Goblin Heavy Dependence

Chapter 394 "Algae Scales" Dodd

As for the so-called "second floor" of the Suckerfish Bay branch, which is only accessible to professional-level adventurers, Xia Nan had already guessed its location when he went down the stairs at the entrance of the association and saw its sunken "atrium-corridor" design.

And the final result was exactly as he expected.

After receiving an affirmative answer from Mar, the incredibly conscientious and responsible receptionist kindly led him out of the small meeting room.

The destination is the wall located in the southeast direction of the atrium corridor.

When Xia Nan first arrived at the association, he didn't notice anything because of the surrounding shops, the adventurers coming and going, and the building's structure.

Now, after Mar pointed it out, a small, inconspicuous stairwell was quietly nestled there.

However, the spiral sea rock steps inside do not extend to the upper second floor like in River Valley Town, but instead curve downwards, falling into a deeper underground depth that cannot be seen.

Clearly, this is due to the unique geographical environment of Fish Bay and the special location of this branch situated beside the bay.

What Xia Nan had imagined as the "second floor of the association" had become the "basement floor".

The stairwell leading downstairs is not hidden; in a sense, it is completely exposed to the view of all adventurers in the atrium.

Xia Nan did not detect any strength detection or movement restriction spells near the stairs.

However, after so many years of the association's establishment, these adventurers who had risked their lives for gold coins and roamed the towns had long since developed the habit of having to abide by the association's rules.

The seemingly chaotic lines in front of the counter, which actually maintain order amidst the noise and pushing, are a testament to this.

Unless one is a professional who has already obtained a professional rank and completed the promotion task, almost no one dares to violate the rules set by the association and forcibly go downstairs.

Even if a few greenhorns who are new to the industry and don't know the rules get close enough to show their intention to go downstairs, they will be stopped by their teammates who will sternly explain the restrictions and the possible consequences.

After all, sometimes the association's punishment for adventurers who violate the rules not only applies to the individual but also affects the team they belong to.

Perhaps that's why, when Xia Nan followed the receptionist into the stairwell, he noticed several gazes from the surrounding adventurers sweeping over him, lingering particularly on his face and equipment, seemingly surprised by Xia Nan's youth and the sophistication of his gear.

When Xia Nan looked back in the direction the gaze came from, the adventurers immediately withdrew their eyes, not daring to meet his gaze, as if they did not want to leave an impression on him, a professional.

Compared to the staircase at the entrance of the association's atrium, the steps leading to the underground are significantly narrower. However, due to the entry restrictions for "professionals," there are hardly any people in the stairwell, making it feel more spacious in practice.

The steps are made of polished dark black rock with traces of water erosion on the surface. They are embedded in the walls on both sides and reflect a soft, luminous light under the glow of fluorescent pearls.

The further down you go, the cooler the air becomes, and you can faintly hear the sound of water flowing behind the layers of stone walls, as if it were leading to the heart of the sea.

There are no doors.

When Xia Nan followed Mar to the end of the stairs, the entire underground floor came into view.

The overall shape is a sunken semi-circle, extending towards the seabed with its back against the rock wall. Although the area is not as spacious as the upper level, the extremely high ceiling and the significantly reduced number of people involved make its sense of space even clearer and more magnificent.
Completely below sea level, the noise from above is blocked by specially made dark-colored walls, leaving only the low echo of the seawater gently lapping against the outer walls.
The cool air was not stuffy or astringent due to the enclosed underground environment; in fact, it was refreshing and filled with a faint fragrance similar to seaweed. The light source was no longer the bright sunlight above the dome or any kind of oil lamp, but rather the natural light filtered through the seawater and the soft glow of the fluorite inlaid on the wall surface.

The entire basement floor has many noteworthy features, such as the sea pine wood shelves displaying a dazzling array of local specialties and artworks, the bizarre high-backed chairs made of fish skeletons and ebony, and the small fountain sculpture resembling a siren...

But what impressed Xia Nan the most, and what captured his full attention almost the moment he arrived, was...

It is located on the southernmost side of the hall, and the visual effect is stunning, with a curved transparent crystal that occupies the entire wall.

