"Woo..."
The cold, damp sea breeze whistled through the jagged rocks, echoing eerily in the air like the wailing of ghosts.
The continuous sound of the tides, for the island villagers who have lived by the sea since childhood, has long beco a kind of white noise instinctively filtered out of their minds.
But at this mont, those seemingly endless splashing sounds of the water breaking were so noisy and piercing, it was aggravating.
Steven, the head of Qiao Yan Village, stood at the very front of the group.
In his right hand was a well-maintained Iron Sword, though the handle bore the marks of ti; in his left was an equally old and mottled Ironwood Shield.
Behind him were a dozen or so villagers holding various weapons, scattered and filling every gap, their expressions tense; in front were hastily arranged crude traps, and further beyond, the rocky cliffs and the vast sea.
According to the plan, Steven, along with a dozen young n from the village, blocked the other end of the cliff’s northern exit on Cliff Island.
Compared to inland villages where people use grass forks and pots as weapons and armor,
the fishern of Cliff Island, living at sea and frequently facing pirates and demons just five days’ travel from Suo Yu Bay, are significantly better equipped.
At least what they held were proper weapons, with so even wearing inherited Studded Leather Armor.
When combined with their sowhat awkward formation and the temporary wooden traps, the dozen people together indeed looked the part.
Far more presentable than the brawls between isolated villages, with a semblance of combat ability.
But under the current circumstances, the atmosphere among the villagers had reached an absolute peak of tension.
The suffocating pressure filled the air, with every gust of wind, every wave crashing making them more anxious, and even the occasional distant seagull cry could make the more fragile villagers jump in fright.
As for the reason...
It’s naturally the terrifying demon that had just attacked Qiao Yan Village and even carried off an adventurer.
Based on the scene described by the young boy nad "Colin" and the identity of the abducted adventurer, the demon’s threat level is perhaps much higher than anticipated.
Steven was unsure why today, when it brazenly broke into the village with no one able to stop it, this demon had previously been so cautious, only attacking isolated villagers outside the village.
Was it testing, or rely toying and tornting?
He couldn’t figure it out.
But what is certain is that if this dangerous and savage demon charges head-on, everything they’ve set up here, the traps on the ground, the cheap and crude equipnt in their hands, will be futile given the vast disparity in strength.
Now, for him and the dozen villagers he brought along, the most prudent plan is actually to retreat, abandon this pass, and return to the village for news.
But...
Steven stood rooted to the spot, but his head involuntarily turned, casting a sidelong glance at the equally somber, dark-skinned middle-aged man not far away.
That was Gregory, the captain of the Black Crow.
Currently, he was also stationed here with his crew, standing together with Steven and the others.
Gregory would undoubtedly oppose Steven’s suggestion to retreat, and this was confird through a brief probing conversation with him earlier.
As the captain of a trading ship sailing the seas, dealing with adventurers on nearly every voyage, reputation is paramount.
If he backs down in the face of this crisis, not seeing through the task given by the adventurers, his reputation among the adventurers in Suo Yu Bay would plumt to rock bottom, leaving him unable to find excellent and reliable adventuring parties to cooperate with, only able to hire adventurers with equally bad reputations and varying skills.
For Steven himself, he has similar concerns.
The villagers were feeling enormous pressure, but the pass ahead was empty, with no sign of the demon. It’s possible the demon has fled into the sea or was dealt with by those adventurers on the spot.
While the possible outco might be dire, the probability of facing the demon head-on is estimated to be just fifty percent.
But if they retreat... yes, the villagers of Qiao Yan Village wouldn’t have to face the demon’s danger at this mont, but the chance of offending those adventurers is one hundred percent.
To so extent, that could be an outco worse than facing the demon directly.
In these chaotic seas, the line between adventurers and pirates has never been so clear.
In blunt terms, if a few adventurers ca into the village, killed people, took things and sailed away, who could stop them?
They had no room to resist.
The atmosphere between the villagers and the crew was unbearably heavy, as if perceiving Steven’s thoughts, Gregory, the captain of the Black Crow, took two steps forward, patted his shoulder, and comforted him:
"Don’t worry, the entire Silver Claw Fish Eagle team accompanying us this ti are Senior Adventurers with professional levels, having handled many similar tasks with rich experience."
"The combat ability of the other two is even stronger; we already verified this while still at sea."
"Nothing will happen, just wait patiently, and helping you solve that demon is not impossible either."
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