Chapter 606 A Letter

The chill radiated from a bone-white wolf fang, icy to the touch, resting beside the diamond-shaped crystal the mage Verol had given him. From the outside, the fang looked entirely ordinary.

And in truth, it held no notable enchanting effects.

Ever since Xia Nan acquired it, it had sat quietly in his belt pouch.

Its presence was so faint he sometimes forgot he was carrying it at all.

Even so, whenever he reached into the pouch for a Healing Potion or sorted his gear after a quest and noticed the fang, he never once considered throwing it out to save precious space.

On some level, it was arguably the most valuable item on his person, second only to the [Dream Weaving Corridor] and the [Proof of Diligence]. The fang itself might not be worth much coin.

Its true value lay in what it represented—a favor from a powerful Transcendent Tier being striding toward the "Legendary" rank.

The fang came from the barbarian, Forgan.

He remembered how, over a year ago, when he was still a bottom-tier adventurer struggling on the outskirts of the Misty Forest near Rivervale Town, an unexpected incident during a quest had led him to meet Hai'an, a half-elf noble from Nym City.

Through the half-elf's connections, he had met Forgan, a Transcendent Tier barbarian passing through Rivervale Town in pursuit of a sworn enemy.

Leveraging the half-elf's channels, Forgan had agreed to teach Xia Nan a combat technique suited to his fighting style—which turned out to be [Fang Hunt]. Perhaps because Xia Nan had always enjoyed good luck in this regard, Forgan—who would have otherwise been misdirected by his enemy and missed him completely—discovered traces of his target by a twist of fate while teaching Xia Nan. Using those clues, the barbarian had finally tracked down the foe he had been hunting for so long.

Although a battle that nearly destroyed half the town ultimately failed to conclude his revenge, Forgan seemed to have at least achieved some sort of milestone.

Truth be told, Xia Nan hadn't contributed much to the whole affair.

In a Transcendent Tier battle, even his current self could probably only afford to move his spectator seat a few hundred meters closer and withstand a few more shockwaves. But the barbarian from the Northern Ice Plains hadn't seen it that way.

Having hunted his target for ages only to repeatedly lose the trail, Forgan held a strong sense of destiny regarding his revenge. He credited Xia Nan entirely for allowing him to catch up to the Swamp Druid near Rivervale Town.

Before leaving the town, he had left this wolf fang with Xia Nan as a token, symbolizing a favor owed. Speaking of which, Xia Nan recalled that back then, aside from the newly learned [Fang Hunt], he only knew the [Spinning Slash] inherited from his predecessor. He hadn't even been a Class Holder yet, agonizing over where to find his final combat technique.

In the blink of an eye, just over a year had passed. He had transformed into a seasoned adventurer with a Class Level of 4, boasting an even higher Challenge Rating.

Thinking back on it now, it was quite amusing.

Back then, he had nearly cashed in this precious favor for a desperately needed combat technique. Fortunately, he quickly realized what a massive waste that would be. Furthermore, Forgan had offered that if Xia Nan still hadn't obtained a Class Level by the following winter, he would teach him another combat technique free of charge when passing through Nym City to help him reach the professional threshold. That promise had allowed Xia Nan to pump the brakes in time.

Calculating the time, it was already late March in the year 1021 of the Arcane Calendar. Strictly speaking, it was spring, meaning their agreed-upon date had already passed.

Xia Nan hadn't received any letter regarding Forgan from the Rivervale Town Adventurer Association, and he had long since obtained his Class Level anyway. He had assumed his ties with the Transcendent Tier powerhouse were severed, and that they wouldn't cross paths again for many years.

He hadn't expected this...

He sat at the bar in the tavern hall; the [Wave-Chasing Sea Fang] figurehead had already been sent to the shipyard.

Xia Nan toyed with the bone-white wolf fang in his hand, feeling the chill it radiated, a thoughtful expression on his face.

Why would the normally dormant fang suddenly undergo such a change?

After a brief ponder, two possibilities surfaced in his mind.

The first, and the one he deemed most likely:

Forgan had either encountered a dangerous predicament or finally taken the last step across the threshold into the "Legendary" rank, causing the wolf fang to resonate.

Regarding the former, Xia Nan knew his own limits. Any trouble dangerous enough to threaten a Transcendent Tier being was certainly not something his current self could meddle in. All he could do was silently wish the man safety.

But if it was the latter, it would undoubtedly be a good thing for Xia Nan.

After all, that would mean his favor from a Transcendent Tier Level being had appreciated in value to the Legendary rank.

