Goblin Heavy Dependence

Chapter 259 Keys, Energy, and Mission Rewards
"Hopefully we won't encounter any more troubles and will be able to reach Nian Shu Ling safely."

When Xia Nan heard those words spoken by Wood himself.

His experience, accumulated from countless works of literature and entertainment in his previous life, made him feel uneasy.

It's both a "jinx" and "Murphy's Law".

As we all know, often, especially after something is spoken aloud, the more you don't want it to happen, the more likely it is to happen.

The unease swirling in his mind made him, as one of the only two remaining fighters in the squad, far more cautious than usual.

The four of them traversed the Molten Scale Mountain Range, taking the opportunity to slow down and quickly recover from their injuries.

But to Xia Nan's surprise...

Perhaps all their bad luck had been used up in their previous encounters with the adult red dragon, Lawson, and Terry William.

A whole week, seven days.

Until the escort team actually set foot on the other side of the Molten Scale Mountains, in the territory of Yuansha Province, the four of them did not encounter any attacks.

Even those green goblins that infest every corner of the continent like cockroaches, I haven't seen a single one.

It was as if all the monsters in the entire Molten Scale Mountain Range had died out.

This allowed them to reach the end of the mission very smoothly.

……

Yuansha Province, sticky tree collar.

The town of Vergrove.

A private room in a tavern called "Three Wild Boars".

Xia Nan was sitting on a sturdy wooden chair with soft cushions. Even if you shook it vigorously, it wouldn't make any cheap creaking noises.

On the dining table in front of him was a large table full of various delicious dishes, most of which had been completely devoured, leaving only a few food scraps.

The unique hobbies he developed from his past life made this young adventurer feel exceptionally content after enjoying a sumptuous meal.

He leaned back almost entirely on the wooden chair, his eyes slightly narrowed, the air filled with the sweet aroma of cream and mushrooms.

Across the table sat Haian and Wood.

Compared to the deathly pale face and listless state of severe injury he was in after the battle a few days ago, this was a stark contrast to his previous condition.

The two of them are clearly in much better spirits now.

The withered, drooping sleeve of the middle-aged man's left arm, and the bandage peeking out from under the half-elf's collar, revealed their past experiences.

"This is your reward for this mission."

Hai'an handed over a crystal card containing 630 gold coins with both hands.

Xia Nan's expression turned serious as he solemnly accepted the crystal card and tucked it into his pocket.

Of the 630 gold coins, 500 gold coins were the reward for the escort mission that the two of them had previously agreed upon with Xia Nan.

It can only be said that having a father who is the lord of Newm City gives him considerable financial resources.

It's worth noting that even Xia Nan's previous "E" level association commission targeting the beastman Mint only had a maximum reward of 300 gold coins, and that was assuming the entire amount was paid in gold coins without converting it to points.

500 gold, which is two-thirds more than before.

And the difficulty of the task...

To be honest, if it weren't for bad luck, being forced into Lawson and Terry William's battle, and encountering that red dragon named "Krogbari", I would have been lucky.

This 500 gold is practically free.

After all, they hadn't encountered any enemies along the way who were actually targeting Haian and Wood and launching an attack on the team.

The reason for such a tumultuous journey is simply bad luck.

As for the extra 130 gold, that was the extra gold the two of them paid for the relics on Sava the Dragonborn, including the armor and rapier she left behind.

—According to the unspoken rules of adventurers, the equipment of fallen teammates is, to some extent, also considered part of the loot.

Of course, the reality is not so indifferent.

After all, they've teamed up together, so they must know each other well. They're brothers and sisters who risk their lives for each other, and even if one dies, they'll help return the other's belongings to their family.

The unspoken rules mentioned above often occur in temporarily formed teams, such as escort squads.

Xia Nan and Sawa were good teammates, but from their first meeting to each other's death, only a few dozen days passed, and they rarely communicated during that time, so they couldn't even be considered friends.

It's impossible for someone to be so kind as to take care of the other person's funeral arrangements.

After the battle, helping to bury the bodies was all he could do.

However, Sava hired the half-elf Haian through the Wycliffe family's connections with the dragonborn clans.

It's understandable that there might be unexpected injuries or deaths during a mission; after all, that's what adventurers do, and such days are bound to happen sooner or later.

