Goblin Heavy Dependence

Chapter 490 Confession and the Collector
Why don't you ask Lorraine?

Upon hearing Xia Nan's words, Ellison's expression froze for a moment, clearly not expecting him to suddenly say something like that.

The atmosphere on the field froze.

He remained silent for three seconds before suddenly sighing.

Shift your weight backward and lean your body completely against the back of the chair.

"She told you everything?"

Ellison, his expression one of deep weariness, spoke slowly.

Xia Nan had previously asked Ellison about his relationship with Lorraine, and Ellison's expression at the time looked strange, and he seemed to avoid the topic, as if he didn't want to discuss it too much.

Xia Nan later learned from Lorraine that she and Ellison were siblings.

Seeing Xia Nan ask this question, and considering that he had previously mentioned temporarily joining the "Blade of Vengeance" team, Ellison knew that the other party probably already knew about their relationship from Lorraine, so he simply stopped hiding it.

Looking at the behavior of the middle-aged man in front of him, Xia Nan couldn't help but feel puzzled.

He might not have the highest emotional intelligence, and he wouldn't be considered "sophisticated," but he wasn't a blockhead who couldn't sense the emotional changes of those around him. His keen perception allowed Xia Nan to clearly notice the changes in Lorraine and Ellison's expressions when they mentioned each other.

Clearly, the relationship between the brother and sister was not good.

In fact... it's been a long time since we last contacted each other?
"How did your mission go?"

I don't know what he was thinking, perhaps knowing that Xia Nan already understood their relationship, Ellison stopped avoiding the question and suddenly asked.

"It's alright. There were some hiccups along the way, and some people in the team suffered minor injuries," Xia Nan replied. "But we were lucky; no one on board was killed."

What kind of person do you think Lorraine is?

Ellison's questions seemed to come out of nowhere, as if he were just rambling on and on.

Xia Nan wasn't sure why the other person had been so reluctant to discuss it before, but was now bringing it up without any hesitation, so she stopped thinking about it and answered the question accordingly:

“Lorraine is experienced and reliable. If you want to go to sea as an adventurer, joining her team should be a good choice.”

Although they only went through one mission together, Xia Nan had a very good impression of this female captain with long, wavy hair like flames.

They may be completely different from Adeline, the "green-blooded" of Riverdale, in terms of appearance, personality and behavior, but as leaders of the adventurer's party, they both show a similar sense of responsibility.

Lorraine considers her teammates as comrades she can rely on. Even when facing powerful enemies, she is willing to step forward as captain to confront danger and relieve pressure on her teammates.

They could even set aside a large portion of their own rewards and bonuses as subsidies for their crew members.

For novice adventurers who are just starting out and hope to make a name for themselves on the high seas, the Blade of Vengeance fleet would be a perfect starting point.

“Reliable…” Ellison repeated the word as his lips moved, a smile creeping onto his face. “She used to be like this, like a little adult, always with a stern face, and she would nag and instruct me for ages before every voyage.”

"It seems the relationship between you two isn't as bad as I thought?"

Xia Nan sensed the other person's tone and made a pointed remark.

"Hehe, although we haven't seen each other much in recent years and have lost touch, we're not that badly enemies yet." Ellison shook his head with a smile, but then suddenly changed the subject, "Has she ever talked to you about the origin of the name 'Blade of Vengeance'?"

No, not at all.

However, judging from the literal meaning, Xia Nan guessed that it might be related to "revenge".

"So she didn't tell you about what happened on Morton's ship that time at sea?"

"Morton!?"

Xia Nan's heart skipped a beat when he caught this key word in Ellison's words.

You should know that the reason he traveled all the way from River Valley to Barracuda Bay was because of this "Morton".

Information from the previous Druid's Notebook suggests that the key to the [Dream Corridor] was taken to the Southern Islands by a descendant of the Morton family.

