Chapter 453 Sudden Quest

Barracuda Bay, Blue Clam Shipyard.

It was early morning. The sun had just risen, leaving a thin veil of mist over the sea, but this renowned shipyard in Barracuda Bay had already awakened.

Up on the slipway, the keel of a large ship under construction lay quietly like the spine of a stranded whale, propped up by countless thick wooden frames. Shipwrights swarmed the scaffolding alongside it like scavengers enjoying a whale fall, wielding axes and chisels to rain down endless showers of sawdust.

On the other side, a massive capstan turned with a slow creak. A hemp rope thicker than a child's arm pulled taut, stretching all the way to the water where it was tied to the stern of a newly built ship preparing to launch. Craftsmen flanked the vessel, their expressions serious and expectant as they carefully observed the wooden ship's entry into the water.

At the southernmost edge of the shipyard, nearest the sea, the former Flying Fish Oil Barrel Ship had been relocated from the pier.

Its overall shape hadn't changed much from three days ago. It remained just as low and slender, clearly having yet to begin its renovation process.

However, the detailed modification plans and the specific areas requiring focus had already been fully mapped out over the past few days.

Having just finished his morning training and showered in his inn room, Xia Nan stood on the wooden scaffolding next to the Flying Fish Oil Barrel Ship, his short black hair still slightly damp as he examined the pirate ship before its upcoming overhaul.

Hera was the one who had recommended the Blue Clam Shipyard to him, calling it one of the absolute best in all of Barracuda Bay. Xia Nan had asked around among the adventurers in the tavern, and the rumors held true. Even the Bay Chamber of Commerce and the Governor's Mansion occasionally placed orders here.

Of course, this reputation came with shipbuilding fees that far exceeded the market average.

If Xia Nan had to pay out of his own pocket, even if he could part with the money, he would still feel like he was hemorrhaging wealth.

Fortunately, Baron Farrow was footing the bill.

The man had even leveraged his position as a Charter Approval Officer and his connections with the shipyard to pull some strings for Xia Nan. Setting aside how he had allowed Xia Nan to cut in line and raise the project's priority, he had even brought in several veteran shipwrights—men who were usually incredibly busy—just to handle the pirate ship's modifications.

Xia Nan didn't know exactly how much all this would cost.

But if the invisible value of the Baron's network were factored in, it was absolutely a four-figure sum in gold coins. As a reward for the commission, one could even say it was a slight overpayment.

He had to admit, at least in the shipbuilding trade—or specifically at the Blue Clam Shipyard—you got what you paid for.

Over the course of a few days, even though Xia Nan previously knew nothing about ship modifications, the detailed explanations from those experienced old shipwrights had given him a rough blueprint of how to overhaul his ship.

First, the main hull.

The Flying Fish Oil Barrel Ship was originally custom-built for its former owner, Oily Hand Bourne, and his crew. The hull was low and slender, with gunwales close to the waterline. While guaranteeing speed, it maintained an extremely low visual profile, balancing swiftness with stealth.

This suited Xia Nan's needs, so it didn't require too many changes.

They only needed to replace the heavily worn planks near the keel and bow, which had been damaged by long-term high-speed sailing and frequent beaching.

Along the way, they also needed to scrape the barnacles off the bottom, carefully inspect the seams between the hull planks, and smooth out any uneven spots to reduce drag as much as possible.

Next came the figurehead and the ram.

For a pirate ship sailing the vast ocean, the figurehead was arguably its very soul.

Previously, the ship hadn't possessed a figurehead, and its ram was merely a hard block of wood wrapped in iron plating. It had no aesthetic appeal whatsoever, and its battle-tested exterior had also seen a decline in practicality.

Xia Nan definitely wanted them replaced.

But exactly what form the figurehead should take was something he was still considering.

His main dilemma was whether to give the figurehead a more personal style—like the motif on a pirate flag, so others could recognize his identity at a glance—or to completely forgo appearance in favor of pure practicality, thereby making the ship harder to identify.

Focusing on practicality was perfectly fine, but on this ocean, having a certain level of renown—much like the moniker Sea Fang that was currently brewing among the adventurers—could help Xia Nan avoid a lot of unnecessary trouble.

