Goblin Heavy Dependence

Chapter 467 [Blood Vessel Rock Comprehensive Operating Table]

What Alden discovered was a strangely shaped tabletop.

Its overall shape resembles a flatter recliner, or some kind of movable single bed.

The bed is about the width of an adult's arm and about seven or eight feet long. But strangely, compared to a normal bed in a house, this single bed is much higher, reaching the waist of a normal person, as if it was designed that way on purpose.

The countertop is made entirely of cool white marble, with a delicate and cold texture. The surface is covered with dark red natural vein-like patterns that meander naturally downwards along the countertop.
The support below consists of three brass-colored pillars forged from an unknown metal. They are clearly regularly maintained, with smooth surfaces showing no signs of oxidation or rust.

It's worth mentioning that there are several metal devices connected to the marble countertop on both sides:
A slender metal rod extends from the top of the tabletop, with a circular copper disc at the end that can be freely adjusted in angle and has a surface that is polished to an extremely bright shine.
A rotating metal arm extends from the middle section, supporting a shallow, round silver plate. Fine scratches can be seen on the surface of the silver plate.
On both sides of the countertop are several pairs of metal rings covered with soft leather, and the leather surface bears many marks of friction.

Compared to the various strange creations the group of six encountered on their way here, and unlike those dilapidated exotic buildings that seemed to have merged with the stone walls, the table in front of them was remarkably well-preserved.

It was fortunate enough to remain untouched by anything from beginning to end, and is now resting there quietly.

Its bizarre yet identical shape to other creations suggests that this platform was likely not left by the original inhabitants, but rather arrived along with the buildings that were embedded in the stone wall like clipping bugs.

"Could it be some kind of torture device?"

Lorraine approached to examine it closely, and cautiously guessed.

As my fingers gently brushed across the center of the countertop, the cool touch of the marble against my fingertips revealed a distinct inward curve.

The concave curve is ingeniously designed, roughly just enough to accommodate the body of an adult, but lying on it is unlikely to be very comfortable. Instead, the body will feel a sense of confinement and oppression due to the sinking body.

"These should be the straps used to secure the prisoner's body."

The captain of the Blade of Vengeance, with his fiery red hair, looked at the leather and metal buckles on both sides of the table and tried to flip them up from the bottom. With a click, the buckles and rings connected, and one could imagine the scene of the tortured person lying on the table being fixed and locked by the buckles.

"Then the disc protruding over here, is it used to hold torture instruments?"

"The barbarian Arken added from the side."

With Lorraine's introduction of the "torture device" concept, all the seemingly bizarre designs on the table in front of them seemed to have a reasonable explanation.

Xia Nan stood behind the group without saying a word.

His expression, however, became increasingly strange.

Instruments of torture?
Based on his experience and memories from his previous life, the table in front of him, which resembled a single bed, was more like a classical-style operating table than a torture device.

The next second, as his attention focused on the table, the attribute panel that appeared in the void beside him confirmed his guess.

……

【Comprehensive Operating Table for Blood Vessel Collapse】

Type: Operating table
grade:/
effect:

1. +3% success rate in precision operations;
2. +15% operator arm stability;
3-10% of the patient's blood loss;
4. +5% hand-eye coordination;
5-15% surgical infection rate.

Introduction:

The elite operating table, made of precious bloodstone, is only available to experts at the Gold Ring level who can apply to the Medical Association for its use. It can improve the success rate of surgery to a certain extent.

Remarks:

"We are prolonging life, not suffering."

—Ethics Research Office of the Medical Association
……

Xia Nan was not a doctor in his previous life, so he was unsure whether this type of operating table was suitable.

Even considering only the five bonus effects on its attribute panel, this is definitely a very good item overall.

If we compare the quality levels of enchanted equipment on the continent of Aifara, with so many effects, it must be a blue-grade item at least.

This is precisely the purpose of the attribute panel cheat.

While his fellow adventurers, whose experience in adventure far surpassed his, were still speculating about the purpose of the operating table.

