Goblin Heavy Dependence

Chapter 449 What do you want?
Lorraine had never met Xia Nan before.

Her knowledge of the black-haired adventurer before her came entirely from Hein and the twin warriors' introduction.

They knew the other party was a highly capable and exceptionally young professional.

But to be honest, Lorraine didn't really pay much attention before Xia Nan actually entered the room.

As the captain of the "Blade of Vengeance" adventure fleet, she is not young and has been wandering in the Barracuda Bay for many years. She has seen too many dazzling figures like shooting stars.

Perhaps a small number of them will be able to soar through the sky, continue flying into the distance, establish themselves in the southern islands, and even become prominent figures.

But most of them were just a flash in the pan, quickly fading away in a few years or even a few months, forgotten amidst the clamor of the taverns.

Therefore, even though she trusted the judgment of her teammates, Lorraine only had an impression of the young adventurer named "Xia Nan" whose combat performance was exceptionally outstanding, without much further interest.

Until she saw with her own eyes the young man being led into the room by Hera.

Some surprises.

Contrary to what she had imagined—the triumphant air that would follow a rise to fame—she saw not a trace of arrogance in the black-haired youth carrying two swords. His demeanor also lacked the ostentatious air often found among adventurers who felt superior simply because they possessed power.

His temperament was calm and composed, even somewhat aloof, like the sea on a cloudy, windless day.

This made Lorraine think more highly of the other person and subconsciously scrutinize him more closely.

It was precisely because of this attentive attention that she was able to capture more details about the other person.

First and foremost, what caught her attention was the equipment the other person was wearing.

Often, for adventurers who lack experience in judging people, they can often tell a thing or two about a fellow adventurer's strength level just by looking at their clothing and appearance.

It is the simplest and most basic method, yet it is also the most effective.

There are quite a few adventurers in Harbor who wield dual weapons, but most of them are armed with small to medium-sized weapons such as daggers, scimitars, and hand axes.

Almost no one carries two longswords with them at the same time like Xia Nan.

Based on the battle reports from Hein and the others, this black-haired adventurer did not employ a dual-wielding fighting style.

If he's carrying two longswords, then one is probably used most often, while the other is reserved for special situations, such as underwater combat or when facing unconventional enemies.
The leg guards are made of a special material and have an extremely close-fitting construction, suggesting they were custom-made by a specialized blacksmith and were quite expensive. The dark arm shield, on the other hand, appears to be forged from some unknown magical material, and its toughness can be felt just by looking at it.

She wore two silver rings on her right hand, with slight differences in design, and a necklace that dangled deep into the lining could be seen around her neck.

Of course, they could all be small decorative accessories, but there might also be enchanted items among them.

Compared to the quality of the equipment on the rest of his body, his most important chest armor was simply a studded leather armor commonly found in the blacksmith shops of Suoyu Bay, which seemed somewhat out of place.

It should be in a transitional phase where the armor is being replaced or repaired.

Lorraine made this guess in her mind.

The above is only her overall assessment of Xia Nan based on his appearance.

If we observe her more closely from the perspective of her being a seasoned adventurer.

The black-haired youth before him exuded a refined aura, and his movements were clearly the result of extensive training, exhibiting remarkable stability and even a certain rhythmic quality…

All these details reveal that this young adventurer named "Xia Nan" is completely different from the image she imagined.

Meanwhile, the other person's unusual attention to the knife on the table after entering the room aroused Lorraine's interest. As if testing him, she handed the scimitar to him, letting Xia Nan examine it.

The sudden burst of flames on the surface of the [Scalefire Curved Blade] was expected. Most adventurers, due to the inseparable relationship between their work and combat, harbored deep-seated anger.

If the one wielding the sword is a barbarian whose power comes from anger, the flames rising from the scimitar might even explode.

What truly surprised her was the flames that quietly extinguished on the surface of the blade after the intense burning.

As the owner of the [Scalefire Curved Blade], she knew all too well what this phenomenon represented.

This means that the black-haired youth sitting on the opposite sofa calmed down his anger in just a few breaths.

