Chapter 435 The Bracelet and the Silver-Black Snake

Barracuda Bay, Adventurers' Association branch.

Perhaps because Xia Nan had arrived so early, it wasn't yet the active hours for the Class Holders resting and recuperating in Barracuda Bay after returning from their missions.

A glance across the first-floor basement hall revealed only a scattered dozen or so figures.

Compared to the bustling floor above, it was much quieter.

The custom glass spanning an entire wall reflected the sparkling light refracting from the ocean surface above, just as it always did. Combined with the small marine fish occasionally swimming past and the leisurely sound of flowing water, it offered a tranquility that seemed to calm the soul.

Of course, this wasn't the time to admire the scenery.

Xia Nan gave it a single glance before withdrawing his gaze and continuing to follow the receptionist, Mar.

The two of them crossed the hall and passed the counters dedicated to serving Class Holders, heading straight for a meeting room that already had an "In Use" sign hanging on the door.

Small women's leather shoes stepped softly across the floor and stopped. Turning on delicate ankles, the tips of the shoes pointed sideways toward the door.

With a smile on her face, Mar leaned forward slightly. She raised her right hand, brought her index and middle fingers together, and gently rapped her knuckles against the door.

"Knock, knock, knock..."

"Please come in."

A steady female voice, soft yet composed, came from inside the room.

Hearing this, Mar took two steps back, tactfully yielding the doorway to Xia Nan.

This was a crucial moment for deepening her relationship with the young adventurer. Having honed her skills at the Association's front desk for years, Mar naturally wouldn't overstep and do anything that might offend Xia Nan.

As a receptionist, she wouldn't directly participate in this professional-grade commodity transaction. She wouldn't even enter the meeting room she had specially prepared.

She would only continue the procedures according to the Association's regulations after the two people inside finished their discussion.

Xia Nan nodded to the receptionist and pushed the door open.

What met his eyes was a simply furnished, small meeting room.

There weren't many decorations, only two oil paintings of marine life hanging on the wall.

A small round oak table and a few armchairs matching the color scheme of the walls and floor made up all the furnishings in the room.

At this moment, the [Type III Practice Staff - 1007 Model] that Xia Nan had consigned to the Adventurers' Association was resting on a small wooden stand, lying quietly in the center of the table.

Sitting across the wooden table was a young human woman.

She appeared to be around twenty-five years old, with thick, silky brown hair draped over her shoulders and tranquil dark brown eyes.

Unlike the healthy wheat or honey complexions of the local residents who bathed in the seaside sunlight, her skin was a reflective, cold white, much like the fine sand beneath a clear, shallow sea. This made the tiny scars and sunspots on her exposed neck and the backs of her hands stand out clearly.

Her attire was extremely ordinary; at a glance, she didn't even look like an adventurer.

She wore a durable gray-green linen shirt with coral-like dark patterns embroidered on the collar and hem. On her lower half, she wore dark brown fitted trousers under a loose, knee-length overskirt.

She had no earrings, no rings.

The only accessory visible on her person was the smooth, silver-and-black bracelet on her left wrist...

Wait!

His outstanding Perception silently took effect, causing Xia Nan's gaze to subconsciously linger on her wrist.

Then, he noticed the fine, exquisitely arranged scales on the surface of her "bracelet," as well as the band itself, which was expanding and contracting in a nearly imperceptible rhythm, just like breathing.

The perceptive abilities of beasts were equally outstanding.

When Xia Nan noticed the peculiarity of the "bracelet," the other party also sensed his gaze.

"Hiss..."

A forked tongue flicked out lightly as golden, vertical pupils quietly emerged amidst the silver and black. Its slender body slithered and coiled as a small, diamond-shaped head poked out from the woman's sleeve. Its gaze, carrying the icy chill unique to cold-blooded animals mixed with a hint of curiosity, met Xia Nan's eyes.

This was not the "bracelet" Xia Nan had initially thought it was.

It was a silver-banded krait with a black base—a venomous snake that could easily kill an adult human with a single bite!

"Ayin!" Worried about causing offense, the woman gently scolded it in a low voice with a hint of reproach.

The clearly curious little snake intelligently shrank its head back, winding deep into her sleeve.