Xia Nan had a complete and clear view of the other party's specific attributes and special bonuses.

The origin of this operating table can even be traced through the information revealed in its "Description" and "Remarks" sections.

"Blood Vessel Rock", "Gold Ring Level Expert", "Physician Association".

Xia Nan was certain that in the nearly two years since he transmigrated, he had never heard of these terms before.

Neither the material called "bloodstone" nor the organization called "physician association" had ever been heard of.

This made him even more certain that the operating table was a product of the secret realm.

"Does anyone recognize this logo?"

Druid Hein seemed to have discovered something, pointing to a palm-sized symbol carved on the side of the operating table.

The specific design is a stethoscope pointing vertically downwards.

No one on the field would recognize this otherworldly symbol; Xia Nan guessed it might be the emblem of the so-called "Physicians' Association."

For some reason, Lorraine took the operating table very seriously when she first saw it, scrutinizing it closely for a long time, her gaze particularly focused on the metal supports that held the table up.

But after the examination, a clear look of disappointment appeared on her face, as if it wasn't what she was looking for.

Xia Nan keenly observed the change in her temporary captain's expression and vaguely connected this behavior with her sudden decision to interrupt her vacation and accept the bounty to go to the Twin Oceans.

The reason is the same as Edson's: they both discovered otherworldly artifacts on the black market, but why were they disappointed?

Or rather, what is she really looking for...?
I had already asked her about this directly before, but Lorraine didn't answer.

Her strange behavior toward the operating table right now gave Xia Nan some ideas.

"So... these buildings and items all come from the ancient ruins in the commission?"

Oken reached out and scratched his bald head, muttering in confusion.

“Possibly?” Hein turned her head and glanced at the tower next to her that was only half-built, her face also filled with confusion. “After all, these things don’t seem like something the villagers living here could build. I’ve never heard anyone else mention them before.”

"They obviously only appeared recently, and I don't know if they have anything to do with those Shahua fish people."

The mission information from the association already stated that there were suspected ancient ruins near Twin Valleys. Seeing these exotic architectural structures in the hollow, it's natural to make some connections.

However, the information gathered is ultimately limited, and such discussions will obviously not yield any results.

After carefully examining the area again, they decided to leave and continue exploring. Without information from the attribute panel, and with no legitimate doctors among the group, no one except Xia Nan noticed the special effects of the operating table.

Xia Nan hesitated.

The existence of the attribute panel was a secret he absolutely could not reveal, so he certainly wouldn't rashly speak up and tell his temporary teammates about the special features of the operating table in front of him, as this would greatly increase the risk of him being exposed.

On the other hand, he is not a doctor and does not usually need to perform surgery. Moreover, the operating table is so large and heavy that he could not possibly carry it with him.

With [Tears of Spring Breath] in hand, even if healing is needed, the two spells enchanted by the equipment are more than enough.

From a practical standpoint, this operating table is of little use to Xia Nan, except for being able to sell it for money.

But just like the "search, attack, and retreat" games of the past, when you have enough backpack space, plenty of time, and no other dangers, who could resist leaving such a valuable and rare item in the same spot?

After thinking for a moment and organizing his thoughts, he finally spoke:

"I have a feeling this thing might not be simple."

Having been on the Blade of Vengeance for so many days, Xia Nan's image in the eyes of his teammates has gradually become clear.

A powerful, silent, and ruthless mobile swordsman whose perception is even sharper than that of Hein, who is a druid.

In this situation, as long as you don't foolishly explain the detailed effects of the operating table and simply point out its noteworthy features, you won't cause any unnecessary trouble.

As expected, upon hearing Xia Nan's words, the group, who had originally planned to leave, immediately turned their attention back to the operating table in front of them, without any doubt.

hum-

Emerald green light gathered on the staff in Hein's hand.

She didn't use any special magic; she simply gathered magical particles and then pointed her staff forward.

The emerald light drifted away and then transformed into countless points of light that were rapidly dissipating in the air.

