Chapter 449 [Scale-Fire Scimitar]

When Ryan and Gordon, the twin Warriors who answered the door, saw Xia Nan standing outside, their expressions turned incredibly peculiar.

It was like bumping into a stranger on the street, only to discover that evening they were a distant relative coming to visit.

They had met Xia Nan during the clash with the Horned Shark Gang, recognizing him as a highly capable veteran Adventurer who had sold a staff to their team's Spellcaster.

They also knew someone had used Hera's connections to ask their captain for a favor.

What they hadn't expected was such a coincidence—it was the exact same person.

Xia Nan found the situation equally amusing.

Just a few hours ago, they had been fighting side by side in the slums, searching for Baron Farrow's daughter.

He had assumed they would all rest for a while before meeting up to divide the reward. They had even earnestly said their goodbyes in the tavern hall downstairs just moments ago.

Yet here they were, running into each other again barely an hour later.

The Blade of Vengeance adventure fleet...

Hera had just spoken the name, but Xia Nan had already heard Hein and the others mention it that afternoon. It was their team.

He even remembered the tattoo on her right wrist: two crossed, dripping scimitars.

Nodding in greeting to the twin Warriors, Xia Nan swept his gaze across the room.

Sure enough, the Druid from the Coral Society was standing by the innermost window, looking at him in surprise.

Tied to her waist was the [Practice Staff] he had sold her. Meanwhile, the silver-banded snake, "Ayin," soaking up the last sliver of sunlight on the edge of the bed, seemed to notice something as well.

It narrowed its eyes and turned its small, diamond-shaped head toward the doorway.

Its slender body suddenly stiffened. Vertical pupils contracting, it launched itself on reflex, becoming a silver-and-black blur as it darted back onto the Druid's wrist.

"Looks like I don't need to introduce you?" Hera teased Xia Nan, a sly smile on her face.

Perhaps out of some twisted sense of humor as an intelligence broker, she hadn't breathed a word of this when she saw him return to the tavern with Hein at noon. This was despite her good relationship with the Blade of Vengeance, her familiarity with its crew, and her prior decision to introduce this connection to Xia Nan.

Only now, seeing the mutual surprise on their faces, did she smile in deep satisfaction.

"Let's go. I'll introduce you to their captain," she said, patting Xia Nan's shoulder and gently nudging him into the room.

In truth, Hera didn't need to say much.

Stepping through the doorway cleared by the twin Warriors and turning slightly, Xia Nan immediately spotted the captain of the Blade of Vengeance.

The first thing that caught his eye was a conspicuous mane of thick, silky, fiery-red wavy hair.

Unlike Hera, she didn't tie it back. Instead, she let it cascade freely over her shoulders to sway in the sea breeze blowing through the window. For a moment, it looked like a cluster of dancing crimson flames.

Her skin possessed the honey-gold tone common among bay residents, brimming with wild vitality. A few scattered freckles dotted her cheeks, complementing her sharp, defined features. As Xia Nan entered, a pair of striking, brownish-red eyes stared at him with undisguised intensity.

She was a woman overflowing with personality and a fiercely aggressive presence.

Xia Nan's gaze swept over her without leaving a trace, his Perception quietly taking effect as he observed her through subtle details.

First, he was certain this woman was the captain of the Blade of Vengeance Hera had mentioned.

He could feel the commanding aura she effortlessly projected across the entire room.

Hein, the twin Warriors, and the other Adventurers in the room seemed to be standing randomly, but their positions naturally centered around the sofa where the woman sat.

What did this mean?

It meant that without needing words or gestures to assert herself, years of experience had naturally established her as the undisputed leader in her crew's hearts, earning their genuine recognition.

He had already caught a glimpse of this that afternoon from the strong sense of belonging Hein had shown when proudly presenting her Blade of Vengeance tattoo.

Now, that impression was only further solidified.

At this moment, the posture of the fiery-haired woman clearly revealed her flame-like personality.

She had sunk deep into the sofa in an extremely relaxed, languid sprawl.

