A Comprehensive Network: An Endless Adventure Begins as a Wanderer

"Finally." Cheng Yi breathed a sigh of relief.

Cheng Yi glanced at his health points. During the battle just now, due to continuous exertion and highly focused operation, his health points had dropped to 40%, but thanks to the effects of the Kafton Elixir, they were now almost full.

Looking down at his miserable state, Cheng Yi couldn't help but mutter, "Next time, can't we have a boss who just stands there and lets me stab him?"

[Dungeon clear requirements met, data being compiled]

Your performance in this instance can be described as: A solo incursion into the tiger's den.

You have gained an additional 500 Universal Experience points and 500 Disaster Coins based on the monsters you killed.

You have received a basic reward of 500 general experience points.

[You have received the following rewards for this dungeon run: 1000 Universal Experience Points and 500 Disaster Coins]

Cheng Yi didn't rush to exit the instance. Instead, he walked to Kram's tent, lifted the curtain, and went inside.

Kram's tent was larger than Cheng Yi had expected. From the outside, it looked like an ordinary animal hide tent, but once inside, it was divided into two areas. The outer area was covered with hay and animal hides, and half-eaten bones, empty wine jugs, and a few dirty clothes were scattered on the ground. The air was filled with a sour, foul smell, mixed with the stench of blood and sweat, which made Cheng Yi frown.

He stepped over the haystack, lifted the animal skin curtain hanging in the middle, and went into the inner room.

The inner room was much tidier than the outer room. Instead of hay, the floor was covered with several tanned, whole animal hides, fur side down, leather side up, soft to the touch. Against the wall stood a rough wooden table, on which sat an oil lamp, several rolls of parchment, a quill pen, and a bottle of ink. Next to the table was a chest made of planks, its lid secured with an iron padlock.

Cheng Yi walked to the wooden table, picked up the rolls of parchment, and unfolded them to look at them.

The first map is a rough one, showing the Three Pigs Trail and the surrounding terrain—the location of the cave, the location of the stream, and two routes extending from the cave, one leading to the plains to the south and the other to the hills to the north.

The map was marked with several red crosses in some kind of dark red paint, one of which was probably Camp Kram, and the others were scattered along the north and south routes.

He rolled up the map and stuffed it into his backpack.

The second parchment contained a letter. The handwriting was crooked and uneven, as if the writer was not accustomed to using a common language. Each letter was written large, the strokes were of uneven thickness, and in some places the ink had bled, blurring the original shapes of the characters, but the content was still barely legible:

"Kram: "

The items have arrived and are in the usual place. Half the payment has been made; the remaining half will be paid after everything is settled.

The caravan departed in three days, taking the southern route. There were two wagons, six guards, and a mage apprentice. The goods were in a hidden compartment in the second wagon.

Once this is done, we'll be even.

—G”

There was no heading, no signature, just a single "G".

Cheng Yi stared at the "G" for a few seconds, then flipped the parchment over; the back was blank. He picked up the third one—not a letter, but a list of goods and quantities. Grain, iron ingots, furs, salt… all ordinary goods, seemingly a caravan's inventory. But at the very bottom of the list was a line of small print, mostly obscured by ink, with only the words "land deed" barely legible.

Cheng Yi put the letter and list into his backpack, then squatted down to look at the wooden crate.

The lock was an old-fashioned iron lock, crudely made, with a large keyhole. Cheng Yi pulled a throwing knife from his scabbard, inserted the tip into the keyhole, and gently turned it a few times, hearing a soft "click".

He opened the lid of the box.

The box was crammed with things—several bags of coins, some jewelry, a short sword wrapped in oilcloth, several rolls of parchment, and a small wooden box.

Cheng Yi first picked up the bags of coins, opened them, and glanced inside. Gold, silver, and copper coins were mixed together; after a rough count, they seemed to be worth several hundred gold coins. He stuffed the money bags into his backpack. He also took the jewelry—a few rings, a necklace, and two bracelets, crudely made but made of solid materials.

He pulled out the short sword wrapped in oilcloth and glanced at it. The blade was narrower and lighter than the Hundred-Forged Sword, and there were faint blood patterns on the blade. Cheng Yi lightly ran the blade along the edge of the wooden box, and a small piece of wood was shaved off. The cut was smooth and neat, much sharper than the Hundred-Forged Sword.

You have obtained the hidden item from the dungeon: First Blood Dagger.

Cheng Yi put the short sword back into the oilcloth and also put it into his backpack.

Then he picked up the rolls of parchment and unfolded them to look at them.

The first document was a contract, written in formal common language with neat handwriting, and sealed with a red wax seal. Cheng Yi read a few lines, his brows furrowing slightly.

