sensed something.

Squinting, it subconsciously turned its diamond-shaped little head toward the doorway.

Its slender snake body suddenly stiffened, its vertical pupils contracted, and it sprang forward as if on cue, transforming into a silver and black phantom, before retracting back onto the druid's wrist.

"Looks like I don't need to introduce you any further?"

Hera, standing to the side, gave Xia Nan a sly smile and teased him.

Perhaps out of some kind of perverse sense of humor as an intelligence agent, even though he had a good relationship with the "Blade of Vengeance" fleet and knew the crew members in their fleet, he had long ago decided to introduce this channel to Xia Nan.

At noon today, when she unexpectedly saw Xia Nan return to the tavern with Hai Yin, she didn't say a word.

Only now, seeing the surprised expressions on each other's faces, did she finally smile with satisfaction.

As he spoke, he patted Xia Nan on the shoulder and gently pushed her into the room.

"Come on, I'll introduce you to their captain."

Actually, there's no need for Harado to say it.

Following the way the twin warriors made way for him at the door, Xia Nan stepped into the room and, turning slightly to the side, saw the captain of the "Blade of Vengeance" adventure fleet.

The first thing that catches the eye is that striking head of thick, silky, fiery red wavy hair.

Unlike Hera, who wore her hair tied behind her head, she let it fall freely over her shoulders, swaying gently in the sea breeze blowing in from the window, resembling a fiery, blazing flame.

His skin was a wild, vibrant honey-gold color, common among the residents of the bay; his cheeks were dotted with a few freckles, his features were three-dimensional, and his pair of striking, reddish-brown eyes, with an undisguised sharpness, gazed at Xia Nan as he entered the room.

A woman with a strong personality and a highly aggressive nature.

Xia Nan's eyes swept over the other person discreetly, his keen senses working silently as he observed the other person through various details.

First of all, it is clear that this woman should be the captain of the "Blade of Vengeance" that Hera mentioned.

He could sense the invisible aura emanating from the other party, an aura that commanded the entire scene.

Hein, the twin warriors, and even the other adventurers in the room appeared to be scattered, but in reality, they were all centered around the sofa where the woman was sitting.

what does this mean?
This means that without needing to emphasize it with words or actions, the other party's natural leadership position and heartfelt recognition in the hearts of his crew members over the years have developed naturally.

This can be seen from the strong sense of belonging that Hein showed when she proudly introduced her "Blade of Vengeance" tattoo to herself that afternoon.

This viewpoint has only been reinforced by the present.

At this moment, the sitting posture of this woman with long, red, curly hair clearly revealed her fiery personality.

She was sinking into the sofa in an extremely relaxed and languid posture.

Lean back slightly, letting the lines of your spine fit perfectly against the sofa, and shift your weight entirely to the backrest. Extend your long, slender arms, with the outline of muscles subtly visible, to the sides, and rest your elbows on the back edge of the sofa.

This posture tightly bound the leather top she was wearing, clearly outlining the full curves of her chest, and making her abs and the ship tattoo that extended upwards from her side to the depths of the top particularly eye-catching.

Her right leg was casually draped over her left knee, causing her sturdy dark riding breeches to cling to her skin. The pointed leather boot on her right foot dangled in the air, swaying gently with her relaxed ankle, as if in some kind of rhythm.

But to be honest, compared to the fiery woman in front of him, what attracted Xia Nan's attention more after careful observation was the curved knife in front of her, which looked like it had just been maintained and was lying quietly on the table.

Compared to the common curved knives on the shelves of the blacksmith shop in Suoyu Bay, the curvature of its blade is much more restrained, even revealing a touch of elegance, like a crescent moon that has been slightly straightened.

The blade is an extremely bright silver, reflecting the twilight outside the window. Amidst the flashing cold light, one can vaguely glimpse the wavy patterns on its surface. The handle is made of a warm, reddish-brown unidentified wood with scale-like textures, allowing for a firm grip.

Xia Nan observed with utmost care, and it was precisely because of this that he clearly sensed the faint sparks that occasionally flashed by in the air around the blade, as well as the vaguely distorted air that seemed to be scorched by high temperatures.

"This is……"

Subconsciously focusing my attention, a semi-transparent attribute panel appeared before my eyes.

……

【Scaled Fire Curved Blade】

Type: Curved knife
Rarity: Rare (Blue)
effect:

1.+45% durability;

2. +15% fire damage;

3. +10% damage to undead;
4. When the battle lasts longer than 300 seconds, the power from the flames will amplify the holder's anger, ignite their fighting spirit, and increase their strength attribute by 5%-15% (when the holder's strength is less than or equal to 15 points).
5. The fire damage you inflict will cause a burning pain to enemies, slightly reducing their healing effectiveness for the duration.

Introduction:

It is infused with dragon's breath during forging, and the power of the flames flows with the blade, but one must still be wary of the lurking rage within.

Remarks:

"The most dangerous flame in the world is the one that quietly rises in your heart."

—Doriath, the Cult of Heartfire and the Prophet of the Molten Eyes

……

"Good eye." A female voice from ahead brought Xia Nan's attention back to reality.

Look ahead.

The woman with fiery red curly hair was raising her eyebrows and looking at her with amusement.

“I am Lorraine, captain of the ‘Blade of Vengeance’ fleet.”

She gestured towards Xia Nan with her chin and greeted him.

"You must be Xia Nan. I heard your name from Hai Yin earlier."

Clearly, before Xia Nan went upstairs, Hein and the others had already reported the situation to their captain, letting Lorraine know roughly what had happened to them that afternoon.

