Recaps

Xia Nan visited Pearl Spinning to ask Selianne about processing Shark Beast materials and making Enchanted Equipment. After inspecting the samples, Selianne could not identify their source and asked Xia Nan for more information.

• Xia Nan entered the Tailor Shop and observed Selianne, a Sea Elf mixed-blood, assist Baron and Miss Ellie with a custom gown.
• After the Baron and Ellie left, Xia Nan told Selianne that Hera had referred him for material processing and custom Enchanted Equipment.
• Xia Nan laid out Shark Beast skin, fins, claws, bones, tendons, and a Fish Bladder for Selianne to inspect.
• Selianne determined that the samples came from a huge shark-type Monster with a Challenge Rating of at least 3, but could not identify it and asked Xia Nan where it came from.

Xia Nan discussed the Shark Beast materials with Selianne and considered commissioning a set of armor and a protective inner lining, though the cost exceeded his current savings. When he brought out his damaged [Purgatory Pulse] to be appraised, Selianne recognized its Hell Steel and asked who had made it.

• Xia Nan told Selianne how he had killed the Shark Beast and the Shahua Mermen on Sheer Cliff Island, and Selianne appraised the creature’s materials while agreeing to examine its Fish Bladder.
• Xia Nan said he wanted stronger protection, and Selianne proposed using the Shark Skin and tendons for a close-fitting inner lining and the bones as auxiliary materials in metal armor.
• Xia Nan estimated that making both pieces would cost more than nine hundred Gold Coins and asked Selianne to draft a detailed plan before they proceeded.
• Xia Nan brought out his damaged [Purgatory Pulse] for appraisal, and Selianne recognized its Hell Steel and asked about its maker.

Xia Nan sold the ruined [Purgatory Pulse] and the [Fish Bone Conch] staff to Selianne at [Pearl Spinning], while Selianne advised him to auction the valuable [Azure Wave Blade] through the Association. Xia Nan left with 470 gold and a plan to sell the remaining equipment elsewhere, though the future forging fees would still strain his funds.

• Selianne recognized the craftsmanship in the destroyed [Purgatory Pulse] and offered Xia Nan 175 gold for it, which he accepted.
• Selianne examined the [Azure Wave Blade], identified its likely special effect, and urged Xia Nan to sell it through the Association's local bidding system rather than to him.
• Selianne declined to buy the [Practice Staff] and Nick and Laida's weapons, but offered 295 gold for the [Fish Bone Conch] staff as a collectible because it came from a Shahua Merman Priest.
• Xia Nan accepted Selianne's offer, bringing the total from the two sales to 470 gold.
• Xia Nan decided to list the [Azure Wave Blade] and [Practice Staff] with the Association and take Nick and Laida's weapons to a General Store.

Xia Nan wiped out a Goblin Nest, practiced Heavy Tide, and tried building a head-stack for an Intimidation Ritual, but the result was far too small. He went to the Salmon Roe General Store to sell his spoils to Colin and Paddy, where an unexpected arrival interrupted him.

• Xia Nan repeatedly knocked a goblin off balance with Heavy Tide until it gave up, then killed it and gained proficiency.
• Xia Nan harvested the goblin's head and vertebra and used them to finish a four-layer Jingguan, realizing he needed far more heads for the Intimidation Ritual.
• Xia Nan packed up goblin ears and other spoils, left the nest, and returned to Barracuda Bay.
• Xia Nan visited the Salmon Roe General Store, where Colin was learning the business from his uncle Paddy.
• Xia Nan told Colin and Paddy he had found a Goblin Nest and brought spoils to sell, but footsteps sounded outside before he could take them out.

Jerry, known as “Bloody-Nosed Rat,” tried to prove himself to the Shark Gang by collecting protection money from the Salmon Roe General Store, but he backed down when he recognized Xia Nan as a powerful Adventurer. After Jerry and his men left, Xia Nan wondered whether their excitement came from a recent operation.

• Jerry reflected on how his humiliating nickname had gained him a small reputation and hoped to rise through the Shark Gang.
• Jerry kicked open the Salmon Roe General Store’s door to collect the gang’s protection money, then froze when he saw Xia Nan.
• Paddy offered Jerry a money pouch, but Jerry returned it and claimed the Shark Gang had come only to check on the shop and offer help.
• Paddy gave the three men a few Silver Coins, and they left the shop after exchanging polite farewells.
• Paddy apologized to Xia Nan for the encounter, while Xia Nan considered the strange excitement Jerry had shown when entering the store.

