Chapter 1007: Chapter 501: Confrontation (Part 2)
And the purpose is precisely for the sacrifice.
Unconsciously recalling those physically strong and exaggeratedly powerful fierce Shark Beasts, Xia Nan couldn’t help but feel bothered.
After pondering for a while, he succinctly informed his nearby teammates about his previous encounters with the Sha Hua Fishmen during several missions, as well as his speculations.
Upon hearing that there might be dangerous demons that even an adventurer group at the level of "Vengeance Blade" would struggle with, the members of the Iron Rock Team no longer appeared as indifferent as before.
Of course, they were not concerned with the innocent civilians who were about to be sacrificed and tortured, but rather with their own safety.
As long as they weren’t involved, it didn’t matter how many people died, especially those ordinary people whom they wouldn’t spare a glance at usually.
They had no intention of getting involved, and even the task of teaching the Ebbtide Gang a lesson was cast aside, focusing solely on retrieving the collector’s stolen goods quickly.
Adventurers are always like this, cowardly yet greedy.
The truly cautious had probably decided to withdraw and abandon the task upon learning about the Sha Hua Fishmen’s existence; the truly brave might not even spare the Fishmen on the island, settling accounts with them and the Ebbtide Gang pirates together.
But the Iron Rock Team was caught in the middle, unwilling to give up the task rewards yet worried about potential risks.
"If there really are a large number of Sha Hua Fishmen on the island, and even Shark Beasts as you mentioned... I think the immediate priority is to find out the location of Aurie’s collection and then leave, trying to avoid direct contact with these Water Rats."
Said the team captain, Habi.
"What about these people, Captain?"
Hearing the dwarf say this, the half-orc Howl suddenly spoke up.
A pair of fierce, round eyes filled with murderous intent, looking at the ordinary islanders inside the cage.
"What should be done with them?"
The time was tight, and it was no longer practical to return the way they came to call for the merchant ship anchored at sea; if these caged civilians were let out, it would undoubtedly attract the attention of the island’s Fishmen and pirates.
If that happened, the few adventurers who had stealthily infiltrated the camp would also be exposed.
They might not even find the target collection before facing an onslaught of numerous enemies.
Though Howl asked inquiringly, his meaning was already very clear.
The half-orc wanted these humans to forever keep their mouths shut.
Though it was unknown how the usually foolish and reckless Howl came up with this idea, upon hearing it, Habi also realized it.
He couldn’t help but fall into silence, seemingly truly contemplating the feasibility of silencing the islanders.
And it was at this moment that Xia Nan suddenly spoke, asking the weak young villager before him:
"Do you know the guard shift time at the dungeon entrance?"
"We have to wait until daybreak for someone to come by, sir," the young man weakly replied.
This meant that they still had the entire second half of the night to complete the task.
At least from the remaining time’s perspective, this was entirely sufficient.
"I’m here on another mission that needs to be completed, but if I can do it conveniently, I don’t mind lending you a hand."
"The situation on the island is complex, and I can’t guarantee I can get you out safely."
"If I encounter enemies that are too dangerous and difficult to handle, I’ll choose to withdraw on my own and won’t be able to take you with me."
Xia Nan spoke with a straightforward honesty, uncommon among the ordinary adventurers of this world, to the simplest, most ordinary commoners before him.
"You need to understand that even if you get out of the dungeon now, there’s no rescue waiting; you’d only be recaptured by the alerted pirates, or even killed outright."
"Therefore, if you want to survive, you need to wait."
"Just like before, don’t make any noise, stay here, and wait for me to finish and return."
"Can you understand that?"
The situation was already very clear; for those imprisoned in the dungeon, it was almost impossible to leave Wildberry Cliff without being detected by the Ebbtide Gang’s pirates.
Once discovered, they would likely face death.
The only hope lay with the adventurers before them.
Understanding this point, the villagers in the dungeon who still retained some ability to think all nodded in agreement.
Xia Nan was not lying.
He wasn’t a Saint; it was unrealistic to risk his life for a group of unrelated strangers.
Encountering formidable enemies beyond their capacity would make fleeing, or temporarily withdrawing, a sensible choice.
In such a scenario, he couldn’t afford to be distracted by others.
But if the enemy’s power was manageable, he truly wouldn’t mind taking these civilians along after neutralizing the threat.
Honestly, from a purely rational standpoint focusing on his own safety, as the half-orc Howl intended, silencing these villagers was the easiest and safest route.
This way, he wouldn’t have to worry about them running out and exposing the adventurers’ presence.
But Xia Nan possessed the normal conscience befitting a human being.
Perhaps he was selfish, occasionally obsessive, and notably brutal towards foreign races, but at the very least, he couldn’t bring himself to slaughter innocent humans for some possible but non-lethal risks.
"What do you all think?"
Xia Nan turned to seek the opinions of his teammates.
His deep, dark eyes were remarkably calm as they swept over the Iron Rock Team, pausing slightly on the restless half-orc Howl.
The atmosphere instantly congealed, and the already tense scene grew quietly oppressive in the silence.
Silence.
One could see the half-orc’s chest heaving more rapidly, and the dwarf in the shadows silently adjusting the angle of his short dagger.
"Hahaha, of course, there’s no problem with that."
The dwarf Habi’s laughter broke the instantly tense atmosphere.
Having heard of Xia Nan’s reputation and achievements in Suo Yu Bay, he didn’t want to become enemies with the Vengeance Blade Squad.
For the lives of some lowly civilians, he wouldn’t push this young adventurer to the opposing side, adding an unpredictable element to an already dangerous mission.
Habi made his decision within seconds.
"I’m just afraid they’ll expose our presence."
"As long as they can stay quiet and well-behaved in the dungeon, there’s nothing to worry about."
This statement was addressed to Xia Nan, as well as to clarify his stance to his team members.
As expected, upon hearing Habi’s words.
The dagger in the shadowy wanderer’s hand returned to his waist, and Howl’s muscles, previously tensed from gripping the axe handle, gradually relaxed. He only shot Xia Nan a glare, then turned away, snorting heavily.
Beside them, Seli showed no extra expression on her face; whether Xia Nan was questioning the villagers or when the surrounding teammates displayed hostility, she maintained a seemingly indifferent stance.
But Xia Nan’s sharp perception caught the momentary tensing of her arm muscles and the slight turn of her hand toward the longbow behind her during that instant of a tense atmosphere.
Clearly, as the only other human in the team besides Xia Nan, she too cared nothing for the fate of her fellow humans in the dungeon.
Her identity as an adventurer, wielding extraordinary power, had long since subconsciously allowed her to view herself as a superior being entitled to trample upon the lower-class civilians.
Perhaps she wouldn’t make a move herself, but her eyes likely wouldn’t even blink a fraction when the half-orc and wanderer massacred human civilians before her.
"Enough of this topic."
Habi smoothly shifted the conversation.
"Let’s discuss the next action plan."
"Perhaps we should find a few more pirates and see if we can interrogate them for the location of Aurie’s collection."
