Chapter 515 Delivery

For this trip to Wild Berry Cliff, Xia Nan had initially treated it as just a temporary task before the Lunar Tide Banquet. His sole objective was the [Proof of Diligence] held by the collector, Auriel.

He hadn't expected to profit much from it.

But when he actually sat on the return ship with Auriel's three crates of quest goods and reviewed his gains from the trip, he was surprised.

Converted into gold coins, his earnings from this temporary task would far exceed the payout of a formal commission with the Blade of Vengeance.

Setting aside the miscellaneous loot, the three pieces of green-quality enchanted equipment alone would likely sell for three to four thousand gold coins at average market prices.

After all, aside from the [Emerald Corrosion Crescent], the stat modifiers on the other two pieces were excellent. Even among Fine-grade equipment, they were considered top-tier. The [Scale-Breath Horn] in particular was a spellcasting item, making it far more expensive than standard gear.

Besides that, there was one more thing worth mentioning.

Before leaving Wild Berry Cliff, Xia Nan had specifically instructed the merchant ship to detour to the other side of the island, where the pirates had built a temporary port.

Naturally, Xia Nan had already wiped out the Ebb Tide Gang members stationed there.

As a result, the ships at the pier were left ownerless, becoming part of Xia Nan's spoils.

Unfortunately, the Ebb Tide Gang was ultimately just a small-to-medium gang in Barracuda Bay. With their limited financial resources, they naturally didn't possess a luxurious fleet.

Furthermore, due to their nature as a gang, they couldn't pool their resources to continuously upgrade and reinforce a single pirate ship like an adventurer squad could.

This meant the quality of these pirate ships was relatively low. If sold on the black market, they wouldn't fetch a price anywhere near the Flying Fish Oil Barrel that Xia Nan had previously acquired.

Still, money was money, and he wasn't wealthy enough to ignore several hundred gold coins.

Since they had enough manpower and the islanders rescued from the dungeon could help sail the vessels, Xia Nan ultimately picked the two best pirate ships to bring back to Barracuda Bay.

As for the remaining ships they couldn't take, he handed them over to the islanders whose hometowns were farther from Barracuda Bay and who didn't plan to return with him, allowing them to sail home.

Seven days passed in the blink of an eye.

By the time Xia Nan returned to Barracuda Bay, it was evening, and the sky was growing dark.

Considering the sheer number of things he needed to handle—which couldn't be resolved quickly—he didn't head straight to Auriel to submit his quest.

Instead, he found the Governor's Mansion staff at Wave-Breaking Wharf, settled the islanders who had returned with him, and only then headed back to the Three-Legged Sea Dog Tavern. After reporting his safety to Alton, Lorraine, and the others who were still on vacation, he enjoyed a delicious bowl of special seafood cream mushroom soup.

It wasn't until dawn the next day that he brought the three crates of goods, along with the spoils from his mission, to Auriel's collector tower.

He planned to submit the quest first, inquire about the price of the [Proof of Diligence], and then figure out how to handle the remaining equipment loot based on the situation.

"It's fine, just leave it here," Xia Nan said, handing the carter his coins as they finished unloading the goods from the carriage.

"You got it, Mr. Xia Nan!"

The dark-skinned, middle-aged man briskly moved the last crate to the front of the tower. Tucking the coins into his shirt, he gave an honest smile and said in a muffled voice, "I'll be taking my leave then. If you ever need anything else, just give the word."

Watching the man drive the carriage away until it disappeared at the end of the street, Xia Nan withdrew his gaze.

As a Rare spatial storage item, the [White Flask] was something Xia Nan tried his best not to use in front of others given his limited strength, barring exceptional circumstances.

Because of this, the large pot of cream mushroom soup he had stored in the Pocket Watch space before the trip was only occasionally taken out to enjoy in his room during the dead of night.

Every time he finished eating, he even had to hurry to open the windows to air out the smell, afraid that others might notice something unusual.

It was exactly like sneaking instant noodles in the dorms back in his student days.

Right now, he certainly could have packed everything into the [White Flask] and brought it over.

But to avoid exposing it, Xia Nan had still chosen to spend some money hiring a carriage near the pier to transport the goods.

Turning around, he knocked on the door.

"Knock, knock, knock."

Having already sent someone to notify Auriel last night, there was naturally no chance of making a wasted trip.

