Chapter 504 Hogen Felt He Was Very Lucky

Wild Berry Cliff.

At the center of the camp stood a makeshift wooden building.

The Ebb Tide Gang leader, "Carrion Vulture," sat on an overturned wine barrel, a thin fish bone clamped in his mouth as a toothpick.

Over thirty years fighting at sea had practically pickled his skin with salt water and ocean wind, leaving it dark and rough. The stubble clinging to his scalp was a mix of gray and white; his cheekbones protruded, and his gaunt jaw lacked flesh. Paired with an inexplicably sinister hooked nose and glaring, triangular eyes, he truly gave the impression of a fierce, predatory vulture circling the sea in search of prey.

And right now, standing in front of the Ebb Tide Gang boss were three reeking sahuagin.

The leader of the group was exceptionally heavily built, its bulging muscles stretching the scales on its body. Standing straight, its head nearly touched the ceiling. Two of its four arms were crossed over its chest, one hung naturally at its side, and the last tightly gripped a heavy brown leather bag.

"Thud."

The sahuagin tossed the leather bag forward, letting it smash heavily onto the table. The sound of coins clinking inside made the thugs standing behind "Carrion Vulture" Gerry swallow hard.

"Goods, all checked, quantity sufficient."

Fleshy gills fluttering, the sahuagin opened and closed its mouth. Through its unique, slimy accent, it spoke an extremely awkward Common.

"Want more, next month, at least seventy."

The sahuagin language and Common were completely different in their grammatical logic. Coupled with the fact that this sahuagin elite wasn't very proficient in Common to begin with, it could only speak in brief phrases.

Fortunately, given the context, its meaning wasn't hard to understand.

"Seventy? Don't worry, I can get you triple digits. We might lack other things around here, but we've got plenty of people!"

Pulling the fish bone from his mouth, "Carrion Vulture" Gerry grinned, revealing a mouthful of yellow teeth as he made the guarantee.

To some extent, he wasn't wrong.

After all, the living environment in the Southern Archipelagos was excellent, and the climate could hardly be called harsh. Even considering nothing else, going out to fish once every few days was enough to feed an ordinary family.

Over a hundred people could be easily rounded up just by finding a small village on some remote island.

If he wasn't worried about making too much commotion and drawing the attention of the Governor's Mansion and the Church, adding another zero to the end of that number would be a breeze.

In response, the three sahuagin in front of him didn't engage in his banter.

Its gills flared open and snapped shut, emitting a short hiss amidst the rush of air. The sahuagin elite in the lead took a step forward, its dead, black, membrane-covered fish eyes staring straight at Gerry.

"A few days ago, shouldn't have, merchant ship, plundered."

It was another short phrase that adequately conveyed its meaning, but the tone carried a heavy layer of dissatisfaction.

Hearing this, the smile on "Carrion Vulture" didn't diminish in the slightest. Still baring his yellow teeth, he said in a relaxed tone, "Oh, that? It was just a matter of convenience."

"Just some broken-down piece of junk. Not even worth a few copper coins."

"Don't worry, it won't delay our actual business."

At those words, the amplitude and frequency of the sahuagin's fluttering gills grew increasingly violent. Even the fins on its back rose slightly, as if expressing its discontent.

"In the agreement... there is none of this."

"We pay gold coins, weapons. You only do what is in the agreement."

It raised the arm that had been holding the money bag, aiming a webbed finger at Gerry.

"Do not do extra things. It will invite trouble."

Tap—

It was the slight sound of the fish bone hitting the floor.

Although the Ebb Tide Gang and the sahuagin had a cooperative relationship, and the latter's forces were much stronger than the former's, the hostility and hatred between humans and fishmen were permanently etched into the hearts of the people in the Southern Archipelagos.

Undoubtedly, at least for now, the Ebb Tide Gang wasn't as weak as one might imagine.

Gerry stood up abruptly.

He might not have been as tall as the fishman in front of him, but he was equally burly and strong. Furthermore, his status and experience as a gang boss added a rugged, fierce aura to his presence.

"I've been out here on the sea for so many years. What kind of trouble haven't I seen?"

"That ship didn't even have a flag. It definitely couldn't have belonged to the Church, the Governor's Mansion, or the Bay Chamber of Commerce."

"In the Southern Archipelagos, as long as you don't provoke those three factions, what kind of trouble could there be?"

Facing Gerry's surging momentum, the fishman showed no weakness. It took another step forward, letting the shadow cast by its massive body under the lamplight completely envelop the man. Its gills opened and closed, revealing the scarlet filaments inside.

