Goblin Dependency

The next second.

Buzz——

A reddish-brown force field energy exploded like fireworks at the Shark Beast’s neck.

The coarse, thick skin and solid muscles had no resistance whatsoever, being mercilessly crushed and torn apart.

Blood mixed with shredded meat splattered and spilled around as the force field energy contracted and expanded in a painful howl.

When the reddish-brown energy dissipated into dust in the air, the back of the Shark Beast’s neck revealed a gruesome wound, where you could see muscles writhing and even bare bone shards.

As he nodded slightly in acknowledgment to Alton, who was strumming a lute at the edge of the battlefield, Xia Nan’s gaze stayed fixed on the Shark Beast as it roared in agony, his mind swiftly replaying the recent encounter.

Just as he had anticipated, this noticeably emaciated Shark Beast had significantly lower combat ability than the ones he had faced before, completely within his manageable range.

All it needed was one more strike to the wound he had just made, and the battle would be over.

But just as the scales of victory were tipping in Xia Nan’s favor, a sudden rush of footsteps came from the other side of the beach.

Perhaps the Shark Beast’s roar had caught the attention of others.

A group of somewhat familiar adventurers in similar, well-crafted armor was hurrying toward the battlefield.

At the forefront was a tall, silver-haired elf whom Xia Nan had met not long ago:

The captain of the Wind Forger squad - the pureblood elf, Sefeng.

The momentum of his intended pursuit came to an abrupt halt, as Xia Nan’s gaze swept over the professional adventurers behind Sefeng, then glanced at the tattooed adventurer’s broken corpse on the ground.

He only felt trouble brewing in his heart.

In most cases, a third party appearing in a battle nearing its end is not a good sign for adventurers.

...

...

Meanwhile, on the other side of Stodd Island, on a street near the town center square.

Sasha, the Spotted Cat from the Vengeance Blade Fleet, was walking side by side with Captain Lorin’s brother, Ellison, down the street.

Considering Lorin and Ellison’s relationship, it wouldn’t be expected for Sasha, as a team member, to get along well with him.

Yet the reality was completely different.

On one hand, as a core member of the fleet, Sasha was fully aware from years of acquaintance that his hot-tempered captain had no substantial grievance with her brother.

It was only due to the different paths they had chosen in recent years that they gradually drifted apart and stopped communicating.

At any time, either side might come to a realization, and their relationship could quickly improve.

On the other hand, with the impending Moon Tide Banquet and the imminent appearance of "Algae Scale" Dodd at this time.

Ellison’s presence on Stodd Island already showed his support for his sister.

Collaborating with the Vengeance Blade Fleet was almost a certainty.

With this premise, as a member of the fleet, running into each other before the banquet naturally meant working to maintain the relationship.

Just now at the "Glass Oar" Tavern, using fishing as a topic of conversation to break the ice had been quite successful.

Now, having temporarily separated from Xia Nan in their search for the Deep Sea Resonating Stone, Sasha continued enthusiastically seeking topics of conversation and subtly prying into Ellison’s attitude toward Lorin to prepare for the sibling reunion.

"Mr. Ellison, over the years, Captain Lorin often mentioned you during voyages."

"Oh? I doubt it’s anything good?" Ellison scanned the eaves of the water ironwood cabin beside him, searching for the Deep Sea Resonating Stone, casually replying.

"No, no, no." Sasha shook his head, "She said your navigational skills are far superior to our ship’s navigator."

"If you were on our ship, we might cut a third off our travel time on each mission."

The subtlety of Sasha’s words was evident from the way the furry long tail behind him stopped swinging, indicating he was lying, or at least not entirely truthful.

Lorin might have mentioned her brother on the Vengeance Blade, but she certainly wouldn’t have praised him so highly.

As for complaints, well, those couldn’t be ruled out either.

Ellison knew his sister well and understood that much of what Sasha said was embellished.

Yet he chose not to point it out directly.

Aware of the Spotted Cat’s intentions, he merely responded with a joking tone:

"Haha, my fees aren’t cheap. If I really joined the Vengeance Blade, I fear many of your comrades would rather waste that extra third of the travel time."

"How could that be!?"

Unaware that his cunning had been seen through, Sasha felt a glimmer of hope, his fluffy Cat face showing a human-like eagerness.

"If you’re willing to come aboard, I think neither I nor the others would mind..."

Halfway through, he was interrupted by Ellison raising his hand.

"Let’s not talk about this today, we’ll discuss it at the banquet."

Realizing he had come on too strong, Sasha’s long tail swayed anxiously.

Organizing his thoughts, he opened his mouth to say something.

Suddenly, an unexpected voice came from the passing crowd:

"Mr. Sasha, Mr. Ellison, what a coincidence to meet again."

Turning their eyes toward the voice, they saw a well-dressed man in a neat and spotless formal suit, with an exquisite goatee.

Flynn, Dodd’s subordinate responsible for this event, was smiling, looking at them with some surprise.

And it was indeed unintentional.

He had just left Dodd’s manor, heading back toward the town center and unexpectedly ran into Sasha and Ellison on the way.

"I recall Mr. Xia Nan of ’Haiya’ was with you two, how come I don’t see him?"

Perhaps trained professionally, or just naturally adept.

Even after being reprimanded when mentioning Xia Nan in front of Dodd earlier, he maintained his composure.

Now, inquiring about Xia Nan’s whereabouts from Sasha and Ellison, his face showed no signs, maintaining a classic smile.

"Oh... Mr. Flynn, as you know, there are only a hundred Deep Sea Resonating Stones scattered across this large island; working separately improves efficiency, doesn’t it?"

Careful not to divulge Xia Nan’s location, Sasha replied vaguely.

"Of course, of course." Flynn nodded slightly, his smile unwavering, "But with your strength, just a few inconspicuous stones shouldn’t challenge the renowned crew of the Vengeance Blade."

"That’s uncertain."

Ellison interjected suddenly, his tone half-joking, half-probing.

"I must say, Mr. Flynn, your hiding skills are quite impressive. Among all the adventurers on the island, as of now, only Alton has succeeded, right?"

"Haha, you mean the little one?" Flynn recalled with a smile, "The Half-Orc’s luck is always good, but I hear this Alton is also new to the Vengeance Blade’s crew, I wonder..."

He seemed intent on using this opportunity to gather information about Alton from them.

But just then, chaos erupted on the other side of the street.

A young man who looked like a sailor, with blood-stained clothes, was running toward the town center, shouting loudly to the astonished onlookers:

"Fishmen, Sha Hua Fishmen... and sharks!"

"They attacked the harbor!"

The harbor!?

Sasha’s expression changed dramatically.

He knew that the Vengeance Blade was currently docked at Stodd Island’s harbor.

Stepping forward, just about to intercept the runner.

Flynn had already taken a quicker step, grabbing the young adventurer running by with one hand.

His smile vanished, furrowing his brows as he quickly questioned:

"What’s happening? Explain clearly!"