Chapter 392 Where Is My Massive Second Floor?

Xia Nan could guess exactly what kind of establishment the Coral Courtyard before him was.

On the second-floor balcony, a few seductive women were pretending to frolic in a seemingly casual but clearly staged display. Translucent pink gauze curtains hung from the arched doorway, and the soft, melodious sound of a lute drifted from deep within the building—

It was definitely a brothel.

To be honest, he might have been a little narcissistic.

It had been over a year since he transmigrated. Thanks to his intensely rigorous training and an absurd level of self-discipline he didn't even know how he had maintained, his current body had undergone an earth-shattering transformation compared to the frail, scrawny state he had arrived in.

This was further aided by the natural reshaping of his muscles and bones as his attributes increased.

His physical body was evolving toward becoming a "perfect organism."

Harmonious body proportions, crisp, flowing muscle contours, and healthy, supple skin—

All of this was paired with sharp, chiseled features that only appeared slightly stern due to his natural temperament.

Back in his previous life, even if he were completely tone-deaf, hopelessly uncoordinated, and terrible at acting, this physique alone would have been enough to make him a massive superstar on the silver screen.

Over hundreds of days and nights, he had watched with his own eyes as the excess fat beneath his skin burned away bit by bit, feeling the tearing and rebuilding of every single muscle fiber amid the aching soreness of overtraining.

From day to night, from summer to harsh winter—he had truly seen Rivervale Town at four in the morning.

It was like some sort of stat-raising game. When you started from scratch, improved just a little bit every day, poured in countless drops of sweat and energy through months of grueling training, and finally started stepping toward success—when you looked back at the path you'd traveled...

There was no reason not to take pride in your efforts and the results you achieved.

Xia Nan loved himself too much!

With that in mind, if he were actually going to spend money at an establishment like this...

He felt the Coral Courtyard should be paying him instead.

Furthermore, given Xia Nan's current training intensity, which consumed massive amounts of energy every day, the only value such a place could provide was relieving his mental stress.

But if it were purely about venting desires and relieving stress, those goblin lairs were undoubtedly a better choice.

They cost no money, caused no pointless loss of stamina, and he could even earn some extra cash on the side.

Anyone with half a brain would know which to choose.

Standing on the street, the sickly sweet air drifting out of the Coral Courtyard—a mix of perfume, sea salt, and floral scents—surged into his nasal cavity with every breath.

Ordinary passersby might have found the fragrance refreshing, intimate, and seductive, but for Xia Nan, whose sense of smell had grown increasingly acute alongside his rising physical stats, it was just overwhelmingly pungent.

He waved to Paddy, who was leading the way ahead, signaling him to keep moving and not linger.

His overly keen Perception made him feel like he was going to catch syphilis just by standing at the door.

As the group of three made their way uphill, the messy buildings on both sides of the street gradually became orderly and uniform, sitting neatly along the road.

The gaps between the buildings quietly widened, replacing those cramped, narrow alleys with tropical greenery that had been practically invisible before. The drying racks that used to jut out overhead disappeared, giving way to the vast, azure sky.

Even the patrolling guards from the Governor's Mansion looked much friendlier. While they hadn't reached the point of smiling and greeting passersby, they didn't randomly bully or oppress them either.

The borders between districts—at least in Barracuda Bay, or rather between the Saltwater District and the Cormorant District—were not that sharply defined.

To some extent, Xia Nan and the others were still within the bounds of the Saltwater District.

It was just that their position had shifted from the core of the bay's Lower District to its bordering edge.

And right where these two districts blended together sat a tavern named the Three-Legged Sea Dog.

Unlike the increasingly exquisite buildings around it, it stood like a witness to Barracuda Bay's bloody history, retaining the primal wildness that had long since dissolved into the seawater.

The main structure was built from the hemlock and gray sea rock unique to the area around Barracuda Bay. Old scars left by wind and waves still lingered on the stone walls. The tall, narrow windows were thrown wide open, spilling out roaring voices and an intoxicating reek of booze.

The sign was a solid, weather-beaten piece of ship-grade oak, propped up casually by the roadside. Painted on it in mottled indigo pigment was a gray-skinned sea dog leaning against a broken mast. It had only three legs, and clenched in its jaws was a shimmering silver fish.

His internal radar quietly pinged.

He didn't even need Paddy to introduce it. Xia Nan made his judgment based on the fiery atmosphere in the air—which sharply contrasted with the surroundings and felt almost exactly like the White Chickadee Tavern—and the diversely postured, eccentrically dressed armed individuals bustling in and out of the door.

"This is the Three-Legged Sea Dog tavern. The patrons who usually visit are mostly adventurers like you."

"The tavern itself has been open for many years. They say it was built in the bay even before the Servia Kingdom's Governor's Mansion was established here, and it's been running ever since."

"If you want to gather any information, you can ask around inside. They're quite well-informed."

Hearing this, Xia Nan's interest was piqued.

He had already mentally added this tavern to his list of must-visit places in Barracuda Bay.

From the records in the Druid's notebook, Xia Nan only knew that the scion of the Morton Family had supposedly brought the [Dream Weaving Corridor] encryption key to the Southern Archipelagos.

But searching blindly like this was undoubtedly like looking for a needle in a haystack.

He needed further intelligence.

If this tavern truly had such a long history and served as a gathering place for adventurers like Paddy said, he might just find something if he went inside and asked around.

Of course, before that, he still had to make a trip to the Adventurers' Association.

Trading the [Tide-Surge Lure Pole] was one thing, but on the other hand—

He clearly remembered that on the second floor of the Rivervale Town Adventurer Association, there was an "Intelligence Room" exclusively provided for local Class Holders.

As long as he spent points, he could use the Adventurers' Association's channels to search for whatever information he wanted.

Based on Xia Nan's understanding of a massive organization like the Adventurers' Association, if even the branch in Rivervale Town had one, there was no reason for a branch like Barracuda Bay—which far exceeded the former in both town scale and number of adventurers—to be lacking in intelligence gathering.

That way, he could employ a two-pronged approach.

First, he would go to the Association Second Floor, spend points, and search for information regarding the [Encryption Key]—or rather, the whereabouts of that Morton Family scion;

Then, he would return to the Three-Legged Sea Dog to dig even deeper.

Cross-referencing the two should yield some results.

But to his surprise, his meticulously thought-out plan ground to a halt before it even began.

Cormorant District, Silver Anchor Avenue.

Xia Nan stared at the low-rise building in front of him, which hung a sign reading "Adventurers' Association (Barracuda Bay Branch)." His gaze subconsciously shifted upward, but he could only see the azure sky and the vast ocean behind it.

"The Adventurers' Association here... doesn't have a second floor?"