But given his personality, he must also be thinking about giving an explanation to the Sawa clan.

He then offered to spend money to buy the spoils of war that had already been distributed and belonged to Xia Nan.

There is nothing wrong with that.

Xia Nan hadn't intended to keep it for himself and planned to find a general store to dispose of it. Faced with the generous offer from the half-elf, Xia Nan couldn't possibly refuse.

A rapier, a suit of armor, and a few miscellaneous items, totaling one hundred and thirty gold coins, were included in the mission reward.

"So... you're still planning to stay in Sticky Tree Territory as originally intended?"

Xia Nan raised his glass, took a sip, and said meaningfully.

What he wanted to express was actually very simple.

Sticky Tree Territory is the territory of Duke Morton, and the Duke's knight commander had just died at their hands a week ago.

After some speculation, the [Dream Corridor] terminal, which was suspected to be a lost treasure of the Morton family, fell into his hands.

Given this premise, it might be too dangerous for the two of them to stay under the Duke's nose.

Wood simply shook his head at this.

"It's alright, we're only staying for a short time."

"After some time, once the turmoil in Newme is completely over... the young master and I will then consider whether to return or continue our journey."

As he spoke, a smile appeared on his tired face.

"Don't worry, apart from a few of us, no one knows where Terry William is. The body has been disposed of. Who knows, those knights in Molten Scale Town are probably still looking for their leader."

“The Wycliffe family... also has some facilities in Sticky Tree Territory. Staying there temporarily is much safer than going on a mission.”

Since the other party had said so, Xia Nan didn't ask any more questions, but just looked at the half-elf and the wanderer guard in front of him.

"You know my address."

"If you need any help in the future, just send a letter or send someone to deliver a message."

Upon hearing this, Hai'an could only manage a helpless smile.

"In fact, this mission shouldn't have had so many twists and turns. The Red Dragon, including Lawson and Terry William, were all unexpected situations that didn't fit into the plan."

"If it weren't for you... I probably wouldn't have the chance to sit here and say these things to you."

Xia Nan understood the half-elf's meaning perfectly. It was an apology and expression of gratitude to his teammates, including himself, for an unexpected encounter during the mission.

He didn't care at all and just waved his hand.

I've long been accustomed to this kind of seemingly simple and ordinary experience, which is actually full of hidden complexities and twists and turns.

"Then...see you later?"

"Well, take care."

……

……

Vergrove, like Moltenscale Town, is geographically close to the Moltenscale Mountains.

However, unlike the Red Dragon, this town is located outside the Red Dragon's territory and does not have the unique terrain that facilitates development like Molten Scale Town.

There are many similar villages and towns nearby, which have drawn away a large number of adventurers and caravans who want to cross the mountains.

Therefore, its development was quite ordinary; it was just an average small town that could be found anywhere in the Kingdom of Serbia, with nothing particularly noteworthy.

Xia Nan walked down the street.

The only blacksmith shop in town had an average blacksmith, and I couldn't find suitable transitional equipment.

He put the plate chainmail armor, which had been nearly destroyed by Terry William's venom, back on, as a last resort.

Ignore the curious glances from passersby who see adventurers and strangers.

He fell into deep thought.

Lawson's rapier, the Coolie Sting, is alright. Although it has a unique appearance, it's not the only one of its kind. There are plenty of similar weapons on the market, so it should be relatively easy to deal with.

The spoils from Terry William, the greatsword named "Morton's Oath of Loyalty," were much more troublesome.

The proverbs engraved on the surface of the sword, if examined closely by a discerning eye, will reveal that they come from the Morton family.

In addition, the disappearance of William Terry, the Lord Knight of the Morton family, gradually escalated.

If such a heavy sword suddenly appeared on the market, anyone you randomly picked up from the street could probably guess the connection between the two.

Whether considering his own safety or the [Dream Corridor] in his possession, Xia Nan did not want to needlessly provoke trouble with the Morton family.

Therefore, this heavy sword became a hot potato.

It is currently wrapped in thick linen and placed in a hotel room.

Xia Nan even considered that, if all else failed, he could simply find a secluded place to throw it away, or have a trustworthy blacksmith dismantle it and melt it down into steel.