Leaning back slightly, she let the curve of her spine rest completely against the cushions, surrendering all her weight to the backrest. Her slender arms, which faintly displayed the outlines of tight muscle, were stretched out to her sides, her elbows propped on the back edge of the sofa.

This posture pulled her leather crop top taut, clearly outlining the full curves of her chest. It also emphasized the defined muscles of her abdomen and the fleet tattoo extending upward from her ribs into the depths of her top.

Her right leg rested boldly over her left knee, pulling her sturdy dark breeches tight against her skin. The pointed leather boot on her suspended right foot bounced lightly from her relaxed ankle, as if tapping along to some hidden rhythm.

Yet truth be told, compared to the fiery, fierce woman in front of him, what caught Xia Nan's attention even more upon closer inspection was the scimitar lying quietly on the table before her, looking as though it had just been oiled and maintained.

Compared to the common scimitars on the shelves of Barracuda Bay's blacksmith shops, the curve of its blade was much more restrained, exhibiting a touch of elegance like a slightly straightened waning crescent moon.

The brilliant silver blade reflected the twilight outside the window. Amid its flashing cold gleam, wave-like patterns could faintly be seen on its surface. The hilt was crafted from an unknown reddish-brown wood with a warm texture, bearing scale-like grain that afforded a firm grip.

Xia Nan observed it with extreme care. Because of this, he clearly noticed the faint sparks occasionally flashing in the air around the blade, as well as the slight visual distortion of air scorched by high heat.

"This is..."

As his attention focused, the translucent Attribute Panel appeared before his eyes.

...

[Scale-Fire Scimitar]

Type: Scimitar

Grade: Rare (Blue)

Effects:

1. +45% Durability;

2. +15% Fire Damage;

3. +10% Damage to Undead;

4. When combat lasts longer than 300 seconds, the power of fire will amplify the wielder's Rage and ignite their will to fight, increasing Strength by 5%–15% (when the wielder's Strength is 15 points or less);

5. The fire damage you deal will cause searing pain to enemies, slightly weakening their healing effects for the duration.

Description:

Imbued with Dragon Breath during forging. The power of fire travels with the blade, but one must still be wary of the dormant anger within.

Note:

"The most dangerous flame in the world is the cluster that quietly rises from the bottom of your heart."

— Heartfire Sect, Melting Eye Prophet, Dorias

...

"Good eye."

The woman's voice drew Xia Nan's attention back to reality.

He looked up.

The woman with the fiery-red curly hair was raising an eyebrow, studying him with an intrigued expression.

"I'm Lorraine, captain of the Blade of Vengeance," she greeted, lifting her chin toward Xia Nan.

"You must be Xia Nan. I just heard your name from Hein."

Obviously, before Xia Nan had come upstairs, Hein and the others had already reported to their captain, giving Lorraine a rough idea of what they had encountered that afternoon.

They naturally wouldn't have skipped over Xia Nan, who had performed outstandingly during the mission; the Druid had even given him a special introduction.

So even though Lorraine had never met him before, she could easily guess his identity based on Hera's teasing tone and the reactions of Hein and the twin Warrior brothers, Ryan and Gordon.

"You guys take your time chatting; I won't bother you," Hera excused herself. Having personally escorted Xia Nan to the room to subtly express her backing and her relationship with him, she saw no need to linger now that Lorraine had struck up a conversation with the young Adventurer.

Before turning to leave, she smiled and winked at Xia Nan, signaling him not to worry—if the conversation didn't go smoothly, she would put in a few good words for him later.

Creak—

The door clicked shut, and the sound of footsteps in the corridor gradually faded away.

The room returned to silence.

Feeling the faint current of heat radiating from the [Scale-Fire Scimitar], Xia Nan sat down on the sofa across the table at Lorraine's gesture.

To be honest, although the atmosphere in the room seemed somewhat oppressively quiet, he wasn't actually nervous. He even felt a lingering sense of relaxation from the bowl of creamy mushroom soup he had just finished.

Of course, he had always treated the people around him with respect and politeness.

The same was true now.

He didn't fawn or blindly agree just because he needed a favor from the freely lounging red-haired woman. Instead, he maintained a serious, proper posture as he sat.

