Goblin Heavy Dependence

Chapter 123: Mage and Armguard

evening.

Outside the Misty Forest.

The burning bonfire made a soothing crackling sound, and the warm flames illuminated the gloomy air around it.

Muslin sleeping bags, cashmere blankets, hot iron cups and gurgling boiling water...

A small, ordinary campsite.

It looked like there was no obvious difference from the hundreds of adventurer camps that were currently dotted throughout the vast forest, heading deep into dangerous areas in order to pan for gold on the "Hunting Day".

But if someone could stay in this seemingly ordinary camp for a while, they would be surprised to find:

The temperature in the camp is obviously warmer.

It is now the "leaf-falling month" and the temperature has dropped significantly. Coupled with the special environment in the misty forest, the nights here are particularly unbearable.

Adventurers with average physical fitness would easily catch a cold and get sick after a night without hot water and fire to drive away the cold.

But here in the camp, the space shrouded by firelight is like another world, and the temperature is adjusted to the most suitable range for the human body.

Even the mosquitoes, which were the most numerous and annoying in the forest and were attracted by the flames, seemed to be driven away by the flames and disappeared without a trace.

If you observe more carefully, or even have some magical attainments, you may be able to discover the fundamental reason why the camp is different from the outside world.

——The fog is flowing.

The gray mist that filled every corner of the misty forest and floated quietly in the air was now like a stream, flowing around the campfire.

Like a vortex composed of mist, the magic particles in the air are driven into shape in a regular and complex state by some invisible force, stirring up the physical laws of the surrounding area.

"We should have a mage in the team. It will be much more convenient than usual!"

The tall male elf was sitting lazily against the tree trunk, holding a crystal fruit with green skin in his hand, with a comfortable look on his face.

"It's been almost half a year since the season began. I'm probably the only one who can still eat the Iverius specialty fruit."

He pinched the fruit lightly with his fingertips. Under the illumination of the flame in front of him, the thin skin was almost translucent, and the texture of the flesh could be seen.

He just threw it into his mouth without even chewing it. He just put his tongue against the roof of his mouth and took a sip. The sweet and sour refreshing juice and the crispy and tender flesh made him feel like he was back in his hometown.

"Hmm~"

The elf with smooth blonde hair couldn't help but squint her eyes comfortably.

Not far away, an elegant man wearing a simple indigo robe and holding a book in his hand looked at the elf with emotion with a smile, then looked away.

Unlike the other person who was sitting on the ground in a casual posture with his back against a tree trunk, the wizard named "Cornell" was sitting on a spacious recliner covered with fine goose down and with exquisite workmanship.

Obviously, just like the out-of-season green fruit in the elf's stomach, they are luxury items that should never appear in this place at this time.

The reason, in the final analysis, is just a few words:
Magical convenience.

"Unfortunately, when we left Iverius, we only had time to buy two small bags."

"Now I can only pick out a few to taste every day, and it's not enjoyable at all."

As he spoke, the elf stood up and looked towards the other side of the campfire, near the edge of the camp.

A red-haired warrior wearing full body armor, with a serious and resolute look.

complained:

"I told you not to worry. With the environment in the Green Forest, that 'Alpha Cavernous Gnat' won't be able to get far!"

"Even if we rest for two more days in the city, it won't delay our progress much."

Faced with the elf's complaints, the red-haired man didn't even raise his head, pretending not to hear, and concentrated on wiping the reddish-brown sword in his hand that glowed faintly in the night.

"Hey! Speak!"

The man's silent attitude made the elf feel a little intoxicated for a moment, and it seemed that even the leaf fruit in his mouth was no longer fragrant.

Seeing this, Cornell, who was sitting on the recliner, opened his mouth and advised:
"It's not urgent. I remember that at that time, the grabber had been chased by us for almost half a month. It was extremely hungry. If we didn't deal with it quickly, it would most likely attack the elf settlement near Cuilin."

"Who cares if they live or die..." I just wanted to find a topic to talk about. I didn't mean to blame anyone. I was just annoyed by the other party's silence.

After being persuaded by Cornell, the elf calmed down.

