Chapter 866: Chapter 432: Missing, Association Commission_2

Forget it...

Xia Nan retracted his gaze, just about to ask Hera about the progress of the "Moon Tide Banquet" participation channel introduced to him.

The tavern door behind him was suddenly pushed open.

Instinctively turning his head, he saw a familiar tall figure coming into view.

Wearing the uniform of the adventurer association staff, a middle-aged woman with red-brown hair braided at the back of her head.

It seemed as if she had run all the way from the association to here, her hair glued to her cheeks with sweat, panting heavily, her sea mist gray-blue eyes scanning the tavern hall as if searching for something.

Her gaze met Xia Nan’s, who was sitting at the bar.

He could see the woman’s eyes abruptly pause, and she forced a smile onto her face as she walked towards Xia Nan.

"Maere?"

Feeling surprised, Xia Nan greeted the woman walking towards him.

This association staff member named "Maere" was the receptionist who greeted him the first time he came to the Swordfish Bay adventurer association.

Because of her overly enthusiastic and considerate service, Xia Nan had cooperated a few times with her afterwards. The [Green Wave Blade] was consigned for sale through her, acting somewhat as his dedicated receptionist in Swordfish Bay.

Right now, her coming to the Three-legged Sea Dog Tavern to find him in person probably meant only two things.

1. The mysterious buyer of the [Tide Rod] has finally returned to Swordfish Bay, and she’s here to notify him about the transaction;

2. Someone made an offer on the [Training Staff] he consigned at the adventurer association, but he needs to negotiate in person.

Just as Xia Nan speculated, Maere was here specifically because of his consigned equipment at the association.

"I sincerely apologize for disturbing you, Mr. Xia Nan."

The lady with healthy honey-colored skin expressed an apology on her harmonious and pleasant-looking face.

Very naturally, she wiped the sweat from her face with her sleeve.

"The items you consigned at the association a few days ago have just received an offer, and the buyer happens to be an adventurer from Swordfish Bay."

"He seems to be in a hurry, asking if we can reach a deal quickly, and hopes to negotiate in person with the seller."

"So I came to ask for your opinion."

"Of course!" Maere was enthusiastic, with a touch of receptionist service rhetoric, showing how she was thinking of Xia Nan, "If you don’t want to meet the buyer in person, you certainly don’t need to, we can negotiate on your behalf."

Hearing this, Xia Nan just waved his hand.

He nodded to Alton and Hera beside him, then drank the last bit of "Tears of the Sea Siren" from his glass.

"Lead the way."

...

...

Although Xia Nan wasn’t in dire need of money now, owning more than two thousand gold coins was the highest since he arrived in this world.

But his expected future expenses were quite significant.

The deposits for two pieces of enchanted equipment hadn’t even been paid, not to mention the refurbishment of the pirate ship, hiring sailing personnel...

If he could take the opportunity to earn some extra money, he certainly wouldn’t miss it.

And according to his understanding of this world’s adventurers and associations, when the transaction process progressed to face-to-face negotiation, it indicated the buyer had significant interest in the item for sale and offered a relatively high price.

As long as the negotiation went smoothly, a deal could be reached immediately, unlike the [Green Wave Blade] which took days of waiting until the offer stopped increasing.

Though the [Practice Staff] was just a piece of white equipment, it was still a casting-type item, priced higher than ordinary equipment.

Considering the [Fishbone Snail] sold at "Pearl Spinning" for nearly three hundred gold, the [Practice Staff] might not hold such collectible value, but it could certainly fetch over two hundred gold.

It was entirely worth it for Xia Nan to personally visit the association to communicate with the buyer.

Hastily making his way, contrary to Maere’s earlier enthusiasm, she talked less on the way back, very aware of her limits, only focusing on leading the way.

In normal circumstances, she wouldn’t need to come to the tavern in person, as there were plenty of ways to deliver messages.

With keen perception, Xia Nan could sense her panting and sweating were genuine.

However, her gestures and demeanor during the conversation with him bore a subtle, unnoticeable hint of acting.

A little harmless cunning.

Xia Nan didn’t mind.

Because he knew the reason behind her behavior was essentially to win his favor, strengthen his connection with the association, and deepen his relationship with her.

The intention wasn’t bad, and practically speaking, because of Maere’s enthusiastic actions, he indeed saved a lot of time and increased transactional efficiency.

A win-win situation.

Both of them knew it well, and Xia Nan wouldn’t be so tactless to point it out and even went along, thanking her a couple of times.

The distance between the tavern and the adventurer association wasn’t too far, so it didn’t take long for Xia Nan to reach Silver Anchor Street in the Cormorant District.

Pushing through the crowded entrance, following the Swordfish Association Branch-like seaside reef entrance, the two of them reached the hall.

As bustling as ever.

Half orcs, dwarves, elves, humans... adventurers of all kinds coming and going, crowded as usual around the task board that occupied a whole wall, adventurer teams looking for commissions.

"Excuse me, make way! Make way!"

A tall male staff member in association uniform shouted loudly as he squeezed past the adventurers in front of him.

Reaching the front of the crowd, he stood on tiptoe and slammed the new commission into the high point of the task panel with a "smack" sound.

Xia Nan’s vision instinctively followed the sound, and his superior eyesight from excellent physical fitness allowed him to clearly see the slip of commission paper that had just been placed on the task board, even from outside the crowd:

...

[Task Number]: 7236

[Type]: Bounty

[Reward]:

gold (for providing definitive information);

If more clues are available, they can be negotiated.

[Task Briefing]:

From White Cliff District Baron Farrow’s daughter - "Miss Ai Li", suspected of being attacked by a group of miscreants on the afternoon of November 8th, Arcane Calendar 1020, is now missing.

For detailed information, please contact association staff for inquiries, any adventurer submitting news about Miss Ai Li or the suspects’ whereabouts, after confirmation, will unconditionally receive a reward of 500 gold.

[Time Limit]: None

[Extra Information]: (Portrait of Miss Ai Li)

...

Possibly to ensure as many adventurers as possible see this task, even though the task reward has reached professional level commission standards, Baron Farrow did not opt to register his commission in the association’s underground level, but placed it directly in the hall.

The disappearance of his daughter undoubtedly left this baron deeply anxious, sparing no expense in commissioning adventurers to gather information.

And the reward of 500 gold for each definitive information almost immediately drove the low-level adventurers constantly monitoring the task board mad.

The crowd below went silent for a moment, then erupted explosively.

The slower ones were still confirming the authenticity of the commission, while the sharper ones were already calling their teammates, rushing to the front desk for detailed information.

Xia Nan originally didn’t take it seriously, only thinking that Hera indeed predicted it right, the related commission was put up on the association’s task wall right after she mentioned it.

Until he saw the baron’s daughter’s portrait additionally added below the commission.

"Wait a minute! This is..."

The picture on the portrait overlapped with the face from his memory, and the half-elf Celeane’s mention of "Baron sir", "Miss Ai Li" once again flashed in his mind.

An odd expression emerged on Xia Nan’s face.

The baron’s daughter who went missing yesterday afternoon seemed to be the same father-daughter pair he bumped into at the "Pearl Spinning" tailor shop on the day he returned to Swordfish Bay from Cliff Island.

He remembered they were customizing gowns back then, who would have thought just days later, such a thing would happen.

"Mr. Xia Nan, this way!"

Beside him, the call from the receptionist Maere brought Xia Nan back from his memories.

Memorizing the commission’s content, he turned around and headed towards the entrance of the association’s underground level.