Xia Nan could guess what kind of place the "Coral Courtyard" before him was.
The second-floor balcony, where several seductive women pretended to frolic in a manner that seemed casual but bore obvious signs of performance; the translucent pink gauze curtains hanging from the entrance arcade; the soft, lingering notes of a lute drifting from the depths of the building...
It was likely a brothel.
To be honest, he might indeed be a bit narcissistic.
In the year and a few months since his transmigration, coupled with his high-intensity training regimen and an exaggerated level of self-discipline that he himself didn't know how he maintained, this body had undergone a heaven-and-earth transformation from the slender, frail state he was in when he first arrived in this world.
Added to this was the natural sculpting of muscle and bone that came with his increased attributes.
His physical body was evolving toward that of a "perfect organism."
Harmonious body proportions, clear and fluid muscular contours, and even healthy, supple skin...
Paired with a face of sharp lines that appeared slightly cold only because of his innate temperament.
In his previous life, no matter how tone-deaf, clumsy, or poor an actor he might have been, this physical body alone would have been enough to make him a superstar on the screen.
For hundreds of days and nights, he had watched the excess fat beneath his skin burn away bit by bit, feeling every fiber of muscle tear and reorganize amidst the soreness of overtraining.
From dawn to midnight, from summer to the dead of winter... he had truly seen River Valley Town at four in the morning.
It was like some kind of nurturing game; when you start from zero and improve just a little bit every day, and after the accumulation of arduous training and the expenditure of countless sweat and energy, you finally gradually move toward success—when you look back at the path you've traveled.
There was no reason not to feel gratified by one's own efforts and the resulting outcome.
Xia Nan loved himself too much!
With that as a premise, if he were actually asked to spend money in a place like this...
He felt that the "Coral Courtyard" should instead be paying him.
Moreover, given the intensity of Xia Nan's current training, which consumed a vast amount of energy daily, the only value such a place could provide was the relief of mental stress.
But if it were simply a matter of venting lust and relieving stress, those goblin nests were undoubtedly a better choice.
He wouldn't have to spend money, there would be no pointless loss of energy, and he could even earn some extra cash.
With the slightest bit of thought, it was obvious which choice to make.
Standing on the street, the cloying air—a mixture of perfume, sea salt, floral scents, and various other odors—wafted out of the "Coral Courtyard" and surged into his nostrils with every breath.
An ordinary passerby might find the scent refreshing and ambiguously seductive, but for Xia Nan, whose sense of smell had become increasingly acute as his physical fitness improved, it felt only pungent and irritating.
He waved to Paddy, who was leading the way, signaling him to keep moving and not linger.
His overly sensitive perception made him feel as though he were contracting syphilis just by standing at the door.
...
As the party of three continued upward, the originally cluttered buildings on both sides of the street gradually became regular and orderly, lining the road obediently.
The gaps between the buildings widened silently, turning the cramped, narrow alleys into tropical greenery that had been nearly invisible before; the laundry racks protruding from both sides overhead disappeared, replaced by a vast, azure sky.
Even the Governor's Office guards patrolling the road seemed to become much kinder; while not to the extent of actively smiling and greeting passersby, they no longer bullied or oppressed people indiscriminately.
Between the districts—at least in Barracuda Bay, or rather between the Saltwater District and the Cormorant District—there was no clearly defined boundary.
To some extent, Xia Nan and the others were still within the boundaries of the Saltwater District.
However, their current position had shifted from the core of the bay's "lower city" to the peripheral border.
And right at the point where these two districts merged and shifted sat a tavern called the "Three-Legged Sea Dog."
Unlike the increasingly refined buildings around it, it stood as a witness to Barracuda Bay's bloody history, retaining the wildness of an era that had long since dissolved into the seawater.
The main structure was built from the ironwood and grey sea-rock unique to the vicinity of Barracuda Bay, with the surface of the stone walls still bearing the old scars left by wind and waves. The tall, narrow windows were all flung open, leaking the boiling noise of crowds and the intoxicating scent of alcohol from within.
The sign was a single, weather-beaten plank of ship's oak, placed very casually by the roadside. On it, mottled indigo paint depicted a grey-skinned sea dog with only three legs, leaning against a broken mast and holding a shimmering silver fish in its mouth.
The radar in his mind quietly pinged.
Even without Paddy's introduction, Xia Nan made his judgment based on the passionate atmosphere—which was almost identical to that of the "White Tit Tavern" and stood in stark contrast to the surrounding environment—and the armed individuals in various eccentric outfits coming and going from the entrance.
"This is the 'Three-Legged Sea Dog' tavern. The guests who usually visit are basically adventurers like you."
"The tavern itself has been open for many years. They say it was built in the bay even before the Governor's Office of the Servia Kingdom was established, and it's been operating until now."
"If you want to fish for any news, you can ask around inside the tavern; the information there is quite reliable."
Hearing this, Xia Nan's heart stirred.
He immediately added this tavern to the list of must-visit locations in Barracuda Bay.
From the records in the Druid's notes, Xia Nan only knew that a scion of the Morton family had allegedly come to the Southern Isles carrying the key to the [Dreamweave Corridor].
But searching for them blindly would undoubtedly be like looking for a needle in a haystack.
He needed further intelligence.
If this tavern truly had such a long history and was a gathering place for adventurers as Paddy described, he might discover something if he found an opportunity to investigate.
Of course, before that, he still had to visit the Adventurers' Guild.
Trading the [Tide-Surge Lure] was one thing, but on the other hand...
He remembered clearly that on the second floor of the River Valley Town Adventurers' Guild, there was an "Intelligence Room" specifically provided for local professionals.
As long as one spent points, they could use the Guild's channels to search for the information they desired.
Based on Xia Nan's understanding of large organizations like the Adventurers' Guild, if even the River Valley branch had one, there was no reason why a branch like the one in Barracuda Bay—which far exceeded the former in both town scale and number of adventurers—would be lacking in intelligence.
In this way, he could make a double plan.
First, go to the second floor of the Guild to spend points and search for information regarding the [Key], or rather, the whereabouts of that Morton scion.
Then, come to the "Three-Legged Sea Dog" tavern to further probe for intelligence.
By cross-referencing the two, he should be able to gain something.
Unexpectedly, however, before his meticulously considered plan could even begin, it ground to a halt.
Cormorant District, Silver Anchor Avenue.
Xia Nan looked at the low building before him bearing the sign "Adventurers' Guild (Barracuda Bay Branch)." His gaze instinctively drifted upward, but he could see nothing but the azure sky and the vast ocean behind it.
"Your Adventurers' Guild here... doesn't have a second floor?"
(End of Chapter)