Chapter 598 Return

As a lingering echo of the Sea Rhythm Festival, the heroic deeds of the adventurers who thwarted the evil schemes of the Sahuagin on Stodd Island spread far and wide. Driven by active promotion from the Governor's Mansion, the news radiated outward from Barracuda Bay, and locals even held special celebrations in their honor.

For the vast majority of ordinary people, of course, this was just a minor interlude in their daily lives. At most, they felt lucky to get the free food and cheap daily necessities distributed during the festivities, and they would soon put the whole matter to the back of their minds.

But from the perspective of Class Holders and those working in fields related to the Transcendent Tier, topics like the great pirate "Algae Scale" Dodd failing his advancement and dying, the cruel sacrificial ritual of the Sahuagin, and the massive casualties among professional adventurers attending the Lunar Tide Banquet—every single one of these was worth discussing for a long time to come.

In fact, by the time Xia Nan returned to Barracuda Bay, the events on Stodd Island had already sparked intense discussions in taverns across the town.

Adventurers fervently debated numerous topics: why "Algae Scale" Dodd's advancement had failed, his exact cause of death, the Sahuagin's true motives, and detailed accounts of the adventurers' combat. The incident already showed signs of becoming the most explosive topic in the Southern Archipelagos in recent years.

When Xia Nan and the others, guided by official vessels, finally docked at Wave-Breaking Wharf in Barracuda Bay, they were greeted by a welcoming crowd specially arranged by the Governor's Mansion, as well as many idle adventurers who had rushed over to join the excitement upon hearing the news.

As a key figure in the incident, it was predictable that Xia Nan's performance in battle would also spread widely, fueled by the boasting of the surviving adventurers at tavern tables and amplified by the surging popularity of the topic.

It wouldn't be long before anyone in the Southern Archipelagos with even a little access to information knew that an adventurer nicknamed "Sea Fang" had thwarted the Transcendent Tier advancement plans of "Algae Scale" Dodd, and had subsequently slain the powerful monster summoned by the Sahuagin in head-on combat.

Xia Nan had long expected this, but to be honest, he didn't care much.

Gaining fame was certainly a good thing. He was just an ordinary person; how could he ignore the temptations of fame and fortune?

On the other hand, being too famous wasn't entirely a good thing.

Whether it was the Sahuagin whose plans he had ruined, or ambitious individuals out at sea eager to use famous figures as stepping stones for their own rise, they could all bring him trouble.

Fortunately, the encryption key was already in hand, leaving him with no reason to stay in the Southern Archipelagos any longer.

Xia Nan planned to leave Barracuda Bay and return to Rivervale Town as soon as he finished processing the loot he had brought back and tied up all loose ends.

He had to admit the seafood cream mushroom soup here was delicious, but after eating it for a while, he couldn't help but miss the classic, original flavor from the White Chickadee Tavern.

"Are you sure you won't reconsider?"

"While the income might be a bit lower, the stability the Governor's Mansion offers is far higher than risking your life outside. You'll get a monthly salary, and if you have children in the future, they'll have access to the kingdom's internal education channels. They might even make it into the Royal Academy."

Standing on the deck and looking down at the crowded wharf below, Xia Nan heard the voice behind him.

Knowing the speaker was Orisi, the young official from the Governor's Mansion, he didn't turn around. He simply smiled and shook his head.

"There are too many constraints working in the Governor's Mansion," he politely declined. "I prefer a freer lifestyle."

On the way back to Barracuda Bay from Stodd Island, he had talked quite a bit with this blond young man of noble descent, managing to get a slight read on his personality and background.

Just as he had guessed before, Orisi came from a large aristocratic family. He had received an excellent education since childhood, and upon coming of age, followed his family's arrangements to take office in the Governor's Mansion.

Although the difference in their backgrounds occasionally led him to inadvertently show behaviors that set him apart from the adventurer "mud-legs," for the vast majority of the time, he acted gentle and polite toward the surrounding adventurers—even slick.

Perhaps because of Xia Nan's outstanding performance and the potential he had displayed, Orisi paid special attention to him.

He answered practically any question without reservation, aside from those involving confidential matters.

Over the course of a few days, their relationship might not have reached the level of friends, but they had certainly built some rapport.

