Goblin Heavy Dependence

Chapter 437 [Type III Integrated Surgical Knife]

Jerry is certainly not a professional.

He hadn't even mastered the most basic "combat skills," relying only on pirated combat skill books sold by the basket in the general store to learn some rudimentary techniques that were basically useless.

Their actual combat ability might not even be as good as those strong laborers who carry goods all day long at the Broken Wave Wharf.

However, being an orphan, he didn't need to support his parents, and being a bachelor, he had no responsibilities towards his wife and children.

Without the worry of family members, there's no need to fret about whether your loved ones will be retaliated against if you strike them with a stick, nor do you need to consider whether anyone will worry if you get hurt during a fight, or how your family will support you without a pillar of support.

People who have a happy and fulfilling life tend to avoid unreasonable provocations and conflicts.

This is one of the reasons why a thug like Jerry, who is even considered small and thin by ordinary standards, can be so arrogant in the streets of the Saltwater District.

The severe lack of regulatory agencies and the survival-of-the-fittest law of the jungle mean that these idle people, as long as they don't cause too much trouble or push honest people to the brink, can often live a life of enough sustenance by exploiting ordinary residents, even if they do no work.

In his previous life, Xia Nan was just an ordinary white-collar worker. He might not have been overly tolerant of these thugs because of his personality, but unless his bottom line was crossed, he felt it wasn't worth fighting them to the death.

However, the situation has changed on the continent of Aifara.

The existence of supernatural powers has amplified the differences in strength between individuals to an extremely exaggerated degree; and the outdated and corrupt regulatory system has made "death" commonplace in some areas.

Especially when the person who dies is an orphan who makes no contribution to society and no one cares about him... who would care?

Are they shop owners being pressured to pay "safety money"? Or are they the so-called brothers who were laughing and drinking together one second and then turned their backs on each other the next?
Clearly, Jerry was aware of this as well.

He was very self-aware, just like how he remained restrained no matter how excited he was just now, and did not cause any real harm to the unfortunate stall owner who owed him "safety money", and he never killed anyone.

Right now, facing these two powerful adventurers who appeared to be professional-level, he had no intention of resisting at all.

Especially after the two clueless idiots behind him had their arms broken in the blink of an eye.

Jerry behaved even better than the most loyal family dog.

He knelt on the ground, covered his head with his hands, bent over and pressed his face against the wall next to the alley, letting his already crooked nose be squeezed and deformed.

Don't say anything harsh, I don't even dare to look at you.

Hein stood behind the three of them, her expression somewhat strange as she gently stroked the small, silver-black snake that had just swum back to her wrist with her fingertips.

"So you did see this morning that several members of the Horned Shark Gang tied up a young woman and put her into a carriage?"

"I... I really only know this much, sir!"

Jerry's panicked and fearful tone was a stark contrast to his earlier arrogant demeanor when threatening the vendors, and combined with his trembling body and shaking voice, it made him seem even worse.

"I just happened to be passing by and saw it, and they grabbed me to help keep watch. I really don't know anything else..."

"I swear in the name of the sea goddess, if I, Jerry, ever utter a single lie, may I be condemned to hell after death and tormented for eternity!"

In a world where gods truly exist, the fact that someone dares to make such a vow is enough to prove that what they say is true.

Hearing this explanation, Hein's expression became even more subtle.

Is it really that much of a coincidence?
I had just heard that Baron Farrow's daughter had gone missing, and then I found related clues. It was as if it had all been arranged.

Thinking of this, she couldn't help but look at the black-haired youth beside her who had been silent since the beginning, recalling everything that had happened in the past few minutes.

The two were on their way back to the Three-Legged Seal Tavern from the association. She was anxiously explaining the situation to the captain of her team, but before they had gone far, Xia Nan, who was traveling with her, said that she had run into some "acquaintance" and forcibly dragged her to a side alley.

Then he ran into these three thugs.

I don't know if it was because they felt guilty, or if the other party had already discovered it.