With a look of helplessness on his face, he shrugged at the other person.

"It's a good thing that we have a normal person like you in the team. Otherwise, I don't know how I would have survived ten days or half a month with these guys."

Still smiling back, Cornell lay back in his armchair, resting his head on a silk cushion. With a slight movement of his mind, the small teacup, which was steaming from the plate beside him, floated steadily up and swung obediently to his lips.

I took a sip of the tea and felt the fragrance lingering on my tongue.

His attention returned to the book in his hand, which was almost thicker than a brick.

Through the gaps between his fingers, he could vaguely see the title of the book printed on the cover:
Dialectal Evolution of Giant Language: Phonetics from Thunder to Stone

"You've been reading this book for a few days now. I remember you bought it in Nyum." The elf looked at the heavy book in Cornell's hand and smacked his lips. "Apart from wizards like you, is there really anyone who reads this kind of big book?"

Cornell just shook his head.

"It's just a hobby. It has nothing to do with magic."

"Now that you mention it, it's true." As if the wizard's answer reminded the elf of his past, a look of recognition appeared on the elf's delicate face, which was unique to his race.

"I remember not leaving before..."

boom--

Before he could finish his words, a loud noise suddenly rang out in the nearby woods.

The mist that was originally flowing gently in the air suddenly stagnated, the magic particles became disordered, and a trace of coldness from the outside world seeped into the camp.

In the sight, one can vaguely see a burly figure, rapidly approaching the camp with dazzling flames surrounding him, after triggering magic traps along the way.

His fearless and courageous attitude in the face of various traps should make him a powerful enemy that makes the entire team nervous.

But neither the human warrior who was maintaining his equipment alone nor the elf sitting against the tree trunk made any moves to prepare for battle.

The latter even looked at Cornell beside him with a hint of joking.

"boom!"

Broken branches were mixed with flying leaves, and a burly figure suddenly rushed out of the bushes in the forest.

The surface of his cyan skin was still stained with the goblin's blood, and he was still wearing the totem breastplate.

The orc pushed off the ground with his two elephant-like legs and walked straight to the wizard.

"Volga, I'm hungry, hot meat, eat!"

Cornell looked at the orc in front of him, who had just destroyed all the traps he had set, with deep helplessness in his eyes.

"Didn't I tell you that you have my mark on you? When you come back..."

"never mind."

He had said it countless times, and after glancing at the saliva dripping from the other person's mouth, he stopped talking nonsense.

He waved his hand casually, and a ring on his finger suddenly flashed a silver light. Then, the silver light flickered and turned into several large pieces of cooked and fragrant animal meat, which fell on the plate that had been set on the ground in advance.

The half-orc Volga showed no mercy and pounced on the food and started eating it like a hungry beast.

He went to sleep right after eating, picked out the last bit of meat from between his teeth with a branch, burped, closed his eyes, and fell into a deep sleep.

The snoring was deafening.

It has been less than ten minutes since he returned to the camp.

Volga's profession is special, and seems to be a variant of the "barbarian" category, with "anger" as its core source of power.

Although he was endowed with explosive power far beyond that of ordinary professions, anger silently accumulated in his heart with every breath and every heartbeat.

It is necessary to release anger regularly to vent out the anger that exceeds the limit so as not to become rage-stricken and out of control.

Therefore, several people in the team can be said to be very accustomed to Volga's sudden departure from the team.

Moreover, they are now on the outskirts of the misty forest, and there are almost no creatures that can threaten them, and there is basically no danger for the other party to act alone.

After taking a moment to rearrange the traps that had been destroyed by the orcs, Cornell sat back in his recliner.

The blonde elf on the side was idly gesturing something in the air with a branch.

Glancing at the blood on the orcs, he seemed to recall the topic that he had heard the professionals on the second floor of the association discussing before leaving town, and he said casually:
"Hunting day... I heard that there are a lot more goblins this year than before, and many adventurer teams in the town have not returned."

"Isn't it like this every year?" Cornell flipped the pages of the book, his eyes swept across the densely packed characters, and replied without looking up, "Adventurers, it's normal to exchange your life for money."