The knocking had barely sounded, and before he even needed to knock a second time, Xia Nan heard footsteps coming from inside the house.

Creak—

The oak front door was pushed open from the inside.

Still dressed in an exquisitely tailored formal suit, Auriel Silverheart, who possessed one-eighth high elf bloodline, looked at Xia Nan standing at the door and revealed a polite smile.

"Welcome."

In a small, elegantly decorated reception room inside the tower.

With his two longswords leaning crossed against each other in an easily accessible spot nearby, Xia Nan sat on the soft leather sofa, holding a steaming white ceramic teacup in his hands.

Across from him was the half-elf collector, who had just finished inspecting the quest items.

"The goods are perfectly intact. Thank you for your help, Mr. Xia Nan," Auriel Silverheart said, looking at the calm, black-haired young man with a sincere tone.

Hailing from an auction house family and serving as a renowned collector and appraiser across the entire Southern Archipelagos, his wealth went without saying.

Although this batch of goods robbed by the pirates was quite valuable to the vast majority of ordinary people, compared to Auriel's net worth, it was merely a drop in the bucket.

However, doing nothing about it would have massively impacted his future development in the Southern Archipelagos.

If any random gang of pirates could hijack his shipments without suffering retaliation, how was Auriel supposed to survive in these waters?

He would likely just be treated as a fat sheep with empty wealth, his bones smashed and licked clean.

This was exactly why he had added the supplementary condition to "teach the Ebb Tide Gang and the pirates a lesson" to the quest objectives.

But the value of the goods was limited after all. If he hired an elite adventurer squad like the Blade of Vengeance, the quest payout alone would have probably exceeded the value of the goods themselves.

Therefore, he had handed the task over to the Shield of Iron Rock Squad, which was relatively average in both team size and combat strength.

As for Xia Nan, who had joined temporarily later on—

It was primarily because the young man had clearly expressed interest in the bracelet Auriel held in his collection. Although Auriel was willing to use this chance to invest in this promising adventurer, he also needed to verify whether his title of "Sea Fang" was genuine.

And as for the results, Auriel couldn't have been more satisfied.

Because he had to bring along the islanders rescued from Wild Berry Cliff, Xia Nan's return trip was much slower than his departure. Coupled with the spreading word from the islanders who had left the fleet midway to return to their hometowns, the events that took place on Wild Berry Cliff had reached Barracuda Bay even before Xia Nan's group did.

Auriel had also specifically sought out the accompanying crew members last night to confirm the details.

The information he received completely exceeded his expectations.

Though he had said he wanted to teach the Ebb Tide Gang a lesson, to be honest, Auriel had originally just intended for them to kill a few low-level Class Holders and inflict some damage on their stronghold outside Barracuda Bay.

Even just executing the original plan of the Shield of Iron Rock Squad—killing a few ordinary gang members blocking their way and bringing the goods back—would have barely counted as completing the quest.

It was nowhere near Xia Nan's level; he had directly slaughtered the entire upper echelon of the faction, taking out a large number of high-ranking members and the gang leader along the way.

Thinking of this, Auriel's train of thought paused.

His gaze drifted toward the black-haired young man sitting on the sofa opposite him, whose unfocused eyes suggested he was lost in thought as he took small sips from his teacup.

His eyes swept over the man's Fine-grade equipment.

Subconsciously, he recalled the origin of that "Sea Fang" title—the Horned Shark Gang, which had already been reduced to history.

He quietly elevated the level of importance he placed on Xia Nan.

On his way here, Xia Nan had passed by a dessert shop. The sweet, creamy scent wafting from the store made Xia Nan—who had just returned from his morning training and hurried here with the goods without even having time for breakfast—unable to stop thinking about it.

He was just pondering whether he should drop by the dessert shop after finishing his business here.

Suddenly noticing the gaze from across the table, he realized he had zoned out.

His expression unchanging, Xia Nan set his teacup back down on the table and said seriously, "It was my duty for the quest. It's what I should do."

"Furthermore, I've also fulfilled your supplementary request to 'teach the Ebb Tide Gang a lesson'."

"With your information channels, I imagine it won't be hard to verify."

"Of course!" Auriel nodded, having already caught the underlying meaning from the black-haired young man.

Since the commission was complete, it was naturally time to settle the relevant payment.

He had long been prepared.

Clap, clap.

