Chapter 977: Chapter 486: Tavern, Gang Backgrounds, and the Tailor Shop
Wave-breaking Pier, although situated in the largest yet least prioritized Lower Saltwater District within Suo Yu Bay, it enjoys a very high status throughout the town because of the functional attributes of the dock itself.
After all, Suo Yu Bay is a port city.
Its development to the current scale is ultimately due to its attribute as a crucial port in the Southern Kingdom.
Transportation and transit of goods, an important starting point connecting the inland heartland, commodity exchanges, and internal and external trade... In some way, Suo Yu Bay can almost be described as the core of the Southern Islands.
Under such circumstances, even if the law and order in the Saltwater District is terrible and how much crime breeds in those dark and narrow alleyways, at least in this small seaside area of Wave-breaking Pier, there is considerable order.
The Governor Mansion, Church, and Gulf Chamber of Commerce, the three major organizations within the town collectively maintain the stability on the docks, mainly to safeguard their own interests.
Reflecting the reality is that guards and soldiers appear more frequently on docks compared to the Saltwater District or even Cormorant District.
Even those gang organizations domineering in the shadows of the Saltwater District can only tuck their tails and walk carefully, bowing their heads in the presence of these official forces wielding Extraordinary Power.
But if it were that simple to make these cash-obsessed gangsters give up the wealth-concentrated spot of the town, it would surely make them overly timid.
After years of wrestling with the major forces, these small organizations have long comprehended a unique survival method.
First and foremost are naturally the three major organizations in the town.
Occasionally in special situations, these underworld forces would even be willing to play guards to ensure the interests of the Church, Governor Mansion, and Gulf Chamber of Commerce.
After all, if something major really happened, catching the attention of these official organizations, sparking a wave of "Deadly Sweep", then all those relying on gray incomes from the docks would be unable to survive.
Next are the adventurers traveling through the docks.
Particularly, those seasoned veteran experts.
Years of battling demons have caused these adventurers to lose humanity to some degree, and the freedom and uncontrolled attributes granted by their identity make them bold enough to kill on the street with a single disagreement.
Records of gang obliteration the next day after inadvertently offending powerful Big Shots are many; the currently active organizations near the docks have learned their lessons.
So how do they generate income on the docks?
It’s actually quite simple.
Just as Hogan did before, first disguise as an ordinary civilian, waiting at a crucial exit of the pier.
Then, patiently and keenly observe, searching within the crowd for the right "fat sheep" to strike.
Once the target is determined, there are countless methods to employ.
Deception, robbery, ransom kidnapping, even human trafficking...
Accomplishing one deal often covers months of expenses for the gang, several deals afterward become pure profit.
The alluring massive benefit makes countless medium and small-sized organizations in the Lower City District covet this seemingly Gold Coin-streaming fertile land.
But after all, the pier is only so large, excluding the space controlled by official forces, the room left for others is limited.
Numerous schemes and bloody upheavals over the years, power transitions, leader exchanges; myriad of sordid tales over a few days can’t be told.
Only those most well-informed personalities in the town can untangle the complex web of organizational relationships near the docks.
"It should be Ebbtide Gang, they’re in charge of that street lately."
Hera placed her hands on the counter, leaning slightly forward, with ink-green strands like seaweed falling along her cheeks, and a pair of emerald green crystalline eyes lazily but with some interest gazing at Xia Nan opposite her.
"Why, did they bother you?"
"Not really, haven’t had much interaction." Xia Nan shook his head without lifting it, his gaze fixed on the enticingly aromatic seafood cream mushroom soup before him.
The sweet scent permeating the air unconsciously made him swallow.
The Three-legged Sea Dog Tavern’s seafood cream mushroom soup doesn’t have fixed ingredients; the daily spices depend on the day’s catch purchased at the docks.
It’s not known whether the tavern owner, who holds many of the town’s information channels, knew they returned to port today and prepared an especially lavish cream mushroom soup.
The ingredients in the soup include an entire giant lobster, the size of an adult’s forearm.
The shell has been thoughtfully removed, leaving only the red claws and lobster head as decoration, placed at the plate’s edge; the abundant translucent shrimp meat is submerged in the creamy thick soup.
The spoon dips into the broth, gently stirring, allowing the sweet aroma to fill the air and enrobe the senses.
Xia Nan scooped a spoonful into his mouth.
In an instant, dense sweetness exploded inside his mouth, the essence of the shrimp perfectly merged into the carefully prepared broth, making the originally sweet cream mushroom soup’s flavor more grounded and balanced;
The substantial, firm shrimp meat quivered on his tongue, his teeth chomping down, hearing even the slight sound of shrimp fiber snapping due to incredible elasticity and crunchiness, juice splashed with chewing, the oceanic sweetness contained within the shrimp meat intertwining with the cream flavor, transforming into unparalleled delicacy.