The reason Xia Nan had been so eager to attend the Moonlit Feast was because the great pirate nicknamed "Algae Scale," who had attacked Morton and was likely to take the key back to his lair as a trophy, would be making an appearance at the banquet.

Xia Nan had thought that there would be no progress until the banquet started in more than two months, but unexpectedly, he heard the name from Ellison's mouth right now, which made him feel strange and even wonder if there was a possibility of a duplicate name.

At the same time, seeing Xia Nan's reaction, Ellison seemed to realize something and asked in surprise:
"So she didn't mention it to you?"

"Alright..." The middle-aged man's face showed a helpless expression.

It was a misunderstanding that arose by chance.

Ellison, who discovered that Xia Nan already knew about his relationship with Lorraine, thought that his sister had told her about other things as well, but it turned out to be the first time he had mentioned it.

It's not a secret at all.

Seeing Xia Nan listening attentively and waiting for him to speak, Ellison adjusted his posture slightly, held the teacup on the table in his palm, and slowly explained:
"This happened many years ago..."

Ellison and Lorraine are siblings, and their full names are Ellison Morton and Lorraine Morton, respectively.

The nobleman "Lylo Morton" whom Xia Nan was searching for, who was suspected of carrying the key to the [Dream Corridor], was their father.

The story begins with a point recorded in the Druid's Notebook: Lelo Morton, once an adventurer himself, lost most of his teammates due to an unexpected encounter during his adventure. Disheartened, he decided to come to the Southern Islands to enjoy his retirement life in the sun and sea.

During this time, he found love and his wife gave birth to two children, Ellison and Lorraine.

According to Ellison, their childhood was relatively peaceful.

Lelo was born into a noble family with a considerable fortune. Even after leaving the family, he still carried a lot of wealth with him. Coupled with his status and strength as a professional adventurer, he didn't even need to go out on adventures or take on missions. He could easily support his family comfortably by doing some small business.

If things continue to develop in this way, there is no doubt that their family will become another successful example of retired adventurers.

Many years ago, during a seemingly ordinary voyage overseas, Lelo Morton never returned.

Ellison and Lorraine knew no more than Shana about what had actually happened that day.

But perhaps due to differences in personality, the two siblings had completely different views on this matter. Lorraine regarded her father's death as reality, abandoned pointless fantasies, and regarded the damned beast "Algae Scale" who attacked Lelo as the target of revenge. She vowed to pay tribute to her dead father with the blood and head of the other party, and worked hard towards this goal.

Become an adventurer, frantically improve your strength, and build your own team...

Everything she did was for this purpose.

Ellison, on the other hand, found Lelo Morton's disappearance extremely suspicious—after all, Lelo's body was not found on the ship, and the powerful image that Lelo had built in his eyes since childhood made Ellison feel that his father would not have died so easily, but was trapped somewhere for some unknown reason, or was forced to leave this place.

Over the years, Ellison may have seemed to be engrossed in fishing, but in reality, he has been searching for traces left by his father.

Unfortunately, the results were minimal, and no significant discoveries were made.

In fact, the reason why he and Lorraine were so interested in those exotic items from Twin Valleys on the black market, and so disappointed when they found out that they were not what they were looking for, was precisely because of the influence of the Morton family, from which Lylo came.

"Perhaps... Lorraine is right."

After saying all this, the middle-aged man in front of him seemed to have aged many years in an instant, and his eyes, which were already filled with vicissitudes, gradually dimmed.

Xia Nan wanted to say a few words of comfort to Ellison, but she didn't know how to start. She was also worried that if she said something inappropriate, it would only make the other person feel worse, so she could only remain silent.

I don't know how much time has passed.

Ellison suddenly sat up, downed the last bit of tea in his cup, and forced a smile.
"Anyway, thank you for completing my request."

"If you encounter any problems in Suyu Bay or the Southern Islands in the future, you can come to me."

Xia Nan never imagined that Ellison, Lorraine, and the Lelo Morton she was looking for had such a connection, and she felt a little strange about how she had unknowingly established contact with both of them.

