Goblin Heavy Dependence

Chapter 486 The Tide Receding Gang
After sailing at sea for more than half a month, the Oathblade was badly damaged by attacks from the school of Helicopterus sharks. Although the crew made some simple repairs on Hare Island, a full inspection would definitely be necessary after returning to Barracuda Bay for safety reasons.

Gordon, who had just docked at the Broken Waves Pier and was not seriously injured because he had stayed behind to watch the ship and had not participated in the battle against the Shark Beast, has already taken the initiative to contact the shipyard.

Are you free tonight?

Arken's bare upper body, covered in tattoos and now wrapped in bandages, grinned as he asked Xia Nan, who was packing her luggage beside him.

"My treat! Shall we have a drink together at Three-Legged Seal and the brothers?"

Of course, it won't spoil the fun.

For most ordinary sailors, and even adventurers, each mission's end and safe return home meant they had escaped the perilous seas with their lives.

Celebration and revelry are also a way for them to release their stress.

After returning from a mission, drinking and dining at the Three-Legged Sea Dogs is practically a tradition of the Blade of Vengeance fleet.

Although Xia Nan is nominally just a temporary member of the newly joined fleet, after this mission, he has completely gained the recognition of every crew member, who regards him as a member of the Blade of Vengeance team.

As for Xia Nan himself, on the one hand, there are still more than two months until the Moon Tide Feast. If nothing unexpected happens during these sixty or seventy days, he will act as a member of the Oath of Vengeance Blade team and be teammates with the others.

On the other hand, it's also because they've fought side by side and faced powerful enemies together, so their relationship is indeed much closer than it was half a month ago.

Since they've already extended such an invitation, even if Xia Nan has other ways to relieve stress, she won't refuse their kindness.

He nodded and replied:
"Sure, see you then."

Nearby, Captain Lorraine, having heard their conversation, walked over with a cigarette dangling from her lips and a scimitar hanging at her waist, surrounded by smoke, and patted Xia Nan on the shoulder.

"We'll be resting in Suoyu Bay for at least a month this time, as I mentioned a few days ago."

"You don't have to wait. If there's a suitable mission or something else, you can go out and act on your own."

"Of course, you can call us if you need help."

"As long as you pay the fee, that's fine." Her long, wavy hair, falling over her shoulders like flames, swayed slightly as she winked at Xia Nan playfully.

Having spent time with him, I know how diligent and hardworking this exceptionally young, black-haired adventurer is. He trains regularly and repetitively every day, much like an ascetic, and is not the lazy type who just takes it one day at a time.

Worried that the other party wouldn't be able to tolerate the month-long gap, he made it clear that he didn't need to worry about them and that it wouldn't matter if he went out to earn some extra money.

Xia Nan naturally understood what the other party meant.

To be honest, the daily training routine might feel painful and unbearable at first.

But being able to clearly see his combat skill proficiency gradually increase and feel the sense of accomplishment from the increase in proficiency, he gradually persisted, and eventually it became a daily habit.

If he were to sit in the lobby of a tavern or casino all day doing nothing, Xia Nan would feel uncomfortable.

As for whether to take on missions and go on adventures during this month-long downtime...

Xia Nan didn't have any particular thoughts.

For now, he estimates that he'll probably just wander around the Barracuda Bay area at most, helping the locals clear out a few goblin dens.

Or use your spare time to study fishing techniques, so that you won't be unable to catch a single big fish like you were on your return trip.

"Oh, right."

As if suddenly remembering something, Xia Nan turned her head and looked at Haiyin, who was feeding seagulls with bread crumbs not far away.

"Remember to call me when you go to the coral reef, don't forget."

Hein smiled and waved in response.

As a druid of the Coral Society, Hein protects a small coral reef near Barracuda Bay.

Coral reefs, with their complex, three-dimensional, hollow structure and the large amount of algae and organic matter they contain, can typically form a rich and diverse ecological structure centered around them.

Simply put, well... there are lots of fish in there, you don't even need to bait the area, it's a great place to practice fishing.

