The morning mist had not completely dissipated, and the port had already awakened to the call of the salty sea breeze and the rising sun; mingled with the cries of seagulls circling high in the sky, the sound of the laboring cries, the rolling of wheels, curses, and shouts blended together, turning into the unique bustle of a lively atmosphere.
"Make way! Make way!"
A brawny, half-naked half-orc laborer shouted, his Universal Language not quite perfect, yelling at the crowd in front blocking his way, with crates stacked higher than himself on his back.
Not far away, two dwarves in simple hemp garnts were fiercely arguing with a middle-aged man looking like a dock manager, a wooden boat was obviously overloaded, its hull’s waterline nearly at a dangerous level.
The market on the edge street was at its liveliest ti of the day, with stalls densely packed, from fresh catches to exotic goods, everything was available. These strange and exotic sea creatures and fish that didn’t exist in the previous life, the crafts filled with the unique style and aesthetics of the Otherworld, Xia Nan even thought he could wander here for an entire day.
The bustling crowd was filled with people from various races.
A few rchant-like well-off n walked in the front, and the followers behind them lifted the hem of their silk gowns to avoid the puddles on the ground; rugged dwarf sailors gathered in groups of three and five, enthusiastically discussing their experiences in the tavern from last night; occasionally, one or two inconspicuously cloaked figures passed through the crowd, with ears pointed sharply upwards.
And among them, the most fascinating and intriguing to Xia Nan were undoubtedly the docked ships of various shapes and sizes.
Although they might all serve as "water transport vehicles," their appearances varied considerably due to differing purposes and the personal aesthetic differences of their creators.
The ship from the "Gulf Chamber of Comrce," entirely built from northern-sourced silver-grained fir wood, was lightweight and sturdy, with a streamlined hull gently rocking with the waves, its seemingly thin but exceptionally resilient light blue canvas sail surface painted with the chamber’s emblem of "Ocean Current Coin";
Next to it lay a trade ship from the distant Barbarian Tribe Alliance, its hull painted with a chilling red and black stripe pattern, resembling a strange shark with axe-like long horns, featuring tribal totems on its surface.
Beyond these, there were nurous smaller yet exquisitely detailed ships.
Distinct from cargo ships or warships, these smaller vessels had ambiguous purposes that were indefinable.
Yet the ships themselves stood out through the personality and preferences of their captains, each looked unique, lined up at the port, giving an impression of chaotic diversity at a glance.
There were broad-bottod, single-masted ones with hulls painted in pure blue, blending deceptively with the sea below; so had narrow and slender hulls with sails twisted into triangular shapes emphasizing stability and speed; others were luxuriously decorated with hulls painted in creamy white, adorned with gold-edged accents.
And uniformly, adventurers fully equipped were active on the decks of these smaller vessels, with a considerable proportion of senior professional-level ones among them.
Xia Nan watched the scenes at the dock with great interest, thoughts swirling in his mind.
Even before departure, he had already learned, and now he confird it through what he saw personally.
Just like the "Mist Forest" is to the adventurers in River Valley Town, adventurers in the Southern Islands, facing the vast and boundless ocean before them, have, through years of adaptation and evolution, developed a unique ecological system distinct from the inland areas.
They focus on "Storm Direction" and "Sea Current Window," ticulously studying navigation charts before each voyage, spending points or Gold Coins to consult relevant persons about possible changes in the sea climate.
The Association task panel no longer includes "exterminate a goblin community in a forest" but instead is about collecting special shellfish on a faraway island beach, mapping unknown seabed reef distribution, and finding cargo boats missing nearby.
Adventurer teams still maintain a size of three to four mbers, but the team’s core has transford from the originally strongest team captain to the captain and the ship.
An experienced captain-adventurer, along with a sturdy and durable ship, is a prerequisite for forming a team and undertaking high-reward tasks.
Without a ship, one can’t even leave the port, and while Suo Yu Bay may be prosperous enough to fill one’s stomach with minimal effort, to truly earn big money, one must battle with the vast, perilous, yet opportunity-filled sea.
In these three days at Suo Yu Bay, aside from familiarizing himself with the surroundings, Xia Nan has been gathering a lot of local information thanks to the "Three-legged Sea Dog," a place naturally teeming with adventurers.
He learned that in the islands, adventurers generally operate around a "ship."
A ship is essentially an independent adventurer team.
Of course, sotis if the team mbers lack knowledge in navigation, they might hire professional sailors, navigators, or shipwrights for assistance.
But in most cases, every senior-level adventurer in the Southern Islands possesses far superior navigation skills and experience, capable of easily managing their custom-built special vessels with their team.
However, in certain circumstances, such as when encountering a well-known esteed adventurer or taking on tasks requiring many adventurers to collaborate.
These adventurer team units ford by individual ships sotis temporarily or semi-permanently unite into large ship fleets to pursue a common goal.
To a certain extent, the Gulf Chamber of Comrce or the Governor Mansion, when at sea, operate in the form of a fleet.
This unique mariti adventurer ecosystem was sothing Xia Nan had never encountered before.
He couldn’t help but feel fascinated.
If he intended to develop here long-term, learning mariti-related knowledge was a must, and if he didn’t wish to depend on other adventurer teams, becoming a "rcenary" among the islands, he would need to find an opportunity to see if there were any reliable shipwrights or shipyards to order a ship of his own.
Possibly even decorating the ship according to local customs.
Of course, that would imply another significant expenditure.
As a crucial production tool for the Southern Islands adventurers, the price of a sturdy sea ship would not be much cheaper than those expensive Enchanted Equipnt.
Xia Nan had more than eight hundred Gold Coins on him, which might barely cover the cost, but being new to Suo Yu Bay and the broader Southern Islands, he was prone to pitfalls.
He planned to take advantage of the opportunity of finding the key to the [Dream Weaving Corridor], to delve into the local adventurer community, wait until making significant progress and gaining understanding here, then make decisions.
Until then, he would have to rely on commandeering fellow travelers’ vessels.
Hera had inford Xia Nan and his companions the day before about the appearance and specific berth location of the cargo ship needing escort duty.
So the two of them didn’t waste much ti at the dock, quickly locating their target.
"Black Crow," a very standard dium-sized cargo sailboat.
Approximately thirty ters long, about nine ters wide, featuring a three-mast design.
Among the nurous ships at the dock, its appearance reckoned as simple, the hull itself had no striking paint or decoration, built entirely from commonly seen continental oak with a surface layer of a tar and pine resin mixture, granting the hull a subdued, rustic gray-brown hue.
The ship’s bow had a simple seagull wooden carving, wings spread to both sides in flight position, with the surface paint slightly worn from the wind and sun, evidently having aged considerably over the seas.
Currently, the distance to departure ti was not far, the "Black Crow" was a hive of activity.
Scanning over the bustling sailors on the gangway, Xia Nan considered finding a captain-like responsible person to help settle them in and also introduce the ship and the specifics of the voyage.
Yet his gaze paused.
Nearby the gangway he saw, a familiar figure was seriously moving cargo.
"Colin?"
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