This means strong self-control and extraordinary willpower.

And to some extent, this is the key to whether an adventurer can go further on this path.

Of course, the mere seconds it takes for a flame to rise and fall is not enough to judge a person's future prospects.

But... that was enough for Lorraine to elevate Xia Nan's importance to several levels in her mind.

"despair."

The heels of the pointed leather boots tapped lightly on the wooden floor, making a crisp sound in the room.

Lorraine's right hand, which had been resting on her knee since handing the scimitar to Xia Nan, slid down to the outside of her thigh. Her fingertips expertly slipped between the breeches and leather straps, her fingers tracing the firm, full curves of her thigh, and pulled out a small, flat, square, bright silver box.

Press the latch with your thumb, and with a soft "click," the silver lid pops open, revealing neatly arranged white cigarettes inside.

Her bright, reddish-brown eyes looked at Xia Nan. She turned the cigarette case outwards with a flick of her wrist, her long, fiery red curls swaying slightly. She raised her chin slightly in a gesture of greeting:
"Want one of those good ones from Shire Island?"

Seeing this, Xia Nan didn't react yet, but Hai Yin, who was standing quietly by the window watching, was taken aback.

Having spent so many years with her captain, how could she not understand what such an action truly meant?

It's worth noting that even for herself, it was only after joining "Blade of Vengeance" for more than three months that she truly demonstrated her value in a mission and received the first cigarette from Captain Lorraine.

Of course, a large part of the reason is that she finally came of age at that time.

But even today, Hein still remembers the pungent smell that filled her nasal cavity and made her eyes water.

It was only our first meeting, why...?

The druid wearing the silver snake bracelet felt a vague sense of unease, but just a second later, when she recalled the illusory black wolf on the sea, she felt she could accept it.

They even started fantasizing about what it would be like if the other person became their teammate.

To be honest, as far as she knew, the other party didn't actually have a fixed team.

If Xia Nan could really become my teammate... that wouldn't be bad, would it?

Meanwhile, Xia Nan, sitting on the sofa, had no idea what the druid next to him was thinking.

He faced the silver cigarette case being offered to him in front of him.

A polite smile appeared on his face as he declined.

"Thank you, but I won't need it."

Although, whether in his past life or now, the pressure he faces is considerable.

But I've never been very interested in things like tobacco, and I have no intention of trying it right now.

In contrast, he was more curious whether, given the level of technological development in this world, something like "cigarettes" could actually exist.
Although Xia Nan wasn't particularly knowledgeable about cigarettes, he knew that something only the length of a finger involved was incredibly technologically advanced. The rolling paper, requiring exceptional flexibility and breathability, and the precision tools used to shred countless tobacco leaves into fine strands, were far beyond the capabilities of the normal medieval development level.

However, considering that due to various factors such as faith, race, and magic, the technological development levels of cities in this world vary greatly, almost like isolated islands, it is not impossible for such differences to exist.

To some extent, even if an airship flew over his head, Xia Nan wouldn't be too surprised.

Lorraine didn't react much to the black-haired youth's polite refusal, as if it were just a casual question.

He nodded slightly, took out a cigarette from the silver box, twirled it halfway between his fingers, and then made a faint swirl towards the [Scale Fire Curved Blade] on the table.

"Sizzle."

With a fleeting glimmer of light in the air, the end of the cigarette was already lit.

She took a deep drag on her first cigarette, her cheeks hollowing out and her neck stiffening.

She leaned back on the sofa, tilting her head back. A long breath filled the room, followed by a wisp of white smoke that escaped from between her slightly parted lips, rising and swirling upwards like a veil over half of her face.

"You would like to attend the 'Moonlit Feast'?"

The not-so-loud female voice reached Xia Nan's ears along with the smell of tobacco in the air, causing him to shudder.

Finally getting to the point, he perked up and responded affirmatively.

"Yes."

"I won't ask why you want to attend the banquet." He held a cigarette between his index and middle fingers, his long, slender fingers, covered in noticeable calluses, shrouded in smoke. "But you should know that I can only take a limited number of people with me."