I remember it was Haiyin who suggested it when she saw that Xia Nan hadn't gained much. She said that after returning, Xia Nan could practice at her coral reef.

Xia Nan had no reason to refuse, and she remembered it to this day.

It's still early before sunset. Lorraine needs to collect and monetize the spoils she brought back from this trip, and Xia Nan also has many things to take care of.

After exchanging a few more pleasantries with the people on deck and agreeing to meet again at the tavern that evening, Xia Nan walked down the gangway to the bottom of the ship.

But to my surprise, I had only taken a few steps down to the dock when I suddenly heard an unusual commotion.

My gaze followed that direction.

Several thugs, looking rather slovenly, were gathered together, keeping the surrounding crowd at bay.

A pair of exquisite leather boots embroidered with four-leaf clover patterns could be seen, appearing and disappearing among the gradually closing bodies of the thugs.

"Alton?"

A strange expression involuntarily appeared on his face.

A look of surprise flashed in Xia Nan's eyes as she stepped over.

……

Hogan stared at the bewildered little half-man in front of him, feeling an invisible rage surging within him.

As a member of the Tide Receding Gang, his main job every day was to collect protection money near the Wave Breaking Pier.

When he first joined the gang, he thought it would be an easy and simple job.

Based on Hogan's previous experience in his small town, he could simply gather a few brothers, dress up menacingly, surround the person, and utter a few harsh words, and the unlucky guy he had his eye on would hand over his money.

How difficult could it be?

It wasn't until one of the gang's elders took him on a walk around the docks that Hogan finally realized he was in Barracuda Bay, not his remote town with a total population of less than a thousand.

Ships flying the flags of the Governor's Office, the Church, and the Gulf Chamber of Commerce must stay away.

Never mess with them!

Otherwise, he would probably only be able to watch the sunrise the next day from the bottom of the sea.

Then there are those fierce-looking professional adventurers.

Constantly engaging in life-or-death battles with dangerous monsters, cutting off one's own head is not much harder than killing a chicken, so extra caution is needed to carefully avoid and stay away.

Fortunately, these professional adventurers are very easy to identify. They usually carry excellent weapons and equipment, and their eyes are always superior, looking at people as if they were bags of gold coins.

With a little observation, they can be distinguished from ordinary people.

Hogan's real target was the small merchants and fishermen who ran errands in the port.

No wonder Suoyu Bay is so famous in Suobin Province. Even the poor, seemingly penniless residents there have much higher incomes than the wealthy families in the small town where he used to live. Hogan was always astonished by the amount of money he could squeeze out of them.

Even though the vast majority of it had to be handed over to the gang, the small portion he kept for himself was enough for him to live a very comfortable life.

It has been nine days since Hogan joined the Tide Receding Gang, and based on the experience of judging people passed down by the elders in the gang, he has already closed several "business deals".

Today, while he and his brothers were guarding the dock, he set his sights on another target.

—A lone, seemingly foolish, and utterly unsuspecting halfling.

He was short, with thin arms and legs, looking like a child.

Although he was dressed quite well, carrying a lute on his back and with two toy-like daggers hanging from his waist, he looked like an adventurer.

But Hogan had never seen any adventurer squat in front of a fish stall and stare at the fish in the wooden bucket for a full ten minutes without asking the price.

Even their exceptionally youthful faces carried an expression of naiveté, as if they had never been bullied. Hogan was almost certain that this was an excellent target for exploitation!

And indeed, that seems to be the case.

When he and his brothers surrounded the half-man, the man was still unaware of what was happening, holding a tangerine that the fruit vendor had given him, looking completely bewildered.

"Hey, shorty, what's your name?"

Hogan put on a fierce look, leaned forward slightly to cast a shadow over the shorter man, and deliberately lowered his voice.

Normally, anyone with even a little life experience should understand what happened in this situation.

Whether it's panic and fear, or anger and helplessness, there will always be some kind of reaction.

But the halfling in front of him didn't even show any expression; instead, he answered his question very seriously:

"My name is Alton, what's yours?"

