Chapter 399: Setting Sail

Compared to the average physical attribute of 5 points for ordinary people in this world, Xia Nan's perception of 12 points had already reached an exaggerated level that only existed in fantasy works in his previous life.

Take the current situation as an example.

If it were any ordinary person standing in Xia Nan's position, facing the "Silver Claw Osprey" squad in front of him, excluding the half-orc who was reckless and had all his thoughts revealed on his face, they would probably not be able to detect the negative emotions hidden under the faces of the other two in the squad.

Those who were not so sensitive, seeing the captain Nick take the initiative to come forward and greet them with a smiling face, might really feel that the other party was welcoming them.

But for Xia Nan, the keen perception ability allowed him to pass through a large number of subtle details that ordinary people could never notice, such as the slight stiffness of the corner of the mouth when smiling, the subtle standing position of the three facing him, and the body center of gravity leaning forward slightly with a defensive psychology when greeting...

Detecting the hostility that was invisible and intangible, but real, permeating the air.

His expression remained unchanged, responding to the other party's greeting politely and decently, while secretly recording the performance of several people in his heart.

Xia Nan didn't know where the hostility of this so-called "Silver Claw Osprey" squad towards him came from, and he had no impression of these three in his memory, confirming that it was his first time meeting them.

With this as a premise, combined with the interest relationship and role positioning related to this voyage, he roughly guessed that the other party's hostility might be related to his and Alton's sudden addition before departure.

As an adventurer, Xia Nan never feared competition, and naturally wouldn't worry too much about the attitude of the squad in front of him towards him.

Combat techniques, equipment, and super-model physical attributes gave him sufficient confidence to face difficulties.

Almost already an elite boss panel, professional level could be used as challenge level, he didn't think the three adventurers in front of him could be more difficult to deal with than the crystal priest in Yangjiao Town.

Of course, out of caution, and also from the defensive instinct he gradually formed after crossing over.

The moment he perceived the other party's hostility, Xia Nan had already included these three adventurers in the ranks of potential enemies, and simulated and rehearsed the scene of fighting with them in his heart.

"That half-elf archer should be the only back row in their squad, and needs to be dealt with first."

"The figure is a slender type, the moving speed might be relatively fast, for the sake of insurance, 【Gravity Control】 can be used to apply gravity control, the constitution should be relatively ordinary, just cut off the head."

"But the deck space isn't very large; when using 【Fang Hunt】 to dash, be careful not to accidentally charge straight into the sea. You need to hold back your strength a little."

"The human captain named 'Nick', the weapon is two short swords, and looking at the studded leather armor he wears, it should also be a type with more attack than defense, might have hidden things, need to observe further."

"As for this half-orc... when the time comes, let's cut off his head first. This level of professional should not be able to resist this fatal wound, but need to stay away as much as possible after the attack. This kind of savage from the wilderness might possess dark tricks with 'self-detonation', 'last strike', etc., need to be careful."

Frontal combat, and in the case of his own first move.

Referring to the average strength level of lv2-3 professionals in this world, if Xia Nan erupted with full strength, if it went smoothly, the battle should end within five seconds.

Thoughts flashed in his mind in an instant.

Nick would never know that the black-haired young man in front of him, who looked calm and was greeting him politely, was thinking about what to do at this moment.

What he could feel was just a sudden cold sea breeze like a hallucination, and a heartbeat that accelerated quietly for no reason.

"Cough! Cough!"

A violent cough accompanied by dry retching suddenly came from behind.

Looking back, he saw the half-elf archer "Laida", who was full of energy and high-spirited just now, was now leaning forward with a painful expression, hands supporting her knees, dry retching and coughing at a place on the side deck where no one was.

That exquisite face, always carrying a touch of pride derived from the bloodline in her body, was now filled with some kind of indescribable pain.

"What's wrong, suddenly like this?"

Nick frowned, his eyes staring tightly at his team member.

"No... retch... nothing..." The half-elf didn't lift her head, waved her hand vigorously, indicating that she was fine, and replied with difficulty.

She panted for a long time leaning against the railing on the deck before catching her breath.

"Wasn't everything fine last night, did you go back to your room to drink alone?"

Not knowing why the half-elf suddenly performed like this, at the moment of departure, Nick's face showed an anxious expression, but his tone also carried a touch of blame.

"I, I don't know."

For Laida herself, she didn't actually know what had happened.

Clearly she was standing behind Captain Nick just now, but she inexplicably felt a chill like the cold wind at midnight rising from the bottom of her heart, spreading upward, until...

Slender fingers lifted unconsciously, gently touching her neck, which was as white as a swan under the effect of the bloodline in her body.

I don'

"Get some good rest tonight. Although this mission of ours is relatively easy and without much danger, you've been in this line of work for so many years; you know that you can never be careless at any time."

Seeing the half-elf's state gradually recover, Captain Nick, though still worried, felt a slight sense of relief in his heart.

They were teammates who had cooperated for many years and had great rapport; he didn't want to suffer any losses on such an ordinary mission.

Meanwhile, compared to Nick's sudden chill and the half-elf Laida's coughing and retching, the burly orc in the squad seemed completely unaffected.

He merely used his pair of murky, foolish eyes to stare with deep resentment at the backs of Xia Nan and Alton as they walked away into the distance.

"Black-haired kid... shorty..."

A pair of tusks protruded from his lower lip. With no intention of lowering his voice, he mumbled vaguely, stuttering in a heavily accented Common tongue.

"Tavern wench, not playing fair."

This was precisely the reason why the Yin Zhua Yu Ying Squad harbored hostility toward Xia Nan and his companion.

From Xia Nan's perspective, he wanted to obtain a channel from Hela to participate in the "Moon Tide Feast" in order to search for clues left behind by the 【Dream Weaving Corridor】 key in the Southern Archipelago.

And the price paid for this was taking on the cargo escort mission given by the other party.

When it came down to it, it was nothing more than the most common exchange of interests among adventurers; he didn't feel there was any problem with it.

But from the perspective of the Yin Zhua Yu Ying Squad.

You, Hela, as the boss of the Sanzu Haigou and a well-known intelligence merchant in Shoal Islands, have cooperated with their squad many times.

It could be said that you know Nick and the others inside and out.

This current escort commission had been finalized half a month ago; they had signed a contract with you, entrusting the guard work to the Yin Zhua Yu Ying Squad, and even the deposit had been paid.

Yet, just three days before setting sail, you suddenly hired two more guards to board the ship.

What is the meaning of this?

Do you not trust us, feeling that our Yin Zhua Yu Ying Squad can't even handle such a basic escort mission?

It was only because Xia Nan and his companion didn't affect the income of Nick and his team for this trip; otherwise, the atmosphere between them earlier would likely have been even worse.

For adventurers who value gold coins as if they were their own lives, if their interests were affected, let alone squeezing out smiles to greet each other like before, they probably wouldn't have given the other party a good look at all.

"Don't be anxious, calm down, Guka."

As the squad leader, although Nick also had some feelings about it, he still reached out and patted the arm of the orc beside him, comforting his impulsive and irritable teammate.

"After we return from this mission, we'll go find Hela to demand an explanation and get this matter cleared up."

In truth, he also knew clearly in his heart that the focal point of the conflict, the object of their resentment, was actually Hela, the boss of the Sanzu Haigou Tavern.