Goblin Heavy Dependence

Chapter 383 Jobs that most people shouldn't try
The taste and texture of the wild boar meat were as disappointing as I had expected.

Even though Xia Nan had tried his best to follow the techniques he learned from the kitchen of the "White Sparrow Tavern," carefully removing the subcutaneous fat and glands from the pork and performing some bleeding during slaughter,

On the table in front of him was a large piece of wild boar meat that looked quite appetizing after cooking. However, when he ate it, it still couldn't satisfy Xia Nan's palate, whose taste buds had been raised to a considerable degree by the many delicacies he had enjoyed in his previous life.

The meat is tough and dry, with very little fat, and biting into it feels like chewing tree bark; it also has an indescribable fishy and earthy taste, far less delicious than the carefully prepared dishes in taverns.

It was only thanks to the anvil and honey she carried with her, and her professional-level body's instinctive need for nutritional supplementation, that Xia Nan, who was quite picky about food, was able to endure the strange smell and stuff the meat chunks into her mouth with honey.

Knowing that his cooking skills were average and that he was in the wild and didn't have the perfect conditions to prepare wild boar meat, he knew the result wouldn't be very good.

but……

If he could have eaten something better, why would he choose this kind of ingredient?

It's a bit embarrassing to say, but right now, it's been 35 days since we left River Valley, and 20 days since we left Giethoorn.

To some extent, Xia Nan truly entered a state of "wilderness survival".

Without any storage items, once their personal supplies are depleted, they can only rely on hunting in the wild to fill their stomachs.

Fortunately, his superhuman physical abilities and the various combat skills he possessed made him almost a one-sided defeat when facing ordinary wild beasts in the forest.

Even without mastering advanced hunting skills, when he can spot prey in the distance through countless dense branches and bushes, move faster in the forest than a falcon in the sky, and end his opponent's life instantly with a single punch.

The so-called "prey"... becomes "food" itself after he discovers it and decides to use it as food.

Xia Nan's thorough preparation for this trip has already been mentioned, so there's no need to elaborate further.

Regardless, this was indeed his first long journey after crossing over to the continent of Aifara.

No matter how meticulously you plan, unexpected situations are bound to occur during such a long journey.

It might just be a goblin lair that's off the beaten path but incredibly tempting;
It could also be a node village that he was supposed to be able to rest and replenish his supplies, but upon arrival he found it had been destroyed by some unknown monster.

When several unexpected events occur simultaneously and come together.

This led Xia Nan to his current situation of "survival in the wilderness".

Fortunately, thorough preparation before the trip is always useful.

The extremely detailed backup and rest points in the plan mean that even in remote, sparsely populated mountain forests, if the original supply plan fails due to the destruction of villages, Xia Nan can still refer to the map to find the nearest village for resupply, instead of wandering around aimlessly like a headless fly.

That's why he came here.

Xia Nan was unaware of the name of the village, which was marked as a tiny dot on the map representing a human settlement, and had no intention of staying there for long or developing any profound interactions with the villagers.

He simply wanted to find a reasonable way to exchange supplies with the villagers, whether it was through gold coins or barter, so that he could escape the "wilderness survival" travel situation.

If possible, I'd also like to inquire about more detailed information about the Southern Islands to prepare for my later plans.

He swallowed the last piece of wild boar meat from his plate, then gulped down some water to wash away the lingering fishy smell from his mouth.

Xia Nan glanced at the several villagers ahead who seemed unusually nervous and reserved. His gaze lingered briefly on the curious yet cautious boy among them, and he politely thanked him once more.

"Thank you all for lending me the kitchen."

At the same time, he gently pushed the whole wild boar leg and a few coins towards the other party with both hands, indicating that the reward was nothing to worry about and could be accepted without hesitation. He then asked:
"Excuse me, is your village chief... or sheriff in the village right now?"

"I have something to discuss with them. If you know them, please inform them."

"Or just tell me the location, and I'll find it myself."

