Goblin Heavy Dependence

Chapter 503 Hogan felt very lucky

Wildberry Bluff.

In the center of the camp, there is a makeshift wooden house.

The leader of the Tidefall Gang, "Rotten Vulture," sat on an overturned barrel, a thin fish bone for picking his teeth dangling from his mouth.

More than 30 years of hard work at sea have left his skin almost completely soaked in salt water and sea wind, revealing a rough and dark complexion.

His stubble was gray and white, close to his scalp; his cheekbones were prominent; his jaw was thin and bony; and he had a strangely sinister hooked nose and triangular eyes that revealed a fierce look.

At first glance, it truly gives one the feeling of a fierce eagle circling the sea in search of prey.

At this moment, standing in front of this leader of the Tide Receding Gang were three pungent, fishy-smelling swarthy fishmen.

The leader was exceptionally robust, its muscles bulging high on its scales. When standing upright, its head almost touched the ceiling. Two of its four arms were held in front of its chest, one hung down naturally, and the other held a heavy brown leather bag.

"boom."

The purse was tossed forward by the merman and slammed heavily onto the table. The clinking of the coins inside made the thugs behind "Rotten Vulture" Grylls swallow hard.

"The goods have all been inspected, and the quantity is sufficient."

Their gills twitch, their mouths open and close, accompanied by their unique, sticky accents, which make their common language sound particularly awkward.

"We need more, at least seventy next month."

The language of the Sawa fishmen is completely different from that of the common language in terms of word order and logic. In addition, this elite fishman is not very proficient in the common language, which means that it can only speak some simple phrases.

Fortunately, given the context, its intended meaning is not difficult to understand.

"Seventy? Don't worry, I can get you three digits. We're short of everything else, but we have an abundance of people!"

Pulling the fishbone out of his mouth, "Rotten Vulture" Gerry grinned, revealing a mouthful of yellow teeth, and assured him.

To some extent, he wasn't wrong to say that.

After all, the living environment in the Southern Islands is excellent and the climate is not harsh. Without considering anything else, just going out to fish every few days is enough for an ordinary family to fill their stomachs.

More than a hundred people can be gathered in any small village on a remote island.

If it weren't for the concern that the commotion would be too great and attract the attention of the governor's office and the church, adding another zero to the end of the number would have been an easy task.

The three shahua fishmen in front of him did not respond to his words.

The fish's gills opened and closed, emitting short hissing sounds as air surged. The leading merman elite took a step forward, his dead black fish eyes, covered by a thin membrane, staring straight at Gri.

“A few days ago, merchant ships were robbed, which was wrong.”

It was still a short phrase that conveyed the meaning, but the tone carried a strong sense of dissatisfaction.

Upon hearing this, "Rotten Vulture" didn't let his smile diminish in the slightest; he still grinned, revealing his yellow teeth, and said in a relaxed tone:
"Oh, that? It was just a casual thing."

"It's just a piece of junk, not worth a few copper coins."

"Don't worry, it won't delay our business."

Hearing him say that, the gills of the sarhua fish-man fish moved more and more intensely, and even the fins on its back stood up slightly, as if to express its dissatisfaction.

"This isn't in the agreement."

"We'll pay with gold coins and weapons; you just do what's stipulated in the agreement."

The arm that was originally holding the money bag was raised horizontally, and the webbed fingers pointed at Gri in front of it.

"Don't do anything unnecessary, it will only cause trouble."

Snapped--

It was the faint sound of a fishbone being thrown onto the floor.

Although the Tidefall Gang and the Shahua Fishmen are partners, the latter is much more powerful than the former.

However, the hostility and hatred between humans and fish-men are always etched in the hearts of the people of the Southern Islands.

Without a doubt, at least for now, the Tide Receding Gang is not as weak as people imagine.

Gerry suddenly stood up.

He might not be as tall as the fishman in front of him, but he was equally robust and strong, and his identity and experience as a gang leader gave him an even more fierce and valiant air.

“I’ve been at sea for so many years, what kind of trouble haven’t I seen?”

"There wasn't even a flag on that ship, so it definitely didn't belong to the church, the governor's office, or the Gulf Chamber of Commerce."

"In the Southern Islands, what trouble could there be if we didn't provoke these three forces?"

Facing the imposing Gri ahead, the merman showed no weakness. He took another step forward, letting the shadow cast by his massive body under the light envelop the opponent, revealing the scarlet gill filaments as his gills opened and closed.