Simply put, if he truly made a name for himself in the Southern Archipelagos in the future, ordinary pirates would probably flee on sight, not even daring to approach his ship.

He still needed to weigh the pros and cons before making a decision.

Finally, there was a series of tedious miscellaneous tasks for the Flying Fish Oil Barrel Ship, including mast inspections, sail upgrades, rigging replacements, and internal space optimization.

Once all of this was completed, the ship would be entirely renewed.

When the time came, Xia Nan wanted to personally name this first ship of his life.

'What should I call it?'

It didn't need to be too high-profile. Simpler was better.

Considering his current titles of Greysword and Sea Fang, maybe he could call it...

As he pondered, a series of footsteps suddenly sounded behind him.

His Perception silently took effect. Xia Nan turned around and looked in the direction of the sound.

He saw the Druid Hein, who had just entered the shipyard, walking briskly toward him.

"You're up way too early. You don't act like an adventurer at all. Hera said you've already finished your morning training?" she asked.

A disciplined "freak" like Xia Nan wasn't common even among Class Holders who had achieved decent success. If the scope were broadened to the entire adventurer population, such traits were exceedingly rare.

After surviving high pressure and countless dangers to return safely with a hefty quest reward, a little indulgence was only natural.

To some extent, compared to card tables and alcohol, sleeping in was already the most austere form of relaxation one could manage.

But truthfully, Xia Nan didn't feel any hardship in this lifestyle. Ever since transmigrating, he had grown accustomed to such a disciplined routine.

As things stood, if he were actually forced to sleep until noon every day or squander his money at the tables, he would feel deeply uncomfortable.

Of course, he wasn't an emotionless training machine. He still frequently felt pressure in various situations.

It was just that Xia Nan had his own unique way of decompressing.

And a highly effective one at that.

Knowing that Hein wouldn't come looking for him this early without reason, he figured she had something to tell him.

Xia Nan gave her a nod of greeting.

"What's wrong? Is there something the matter?"

"It's nothing urgent, just coming over to inform you," the Druid explained, coming to a halt six paces away from Xia Nan as the silver-black bracelet on her right wrist protested by tightening subconsciously.

"The fleet has a new commission. The departure time is in three days."

"Make sure you use this time to get ready. Don't cause a delay when the time comes."

"So soon?"

Xia Nan was inwardly surprised.

After all, when he first met their captain, Lorraine, three days ago, the woman with the long red curls had told him they would rest in town for a while before setting sail.

He hadn't expected them to have a new plan after only three days.

"Yeah..." At Xia Nan's question, Hein's expression turned a bit strange. Clearly, this was unexpected for her as well. "It seems it's because Captain Lorraine found something she was interested in on the black market a couple of days ago. After investigating, she decided to delve deeper into it, so she took on another commission near that destination."

"I'm not exactly sure about the details. If you're interested, you can go ask the captain when you get back to the tavern."

Since he had become a temporary member of the Blade of Vengeance, participating in quests as part of the team was only natural.

With the Lunar Tide Banquet coming up in three months, Xia Nan took his upcoming stint as a crew member very seriously.

Besides, he really had nothing to do recently other than train. Whether it was the armor forging at [Pearl Spun Yarn] or the renovation of the Flying Fish Oil Barrel Ship, both required a long wait.

He wasn't opposed to going out on a quest.

"Alright, I understand," Xia Nan nodded, then asked the Druid, "Do you know the specific details of the quest and the destination?"

Out of caution, and to ensure he was fully prepared, he naturally had to gather some detailed information about the trip first.

"The quest details... I had just woken up this morning and was still a bit groggy, so I didn't really catch it all. Let's ask the captain when we get back to the tavern."

Hein shook her head in embarrassment and gave an awkward laugh.

"But I did hear the destination clearly. They said we're going to some place called..."

"Twin Oceans?"

...

...

Three days passed in the blink of an eye.

It was early morning again, and Wave-Breaking Wharf was as bustling as ever.

Seagulls cried as they circled high above, their calls mixing with the shouts of fishmongers. The air was thick with a fishy stench.

Fully armed, Xia Nan walked along the pier, accompanied by the Halfling Alton, who had also geared up for the trip.