After they saw the crooked-nosed thug named "Jerry," who was suspected to be the leader, break the arms of two of his henchmen.

Jerry immediately knelt down and begged for mercy.

There was no need for any interrogation. Xia Nan simply asked a few vague questions, such as "What did you do before going to the grocery store?" and "You seem very excited." The other person then begged and knelt on the ground, telling him everything.

In fact, even Xia Nan himself did not expect that this hoodlum in front of him could actually be involved in the disappearance of the Baron's daughter.

His perception ability, which is as high as 12 points, makes him extremely confident in his intuition.

When he encountered these people at the "Salmon Roe" grocery store this morning, he had a vague feeling that something was wrong with them; they seemed to be in a state of excitement and indulgence.

Then, the sudden increase in the number of guards on the street, and the specific details she learned from the tavern owner Hera, made her instinctively connect these thugs with the disappearance of the baron's daughter.

Now that we've run into them on our way back, of course we have to go and ask. It won't take much time, and we might even find some clues.

As it turned out, Xia Nan was right to trust his instincts.

However, what he didn't expect was that this action, which stemmed from his physical intuition, would yield unexpected results.

He rubbed his fingertips together, feeling the cold, smooth, hard texture of his palm, and lowered his head slightly, his gaze shifting downwards.

What came into view was a small dagger with an extremely strange shape.

It is about 15 centimeters long and is entirely silver-white. It is obviously made of a very fine special metal. It seems to be molded in one piece, with the blade and handle as one, without any trace of welding or splicing. You can see the superb forging skills contained in it.

The overall design is extremely strange. The handle accounts for two-thirds of the total length. The cross-section is a flat oval shape that is easy to grip. It seems to have been deliberately designed. The middle of the handle has a streamlined undulation. When held in the hand, it perfectly fits the curve of the palm muscles and feels silky smooth.

The blade is only one-third the length of the whole, which makes it appear restrained and understated, but the narrow edge is exceptionally sharp and so thin that it almost loses the solid feel of its metallic material.

This dagger is of very low strength; an average person with a little strength could bend it. The blade is too thin, as if it was specially made for some special purpose. The edges are extremely sharp, but the sides of the blade are not tough at all.

Let alone using it for combat, it's completely useless even as a skinning knife for extracting materials from spoils. It's easy for it to break or cause negative effects on the prey if you apply too much force.

Its true practical application should be a kind of precise cutting operation for fragile flesh.

Xia Nan didn't know what the people on the continent of Aifara would think if they saw this kind of knife, nor did he know if similar tools existed in this world.

But personally, he was extremely familiar with this knife.

Attention quietly focused, and the attribute panel then appeared in the void around the dagger.

……

Type III Integrated Surgical Knife

Type: Dagger

grade:/
Introduction:

An ordinary, common scalpel, its time-travel experience hasn't made it any more durable; it's useless outside the operating table… Perhaps you could use it to peel an apple? Note:

"Trust the instruments first, then your eyes, and finally the sensations in your fingertips. If all three point to different things... then trust the knife; it has never made a mistake."

……

What are the keywords in this passage?
"Scalpel"? "Peeling an apple"?
For Xia Nan, it was almost the next second after he, following his own habits, conjured up the attribute panel of the knife in his hand.

His full attention was drawn to a sentence in the panel's "Introduction" section:

"The experience of time travel did not make it more resilient."

Time travel?!
Having had similar experiences many times before, how could Xia Nan possibly miss it?

Just like the [Green Pine] wooden sword currently carried on my back, slightly warm due to the presence of the silver ring snake.

Without a doubt, this scalpel is an exotic item.

The appearance of exotic items signifies the existence of a "secret realm".

What does the secret realm represent?
It represents the forging material of the [Emberfall] straight sword, [Gazing into the Abyss] and [Iron Bones and Muscles], Xia Nan's physical attributes far exceeding those of adventurers of the same level, and the energy replenishment of the [Dream Corridor]...

For Xia Nan, each journey to the secret realm allows his potential and overall strength to leap to a higher level.