And given the barbarian's personality, a debt was a debt; he wouldn't renege on it no matter what.

The second possibility:

Perhaps some power connected to the man—or even Forgan himself—had arrived in Barracuda Bay, triggering the fang's reaction.

The best-case scenario, of course, was that the barbarian had come in person.

Xia Nan was currently stuck in a bottleneck. Whether it was his future progression path or expanding and elevating his Battle Posture, he needed the guidance of a sufficiently experienced pioneer.

If he ran into Forgan now, the barbarian's nature dictated that he wouldn't be stingy with a little advice and help. As for the worst-case scenario...

Though the chances were slim, Xia Nan really did wonder if the fang was emitting cold air to warn him that the Swamp Druid—the one who had once spread plagues and slaughtered countless lives—had come to Barracuda Bay.

So, what should he do?

Report it to the Governor's Mansion?

But what if things weren't as bad as he imagined?

Well... regardless, submitting an early report definitely wouldn't hurt. Even in the worst-case scenario, it would at least put the official forces of Barracuda Bay on high alert.

Xia Nan made no effort to hide his contemplative expression, so the members of the Blade of Vengeance around him, along with the tavern owner Hera, naturally noticed.

"What is that, a monster's tooth?"

Sarissa, carrying her Metal Longbow on her back, looked on with curiosity.

"It should belong to some sort of wolf. Judging by the length and curvature, perhaps... a Winter Wolf?" the druid Hein chimed in from the side.

Although this fell within her area of expertise, she was from the Coral Society, so she didn't actually know much about ferocious monsters like Winter Wolves that lived on the snow plains. She only made the guess based on information Xia Nan had previously revealed.

In contrast, Hera and Lorraine were visibly more serious.

The former was a veteran information broker who had operated in Barracuda Bay for years and possessed vast knowledge. The latter had the highest Class Level in the room, pairing rich experience with acute Perception.

Both could faintly sense, amid the chill spreading through the air, a condensed aura unique to a powerful being—something no ordinary adventurer should possess.

Unexpectedly, the barbarian Aken—usually straightforward and bold, a man who would fight bravely without a hint of fear even when facing a Bloodskin Shark Beast—had remained completely silent ever since Xia Nan pulled the wolf fang from his pouch.

Now, he even quietly took a few steps back, hiding behind the rest of the group.

Standing right next to him, the Tabaxi Sasha naturally noticed his companion's bizarre reaction.

Raising an eyebrow and flicking his tail, he teased with a smile, "What's going on? Not saying a word? Don't tell me you know where Xia Nan got that fang?"

Given Aken's usual personality, he should have fired back with a laughing curse.

But at this moment, he maintained his silence, only shaking his head slightly in response to Sasha's joke.

His eyes darted back and forth, continuously sweeping over the fang in Xia Nan's hand in an evasive manner—as if he wanted to look, but didn't dare.

Being of barbarian heritage himself, the shared traits of their class made Aken more aware of the fang's uniqueness than anyone else in the room, even if one hailed from the tundra snowfields and the other from a tropical island.

Noticing the reactions of the crowd around him, Xia Nan thought it over and decided he should first head to the Governor's Mansion to report the general situation.

After that, he would have Hera use her information network to dig around and see if any strange figures had recently entered Barracuda Bay.

There was a high probability that Forgan wouldn't hide his tracks, and with his striking appearance, he would be very easy to spot.

If the man had indeed come to Barracuda Bay, then things would be simple.

Conversely, if they found absolutely nothing out of the ordinary...

Xia Nan would suggest the Blade of Vengeance fleet take a few quests and spend some time out on the open sea, far away from Barracuda Bay. That way, they could avoid suffering the same fate as the civilians in that half-destroyed town.

Weighing these thoughts, he informed his teammates of where he was headed.

Just as Xia Nan stood up, he suddenly seemed to remember something.

His body paused involuntarily.

"Where's Alton? I feel like I haven't seen much of him these past few days," he asked.

"At the casinos. Going from one to the next, he hasn't come out for a long time," Ellison replied.

Due to their coordination on the battlefield, Ellison had gradually grown familiar with the short fellow. After returning to Barracuda Bay, he had even followed the halfling to the casinos a few times. He later realized the halfling gambled far too aggressively and didn't dare tag along anymore, but he at least knew what Alton was up to.

Finding it a bit odd, Xia Nan still didn't overthink it.

He just felt he ought to say goodbye to the little guy before leaving.

So, he asked Ellison for the address of the casino Alton was frequenting. He planned to drop by on his way back from the Governor's Mansion and say a quick hello.