The sibling-like conflict between the female captain and the old fisherman was their own family matter, and Xia Nan was well aware of it.

Whether their relationship deteriorates further or gradually improves, it's not something I should get involved in.

Right now, Xia Nan was thinking that he had previously regarded Lorraine only as a means to participate in the Moonlit Feast, a temporary, reliable, and powerful teammate.

But now that he has learned about the female captain's purpose from her brother, he can't help but have some thoughts on his mind.

After all, to some extent, he and Lorraine shared a common goal—"Algae Scales" Dodd.

He wanted to obtain clues about the key to the [Dream Corridor] from the other party, while Lorraine wanted to use the other party's death to commemorate her lost father.

Perhaps... a collaboration can be reached in the not-too-distant future?

Of course, there's no rush to communicate on this point. You can first try to get a feel for Lorraine's attitude.

Xia Nan thought to himself.

As for Ellison...

To be honest, there was something he really wanted to ask the other person.

"You mean, where did I get the information about these exotic items?"

Ellison was slightly surprised by Xia Nan's doubts, but he didn't ask any further questions. Instead, he frankly told Xia Nan about the channels through which he had been searching for Lelo Morton's whereabouts over the years.

"First, there's the black market in Fish Bay."

As the core town of the entire Southern Islands, it is a gathering place for a large number of adventurers who travel between various seas. Whenever there are any changes in the situation in the nearby seas, or any strange phenomena, it can always get the information first.

The black market in Barracuda Bay is filled with all sorts of strange and unusual things that these adventurers brought from various places. Every now and then, Ellison would stroll through the black market, looking for anything that looked familiar.

The same applies to Lorraine.

Perhaps not as frequently as Ellison, but after each mission, he would still visit the black market.

"Then there's the Three-Legged Seal Tavern and the Adventurers' Guild."

The reason is the same as above: the high mobility of adventurers also means that this group is keenly aware of all kinds of information.

Often, even the smallest, most insignificant matter that shouldn't have been told will become the talk of the town that very night if it gets out to some gossipy adventurers. It will spread rapidly throughout the tavern and become the talk of the town.

Just as Xia Nan enjoys dining in the tavern lobby while expanding his knowledge, Ellison often gathers information in places where adventurers gather.

"Finally..." Ellison hesitated for a moment, as if considering whether it was appropriate to say it, but after a moment, he did not hide it.

“I know a collector.”

"He was well-informed and knowledgeable, with abundant wealth and extensive connections, and was particularly interested in items with exotic styles."

“I have some connections with him, and I can often gather intelligence through his connections.”

collector?
Xia Nan inquired about exotic items from Ellison for a very simple reason: he wanted to obtain more information about what appeared to be a secret realm.

After all, for someone like him who could access the core of a secret realm, the secret realm itself was equivalent to attributes, equipment, combat skills, and wealth. Each secret realm was a huge boost for Xia Nan.

Furthermore, the current energy replenishment from [Dream Corridor] is far from sufficient for [Rejuvenating Tide], which is only level 2, and requires a secret realm to replenish more energy.

Hearing that Ellison actually knew such a person, he couldn't help but feel a surge of interest.

Without even having to speak, the experienced Ellison was able to sense the thoughts of the young, black-haired adventurer before him.

In fact, the fact that he was able to bring this up in front of Xia Nan meant that he was already prepared to introduce this channel to her.

“In a few days,” Ellison nodded to Xia Nan. “I’ll find an opportunity to introduce this channel to you.”

"He shouldn't be in Suyu Bay now."

"Please wait patiently for a while. You can do other things, but try not to go out and take on any missions. I will notify you as soon as I have any news."

Xia Nan had already planned to rest for a while with the Blade of Vengeance team, and since Ellison had said so, he had no objection. He was just waiting for this all-powerful and mysterious collector to make time for him.

(End of this chapter)