Goblin Heavy Dependence

Chapter 223 Return, Subtle Changes

"jingle……"

The metal spoon scraped against the bowl, making a slight sound.

The thick soup, garnished with bright green parsley leaves, swirls and swirls, its sweet, creamy aroma wafting into the air with the rising steam from the bowl.

I deliberately scooped up a few slices of mushroom, which, along with the rich, creamy flavor, were then placed in my mouth with the soup.

Savoring the wonderfully sweet and smooth taste on her tongue, Xia Nan couldn't help but close her eyes in enjoyment.

Across the table, Abby sat upright, his shifty, evasive gaze and the fact that he was only sitting on one side of the chair, leaning forward, clearly revealed his unease.

Even the flush on his face had subsided considerably, completely erasing his classic "drunken adventurer" demeanor.

"Where's Adeline? Why isn't she with you?"

The sudden voice in front of him made Abby stiffen slightly, and he quickly replied:
"The boss went to the general store to deal with the spoils of war, the one called 'Kukunur'. I don't have anything to do, so I came to the tavern for a few drinks."

His gaze swept over the claw marks on Xia Nan's plate armor, then quickly looked away, not daring to look any longer or ask any more questions, only adding hastily in a low voice.

"We've only just returned to our small town."

Upon hearing this, Xia Nan nodded without saying anything.

After returning from Newme, although she was busy with various beast-clearing missions in the Seathorn Squad, she was not completely out of touch with "Green Blood" Adeline and rookie Abby.

Occasionally, their schedules overlapped during breaks between missions, and they would often dine together at the pub to catch up on each other's lives.

He could sense the changes in the two of them, especially in Abby.

The initial naiveté of a newcomer gradually faded, and the demeanor of a seasoned adventurer began to emerge.

With each mission completed, his equipment became increasingly sophisticated, indicating that he had clearly earned a considerable amount of money.

However, similarly, as one delves deeper into the "adventurer" profession and becomes increasingly familiar with the tavern's diverse and chaotic environment, one's understanding of the profession also deepens.

He was visibly assimilated by the seasoned veterans at the dinner table.

Adeline was alright, after all, when the two first met, he was already a well-known veteran adventurer in town, and his values ​​were already mature.

But Abby, the once reckless and brave, stubborn yet obedient rookie, gradually acquired an indescribable quality as his adventure experience grew.

In their recent meetings, the other person rarely even dared to look him in the eye.

Considering that Adeline's attitude towards him had not changed significantly, Xia Nan did not believe that it was his fault.

Xia Nan paused slightly, stirring the cream of mushroom soup with her spoon. She raised an eyebrow and casually asked:

"Want another drink? I'll buy you one."

"No, no!" Abby waved his hand hurriedly, his expression not quite panicked or frightened, but not far off.

"I've had enough... I've already drunk too much."

Xia Nan merely glanced at the other person.

Adventurers face immense pressure; each mission's completion is, in a sense, a brush with death, essentially trading their lives for money.

Using alcohol to vent their inner burdens is perfectly normal for them, and I can completely understand it.

If you silently bottle up all the pressure inside, it's like a warehouse full of gunpowder; just a spark can ignite it.

Sooner or later, big problems will arise.

but……

Recalling Abby's unrestrained behavior at the tavern entrance earlier, and the changes in her recently.

Xia Nan opened her mouth, but in the end, she didn't say anything.

I'll talk to Adeline again when I have the chance.

"Boss, why haven't you come back yet after so long?"

"You eat first, I'll go outside and look for her, just in case she's run into any trouble."

"I'm so sorry, Mr. Xia Nan. I'll treat you to a proper meal another time."

As if she had prepared her speech in her mind for a long time, Abby spoke very fluently, without even taking a few breaths.

Having said that, Xia Nan said no more and nodded slightly.

"That's settled then. Please give my regards to Adeline."

"Okay, okay, goodbye, Mr. Xia Nan."

Then, I heard the sharp noise of chair legs scraping against the ground, and footsteps gradually quickening and receding into the distance.

He shook his head almost imperceptibly and then took another sip of cream of mushroom soup.

