Chapter 1002: Chapter 498: Wildberry Cliff and Iron Rock Shield_2
"Iron Rock Shield" was a very classic four‑person adventurer team.
Besides the captain Habi, who served as the front‑row shield guard, they also had a Half orc warrior, a Human Ranger, and a Dwarf Wanderer.
Judging from the intensity of the aura Xia Nan sensed, their Professional Level should all be around Level 3 to Level 4, and at most definitely wouldn’t exceed Level 5.
Their Equipment was all fairly Good. Although he’d never heard of their team’s Nickname, they should all be experienced individuals with many years in the Southern Islands... well, except for one of them.
"What’s there to discuss? Didn’t we already scout things out from Aurie’s side? It’s just a bunch of slightly bolder pirates, at most with a few Ebbtide Gang little gangsters added on."
"We just charge in, kill them all and be done with it, saves us from wasting more time!"
It wasn’t that Xia Nan had any particular race prejudice, but he had to admit, the Half orc adventurers he’d run into since his Transmigration into this world fit their race stereotype a little too well.
All those other "Half Elf" and "Half Dwarf" types were perfectly normal, yet only the Half orcs gave off this inexplicable odd vibe, like they’d inherited the flaws of both races at once.
They didn’t have the pure‑blood Beastmen’s powerful physique and wild battle fervor, yet had also lost the Humans’ Intelligence and creativity.
Xia Nan even suspected that some professional adventurer teams recruited Half orc teammates purely as a kind of "consumable."
And right now, the one who’d just said those overly reckless words that made Xia Nan can’t help frown was precisely that Half orc warrior in the Iron Rock Shield Team—Howl.
The other called himself "Broken Skull," saying it was a title given by his tribe, and he was very proud of it.
In the few brief conversations Xia Nan had had with him, this Half orc behaved as if his "Broken Skull" Nickname was quite famous in Suo Yu Bay.
Unfortunately Xia Nan had never heard of it, and he wasn’t the type to throw around random flattery, which made this Half orc, who didn’t bother hiding his emotions, instantly pull a long face and stop talking to him, even showing a faint hint of hostility in later interactions.
Combining the bits of information he’d observed over this period with the implications in the other’s words, Xia Nan guessed that the reason this Half orc acted like this was very likely because of his own "Haiya" Nickname.
Maybe... a bit jealous?
Xia Nan couldn’t help but laugh inwardly.
He had to admit, as long as he kept his mouth shut, Howl was at least pretty intimidating in terms of appearance.
A head of coarse brown hair was braided into dozens of small plaits, decorated along the middle with beast fangs and bone pieces; his features were ferocious like a wild animal, two sharp lower canines pushing out his thick lips, and some kind of totem tattoo etched on the sides of his forehead.
Standing close to seven feet—two meters tall—his burly body made him look like an upright brown bear; his dark green skin was stretched tight over solid muscles, the surface covered with hideous scars left by battle.
His weapons were two heavy steel Hand Axes, tightly fastened to his waist by an iron chain used as a belt, which clinked crisply as he moved.
At the moment, the Half orc Howl was standing on the deck loudly explaining his own take to his teammates, while sneaking glances at Xia Nan approaching with the corner of his eye.
Judging from the reactions of the people around, clearly no one—his teammates included—cared about this Half orc’s opinion.
"Howl, quiet. Listen to orders."
The speaker was the team’s Human Ranger, also a woman, something rare among Low level adventurers.
Seli looked to be just over thirty. Judging by her well‑defined features and honey‑colored skin, she was probably a local of the Southern Islands.
She had a tall, lean, muscular build, kept a neat short cut of chestnut hair, and her face was sharply contoured, with high cheekbones and a few sunspots on both cheeks.
Her gaze had that shooters’ distinctive sharpness, and she habitually narrowed her eyes when looking at people.
She wore a light green, lightweight leather armor, a fir Longbow slung diagonally across her back, and two spare Short Swords at her waist, giving off a crisp, capable air.
