Chapter 487 Ebb Tide Gang

After more than half a month at sea, the onslaught from the Spiral-Toothed Shark School had left the Blade of Vengeance Ship heavily battered. Although the crew had managed quick repairs at Hare Island, safety demanded a full inspection once they reached Barracuda Bay.

They had barely dropped anchor at Wave-Breaking Wharf when Gordon—who had stayed behind to guard the ship, missed the battle against the Shark Beast, and remained largely uninjured—took the initiative to head off and contact the shipyard.

"Are you free tonight?"

Aken's bare, heavily tattooed torso was wrapped tight in bandages. He grinned at Xia Nan, who was packing his gear nearby.

"My treat! What do you say to drinks with the boys at the Three-Legged Sea Dog?"

Xia Nan wasn't about to spoil the mood.

For the average crew member or Adventurer, safely completing a contract and returning to port meant they had reclaimed their lives from the sea once again.

Carousing was simply how they blew off steam.

Gathering for drinks at the Three-Legged Sea Dog after a voyage was practically a ritual for the Blade of Vengeance Fleet.

Although Xia Nan was still only a temporary addition to the ship's roster, the voyage had won him the complete respect of the crew. They treated him as a true member of the Blade of Vengeance Squad.

For Xia Nan's part, more than two months remained before the Lunar Tide Banquet. Barring the unexpected, he would be spending those sixty-odd days operating alongside the squad as their teammate.

Besides, after fighting shoulder to shoulder against formidable enemies, he was undeniably closer to them than he had been two weeks ago.

Faced with such an invitation, Xia Nan had no reason to turn down their goodwill, even if he had his own ways of unwinding.

He nodded. "Sure, see you then."

Nearby, Captain Lorraine overheard them. A lit cigarette dangling from her lips and a scimitar at her waist, she walked over through a haze of smoke and clapped a hand on Xia Nan's shoulder.

"We'll be resting in Barracuda Bay for at least a month. I think I mentioned that a few days ago."

"No need to stick around waiting for us. If a good contract comes up, or if you have personal business, feel free to head out on your own."

"And if you need an extra hand, you can always call on us."

"So long as you pay our rate," she added, winking playfully as her fiery crimson curls swayed against her shoulders.

Over the past few weeks, she had grown familiar with how hard-working the young, black-haired Adventurer was. He trained every day with the disciplined rigor of an ascetic, completely devoid of the lazy, live-for-today attitude common to their trade.

Fearing he would grow restless during a month of downtime, she had chosen to lay it out plain: he didn't need to tether himself to the crew if he wanted to earn extra coin elsewhere.

Xia Nan caught her meaning immediately.

To be honest, the daily grind of structured practice had been grueling at first.

Yet watching his combat technique proficiency tick up point by point—and feeling the quiet satisfaction that came with every gain—had sustained him until the routine became second nature.

If he were forced to spend entire days idling in tavern halls or gambling dens, he would actually feel out of place.

As for whether he would take on contracts during this month-long lull...

Xia Nan hadn't settled on any grand plans.

For now, he figured he would stick to the outskirts of Barracuda Bay, perhaps clearing out a few Goblin Lairs for the locals.

Or he might use the downtime to polish his fishing, if only to spare himself the embarrassment of coming up empty-handed on the next voyage.

Remembering something, Xia Nan turned toward Hein, who was tossing breadcrumbs to seagulls a short distance away on deck.

"Don't forget to call me when you head to the Coral Reef."

Hein looked up, smiled, and offered a casual wave.

As a Druid of the Coral Society, Hein tended a small patch of protected Coral Reef near Barracuda Bay.

With its intricate network of hollow structures and an abundance of organic algae, the reef anchored a thriving, diverse ecosystem.

In practical terms, it was teeming with fish—no chumming required. It was the ideal spot to practice casting a line.

Hein had noticed his meager catches during the trip and offered to let him practice at her reef once they returned. Xia Nan had taken the invitation to heart.

Sunset was still hours away. Lorraine had to arrange for the sale of their plunder, and Xia Nan had his own errands to run.

After exchanging a few more words with the rest of the crew and confirming their evening plans at the tavern, Xia Nan walked down the gangway.

He had taken only a few paces along the pier when an unusual stir caught his attention.

He glanced toward the noise.

A cluster of rough-looking thugs were standing in a circle, shielding their business from the surrounding crowd.

Through the gaps between their bodies, a pair of fine leather boots embroidered with four-leaf clovers flickered into view.

'Alton?'

A strange look crossed Xia Nan's face. Spurred by a touch of surprise, he turned and strolled over.

*

Hogen glared at the bewildered Halfling before him, fighting down a wave of irritation.

As a member of the Ebb Tide Gang, his primary duty was collecting protection fees around Wave-Breaking Wharf.

When he first joined the gang, he had assumed the job would be effortless.

Back in his hometown, shaking down locals was simple: gather a few crew members, put on a scowl, corner a target, and throw around a few threats. The victim would hand over their coin soon enough.

How hard could it be?

It was only after a gang veteran took him on a tour of the docks that Hogen realized Barracuda Bay was nothing like his remote village of barely a thousand souls.

Ships flying the banners of the Governor's Mansion, the Church, or the Bay Chamber of Commerce had to be left strictly alone.

Crossing them meant risking a quiet death at the bottom of the bay before the next sunrise.