His reddish-brown eyes narrowed slightly as he looked past the table with the curved sword on it and towards Xia Nan on the other side.

Give me a reason to take you with me.

That makes perfect sense.

Xia Nan's deal with Hera involved Hera introducing him to a channel to participate in the "Moonlight Feast." Whether he could successfully persuade Hera afterwards depended entirely on himself.

Lorraine was meeting him for the first time. Even though she had fought alongside his team members, she had no clear vested interests with the "Blade of Vengeance" adventure fleet or even with Lorraine herself.

Given the current limited number of companions each banquet attendee can bring, she has absolutely no obligation to bring Xia Nan along.

If Xia Nan wants to participate in the Moonlit Feast with Lorraine, she needs to pay a price.

He had already prepared for this before he came.

Hearing the other party say this, he took the opportunity to present the conditions he had prepared in advance.

"How about 1000 gold medals?"

There is no doubt that this is a fairly large number.

Even though Xia Nan's bank deposits have now reached the number "3", this is still one-third of all his liquid funds, even after deducting future equipment forging costs.

But... it's worth it.

As long as he could obtain a clue to the key to the [Dream Corridor], he would grit his teeth and give it up, even if it meant adding another zero to the end of the number, and even if it meant suffering through the goblins in the forest.

Unexpectedly, faced with Xia Nan's rather high offer, Lorraine did not hesitate at all and shook her head in rejection the moment he finished speaking.

"I don't want your money."

Free of charge?
Xia Nan's heart sank.

This is troublesome.

How could he not be clear about his own value?

Since Lorraine doesn't care about her gold coins, what the other party wants is nothing more than two things.

First, equipment;
Second, combat skills.

Regarding the former, it must be admitted that compared to adventurers of the same or even higher level, Xia Nan's number of enchanted equipment far exceeds the average level.

But it would be really difficult for him to choose between them.

After all, most of them can play a very important role in battle, even serving as a "trump card".

Blue-grade equipment is definitely out of the question. The [Emberfall] straight sword goes without saying, and [Spring Breeze Tears] and [Ghost Scale Guardian] are also completely out of the question.
Among the green-tier equipment, the [Death Line] ring, as the first enchanted item he obtained after transmigrating, still plays a significant role in combat today and must be kept. As for the others, such as the leg armor and the crystal dagger…

To be honest, he was also reluctant to part with it.

If we consider "combat skills," the options are even fewer.

The entry-level skill for [Fang Hunt] requires the assistance of the instructor's chilling aura; [Gravity Control] is even more demanding, with no one else in the entire world possessing the same combat skill; [Gravity Etching] and [Heavy Tide] are both innate combat skills and cannot be taught; [Echoes of Ember] requires exotic fire energy.

In conclusion, if we really had to choose one of Xia Nan's combat skills to pass on, the only option would be the basic move left by his predecessor, [Whirlwind Slash].

But after all, it is a proper combat skill that can be trained to the basics, not the kind of junk you can buy a whole basket of for a few copper coins in a general store.

As for the training method... using it to exchange for clues to the [Dream Corridor] key doesn't seem like a bad idea.

Xia Nan pondered for a moment, then slowly spoke:

"If you want any of my equipment, I think we need to discuss the details of our trade more carefully."

"I don't want your equipment."

The pointed leather boots perched on her left knee twitched in mid-air as the woman with long, fiery red curly hair replied leisurely.

Then her goal became very clear.

Xia Nan felt somewhat relieved.

"Regarding combat skills, I can provide one of the training methods I have mastered, which will definitely be useful, but it requires a lot of practice and there is no guarantee that you will be able to get the hang of it."

"And no combat skills."

Lorraine replied.

Huh? What do you mean?
"Then what do you want?" Xia Nan frowned.

He flicked the cigarette between his fingers, and the ash, glowing with a dark red fire, drifted down and landed on the sofa beside his thighs.

Lorraine blinked, her reddish-brown eyes shifting slightly, reflecting the black-haired youth across the table.

"I want you."

(End of this chapter)