Chapter 394 Yes, Sir, We Do

The receptionist standing before him—a woman named Mar, with sea-mist gray-blue eyes and a red-brown braided updo—made a subtle movement as he approached.

Xia Nan's acute Perception captured it with absolute clarity.

He certainly didn't feel disgusted or averse to it. He wasn't some masochist who enjoyed being looked down upon for no reason.

Mar's shift in demeanor only made him feel valued, improving his impression of both the Barracuda Bay Branch and the receptionist herself.

This kind of small trick, honed by veteran receptionists through years of experience, brought virtually nothing but benefits.

If an Adventurer failed to notice, her exceptionally enthusiastic service remained beyond reproach, putting the client at ease and leaving a good impression.

For someone like Xia Nan who directly noticed the subtle shift, it worked out even better. People were ultimately driven by ordinary desires; realizing Mar was treating him more proactively than other Adventurers would rarely offend anyone. They would only think her attentive.

He had always been straightforward and had no intention of making small talk.

After Mar greeted him, Xia Nan stated his purpose clearly.

"It's like this. I previously consigned a piece of equipment at another Association branch. An Adventurer from Barracuda Bay expressed interest in purchasing it through the Association, but the exact price needs to be negotiated in person."

"I happened to have business in Barracuda Bay recently, so I just brought the equipment along. This way, you don't have to go through the trouble of shipping it."

Of course, the main reason was that this would save a significant amount in shipping fees.

"When would be a convenient time to arrange a meeting with the buyer?"

Mar listened attentively the entire time.

She leaned forward slightly, the shell necklace resting against her chest swaying gently. Her gray-blue eyes stayed fixed on Xia Nan's, her focused expression making it seem as if she were memorizing every single word he said.

She waited until Xia Nan finished speaking entirely, pausing for a moment to ensure he had nothing else to add.

Only then did Mar smile and nod to show she understood the situation.

She immediately stood up with brisk efficiency and rang a specific bell situated above the counter—one that was rarely touched.

"Ring, ring—"

A crisper sound, distinct from the usual service bell on the counter, drifted through the air.

A moment later, a pretty, long-haired girl in her early twenties trotted over.

"Sister Mar, what is it? Did you need something?"

"Watch the counter for me for a bit. I'll make up the hours for you later."

"Oh, sure."

The girl stepped briskly behind the front desk and took Mar's previous seat.

Her practiced movements made it clear she was well-accustomed to such sudden requests.

For the front desk receptionists at the Adventurers' Association, or at least here in Barracuda Bay, it wasn't uncommon to need someone to cover a shift on short notice.

After all, the status of ordinary Adventurers and veteran Class Holders who had acquired a Class Level and completed their promotion quests was completely different in the eyes of the Association.

The former fell under the strategy of "cast a wide net and catch many fish," while the latter had already proven their value and usefulness to the Association, making them worth the investment of specific resources.

This was especially true for someone like Xia Nan, who was remarkably young even among Class Holders; his potential went without saying.

Under such circumstances, if he had matters like this one that required time to negotiate—things that couldn't be swiftly handled at the counter—

—the Association would typically assign a dedicated staff member to assist him one-on-one.

Of course, Mar could have simply stayed seated behind the counter, handed the matter off to another staff member, and continued her own work.

But—

How could she possibly hand over a free boost to her performance metrics?

Upon realizing through their conversation that this was Xia Nan's first time in Barracuda Bay and that he didn't have a designated receptionist, Mar instinctively sensed an opportunity.

She immediately called over a newly hired colleague who had just finished training to temporarily take her post.

After a brief handover, she stepped out from behind the counter on her long, strong legs.

Holding a stack of documents in her arms, her face beamed with a bright, non-obsequious smile that carried the healthy vitality unique to those who lived by the sea year-round.

"Sir, please follow me," she called out to Xia Nan.

The small conference rooms used by the Barracuda Bay Branch to receive Class Holders were located along the corridors on both sides of the atrium.

The design was incredibly ingenious.

Considering the building's somewhat low profile from the street outside, such a spacious internal structure meant that the vast majority of it lay underground.

