Chapter 390 The Governor's Mansion, the Shrew, and the Bay Chamber of Commerce

As one of the main roads in the Saltwater District of Barracuda Bay, Cable Street was relatively wide.

Despite the bustling, shoulder-to-shoulder crowds and the occasional horse-drawn carriage rumbling past amid loud neighs, Xia Nan and his companions maintained enough space to move freely.

Like pebbles in a stream, the congested flow of people parted around them, forming a small, abrupt, yet common pocket of empty space.

Even as passersby squeezed together, bumping shoulders and cursing at one another over the collisions, very few willingly stepped into the small bubble of space around Xia Nan, Colin, and Paddy.

This certainly wasn't because the locals of Barracuda Bay were polite, nor was it because they gave special treatment to outsiders.

It was purely because Xia Nan had deliberately not concealed his aura completely, instead projecting it just enough to enhance his presence in the crowd.

Although Barracuda Bay had long since moved past its wild, savage developmental era under the bloody suppression of the kingdom and the Church, that did not mean it was orderly or safe.

Its natural geographic position as a major kingdom port, combined with a local branch of the Adventurers' Association, made this bay city a motley mix of fish and dragons to an even more severe degree than Rivervale Town.

At the very least, the "corpse collectors" here never lacked work. Being busy from morning until night was perfectly normal.

This was especially true in the Saltwater District, where the urban sprawl was too vast and the security forces relatively weak.

Chaos and bloodshed grew like weeds in the alleys and deep shadows between the densely packed buildings.

Unless they were a relative of the victim, no one cared about a rotting corpse in an alley corner.

Under such circumstances, who would be stupid enough to provoke an adventurer with Fine equipment, a chilling demeanor, and an icy aura that screamed at strangers to keep away?

As for those reckless fools who couldn't read the room and lacked any discernment—truthfully, it wouldn't even be Xia Nan's turn to deal with them.

The very second those fools stepped into the city, they would be targeted by the "predators" hiding in the dark. They would be sized up, chewed up, and swallowed whole, turning into corpses that sank to the dark bottom of the bay without ever seeing the next morning's sun.

Of course, Xia Nan didn't have a high-profile personality.

He carefully controlled his aura's intensity, ensuring that while the people around him noticed him, he wasn't overly conspicuous.

In Barracuda Bay, particularly in the Saltwater District, this was not uncommon.

Just along the way, he had seen at least double-digit numbers of adventurers, either traveling alone or in squads, forming similar vacuums within the flow of people.

In fact, his level of presence was actually quite low-key.

The noisy, damp air was heavy with the mixed scents of sweat, spices, and fish.

Benefiting from Xia Nan's presence behind him, Paddy—who had operated in Barracuda Bay for years and was practically half a local—slid through the crowd like a slippery loach. He found the gaps and navigated the street, leading the way for the two behind him.

Suddenly, an unusual commotion arose from diagonally ahead.

It was a series of heavy, almost continuous footsteps accompanied by the sound of scraping metal.

The dense crowd parted roughly to the sides without a single complaint, like flesh yielding to a sharp blade.

This revealed the "blade"—a six-man patrol squad.

They wore neat, uniform dark blue leather armor, with conspicuous badges bearing the image of a silver barracuda pinned to their chests.

Their well-maintained standard armor glinted slightly in the sunlight, and the dangerously curved weapons hanging at their waists formed a stark contrast with the simple, rustic clothing of the surrounding sailors and commoners.

These guards wore aloof expressions, their gazes sweeping over the crowd cold and flat, as if looking at a herd of pigs.

They paid no mind to a scrawny man with shifting eyes and a suspiciously bulging pocket at his waist, and completely ignored two ferocious-looking adventurers who walked out of an alleyway with bloodstains lingering on their sleeves.

The squad leader heading the patrol merely raised a foot and kicked a nearby vendor. The vendor immediately offered a placating smile, bowing and nodding repeatedly as he nimbly pulled his stall further back, not daring to utter a single complaint.

He even stealthily slipped something into the squad leader's hand, making the man's expression relax. Waving his hand, the leader led his guards past the stall.

Standing a short distance away and witnessing the entire exchange, Xia Nan frowned slightly.

As if noticing his reaction, Paddy leaned close and lowered his voice to a whisper only the three of them could hear.

