Chapter 1219 - 600: Settlement Complete_2

The news related to the Stodd Island incident, under the deliberate guidance of the Governor Mansion, had already been hyped up in Suo Yu Bay long before Xia Nan and the others returned.

Now that the people who experienced it on the island had come back, they naturally couldn’t avoid being pestered and interrogated in detail by curious adventurers.

"Seriously? Dodd turned the entire island into his promotion ritual?!"

"Why would I lie to you? Just grab any adventurer who came back from the island and they can confirm it!"

"I heard people say that when some adventurers got dragged into the ritual, they couldn’t even control their bodies—their souls turned into beasts, like they’d entered another world, and they had to fight each other in animal form."

"He’s telling the truth. And dying in the ritual will affect your body in the real world—you end up like you’ve caught some disease, weak and powerless."

"What exactly is the environment like inside the ritual? Hurry up and tell us!"

"Uh..."

Obviously his own Power Level hadn’t reached the threshold to be pulled into the Ritual Secret Realm. Faced with everyone’s pressing questions, the adventurer who had just come from the harbor to the tavern, his previously high-flown, impassioned expression suddenly froze.

For the sake of pride he certainly couldn’t admit the truth. Mind racing, he was just about to casually make up a couple of lines to muddle through the topic.

Then Xia Nan appeared at the door, very timely drawing the attention of the nearby adventurers over to him, and the conversation broke off.

The raucous tavern hall fell suddenly silent for two seconds because of Xia Nan’s arrival, then as if nothing had happened, the noise rose up again.

At the same time, one curious, appraising, doubtful gaze after another—some concealed, some direct—fell onto his face that looked far too young.

Xia Nan had expected this and didn’t show any particular reaction.

It was easy to foresee that as word about the Sha Hua Fishmen and "Algae Scale" Dodd spread, his own "Haiya" title, which had played a key role in the incident, would also become more and more well-known in the Southern Islands.

This was only the beginning. He figured that information on his identity and background was already lying on the desks of various faction leaders. If he stayed at sea, it wouldn’t be long before people started trying to make contact.

Only Xia Nan had clear goals and had no desire to get caught in the whirlpool of power struggles. If he turned them down at that point, it would be one more pile of trouble.

Fortunately, he had already decided on the way back: once he finished dealing with all the spoils, he would head straight home and return to River Valley Town.

That way he wouldn’t have to think about entanglements with the local powers anymore.

Putting the last segment of orange in his hand into his mouth, Xia Nan, bearing all the gazes, sat down at the tavern’s bar.

"The usual?"

A slightly hoarse female voice came from behind the counter. Hera, the tavern owner, set down the glass she was polishing and asked with a smile.

"Of course."

Xia Nan nodded to her in greeting.

The so-called "usual" naturally referred to that cream of mushroom soup that was almost only ordered by him and didn’t appear on the menu.

During this period of staying in Suo Yu Bay, as long as he came to the tavern to eat, Xia Nan would order a bowl.

After so many days, even the cook in the back who made the soup had improved their craft quite a bit.

"Hehe, your fame lately is no small thing."

Hera tucked the strands of ink-green, seaweed-like hair by her cheek back behind her ear. Her eyes crinkled with faint crow’s-feet as she joked:

"I’m even thinking whether I should borrow your name and officially add this ’Seafood Cream Mushroom Soup’ to the menu."

"I’d imagine when that happens, quite a few adventurers would want to try this dish that ’Haiya’ often eats."

"I don’t mind," Xia Nan said casually as he took the glass of water the tavern owner handed over. "I’m just worried it’ll drag down your tavern’s signboard."

The dishes in the Southern Islands generally tended to be light in flavor. For something like cream mushroom soup that was rich, sweet, and savory, most people weren’t very used to it.

That was why, even though the tavern’s kitchen made it almost every day and the dish’s Skill Level had shot up, they still hadn’t formally put it on the menu.