As for Xia Nan, who performed exceptionally well in the mission, he was not overlooked and was even given special mention by the druid.

Although Lorraine had never met him before, she could guess his identity based on Hera's teasing words and the expressions of Hein and the twin warrior brothers, Rein and Gordon.

"Then you two keep chatting, I won't disturb you."

Hera personally led Xia Nan to the room, subtly expressing her attitude and relationship with Xia Nan. Seeing that Lorraine had already struck up a conversation with the young adventurer beside her, Hera did not linger any longer and took her leave.

Before turning to leave, he smiled and winked at Xia Nan, indicating that he didn't need to worry too much and that he would put in a good word for him if the communication didn't go smoothly.

creak—

The door was gently closed, and the footsteps in the corridor gradually faded away.

The room returned to silence.

Feeling the faint heat emanating from the [Scaled Fire Curved Blade] in the air, Xia Nan sat down on the sofa opposite the other table at Lorraine's prompting.

To be honest, although the atmosphere in the room seemed somewhat oppressive and quiet, he wasn't actually that nervous. In fact, he still felt a bit relaxed after finishing his cream of mushroom soup.

Of course, he always treated those around him with respect and politeness.

The same applies now.

He didn't fawn over the red-haired woman sitting so casually just because he needed her help. Instead, he maintained a relatively serious and proper demeanor and slowly sat down.

What do you think of my knife?

Before coming, Hera must have already communicated with the other party about the "Moonlit Feast" and knew Xia Nan's purpose.

But Lorraine didn't immediately address that point; instead, she picked up the topic from before.

With plenty of time, Xia Nan didn't mind chatting about unrelated topics with the other person. He also wanted to take advantage of the conversation to carefully observe the other person's personality traits in order to increase his chances of successfully inviting the other person to the "Moonlit Feast" later.

His gaze fell once more on the curved blade on the table. He focused intently, seemingly examining it closely, but in reality, he had already accessed the attribute panel and said:
"I can't tell the specific forging materials, but it's clear that this scimitar is of very high quality, exceeding the scope of ordinary enchanted equipment."

It's impossible to be foolish enough to simply copy all the data from the attribute panel. Xia Nan organized his thoughts and summarized in his own words.

"It has good toughness and some fire damage, but... the energy inside seems a bit too active. Prolonged use in battle might have some effects on the body and even the mind?"

He spoke vaguely and deliberately omitted some details that were unlikely to be noticed by the naked eye and senses alone, such as "undead damage bonus" and "healing effect suppression".

But based on what he said, he had already gained the approval of the red-haired woman in front of him.

Lorraine nodded slightly, her pointed boots arcing through the air before landing back on the ground with a crisp "tap".

He lifted his right hand off the sofa, leaned forward, pinched the front of the scimitar handle with his fingers, pointed the blade towards himself and the handle outward, and handed the scimitar to Xia Nan, indicating that the other party did not mind and could use it directly.

Surprised by Lorraine's magnanimity, Xia Nan knew he wouldn't show weakness at such a moment.

He reached out and took it, already holding the scimitar in his palm.

Buzz-boom——

Flames erupted!

As if it had come into contact with some invisible accelerant, the sparks that were originally jumping around the air around the scimitar suddenly exploded, turning into a ball of orange-red flame that ignited the entire blade.

The wavy texture that was originally faintly visible on its surface now appears to be permeated by the flames, forming layers of magnificent golden-red patterns.

His dark eyes reflected the firelight, and the stray hairs on his forehead swayed violently with the heat rushing towards him.

Xia Nan felt his calm and unwavering heart slightly disturbed by the flames on the blade, gradually rippling outwards. However, since he was not in the midst of a battle, he suppressed his emotions after only a slight fluctuation.

"Hehe, it seems it likes you very much."

Lorraine looked at Xia Nan across the sofa, a smile playing on her lips.

But I don't like it...

Xia Nan replied in his heart.

Without a doubt, this blue-quality enchanted weapon is rare, powerful, and expensive; if it were out in the open, adventurers would fight tooth and nail to get their hands on it.

Its own numerical values ​​are clearly listed on the attribute panel, which perfectly match its "blue rare" level positioning.

Even if it's slightly inferior to my own [Emberfall] straight sword, it's still a pretty good piece of equipment.

But Xia Nan wasn't interested.

He disliked the feeling of his inner emotions being unnaturally stirred, and he didn't want to have to constantly pay attention to his inner changes and restrain his anger during battle.

Moreover, his current fighting style combines intuition, combat inspiration, and muscle memory, and these inexplicable bursts of anger will greatly affect his judgment during combat.

It is a complete side effect.

Unless there are really no other suitable weapons to choose from, he might as well accept them if given to him, since they can be sold for money.

Thinking this to himself, Xia Nan made no obvious movements on the surface, but the flames burning fiercely on the [Scale Fire Curved Blade] in his hand were extinguished silently and completely, returning to the state it was in when he first entered the room.

Xia Nan nodded politely to Lorraine across from him to express his gratitude for being able to handle her sword, and gently placed the [Scale Fire Curved Blade] back on the table.

As you can see, when the [Scalefire Scimitar] was just handed to Xia Nan, Lorraine was not particularly surprised to see its flames rising and burning.

Now, seeing the flames on the blade extinguished, a look of unusual surprise appeared in those brownish-red eyes.

Even the pointed leather boots that had been lifted back onto the left knee paused, ceasing their wobbling and trembling.

"you……"

(End of this chapter)