Goblin Heavy Dependence

Chapter 29 Carriage (4k)

This is an old carriage abandoned in the bushes.

The body of the car is made of some kind of reddish-brown wood, which is hard and warm in color, and the varnish on the surface makes it look particularly shiny;
There are hollow circular windows on both sides of the car body, which are now half open to the outside. With the sunlight seeping through the tree canopy above, you can vaguely see the emptiness inside.
The roof is slightly curved like a ridge, and the wooden eaves extending to the left and right are carved with delicate patterns, but the specific details have been damaged and worn by some external force and are unrecognizable.

"This is it!"

Hai'an stood in an open space some distance away from the carriage, his expression revealing a hint of excitement.

“This simple and sophisticated traditional design is just like the piece of wood!”

He tightly grasped the ink-black token in his hand, as if he was one step closer to the truth.

Xia Nan stood aside silently with a calm expression.

But there was another wave of turmoil in my heart.

He did not have a deep knowledge of history. Even the knowledge points that he had memorized day and night from textbooks during his student days had long been forgotten in his boring and tiring working life.

Therefore, he cannot determine the approximate age of an item based on just a few design style and material details.

But even so, Xia Nan still felt the strong "Zhongzhou" characteristics of the carriage in front of him at a glance, just like the wooden sign just now.

"its not right!"

Just when several people in the team were lost in thought because of the appearance of the carriage.

Larry, who was always outspoken, suddenly said:

"How could there be a carriage in the Misty Forest? There are big trees all around, how did it get in?"

His words instantly woke several people on the field from their thoughts.

Larry is right.

The Misty Forest is a gathering place for dangerous monsters. The ground is almost covered with tough thorns and bushes, not to mention the towering trees that are so dense that they occupy almost every corner of the sight.

In such an environment, even an experienced group of adventurers can only walk cautiously and with difficulty.

Even if there really was such a driver with "excellent driving skills" who drove the carriage into the forest, the huge noise caused by the movement of the carriage would be enough to attract monsters within a few hundred yards nearby.

"And look..." Hai An, who had gradually come to his senses, also gradually discovered something suspicious. He pointed his finger and frowned, saying, "There are no traces of wheel tracks on the ground nearby."

"It's as if this carriage just fell into the forest out of nowhere."

Wood, who had been guarding Hai'an like a shadow and remained silent since the beginning, suddenly added:

"Normal wooden materials will quickly decay and rot under the corrosion of the magic power in the misty forest air."

"And the material of this carriage is not enchanted material. There is very little dust and traces of use. It is obvious that it has only been parked here recently."

"This shouldn't be the case. If it happened recently...how come there are no traces around?" Hai An frowned, with a look of confusion on his face.

The interior of the carriage was empty, so there was no possibility of monsters hiding; the surrounding bushes and long grass were also checked to make sure they were safe.

Everyone approached carefully.

Although it looked like it had been hit in the middle by an owl bear, the entire carriage was in tatters.

But there are a few details that still reflect its original exquisite and luxurious decoration.

For example, the hollow lanterns hanging under the wooden eaves on both sides, the soft and smooth curtains on the inside of the windows, and the curtains embroidered with simple and elegant patterns...

"what!"

Suddenly, there was a sharp scream in my ears, but the volume was instantly lowered.

Xia Nan, who was already nervous due to the high-pressure environment in the misty forest, couldn't help but shudder in his heart.

Frowning and looking,

At the edge of the team, there was a blonde girl named Doris. She was covering her mouth with one hand because she accidentally made a sound, and her other hand was pointing at the shadow under the shaft of the carriage.

"Scorpion... Scorpion!"

Larry protected the other person behind him, thinking of performing a classic "hero saves the beauty" move. When he looked in the direction of Doris's finger, the fat on both sides of his cheeks suddenly trembled twice.

"Sha...Sha..."

It's like countless grains of sand falling on the ground.

The first thing Xia Nan heard was a strange sound composed of countless sharp and tiny noises.

Then, a "black stream" gushed out from the bottom of the carriage like a spring.

There were countless scorpion bugs the size of finger joints, with dark black bodies!
"grass!"

Xia Nan only felt a chill rushing from his tailbone straight to his forehead.

He stepped back suddenly, with the beheading sword across his chest.