Located underwater, its incredibly clear and crystalline material allowed Xia Nan to clearly see the tiny ripples and bubbles created by the surging water outside.

Amidst the colorful coral reefs, vibrant little fish of unknown species dart about, while below, several thick-shelled white crabs crawl across the rocks, and above, schools of silver-scaled fish swam by like mist.
The mushroom-shaped jellyfish glowed like ghosts, slowly drifting by and disappearing into the dark blue distance; in the deep shadows, one could vaguely glimpse the blurry outline of a huge sea creature passing by.

"This crystal wall is covered with a waterproof and reinforced magical barrier, which can withstand the pressure and erosion of seawater while maintaining its transparency. It also has the effect of repelling some powerful sea monsters with strong curiosity."

Mar's introduction rang out at just the right moment.

"Please rest assured that we maintain these facilities regularly, and there have been no incidents of damage or leakage since the branch was established."

As she spoke, the responsible and enthusiastic lady walked directly to the wall, bent her fingers, and tapped it with her knuckles.

"The view here is excellent, perfect for observation and contemplation. Many adventurers sit in the hall for a while before accepting a quest, letting the seawater soothe their restless hearts."

It must be admitted that although the current level of technological development in this world is far inferior to that of the previous world, and its productivity cannot be described as particularly advanced.

However, combined with the existence of supernatural powers, the presence of gods like stars adorning the sky, an extremely long history, and a prosperous civilization, their aesthetic sense, at least in Xia Nan's view, is quite sophisticated.

It was afternoon, and the brilliant sunlight pierced through the sea surface. After being deflected and scattered by the water flow and the crystal walls, it turned into colorful patches of light on the floor, moving slowly with the water flow outside the window, turning the entire basement into an almost dreamlike indigo blue.

Standing by the window, I felt as if I were truly immersed in the deep sea, peaceful and serene.

If it weren't for the things that needed to be dealt with at the moment, given Xia Nan's personality, he could really sit in front of this huge glass wall, watching the water flow and fish swimming outside, for an entire afternoon.

Taking advantage of Xia Nan's opportunity to enjoy the sea view, Mar wisely refrained from disturbing him and instead proactively helped him find the relevant staff to make an appointment. Only when Xia Nan looked away from the crystal wall and turned to look at him did Mar greet him with a smile.

"Mr. Xia Nan, shall we go straight to the intelligence room?"

The brief encounter allowed the experienced receptionist to get a general idea of ​​the young adventurer's personality. Knowing that the other party didn't like to procrastinate, she got straight to the point.

Xia Nan readily agreed and followed the receptionist to a small room located on the east side of the lobby.

Mar stopped and waited at the door.

Xia Nan pushed open the door and entered.

This so-called "intelligence room" is not very large, only about 20 or 30 square meters. The walls are lined with cedar bookshelves and sealed filing cabinets, and each drawer containing documents is marked with tiny words and patterns for classification.

A middle-aged man with a weathered face, around fifty years old, and sharp eyes, sat behind a wooden table in the center of the room, diligently copying something. His quill pen danced across the parchment, and the only sounds in the quiet air were the rustling of the sea and the scratching of the pen tip.

Mar had already registered Xia Nan, so the staff member wasn't surprised that he entered the room.

He gestured for him to sit across the table, then put down his quill, cleared his throat, and asked:
"Mr. Xia Nan, is there anything you would like to know?"

After a moment's thought, Xia Nan didn't directly bring up the key-related issues. Instead, he first inquired about the specific fees. Unlike the "gold-silver-bronze" system outside, the Adventurers' Guild typically uses "points" as its currency. These points are earned by completing tasks assigned by the guild and can be exchanged for gold coins, equipment, and combat skills.

Right now, when gathering intelligence, the payment is naturally in points.

However, Xia Nan was short of money because he needed to customize equipment from "Rock Hammer" Barn, so he exchanged most of the rewards after completing the mission for gold coins.

As a result, he currently only has 18 points in his personal account with the association.

Converted to gold coins at a ratio of 1:30, it is worth approximately 540 gold coins.