"What do you think of my blade?"

Before he arrived, Hera must have already discussed the Lunar Tide Banquet with her, so Lorraine knew Xia Nan's purpose for coming.

But she didn't cut straight to the point. Instead, she returned to the previous topic.

With plenty of time, Xia Nan didn't mind making small talk. He also wanted to use this interaction to observe her personality, which would improve his chances of successfully convincing her to take him to the Lunar Tide Banquet.

His gaze fell on the scimitar once more. Focusing his attention, he appeared to be examining its surface, but in reality, he had already summoned the Attribute Panel. "I can't identify the exact forging materials, but it's clear the grade of this scimitar is very high. It far exceeds the scope of standard enchanted equipment."

Naturally, it was impossible to foolishly recite all the data from the Attribute Panel verbatim. Xia Nan organized his thoughts, summarizing the information in his own words.

"The durability is quite good, and it carries some added fire damage, but... the energy inside seems a bit too active. If used for extended periods in combat, it might affect the body, and perhaps even your emotions?"

He spoke vaguely and deliberately omitted details like the "damage bonus to undead" and "healing effect suppression," which were impossible to notice solely with the naked eye and Perception.

But even saying this much was enough to win the red-haired woman's approval.

Lorraine gave a slight nod. The pointed leather boot of her raised foot traced an arc through the air before dropping back to the floor with a crisp tap.

Taking her right hand off the sofa, she leaned forward and pinched the front end of the scimitar's hilt. Pointing the blade toward herself and the hilt outward, she offered the weapon to Xia Nan, gesturing for him to examine it directly.

Surprised by Lorraine's generosity, Xia Nan naturally wasn't going to show any timidity.

Reaching out, he grasped the scimitar by the hilt.

Whoosh—

Flames erupted!

As if striking some invisible accelerant, the sparks that had been jumping in the air around the scimitar instantly burst open, turning into a cluster of orange-red flames that engulfed the entire blade.

The wave-like patterns that had been faintly visible on its surface seemed to soak up the flames, forming layers of magnificent gold and crimson streaks.

His pitch-black eyes reflected the firelight, the stray hair on his forehead swaying violently from the rush of heat hitting his face.

Xia Nan felt his calm, undisturbed heart become slightly agitated by the flames on the blade, gradually stirring up ripples of emotion. However, since he wasn't in combat, he easily suppressed the slight fluctuation.

"Heh, it seems it likes you," Lorraine said, a smile on her lips as she looked at Xia Nan across the table.

'But I don't like it...' Xia Nan replied in his mind.

Without a doubt, this blue-grade enchanted weapon was rare, powerful, and expensive. Outside, Adventurers would practically beat each other bloody over it.

Its actual stats were clearly listed on the Attribute Panel, perfectly matching its "Blue Rare" grade.

Even if it was slightly inferior to his own [Ember Fall] straight sword, it was still a remarkably good piece of equipment.

But Xia Nan wasn't interested.

He didn't like this feeling of his internal emotions being unnaturally provoked, nor did he want to constantly monitor his mental state to suppress his anger while in combat.

Furthermore, his current fighting style relied on a combination of intuition, combat inspiration, and muscle memory. This inexplicably generated Rage would severely compromise his judgment during a fight.

It was a pure drawback.

Unless there was truly no other suitable weapon available, he wouldn't want it even if it were given to him for free... Er, actually, he would still take it. After all, he could sell it.

Thinking this, Xia Nan made no obvious movements on the surface. However, the fiercely burning flames on the [Scale-Fire Scimitar] in his hand extinguished without a sound, returning the blade to how it looked when he had first entered the room.

Giving a polite nod to Lorraine to express his thanks for letting him handle her blade, Xia Nan gently placed the [Scale-Fire Scimitar] back on the table.

When the [Scale-Fire Scimitar] had flared up upon being handed to Xia Nan, Lorraine hadn't looked the least bit surprised. But now, seeing the flames on the blade extinguish, a rare hint of astonishment appeared in her brownish-red eyes.

Even the pointed leather boot resting over her left knee paused, no longer bouncing to its silent rhythm.

"You..."