Goblin Heavy Dependence

Chapter 450 Temporary Members and Buyers

Xia Nan's thinking was actually very comprehensive.

Based on a combination of gold coins, equipment, and combat skills, we have made some guesses about the reward Lorraine wants.

That's certainly correct, and could even be described as meticulous.

However, perhaps due to his limited perspective as an official, he overlooked the most important point.

What is Xia Nan's value to Lorraine?

Was the initial offer of gold coin rewards?

To be honest, for an adventure fleet like "Blade of Vengeance," whose core members are all seasoned professionals, there are probably a hundred or so ways to make a fortune in a short period of time, if they really wanted to. Saying there are ten thousand ways might be an exaggeration.

Four figures in gold coins is indeed a huge sum, but compared to what follows, it's far from enough to tempt the captain of an adventurer's team of this caliber.

As for enchanted equipment and combat skills...

The former is a taboo subject among adventurers, and they often won't reveal it to even teammates they've known for years, relying on it as a trump card to save their lives in missions.

In just half a day, the battle wasn't intense enough to require a fight to the death. Even Hein and the twin warriors didn't know exactly what enchanted equipment Xia Nan had, let alone Lorraine.

I certainly won't make any demands on him in this regard.

However, it has considerable limitations in terms of combat skills.

As their professional level gradually increases and they delve deeper into their respective professional paths, seasoned players often develop a unique combat style that combines their professional category with their combat habits.

The choice of combat skills requires a very good compatibility.

Warriors cannot learn the rogue's use of shadow energy, and rangers cannot wield a barbarian's two-handed axe in a crowd.

Xia Nan's combat skills are certainly impressive, but they may not be suitable for other adventurers who have already embarked on their own paths.

Even if we actually get the training method for the [Whirlwind Slash] from him, the final solution will just be to continue exchanging benefits, using it to exchange for gold coins or other resources.

Right now, for Lorraine, Xia Nan's greatest value is—

It was him.

What is Xia Nan?
A level 3 adventurer who is not yet twenty years old;
A character who treats his job level as a challenge level, whose actual combat ability is even stronger than many level 5 characters.
A professional who has already cooperated with some of the teammates of the "Blade of Vengeance" fleet and has the endorsement of Hera, the boss of the "Three-Legged Sea Dogs".

In this situation, for the "Blade of Vengeance" fleet, which has extremely low member turnover, requires a lot of time to observe before having the opportunity to join as a formal member, and happens to be short of manpower, what could be more valuable than Xia Nan himself?

Of course, Lorraine has no intention of extending a formal invitation to the other party, at least not at the moment.

Since the black-haired youth in front of them was quite capable and much more trustworthy than the drunken adventurers in the tavern, and their team urgently needed to replenish their combat strength, and coincidentally, the other party had something to ask of them.

Perhaps...

Could I come and work as a temporary crew member on their ship?
It's not too late to consider the next steps after we've withstood the test of time and danger.

"There are still three months until the 'Moonlit Feast'."

Lorraine crossed her legs, her brownish-red eyes fixed on Xia Nan in front of her.

"Come work on my ship and do some chores. When the time comes, I'll take you to a banquet, how about that?"

Upon hearing this, Xia Nan paused for a moment, and then, in a flash of thought, he understood.

It means you have to work on the ship for three months.

Well... it's not impossible.

Compared to gold coins, equipment, and combat skills, he could actually accept this more.

Although he had mostly gone on adventures as a "lone wolf" before, he had also had many experiences cooperating with other adventurers due to the requirements of the mission or other factors.

However, apart from a few decent ones, most of the temporary teammates ended up in pretty bad shape.

Xia Nan is not opposed to cooperating with others, especially when there is a clear purpose.

The reason he doesn't have a fixed group of adventurer teammates is partly due to his highly mobile combat style centered around "Fang Hunting." He can better utilize his speed advantage when fighting alone; if he can win, he can decapitate the enemy, and if he can't, he can simply retreat. The enemy is unlikely to catch up, so he doesn't need to worry about anything else.