The veins on his forehead were throbbing.

Hogan felt as if he had been insulted.

bass--

A sharp, cold glint flashed in the air.

He had already pulled out the short knife that had been given to him when he joined the gang.

"Shorty, can't you see the situation?!"

"I'm telling you to hand over all the money you have!"

Alden is certainly not a fool.

He knew what he was going through.

In fact, due to his appearance and personality, he had encountered many similar situations during his travels.

I'm already used to it.

He can still stand here with all four limbs intact, which means that these past experiences have never caused him any real harm.

Rather than figuring out how to escape or how to punish the thug who had tried to rob him, Alton was more curious about why the other man had chosen this particular moment to target him.

So he replied in agreement:

"Money? How much do you want?"

The halfling's tone was calm, without any hint of sarcasm.

It seems like as long as you say a number, they can actually pull it out of their wallet and hand it to the other person in the next second.

However, considering his current situation of being surrounded by people, and the meaning of his words, Hogan and the others couldn't help but feel that he was being arrogant and deliberately mocking.

Anger surged within him in an instant, and he clenched his fist tighter and tighter around the dagger.

Hogan stared intently at the small man in front of him, his cheek muscles bulging and contracting from his tightly clenched teeth.

It was at that moment when the invisible flame in his heart burned most fiercely.

Suddenly, a strange chill, carrying a bone-chilling cold rarely seen in the southern islands, gently brushed against his vulnerable neck that peeked out from his collar.

hum-

The raging anger that was burning fiercely just a second ago was extinguished in an instant.

Instead, there is a sense of nihilistic panic stemming from the body's survival instinct, which erupts when danger strikes.

Hogan shivered.

I subconsciously looked up.

What came into view was a pair of dark, deep eyes, like a secluded pool in a dense forest.

Time seemed to freeze in that instant, as if even breathing was forgotten.

The refined aura emanating from a professional-level adventurer, the killing intent condensed from the countless wails of the dead beneath the blade.

This is a pretentious hoodlum who has never fought a monster, or even experienced many battles.

Just one glance is enough for the other person to notice the difference between them.

When Hogan came to his senses again...

The little dwarf in front of him had disappeared.

Two figures, one tall and one short, disappeared into the crowd ahead.

The two people's conversation could still be faintly heard.

"Your mandarins are nice, where did you buy them?"

"The owner of that stall over there gave it to me to try, it was free!"

"Then this boss is actually a pretty nice person."

"hey-hey……"

Hogan unconsciously recalled the chilling feeling of the cold wind that had just swept through his mind, and he subconsciously touched his neck again.

Feeling the goosebumps on his fingertips, he swallowed.

Now, how could he not realize that he had probably misjudged the situation this time?

The short, halfling who seemed completely unguarded towards outsiders was probably not the "easy prey" he thought he was looking for, but a genuine adventurer.

Then appeared a black-haired youth with black hair, black eyes, and sharp features, who seemed to be a teammate of the halflings...

The Hague...

Beside him, a companion whispered, his body trembling.

The Hague?

Hogan felt the name was vaguely familiar, as if he had heard it somewhere before.

Upon careful reflection, I suddenly paused, startled.

The Hague... The Dogfish Gang destroyed... Black hair, black eyes... Young... Twin swords...

Why the hell didn't you say so sooner?!

Hogan, enraged, complained to his companion beside him.

They weren't in a superior-subordinate relationship to begin with, and judging from his tone, the thug who recognized Xia Nan's identity naturally wouldn't back down, and immediately hardened his neck:

"I haven't heard from him for almost twenty days, who knew he'd be back today!"

"No way, do you even know how to pick people? You dared to choose teammates who are even professional-level adventurers? You almost got us killed today, you know that?!"

"You chose me! It's like you didn't follow me earlier. Did I squeeze the money for your drinks from that small-time businessman last night?"

"Stop arguing! I think we should go back and ask the boss what to do first, so these guys don't come knocking on our door later."

"It shouldn't be that bad, we didn't..."

(End of this chapter)