Xia Nan sold the spoils from Sheer Cliff Island and calculated that his wealth had grown to 2,785 Gold Coins, though the cost of his planned enchanted armor meant he could not yet spend freely. After returning to the tavern with Alton, he asked Hera whether something had happened in town, leaving the source of the strange atmosphere unexplained.

• Xia Nan noticed unusual numbers of Governor's Residence Guards in the Saltwater District questioning a frightened Half-Orc, and he connected the patrols to the strange behavior of local thugs.
• Alton joined Xia Nan after completing his gambling ritual, and the two walked back toward the tavern together.
• Xia Nan sold the Azure Wave Blade for 920 Gold Coins and sold other equipment, bringing his total wealth to 2,785 Gold Coins, 6 Silver Coins, and 3 Coppers.
• Xia Nan considered the high cost of the two enchanted armor pieces Selianne was designing and postponed refurbishing the Flying Fish Oil Drum.
• Xia Nan bought Alton drinks at the Three-Legged Sea Dog and asked Hera whether something had happened in town because its atmosphere seemed unusual.

Xia Nan learned that Baron Faro’s daughter, Ellie, had gone missing and followed Association receptionist Mar to negotiate over his consigned Practice Staff. At the Association, he recognized Ellie’s portrait on a new bounty commission as the noble girl he had met at the Pearl Spinning Tailor Shop.

• Hera told Xia Nan that a baron’s daughter had disappeared and that the Governor’s Residence was searching for her.
• Mar found Xia Nan at the Three-Legged Sea Dog Tavern and asked him to meet an adventurer interested in buying his Practice Staff.
• Xia Nan agreed to negotiate in person and followed Mar to the Barracuda Bay Adventurers Association.
• An Association employee posted a 500-gold bounty for confirmed information about the missing Miss Ellie, daughter of Baron Faro.
• Xia Nan recognized Ellie’s portrait and recalled meeting her and her father at the Pearl Spinning Tailor Shop.

Xia Nan met Hain at the Adventurers Association to negotiate the sale of his [Practice Staff], discovering that her silver-black bracelet was a venomous snake. After Hain tested the staff and agreed to buy it, Xia Nan’s net worth rose to 3,017 gold, 3 silver, and 8 copper.

• Mar escorted Xia Nan to a meeting room, where Hain waited to discuss buying his [Practice Staff].
• Xia Nan noticed that Hain’s silver-black bracelet was a living Silver Ring Snake named A Yin.
• Hain inspected the staff and asked about its history, and Xia Nan told her it had belonged to a Spellcaster from the Flying Fish Oil Drum.
• With Xia Nan’s permission, Hain tested the staff by casting a spell that spread aquatic plants across the table, then praised its quality.
• Xia Nan offered the [Practice Staff] for 245 gold, and Hain accepted without bargaining.
• After the Association’s handling fee, Xia Nan’s net worth reached 3,017 gold, 3 silver, and 8 copper.

After selling Hain a Practice Staff, Xia Nan discovered she was heading to the same tavern and walked with her, learning that she belonged to the Coral Society. Their conversation turned to Baron Faro’s missing daughter, and Hain reacted with shock when she learned of the incident.

• Xia Nan sold Hain the Practice Staff, and they parted after completing their transaction.
• Xia Nan noticed Hain following him and learned they were both heading to the Three-Legged Sea Dog tavern, so they walked together.
• Hain’s Silver Ring Snake, A Yin, reacted to the Dark Scale Bulwark on Xia Nan’s left arm, then retreated when its deterrent effect frightened it.
• Xia Nan told Hain that Baron Faro’s daughter had been attacked and was missing, and that the Adventurers Association had posted a related quest.
• Hain revealed that she belonged to the Coral Society, a coastal Druid organization, and reacted in shock when Xia Nan mentioned Baron Faro.

Hain learned that Baron Faro’s daughter had disappeared and hurried back to the Three-Legged Sea Dog Tavern to brief her team, while Xia Nan chose not to get involved. In an alley, Jerry used his new dagger to threaten a shopkeeper, then froze as two figures approached from the shadows.

• Hain confirmed with Xia Nan that Baron Faro’s daughter was missing and decided to inform her captain and team before taking action.
• Xia Nan returned with Hain toward the tavern, intending to focus on finding connections for the Moon Tide Feast rather than joining the search.
• Jerry, believing he was becoming a member of the Shark Gang, threatened a thin middle-aged man for protection money with a dagger he had received as a reward.
• After Jerry let the injured man flee and headed out of the alley with his henchmen, a cold presence made him stop in fear.
• Two figures emerged from the shadows and approached Jerry in the alley.