With an apologetic look, the woman stood up, extended her hand to Xia Nan, and introduced herself. "I'm sorry. Ayin is usually very shy around strangers. It rarely acts as impolitely as it just did. My name is Hein. I troubled you to come to the Association today to discuss the sale of the [Practice Staff]."

"Xia Nan," he replied. Shaking her hand, he sat down across the table. "It's fine. I don't mind."

His face showed no emotion, but in his mind, he had already formed a general impression of the female adventurer named Hein in those few short seconds.

First of all, she should be a professional-grade Spellcaster.

He could tell this from the fact that despite her visibly frail body, she was sitting here in the first-floor basement of the Association.

Moreover, under his Perception, the magical particles surrounding her body were noticeably different from a normal state, both in concentration and activity level.

However, her Class Level probably wasn't too high.

After all, in Xia Nan's understanding, high-level Spellcasters—speaking purely from an economic standpoint—were truly worthy of the title "Master Mage."

Often, the value of just a random ring could match a piece of real estate in the core district of a major city.

They might occasionally run into financial issues due to various circumstances, but their earning efficiency was also extremely exaggerated.

As for his [Practice Staff], even if he priced it as ruthlessly as possible, selling it for a maximum of 300 gold would already be considered "black-hearted."

To be completely honest, just the time spent waiting for him in the meeting room would be enough for those high-level Spellcasters to earn back this bit of "pocket change."

There was absolutely no need for them to come and negotiate in person.

Xia Nan estimated that her Class Level should be between lv3 and lv5; it definitely couldn't be too high.

Secondly, regarding Hein's specific class, he also had some guesses.

After all, not just anyone had the courage and ability to wear a venomous creature like a silver-banded krait as a "bracelet."

She even seemed to possess the ability to communicate with non-sapient creatures.

Unless the woman before him came from a family with a tradition of rearing snakes and had received relevant training since childhood, there was a very high probability she was a Druid who could communicate with wild animals and commune with nature.

It was a pity this was only their first time meeting, and they didn't know each other well.

There was no more information to collect.

Otherwise, given the extent of Xia Nan's diligent studying recently, he might have even been able to accurately guess which society she belonged to.

Xia Nan had always been direct, and Hein didn't seem to be the procrastinating type either. Although there had been a minor interlude, after exchanging brief pleasantries, they quickly shifted back to the main topic.

"May I..." Hein reached her hand toward the staff in the center of the table but didn't touch it directly. Instead, she looked up at Xia Nan with her brown eyes, asking for permission with her gaze.

"Go ahead," Xia Nan replied, naturally not minding such a thing since they had already reached the face-to-face negotiation stage.

Only after receiving his confirmation did Hein's suspended arm continue forward. She grasped the handle of the staff, brought it in front of her, and examined it carefully.

To have reached the step of negotiating the price face-to-face with the seller, she had naturally already gained a clear understanding of the staff beforehand with the help of the Association's staff; this was exactly why she intended to buy it.

Now that they had almost reached the final step before the transaction, she had to inspect it carefully once more, even if just out of caution.

Hein's gaze was extremely focused. She examined it from the tail of the staff to the tip, from the wood grain on the surface to the overall line design. She even switched it between her left and right hands to feel its grip and weight.

"If I may... how long has it been with you?" she asked very tactfully, her choice of words exceedingly deliberate as she carefully avoided any phrasing that might cause Xia Nan dissatisfaction.

Xia Nan, of course, didn't care about this. Survival of the fittest was the rule across this ocean region to begin with, not to mention that those pirates had actively provoked him.

Besides, the relevant information had long been circulating in Barracuda Bay; there was nothing to hide.

He replied frankly, "About ten days ago, from a Spellcaster in an adventure fleet named the Flying Fish Oil Barrel. I don't know his name, but the Flying Fish Oil Barrel seems to have some reputation in the Southern Archipelagos. If you want to find out the specific usage history of this staff, you might be able to ask some people in the know."

Nodding silently, Hein kept her gaze focused entirely on the staff.

After scrutinizing it for another moment, she breathed out softly and faced Xia Nan. "I wonder if I could actually test the effects of this staff?"