Xia Nan hadn’t interacted much with her either.
But compared to the Half orc who clearly lacked in Intelligence and Perception, this Human Ranger obviously had much better judgment.
When Xia Nan had first boarded the ship, he’d often feel her scrutinizing gaze on him, and this Ranger seemed to vaguely sense his danger as well—deliberately keeping her distance while secretly staying on guard.
Very cautious; she never exposed her back to him.
There were even a few times when the Half orc failed to rein in his emotions and sounded like he was about to provoke Xia Nan, and it was Seli who stepped in to stop him, preventing the situation from escalating.
Just like now: the Half orc who’d been shouting about charging straight onto the island fell instantly silent after a soft rebuke from Seli. He didn’t argue, just flared his nostrils, puffed up in anger, and turned his head away.
As for the last member of their team, that Dwarf Wanderer—
All that could be said was that his behavior fit his [Wanderer] class perfectly.
His presence was very faint.
He rarely showed up in daily life and hardly ever spoke; when they ran into him, he was usually huddled in some shadow, toying with his pair of small Short daggers, occasionally lifting his brows to cast a gloomy sideways glance at passersby.
Xia Nan didn’t even know his name; he’d only heard Habi, Seli and the others call him "A Gu."
Right now he’d followed his teammates onto the deck as well, but clearly had no intention of joining the discussion, squatting on the nearby stairs, silently watching the others.
"Charging straight onto the island from the front definitely won’t work." As the team captain, Dwarf Habi once again vetoed the Half orc’s idea. "That’s too dangerous, and we might not have enough manpower."
Their primary goal this trip was to retrieve the collection Aurie had had stolen from him.
"Teaching the pirates and the Ebbtide Gang a lesson" was just a bonus.
To some extent, as long as they could bring the goods back to Suo Yu Bay intact and safely, even if there were no casualties among the pirates, the mission could be considered a complete success.
Of course, considering that Aurie’s collection was likely under heavy guard due to its value, a fight was probably unavoidable.
"Then how do you say we should get onto the island!" Having his suggestions shot down repeatedly, the Half orc lowered his head and grumbled in dissatisfaction.
Long used to it, Habi ignored Howl’s displeasure, turned his gaze toward Seli and the Dwarf A Gu beside him, and mused:
"During this time, I’ve thought of roughly two methods."
"First, we simply pretend we’re a passing merchant ship and let the pirates’ main force come out after us."
"We shift the battlefield from their home turf on the island to the sea, minimizing the unfavorable factors."
"If we take out their main force at sea, it’ll be much easier to go ashore afterward."
As he spoke, Habi raised a second finger, short and thick like a carrot.
"Second, we infiltrate the island from the other side of Wildberry Cliff."
"Then, depending on the situation, we look for where the collection is stored while observing the pirates’ detailed deployments and numbers, and only then decide what to do next."
"Let’s go with the second." Human Ranger Seli nodded slightly and suggested, "The first one is a bit too dangerous. If the pirates see through us early and get prepared, it’ll actually be more troublesome."
"The second option is relatively safer. We can have the ship wait in slightly more distant waters, ready to come in and pick us up as soon as they see the signal."
Hearing Seli’s explanation, Habi thought for a moment, then nodded in agreement.
"Good. We’ll go ashore from the side, and then decide our next move based on conditions on the island."
With that, the follow‑up plan for their group was set.
Although Xia Nan had been symbolically called over, he’d been tacitly excluded from the actual decision‑making circle.
It wasn’t hard to imagine that even if he’d raised a different opinion on the spot, the people of the "Hammer of Iron Rock" team wouldn’t have agreed.
Knowing this clearly, he didn’t bother getting involved; he just observed the others in silence, waiting for the result.
If it deviated from what he’d anticipated, or affected his own performance, he would choose to act alone.
Fortunately, the plan they eventually settled on—going ashore from the side—was actually what Xia Nan had in mind as well, saving him the trouble of wasting words. All he had to do was follow the team and get ready for battle.