Its unique connection between its exotic soul and the secret realm is almost the third cheat code besides the "attribute panel" and the [Dream Corridor].

Almost the instant he discovered the exotic nature of the scalpel, his carefully laid plans were ruthlessly disrupted and cancelled.

The priority of "Finding the Secret Realm" was instantly raised to second only to "[Dream Corridor] Key".

"Where did you get this?"

Xia Nan turned Jerry around, brandished the scalpel he had taken from the thug in front of him, and asked with a serious expression.

At the same time, a pair of dark eyes were fixed on the other person's face, and the superb perception ability silently took effect, observing the changes in every muscle on the other person's face.

He was just an ordinary person who had not received professional training.

Any concealment or deception will be exposed under the gaze of those cold, unwavering eyes.

"Yes, those big brothers from the Horned Shark Gang gave it to me!"

An indescribable, terrifying pressure enveloped his entire body. Jerry did not entertain any other thoughts and answered while kneeling on the ground with a fearful expression.

"They said it was a reward for me helping to keep watch, and also a token of my joining the gang later."

"Did they tell you where they got this dagger from?" Xia Nan pressed.

"I don't know... I really don't know, sir!"

Perhaps it was the immense pressure Xia Nan exerted that caused the hoodlum in front of him to almost kneel on the ground, his voice trembling with sobs.

With keen perception, I knew that the other party was neither lying nor holding anything back.

Xia Nan slightly restrained his imposing manner, his expression thoughtful.

"A scalpel from another land," "The Shark Gang," "The Baron's Daughter"...

Just a moment ago, I was thinking that I didn't intend to get involved in this matter.

Right now, for the sake of any possible clues about the secret realm, he probably has to actually go in and see what's going on.

Although Haiyin felt that Xia Nan's behavior was a bit sudden, she didn't think much of it.

Seeing that he stopped talking, he then asked Jerry about the whereabouts of the Horned Shark Gang:
"Do you remember where they took their men?"

“It should… it should be in the direction of the Broken Wave Wharf,” Jerry replied, lying on the ground, his voice trembling.

As soon as she finished speaking, Hein's heart skipped a beat.

This is going to be troublesome.

It's already afternoon, and these few hours should be enough for the Shark Gang to take the Baron's daughter and leave Barracuda Bay by boat.

As if sensing the druid's thoughts beside him, Xia Nan, who had already decided to enter the fray, took the initiative to offer his analysis:
"According to the intelligence provided by the association, Baron Faro's daughter was attacked yesterday evening."

"In that case, the Shark Gang's actions this morning were most likely an attempt to relocate."

"There are a lot of guards on duty at the port right now. Unless we left the port this morning, it's impossible to take people out by boat."

"Ultimately, there are only two possibilities now."

Xia Nan looked at Hai Yin beside her and analyzed the situation in a calm tone.

"First, the Shark Gang has already left Baron Faro's Bay with Baron Faro's daughter."

If that's the case, then Xia Nan and his group have absolutely no chance of catching up with such a vast ocean, and can only wait for the other side to show itself.

"Second, the Shark Gang was blocked in the Barracuda Bay by the port guards before they could complete their relocation."

Given that the son of such a nobleman had suddenly disappeared, the governor's office would not give up the search in the short term, even for the sake of its authority and dignity.

For at least the next few days, the Shark Gang will have no chance of leaving the docks.

In this way, it's like catching a turtle in a jar.

All Xia Nan and his group needed to do was find where those gang members were currently hiding.

If we disregard situations like the ransom being torn up, they have plenty of time and could take their time to be thorough.

“Let’s go back to the tavern as planned. You go and report to your captain, and I’ll make some preparations and ask Hera for more information about the Shark Gang.”

"Then there's no rush to look for it. We can go to the association first to learn more about the details of this commission."

"If possible, it would be best to communicate with Baron Faro in person."

"We'll take action once we've fully understood the cause and effect of this matter."

"What do you think?"

　Thank you so much to "朔锋1994" for the generous donation!
　　
　
(End of this chapter)