"Now? Here?" Xia Nan raised an eyebrow.

Understanding what he meant, Hein nodded calmly. "I had Ms. Mar report it before you arrived. It's just a common spell with no offensive capabilities to speak of. The Association has already registered it."

"Then it's fine." Xia Nan understood and waved his hand at the brown-haired woman, gesturing for her to do as she pleased.

At the same time, he silently focused his Perception in secret.

After receiving his approval, Hein stood up. She turned her body sideways so that the staff wouldn't point directly at Xia Nan, showing her respect.

The silver-and-black snake bracelet on her left wrist tightened slightly.

Breathing steadily, with her eyes half-closed and her attention highly concentrated, her lips parted and closed.

"Hum..."

Compared to the purest emerald-green life energy, the light that bloomed on the surface of the [Practice Staff] was a cyan-green that seemed mixed with seawater.

Xia Nan could feel the magical particles around her body suddenly become turbulent. It was as if an invisible vortex was drawing these intangible yet profoundly important elements of the world toward the staff.

The humidity in the air surged.

In perhaps just the span of a single breath, accompanied by the light whistle of energy bursting forth, the cyan-green life energy finished gathering at the tip of the staff and suddenly fell onto the tabletop in front of them.

Sizzle—

The cyan-green spread. Driven by the dense water vapor, strands of aquatic plants—softer than thorns, more intricate than vines, and resembling seaweed—sprouted from the gaps in the wooden table. In the blink of an eye, they covered half the tabletop.

Hein stood in front of the wooden table, gripping the staff with a focused expression, as if recalling the experience of casting the spell just now.

After a long time, she opened her eyes again, a satisfied expression appearing on her face. Rubbing the pad of her thumb against the staff, she said, "It's very clean. The wood grain flows naturally, without any traces of forced twisting or splicing, making the conduction and transmission of magic very smooth. It's indeed a good staff."

Without taking the opportunity to belittle the item to force down the price, Hein very frankly gave her true assessment, not skimping on praise.

This caused Xia Nan, sitting across from her, to unconsciously think a bit more highly of this Druid, feeling that she wasn't bad.

After thinking for a moment, he still decided to remind her, "Actually, just like its name—[Practice Staff]—this staff doesn't have any special effects. It's relatively mediocre and is more suitable for newcomers who have just come into contact with the arcane path."

Hein was actually well aware of this point.

After all, when Xia Nan consigned the [Practice Staff] to the Association, he had already listed the attribute information from his Attribute Panel.

Of course, if he were to openly write down effects involving specific numbers, such as "Casting Speed +5%", there was a risk of exposing the existence of his Golden Finger, the Attribute Panel.

Thus, he had changed them to terms like "faint" and "slight," which didn't arouse suspicion.

Equally sensing Xia Nan's sincerity, an unconscious smile appeared on Hein's gentle and calm face. "I know. It's just that my original spellcasting auxiliary equipment was accidentally damaged during my last mission. Now that I'm back in Barracuda Bay, the staffs on the market are either too expensive or of poor quality. There are a few that I think have decent prices and quality, but the sellers and the equipment themselves aren't in the Southern Archipelagos; they're too far away. I didn't want to waste my teammates' time by staying in town waiting for nothing, so I figured I would use this [Practice Staff] as a transition." Since there were no issues regarding quality or suitability, Hein shifted the conversation, cutting straight to the final price negotiation phase. "At what price do you plan to transfer it?"

Xia Nan's face remained unperturbed while he pondered inwardly.

Although it was only white-tier gear, the selling price for staff-type weapons was relatively high. Factoring in how the [Fish Bone Conch] staff, which had the added nature of a "collectible," sold for 295 gold to the half-elf Celianne...

"245 gold. What do you think?" Xia Nan offered a price that was slightly above the market average for staff-type gear.

"Deal!" His quote was clearly within Hein's budget.

Knowing that the young adventurer across from her hadn't randomly inflated the price just because of her frankness, she simply didn't haggle any further.

With this, all the loot Xia Nan had brought back from his trip to Cliff Rock Island was completely dealt with. After deducting the Association's handling fee for the staff, his net worth reached an unprecedented 3,017 gold, 3 silver, and 8 copper!