Goblin Heavy Dependence

Chapter 146 Silence
The town of River Valley was noticeably quieter after the hunting day compared to its previous bustling atmosphere.

Those young and middle-aged adventurers who once traveled wearily between the Adventurers' Guild and various cheap general stores, dressed in simple equipment, have unknowingly disappeared into the depths of the increasingly cold autumn wind.

It certainly wasn't because they had made enough money to retire comfortably.

As for where they went... the fertile soil of the Misty Forest might provide the answer.

Instead, the streets were filled with youthful, inexperienced faces, blacksmith shops saw a surge in equipment sales, and the Adventurer's Handbook sold out almost instantly.

The myth of earning enough to live a happy life in just two years, making the village's usually arrogant sheriff no longer dare to raise his voice at him, and even becoming a "professional" and achieving a leap in social status.

Adventurers, at least on the continent of Aifara, are never in short supply.

The White Sparrow Tavern was as lively as ever.

Its excellent location, coupled with prices far exceeding those of other taverns in town, makes it a popular gathering place for seasoned adventurers who are willing and able to spend money.

For these seasoned veterans who have been with adventurers for years, the so-called Hunting Day is indeed just a once-a-year "happy holiday" for a surge in income.

Of course, some boats do capsize, but they are very rare.

No matter how deserted or "vibrant" the streets outside may be, the tables in the hotel lobby are filled with seasoned veterans who choose to release stress and numb their nerves with alcohol after a hard day's work.

The atmosphere was even more lively than usual because of the gold coins earned on the hunting day.

"Even if it costs me a fortune today, I'm bringing you here to broaden your horizons!"

An adventurer, his leather armor stained with blood, pushed open the tavern door with a smug look on his face.

Behind him followed a young man with a curious expression and a brand-new one-handed sword hanging at his waist.

"White Sparrow is almost the highest-class tavern in the entire River Valley Town."

"Even if it's just for one night, it costs a whole silver coin."

"Even your cousin me usually only comes here to have a meal with my teammates once a year after a mission is over."

"You're lucky, kid. You haven't even done a single mission yet, and you're already enjoying yourself."

Hearing his cousin say this, Jimmy nodded blankly, his face showing the reserved smile typical of a newcomer.

It didn't feel real until the other party mentioned the tavern's nightly lodging fee of one silver coin, at which point he subconsciously tightened his purse and mentally estimated how many days he could stay there with all his wealth.

Subconsciously, even the waiter next to him who was cleaning with a mop couldn't help but look up to him, feeling that he was an important person that he couldn't afford to offend.

I cautiously looked around, but my cousin had already walked up to the bar, so I quickly followed.

Contrary to expectations of his effortless and confident demeanor, my cousin seemed unusually hesitant when ordering food, pausing frequently to ponder as if calculating the cost of their meal.

Jimmy was initially a little puzzled. After all, he had heard from his family that his cousin had made a lot of money as an adventurer in River Valley over the past two years. Given his personality, he shouldn't be so stingy as to treat his cousin to a meal.

But when Jimmy saw his cousin casually recite a few dishes before pulling out three silver coins and five copper coins from his pocket, he finally understood why the other man looked so distressed.

"Goodness, that's enough money to buy two big bags of bread..."

While secretly marveling at the situation, he also felt a surge of hope for the "adventurer" profession and for his own future.

Seeing his younger brother, whom he had brought from his hometown, looking very envious, the older cousin's face, which had been contorted with pain from the huge expense, couldn't help but show a hint of pride.

He casually reached out and put his arm around Jimmy's shoulder, then walked toward an empty table in the hall.

“In the past two years, your brother has made some achievements, though not exactly remarkable, but he has gained a small reputation in the town.”

"Don't worry, I promised my aunt and uncle that I would take good care of you, and I will definitely not let you suffer any losses."

"Follow me from now on, and I promise to take you on..." Encouraged by the sweet words in his ear, Jimmy gradually lost himself and began to imagine the wonderful adventurer career that was about to begin.

I just don't know why.

The cousin beside me, whose voice had been loud and even somewhat arrogant, suddenly became soft.

His body remained frozen in place.

His expression was stiff, his gaze fixed straight ahead, yet unfocused, as if he were deliberately avoiding a certain direction and pretending not to see anything.

Not understanding the intricacies of the situation, Jimmy felt puzzled and subconsciously glanced at the other tables of drinkers.

"Is it this dwarf? But wasn't he just asleep on the table? There's nothing special about him."

"Still that table of orcs? I heard from a bard who passed through the village before that they all have bad tempers, and if they get drunk, they can be quite troublesome."

"It couldn't possibly be this table, could it? That adventurer with the black hair doesn't look much older than me, probably a newbie. The two in front of him, on the other hand..."

As Jimmy pondered, he suddenly felt his cousin's fingers tighten on his shoulder, forcefully turning his body around so he couldn't see anymore.

She practically dragged him back, while nervously lowering her voice:

"stop looking!"

"Let's move to another seat, let's not sit here."

"As your first lesson as an adventurer, I'll teach you how to recognize people!"

Jimmy was momentarily stunned by his cousin's sudden change in attitude, and instinctively blurted out:

"Recognize someone? Who? That guy with the black hair..."

"Shut up!" My cousin put his left index finger to his lips and hissed.

As he spoke, he glanced back guiltily, and only breathed a sigh of relief when he saw that the other person did not seem to have noticed them.

He touched his neck, which felt slightly cold, and scolded:
"From now on, you are not allowed to look around or speak without my permission!"

"Since you plan to make a living in River Valley Town in the future, there are a few people you can choose not to interact with, but you must get to know!"

"Otherwise, if you offend any big shot, you won't even survive one mission!"

Seeing his cousin's serious expression, Jimmy, as if he had done something wrong, shrank his shoulders and shut his mouth.

"I'll tell you the rest in detail later."

"Since we've run into this person today, I'll take this opportunity to give you a couple of pointers, so you don't end up with your head chopped off without even knowing who you've offended!"

"First of all, the most obvious, and the source of his nickname, you should have already seen it."

Upon hearing his cousin's words, Jimmy subconsciously recalled the scene he had only glimpsed briefly before.

"That... gray longsword?"

"Correct!"

"'Grey Sword'!"

　Insomnia and writer's block... Sorry, it's a bit short.

　　Let's organize the detailed outline and fight again tomorrow!

　　
　
(End of this chapter)