“If it happens again, the agreement will be null and void, and the cooperation will be terminated.”

"Our patience is limited."

The air was quiet for a moment.

"Hahaha." Gri suddenly grinned, took a half step back to show weakness, and raised his hands in a reassuring gesture, "Okay, okay, I'll listen to you."

"From now on, we won't do anything else, we'll only do the business we've agreed on, okay?"

Seeing this, the fish-men looked at each other and nodded slightly.

The leader-like Shahua fish-man quietly lowered his dorsal fin and pointed to the money bag on the table in front of him.

"Remember, seventy next month."

"..."

They watched as the fish-men disappeared behind the wooden door amidst the gurgling sounds emanating from their throats and their heavy footsteps.

The natural smile on "Rotten Vulture" Gerry's face vanished in an instant.

He spat on the ground, leaned back, and sat back down on the barrel.

Without saying a word, he simply raised his hand, and his henchman very obediently handed him a pipe.

Sparks flickered, and a thin mist of tobacco swirled in the air of the room.

“'We have limited patience,' haha.”

With a strong sense of sarcasm, he imitated the sticky accent of the fishman from before and sneered.

"A few scaly beasts are trying to teach me how to do things."

"Damn it, they say seventy and then they call them seventy? Do they think I'm their dog?"

"Hundreds of brothers rely on me for food, and they would have starved to death long ago with just their meager gold coins. If we don't find some other work, are we going to live on seawater?"

As he spoke, Gerry suddenly turned his head and looked toward a corner of the room.

"Hokhan, aren't you right?"

No sooner had he finished speaking than a remarkably young thug emerged from the crowd, trembling, with a fawning smile on his face.

"Boss, you're absolutely right!"

"It's an honor for those murlocs that we, the Tidefall Gang, can cooperate with them! And now they're even giving us pointers, they're completely oblivious to the situation!"

Having received little education and having even been a member of the lowest rungs of society on the streets not long ago, Hogan's speaking skills are rather average.

Even so, a few words were enough to bring a smile back to "Rotten Vulture" Gerry's face.

He casually pulled two silver coins from his purse and tossed them to the other man, exhaling a puff of smoke.

"Keep a close watch on that shipment of goods that we stole from the ship."

"I checked it once before, and there might be a lot of valuable things inside. I'll have someone come and appraise them after this mission is over."

"Take a few trusted brothers and guard the warehouse. No one is allowed to come near." "Understood, boss!" Hogan, his eyes gleaming with silver light, took the coins with both hands, carefully stuffing them into his pocket, and loudly promised, "I'll guard these goods very well, not even a mouse will get in!"

Upon hearing this, Gerry said nothing more, simply waving his hand at the other party before having someone take Hogan out of the room.

……

……

Hogan felt he was quite lucky.

He initially got into trouble at the docks by accident, offending The Hague and the Blade of Vengeance fleet. He thought his gang career, and even his life, would come to an end.

Unexpectedly, those important figures seemed completely unconcerned about this little incident, and no one came to cause him any trouble even after many days.

On the contrary, his experience at the docks earned him a good reputation within the Tide Receding Gang, and he was appointed as a squad leader.

Whether it was fate playing a joke on him or not, just a few days ago, after returning to the Tide Receding Gang, he was transferred away from the port as a precaution. He had planned to go to the waters near Fish Bay to earn some extra money for the gang, but he accidentally stumbled into a coral reef guarded by professionals—something he only learned later after making careful inquiries.

In other words, he reacted quickly, sensed that the strange gale that suddenly appeared at sea was not right, and saw a figure on the shore that resembled Xia Nan from "The Hague" in the distance, so he decisively led his men to retreat.

Otherwise, they and the boat would probably have already perished at sea.

It was this experience that made Hogan famous again in the Tidefall Gang, and even attracted the attention of the gang leader, "Rotten Eagle" Gerry.

After all, not just anyone can have contact with a professional adventurer of this caliber and escape unscathed.

Not to mention that the person they encountered was Xia Nan, also known as "The Hague," who had single-handedly wiped out the top leaders of the Horned Shark Gang.

Hogan, having gained recognition, was directly transferred to work alongside Gary, the gang leader at Wildberry Cliff.

It is foreseeable that in the near future, he will shed his original identity as a "small-time hoodlum" and become a well-known "big shot" within the Tide Retreat Gang.