As you can see, there seems to be some kind of invisible force field in the air around the operating table that lies quietly in the corner. The magical light that was originally drifting away and disappearing naturally is suddenly disordered as it falls around the operating table, as if it is affected by the airflow.

"It is definitely not an ordinary item."

Hein frowned slightly as she carefully observed the trajectory of the surging magical light.

“This torture platform must have some special effect, otherwise the magical particles around it could not move in this way.”

If Xia Nan hadn't reminded them, they might have really missed this hidden gain.

Nodding to Xia Nan, Lorraine pondered for a moment and then decided:

"This thing is too heavy, and now is not the time to move it."

"Let's wait a bit. Once we've figured out what happened in the canyon, we'll load this thing onto the boat and study it carefully later."

Upon hearing this, Xia Nan's expression remained unchanged, but he couldn't help but breathe a sigh of relief.

While calculating how much money they could make after bringing it back to Suyu Bay, they moved their feet to maintain formation and continued forward with their teammates.

As expected, the group did not find any survivors in the residential area.

Just like the dilapidated fishing village on Hare Island that was completely slaughtered, the islanders' daily necessities, which should have been taken along with them, were left untouched on the spot, while their corpses disappeared, leaving only blood-stained drag marks on the ground.

Predictably, at this very moment, the bodies of these residents are piled up in some huge, hastily dug pit in Twin Valleys.

Lorraine's expression was icy.

Perhaps her identity as an adventurer makes her indifferent to things outside of missions, but she is still human after all.

Seeing those disgusting and horrible alien species slaughtering their own kind, anyone with even a shred of empathy would find it impossible to remain unmoved.

She didn't let her emotions cloud her judgment; instead, she directed her teammates to carefully examine the surrounding environment.

It was precisely because of this that Xia Nan was able to notice some of the strange things about the hollow living area.

No body was found, but signs of a struggle were very clear:
There was a simple harpoon leaning against the wall, its handle covered with dark brown handprints and splattered brownish-red blood; a scythe with a rolled-up blade lay on the ground, its edges stained with scarlet bits of flesh and human skin and hair.

Besides the marks of dragging the body, there were small dents on the ground from the soles of feet, as well as marks from knees and elbows.

If someone has a relatively dull sense of perception or little combat experience, they might not find these strange and simply attribute them to the traces left by the villagers and the mermen in their battle.

However, with careful observation and a little thought, one can discern the clues.

Most noticeably, the pitchforks and sickles were stained with brownish-red blood.

You should know that the blood of the Shahua fish people is fluorescent blue.

Any adventurer who has ever fought this creature knows this very well.

This means that the harpoons and sickles are not harming the fishmen, but other creatures, most likely the villagers themselves—the weapons used by the Shahua fishmen would not be so rudimentary.

Besides drag marks, the imprints left by human wrestling on the ground also testify to this.

"Does this mean that the villagers here were already killing each other before the fishmen attacked?"

Sasha's fluffy tail swayed gently behind her as she asked, puzzled.

"Based on the traces at the scene, that's the case," Hein nodded slightly, "but we can't rule out other possibilities."

"For example, a passing pirate attacked the residents of Twin Valley, but before they could collect their spoils, they were attacked by the fishmen."

“There’s one more thing,” Lorraine added, finding it increasingly strange.

"As far as I know, this village in Twin Valleys has a history of over a hundred years and has always been stable, with no serious incidents occurring."

"It's impossible for them to kill each other for no reason, especially at the exact time we received the mission and came here."

“I suspect the villagers’ unusual behavior may be related to the buildings we saw on the way here.”

"Perhaps something has affected their minds."

If Lorraine's guess is true, then the inexplicably frenzied school of spiral sharks that they encountered in the storm earlier can be explained.

but……

As Xia Nan was pondering this, a low, hoarse "groove" sound suddenly came from the cave entrance corridor ahead, interrupting his thoughts.

(End of this chapter)