After learning that Xia Nan wouldn't stay in Barracuda Bay for long, Orisi had actively invited him to take a position in the Governor's Mansion. He claimed that whether Xia Nan wanted to climb the ranks or seek stability, he could use his connections to find a suitable post.

As for Xia Nan's response—it was always a polite refusal, just like a moment ago.

Honestly, if he were still the same person he was before transmigrating to this world, he might have actually agreed.

A stable and high income, power derived from the kingdom's official channels, a fairly clear path for promotion, and even aristocratic connections.

With all these factors combined, whether in his past life or now on the Aifala Continent, it was a choice many people dreamed of.

But as for Xia Nan himself, he had a very clear understanding of his current situation.

In a fantasy world like the Aifala Continent, where supernatural powers existed, one's own strength was the foundation of everything.

To put it bluntly, why was Orisi acting so enthusiastically, wanting to befriend and invest in him, not even minding sharing his family's connections?

Wasn't it simply because of the strength and talent Xia Nan had demonstrated in the battle against the Bloodskin Shark Beast?

If he were just a random ordinary person off the street, given Orisi's personality, the noble probably wouldn't even spare him a second glance, let alone seek his friendship.

Furthermore, if he entered the Governor's Mansion, constrained by his position, there would definitely be numerous restrictions from all sides. He would be far less free than he was now.

With Xia Nan's personality, he'd probably have to squeeze in a bowl of cream mushroom soup during his breaks just to enjoy it.

The foundation of his professional path had been thoroughly solidified. With the Golden Finger of the Attribute Panel, and even the encryption key for the [Dream Weaving Corridor] now secured, he was about to enter a phase of high-speed growth, ready to reap the rewards of his accumulated efforts.

Unless someone suddenly told Xia Nan that his power level would permanently stagnate right where it was.

Otherwise, how could he possibly give up everything he had worked so hard to gain, just to enter the Governor's Mansion and choose a completely unfamiliar path?

"Haha, I knew it. Young adventurers like you don't like the rigid work inside the Governor's Mansion."

He had already learned of Xia Nan's intentions earlier, and had simply wanted to make one final attempt.

Being rejected, Orisi showed no negative reaction at all. He just smiled.

"Sometimes I really envy you guys," he joked. "Free and unfettered, doing whatever you want without caring about how others look at you."

He said that, but according to Xia Nan's Perception, the level of courtesy in Orisi's words was clearly much higher; he wasn't truly that envious.

It was obvious that for this young official, compared to being a stray dog of an adventurer, he still heavily favored family and his political career.

"Finally, thank you again for your cooperation. I'll go arrange the subsequent matters now."

"If you run into any trouble in Barracuda Bay later, feel free to look for me at the Governor's Mansion. Don't hesitate."

"Also, please be sure not to forget about the remaining Shark Beast materials."

After exchanging a few final, highly proper pleasantries with Xia Nan, Orisi took his leave.

Xia Nan withdrew his gaze from the young noble's retreating back.

Bearing two swords on his back, he leaned forward, resting both hands on the ship's railing, his eyes still cast toward the wharf below.

Having barely scraped by with their lives on Stodd Island, the surviving adventurers from the various teams appeared almost euphoric.

Clutching the gold coins they had exchanged from the Governor's Mansion using their fishman loot, they vanished into the crowd with hurried steps.

It was predictable that the revenues of casinos, taverns, and brothels large and small in Barracuda Bay would see a massive spike over the next few days.

Meanwhile, relatively responsible team leaders like Lorraine were busy contacting the merchants and peddlers staking out near the wharf to process their remaining loot.

After all, the limited scope of the Governor's Mansion's recovery regulations only applied to the remains of the Sahuagin from Stodd Island.

Everything else, including the legacy of other fallen adventurers and the miscellaneous gains made on the journey there, still had to be handled by the respective teams themselves.

Since Xia Nan hadn't spent much time in Barracuda Bay and didn't have many reliable sales channels, he had also handed over a lot of his cumbersome, miscellaneous loot to Lorraine, asking her to help sell it.

This included the equipment from Sahuagin grunts obtained during the voyage from Barracuda Bay to Stodd Island, a crate of unused Deep-Sea Resonance Stones, several primitive spellcasting tools from the fishman priest, and the armor and weapons of the elite fishman commander.

Naturally, even though he had a good relationship with Lorraine, Xia Nan had no reason to let her work for free. He planned to give her a percentage cut of the final gold coins obtained from the sale.