Xia Nan and Hain learned that the Shark Gang had taken Baron Faro’s daughter, and Xia Nan discovered an otherworldly scalpel that might lead to a Secret Realm. They decided to gather more information before searching for the gang, which might still be trapped in Barracuda Bay.

• Xia Nan and Hain questioned Jerry after Xia Nan’s companions broke the arms of Jerry’s two henchmen, and Jerry admitted seeing Shark Gang members abduct a young woman.
• Xia Nan found a Type III Integrated Scalpel on Jerry and realized its otherworldly origin could point to a Secret Realm.
• Jerry said the Shark Gang had given him the scalpel as a reward for keeping watch, but he did not know where they had obtained it.
• Jerry said the gang had taken the young woman toward Breaking Waves Wharf, and Xia Nan reasoned that the Shark Gang might still be trapped in Barracuda Bay by harbor guards.
• Xia Nan proposed returning to the tavern, reporting the clue, consulting Hera and the Association, and seeking Baron Faro before they began their search.

Xia Nan investigated the Shark Gang and learned it was a small gang of low-level Professionals, then joined Hain and her two teammates to pursue leads about Baron Faro’s missing daughter. The group reached the baron’s residence, where his butler recognized Hain and admitted them past the crowd of adventurers.

• Hera told Xia Nan that the Shark Gang was a small outfit led by the Level 5-or-below Ralo and gave him the location of its base.
• Xia Nan asked Hera to tell Alton not to worry, then met Hain’s teammates Raine and Gordon as they returned downstairs.
• Xia Nan shared Hera’s information with Hain, Raine, and Gordon, and they went to the Adventurers Association to learn more about the missing-person commission.
• Mar explained the quest details and gave the group Baron Faro’s address, so they headed to his residence in the White Cliff District.
• The group found adventurers crowding the baron’s gate, but his butler Grace recognized Hain and let them into the estate.

Xia Nan and Hain visited Baron Faro after his daughter Ellie disappeared, and learned how a disguised man had abducted her after killing the family coachman. Xia Nan reported clues linking the kidnapping to the Shark Gang, and Baron Faro offered any reward if they could find Ellie.

• Grace recognized Hain and brought her and Xia Nan into Baron Faro's mansion, where they waited to speak with him.
• Baron Faro explained that Ellie had left her riding lesson in the family carriage but never returned home for dinner.
• Baron Faro said witnesses saw the carriage heading toward Rose Park with a tall, strongly built driver, and Thomas's body was later found there in the coachman's uniform.
• Xia Nan told Baron Faro about his encounter with Jerry the Bloody-Nosed Rat and his suspicion that the Shark Gang was involved.
• Baron Faro denied having any dealings with the Shark Gang and offered the group any reward if they found Ellie.

Jerry returned to his hut for money, but a scarred Professional Wanderer killed him while searching for a hidden item. After describing the gangs and power structure of Barracuda Bay, the chapter left Xia Nan and Hain’s group heading to the Shark Gang’s base with authority from Baron Faro to investigate his missing daughter.

• Jerry returned to his hut, retrieved several Gold Coins, and planned to use them to treat his injured henchmen.
• Jerry smelled blood near his hut, but a scarred man ambushed him, slit his throat, and searched his corpse for a missing item.
• The scarred man found no sign of the item in Jerry’s hut or on his body, then vanished into the shadows.
• The chapter explained how Barracuda Bay’s disorder and adventurer population allowed gangs like the Shark Gang to wield more power than gangs in Newm.
• Baron Faro gave Xia Nan and his companions command over a squad of guards while they investigated his daughter’s disappearance.
• Xia Nan and Hain left the Baron’s Mansion with Hain’s Twin Warriors and headed for the Shark Gang’s base in Curved Saber Alley.

Xia Nan and Hain searched the abandoned Shark Gang base but found no useful clues, then encountered Alton, who joined their search for Baron Faro’s missing daughter. Alton’s talk of trusting fortune led them to spot one of Bloody-Nosed Rat Jerry’s henchmen leaving a nearby casino.