"See them? The 'blue-shelled crabs,' the lackeys kept by those lords in the Governor's Mansion." His tone carried thick sarcasm. "Wearing a thick shell and running amok in the streets."

"In the White Cliff District, they might just be watchdogs who can't even lift their heads, but down here in the Saltwater District..."

"Try not to provoke them if you can help it. They don't care if you're right or wrong. They only care whether you've broken the rules from above or blocked some lord's path to wealth."

As he spoke, Paddy pointed expressively toward the Governor's Mansion to the north.

"The rules of Barracuda Bay are all written on parchment and stamped with seals, but the right of interpretation... heh, depends on the scimitars in their hands."

"But precisely because of this, Mr. Xia Nan, if there is ever anything you can't solve on your own and you need a little help through official channels..."

"You can bring a few bags of gold coins. These 'blue-shelled crabs' might just prove useful."

Listening to Paddy beside him, Xia Nan gave a slight nod, his expression showing little change.

Coming from modern society with a normal, everyday worldview, he naturally disapproved of the crude behavior of these law enforcers in Barracuda Bay.

If he were the governor stationed in Barracuda Bay by the kingdom, he might have taken action. But right now, he was just an ordinary adventurer who had recently arrived and didn't even fully know his way around the streets.

Moreover, he wasn't the fiercely unyielding zealot of justice who couldn't tolerate a single speck of grit in his eye.

Unable to change the environment with his current strength, he could only try to adapt.

Withdrawing his gaze from the patrol squad vanishing at the end of the street, Xia Nan glanced at Colin, whose expression looked a little strange. He didn't say much and simply turned back to Paddy.

"Let's keep going," he said.

After two more turns, they reached the end of Cable Street, arriving at a small plaza surrounded by dense buildings.

It was still crowded, but the area near the center of the plaza was noticeably quieter than the surrounding clamor.

In the center of the crowd, several clerics in tailored blue robes stood on a makeshift wooden platform, handing out black bread and watery soup with floating cabbage leaves to the lined-up crowd.

The holy symbol hanging on their chests bore the design of a curling ocean wave splitting toward the left and right.

—"Umberlee."

The [Queen of the Depths], who held dominion over the "Ocean," "Waves," "Sea Breeze," and "Currents."

With just one glance, Xia Nan recognized the identity of the deity these clerics served.

He found the situation rather peculiar.

Since gods truly existed on the Aifala Continent, and any disrespectful act could be sensed by the great beings in their divine kingdoms and invite divine punishment, the vast majority of people rarely dared to offend even the sects and deities they didn't care for.

On the other hand, it was precisely because of the vastly different personalities of the gods that many amusing anecdotes, whether true or false, had been passed down over countless years.

It could be conflicts arising from overlapping domains, a beautiful tale left behind when an avatar descended to the mortal world, or even a miracle following devout prayers like the cleric of the Orange Orchard—

He had to admit, what mortals relished talking about most were the complex, court-intrigue-filled secrets between these great beings.

These deities, whose strength and status soared far above the mortal world, were not nearly as detached from worldly desires as their followers described.

For the sake of faith, divine authority, or even just out of jealousy or a distaste for how another handled matters, there was a considerable amount of highly intriguing dirty laundry between them.

The strange thing was that these tales of the gods—whose exaggerated complexity made one suspect they were rumors fabricated by heretics—were not banned from circulating on the Aifala Continent.

Instead, they were hidden away in obscure, inconspicuous corners where anyone who deliberately looked could definitely find them.

It might be the back row of a bookstore shelf, or a few pages of scrap paper mixed into combat technique manuals sold by the pound in a general store—

Back when Xia Nan was cramming knowledge about the gods in Rivervale Town, he had flipped through a few of these miscellaneous books to boost his interest in studying and to relax. Thus, he had some understanding of the personalities and "glorious" deeds of certain deities.

And as for the [Goddess of the Ocean], "Umberlee," whom these clerics before him worshipped—

He could only say that she had another title in the mortal realm:

The [Bitch Queen].

To some extent, it quite suited the "moody and unpredictable" nature of the sea she symbolized.

In the plaza, many raggedly dressed vagrants and impoverished commoners could be seen gathered together, lining up to receive the food handed out by the clerics.