It was worth noting that, compared to his previous transitional studded leather armor, Xia Nan had learned his lesson from the battle with the Horned Shark Gang. He had spent over a hundred gold coins at a reliable blacksmith shop recommended by Hera to buy a decent set of Plate-Chain Composite Armor, raising his margin of error in combat.

He had no choice. Since the enchanted gear commissioned at [Pearl Spun Yarn] wasn't finished yet and he had to set out to sea immediately, he could only spend some money to buy equipment.

He remembered that when he was making his purchase at the blacksmith shop, Hera had mentioned she had channels that allowed for renting instead of buying. He only needed to pay a deposit, and the shop would take the armor back after the quest.

But considering his own rate of destroying armor, Xia Nan figured that even if he paid the deposit, he likely wouldn't get it back. So, he politely declined her offer and simply paid outright for a brand new set.

Fortunately, the two pieces of enchanted armor at the [Pearl Spun Yarn] tailor shop had finally entered formal production, following the incredibly complex design preparations by the shop's owner—a Sea Elf half-blood with OCD and perfectionist tendencies.

Considering the time needed for the round trip on this quest, Xia Nan figured he would be able to wear his two new pieces of gear the next time he returned to Barracuda Bay.

For this, he had already paid the Half-Elf a deposit of 1,000 gold.

Factoring in his bank savings, the loot from the Horned Shark Gang, his pre-trip supply expenses, and daily living costs, this left Xia Nan with a current balance of 1,932 gold, 6 silver, and 5 copper.

It was still a plentiful sum.

The Blade of Vengeance wasn't hard to find. Hein had already shown Xia Nan its mooring spot at the pier a few days prior.

In less than five minutes, a three-masted sailing ship far larger than the Flying Fish Oil Barrel Ship appeared before the two of them.

Clearly having undergone special modifications, the Blade of Vengeance was wider and had a deeper draft than ships of the same type. This helped it sail more stably through storms, and provided enough space to store all the miscellaneous items their fiery captain collected during quests.

The hull was a deeply somber brownish-red, resembling long-coagulated blood. Only by squinting under the direct glare of the sun could one discern the faint blood-red tint beneath the surface—a color almost identical to Lorraine's eyes.

Three masts stood tall, their sails furled. A black flag embroidered with two crossed, bleeding scimitars fluttered in the wind at the very top—the emblem of the Blade of Vengeance fleet.

The figurehead was an ocean siren with outstretched arms.

The type of wood was hard to distinguish. Years of exposure to the wind and sun on the open ocean had given its surface a mottled hue, but it must have been frequently maintained, as the overall details remained intact.

Only the siren's face, turned toward the sea, was a blur, revealing nothing more than the vague outline of her features.

When Xia Nan first saw it, he had assumed it was damage the ship had sustained during its last quest and hadn't had time to repair.

It was only after Hein's explanation that he learned the siren's blurred face had been an intentional design choice by Lorraine from the very beginning.

He remembered the Druid's exact words at the time: "The person everyone fears in their heart is different. The captain wants her enemies to fill in that face themselves."

He had originally just wanted to reference how a famous adventurer team designed their ship to help with his own upcoming pirate ship modifications.

Hearing that introduction, even though it was just a short sentence, gave Xia Nan—who hadn't been on the team for long—a general understanding of the Blade of Vengeance's operational style and overall temperament.

It wasn't bad. In fact, it was quite compatible with him.

By the time Xia Nan arrived beneath the ship, the fleet's pre-departure preparations were basically complete. Ryan, the older of the twin Warriors, stood on the deck counting the crew members.

Like the vast majority of adventurer teams in Barracuda Bay, the structure of the Blade of Vengeance consisted of Class Holders alongside ordinary crewmen.

The former were relatively few in number and served as the core of the ship; the latter mostly worked as sailors, helping with various chores.

Spotting Xia Nan and his companion on the pier, Hein, who was standing by the ship's rail, waved and called out to them.

"Get on board, we're ready to set sail!"

Raising his head to look toward the sound, the first thing that caught his eye was a furry tail dotted with dark brown spots, swaying gently in the air.