The half-elf reacted faster, and with his silver hair fluttering, he took a few steps back to the long grass behind him - as an archer whose main means of attack was the bow and arrow, it was the right thing to do to distance himself the moment the battle began.

Larry's behavior was somewhat unexpected. He was so frightened that his face turned pale, and he was extremely panicked even when he retreated. He was even almost tripped by a branch on the ground and staggered a few steps.

But he still protected Doris tightly and did not choose to escape.

In the blink of an eye, Wood was the only one left on the field.

Looking at the lonely figure in front of the carriage, Xia Nan gritted his teeth and stepped forward again.

Retreating is just the first reaction driven by the instinct for survival.

Although he was a newcomer, he realized his position in the team the next second and pushed forward again.

He won't let down at a time like this.

The cool, undulating touch of the sword's hilt came from the palm of my hand.

But I still feel a tingling sensation in my heart.

In his hand he held a fine longsword that he had found in the blacksmith shop, in his backpack he had prepared a healing potion with miraculous effects, and on his body he wore hard and expensive leather armor.

Full of energy.

Xia Nan was confident that even if he faced twenty goblins alone, he could kill them all.

But facing the black scorpions that were surging like a wave under his feet, he felt he had no idea where to start.

But at this moment, Wood suddenly stretched out his hand and motioned for him to step back and not come over.

Then, he took out a palm-sized, brown earthenware jar from his waist bag.

Throw it hard!

boom--

The clay pot fell to the ground and shattered instantly.

The viscous, matte black liquid mixed with turbid dust poured out and flew everywhere.

Then, there was a little fire.

"Wow!"

The heat wave surged, and the orange-red flames were reflected in Xia Nan's pupils.

The blazing flames suddenly burst out!

In an instant, countless scorpion insects and the carriage were swallowed up entirely.

The swirling flames seemed to arouse the fear deep in the blood of these insects.

The swarm of insects, which was originally as dense as a tide, suddenly dispersed, turned into countless "tributaries", and disappeared into the nearby bushes and grass.

"Crench."

The shell cracked under the high temperature, and the unpleasant smell of burning filled the air.

"Where did all these scorpions come from? I was scared to death!"

Larry said with fear, his pale face covered in cold sweat.

The figure of the half-elf Hai'an gradually appeared in the grass, with the wooden arrow in his hand already on the bowstring, and his face solemn.

Xia Nan's heart was beating violently, and he breathed a sigh of relief. He slowly put away his sword, feeling relieved.

Fortunately, there was a professional in the team who even carried something like a Molotov cocktail with him.

Otherwise, faced with so many little bugs, he really didn't know how to deal with them.

Glancing at the swarm of insects retreating in front of him, Xia Nan had a thoughtful look on his face.

I don't know if there is any place in River Valley Town that sells this kind of throwing props.

I'll get a few bottles when I get back. Maybe they'll be of great use when I go on missions in the future.

If it really doesn't work, he will go back and study the vague memories of his previous life, maybe he can make a rough idea:
"Bottles, alcohol, flammable fabrics... what else?"

Xia Nan shook his head to dispel the thoughts that were gradually dispersing within him.

We'll talk about it later. Now is not the time to think about this.

He looked in the direction of the firelight.

After dispersing the swarm of insects, the raging fire continued to spread along the weeds on the ground, and it looked like it was getting worse and worse.

The knowledge gained from the civilized society in his previous life and the three views formed by the influx of a large amount of information made him instinctively resist the natural disaster that was gradually taking shape and was enough to devour a large tract of forest.

Without thinking too much, he subconsciously asked:
"Is this fire... okay?"

It was just a casual remark and I didn't expect anyone else to respond.

Unexpectedly, Wood has always been on guard since he joined the team.

But at this moment, he was acting in a very serious manner and answered:

"The magic power in the Misty Forest is so strong that any normal flame will not cause a major fire."

"Although the fire seems to be gradually expanding, it is actually only burning the surrounding bushes and weeds. It may not even touch a tree, and it will go out on its own."

Xia Nanfang's behavior of taking the initiative to step forward when facing danger seemed to change the guards beside the half-elf's impression of him.

Of course, after all, the contact time is short, that's all.