Yet, because the Association itself sat right on the edge of the coast, windows carved facing the sea—paired with specialized crystal lamps—kept the entire lobby looking expansive and bright despite being subterranean.

Even after being led into a small side room, Xia Nan didn't feel cramped or stifled in the slightest. In fact, thanks to the excellent soundproofing and the window on the wall offering a view of the azure ocean and the distant horizon, he found the space quite comfortable and relaxing.

After showing him to the conference room, Mar left on her own to handle the transaction affairs regarding the [Tide-Surge Lure Pole].

Feeling a bit bored waiting alone in the room, Xia Nan casually pulled a copper coin from his belt and tossed it up and down in his palm, taking every spare moment to train his [Gravity Control].

At the same time, he took in the layout of the small conference room.

The sofa was soft without being overly squishy. Its grayish-brown surface was likely crafted from the hide of some sea beast he didn't recognize, and it felt highly textured.

On the table in front of him sat a few plates of complimentary pastries and a glass of lemonade with floating ice cubes.

Perhaps due to the local environment, the iced lemonade was a bit sweeter than Xia Nan had imagined, making for a rather refreshing drink.

The pastries were even more exquisite. Sea salt caramel crisps, smoked silverfish tartlets, and a small bowl of sweet, cool, and bouncy jelly instantly roused Xia Nan's appetite.

His mind involuntarily recalled the enticing aroma of food he had smelled while passing by the Three-Legged Sea Dog tavern earlier. He figured that when he went there later to gather intelligence, he absolutely had to treat himself to a hearty meal as a reward for the arduous, nearly fifty-day journey from Rivervale Town to Barracuda Bay.

'I wonder if they sell creamy mushroom soup here—' he thought.

To his surprise.

Compared to the enthusiastic attitude Mar had displayed earlier, her work efficiency seemed somewhat low.

Xia Nan waited in the temporary small conference room for over half an hour without hearing any movement.

Even with his excellent patience, he couldn't help but feel puzzled.

'Did she run into some unexpected delay halfway? Or did something else happen?' he wondered.

Just as Xia Nan was considering waiting a little longer—planning to head out and ask a staff member once his time in the conference room hit the one-hour mark—

—a flurry of hurried footsteps suddenly approached from outside the door, accompanied by the distinct sound of heavy breathing.

"Squeak."

It sounded as if the person paused by the door to quickly compose their breath and posture. After a brief halt, the door was politely knocked three times from the outside, and only after Xia Nan responded was it gently pushed open.

Mar, who had been gone for over half an hour, walked in panting, clutching a stack of documents to her chest.

Compared to when he first saw her, the surface of her leather women's shoes now bore a layer of dust. Slightly disheveled strands of hair clung to her honey-colored, sweat-dampened cheeks, and as her chest heaved, her nostrils flared with rapid, uneven breaths.

She stepped forward and placed the documents on the table, her face full of apology.

"I'm truly sorry, Mr. Xia Nan—"

"The buyer for your [Tide-Surge Lure Pole] is indeed a resident of Barracuda Bay, and they even left an address with the Association.

"But when I followed the address, I found that they weren't home. I asked the neighbors and found out that the buyer had already gone out to sea to fish a few days ago.

"Fortunately, according to the nearby residents, they rarely travel far. The spots they occasionally go out to fish are all in the nearby waters, so they should be back soon.

"If you want to move forward with the transaction... it might require you to wait in Barracuda Bay for a few days.

"I apologize again. To make up for it, if you'd like... you can fill out this form, and I will do my best to apply to the Association for a subsidy to cover your room and board during this period."

Xia Nan decided to retract his previous assessment of Mar's poor work efficiency.

'No way, are they really grinding this hard? Isn't the competitive pressure over here in Barracuda Bay a bit too intense?'

The [Tide-Surge Lure Pole] was indeed a decent piece of enchanted equipment, but it wasn't a high-quality or high-value item, and its effects could be considered rather lackluster.

He had only brought it along because he happened to be coming to Barracuda Bay to search for the encryption keys to the [Dream Weaving Corridor]. He figured it wouldn't fetch much money anyway.