On the other hand, it's also because Xia Nan has too many things to hide, and his improvement speed is too fast compared to the average level of this world. If someone stays by his side for a long time, it's easy to notice something is wrong.

Therefore, even with friends like Alton who trust each other completely, he has no intention of forming a fixed team.

But for the key to the [Dream Corridor], three months... is within his acceptable range.

After some thought, Xia Nan had already made up his mind.

Instead of replying directly, he turned to look at his side. He hadn't said much since entering the room, leaving the initiative entirely to his halfling.

"Alton, do you have any ideas?"

"Whatever you say, it's fine." The halfling sat on the sofa, swinging his legs listlessly. His eyes were sometimes drawn to the birds flying past the window, and sometimes he studied the pattern on the tablecloth in front of him. His thoughts were completely written on his face, and he seemed to have no opinion.

The shorter man's goal was also to attend the "Moonlit Feast," but unlike Xia Nan, who was searching for the key, he was just traveling around and wanted to join in the fun. He happened to run into Xia Nan, an acquaintance, and they became partners.

He didn't care how he attended the banquet, as long as he could.

Speaking of which, given the other party's status as a lucky charm, Xia Nan even suspected that the short guy didn't need to do anything; as long as he really wanted to participate, he would naturally appear at the banquet when the time came.

However, to some extent, the fact that the other person could coincidentally encounter someone like me, who also had the goal of the "Moonlit Feast," is also a form of good fortune.

Having anticipated Alton's answer, Xia Nan nodded slightly upon hearing it, then turned her gaze back to Lorraine across the table.

"Okay, then let's use the 'Moonlit Feast' as the deadline?"

despair--

The right leg, which had been resting on the left knee, fell back to the ground, the heel of the pointed leather boot making a crisp sound as it struck the floor.

Lorraine exhaled the last puff of tobacco smoke and crushed the cigarette butt into a small plate on the table.

With her fiery red hair swaying, she suddenly stood up, extended her hand to Xia Nan, a smile playing on her lips:
"Pleasant to work with."

Standing up from the sofa as well, Xia Nan politely shook hands with his "temporary captain" and asked:

"Does our team have any plans for any missions recently? I need to make some preparations in advance." Now that he had decided to cooperate with the other party, Xia Nan was quite responsible, ensuring his own safety and interests.

It's impossible to just coast through for three months and wait for the holidays to arrive.

Even though he was just a temporary member of the fleet, he wanted to do his job well and be responsible for the team and himself.

Clearly quite pleased with Xia Nan's rapid adaptation, Lorraine's smile deepened upon hearing his words, and she replied in a relaxed tone:
"No rush, we've only just returned to Suyu Bay and need to rest for a few days."

"You can use this time to get to know the team members. You probably already know Hein and Rein. The others aren't at the tavern right now, but Hein and the others will introduce you to them later."

Getting to know your teammates is indeed a very important part. Xia Nan nodded upon hearing this, glancing at the druid who was looking at him through the window.

Seeing that she was looking over, Hein waved to her quite enthusiastically.

The silver and black bracelet on his wrist trembled slightly, clearly indicating that he had also heard the news of his "temporary teammate" who would appear for the next three months.

The twin warriors, Ryan and Gordon, stood near the doorway, still silent and wooden, but their faces clearly did not show any resistance.

For them, having another strong member in the team is certainly a great thing.

After finishing the main topic, the "Blade of Vengeance" adventure fleet gained a temporary member with a three-month term, and Xia Nan finally got the opportunity to participate in the "Moonlit Feast." The atmosphere in the room clearly relaxed.

I sat on the sofa and chatted with a few people about the team's specific situation, and also briefly introduced my experience of coming here from River Valley Town.

Xia Nan took his leave only after the sky outside the window had completely darkened.

As he walked down the stairs with Alton, he silently reviewed the events in his mind.

Their overall demeanor was quite appropriate; they didn't make any overly rash moves during the discussions, and the atmosphere during the subsequent casual conversation was also quite harmonious.

"Speaking of which, this Lorraine's professional level is probably more than lv5, it must be lv6 or even lv7."

Xia Nan's keen perception ability allows him to sense the strength of the person in front of him in a relatively detailed way through various details.

