Chapter 928: Chapter 463: Bicolor Beltfish (Part 2)

Having just finished the battle, the blood and fragments on their bodies hadn’t been cleaned thoroughly.

From a distance, the fleet at the dock became alert under the adventurers’ reminders.

When Xia Nan and the others emerged from the woods, they could see everyone had already adjusted their formations, ready for battle, looking like they were facing a great enemy.

Upon seeing them and exchanging a few different signals with Lorin, they finally breathed a sigh of relief.

"What’s the situation, is there a problem on the island?"

The bald, strong Akken, carrying his bizarre giant axe resembling an anchor, quickly stepped forward to ask.

Concern was evident in his tone, but there was also a noticeable eagerness hidden within.

A period had passed since the storm ended, and as a member of the barbarian profession, his spirit once dulled by the raging winds and rain had rekindled, burning within him, inflaming his emotions.

He longed for battle.

"A group of fishmen holding some sort of sacrificial ceremony has been completely dealt with. We’ll discuss the details later."

Understanding the character of this crew member, Lorin merely waved a hand, offering no further explanation.

Then turned and urged the shipwrights responsible for inspecting the vessels:

"The situation has changed, hurry up and finish the work preferably before sunset."

"We need to reach the destination as soon as possible."

The maddening Saw-tooth Shark Swarm, the mysterious Sha Hua Fishman ritual... something might be happening over at the Twin Ocean.

For the sake of the mission commission, and for the clues she hoped to find, progress needed to be sped up.

As the core of the Vengeance Blade, the captain of the whole ship, Lorin held considerable authority within the team.

Especially among the sailors who enjoyed substantial benefits within Suo Yu Bay, belonging to quite a high standard, they would not show even the slightest negligence when faced with the captain’s orders, immediately throwing themselves into work.

Luckily, thanks to Hai Yin’s timely release of the Rapid-growing Vine Shell, the storm’s assault by the Saw-tooth Shark Swarm didn’t inflict serious damage on the Vengeance Blade, reducing the predicted repair time significantly.

By afternoon, the crew had completed the inspections ahead of schedule, smoothly departing Wild Rabbit Island to continue their journey.

...

...

Life at sea remained as monotonous as ever.

In the blink of an eye, three more days had passed.

They were nearing their destination "Twin Ocean," and everyone on the ship was preparing.

Sailors followed the helmsman’s instructions, climbing the mast to nervously adjust the sails, more precisely controlling the ship’s navigation direction; crossbows and sword axes stored in the cabin were retrieved and distributed, supplies like fresh water and food were checked one by one to confirm stock.

Even the experienced adventurers on board were more serious than usual.

Hai Yin spent a third more time meditating at the bow than usual; the brothers Reyn Gordon kept their equipment on them, even when directing crew work they carried their swords and shields; Akken’s training time decreased, accumulating the anger as the source of strength for the barbarian in his heart; the Spotted Cat race Sasha also descended from its seat resembling a comfortable sofa, hung between the masts, moving gracefully along the ship rail.

Prompted by the ship’s atmosphere, even Xia Nan meticulously maintained his armor for the first time in a while.

Recommended by Hera from Suo Yu Bay’s Blacksmith Shop.

This Plate Chain Composite Armor is of decent quality, although during the battle with the Sha Hua Fishmen on Wild Rabbit Island, it got deeply scratched by a fish spear, but at least it wasn’t seriously damaged through and through, having little impact on its overall defense performance.

It was still wearable.

Xia Nan couldn’t help feeling he made a wise decision.

Fortunately, he didn’t heed Hera’s "rent" suggestion but instead directly spent money to buy the armor on the spot.

Otherwise, just those two scratches would have emptied his deposit, plus having to pay extra for the rental period.

Xia Nan was well-aware of his own Armor Explosion Rate. 𝕗𝐫𝚎𝗲𝘄𝐞𝕓𝐧𝕠𝘃𝕖𝐥.𝐜𝚘𝚖

At the moment, the only one on the entire ship unchanged and still relaxed like usual was the Half orc Alton.

Due to his nature, the little one always appeared very leisurely and carefree.

Any worries seemed to go in one ear and out the other, never lingering inside.

With a cheerful demeanor, filled with enthusiasm and curiosity for everything.

Currently, he was sitting on the rail, feet dangling, with great interest in fishing.

Generally speaking, this should be a very dangerous behavior.

Alton’s height reached only Xia Nan’s waist, naturally short, not known for Strength, and sitting on the ship’s rail deprived him of the deck’s final protective layer.

Even if a sea fish bites the hook and pulls with a bit of force, the little one might be dragged off the ship.

The crew, including a few adventurers, initially worried.

Until Alton’s fish bucket filled one by one, they finally relaxed, knowing this Half orc and that black-haired youth were figures outside the norm.

Xia Nan was leaning against the rail beside Alton, yet holding no fishing rod, simply watching the other fish.

As for the reason... ahem, it was certainly not because he’d spent the whole morning fishing and only caught two tangled pieces of waterweed.

Ups and downs in luck are normal, sometimes there’s no need to force it.

Since today’s fish luck seemed average, he would take a rest day, nurture his luck, and the next day execute more assertively.

Xia Nan consoled himself internally, also hoping to catch some good luck from Alton.

Unlike the exaggerated performance of catching fish almost the moment he cast the rod as before, recently Alton’s catch interval was growing longer.

Of course, this wasn’t because his luck was depleted.

But the targets the little one aimed to catch changed.

Rather than the achievement of fish biting the hook and being caught, Half orc Alton more enjoyed the novelty of each catch being a different type of fish.

With each passing day, the types of fish he caught increased, raising the little one’s threshold gradually.

Last night, Xia Nan even saw him reel up a bizarre fish usually found only in the deep sea, glowing and eyeless, that even the deck’s most seasoned old sailor had never seen.

"Buzz!"

The naturally drooping rod suddenly bent, and the fish line was pulled straight.

A fish was hooked again!

Xia Nan’s attention focused, his gaze turning to Alton sitting beside.

Minstrel profession’s agility ability granted him steady balance, his body showing no sign of instability even as he exerted force on his arms while seated on the rail.

No need for grand fishing techniques or complex tactics, the little one remained seated, rhythmically lifting the rod twice, then calmly reeling in the line for two seconds.

The fish biting the hook below seemed to cooperatively yet actually coincidentally align with the routine, struggling in vain, smoothly reeled up.

"Splash!"

Crystal water splashed, a long arm’s length slender ribbon fish landed on the deck, staring with bewildered fish eyes, hopping and struggling.

Xia Nan seized the moment, tapping its skull lightly, and the slender ribbon fish passed out cold.

Thinking of an added side dish for lunch, he slid his fingers into the fish’s gill, lifted the ribbon fish from the deck, preparing to throw it into the nearby wooden bucket.

The next moment, as Xia Nan observed the specific appearance of the ribbon fish in hand, he paused, stunned.

Only to see the sea ribbon fish usually envisioned to be entirely silver and white, now seemed crudely brushed with some paint-laden brush.

Its right side scales exhibited a rare and peculiar reddish-brown color.

Using the dorsal fin as a dividing line, left side silver-white, right side reddish-brown, seemingly forcefully merging two different colored ribbon fish.

Unconsciously recalling the introduction of the mission’s destination by Lorin and the others over these days.

Glancing at the peculiar dual-colored ribbon fish in hand, Xia Nan realized:

"Twin Ocean, we’ve arrived."