Chapter 382: Salmon Roe

Shoal Islands is not a natural good harbor.

At least in ancient times, it was far from as prosperous as it is now.

Two narrow peninsulas shaped like the sharp teeth of a barracuda extended from both sides of the coast, bending into a perfect arc, nearly intersecting at the ends, leaving only a relatively narrow entrance for the vast sea area.

This created a deep and gentle open sea area inside Shoal Islands, sufficient for anchoring a large number of ships.

However, it was as if out of the Creator's prank, a natural trap was buried in the gift.

Right at the intersection of those two peninsulas shaped like barracuda teeth, the boundary between the calm bay and the surging sea area outside, the only entrance to sail into it.

It was densely covered with a large number of deadly reefs and undercurrents.

Even the most experienced captain would find it difficult to say that they could control the ship to pass through this area safely.

It was precisely because of this that for a long time, even though the natural environment inside Shoal Islands was quite superior, only a few isolated sea people, or murloc tribes, settled here.

Until countless years ago.

A legendary treasure ship from an ancient elf kingdom, after experiencing a cruel war where divine blood rained, was wrapped and lured into the bay by undercurrents, making the reefs at the entrance the last straw that broke the camel's back.

In an extremely tragic way, it sank in Shoal Islands.

Most of the crew were deprived of their lives by the storms and thunder that had been following behind them as if they would never stop, and were buried in the sea; the few survivors were rescued by the local indigenous people, but they all passed away early under the erosion of the curse in the depths of the ocean.

Leaving only a vague legend that the treasure ship carried "enough treasures to buy an entire kingdom."

Perhaps it was because the legendary ship's destruction was too tragic, and those thunder and storms of great momentum made people think of the great existence that protected this sea area;

it could also be because the curse on the surviving crew was too shocking, making people subconsciously silent, not daring to talk about anything related to it, for fear of being affected by the curse.

At first, this legend did not circulate much on the Aifala Continent, or even in the nearby sea areas.

Until a few hundred years ago, a fallen sea person who was expelled from the tribe discovered the slight wreckage of the legendary treasure ship between the exposed reefs during an extreme low tide that was rare in decades, as well as several pieces of enchanted equipment that had been soaking in the deep sea for many years and still emitted magical light.

The secret spread like ripples in the water as the sea person suddenly disappeared, and the ship wreckage and enchanted equipment circulated in the black market.

An ancient secret, a long-lost treasure, and those recycled items that were auctioned at sky-high prices at black market auctions...

Adventurers, pirates, merchants, fallen nobles... speculators and desperadoes were like sharks smelling blood, crazily pouring into Shoal

From the temporary camp built at the very beginning to the small gathering point later composed of canvas tents and crude wooden structures, Shoal Bay developed at an extremely rapid pace, driven by greed.

Naturally, it went through a very chaotic period; its special geographical location on the southernmost coast of the Servia Kingdom even made it a springboard for fugitives of the kingdom to leave the continent during certain specific points in time.

A mixed bag of people—wanted vicious adventurers, pirates, cultists, ignorant exotic races from overseas... almost every evil force you could imagine haunted this place.

For a long period, Shoal Bay even had the nicknames "Pickpocket Island" and "Skeleton Islet."

Chaos could not continuously create wealth, and the danger that kept breeding here meant that the official authorities of the Servia Kingdom and the various churches of the true gods could no longer sit idly by.

And so, after a brief and violent bloody suppression, Shoal Bay returned to its former tranquility.

As for the precious assets left behind during its period of wild growth, as well as the reputation it spread across the continent due to ancient treasures, they were naturally preserved as part of the kingdom and continued to develop.

As for those dangerous reefs and undercurrents at the entrance of the bay...

It can only be said that when the King of Servia sat on his throne paved with brilliant gems and delicate goose down in that vast, extremely luxurious palace, and nonchalantly nodded slightly while facing the development documents for Shoal Bay presented by his ministers—

Those things that dared to hinder the development of Shoal Bay had already been flattened by powerful professionals sent by the kingdom, just like the fragmented corpses of the outlaws and fugitives in the depths of the sea.

From chaotic and bloody, to prosperous and flourishing.

Right now, Shoal Bay has gone from that obscure, remote bay of several hundred years ago to a massive port that brings the kingdom a massive amount of tax revenue every year.

Regarding its past, although Xia Nan had a rough understanding before setting out through information from the Adventurer Association and the highly subjective introductions from tavern patrons—

But after all, having not experienced it personally, he did not have a particularly detailed or comprehensive understanding.

And as for what kind of prosperous and flourishing situation Shoal Bay is in right now, he was able to get a feel for it through his own actual experience today.

When he and Padi walked down the mountain path and their feet stepped onto the stone slabs of the main street—

The first thing that rushed toward them was a complex and massive invisible torrent.

The figures that were just blurry black dots a moment ago now truly possessed their solid forms, carrying body heat and strength.

The linen clothes of laborers soaked through with sweat, the thin and silky robes of wealthy merchants, the armor of adventurers reflecting a metallic luster...

There was simply no opportunity to stop and observe carefully; like a small boat in a surging river, the two were pushed forward by the crowd.

To be honest, although there wasn't much discomfort—

For Xia Nan, this was not a particularly wonderful experience.

His overly strong physical fitness and keen perception ability resulted in capturing far more information than an ordinary person.

He could clearly distinguish, amidst the jumbled sounds echoing in his ears, the crisp sound of plates and dishes breaking in the tavern next door, the haggling at street stalls, the flute music of street performers in the distance, and the crying of children...

In his nasal cavity, besides the increasingly thick salty smell in the air, there was the fishy stench of seafood piled up at fish stalls, the pungent and indescribable fragrance from spice shops, and the scorching stench of coal burning from some blacksmith shop...

On a visual level, it required considerable control to avoid having his attention completely swallowed by the chaotic scene before him.

The densely packed houses were like two colorful walls, completely blocking both sides of the street; even the sky above was hung with clothes dried from bamboo poles extended from the second floor.

It seemed as if every inch of space here could not be wasted; the outer walls were layered with wanted posters, missing person notices, and various types of advertisements.

If Xia Nan did not restrain his perception at a time like this, but instead expanded it outward like he usually did to observe details wantonly, his brain would likely have already started smoking and entered a red-hot overload state.

Casually swatting away a childish hand from the crowd that was reaching for the pocket at Padi's waist, Xia Nan pulled the youth to his side, letting him follow closely to be careful not to get lost.

His gaze turned toward the crowd, looking at the children who darted between the legs of adults like rats, occasionally "borrowing" wallets from careless travelers, and his brows furrowed slightly.

Xia Nan could keenly observe that their targets were often ordinary people with relatively simple clothing; they rarely touched local merchants dressed in gorgeous luxury, and as for adventurers like himself, they didn't even dare to get close.

Undoubtedly, just like River Valley Town and Niumu, Shoal Bay had its own set of ecology.

These young but exceptionally skillful and nimble little pickpockets had clearly undergone professional training, with some organization hidden behind them.