Chapter 439 Baron Mansion

"The Horned Shark Gang?"

Inside the Three-Legged Sea Dog Tavern, Hera stood behind the counter. She leaned forward, hands braced against the surface, her collar dipping low enough to reveal delicate collarbones and prominent tan lines. Her crystalline green eyes locked onto Xia Nan.

Bound by the basic professionalism of the intelligence trade, she was vaguely curious about why he would suddenly ask about this, but she restrained herself from prying.

It wasn't valuable intel anyway. A few casual inquiries in any Saltwater District tavern would yield the gist of it. She was merely summarizing it for him, hoping to build a good relationship with the young Class Holder before her, so she didn't ask for an information fee.

Instead, she had Xia Nan personally pour her another glass of the "Siren's Tear" she hadn't finished earlier.

Raising the glass for a sip, Hera narrowed her eyes slightly and tucked a strand of dark green hair behind her ear before slowly explaining:

"The Horned Shark Gang is a small gang in the Saltwater District. Their main territory stretches roughly from the southeast of Winding Alley to the area near Cable Street..."

That was completely different from what Xia Nan had expected.

The Horned Shark Gang, suspected of kidnapping Baron Farrow's daughter, was not a major faction in Barracuda Bay at all. Let alone prime real estate near the Wave-Breaking Wharf, they couldn't even secure a foothold on Cable Street, one of the Saltwater District's main thoroughfares.

They could only hole up and throw their weight around in the rundown blocks near Winding Alley.

Moreover, according to Hera, the core members of the Horned Shark Gang were just three to five low-level Class Holders.

Even their gang boss, "Horned Shark" Lyle, had a Class Level no higher than Level 5.

Hera was absolutely certain about this.

For one thing, given the ambition and behavioral style the Horned Shark Gang had shown in the past, if Lyle had broken through the limits of a low-level Adventurer and surpassed Level 5, his subordinates absolutely would not be keeping such a "low profile." They would have started testing the waters and expanding their territory long ago.

For another, Hera's network had directly interacted with "Horned Shark" Lyle last month over some business interests, allowing them to gauge his power level.

This was very strange.

Doubt crept into Xia Nan's mind. He even began to wonder if he and Hein had gotten it wrong.

Perhaps "Bloody-Nosed Rat" Jerry had been telling the truth. He really had acted as a lookout for a few Horned Shark Gang members that morning, and those gang members really had kidnapped someone.

But the target they kidnapped hadn't actually been Baron Farrow's daughter, Ellie; it had been some other poor bastard.

It was just a massive coincidence in timing that overlapped perfectly with the recent disappearance of the Baron's daughter. Xia Nan and the others had stumbled into it by a twist of fate, leading to the current situation.

Otherwise, there was absolutely no explaining why such a palm-sized, bottom-rung gang would dare to kidnap the biological daughter of the town's Charter Approval Officer and Baron right here in Barracuda Bay.

At the same time, Xia Nan also breathed a sigh of relief.

Thank goodness they were only low-level Class Holders. If he had actually been faced with some Transcendent Tier powerhouse above Level 10, he would have had to seriously weigh his options, even with a Secret Realm involved, and consider whether to postpone his plans and wait until he grew stronger before digging any deeper.

Regardless, even if the Horned Shark Gang had nothing to do with Baron Farrow's daughter, the fact that the [Scalpel] had absolutely come from a Secret Realm was undeniable, making it worth Xia Nan's time to continue investigating.

"Do you have any intel on the exact address of the Horned Shark Gang's main hideout? I'll pay for it."

In response, Hera merely waved a hand dismissively. She downed the remaining half of her drink in a single gulp, set the empty glass back on the counter, and nudged it toward Xia Nan, gesturing for him to pour her another.

"That kind of intel isn't even worth a few copper coins. Just remember to bring more business my way in the future."

Xia Nan glanced at Hera, who was smiling at him from across the counter. Without a word, he simply gave a slight nod and picked up the bottle to top off her glass.

She might have been confused at first, but just as she had recounted the information about the Horned Shark Gang to Xia Nan, the sensitivity she had cultivated over years in the intelligence trade allowed her to form a few guesses in her mind.

She naturally recognized the woman who had returned with Xia Nan earlier. It was Hein, a rare Spellcaster.

Hera knew that Hein was a Druid of the Coral Society, and she was well aware of the Society's relationship with Baron Farrow.