"You sound like you've participated in this before. If it weren't for the association's mission, you wouldn't even want to leave the house, right?"

Cornell was noncommittal.

"After this mission, I should take a rest for a while."

"Hmm? Are you ready to advance to the extraordinary level?"

"How can that be possible? It's still a long way off." Cornell replied with a smile, "My supervisor asked me to go back to Huancai City. His experiment is at a critical stage and he is short of manpower, so he asked me to go over and help for a few days."

"Oh..." The elf's expression did not show disappointment, but a hint of relief. "It just so happens that I have received too many missions recently. I am too tired. After this one is over, I will go home and rest for a few days."

Hearing this, Cornell nodded slightly.

"The target is located inside the forest. According to the mission information provided by the association, it is probably still two or three days away."

"It's time to take a break."

……

……

Meanwhile, on the other side of the forest.

It was already dusk.

After collecting the spoils in the cave, the mission was considered completed. On the way back, the "Green Blood" team was looking for a suitable place to camp for the night.

Although Xia Nan was surprised at first and was wary of the orc who helped them clear out the goblin's nest in advance,

But as the other party left the cave without any reluctance and did not show any hostility towards them, he no longer cared so much.

Just treat it as a small episode in your adventure.

What's more, the orcs left all the spoils in the lair to themselves and their companions, including even a bear goblin.

Adding up all the bits and pieces, each person can probably get about ten gold coins, so it can't be said that there was no gain at all.

In contrast, it was Berg, who was guarding the entrance of the cave and keeping watch for them, who was particularly excited.

"I've said before that you shouldn't take on such a long mission. It takes four or five days to go back and forth, and there's too much uncertainty!"

Seemingly upset about the orc who suddenly appeared in the cave, he complained to Adeline at the front of the team.

The shadow of the past and the powerful professional he met during the mission made this middle-aged man, who had been an adventurer for many years, lose control of his emotions.

Adeline walked silently at the front of the team, not saying much, just letting the other party vent with words to soothe the deep insecurity in her heart.

She knew that the other person had this kind of personality.

And it is precisely for this reason that Berg, who is experienced and has a certain combat ability, has stayed in the "Green Blood" team and made a living by hunting goblins.

Xia Nan was watching from the sidelines, and couldn't help but recall the time when he had just joined the team and met "Gap Tooth" Bennett during an adventure.

I remember that after the battle, Berg's performance was basically the same as it is now.

However, the reason why "Gap Tooth" targeted everyone at that time was because Berg revealed the team's information to his old acquaintance Kogel, and after being rejected by Adeline, the latter joined the "Gap Tooth" team, and the information of himself and others was exposed.

The fault lies with Berg himself.

Therefore, no matter how intense his emotions were at that time, what he showed outwardly was only guilt and self-blame.

At that time, Xia Nan thought that the other party was such a person.

But as the number of their adventures together increased, he slowly became aware of Berg's true character hidden beneath his joking voice and experienced appearance.

Simply put, it means "fear of death."

But on the other hand, if he really feared death, it would be much safer to find a big city far away from monster gathering places and with good governance than to make a living in the misty forest all day like he is now.

After all, when it comes to the trade-off between danger and high income, I chose the latter.

I think gold coins are more important.

Fortunately, the mission has been completed and there is no need to go deeper into the forest. Several people are already on their way back.

The insecurity in my heart has stabilized slightly.

After venting his emotions, Berg gradually calmed down.

Although he did not return to his previous relaxed demeanor as a veteran adventurer, he no longer complained and just followed the team in silence.

Xia Nan, who witnessed the whole process, did not get involved. He was not the kind of person who would meddle in other people's business.

Abby, who is always talkative and has a good relationship with Berg, was also wise enough to keep his mouth shut as a newcomer.

As night fell, the atmosphere in the team cooled down.

Because of something he discovered unexpectedly, he passively said his first words:

"Hey, what is this?"

Xia Nan looked over there.

In Abi's hand, he was holding a piece of silver-white metal with a special shape.

It looks strangely familiar.

Suddenly, Adeline's surprised voice came to my ears:

"Is this... the arm armor of 'Iron Hand' George?"

(End of this chapter)