"One more time, the agreement is void. Cooperation terminated."

"Our patience, is limited."

The air went quiet for a moment.

"Hahaha." Gerry suddenly grinned and laughed, actively taking a half-step back to show weakness. He raised his hands in a placating gesture. "Alright, alright, alright. I'll listen to you."

"From now on, we won't touch anything else. We'll only do the business we agreed on, deal?"

Seeing this, the sahuagin exchanged glances and gave slight nods.

The dorsal fins of the sahuagin leader quietly lowered. It then pointed a finger at the coin bag on the table.

"Remember, next month, seventy."

"..."

Gerry watched the fishmen disappear behind the wooden door amid the heavy thuds of their footsteps and guttural gurgles from their throats.

The natural smile on "Carrion Vulture" Gerry's face instantly vanished.

He spat on the ground and dropped backward, sitting back on the wine barrel.

Without a word, he simply raised his hand. A thug behind him sensibly passed a long smoking pipe into his grasp.

Sparks flickered, and a thin mist of tobacco smoke began to curl through the air of the room.

"'Our, patience, is limited,' heh," he sneered, imitating the sahuagin's slimy accent with heavy mockery.

"A few scaled animals, and they're trying to teach me how to do things."

"Fuck, they say seventy, so I have to get seventy? Do they think I'm their pet dog?"

"Hundreds of brothers rely on me to eat. If we just relied on their little bit of gold, we'd have starved to death long ago. If we don't find other side gigs, are my boys supposed to survive by drinking seawater?"

As he spoke, Gerry suddenly turned his head, casting his gaze toward a corner of the room.

"Hogen, wouldn't you say I'm right?"

As soon as he spoke, an exceptionally young thug stepped out from the crowd. His body trembled slightly, a fawning smile plastered across his face.

"Boss, you're absolutely right!"

"It's an honor for those fishmen that our Ebb Tide Gang is cooperating with them! Now they're trying to point fingers and dictate terms? They completely fail to understand the situation!"

Having received little education, and until recently just a bottom-rung member scraping by on the streets, Hogen's eloquence was rather mediocre.

Even so, those few sentences were enough to make the smile bloom once again on "Carrion Vulture" Gerry's face.

Casually plucking two silver coins from the money bag and tossing them to the young man, Gerry exhaled a puff of smoke.

"That batch of goods we looted from the ship—take some men and keep a close eye on it."

"I checked through it earlier. There might be quite a few valuable things inside. Once this task is over, we'll find someone to appraise them."

"Take a few brothers you can trust and guard the warehouse. No one is allowed near it."

"Understood, Boss!" The radiant silver light reflecting in his eyes, Hogen caught the coins with both hands in pleasant surprise. He carefully tucked them into his shirt and loudly promised, "I'll definitely guard those goods airtight. I won't even let a single mouse inside!"

Hearing this, Gerry said nothing more. He simply waved his hand, letting someone lead Hogen out of the room.

...

...

Hogen felt he was still quite lucky.

At first, when he had accidentally caused trouble at the wharf and offended Sea Fang and the Blade of Vengeance Fleet, he thought his gang career—and even his life—was about to end right then and there.

Unexpectedly, those big shots didn't seem to care about that minor incident at all. He waited for many days in a row, yet no one came to cause him trouble.

On the contrary, because of his experience at the wharf, he gained a decent reputation within the Ebb Tide Gang and was appointed as a small squad leader.

He didn't know if fate was playing a joke on him. Just a few days ago, having newly returned to the Ebb Tide Gang, he was transferred away from the port to be safe. He had originally planned to head to the waters near Barracuda Bay to earn some extra cash for the gang, but accidentally wandered into a coral reef guarded by a Class Holder—a detail he only learned after asking around carefully afterward.

It was only because he reacted in time. Feeling that the gale inexplicably whipping up over the sea was highly unnatural, and spotting a figure on the shore that looked suspiciously like "Sea Fang" Xia Nan from afar, he decisively led his subordinates in a retreat.

Otherwise, he and his boat would have likely been buried at the bottom of the sea.

And it was exactly this experience that made Hogen's reputation soar once again within the Ebb Tide Gang, even directly catching the attention of the gang boss, "Carrion Vulture" Gerry.

After all, not just anyone could have contact with a professional Adventurer of that caliber and still retreat in one piece.

Not to mention that the person he encountered was "Sea Fang" Xia Nan, the man who had single-handedly annihilated the higher-ups of the Horned Shark Gang.

Highly appreciated, Hogen was directly transferred to the side of the gang boss, Gerry, at Wild Berry Cliff.