This extremely aggressive red-haired captain, during our conversation, seemed far more powerful and assertive than "Horned Shark" and "Broken Eyebrow" whom I had met earlier that afternoon; his aura was also much more concentrated.

All things considered, he is even stronger than Lawson and Terry William, whom he encountered when he teamed up with Violet. He is quite formidable.

Of course it's a good thing.

They're not enemies, and with such an experienced and powerful captain on board, I figure the next three months will be much easier.

Suddenly, he realized that he had now become a member of the "Blade of Vengeance" fleet, so was the original plan to renovate the "Flying Fish Oil Barrel" pirate ship meaningless?

After all, under normal circumstances, he would definitely travel with the group and wouldn't need to go alone like before, so naturally he wouldn't...

"No no no."

Xia Nan shook his head, rejecting his own idea in his heart.

The mid-term plan to find the key to the [Dream Corridor] may have made some progress, but there is still no sign of my short-term goal.

He certainly wouldn't forget the scalpel he found on "Bloody Nose Rat" Jerry.

It's said to come from some "Twin Oceans," with clues to a mysterious alien realm. Even if he ultimately fails, he'll still have to go there.

However, the members of the "Blade of Vengeance" fleet were somewhat restricted by their identities, and they weren't close friends, so there was no reason for them to risk their lives with them for nothing.

I reckon I'll have to see how things go and try to find clues on my own during breaks in the mission.

Therefore, owning your own ship is quite important.

The Three-Legged Seal Tavern is much more lively after nightfall than during the day.

When Xia Nan and Alton came down the stairs, the once somewhat empty hall was now filled with all sorts of adventurers, and the air was thick with the smell of alcohol and profanity.

It's worth mentioning that news of the Daytime Shark Gang's downfall has been spreading and fermenting in the tavern with the flow of people.

Many people didn't take it seriously at first, thinking that Xia Nan was just an ordinary customer in the tavern. But after their eyes swept over him, they felt something was off. It seemed that he vaguely matched the image of the rumored person, so they turned their heads to look a second time, a third time... Their gaze mainly lingered on Xia Nan's signature black hair and the two swords on his back.

Having grown accustomed to the attention of others and knowing that a little fame could save him a lot of trouble in this kind of mixed place, Xia Nan maintained a calm mindset and walked towards the front counter.

Regarding the discovery of the "Twin Oceans" containing the exotic scalpel, he still needs to obtain more information from Hera.

But before he could even get close, a familiar figure came into view first by the counter.

"Mar?"

The visitor was none other than Mar, his personal receptionist at the Barracuda Bay Adventurers' Guild branch.

However, given the current time, the other party should have already finished work.

Although he was sitting on a wooden chair in front of the bar, there was a wine glass in front of him that was full but barely touched.

However, the association uniform he was wearing clearly didn't look like someone who would relax with a few drinks at a bar after get off work.

The slight sweat on the other person's forehead and the unconscious tapping of their toes further revealed their inner anxiety.

"Finished talking?" Behind the counter, Hera wiped the glasses and looked at Xia Nan and his companion who were walking over. "Well, do you want me to put in a good word for you?"

"Thank you." Xia Nan nodded slightly. It wasn't a secret, so he told her about the deal he and Lorraine had made.

"Temporary team member..." Hera's expression was thoughtful, as if she had thought of something, but she didn't reveal too much. Instead, she replied with a smile, "That's not bad. According to the 'Blade of Vengeance' team member standards, you might not only avoid any danger in these three months, but you can also make a fortune."

“Lorraine is never stingy with her team members.”

“If that’s really the case, then that would be best.” When Xia Nan arrived at the counter, he did not sit down. Instead, he turned his gaze to Mar, who had immediately stood up after seeing him and was anxiously and patiently waiting for him to finish his conversation with Hera.

Xia Nan already had a guess about the receptionist's purpose for coming.

"Mr. Xia Nan, do you still remember the [Tidal Surge Lure Pole] you consigned with the association?"

“The buyer just returned from outside the island this evening, and I only just received the news.”

"Are you free right now?"

(End of this chapter)