Chapter 400: Chapter 208: Indeed_2

The sky overhead only showed a hint of dimness, yet the scorching and bright campfire had already blazed to life.

Xia Nan leaned against a tree trunk nearby, holding a piece of gauze in his hand, carefully wiping his Beheading Longsword.

He meticulously cleared away the bloodstains that he hadn’t had time to clean during the day while on the road, bit by bit.

Suddenly, a voice came to his ear.

“You’re rather diligent in your maintenance.” White, seated by the campfire, looked at Xia Nan, a friendly smile on his face, “When I first became a professional, I earned a fair amount and couldn’t wait to change my equipment with every mission.”

Xia Nan smiled silently but secretly scoffed in his heart.

Although the “Beheading Longsword” was just a piece of White Equipment, its attributes were quite good, not only boasting an exaggerated 50% durability bonus but also adding 5% Beheading Damage.

Sharp and durable.

Even for an ordinary professional, it was considered very good equipment, not something easily bought.

Though his equipment breakdown rate was indeed slightly high, it didn’t mean he didn’t treasure his gear; he never spared any effort in maintenance.

Just look at the Plate Chain Composite Armor on his body, new and shiny as if just bought, with only a few scratches left unintentionally during battles, no flaws due to poor maintenance.

“By the way, your nickname ‘Gray Sword’, comes from this Longsword, right?”

Hearing this, Xia Nan instantly became vigilant.

Noticing the other party seemed to be probing his information, he kept his expression unchanged and deftly changed the topic:

“Nickname? It’s just something those people in the tavern made up, anyone with a bit of fame probably has one or two.”

“Don’t you have one?”

Cash just laughed, waving a hand toward Xia Nan.

“I’ve spent most of my life at sea, fishing, occasionally catching a couple of unlucky pirates, what fame could there be.”

Is it that he doesn’t have one, or he just doesn’t want to say?

Naturally, Xia Nan didn’t believe the man’s words, but he didn’t point it out, lowering his head, silently wiping the Longsword.

In front, Cash continued:

“To be honest, it’s much like you; rather than recognizing me, they’d recognize this old fellow in my hand first.”

Oh?

Xia Nan raised his eyebrows, glancing over.

What he saw was the Green-gray Stone Spear in Cash’s hand.

On the surface, it appeared dusty, with nothing especially eye-catching.

Even the spear tip lacked the usual sharp, chilling gleam of ordinary weapons.

The only notable thing was the almost imperceptible wave patterns carved on the spear shaft’s surface, seamlessly connected with its entirely stone-crafted smooth form.

At first glance, it seemed more like a ceremonial item used in seaside chapels than a weapon.

Having spent so many days in the Sea Thorn Squad, Xia Nan was naturally familiar with Cash’s main weapon.

He knew it wasn’t as simple as it appeared; however, the other party usually only brought it out during missions, so he hadn’t had the chance to hold it and focus to identify its attributes.

Now, hearing the other party mention relevant information, Xia Nan couldn’t help but show some interest.

“I mentioned before that I’m from a fisherman’s family, remember?”

Xia Nan nodded slightly.

“Now that I think about it, even though decades have passed, those days are still vivid in my mind.”

“I remember when I was young, our family wasn’t well-off, five people crammed into a shabby house by the sea. The fish we caught had to be sold, and we filled our stomachs with porridge made from black bread mixed with beans, rarely having our fill.”

“Often, before dawn, my father would take his small wooden boat and head out to sea with my brother, coming back late; my mother stayed home with my sister, spinning yarn and mending nets, handling odd jobs.”

“I was young and restless, couldn’t sit still at home, occasionally helping them dry some fish, picking up shells and little crabs on the shore, but wouldn’t do it for long.”

“Until that day.” His voice suddenly paused.

The forest darkened quickly, just moments before, only a hint of dusk was visible, but now the woodland was completely dark.

Amidst the drifting mist, the pitch-black shadows mixed with the orange-red glow of the fire, reflected on the middle-aged man’s face, making his expression unclear, leaving only the wave-shaped tattoo on his side profile.

“I remember clearly, the waves were huge that day, striking the shoreline rocks as if they’d shatter. My father and brother didn’t go to sea for safety reasons, and the whole family huddled in the little house.”

“I actually quite liked that feeling, didn’t need to go out, just sat on the bed, watching my brother and sister bicker, while my parents chatted, it was nice.”

“And then, he came.”

“A passer-by, an adventurer like us.”

“Even though he was alone and didn’t look particularly strong, he had the adventurer identity, so my family hosted him warmly and nervously.”

“As for what happened afterward…”

Cash suddenly grinned, revealing his stark white teeth.

“Yes, just as you thought.”

“I, being small, was shielded by my sister and ran out alone.”

“It wasn’t until I was too cold to bear at night that I returned home.”

“They were all dead.”

“Not a single person survived.”

“Oh, the adventurer’s corpse was inside too—my father had stabbed him through the neck with the adventurer’s own weapon.”

With that, Cash raised the Stone Spear in his hand.

“It was this.”

“That night, I was so exhausted that I slept in the house for a night, only waking up to clean up the next day.”

“This Stone Spear has been with me ever since.”

“I must say, it’s really quite useful.”

Just as he finished speaking, before Xia Nan could respond, a chuckle came from the shadows nearby.

“Listen to him boasting.”

Vireis wore an amused expression, her hands holding two Short daggers already coated with poison, the edges reflecting a dangerous, deadly rainbow light.

“From what I’ve heard alone, there are at least three versions of how he got that broken Stone Spear, oh, including what he just mentioned, that’s four.”

“This old guy just wants to trick someone into taking that thing off his hands so he can get something new. Don’t fall for it.”

On the other side, hearing Vireis say this, Cash’s face showed no signs of anger, only grinning again as if caught pretending.

“You and your big mouth, if you hadn’t said anything, maybe it would’ve worked this time!”

“It’s just a broken Stone Spear, not some Magic Equipment. Even if you stayed silent, who with a normal mind would buy it?”

“Remember what that collector said last time? The price was almost agreed upon, if not for…”

As they bickered, Xia Nan didn’t join in, just continued to concentrate on wiping his sword.

Soon, something one of them said caught his attention, and he casually asked:

“That Magic Equipment, I’ve seen a few in the Association Second Floor’s exchange catalog, the prices vary greatly, are there any reasons for that?”

“Of course there are!” Vireis glared at Cash, too lazy to argue with him further, and explained to Xia Nan.

“There’s no need to talk about the different levels of quality; even if the quality is similar, the price of equipment can vary significantly based on the type.”

“The most expensive, of course, are the ‘accessories’ type, like rings, necklaces, etc. Their concealment is strong, they are easy to carry, and the experts capable of enchanting such small items often produce pieces whose effects aren’t subpar.”

“Even among the Senior Adventurers on the Association’s second floor, not all can possess such an accessory type of Magic Equipment.”

“Similar items are rarely seen in the market, often consumed internally.”

As she spoke, Vireis couldn’t help but sigh.

“Ah, I’ve said too much.”

“For low-level professionals like us, acquiring a piece of Magic Equipment already means spending everything we have and struggling for many years, there’s no need to think too far ahead.”

“Indeed.” Xia Nan nodded heavily.

With his right hand, wearing an unremarkable silver ring, gripping the sword hilt, he lifted the Beheading Longsword resting on his thigh’s Bone Armor and sheathed it, stacking it with the other Wooden Sword beside it.