However, there was no piety to be seen on their faces; it was mostly fear and caution.

And the followers of the [Queen of the Depths] completely lacked the kindly expressions one would expect clerics to have.

Instead, they used the opportunity of handing out bread and pouring soup to forcefully instill their doctrines into the commoners, preaching about the greatness and venerability of the Goddess.

"Servants of the Goddess of the Ocean," Paddy chimed in at the right moment to introduce the clerics to Xia Nan. "But this bread and hot soup aren't given out for free."

"If you eat their food, you naturally owe a debt. When something happens on the docks later and the Church steps out to 'mediate'..."

Since this involved the gods above, the somewhat unsuccessful small merchant didn't dare speak too clearly, leaving his words a bit vague.

But Xia Nan already understood what the man meant.

"In Barracuda Bay, you can choose not to believe in the gods, but you absolutely cannot ignore the Church."

"Oh, of course, Barracuda Bay is so large, it naturally can't be controlled solely by Goddess Umberlee," Paddy added.

"In the Cormorant District, the White Cliff District, and the other streets of the Saltwater District, there are churches of various sizes distributed all around. For example, Waukeen, the [Goddess of Wealth], and Talos, the [Storm Lord]..."

"If you're interested in this, Mr. Xia Nan, I can take you on a tour of them over the next couple of days."

Hearing this, Xia Nan thought for a moment before politely declining the offer.

Since he had transmigrated, although his strength wasn't high, he had already become entangled with many religious sects.

While there was no shortage of interesting believers like the Halfling Alton, who had even brought him a [Fate Coin], his experiences in Kalanfor and Sheep Horn Town still lingered.

Unless it was absolutely necessary, he didn't want to get involved with these overly mystical types for no reason.

The group continued forward. Not long after leaving the plaza, a building that stood out conspicuously from its surroundings came into view.

It was a massive five-story stone-and-wood shop. Its walls were coated with a special reddish-brown tar to prevent moisture and insect damage, the doorframes and window sills were painted with eye-catching gold patterns, and the large display windows were polished to a mirror shine.

Two burly clerks in clean short shirts stood at the door, arms crossed over their chests. Scimitars hung at their waists, and their gazes were alert.

The goods inside were naturally not the piecemeal and bizarre items found in Paddy's Salmon Roe grocery shop. Instead, there were stacks of bright, smooth, high-grade fabrics, exquisite porcelain, and gem-encrusted daggers—

Carved onto the heavy oak signboard at the entrance was a gold coin buoyed by an ocean current.

"The Bay Chamber of Commerce. It's the largest commercial organization in all of Barracuda Bay, with a presence distributed across all three districts."

Paddy stared at the glittering gold inside the shop, the envy on his face practically overflowing.

"They buy up every copper coin and every gemstone salvaged from the sea. They hand out loans to adventurers and merchants outside their organization."

"See those massive cargo ships at the docks? Out of every ten, six of them fly the Chamber of Commerce's flag from their masts."

"In the bay, you can afford to offend a certain official, and you can skip praying at the Church, but if you get blacklisted by the Bay Chamber of Commerce... you'll find that even buying a boat ticket out to sea is as hard as ascending to the heavens."

A thoughtful expression appeared on Xia Nan's face.

From the sound of it, the organizational structure of this so-called "Bay Chamber of Commerce" should be similar to the "Golden Wheat Merchant Guild" that Horac belonged to. It was a commercial Alliance established by many major merchants, just with a different sphere of influence.

It was no wonder Paddy looked so envious. For small vendors like him in Barracuda Bay, becoming a member of this Chamber of Commerce was probably the greatest goal of their lives.

"But down here in the Saltwater District, is there actually anyone who can afford the things in this shop?" Xia Nan asked.

Faced with Xia Nan's doubt, Paddy just chuckled.

"Although the environment in the Saltwater District is a bit worse compared to the Cormorant District and White Cliff District up top, it's not the Slums, after all. Being close to the port docks, there is no shortage of wealthy people passing through."

"Furthermore..."

At this point, the scrawny middle-aged man couldn't help but withdraw his gaze from the shop and glance at Xia Nan beside him.

"Adventurers like you—especially right after finishing a quest—aren't stingy with the gold coins in your hands."