Right now, the Baron's daughter was missing. The moment Hein returned, she had rushed upstairs as if to find her teammates, while Xia Nan—who had somehow gotten acquainted with her and returned to the tavern together—had immediately asked for intel on the Horned Shark Gang.

These clues connected invisibly in her mind. If she couldn't guess the relationship between them, she had no business surviving in this line of work.

Having learned the address of the Horned Shark Gang's main hideout from Hera, Xia Nan expressed his thanks to the tavern owner. Although he knew that if they really had kidnapped the Baron's daughter, they most likely wouldn't be staying in their lair right now, it was still a lead nonetheless.

"By the way, if Alton returns first, please leave a message for him so he doesn't worry."

When Xia Nan had just returned to the tavern, the Halfling, Alton, was already no longer where he had been.

According to Hera, he had gone off to some casino again.

As far as Xia Nan was concerned, the only reason he was getting involved in this incident was for the "Secret Realm". It was his own private matter.

It was true that the little guy was a good friend of his, but it was precisely because of this that Xia Nan did not want to drag his lively companion into an incident that had absolutely nothing to do with him, needlessly increasing the danger.

Since Alton wasn't at the tavern right now, he naturally wasn't going to make a special trip to a casino to look for him. Leaving a message with Hera was enough.

As they spoke, the sound of footsteps came from the direction of the stairs.

Xia Nan looked toward the sound and saw the Druid, Hein, hurrying down the stairs.

Compared to before, there were now two tall, lean figures behind her.

'Twins?'

Xia Nan raised an eyebrow.

Coming into view were two Adventurers with nearly identical appearances and builds.

They looked to be around thirty years old. Their short, light brown hair gleamed faintly in the sunlight shining through the window, their faces were sharply angular, and their eyes were the deep brown commonly seen in humans.

They were quite tall; following behind, Hein's head only reached their chests. Their limbs were long and covered in solid muscle with a fluid, streamlined look that came from being tempered by long periods of training and combat.

The weapons they used were also identical: a standard-issue steel sword hung at their waists, while a medium-sized iron-banded round shield rested on their backs.

If not for a distinct scar on the side of one of their faces, it truly wouldn't be easy to tell them apart at a glance; they looked just like clones.

Under the effect of his Perception, it took only a few short breaths for Xia Nan to form a rough judgment of the twin brothers' class types and levels.

—They were Warrior types specializing in close-quarters combat, with a Class Level of roughly Level 3.

While he was pondering this, the trio had already arrived in front of Xia Nan.

Before he could speak, Hein took the initiative to introduce them:

"These are my two teammates, Ryan and Gordon."

"They'll be coming with us."

"This is Xia Nan, also a friend of Hera's. I just bought this staff from him."

Hearing this, the two burly men grinned at Xia Nan in greeting, looking a bit wooden and seemingly not very good with words.

For Hein, her mindset was actually exactly the same as Xia Nan's.

The matter concerning Baron Farrow was fundamentally a personal affair. It was only because of his relationship with the Coral Society, and out of gratitude for his support of her work recently, that she had decided to help him search for his missing daughter, Ellie.

It had absolutely nothing to do with the party behind her, and she had no desire to drag her teammates into this muddy water.

The only reason she had returned to the tavern was out of her own sense of responsibility, to report her upcoming whereabouts to everyone in the party so it wouldn't look like she had suddenly disappeared.

However, she was the only Spellcaster in the party, after all. Even within the town of Barracuda Bay, once the team heard what she was about to do, they weren't going to just let her operate alone, and immediately dispatched two professional-level teammates to follow and protect her.

In fact, if they hadn't just returned from a mission—leaving the vast majority of the members scattered across town indulging in various entertainment venues—there would definitely be more than just these two following her for safety's sake.

Nodding to the pair, Xia Nan mused that Spellcasters really did get royal treatment in a party, with teammates tagging along to help whenever they went out to do something. It was just a pity his own intelligence attribute was mediocre and he lacked any talent for spellcasting; otherwise, if he became a mage or something, he could also enjoy that core status.

After a brief exchange, Xia Nan relayed the information he had just learned from Hera to the three of them.

"So, next we'll..."

Hein looked at Xia Nan in front of her, inquiring about their next plan.

Behind her, Ryan and Gordon didn't say a word. They simply stood in silence behind the Druid like two iron towers.

Knowing they would likely serve strictly as guards in the upcoming operation, Xia Nan withdrew his gaze, waved to Hein, and headed toward the tavern doors.