"Keep up, don't waste time."

"If you delay, the boss might sink you all to the bottom of the sea tomorrow!"

Hogan, carrying a lantern, called out to his henchmen behind him.

He was arrogant and unrestrained, completely unlike the timid and cowardly hoodlum he used to be.

The other young thugs behind him dared not show the slightest dissatisfaction in front of this rising star, and they all nodded and bowed, quickening their pace in agreement.

The cooperative reactions of the others made Hogan feel quite elated, as if he were walking on clouds, and he couldn't have been happier.

When he first arrived at Suyu Bay many days ago, he never imagined that one day these fierce and ruthless characters would follow him around like underlings.

Feelings of arrogance are inevitable, and one can't help but fantasize about one's future.

At this rate of advancement, I'm sure that in a few years, I'll be able to secure a high-ranking position in the gang.

When the time comes, I'll find a few good-looking women to have a few children for me, which will be a way of giving my family an explanation.

Then I'll make a fortune, buy a decent house in White Cliff... um, Cormorant District, and if I get the chance, maybe I can find a cheap combat skill to practice...

That's what I was thinking.

Suddenly, a noise from the darkness brought him back to reality from his fantasy.

"who!?"

Hogan suddenly stopped and shouted sharply in the direction the voice came from.

Right now, the group is on their way from the camp to the warehouse, surrounded by lush bushes and trees.

It was the dead of night, and the only light source, besides the moon obscured by dark clouds, was the lantern in his hand. He could only see about five meters away, and the rest of the room was pitch black.

That is, he was accompanied by several companions; otherwise, Hogan might not have dared to travel alone.

The air froze for a moment, and a deathly silence enveloped the forest.

The thugs tensed up, staring nervously at the bushes in the distance.

No one dared to speak, yet their palms, gripping their weapons, were damp with sweat.

"Susu..."

The bushes shrouded in darkness suddenly began to sway.

The noise that followed, echoing through the darkness, made the people on the field jump to their throats.

Snapped--

A small, dark figure suddenly darted out from the bushes, startling Hogan, who was standing at the front of the group, so much so that he jumped up and his lantern swayed wildly.

But just a second later, as the dark figure darted closer, the group finally saw the source of the commotion.

—A brown-furred wild rabbit with bewildered eyes.

Hogan breathed a sigh of relief.

He subconsciously raised his hand and touched his chest, trying to calm his heart, which felt like it was about to jump out of his chest.

He couldn't help but recall his panicked behavior just now, and felt somewhat ashamed in front of his younger brother.

"Cough cough!"

Hogan coughed twice, deliberately making a show of it, and with a relaxed yet slightly alarmed tone, complained to the people behind him:

"It's just a wild rabbit, what's so scary about it?"

“When I first met ‘The Hague’ at the docks, you weren’t nearly as bad as us.”

I was thinking of using this opportunity to boast about what I had gone through back then.

For some reason, an unusual cold wind suddenly swept through the woods.

The cold was biting, as if it could seep into the skin.

I felt a strange, inexplicable sense of familiarity.

Hogan got goosebumps all over, but his free left hand instinctively rose up and touched his neck.

Unaware of his strange behavior, a slightly more astute thug behind him, upon hearing Hogan's words, quickly chimed in:

"Boss Hogan, you're right!"

"Speaking of which, I haven't heard you talk about the specifics of when you met The Hague. Now that we have this opportunity, why don't you... tell us about it?"

Hogan didn't mind showing off his glorious past to his underlings again.

But right now, the sudden unease that rose from within him, accompanied by the cold wind, made him lose all interest in the discussion.

He waved his hand, just about to say something.

Sizzle—

Another gust of cold wind blew by.

Compared to before, this cold wind seemed to be more powerful, and it was accompanied by a strange, sluggish sound.

Hogan blinked instinctively.

And when he opened his eyes again.

The younger brother in the center of the field of vision still had an expectant expression on his face with obvious signs of acting, and you could even see the corners of his mouth slightly upturned as his facial muscles moved.

But further down, a line of blood, gradually thickening, appeared on her neck.

"This is……"

Hogan's mind raced unconsciously.

But before he could draw a conclusion, as his younger brother's head was severed from his neck, warm, scarlet blood, carrying a strong stench, stained the world before him crimson.

(End of this chapter)