• Xia Nan and Hain searched the Shark Gang’s deserted base but found no clues, reinforcing their suspicion that the gang was involved in the baron’s daughter’s disappearance.
• Hain explained that her tattoo marked her as a member of the Oath of Vengeance Blades, whose captain had sent Raine and Gordon with her.
• Xia Nan, Hain, and the Twin Warriors left the base and ran into Alton outside an unlicensed casino.
• After learning about the missing daughter, Alton volunteered to help and said the Goddess of Fortune had favored his recent Sacrifice Rituals.
• Hain and Xia Nan spotted one of Jerry’s bandaged henchmen leaving the casino, apparently after losing everything.

Xia Nan and his companions investigated Jerry’s murder and concluded that the Shark Gang may have killed him to hide its role in moving the Baron’s daughter. Hain used Nareka's Octopus Spirit-Seeking Technique to track the killer, while the chapter ended with the suspected killer arriving at a hidden shack.

• Xia Nan’s group followed Jerry’s henchman to Eel Alley and found Jerry’s corpse and looted shack.
• Xia Nan examined the murder scene and connected Jerry’s death to his dealings with the Shark Gang.
• Hain summoned a spirit octopus from Jerry’s flesh and followed its guidance toward the killer.
• A hooded man reached a concealed shack near Breaking Waves Wharf and revealed a scarred face as someone opened the door.

Shark Gang leader Ralo and his second-in-command Barty argued over whether to keep waiting for the nobles’ promised escape route or use Baron Faro’s kidnapped daughter as leverage with other powers. Their discussion was interrupted when an intruder sent a tiny octopus through the door, then blasted the entrance apart as a wolf howled from behind the shack.

• Barty told Ralo that the harbor was sealed and the gang risked being abandoned by the nobles who had hired them to kidnap Ellie.
• Barty urged Ralo to use Ellie as leverage with merchant associations, the Church, or people from the Southern Islands, then flee Barracuda Bay under a new name.
• Ralo agreed to wait one more night for a signal before deciding what to do with Ellie.
• Barty sensed an outsider at the shack door and drew his dagger after a tiny octopus squeezed through a hole in the wood and fixed on him.
• The shack door was blasted apart as a wolf howled from behind the gang members.

Xia Nan’s group found the Shark Gang’s hideout and attacked, using Hain’s magic and Alton’s music to overwhelm the gang. Ralo was killed, leaving the Shark Gang’s remaining members defeated.

• Hain used the Bloody-Nosed Rat to track the Shark Gang to its hidden base, and Xia Nan’s group prepared a surprise attack.
• Hain and Alton’s abilities disrupted the gang as Raine burst into the shack and Xia Nan attacked from behind.
• Xia Nan slaughtered the panicked gang members while Raine engaged Ralo and Hain restrained him with seaweed magic.
• Ralo broke free, struck Raine aside, and charged at Xia Nan after realizing his gang had fallen.
• Hain’s magic and a hidden snake’s venom helped stop Ralo, and Raine stabbed him before Xia Nan decapitated him with Wolf Fang.

Barty escaped the Shark Gang’s defeat and fled across the sea, but Xia Nan pursued him using his wolf form. Xia Nan killed Barty and earned the title “Sea Fang.”

• Barty realized the nobles of White Cliff District had used the Shark Gang and fled the shack with a Misty Step scroll.
• Xia Nan killed Riley, then tracked Barty’s residual shadow energy and pursued him with Tooth Hunt.
• Hain stayed behind with Raine to protect the unconscious Ellie while she, Gordon, and Alton followed Xia Nan.
• Barty escaped Saltwater District in a small boat, but Xia Nan transformed into a black wolf and ran across the waves after him.
• Xia Nan caught Barty at sea and crushed him and his boat, earning the title “Sea Fang.”

Xia Nan and his companions returned Ellie to Baron Faro, who promised them his friendship and a reward. Back at the Three-Legged Sea Dog Tavern, Xia Nan found that stories of his brutal battle with the Shark Gang and his pursuit across the sea were already spreading, and he ordered dinner with Alton while tavern owner Hera questioned him.

• Baron Faro tearfully reunited with Ellie and promised Xia Nan and his companions a generous reward and his friendship in Barracuda Bay.
• Xia Nan and the others left the Baron's Mansion, agreeing to discuss the reward and Shark Gang spoils after the cleanup.
• The party returned to the Three-Legged Sea Dog Tavern, where adventurers watched Xia Nan and rumors of his deeds spread.
• Hain praised Xia Nan's strength, arranged to report to her Captain, and left with the Twin Warriors after agreeing to discuss the spoils later.
• Xia Nan invited Alton to eat and drink, but tavern owner Hera questioned him about the commotion before he ordered two bowls of Cream Mushroom Soup.

