Chapter 430: Coral Circle

After reaching an agreement, the transaction between the two proceeded very smoothly.

With the help of the Association receptionist Maer, they quickly handled many cleanup tasks including the submission of handling fees and the cancellation of item registration.

In just over ten minutes, when the two came to the Association gate, Xia Nan's account had already increased by more than two hundred gold coins, and the 【Practice Staff】 was also hung on Haiyin's waist.

"Happy cooperation."

Even if it was only for transition, after a long search, Haiyin finally regained a handy spellcasting tool, and her mood was exceptionally pleasant, and the emotions she exuded also relaxed a lot.

A natural smile appeared on her face, and she took the initiative to greet Xia Nan beside her.

"I hope there will be a chance to see you again in the future."

"Of course, there will be a chance."

Shaking hands with Haiyin again,

Both appeared quite respectable, maintaining mutual respect and restraint.

But on the other hand, they both knew.

These so-called courtesies and friendliness were purely because a transaction that satisfied both parties had just taken place between them.

It did not mean they had become friends; they couldn't even be called nodding acquaintances.

There were dual limitations of time and place.

Both sides were veteran adventurers who had already attained professional levels, so their professional conduct went without saying.

Do not be fooled by the friendly "you're good, I'm good" appearance right now.

If they truly encountered each other one day in the vast seas beyond Shoal Bay and a conflict were to arise, the magical radiance released from the 【Practice Staff】 would not be weakened by even half a point because of today's relationship; likewise, the 【Ember Meteor】 straight sword, maintained with the gold coins paid by the other party, would not feel the slightest bit dull when it came to severing their head.

Clearly, neither had any intention of lingering further; after exchanging a few brief pleasantries, the two took their leave efficiently.

For Xia Nan, this was just a perfectly normal equipment transaction.

At most, he left a slight impression in his heart because of the other party's status as a Druid spellcaster, but he did not pay it much mind.

The Southern Archipelago was so vast, and he would be returning to River Valley Town after the "Moon Tide Feast." Barring any accidents, the two might not even see each other again in this lifetime; they were just passing NPCs.

He had originally thought so in his heart as well.

It was just that...

After leaving the Adventurer Association, Xia Nan, who had already walked two streets and turned three corners, suddenly stopped in his tracks.

Turning his head, a pair of pitch-black eyes gazed not far behind him.

There, Haiyin, from whom he had just parted, was standing by the side of the street with an awkward expression, looking just like a stalker who had been discovered.

His perception ability was working invisibly.

Xia Nan knew clearly that the other party had made no attempt to hide her tracks from the very beginning; she had even walked side-by-side with him at the start, and only slowly dropped behind after realizing their routes were gradually overlapping.

Combined with Haiyin's status as an adventurer and her slightly awkward expression, the reason for her "tailing" him was easy to guess.

If he retreated actively in the face of a crisis now and abandoned the mission entrusted to them by the accompanying adventurers, his reputation among the Shoal Bay adventurers would also fall to the bottom, and he would never find an excellent and reliable adventure squad to cooperate with again, only being able to hire some adventurers whose reputations were equally bad and of mixed quality.

Xia Nan and Haiyin walked side-by-side on the street, the atmosphere between them slightly subtle.

After all, not long ago, the two had just parted ways at the association entrance, treating each other as passersby, thinking they would never have the chance to meet again in this lifetime, yet here they were together again.

Fortunately, neither had a difficult personality; after a brief communication and learning they had the same destination, the two returned along the same path together.

"So, you've actually only been in Shoal Bay for about a month?"

Haiyin observed the black-haired adventurer beside her with the corner of her eye, her expression knowing.

"No wonder I don't have much of an impression of you."

As a major adventuring hub in the south of the Servia Kingdom, Shoal Bay gathered a large number of adventurers year-round, among whom the number of professionals was not small. Coupled with the extremely high mobility of practitioners in this industry, unless one was a professional specializing in intelligence, basically no one could recognize everyone.

Even though Haiyin had been drifting in Shoal Bay for many years and had made some name for herself with her team, she wouldn't dare say she could name every outstanding professional in the town.

But the Xia Nan before her was different.

Although she didn't know his specific level, the perception bonus granted by the Druid profession made Haiyin feel a faint threat emanating from this young man almost the moment he walked into the meeting room.

His professional level was likely no lower than her own Lv3.

This was one of the reasons Haiyin had been so polite throughout the transaction process.

Yet she had no impression of him at all.

This was very strange.

After all, to a certain extent, starting from his appearance alone, this adventurer named "Xia Nan" had a very distinct recognizability.

His cold and sharp facial features went without saying, not to mention his overly young face—not even twenty years old—and the two longswords carried on his back.

It was completely impossible to associate him with "plain and unremarkable."

With such strength and such features, it was impossible for him to have no reputation at all in town.

The only explanation was that he was an outsider who had just arrived in Shoal Bay.

And Xia Nan's answer confirmed this point.

Of course, it was unclear if the other party had noticed, but Haiyin had already conducted some probing while still in the meeting room.

By asking about the origin of the 【Practice Staff】, she had probed that he was indeed the culprit behind the "Flying Fish Oil Barrel" adventuring team being wiped out, which had been the talk of the taverns these past few days.

It was a pity that she had only returned to Shoal Bay with her team in the last two days and hadn't asked anyone to inquire carefully about these rumors; otherwise, with her sensitivity, she should have recognized him the first time she saw Xia Nan.

At the same time as Haiyin's thoughts were flying in her mind, Xia Nan was also observing the Druid beside him.

From his brief exchange with her in the association meeting room and the idle chatter along the way, he could tell.

This spellcaster named Haiyin was not a lone wolf like himself, but had a fixed adventuring team.

Considering the rarity of spellcasters in the Southern Archipelago—where an adventuring team of the caliber of the former "Flying Fish Oil Barrel" only possessed an entry-level apprentice who couldn't even be counted as a proper mage—the strength of Haiyin's teammates behind her should be much stronger than that "Oil-Hand" Ba'en from before.

Worthy of his cautious treatment.

Each lost in their own thoughts, the two walking side-by-side fell into silence for a moment.

"Hiss..."

Having endured for a long time, the Silver Ring Snake wrapped around Haiyin's wrist like a bracelet flicked its tongue and once again poked its little head out from her sleeve.