The title deed for the Happy Water Workshop. But what exactly is "Happy Water"?

Cheng Yi had a bad feeling.

He opened the online forum, scrolled to the post "Warning about common prohibited items and their variants in a diverse world," and scrolled down a few lines.

"Pleasure Water" is an addictive drug that produces temporary euphoria and hallucinations when ingested, but long-term use damages the nervous system, eventually leading to mental derangement and physical exhaustion. In some underground black markets, "Pleasure Water" is sold as an aphrodisiac and a form of sexual enhancement, commanding high prices and causing countless victims.

The deed states that a manor and its attached lands, located in the eastern suburbs of the Earl's territory, have been transferred to a man named "Vard Hawke" for the purpose of "pharmaceutical research and production." The deed bears the official seal of the Earl's territory and the signature of Earl Hawke.

Cheng Yi stared at the signature for a few seconds, then picked up the second parchment. It was a letter, but unlike the previous letter with its crooked handwriting, this one had very neat handwriting and refined wording, as if it were written by a well-educated person.

To His Excellency Kram:

Enclosed is a copy of the land title deed to prove the authenticity of the entrustment.

The caravan will depart on the 15th of this month, taking the southern route. There will be six guards and one mage apprentice. The hidden compartment is located beneath the floor of the second carriage.

Please intercept the caravan and retrieve the original land deeds. This matter is of utmost importance and cannot be neglected.

After the deal was completed, the final payment was made as agreed.

—Wade Hawke

Cheng Yi placed the letter and the land deed side by side on the ground and looked them over.

Earl Hawke purchased the Happy Water Workshop, using the land deed as proof of ownership, and commissioned a caravan to deliver the deed back to the earldom. The Kram clan attacked the caravan and seized the deed—but Kram did not give the deed to anyone; instead, he hid it in his treasure chest.

Now here's the problem: two letters, two senders.

A letter with crooked handwriting and a single "G" at the end led Kram to intercept the caravan.

A neatly written letter, signed with the full name "Wade Hawke," instructed Kram to retrieve the original land title deed.

Cheng Yi read the neatly written letter again.

"Please be sure to intercept the caravan and retrieve the original land deeds."

Intercept. Retrieve.

If Count Hawke was the owner of the Happy Water workshop, and the land deed was originally his, why would he "intercept" his own caravan?

Unless the caravan doesn't belong to him.

Cheng Yi picked up the letter with its crooked handwriting and read it again. The signature was "G," not "Hawk." There was no title, no full name, just one letter.

Two "G"s. One is Hawke, and who is the other?

Cheng Yi placed the two letters side by side on the ground, stared at them for a long time, and gradually pieced together an outline in his mind:

Earl Hawke secretly purchased the Happy Water workshop. Not wanting the matter to be exposed, he did not use his own caravan, but instead commissioned an unsuspecting armed caravan—perhaps a mercenary group or an ordinary freight merchant—to deliver the land deeds and formula back to the earldom.

But someone found out. Hawke's adversaries—perhaps political enemies, business rivals, or even the original owners of the Happy Water workshop—learned the caravan's route and schedule, hired the Kram clan to ambush the caravan, seize the land deeds, and try to expose Hawke's crimes.

The opponent's code name or abbreviation is "G".

Count Hawke himself later learned of his rival's plan. He wrote to Kram, asking Kram to "retrieve" the land deed—not to give it to his rival, but to himself.

But Klam didn't give the land deeds to anyone after he got them.

This goblin had its own plans—maybe it wanted to profit from both sides, maybe it wanted to keep the land deed as leverage, or maybe it simply thought the thing was valuable.

Cheng Yi put the letter and land deed into his backpack, then picked up the last thing—the small wooden box.

The box was made of mahogany, polished very smooth, and the brass clasp on the lid was gleaming. Cheng Yi opened the clasp, lifted the lid, and inside lay a neatly folded parchment.

He unfolded it carefully. It was covered with writing, not in the common language, but in a script he had never seen before. The characters were twisted and intertwined, like some variant of dragon language, or a dialect of purgatory.

Fluent in languages.

Cheng Yi closed his eyes, silently chanted an incantation, and magical power surged from his body, gathering in his eyes and ears. A cool current enveloped his eyeballs, and the characters before him began to distort, deform, and recombine, transforming into words he could understand.

"...Ghost Flower Extract...Tomb Shadow Grass Juice...Dried Enchanting Mushroom Powder...Mix and heat to boiling...Add after cooling..."

Cheng Yi read a few lines, and his face darkened completely.

This is the recipe for "Happy Water".