If they really did what Hera said—using "Haiya’s" fame during this period to launch the cream mushroom soup as an official dish—

then maybe in the short term, riding on the heat of the Stodd Island incident, they would attract a wave of customers coming in for its reputation. But once Xia Nan left and the hype cooled off, this dish that didn’t suit local Southern Islands tastes would soon be left untouched. The cost of the wasted ingredients, and the drop in reputation that followed, would end up cancelling out whatever profit it once brought.

"What, you have so little faith in ’Haiya’s’ name?"

As the de facto controller of one of Suo Yu Bay’s key information hubs, Hera had extremely rich experience dealing with people.

Even though Xia Nan hadn’t said it outright, she’d vaguely sensed his plan to leave Suo Yu Bay.

Knowing the black-haired youth in front of her disliked beating around the bush, Hera asked bluntly:

"Where are you planning to go next?"

"Back to the Inland first," Xia Nan shook his head. "Then... we’ll see."

For ordinary adventurers in this world, in the vast majority of cases they basically operate around some core town.

Like River Valley Town and Suo Yu Bay.

The former sits next to the resource-rich Mist Forest, a gathering ground for demons, while the latter is the core of the entire Southern Islands.

Usually, after carving out a path to survival locally, barring special circumstances, an adventurer won’t relocate. Instead, they keep using local resources to make money and improve themselves.

Once an adventurer’s strength reaches a certain level, and they even obtain a Professional Level, they then have both the ability and motive for long-distance travel, seeking greater profit by moving between the branches of the adventurer association across the Aifala Continent.

Although Xia Nan said he planned to return to River Valley Town, in reality, if he heard rumors about suspected Secret Realms or news of something suitable for his new Battle Skills, he could go anywhere.

His outstanding Combat Ability was what gave him the confidence to move freely.

"Then... do you plan on coming back?"

Hera asked next.

On this point, Xia Nan was very straightforward.

He just took a sip of water from his glass and shook his head:

"I don’t know either."

She’d long had a feeling, and sensing the atmosphere grow a little subdued, Hera joked:

"Then I’d better stock up on more ingredients for cream mushroom soup these days, make sure you’ve had your fill before you leave."

Catching the goodwill underlying her words, Xia Nan was about to speak when the corner of his eye suddenly caught a familiar silhouette.

Colin?

Of course he remembered this kid.

He remembered how the boy had come to Suo Yu Bay together with him.

Just like countless naïve teens who leave their hometowns with hope in their hearts.

Colin had once been a Hunter Apprentice in the village, later wanting to become an adventurer like Xia Nan. After coming to Suo Yu Bay, he’d even had the idea of becoming a sailor.

But harsh reality shattered those dreams one by one.

The difference was, unlike the piles of pale white bones in the depths of the forest and on the seabed, Colin had come to see reality for what it was.

Once he acknowledged that he lacked the courage adventurers needed to face demons head-on, and feared the storms and pirates that might be encountered during voyages—

he let go of all his former fantasies about an adventurous life and dutifully followed his uncle, who ran a grocery store called "Salmon Roe," becoming a diligent shop apprentice.

The income might be far lower than that of an adventurer or sailor, but it had the advantage of safety and stability.

And judging from the way he was now, dripping with sweat yet full of energy as he carried box after box of goods from the cart at the tavern door into the warehouse, the kid seemed to have fully adapted to his new life.

"The ’Salmon Roe’ Grocery Store is helping me purchase some daily necessities for the tavern lately. Just little things, they don’t make much, but you know how it is—with daily goods, there are orders every month."

As an Intelligence Merchant, Hera was quick-witted. She’d long since looked into the relationship between the "Salmon Roe" Grocery Store and Xia Nan.

Business for daily necessities could be handed to any store, but if she could slightly improve the impression this clearly highly promising young adventurer had of her and of the Three-legged Sea Dog Tavern, what harm was there in giving it to "Salmon Roe" instead?

Hera didn’t bother to conceal her little move.

And to be honest, Xia Nan really had no objections to the small bit of scheming shown by the tavern owner in front of him.

He glanced one last time at Colin’s back as he hugged the cargo crates, then raised his glass toward Hera behind the counter and downed the last bit of water inside in one go.

"Thanks. It’s nice."