It didn't seem like a small amount, but considering that the association used a different pricing system, he wasn't sure if it would be enough to exchange for useful information.

The middle-aged man in charge of intelligence management offered his explanation.

"Please rest assured, Mr. Xia Nan."

"Compared to the high-quality combat skills and rare materials on the exchange list, intelligence is certainly important, but since it is not a physical item, the price will not be so outrageous. As long as the intelligence itself does not involve high-level important secrets, the required points will not be too high."

"Furthermore, the association does not force you to pay. Instead, it sets prices flexibly based on specific information and deducts the amount from your account after confirming the transaction with you."

Upon hearing this, Xia Nan's concerns dissipated, and he asked the question he had prepared long ago.

"The intelligence I need..."

"Many years ago, a direct descendant of the Duke of Morton's family of Sticky Tree Territory came to the Southern Islands."

"I need to know his exact whereabouts."

The words faded, and silence fell.

Xia Nan carefully observed the expression on the face of the staff member in front of him.

First comes the focused concentration when listening intently to one's own requests, then the furrowed brow when pondering and recalling, and finally the stiffness of the face when thoughts stall.

There is no doubt that the information he needed touched on the other party's blind spot.

This is, of course, a perfectly normal thing.

The other party was just an ordinary employee of the Adventurers' Guild, not a scholar or prophet with extensive knowledge of ancient and modern times, so it was impossible for him to know a little about everything.

Especially for what Xia Nan needs, something that happened many years ago.

Fortunately, although he himself had no impression of this person from the Morton family, the vast and detailed information stored by the Adventurers' Guild was unmatched by any information broker.

As a staff member on duty in the intelligence room, the other party naturally also had a set of specially trained information retrieval methods.

"Please wait a moment, Mr. Xia Nan."

The middle-aged man in front of him stood up from behind the table with a somewhat apologetic look on his face.

First, he circled the wooden shelf in the room twice, comparing the labels, and finally pulled out a document from a filing cabinet in the corner. He flipped it over and glanced at it, as if he was making notes.

Then he carefully put the file bag back in its original place, went back to the table, wrote a note, stuffed it into his pocket, gave Xia Nan an apologetic smile, and then pushed open the door and walked out quickly.

Xia Nan was left alone in the room. Although she was a little curious, she subconsciously noted the location of the document that the other person was looking at.

However, considering that he was in the association, there was no need to take such a risk out of mere curiosity, so he patiently sat in his seat and waited quietly.

After waiting for about ten more minutes, the door to the intelligence room was pushed open again.

The middle-aged man now carried a small bag resembling an envelope. His chest heaved, and his breathing became slightly rapid, clearly indicating that the man had run an errand for him.

"I'm so sorry to have kept you waiting, Mr. Xia Nan."

"The information you mentioned has been stored in the archives because the event itself occurred a long time ago, so it took a little time to retrieve and access it."

"Fortunately, the association does have relevant intelligence, so your time has not been wasted."

As he spoke, he smiled and waved the envelope in his hand.

"In addition, regarding the exchange rate, after assessment by myself and several other colleagues based on the value of the intelligence itself, we decided to price it at '12' points."

12:?
It's within my means.

Xia Nan thought to himself.

Instead of nodding immediately, he asked another question, following his inner doubts.

"12 points... roughly what level would that be considered in intelligence reports?"

Instead of directly answering Xia Nan's question, the middle-aged man sitting across the table gave him a very specific example:

"Hmm...it's hard to describe in detail."

"But for reference, information about the possible locations of an adult brass dragon active in the Southern Islands is worth around 20 points."

It suddenly became clear.

It seems the association hasn't noticed anything related to the [Dream Corridor] key, otherwise the price wouldn't be so low. Or... is the key not with that duke's son?
Despite the turmoil in his mind, Xia Nan remained outwardly calm.

After nodding slightly to the other party to confirm the 12 points required to pay for the information, she took the letter from the middle-aged man.

Open it and look through it.

—"In the year 993 of the Arcane Calendar, the fleet established by Lelo Morton was attacked by 'Algae Scale' Dodd (Dragonborn), and his whereabouts are unknown, presumably dead."

(End of this chapter)