"Let's head back to the Association first."

...

...

The Adventurers' Association commission regarding Baron Farrow's missing daughter explicitly stated: "For detailed information, please contact the relevant Association staff for consultation".

Before diving deep into action, Xia Nan naturally had to learn the specific details regarding this quest first.

The commission reward of 500 gold coins, granted simply for confirming useful intel, was gradually fermenting among the Adventurers in Barracuda Bay as time passed.

By the time the four of them returned to the Adventurers' Association, the hall was practically packed with Adventurers of all shapes and sizes, and the lines in front of the counters wound around again and again.

Fortunately, all four of them were veteran Adventurers who had already acquired Class Levels, affording them privileges in certain aspects.

Xia Nan only had to briefly state his intent before his dedicated receptionist, Mar, came hurrying over to explain the quest details to them, even providing them with Baron Farrow's home address—though Hein, who had a cooperative relationship with him, already knew the address of the Baron Mansion.

After once again expressing his thanks to the responsible receptionist, the group followed their original plan, leaving the Adventurers' Association once more and heading straight in the direction of the White Cliff District.

Baron Farrow's mansion was situated in the wealthy area to the northwest of the White Cliff District.

Winding their way up a broad, flat, tree-lined avenue planted with olive trees on both sides, they could see a magnificent three-story building resting quietly there through the lush, verdant greenery alongside the road.

Built entirely from locally quarried sea rock and painted a creamy white, the structure refracted a faint glimmer like jade in the sunlight. Massive arched glass windows directly faced the ocean, their frames carved with wave patterns.

The roof similarly utilized pale cyan ceramic tiles, and several marble chimneys—clearly more for decoration than practical use—could be seen protruding from the back. At the very top of the third floor, a suspended observation deck extended outward, supported from below by ornate and complex buttresses adorned with carved ripple decorations.

Obviously, for a well-known figure like Baron Farrow, who served as the Charter Approval Officer in Barracuda Bay, his exact address was never any sort of secret.

By the time Xia Nan and the others hurried to the Baron Mansion, a massive ring of Adventurers had already gathered around its gates, making the area look utterly chaotic.

However, they were blocked by a few guards temporarily dispatched by the Governor's Mansion at the door, not daring to force their way in.

"Let me in, I need to speak with Baron Farrow face-to-face!"

"I know where Lady Ellie is right now, don't stop me!"

"Move aside, don't block my way!"

500 gold coins, even for a Class Holder like Xia Nan, was absolutely a handsome reward.

And for those bottom-tier Adventurers who valued money as much as their lives, it was a massive sum more than enough to drive them into a frenzy.

From the moment the commission was posted on the task board in the Association's hall, the exterior of Baron Farrow's mansion had been swarmed by greedy Adventurers.

Moreover, the vast majority of them were merely looking to fish in troubled waters.

They might not dare to directly deceive the Baron, but they quite cleverly adopted vague rhetoric like "possibly" and "perhaps", attempting to score a massive payout from this noble.

With his daughter missing, the Baron was burning with anxiety.

At first, he had refused almost no one. As long as someone claimed to be providing intel, they were immediately welcomed into the mansion.

However, as the intel provided by the Adventurers grew increasingly absurd, and with absolutely no useful information received after half a day, the Baron had gradually regained his rationality and was no longer willing to believe these Adventurers so readily.

Much of the time, they were only let in for a detailed conversation after being screened by the guards and the butler.

Seeing the chaotic scene before him, Xia Nan had originally been pondering how exactly they were supposed to get into the Baron Mansion.

To his surprise, just as they approached, an elderly voice rang out from the direction of the gates.

"Miss Hein!"

He saw a grey-haired old man, dressed respectably but with a slightly hunched figure, looking at them across the crowd.

It was Grace, the butler of the Baron Mansion.

Seeming to know Hein, the Druid—who had been walking shoulder-to-shoulder with Xia Nan—immediately quickened her pace at the greeting, signaling the rest of them to follow with her eyes.

Without facing any obstruction, they were let inside.

"Why do they get to..."

An oblivious Adventurer began to complain, but halfway through his sentence, his mouth was covered by the companion beside him.

Leaving aside the familiarity with the Baron Mansion that the group had revealed in just a few words.

Just the sheer fact that a single glance marked them as an adventuring party composed entirely of professional-grade veterans meant they weren't people who could be gossiped about to their faces.

"Don't get me killed, shut up!"