The journey back to River Valley from the Misty Forest was very smooth, with virtually no problems encountered.

He had to admit that although all his teammates had died unexpectedly, he was the only one left to return to the city alone.

Anyone with a modicum of insight or even a little bit of adventure experience would not have any particular thoughts upon seeing Xia Nan on the road.

An adventurer, who had clearly just finished a mission, was walking alone on his way back. He looked somewhat disheveled, but upon closer inspection, there were no obvious injuries. He possessed excellent equipment and a cold, stern demeanor, coupled with five grotesque claw marks on his chest that seemed to pierce through iron plates...

It can only be said that, for knowledgeable adventurers, people like Xia Nan are the most troublesome and intimidating.

They're trying to avoid it, so why would they provoke it for no reason?

With his free left fingertips lightly tapping the table, Xia Nan suppressed his extraneous thoughts and began to think about his next steps.

I came to the White Tit Tavern and saw this bowl of cream of mushroom soup on the table just because I "happened" to be passing by and decided to have a bowl.

It only took about ten minutes in total, and it wasn't a formal meal.

His primary goal now is to go to the Adventurers' Guild, complete the investigation mission, and collect the reward.

Then, through the association's channels, he would seek a way to remove the beastification curse, whether it was gold coins or points; he was prepared for his savings to shrink significantly.

It's worth mentioning that the wound on my right forearm from being scratched by mint has healed much faster than expected after the intense treatment with the "Secondary Healing Technique" of [Tears of Spring] over the past few days, leaving no scar.

There were no signs of the potentially contagious animalistic disease developing.

Xia Nan sensed it very carefully and was certain that he did not hear strange murmurs or develop a particular craving for humans or raw food, as he had previously learned about the "symptoms of the beastification infection".

Of course, this does not mean that he has already completed the resistance to the bestiality syndrome.

Just like those diseases with extremely long incubation periods in a past life, if you take a nonchalant attitude now, it may be too late when they actually flare up later.

To be on the safe side, we must take appropriate measures. For such an ancient and terrible disease, we can never be too careful.

Following that is the processing of the various spoils obtained during this mission.

Including but not limited to: Mint's broken yew staff, Cash's [Tidal Lure], Veris's two daggers, poison, and eye items.

The variety is quite extensive, and you have to visit every shop in town, which takes a lot of time.

Finally, you should go to the Rockhammer blacksmith shop to ask Barn if there's any possibility of repairing your plate chainmail armor, and also discuss with him the details of upgrading the Serpent Scale Arm Shield.

With many things to attend to, Xia Nan downed his cream of mushroom soup in one gulp. He greeted Chapton, who was wiping glasses behind the counter, then slung two longswords over his shoulder and left the White Sparrow Tavern.

……

……

River Valley Adventurers' Guild Branch.

The recent wild animal rampages in the Misty Forest are just a minor incident that the adventurers in the town encounter a few times a year.

After all, it's perfectly normal for some unusual situations to occasionally occur in such a large monster-infested area.

They also knew that these beasts did not have the reproductive ability of goblins. They might be stronger individually, but their pelts and claws sold for good prices on the market.

Driven by greed for money, these beasts will eventually be driven back into the depths of the forest by adventurers.

And the result was exactly as they expected, even faster. Recently, the number of wild beasts appearing on the outskirts of the forest has decreased significantly, and there are hardly any related commissions left on the association's mission wall.

Often, as soon as they're pasted on the wall, they're snatched up by quick-witted adventurers.

The previous bustling scene, where the board almost filled half of the trading board, is gone.

This also caused many less experienced adventurers who wanted to take advantage of the opportunity to make a fortune and thus prepared a lot of corresponding supplies to lose everything.

"Hello, the association doesn't have a bounty on 'Blue-striped Leopard'. Perhaps you could try asking at the general store across the street; they might be able to offer a good price."

Her short, golden hair swayed gently as she spoke. Wearing the uniform of an Adventurers' Guild staff member, Jasmine leaned on the front desk and said weakly.

In front of him stood a burly orc, covered in blood, who hadn't bathed for days, and emanating a strong stench.