It was foreseeable that in the near future, he would shed his original identity as a "petty thug" and become a named "big shot" within the Ebb Tide Gang.

"Keep up, don't waste time," Hogen called out to the few lackeys behind him, carrying a lantern in his hand.

"If we're delayed, watch out or the boss will sink you to the bottom of the sea tomorrow!"

His momentum was high and his attitude arrogant, looking nothing like the cowering little thug he had once been.

And the few similarly young thugs behind him didn't dare show the slightest bit of dissatisfaction in front of this rising figure. They continuously nodded and bowed, quickening their pace in agreement.

Their highly cooperative reactions made Hogen feel somewhat elated. As he walked, it was as if he were treading on clouds, his heart filled with unspeakable joy.

Many days ago, when he had first arrived at Barracuda Bay, he never would have imagined that one day he could make these vicious, ruthless characters follow behind him like mere lackeys.

Inevitably swelling with pride, he couldn't help but fantasize about his own future.

With his current speed of promotion, in a few years, he would securely take a seat among the gang's higher-ups.

When that time came, he would first find a few beautiful women to bear him some children, fulfilling his duty to his family.

Then he would aggressively rake in money and buy a nice house in White Cliff... no, in the Cormorant District. If he had the chance, he'd see if he could find a cheap combat technique to practice, and maybe...

Such thoughts filled his mind.

Suddenly, a noise from the darkness snapped him out of his fantasies and back to reality.

"Who is it!?" Hogen abruptly halted his steps and shouted sternly toward the sound.

They were currently on the path from the camp to the warehouse, surrounded by dense bushes and trees.

It was the dead of night. Aside from the moon obscured by dark clouds, the only light source was the lantern in his hand. The visible range was only about five meters; everything beyond that was pitch black.

It was only because he had several companions following him. Otherwise, if Hogen really had to walk through here alone, he genuinely might not have dared.

The air instantly froze, and a deathly silent atmosphere enveloped the woods.

The thugs tensed their muscles, staring nervously at the distant bushes.

No one dared to speak, but the palms gripping their weapons were faintly sweating.

Rustle, rustle...

The bushes shrouded in darkness suddenly began to shake.

The accompanying noise echoing through the dark night caused everyone's hearts to leap into their throats.

Swish—

A small dark figure suddenly darted out from the bushes, nearly making Hogen—who stood at the very front of the group—jump in fright, causing the lantern in his hand to sway and flicker.

But the very next second, as the dark figure darted closer, the group finally saw the source of the commotion clearly.

—An ignorant-eyed brown wild rabbit.

Hogen let out a sharp sigh of relief.

He subconsciously raised a hand to touch his chest, soothing the heart that was practically about to leap out.

His mind involuntarily recalled his panicked performance just now, making him feel a bit embarrassed in front of his lackeys.

"Ahem!" Coughing dryly twice with extra deliberation, Hogen forced a stern expression and grumbled to the men behind him in a relaxed, dismissive tone, "It's just a wild rabbit. What's there to be afraid of?"

"When I ran into 'Sea Fang' at the wharf, I wasn't as pathetic as you guys."

He had originally planned to use this opportunity to show off his past encounter once again.

But for some unknown reason, an unusual cold wind suddenly swept through the woods.

It was chilling to the bone, as if it could seep right through his skin.

He inexplicably felt an indescribable sense of familiarity.

Hogen broke out in goosebumps all over his body, while his empty left hand subconsciously rose to touch his own neck.

Failing to notice his strange behavior, a smarter-looking thug behind him hastily agreed, "Boss Hogen, you're right!"

"Speaking of which, I still haven't heard you talk about the exact situation when you met Sea Fang. Since we have a chance right now, why don't... you tell us about it?"

Hogen wouldn't have minded bragging about his glorious past to these lackeys one more time.

But right now, the sudden surge of unease in his heart that accompanied the cold wind stripped him of any mood to discuss it.

He waved his hand, just about to say something.

Swish—

Another gust of cold wind blew past.

Compared to before, the force of this frigid wind seemed a bit more violent, and it carried some sort of strange, sluggish sound.

It made Hogen subconsciously blink.

And when he opened his eyes again.

The lackey right in the center of his vision still wore that expectant expression with obvious traces of acting. He could even see the slightly raised corners of his mouth, pulled up by his facial muscles.

But looking further down, a gradually darkening line of blood had appeared on his neck.

"This is..."

Hogen's brain subconsciously began to process.

But before he had time to reach a conclusion, the lackey's head separated from his neck. Warm, crimson blood, carrying a thick metallic stench, painted the world before his eyes a bloody red.