The one who answered was a middle-aged man who looked somewhat tired; he was probably the breadwinner of the family.
"Of course, adventurer!"

Xia Nan doesn't have any mind-reading abilities, but his perception ability of 12 points allows him to achieve almost the same effect on the honest people in the village who are not good at hiding their emotions, even without paying extra attention.

Almost the instant the middle-aged man opened his mouth, he keenly sensed the hidden meaning in the man's hesitant words.

"A small mountain town like ours is rarely visited even by caravans. It's an honor to have an adventurer like you grace us with your presence. I wonder if you'd be interested in joining us tonight..."

Xia Nan listened patiently as the other man finished speaking, until the middle-aged man finally finished his somewhat clumsy pleasantries and extended an invitation to dinner.

He finally waved his hand, politely declining the offer.

He could tell that behind those polite words and invitations, the other party was hiding some kind of purpose.

However, they didn't intend to stay here for too long, and making things clear would benefit both sides.

His gaze swept over the machete in the young man's hand and the pitchfork that had been placed back in the corner.

Xia Nan's voice was straightforward:
"Just say what you need to say."

"I will give you a reply based on the actual situation."

"..."

After Xia Nan was taken to the village chief's residence by the middle-aged man, and after several people carefully explained and pleaded with him, for fear of angering him, he finally learned what was going on in this small village.

—A medium-sized goblin tribe with a population of at least fifty, and suspected to have an elite leader subspecies.

They've even been forced to the point where they're considering sending the village's young people to distant places first, leaving the remaining villagers to fight the goblins.

Of course, they couldn't and wouldn't dare to threaten Xia Nan with supplies to get him to help them solve their problems.

Almost the instant Xia Nan asked the village chief if he could exchange supplies in the village, the chief, without asking for anything in return, arranged for his villagers to help him with the exchange.

Then, with utmost sincerity and earnestness, they asked Xia Nan for help, offering the maximum reward their entire village could provide.

He briefly weighed the small cloth bag containing coins, which the village chief had personally handed him, in his hand. It seemed rather light.

Glancing at the simple furnishings in the house, I subconsciously recalled what I had seen along the way: a somber scene of dilapidated houses and the oppressive emotions on the faces of the villagers.

After a moment's thought, Xia Nan returned the money pouch to the other party in front of everyone.

The village chief's face darkened, but he forced a smile and said cautiously:
"I was being presumptuous, adventurer."

"Don't worry, we'll have the supplies you need by tomorrow..."

He was interrupted by Xia Nan when he was only halfway through his sentence.

"How much do you know about the exact location of that goblin lair?"

"Take me there tomorrow morning to see how it goes."

"Consider it... payment for these supplies."

…… ……

Xia Nan doesn't consider himself a kind-hearted person, and he would never risk his life for a stranger.

If the threat to this village is a powerful high-level necromancer, or even a fully grown dragon.

No matter how sincere the village chief's attitude was, he only had one option: to turn around and leave.

But when the other party explained that the danger facing the village was caused by a group of goblins...

For Xia Nan, the nature of this matter changed.

While serving as a "commission," it also carries a certain... well, a few hundred percent of his personal interest.

Having traveled all the way from Girth to here, I've already cleared out more than five goblin lairs to relieve the stress along the way.

Even if the village chief didn't specifically ask for it, but just mentioned briefly that there was a goblin nest near the village.

He probably slipped out and secretly used the money while the villagers were helping him prepare supplies, so there was no need for such a solemn ceremony.

As for the commission fee proposed by the other party...

Xia Nan estimated it to be around ten or twenty gold coins.

It's not a lot, but it's not a little either.

But considering the dire situation of this impoverished village, which is many times more remote than Giethoorn, this should be all they can offer.

With a net worth of over 800 gold coins, clearing out goblins was just a side job for Xia Nan, so he didn't ask for any extra payment and handed the money bag back to the other party.