After saying this, Wood stopped responding and took the initiative to move closer to the flame.

Bending down, he controlled the tail with his fingertips and picked up a fleeing scorpion from the ground.

He looked at it carefully, frowning slightly.

"What's up, Wood? Any findings?"

The pungent burnt smell in the air made Hai'an look uncomfortable, and he asked as he was collecting his arrows.

"Master, there is indeed something wrong here."

The Misty Forest is vast and the abundant magic in the air makes it a habitat for countless creatures.

No matter how experienced an adventurer is, he cannot guarantee that he can identify every type of monster.

Not to mention the many species of common animals, which have many subspecies in special environments.

Therefore, Wood was not surprised by the strange scorpion in front of him that he had never seen before.

But at this moment, he was looking at the black scorpion with its tail clamped in his hand, but still raising its claws with a warning look.

But it felt like the group of people had been invisibly drawn into a huge vortex, sinking deeper and deeper.

Wood suddenly turned around and looked at Hai'an who was looking at him with concern.

A moment of trance,

Just like the figure that rescued him from the slums filled with stinky water and garbage many years ago.

Those familiar silver-grey eyes, those equally smooth and lustrous silver-white hair...

I opened my mouth and countless words flowed through my mind.

In the end, he only left a dry sentence:
"Let's get around this first, Master."

"It's time to set up camp."

……

……

It gets dark quickly in the forest.

Sometimes, you think it’s still early and you can catch up on your journey while the sunlight shines through the gaps in the treetops above your head.

But in just a few steps, darkness will envelope you.

Wood's timing was spot-on.

When Xia Nan and others somewhat unfamiliarly arranged their sleeping bags, piled up the branches they brought back from the forest, ignited them with flints, and lit a bonfire.

The sky, which was originally extremely bright, has now turned into dusk.

crackling——

The flames are burning.

The crystal eyes reflected the orange-red fire in front of them.

Hai An sat by the campfire, stroking the inky black wooden sign in his hand, looking a little dazed.

Wood had already set up warnings and traps around the camp. Seeing his expression, he hesitated for a moment and said slowly:

"Master, you know, it was the mistress who gave me a second life."

"Although my mistress left when you were very young... I have been in the Wycliffe family for many years."

"Excuse me, the piece of wood in your hand is not the style of the high elves. Madam, before..."

"Shut up!" Hai'an suddenly became agitated, and even the fingertips holding the token turned white from using too much force.

But the next moment, he realized that he shouldn't do this and immediately calmed down.

"sorry."

The tone was still so calm and gentle, but Hai'an's eyes were just on the fire in front of him.

Wood stopped talking and lowered his head.

As always, sitting in the half-elf's shadow.

The air became silent, leaving only the muffled sound of the burning flames.

Xia Nan sat on the other side, wiping the sword in his hand without looking away, and his ears, which had been pricked up, had quietly retracted.

He has no intention of interfering in other people's family affairs.

But after all, we are in the same team, and the other party has no intention of being secretive, so it is understandable that I get to know them better.

What's more, Xia Nan was actually a little curious.

Unlike the reckless Larry, the half-elf is obviously more thoughtful, and even judging by the attitude of the few people getting along with each other, he is of higher origin.

But he dared to go so deep into the outskirts of the misty forest to look for an unknown target with only one guard, even if he was a professional. It was obvious that he was hiding something.

(He knew that the location of the Firefly Garlic Vine was in the outer reaches of the outer reaches, and there was basically no danger. The round trip only took a day and a half, and he had even walked there in advance. In addition, the mission time limit was tight, so he dared to enter alone.)
Since he couldn't hear anything at the moment, he stopped paying attention.

Dusk is dim.

It seemed that even the mist in the air had a hint of laziness, floating slowly.

Doris seemed to be frightened by the scorpion, and Larry's soft voice of comfort beside her was indistinct;
Haian and Wood sat by the campfire, surrounded by smoke and silence;

Xia Nan sat alone in the corner, leaning against a tree trunk, with his brows lowered and an iron-gray sword in his arms.

A day full of twists and turns seemed to be coming to an end.

But just like the Easter egg at the end of the movie, as an adventurer walking on the edge of a knife, you must always be prepared to face those unexpected "surprises".

(End of this chapter)