Then there were the seasoned Adventurers.

Men and women who spent their lives trading blows with lethal monsters thought no more of taking a man's head than wringing a chicken's neck. They were to be given a wide berth.

Fortunately, these Class Grade figures were easy to spot. They carried Fine gear, moved with obvious confidence, and looked at ordinary folk like sacks of coin waiting to be spent.

A bit of observational common sense was all it took to steer clear of them.

Hogen's real prey consisted of solo merchants and local fishermen workaday enough to lack protection.

Barracuda Bay was famous throughout Upstream Coast Province for a reason. Even the lowliest deckhands here had more coin to spare than the wealthiest families back in Hogen's old village, and squeezing them yielded profits that constantly amazed him.

Though the gang took the lion's share, the remaining cut was more than enough for Hogen to live well.

Today marked his ninth day with the Ebb Tide Gang. Relying on the selection tricks taught by the veterans, he had already pulled off several successful collections.

While standing watch near the pier with his companions, he had spotted a fresh target.

A lone Halfling who looked oblivious to his surroundings.

The fellow was small, with thin limbs like a child's.

He wore presentable clothes, carried a Lute across his back, and had two miniature, toy-like daggers tucked into his belt, making him look somewhat like an Adventurer.

Yet Hogen had never seen a real Adventurer squat in front of a fish stall and stare silently into a tub of fish for ten straight minutes without even asking the price.

His youthful, unblemished face practically screamed that he had never known a day's hardship.

Hogen was convinced he had found an easy mark.

Events seemed to prove him right.

When Hogen and his men closed in around the Halfling, the little guy didn't even grasp what was happening. He simply stood there breaking open a Sugar Tangerine—a gift from a neighboring fruit vendor—looking utterly guileless.

"Hey, shorty. What's your name?" Hogen growled, leaning forward so his shadow fell over the smaller figure.

Anyone with basic survival instincts in a port city would have recognized the threat. Panic, fear, anger—some reaction was expected.

Instead, the Halfling's expression remained completely serene as he offered a earnest answer: "I'm Alton. What's yours?"

A vein throbbed near Hogen's temple.

He felt mocked.

Shing—

A cold glint flashed as Hogen drew the short knife issued by the gang.

"Shorty, can't you read the room?!" he barked, brandishing the blade. "I said hand over your coin!"

Alton was no fool.

He knew exactly what was happening.

His appearance and demeanor had invited similar encounters throughout his travels, and he had long grown accustomed to them.

The fact that he was still standing here whole and healthy was proof enough that such incidents rarely ended badly for him.

Rather than worrying about how to escape or how to punish the petty thug, Alton was simply curious as to why the man had chosen him out of everyone on the wharf.

Taking the demand in stride, he asked gently, "Money? How much do you need?"

His tone was entirely free of sarcasm.

It sounded almost as though he would reach into his pouch and hand over whatever sum was named.

Yet to Hogen and his crew, surrounded as the Halfling was, the calm response sounded like deliberate, fearless provocation.

Fury flared in Hogen's chest, his grip tightening on the hilt of his blade.

He glared down at the small figure, his jaw clenching so hard the muscles bunched beneath his skin.

Just as his anger reached its peak—

A sudden, unnatural chill swept across the back of his exposed neck, sharp and icy as an offshore draft.

The rage evaporated instantly, replaced by a cold, primal dread born of pure survival instinct.

Hogen shivered and looked up.

His gaze met a pair of dark, fathomless eyes, deep as a forest pool.

Time seemed to freeze; the air trapped in his lungs refused to move.

It was the concentrated aura of a battle-tested Adventurer—a sharp, quiet malice forged over counts of slain foes.

For a small-time thug who had never faced a real monster and possessed virtually no combat experience, a single glance was enough to reveal the immense gulf between them.

By the time Hogen gathered his senses, the small Halfling was gone.

Two figures—one tall, one short—were already walking away through the crowd.

Faint fragments of their conversation drifted back over the noise of the pier.

"These Sugar Tangerines are great. Where did you get them?"

"At the stall over there! The owner gave me a sample for free."

"That was generous of him."

"Hehe..."

Recalling the icy sensation that had just brushed his skin, Hogen raised a hand to his throat.

Feeling the goosebumps along his skin, he swallowed hard.

He knew beyond a doubt that he had miscalculated.

The harmless-looking Halfling was no soft target—he was a genuine Adventurer. And the black-haired, sharp-featured youth who had stepped in beside him...

"Sea Fang..." a companion whispered in a trembling voice.

'Sea Fang?'

The name sounded vaguely familiar to Hogen.

He searched his memory, then froze.

'Sea Fang... the fall of the Horned Shark Gang... black hair, dark eyes... young... twin blades...'

"Why the hell didn't you say something earlier?!" Hogen snapped, turning furiously on his crewmate.

The other thug, having no reason to take the blame, bristled right back. "He's been gone for nearly twenty days! How was I supposed to know he'd turn up today?"

"Can you even pick a target?!" Hogen fumed. "You let us corner a teammate of a Class Grade Adventurer! Do you realize how close we came to getting killed?"

"If you're so smart, you pick them next time! It's not like you didn't follow him right alongside the rest of us! Besides, who got us the coin for last night's drinks from that merchant?"

"Knock it off, both of you! We should head back and tell the boss before those guys decide to track us down."

"Surely it won't come to that... We didn't actually..."