Chapter 940: Chapter 469: Battle Review and Further Exploration (2)
In any case, this battle reassured Xia Nan that he could still maintain good combat ability underwater, and his original fighting style remained intact.
Of course, he couldn’t possibly become overconfident.
The current environment was the shallow sea near the port, and the number of enemies was known. If it were the deep sea, he would still be quite apprehensive about those bottomless ocean abysses.
After all, he was in a fantasy world with transcendent power, where sea demons as large as islands certainly existed, and he must remain vigilant.
In his past life, he had heard a saying: "Those who drown are often skilled swimmers." Although not entirely correct, the reasoning expressed was sound; one should not overlook the dangers due to a bit of confidence.
While reviewing the battle, he also tidied up the battlefield debris.
From the staircase leading to the hollow in the rock wall, came a rush of footsteps.
Lorin and the others arrived late, returning to the dock only after the battle had ended.
Seeing that Xia Nan and the others had already begun cleaning up the battlefield, and with the deck bustling with activity, Lorin sighed in relief and stepped forward to ask:
"How did it go?"
Xia Nan casually handed a still usable fish spear to the nearby sailor and replied.
"Not bad, no casualties."
"Just some ordinary Sha Hua Fishmen, no elite individuals."
His tone was ordinary, merely reporting the battle without exaggeration or modesty.
Lorin nodded slightly on the surface, but her reddish-brown eyes instinctively glanced at the sea surface, where fragments and remnants of heads floated with the waves.
The unique terrain of Twin Canyon allowed them to keep an eye on the battlefield below as they shuttled between the rock wall hollows, naturally witnessing the shadow lurking beneath the water, understanding the role Xia Nan played in the battle.
"Too ruthless, Haiya..."
The barbarian Akken expressed his thoughts straightforwardly, marveling at the fishman corpses washed ashore while carrying his anchor-shaped giant axe.
Even the usually warm-up spotted cat race Sasha looked at Xia Nan with a new gaze, her fluffy long tail swaying gently.
As a newly boarded temporary member, Xia Nan’s performance in this mission had completely earned the trust of these seasoned members.
There was no need to say more; when the time came, they would naturally take him to participate in the Moon Tide Banquet.
Patting his shoulder, Captain Lorin nodded slightly, and her gaze turned to Rein, who came down the ship to report after seeing them return.
"Where did these fishmen come from, and was there anything unusual?"
Clearly prepared, Rein briefed them on the specific circumstances of the battle.
There wasn’t much information they could obtain; the only clear and noteworthy point was—
There were no elite individuals among these fishmen.
For the race habits of Sha Hua Fishmen, this was certainly unusual.
A group formed by dozens of ordinary fishmen couldn’t possibly lack a leader.
But indeed, there wasn’t even a Fishman Priest or elite guards with double pairs of arms.
What did this imply?
Lorin frowned, thought for a moment, and then asked:
"During the battle, did these fishmen show signs of killing each other?"
Upon hearing this, Rein appeared rather puzzled and denied it.
Beside them, Xia Nan, who discovered the strange situation in the islanders’ living area within the rock wall with Lorin and others, naturally knew why they asked this.
Having had close contact with fishmen underwater, he, too, hadn’t seen them fighting among themselves, so he shook his head as well.
The scene fell silent.
"Captain, what should we do next?"
Akken bent down to pick up a fishman head, observed it briefly, then tossed it into the sea, asking Lorin.
Lorin certainly wouldn’t retreat.
They had interrupted their vacation and traveled from Suo Yu Bay to Twin Canyon, partly because what they found on the black market intrigued her, and partly because they took on an adventurer association’s Ancient Ruins investigation task while en route.
Regarding the former, the buildings and creations found in the islanders’ living area were somewhat similar, but upon closer inspection, they were clearly different from what she was searching for, which provided a result.
As for the association’s commission, they had barely just started.
With what they had discovered, they couldn’t possibly fulfill the minimum requirement of the investigation task.
Anyhow, the Vengeance Blade Blade was an adventurer fleet, and these seemingly formidable professionals were essentially adventurers who valued money as life.
With the presence of ancient ruins almost confirmed, they wouldn’t retreat due to a small, unseen potential danger.
After pondering briefly, Lorin waved to Hai Yin, who was just descending the gangway toward them, and instructed Rein:
"You two brothers, as always, keep an eye on the Vengeance Blade Blade with the crew, and signal if anything arises."
"I’ll take people further into the canyon to see if we find anything."
No objections.
A seasoned adventurer group that has been working together for years wouldn’t second-guess the captain’s decision midway through a mission unless it was absurd, especially in a situation highly likely to reveal an ancient ruin.
If Lorin chose to retreat now, even Akken Sasha and others might be dissatisfied.
As for Xia Nan...
The Secret Realm was right before him; leaving made no sense at all.
...
After checking the ship’s condition to confirm no severe damage to the ship’s boards,
the six of them changed direction, no longer exploring the rock wall hollows where islanders lived, instead following the drag marks of bodies on the ground deeper into the canyon.
As they walked farther, the exotic ruins that were already relatively numerous within the rock wall hollows appeared even more frequently.
The mud path at the canyon’s bottom, tread upon by islanders for generations, would reveal marble tiles every few steps.
These tiles, scattered like puzzle pieces, were arranged haphazardly, some whole, others only partial, with local wild grass bizarrely embedded among them.
Buildings resembling balconies clung to the ground, with bare rock walls behind them, and one could clearly see the intricate floral and shell patterns carved into their railings.
Even a similarly ornate small flowerpot was visible in the balcony’s corner, though empty, without any plant.
The ornamental dome raised by ribs merged with tree crowns; one end of a broken staircase reached the ground, while the other led toward a trunk; park benches half-buried in mud; leather couches upturned in bushes...
The unfamiliar environment made them proceed slowly.
This very caution enhanced their awareness of the canyon’s anomalies.
This was particularly true for Xia Nan.
From past experiences, he knew that the increasingly dense exotic architecture indicated they were nearing the center of this Secret Realm.
As they continued cautiously, gradually delving further,
another anomaly was discovered.
There were the bodies of Sha Hua Fishmen.
Though not many in number, appearing perhaps not frequently,
the fish spears pierced into their bodies and the webbed footprints stained with bluish luminescent blood clearly indicated the fishmen had killed each other.
Before they could investigate further, the once omnipresent exotic buildings suddenly disappeared, leaving a wide open space.
Xia Nan’s heart tightened, signaling everyone to remain cautious.
No one understood better than him what an inexplicably open space in a complicated, chaotic environment meant.
——The BOSS battle was coming!
