Chapter 391: Hela and Tasting Delicious Food

The internal space of "Three-legged Sea Dog" was far more spacious than it looked from the outside, with tables arranged closely in the hall in a crowded but not chaotic way, and the boiling human voices in the aroma of fine wine and food almost lifted the roof.

The dark wooden wall surface was dotted with many decorations of various shapes, rusty scimitars stained with reddish-brown blood, damaged pirate flags, pale fish bones with strange shapes, yellowed hand-drawn navigation charts...

They had no obvious connection with each other, but combined together, they added a touch of wild atmosphere unique to Suoyu Wan to the entire tavern, distinguishing it from adventurer gathering areas in other regions of the Aifala Continent like "Baishanque".

The sun had not yet completely set, but the atmosphere in the tavern was already incomparably enthusiastic, filled with the noisy shouts of adventurers everywhere, and the light and shadow of the entire space shook violently with the dim light outside the window and the swaying lamp fire, blurring and distorting amidst the sound waves and heat flow in the air.

And right at the center of all this, behind the counter facing the tavern entrance, it was a calm like the eye of a storm.

A woman was standing there.

She looked about forty years old, didn't deliberately maintain her appearance, and had fine crow's feet at the corners of her eyes; a thick long curly hair was dark green like seaweed, simply tied behind her head with a rubber band, letting many unruly hair strands break free from it, hanging on her forehead and beside her temples.

Her facial features were full of three-dimensionality, her nose bridge was high, her jawline was distinct, her cheeks were dotted with a few freckles, and a pair of emerald eyes were like the sea surface after a storm, calm and sharp, flashing with light that seemed to be able to see through everything in laziness.

There was no makeup, and no exquisite dressing, she only wore the most ordinary linen shirt on her upper body, casually unbuttoning three buttons, revealing clear collarbones and a small patch of tan; her sleeves were rolled to her elbows, and one could glimpse the sea snake tattoo spreading from deep within her sleeves, coiling and extending all the way to her wrists; she wore a dark brown apron around her waist, outlining her slender and powerful waist, and the lower part was blocked by the counter.

At this moment, this woman was leaning lazily behind the counter, her right hand wiping a glass wine cup, an indescribable relaxed posture, as if she firmly controlled the noise of the whole room and the danger of those adventurers between her fingers.

Xia Nan had already learned the name of this woman from Padi's mouth when he first arrived in Suoyu Wan during the day:

—Hela.

At the same time, she was also the owner of this ancient tavern "Three-legged Sea Dog" that had been passed down for a hundred years.

Having been in the adventurer line for more than a year, and being a regular at "Baishanque".

Xia Nan clearly knew the danger of a hot-bodied and good-looking opposite sex, regardless of gender, in such a place right now.

The hormones catalyzed by night and alcohol, and the extraordinary power that surpassed ordinary people, made adventurers potentially turn into beasts controlled by desire at any time.

Under these circumstances, the woman named "Hela" behind the counter right now could still control this tavern that gathered a large number of adventurers all year round with such a relaxed and comfortable posture, for only one reason:

—She possessed some kind of threat sufficient to make adventurers wary and dare not let desire swallow their reason.

Perhaps Hela herself possessed good strength?

Under keen perception, Xia Nan could detect the solid aura of a professional on the other party.

It could also be things on other levels, such as the channels she mastered as the tavern owner, her relationship with the three major forces of Suoyu Wan, the prestige accumulated among adventurers from past cases...

But no matter what, this woman was worth his cautious treatment.

Witnessing Hela stop a push and shove that was about to escalate between some adventurers at a table next to the counter with just one look.

Xia Nan's heart sank, maintaining the usual flat expression on his face without changing his color.

Walking forward slowly, he walked to the side of the counter and sat down.

"Welcome."

"Look at the menu, what would you like to eat?"

The slightly hoarse voice came to his ears, and Hela's emerald eyes like the sea surface were already looking at him.

Her gaze was very secretive, seemingly just treating an ordinary guest, but Xia Nan's perception attributes were outstanding, and he could clearly feel Hela's gaze sweeping over his young face and equipment.

He was already used to it.

To some extent, "a young but not weak, well-equipped adventurer" could also be considered the identity label Xia Nan deliberately expressed to show in the outside world.

He had no intention of "playing the pig to eat the tiger", such a first impression could help him save a lot of trouble, and also get the attention of others when needed.

From the day he arrived in Suoyu Wan until now, from the Salt District all the way to the Cormorant District, and wandering around countless alleys with Kelin without encountering any trouble, it was also thanks to his appearance.

He nodded politely in response.

As if he were just a simple diner who came here to enjoy dinner, Xia Nan looked very seriously at the menu hanging on the wall behind the counter:

【Sailor Stew Set】, 【Crab Mashed Potatoes】, 【Flash-scaled Fish Pancake】...

When a person was hungry, even food that was usually difficult to swallow would become delicious.

Xia Nan had no taboos, looking at the menu filled with the characteristics of seaside restaurants, wishing he could order every dish to taste.

He couldn't help but hesitate.

At this time, if the dish he had been looking forward to for a long time, the one he loved the most, could appear on the menu, it would be a final decision, and it could be used as the main dish for pairing.

It was a pity that after scanning the menu up and down twice, he didn't find the dish he had been looking forward to for a long time, which he had tasted countless times in his dreams along the way.

Seemingly noticing the hesitation of this young adventurer, the tavern owner stopped the action of wiping the wine cup in her hand, tilted her head slightly, and leaned forward.

"What's wrong, is there nothing that suits your taste?"

He originally intended to find a channel from Hela to inquire about information related to "Algae-Scale", didn't mind communicating with the other party, and also really needed the delicious food in his memory to soothe the fatigue along the way.

Xia Nan didn't cover it up, but stated his needs to the other party very directly:

"May I ask... do you have cream mushroom soup in your shop?"

"Cream mushroom soup?"

Seemingly surprised by Xia Nan's words, Hela raised her eyebrows slightly, and a flash of astonishment flashed across that face filled with the charm of a mature woman.

Having operated a tavern for many years, her ability to recognize people naturally went without saying.

Just in the first second Xia Nan walked into the gate of the "Three-legged Sea Dog" tavern, Hela completed the judgment through her extremely rich experience:

This was a professional.

And it was definitely not the kind of lv1 who had just been promoted and had a weak accumulation, but a senior one who had already developed on the professional path and might have even started planning a job change.

With this as a premise, seeing the other party hesitate while looking at the menu, Hela only thought that the other party was deliberately performing like this, hoping that she could take the initiative to speak, so as to use this as an opportunity to open up subsequent cooperation between the two.

Inquiring about information, finding a team, etc., were all possible. ===== CHAPTER 392 =====