Goblin Dependency

"How is it, can you still move?"

From above the octopus wound, Lorin’s voice called out from the air, interrupting Xia Nan’s thoughts.

Responding with a sound, Xia Nan, covered in blood and slime, grabbed the hand extended to him and crawled out from inside the Windkind Octopus.

Seeing that he seemed uninjured, Lorin breathed a small sigh of relief but added in a confirming tone:

"Are you alright? Do you need a Healing Potion?"

Xia Nan waved his hand, indicating he was fine.

The specialty of [Tidal Shaping] itself has a constant effect of "halving fall damage," coupled with his far superior Professional Level physical strength, the height just now was not enough to cause severe injuries.

Moreover, his landing point was the soft and highly resilient body of the Windkind Octopus, which absorbed much of the impact from the fall.

So currently, he is only slightly fatigued due to the long time in the water releasing [Teeth Hunting], but has not really been injured.

In contrast, the Windkind Octopus, which was wildly flailing its tentacles just now, is now completely dead, like a pile of rotten meat spread on the sea surface, its eight thick tentacles drifting with the waves.

On the other side, Rein, who was severely injured by the Windkind Octopus, was pulled back to the deck of the Vengeance Blade Blade by his brother Gordon, and after drinking the Healing Potion, although not instantly recovered, at least his life was saved.

The battle is not completely over, but the main enemies, the Windkind Octopus and Fishman Priest, are all dead.

Only some Fishman minions and a few Elite Guards remain, which are not a concern now, as Xia Nan, Lorin, and others have freed up their hands.

In just under ten minutes, the remaining mobs were cleaned up, and everyone began to loot the battlefield.

"Dong Long..."

The sound of the elegant lute echoed on the deck.

The Half orc Alton sat on the edge of the railing on the deck, his small, dangling legs swinging back and forth.

Embracing his exquisite little lute, his fingers deftly plucked the strings.

One must admit, in many situations whether the team has a Minstrel determines how far they can go.

The encouragement and excitement brought by the spiritual power contained in the tunes largely determine a team’s upper limit.

Especially for those adventurer teams trapped in dire straits with no view of the future.

A simple tune played by a Minstrel by the campfire at night could be what supports them for another day or two...until a turning point comes and hope is seen again.

The Vengeance Blade Blade Ship Group has just finished a highly intense skirmish, there will certainly be casualties, even among the core professionals of the fleet who were seriously injured, ordinary crew members naturally also died under the Fishman’s spear.

Perhaps the joy of victory could momentarily dilute the impact of reduction in personnel, but soon, as the journey continues, amidst the unchanged sea, the sadness of dead companions will rise like a tide, affecting the overall morale.

Alton is well aware of this.

That is why he is not involved in the concluding phase right now.

Instead, he is seizing the opportunity to play his crucial role as a Minstrel, playing tunes to boost everyone’s morale.

The little guy has quite a knack for selecting music.

At this key moment when the battle has just ended, he does not play the kind of upbeat melody filled with harvest joy, but rather a relatively gentle and melodious tune, which even faintly sounds somewhat sad and wistful.

Quietly easing the negative emotions in everyone’s heart on the field.

Sarisa stood alone by the side of the ship, her amber vertical pupils gazing at the sea in front, shouting to the sailors cutting Demon Material, feeling conflicted inside.

With the help of the Vengeance Blade Blade Ship Group, she has completed her revenge.

The Fishmen and octopus that destroyed the Black Tide Hunter Ship Group are now dead beyond dead.

Yet her heart strangely lacks any sense of relief, instead feeling blank and wistful.

Where should she head next?

Following Captain Lorin’s arrangement, should she disembark at a human gathering place along the way and return to Suo Yu Bay, or join them in attending the Moon Tide Banquet and then follow them back?

The Black Tide Hunter Ship Group that once housed her has become history after the leader Aude’s death, leaving only her remaining, what does she count as now?

To take on the name "Black Tide Hunter" again, find a new team to join, or change professions entirely?

Sarisa felt like her mind was a tangled mess, unable to see the path forward clearly.

At this moment, the sound of footsteps approaching made her instinctively turn her head.

She saw the black-haired young man who had impressed her in the battle, all wet, greeting her, a familiar enormous fish spear slung over his shoulder.

"I found this inside the Windkind Octopus’s belly, this weapon should belong to your captain, right?"

"But it’s already broken, do you want to keep it as a souvenir?"

Of course, Xia Nan had already checked the attribute panel to see the detailed attributes of this fish spear.

It was supposed to be of Green Excellent Level quality, but in the battle between "Whale Anchor" Aude and the Windkind Octopus, it was completely damaged, the chain missing from the end, the spearhead broken halfway, it isn’t even considered White Board Equipment right now.

Moreover, its material has been dissolved by the digestive fluids inside the Windkind Octopus, losing its original texture, it’s probably only worth recycling as scrap metal.

Lorin, thinking it useless to keep it while throwing it away seems a bit wasteful, asked Xia Nan to come and ask Sarisa if she wanted to keep it as a souvenir.

"...Thank you."

After a moment of silence, Sarisa nodded heavily, taking it with both hands.

Her crystalline eyes gazed at Xia Nan in front of her, seemingly recalling the illusory wolf shadow she had seen on the deck earlier, like a meteor falling from high above.

Her mind unknowingly recalled his "Haiya" title.

With his keen Perception Ability, Xia Nan sensed the complexity of the Dragon Descendant’s emotions in front of him.

Thinking of her circumstances, after returning the fish spear to Sarisa, he didn’t say much more to her.

Instead, he quietly summarized his gains from this battle.

Firstly, the main thing, naturally, is the Windkind Octopus far bigger than ordinary.

As a rare demon on the sea, even if the Vengeance Blade Blade Ship Group hadn’t accepted the related hunting mission, just the material from the demon’s body is enough for them to sell for a fortune.

The most valuable Octopus Horn among them can even be auctioned right at the Auction House.

If encountering an interested Forging Master or Spellcasters needing it, the Gold Coin from selling this single horn might directly cover the team’s months of income.

Next, there are those two Sha Hua Fishman Priests’ casting tools—two conjuring shells and a roughly made Sea Rock Staff.

They are all of White ordinary quality, but since they are casting tools, altogether they should also sell for a few hundred Gold Coins.

Lastly, from the Fishman Elite Guard, there are some miscellaneous armors, fish spears, and the like.

Individually not worth much, but together they add up, their value probably matching the various resources they prepared before setting out.

There is no doubt that the contribution made by Xia Nan in this battle is the greatest.

Both Sha Hua Fishman Priests and the final Windkind Octopus were personally slain by him.

According to the allocation rules of the Vengeance Blade Blade Ship Group, after settlement, he, who made the most contribution, will also receive the corresponding rewards.

Speaking of which...

Suddenly, as if noticing something, Xia Nan turned his head and looked at the distant sea.

Earlier, the merchant ship that was torn in half by the Windkind Octopus during the storm has not completely sunk, it is now floating front and back on the gradually calming sea surface.

The crew aboard have all been killed by the Fishmen, no survivors remain.

Thus, the merchant ship naturally becomes one of the spoils of the Vengeance Blade Blade Ship Group.

Lorin had already sent two sailors over to look for useful items right after the battle had ended.

Now those two sailors were rowing back with a small boat.

Their expressions seemed particularly excited, as if they had found something special, standing on the boat, waving towards them from afar, shouting loudly:

"Come quickly! Come quickly!"

"There’s a discovery on the ship!"