Just as he reached the tavern entrance, a series of hurried footsteps suddenly approached.

A familiar aura picked up by his Perception caused Xia Nan to subconsciously halt, an inexplicable premonition rising in his heart.

He waited for two brief seconds.

Sure enough, accompanied by heavy panting, a familiar figure appeared before his eyes.

It was Miss Mar, his dedicated receptionist at the Barracuda Bay Adventurers' Association branch, looking much like she had on several previous occasions.

Wearing her Association uniform, she had jogged over from the other side of the street. Sweat trickled down her forehead, plastering strands of hair to her cheeks. Spotting Xia Nan standing in the doorway, Mar let out an immediate sigh of relief, the anxious look on her face softening.

"Thank goodness you haven't left!"

"What's going on? Why the rush?" Xia Nan asked, following his intuition.

"There's..." Mar bent over, resting both hands on her knees as she gasped for air. "The Association... received a letter for you from the Rivervale Town branch."

Barracuda Bay Adventurers' Association branch.

First basement level, small conference room.

"Creak."

The receptionist pulled the door shut from the outside, leaving Xia Nan alone in the room.

As if stimulated by something, the bone-white wolf fang in his pouch radiated an increasingly intense chill.

Meanwhile, an utterly ordinary-looking letter lay quietly on the table before him.

Good news: the Swamp Druid he dreaded had not come to Barracuda Bay.

Bad news: the barbarian Forgan wasn't here, either.

The root cause of the wolf fang's strange behavior was the envelope on the table.

To be precise, it was the wax seal on the envelope flap. Displaying a unique frost-blue hue, it emanated a biting cold that seemed to resonate with the wolf fang.

Its origin was recognizable at a glance; imprinted on the surface of the smooth frost-blue wax was the roaring head of a snowfield Winter Wolf. Xia Nan picked up the letter and scrutinized it closely in his hand.

Seeing nothing unusual about the exterior other than the wax seal, he picked up the letter opener Miss Mar had thoughtfully left on the table and went to break the seal.

Bizarrely, the moment the metal blade gently touched the frost-blue wax, a crisp clink rang out, and an invisible force erupted from the Wolf Head symbol.

As if protecting the letter, it pushed the blade in his hand away.

His hand paused involuntarily, a flash of realization crossing his mind.

Xia Nan set the letter opener down. Reaching into his pouch, he extracted the wolf fang that had been continuously radiating cold.

He lightly tapped the tip of the fang against the Wolf Head seal on the envelope.

"..."

It was as if a specific switch had been triggered.

Colorless and formless magic particles surged chaotically, condensing into motes of ice crystals suspended in the surrounding air. Pulled down by gravity, they fell onto the desk and the floor, producing a crisp "crackle."

The cold energies emitted by the fang and the wax collided, only to melt away an instant later, restoring their original calm.

Guessing that the restriction had been lifted, Xia Nan carefully stowed the now-inert wolf fang deep inside his pouch.

He then opened the envelope and pulled out the letter within.

Kid Xia Nan:

By the time this letter reaches you, the first spring rain must have already fallen in Rivervale Town.

I must first apologize. I remember our prior agreement was to meet in Nym City during the winter.

Now, not only is it much later, but I also have no free time to linger in Cloudclimb Province.

Of course, my favor still stands, provided you've kept the wolf fang I gave you... Though if you've opened this letter and read this far, I suppose you've kept it safe.

Counting the days, it has been over a year since we last met.

Given your talent, no matter how arduous the training for [Fang Hunt] may be, you must have broken past the "Novice" stage and entered the "Proficient" tier. But if you wish to reach "Mastery," you must combine it with actual combat and carefully grasp its essence.

When we parted ways last time, you mentioned being unable to see the path forward to advancement. Now that over a year has passed, I wonder if you've found a suitable combat technique, and whether you've successfully stepped onto your desired class path.

I am writing this letter precisely because of this matter.

Due to personal reasons, I can no longer head to Nym City as scheduled, but I haven't forgotten our earlier promise.

Near the kingdom's eastern border, there is a small city called "Salt Rock Port." I am currently heading there. Given the speed of mail delivery and the efficiency of the Adventurers' Association, I should be about twenty days' journey away from that place by the time you receive this letter.

Once I arrive, I will stay there for fifteen days to resupply and rest.

If you have not yet obtained your Class Level, or if you are lost regarding your path forward... you may come find me at Salt Rock Port. I will provide you with some assistance, and this will not consume the favor I left you.

If your development has gone smoothly and you have no doubts, that is naturally for the best.

No need to reply.

Forgan