To put it bluntly, given his current unique quirks, in times of extreme repression, he might even be willing to let Xia Nan pay for the exact location of the goblin's lair himself.

It's really nothing.

Early the next morning.

When Xia Nan finished tidying up his equipment and walked out of the clean house that the village chief had specially prepared for him, two figures were already waiting in front of the door.

One of them was someone he had seen before. It was the skinny boy who had shown unusual curiosity towards him at the house where he had borrowed the kitchen yesterday evening. At this moment, he was carrying a wooden bow on his back.

The other one was much more mature, with a full beard, slightly graying sideburns, and dressed in a neat, short outfit that allowed for easy movement. He had a hunting knife hanging at his waist and a longbow on his back.

"Hello, Lord Xia Nan."

“I’m the village hunter, you can just call me John.”

The middle-aged man saw Xia Nan come out and took the initiative to greet him.

"This little guy is Colin, and he's also my apprentice."

"He said you already met this kid yesterday."

Xia Nan nodded slightly.

Perhaps worried that the dark-haired youth in front of him might misunderstand something, John quickly explained:
"Please rest assured, although Colin is young, he is already the best hunter in the village besides me. You won't need to worry about him later."

Xia Nan didn't share the concerns the other party had. He was simply slightly surprised by Colin's unusually youthful appearance.

There wasn't much small talk.

They exchanged information about the goblin lair and headed towards the village entrance.

……

The village chief's original plan was to send almost all the able-bodied men in the village to go out and wipe out the goblin nest with Xia Nan.

However, Xia Nan rejected it.

Given his fighting style and attack methods, when the enemy is a green-skinned goblin, the number of his own troops doesn't make much difference.

Furthermore, if his side has too many people, he might have to be distracted to support his teammates and wouldn't be able to concentrate fully on the battle.

With fewer people, even if there's an emergency requiring a temporary evacuation, things will be easier.

With one in each hand, you can easily unleash the [Fang Hunt], making the whole process much easier.

Therefore, the village chief ultimately decided to have John, the hunter who knew the exact location of the goblin's lair, and his capable assistant Colin accompany Xia Nan on his journey.

The dense forest was deathly silent; the only sounds in the air, besides the chirping of insects and birds, were the soft rustling of boots on the decaying leaves.

The hunter named John was exceptionally cautious. His unique walking posture allowed him to land precisely on the most stable and least disturbing spot on the ground with each step. His steady eyes scanned the surroundings like searchlights.
Colin was incredibly nervous, gripping the wooden bow handle tightly with both hands, following John step by step with taut tension, as if he could hear John's heart pounding violently in the air.

On the contrary, Xia Nan, although equally cautious and not at all careless, had a much more relaxed expression than the two in front of him.

The max-level [Gravity Etching] skill adds a point to his perception attribute, allowing him to clearly and meticulously detect any suspicious movements in the surrounding area even without making any extra movements.

If any enemy were to launch an attack on them, Xia Nan would definitely be the first to discover it.

Take a short break midway and set up traps around the area.

Young Colin, finally unable to contain his curiosity, couldn't help but ask:
"Mr. Xia Nan, have you... hunted many goblins?"

“Colin!” John glared at his apprentice, seemingly annoyed by the boy’s impudent question, and hissed.

He then turned to Xia Nan and apologized.

He waved his hand, indicating that it didn't matter.

Xia Nan glanced at Colin, who was shrinking back from the old hunter's rebuke, and replied softly:

"I've killed some."

“You must be very powerful.” The boy’s gaze swept over the fully armed adventurer in front of him, licked his lips, and tried to find a topic to talk about. “Just like… the heroes in the stories.”

He keenly sensed the longing and yearning in the boy's eyes and understood what he meant.

Xia Nan raised an eyebrow and glanced at the other person.

Even though he's never been one to teach, he still said a few extra words:
"story?"

"It's just work."

"Dirty, dangerous, and most people shouldn't try this job unless they're in dire straits."

(End of this chapter)