As the elegant collector simply clapped his hands lightly, the reception room doors slowly pushed open.

A man in his forties, dressed in a butler's uniform, walked into the room. His hands steadily carried an oak display cushion draped in soft silk.

The transparent glass casing that should have covered the exterior had already been removed, and the dark gray bracelet known as the [Proof of Diligence] lay quietly upon the silk.

Without saying a single word, the butler carefully placed the item on the table, then respectfully withdrew from the room.

"I might not have been entirely clear about the specific effects of this bracelet that day," Auriel said.

"Besides being able to increase stamina recovery speed, it can also reduce physical exertion during training and help the wearer enter a state of focus more easily."

This was something Auriel had deliberately hidden initially to test Xia Nan. Now that the other party had passed the test, there was naturally no longer any need to conceal it.

He straightforwardly informed him of the special effects he had appraised on the bracelet, lest any friction arise over it later.

To this, Xia Nan's face remained expressionless as he responded normally, but his heart couldn't help but stir.

With his sharp Perception, he had already sensed Auriel's concealment after reviewing everything that day.

What he hadn't expected, however, was that this collector with quite a reputation in Barracuda Bay still seemed unable to fully appraise the complete effects of the [Proof of Diligence].

After all, on the Attribute Panel, this equipment possessed two more crucial special effects that directly impacted its quality grade.

They were the bracelet's inherent "+33% Training Efficiency (when training duration exceeds 180 minutes)"; and the "+50% Finesse Combat Technique Proficiency Acquisition Speed" from the bracelet's attached charm, the [Dust of Swaying Shadows].

'Is this another test, or just an oversight on his part?'

Xia Nan controlled his facial expression perfectly, showing nothing, while he pondered this in his mind.

Naturally unaware of what the young adventurer before him was thinking, Auriel continued, "Although this bracelet itself cannot enhance actual combat strength, its special effect of boosting training efficiency, combined with its 'accessory' equipment type, ensures its practical value is much higher than other equipment of the same quality."

"You're not a rookie, so you should be well aware of this."

It was exactly as Auriel said. Even if he hadn't managed to appraise the key attributes of the [Proof of Diligence], just the effects he had listed were enough for this bracelet to fetch an astronomical price at an auction house—one that ordinary people couldn't even imagine.

Xia Nan gave a slight nod, signaling for him to continue.

"As a rare collectible, I originally hadn't planned on putting it on the shelves."

Since he had already agreed to sell it to Xia Nan, Auriel naturally had to emphasize the bracelet's rarity a bit. This would maximize the favor he was about to bestow upon him.

"But since you've completed the commission, I won't go back on my word."

"It's just that the price might be a bit steep."

As long as he was willing to sell it, anything was negotiable.

Almost the instant he laid eyes on the Attribute Panel of the [Proof of Diligence], Xia Nan had deemed this equipment an absolute must-have.

He wasn't afraid of a high price; he was only afraid the other party would refuse to sell.

For it, let alone a few thousand gold coins, he wouldn't hesitate even if the price climbed into the five or even six figures.

Calculating in his mind how many gold coins he could currently muster, Xia Nan was just about to ask for the price when Auriel suddenly shifted the conversation, bringing up the loot from his mission.

"To be completely honest, before you arrived, I had already sent people to look into the situation at Wild Berry Cliff," Auriel said.

"I heard... that the Ebb Tide Gang's leader, Gerry, the 'Carrion Vulture', was also on the island at the time. Is that correct?"

Xia Nan nodded. "There were some Sahuagin as well."

"How was the haul?"

"Not bad. Aside from some miscellaneous items, I mainly brought back two pirate ships and three pieces of decent quality enchanted equipment."

"If you don't mind, could I... take a look at those three pieces of enchanted equipment?"

Understanding his meaning, and since he had originally planned to take them to the Adventurers' Association to sell anyway, there was no need to hide them.

Xia Nan pointed to a crate beside the other sofa, which had been carried in along with the goods.

"They're all in there. Take a look for yourself."

Auriel stood up and moved the crate to the table.

He carefully opened it.

The first thing that caught his eye was a heavy tower shield reflecting a metallic sheen.

An inexplicable sense of familiarity rose in his heart, as if he had seen it somewhere before, causing his gaze to pause.

Then, as if recalling something, the expression on Auriel's face suddenly became rather subtle.