And although he was a Class Holder with some investment-worthy potential, he was still a newcomer who needed to prove his value to the local Association.

Given all that, the fact that Mar had specifically handed off her own work and found a small conference room just to host him had already left Xia Nan deeply satisfied.

As for the subsequent transaction of the [Tide-Surge Lure Pole], in his view, simply registering it with the Association, leaving a message, and notifying the buyer whenever they next visited would have been perfectly fine.

But to his surprise, this receptionist in her early thirties named Mar had actually taken it upon herself to run the errand for him during his brief wait.

She had even managed to ask around about the buyer's whereabouts and their estimated time of return.

And the compensation she offered at the end was clearly something Mar had proactively applied for on his behalf.

This was the first time since his transmigration that Xia Nan had encountered this level of service.

And to think, this was only their first time meeting.

"There's no rush. Sit down and rest for a moment," Xia Nan said, waving for her to take a seat. "Just registering and leaving a message is enough; there's no need to work so hard."

Mar just smiled apologetically.

"It's what I should do, Mr. Xia Nan," she replied.

Carefully leafing through the subsidy application contract she had handed him, Xia Nan pondered to himself.

He hadn't discussed a detailed transaction time with the buyer; he had only learned through the Association that someone in Barracuda Bay was interested in purchasing his consigned equipment. The Association simply acted as a middleman in this scenario.

To some extent, even if the buyer wasn't in Barracuda Bay and he made a wasted trip, the Association wouldn't bear much responsibility.

If anything, this subsidy contract could actually be considered one of the perks of being a Class Holder.

"I just arrived in Barracuda Bay today and haven't had time to find a place to stay yet. Can I leave this section blank for now?" Xia Nan asked Mar, pointing to the 'Address' field on the contract.

"Of course!" she nodded emphatically, her face beaming. "Just come find me after you've settled in. I'll always be at the Association, and the place I live isn't far from here either. Even on my days off, just tell my colleague to send me a message, and I'll be here in ten minutes."

The corners of Xia Nan's mouth twitched imperceptibly.

Her overly eager attitude gave him a momentary sense of déjà vu, taking him back to his time before transmigration—those days as a corporate drone when he'd be startled awake by a ringing phone in the dead of night to rush back to the office.

But since she put it that way, and considering they had no ties to one another, he didn't want to meddle. At the end of the day, it was her personal choice, and it wasn't his place to interfere.

Still, he figured he should be mindful in the future. Dragging someone out of their home on a day off just for a form that took seconds to fill out would be sheer torture.

"Oh, right. If you haven't decided where to stay in Barracuda Bay during this time, I can give you a recommendation," Mar offered.

"Oh?" Xia Nan raised an eyebrow.

"Please don't worry, this is purely based on the experience I've gathered from working here all these years. It's not a promotion; the Association strictly prohibits that kind of behavior."

After quickly covering herself, Mar paused for a moment before speaking again.

"I don't know if you've heard of a tavern called the Three-Legged Sea Dog?"

Hearing this, Xia Nan's expression grew a little strange.

"The lodging conditions at this tavern certainly aren't the best in Barracuda Bay, but they're definitely not bad either," Mar continued. "More importantly, it's the tavern and inn most frequented by Adventurers in all of Barracuda Bay. You can dig up all kinds of intelligence and rumors there."

"If you plan to stay and develop long-term in Barracuda Bay, you could also make friends with some reliable Adventurers and build up a network. It might be helpful for your adventuring life here."

He had already heard Paddy recommend this most famous tavern in Barracuda Bay on the way here, and now hearing Mar say the same thing—

It seemed staying at the Three-Legged Sea Dog was an absolute must.

He handed the mostly filled-out subsidy contract back to her. As for the [Tide-Surge Lure Pole], all he had to do now was wait for news; there was no need to worry about it further.

He didn't say his goodbyes and leave just yet, however. He certainly hadn't forgotten his primary purpose for coming to the Adventurers' Association.

"There's one more thing."

"If I want to take on some ranked commissions, exchange materials, or gather intelligence—the kind that costs Points—does the Barracuda Bay Branch have them?"

"Yes, Mr. Xia Nan, we do."