After defeating the Shark Gang, Xia Nan reviewed his plans in Barracuda Bay and learned that the Shark Gang had found the Secret Realm clue in the Twin Ocean. Hera then brought him to meet someone who could help him attend the Moon Tide Feast.

• Xia Nan enjoyed a special Silver Shuttle Crab cream mushroom soup that Hera had prepared for him.
• Xia Nan considered his pending rewards, enchanted equipment, ship plans, fishing gear, Dreamweaver Corridor Key, and the Secret Realm clue from the Shark Gang’s Scalpel.
• Xia Nan learned that the Shark Gang had found the Scalpel on a corpse in the Twin Ocean and decided he would eventually investigate the sea area.
• A server told Hera that the person who could sponsor Xia Nan for the Moon Tide Feast had returned to Barracuda Bay.
• Hera led Xia Nan and Alton upstairs to meet her acquaintance and asked whether Xia Nan had heard of the Oath of Vengeance Blades Ship Crew.

Xia Nan reunited with the Oath of Vengeance Blades crew and met its captain, Lorraine, while seeking her help to attend the Moon Tide Feast. After inspecting Lorraine’s enchanted Scale Fire Saber, he discovered its flames stirred his emotions and extinguished them with ease, surprising her.

• Hera brought Xia Nan to meet Lorraine and the Oath of Vengeance Blades crew, whose members recognized him from their mission that afternoon.
• Xia Nan examined Lorraine’s Scale Fire Saber and identified its high quality, fire damage, and possible effect on its wielder’s emotions.
• Lorraine handed Xia Nan the saber, and its blade erupted in flames when he took hold of it.
• Xia Nan suppressed the saber’s flames and returned it, leaving Lorraine astonished.

Xia Nan met Lorraine to ask for a place at the Moon Tide Feast and offered her 1,000 gold, equipment, or a Combat Skill in exchange. Lorraine rejected every offer and ended their negotiation by saying she wanted him.

• Lorraine inspected Xia Nan and tested his self-control by letting him handle her [Scale Fire Saber].
• Lorraine offered Xia Nan a cigarette, then asked whether he wanted to attend the Moon Tide Feast.
• Xia Nan confirmed that he wanted to attend and offered Lorraine 1,000 gold for a place.
• Lorraine refused the money, equipment, and Combat Skill Xia Nan offered, then told him, "I want you."

Xia Nan agreed to serve as a temporary member of Lorraine’s Oath of Vengeance Blades crew for three months in exchange for being taken to the Moon Tide Feast. After leaving the meeting, he considered his remaining plans and encountered Mar, who had news about a buyer for his consigned [Tidal Surge Lure Rod].

• Lorraine offered Xia Nan a three-month temporary crew position and a place at the Moon Tide Feast, and Xia Nan accepted after consulting Alton.
• Xia Nan shook hands with Lorraine, learned the crew would spend a few days resting in Barracuda Bay, and began discussing the team with its members.
• Xia Nan concluded that he still needed his own vessel to pursue clues about the foreign Secret Realm connected to Bloody-Nosed Rat Jerry’s Scalpel.
• At the Three-Legged Sea Dog Tavern, Xia Nan noticed that rumors of the Shark Gang’s destruction had made him a focus of other adventurers’ attention.
• Hera approved of Xia Nan’s temporary crew arrangement, and Mar told him that the buyer for his consigned [Tidal Surge Lure Rod] had returned and asked if he was free.

Xia Nan sold the [Tidal Surge Lure Rod] to Ellison, who then offered him a commission to investigate the Twin Ocean, a place Xia Nan already planned to visit for clues about a Secret Realm. Three days later, Xia Nan’s reputation had grown, and he arranged for Baron Faro to pay for his ship’s refurbishment instead of accepting a new ship as his reward.

• Xia Nan met Ellison in the Adventurers Association’s trading room and sold him the [Tidal Surge Lure Rod] for 135 gold before fees.
• Ellison asked Xia Nan to take a commission investigating reports of unusual objects or phenomena in the Twin Ocean, and Xia Nan agreed after learning the location.
• Xia Nan learned that Ellison’s interest in the Twin Ocean came from foreign-style collectibles appearing on the Black Market, though he doubted Ellison’s explanation about ancient treasure.
• Over the next three days, Xia Nan gained the nickname “Sea Fang” among Barracuda Bay’s adventurers while keeping to his usual routine.
• Baron Faro offered Xia Nan a new ship as his mission reward, but Xia Nan instead asked him to cover the cost of refurbishing his ship.