Ignoring Jasmine's explanations, which she had given three times, he simply used both hands to forcefully unfold the animal hide in front of him, which was still covered in flesh and blood and had pale blue markings.

Like a vendor trying to sell something to a customer, he stumbled over his words, speaking in a thick tribal accent, repeating a few crude words of a common language:
"A leopard skin...good...three gold coins...to make clothes...warm..."

Perhaps he wasted too much time at the counter, making the adventurers waiting in line behind him impatient.

A hot-tempered dwarf, carrying an iron hammer and with a braid hanging down to his chest, shouted at the top of his lungs:

"Where did this green-skinned guy come from? Doesn't he even know the rules?"

"Don't waste my time, get out of here with your worthless thing, Gro-lak!"

At first, the orcs didn't react much to the dwarf's shouts and curses.

Although he could sense the other person's tone and emotions, he had just come from the tribe and couldn't understand such a long string of rapidly spoken common language.

Until the dwarf uttered those last few words:

——Gro-lak.

In Orcish, it can be directly translated as "maggot excrement".

Adventurers who frequent taverns year-round, regardless of their professional skills, are absolutely familiar with the insulting terms used by various races.

Faced with this orc who was taking up space and wasting time, the dwarf naturally used that word on his lips.

What happened next was exactly as all the spectators on the field had predicted.

They insulted each other in their respective languages, pushed and shoved each other, fell to the ground and wrestled, and were thrown out of the door by the association's security staff.

Sitting at the front desk, Jasmine remained expressionless, having long been accustomed to this kind of mess.

He took a rag from under the counter and wiped away the few drops of blood splattered on the counter.

She sighed silently, reached for the bell beside her, and was about to press it.

A familiar figure suddenly appeared in sight.

The blonde girl's eyes lit up immediately, and she instantly perked up.

"Lina, cover my shift for another half day, and I'll pay you back in one go later!"

As she spoke, she jumped up, pushed open the back door of the counter, and walked out with small steps.

……

A small, spacious, and quiet meeting room.

Jasmine slammed the document shut and said to Xia Nan, who was sitting in front of her, in a serious and earnest tone:

"Thank you again for your contributions to the association, Mr. Xia Nan!"

"I have recorded all the results of your investigation into the commission with the task number 'E-20279' in the file. You can check it at any time if you need to."

"Once the association confirms the details, the corresponding reward will be credited to your account. You can also come to me to collect the physical reward at that time."

As he spoke, he put a small cloth bag from the table into a wooden box labeled with the task number and placed it on top of the document.

—The left ear containing mint.

Xia Nan had no idea how the association would verify his investigation results. After several days, the corpses on the field had probably all been eaten by the wild animals in the forest.

I don't know how the other party will determine whether I am lying or not.

He simply recounted his experiences in the Seathorn Squad, omitting any information that might involve his own intelligence, along with some subjective speculation, and told the other party everything in one go.

"How many days will it take?" Xia Nan asked Jasmine across from him.

"Three days will suffice, Mr. Xia Nan."

The waiting time wasn't long.

Xia Nan pondered to himself.

In any case, he confirmed the identity of the "beastman" in the investigation mission and killed him, which should have met the conditions required to complete the mission to the greatest extent.

Even if you don't max out the rewards, you should have enough materials to upgrade your arm shield.

Of course, if there were extra gold coins or points as rewards, he would certainly not refuse.

"Is there anything else I can do for you?"

"We just received a batch of excellent materials from headquarters, they're on the second floor. Would you like me to show them to you?"

"In addition, the job quests on the second floor have been updated recently, and some of them offer very good rewards. If you need a team, I can help you get in touch with them."

Jasmine was very proactive, and it was clear that she was very eager to achieve results.

"These aren't urgent." Xia Nan shook his head, his gaze turning to the short-haired girl sitting across the table.

"There's something I need you to look into for me."

"I wonder if the association has any purification potions for curses like bestiality, or any magic scrolls with spells that can remove curses."

"Well, it would be best if we could also provide their approximate prices and specific usage instructions."

"Okay, Mr. Xia Nan, I'll go ask right away!"

(End of this chapter)