For safety's sake, losing a hundred or two gold coins is no big deal.

In addition, speaking of equipment.

Currently, the [Tears of Spring Breath], which has been made into a necklace, is quietly hanging on the lining below the armor. From the outside, only the metal necklace hanging around its neck can be seen, while the most important teardrop-shaped emerald pendant below cannot be glimpsed.

He can use a fourth-circle healing spell called [Spring Pulse Healing] once a week, which he used to recover from injuries when he leveled up.

The description of the skill effect on the equipment is that it restores a certain amount of health to the "wearer".

A few days ago, when he led the heavily injured half-elf across the mountains, he had thought about whether he could find a loophole if the situation really came to him.

For example, temporarily placing the necklace on someone who needs healing makes them, to some extent, a "carrier" who then has the means to use [Spring Pulse Healing].

However, if this were to be the case, on the one hand, the user must have enough trust in him, since the [Tears of Spring Breath] necklace is also one of his trump cards. Using it in this way would mean exposing it to others without reservation, and he would also have to be careful to prevent others from coveting the equipment's effects and running away with it.

On the other hand, Xia Nan could not confirm whether this seemingly absurd method could change the ownership of the equipment and change the "carrier" from himself to someone else.

We'll need to find another opportunity to test it further later.

The escort mission was successfully completed. Although Haian and Wood were injured, they both arrived at Sticky Tree Territory.

But for Xia Nan himself, the things he needed to do suddenly increased.

Most importantly, of course, is the [Dream Corridor] neural roaming terminal, which has now been transformed into a silver ring and is worn on his finger.

Previously, Xia Nan only had a vague understanding of its functions, but his experience a few days ago made him truly aware of the exaggerated effects of this science fiction creation.

[Fang Hunt] From level 4 to level 5, the remaining nearly fifty points of proficiency will probably take several months of daily training.

Under the influence of the dreamscape woven by the [Dream Corridor], it only took less than half a second to cross over in an instant.

It's no wonder that the ancestors of the Morton family were able to rise to such high positions despite their humble origins.

This kind of equipment, which can improve combat skills, can be called a "divine weapon" without exaggeration.

Xia Nan dared not imagine that, if given the chance in the future, he could use [Gravity Control] as the prototype for his dream weaving...

Leaving aside how many levels it can level up at once, even just going from lv1 to lv2, the improvement brought by this quality combat skill is absolutely unimaginable for ordinary people.

Of course, before that, he must meet two conditions for the activation of [Dream Corridor].

The first one is dynamic password.

A week ago, I was able to activate the device by flipping the "Coin of Fate." With the help of Lady Luck, the probability of success was increased from almost zero to 100%, which allowed me to successfully enter the password blindly.

With only one last chance to use the [Coin of Fate], Xia Nan naturally wanted to save it for a critical moment concerning his own life and death, as it was the most important trump card he possessed to turn the tide.

Therefore, he must find the lost "key" mentioned in the warning message of [Dream Corridor].

But he had no idea what the key looked like or where to find it.

Are we to infiltrate the Morton family to search for possible clues?

That's far too dangerous.

Second, energy.

After the [Fang Hunt] dream ended, Xia Nan checked the attribute panel of [Dream Corridor] once again.

Unsurprisingly, the energy that was originally 3% has now been completely reduced to zero.

How do I charge it?

Plug? Battery?
He even considered finding a spellcaster who knew elemental magic to strike the ring with a few bolts of lightning.

But then I thought that this seemed too rough, and what if I damaged his device?

Therefore, it can only be put on hold for the time being.

Besides that, he had to go back to River Valley Town first, no matter what.

With so much time having passed, the Serpent Scale Arm Shield, commissioned from "Rockhammer" Barn and forged at a cost of 1000 gold coins, should be completed by now.

He had been looking forward to it for a long time, and now that the mission was over, he naturally had to bring it back for a proper appreciation.

With all sorts of things piling up, Xia Nan was overwhelmed.

Suddenly, I realized that we had arrived at the agreed location.

They paused, their gaze fixed ahead.

Under the shade of trees, her chestnut ponytail swayed gently behind her head.

The slender figure in the beige robe seemed to sense the gaze directed at her and shuddered violently.

(End of this chapter)