And based on his understanding of the Blade of Vengeance, they certainly wouldn't take illicit kickbacks from him over such a trivial sum anyway.

Yet, even after offloading most of his less valuable miscellaneous finds to Lorraine, there were still many items left that required Xia Nan to personally find a buyer or formulate a specific plan to deal with.

During the Lunar Tide Banquet trip, there had been far too many battles, and the number of powerful enemies defeated was not small.

Even after the loot had been distributed according to contribution, Xia Nan's share was still substantial.

This included, but was not limited to, the materials from the Wind-Seed Octopus—primarily the long horn on its head—the Bone-White Staff from the elderly fishman priest Urk, "Algae Scale" Dodd's longsword, as well as the corpse and anchor weapon of the Bloodskin Shark Beast.

He figured he wouldn't have a moment of peace for the next few days.

On top of that, he still needed to repair and replace his equipment.

If he struck a deal with an artisan, drafting a production plan and doing custom fittings would consume another massive chunk of time.

He certainly wouldn't have any time to take on commissions.

"I'll just treat it as giving myself a vacation," he muttered.

Xia Nan's head throbbed just thinking about the tedious chores he had to handle next.

He simply decided not to accept any extra commissions, planning to resolve these affairs while resting in town and familiarizing himself with his newly acquired Feat abilities.

He mentally drew up a checklist of what he needed to do next.

Xia Nan stepped off the ship, greeted a few familiar adventurers nearby, and set out on the first item of his plan.

Target—the Pearl Spun Yarn tailor shop!

As a famous merchant of high-end custom equipment in Barracuda Bay, Xia Nan had had quite a bit of interaction with the Half-Elf shop owner named Celianne. The half-ruined [Abyssal Current] armor he was wearing now, along with the watch chain for the [White Flask] pocket watch, were both custom-made there.

One party was satisfied with the artisan's superb skills and demand for perfection in the produced equipment, while the other was pleased with the customer's cooperation and prompt payment of the final balance.

The two sides had already established a certain level of trust.

Given this, whenever he had relevant needs, Xia Nan would naturally choose to patronize Celianne's business.

The wharf was bustling with people coming and going. Due to the risk of exposing his spatial storage item, Xia Nan hadn't stowed all his loot inside the [White Flask] pocket watch.

Instead, he found a few reliable porters on the wharf, hiring them at above-market rates to help transport the spoils.

Filling several large carts covered with canvas for concealment, the procession marched grandly to the White Cliff District. After stating their purpose and identity, the guards of the Governor's Mansion took over, assisting with transporting everything to the entrance of Pearl Spun Yarn.

It was just like his very first visit: spotless curved floor-to-ceiling glass windows, a finely textured velvet carpet, a clean and simple signboard motif, and the Elvish script that he still couldn't read.

But unlike before, it seemed someone had heard the commotion from outside.

The owner of Pearl Spun Yarn, the Sea Elf hybrid Celianne, with his teal hair and pale blue skin, was already waiting at the door when Xia Nan stepped off the cart.

As a professional serving the adventurer industry, he was far more well-informed than ordinary people.

He was aware of the events that had unfolded on Stodd Island, as well as the role Xia Nan played in them.

Seeing Xia Nan step out of the cart, this meticulous and strict Half-Elf, whose personality leaned toward perfectionism, revealed quite a relieved expression.

He wasn't relieved that Xia Nan had managed to achieve such great deeds, of course. Their relationship hadn't grown that deep yet.

The reason he felt relieved stemmed entirely from the perspective of an artisan dedicated to his craft, happy to see an adventurer wearing the equipment he forged make a name for himself in the industry and return safely with all his limbs intact.

Thinking back, that dwarven hybrid blacksmith Barn from Rivervale Town had felt exactly the same way the first few times he saw Xia Nan return from an adventure.

Even though their fields of expertise differed, perhaps master craftsmen all shared common ground on some level.

His reaction was identical to that of Barn from Rockhammer.

As Celianne's gratified gaze traveled downward.

He caught sight of the half-ruined [Abyssal Current] armor on Xia Nan's body. It had only recently been completed, and if given to an ordinary person, it could have been passed down as a family heirloom for centuries. Yet now, it was riddled with dents and covered in the scars of battle.

And with that sight, his expression instantly froze.