Goblin Heavy Dependence

Chapter 163 It's watching me

early morning.

Newmead, West End, Crowbeak Street.

The metal buckles of the chainmail rubbed and collided with each other as the body moved, producing a subtle and crisp sound; the bright morning light shone down, reflecting a deep luster on the smooth and flawless surface of the dark arm shield.

Xia Nan carried two swords on his back and walked alone on the road.

His face showed no extra expression; he simply walked in silence.

Dressed like an adventurer about to venture into a misty forest, his sharp features and cold, aloof demeanor caused passersby to avert their gazes and quicken their pace.

They were afraid of attracting the attention of this adventurer who looked like a troublesome person.

Xia Nan naturally took note of this.

I'm happy to have some peace and quiet.

He had just left Jeff's house and was on his way to his mission destination.

It must be said that, although it was just a guest room that was temporarily cleared out for him.

But the soft, big bed that you can roll around in without falling to the ground, the quiet environment where you no longer have to endure the noise from the hall, the next room, and the stairs, and even the delicious breakfast that just now suited your taste.

The actual living experience is far better than staying in a pub.

This made Xia Nan reconsider the feasibility of buying a property in Newme or River Valley.

Unfortunately, his savings, which had just risen to a high three-digit figure, plummeted to rock bottom due to his spending at the blacksmith shop.

Given the need to ensure supplies and daily expenses before the mission, there is no room for him to make another expense exceeding three figures.

"Let's save up some money first."

Xia Nan was making plans in his mind.

Now that I've become a legitimate professional, I'm sure my earning efficiency will improve significantly after completing this association advancement mission.

My savings should be replenished soon.

At that time, you will have options, whether you continue to save money to upgrade your snake scale arm shield or buy a house to improve your quality of life.

Speaking of which, the series of events that occurred last night because of the wood carving was undoubtedly a once-in-a-lifetime situation for Jeff and his family, who had retired from the racing team and returned to a normal life.

Fortunately, Jeff reacted quickly and handled the situation reasonably well.

After being purified by the holy light in the church, Daisy, Lilina, and the others returned to their former peace.

Judging by the time, they should have arrived at the tailor shop by now and be ready to open for business.

As I recalled, the soft, silvery light that seemed like moonlight emanated from the Moon Goddess Church last night.

While it's unclear whether the effect on the wood carving truly has a purifying effect, it's evident that this divine spell, performed by the priests in the church, is very effective in relieving mental stress and replenishing physical strength.

It even helped Xia Nan increase his proficiency in [Gravity Control].

The unique perspective of observation of this world from the [Mind-Gazing Vision] seems to have allowed him to perceive some subtle patterns in the operation of magic and divine arts at the level of "gravity".

It's too early to draw a conclusion, but it did give him some ideas about future capability development.

Perhaps... if there is an opportunity in the future, I can use [Mind-Guiding Vision] to observe more when the caster is casting a spell.

Even without any substantial gains, increasing your combat skill proficiency by a few points is good.

While pondering, Xia Nan stopped in her tracks.

His gaze drifted toward the buildings beside him.

What comes into view is a slightly old-looking two-story building.

It can't compare to Jeff's "mansion" and the residential area it's in is quite ordinary, with nothing particularly special about it.

His gaze swept over the doorplate, and Xia Nan took out a piece of paper with the mission location written on it from his pocket.

——No. 32, Huishu Lane, Yahui Street, Xicheng District

He nodded almost imperceptibly as he looked at it.

He walked slowly forward and gently knocked on the door.

So many things have happened since I just arrived in Newme.

But he will never forget why he came to this big city from the "countryside".

Wood carving and ability development are secondary; he needs to complete the advancement tasks assigned to him by the association first. Only then can he gain the qualification to go to the second floor of the association to obtain information about ways to improve his professional level and advance to the next job.

Perhaps it was because he arrived too early, as the owner of the house had not yet gotten up.

I stood at the door, knocking intermittently, and waited for three to five minutes.

It wasn't until Xia Nan thought there might be no one inside that she decided to leave for the time being and come back later.

Then came a series of clanging and clattering sounds, like something had been knocked over, followed by hurried and rapid footsteps.
"who!?"

Panting, a muffled female voice came from inside the door.

“The Adventurers’ Guild’s request, remember?” Xia Nan coughed twice, cleared his throat, and raised his voice, “I am an adventurer sent by the guild.”

silence.

Zira——

The front door was gently opened from the inside, revealing a pale face through the crack—clearly someone who had just been woken up from bed, with disheveled long hair and sleepy eyes.

The chilly morning air rushed into the warm room, and the sharp figure standing at the door was bathed in sunlight, making it impossible to see his face clearly, except for the long sword behind him that reflected a chilling light.

The homeowner was so startled that even the words that instinctively escaped his lips trembled slightly.
"How...how can you prove it?"

Xia Nan frowned.

……

……

The living room, which was originally quite spacious, was filled with all sorts of odds and ends, making it feel extremely cramped. One had to watch their step constantly to avoid stepping on something.

However, if you observe carefully while inside, you will find that these so-called "miscellaneous items" are all useful things, and there is no garbage such as food scraps or discarded packaging bags.

Furthermore, although the arrangement appears random and chaotic, there is a certain pattern to it; it's not just something thrown around haphazardly.

Add to that the faint scent of incense in the air and the crackling sound of firewood burning in the fireplace.

It strangely gave people a sense of warmth.

"I'm so sorry, Mr. Xia Nan."

"I went to bed late yesterday, and I was still groggy when I woke up. I accidentally said some nonsense."

Xia Nan sat on the small sofa in the living room, holding a cup of steaming tea, and looked around at her surroundings.

Before him, the homeowner, a young woman named Harriet, apologized nervously.

At this moment, she was no longer wearing the loose pajamas she had worn before, but rather a rather dignified and exquisite long dress that looked exceptionally expensive. Her previously messy, brown, curly hair, which had just been styled, was now neatly arranged and draped obediently over her shoulders.

This made Xia Nan sit in the living room and wait for the other party for another twenty minutes.

I knew in my heart that the other party was doing this to show that they valued me and had no intention of being neglected.

But he just waved his hand, not intending to waste any more time in such a useless place.

He placed the teacup back on the table and got straight to the point:
“Miss Harriet, the association hasn’t provided me with much information, and I still don’t know the specifics of the mission.”

Could you please introduce it to me?

“Of course, of course!” Harriet nodded quickly, bent down to refill Xia Nan’s teacup, and then sat up straight in her chair, recalling, “It’s like this.”

"Hmm...how should I put it?"

“My neighbor, Mr. Buck, must have been an adventurer when he was young. After saving up some money, he settled down in Newme.”

"He has a beautiful and gentle wife, and two lovely and well-behaved children. I remember often running into them when I went out. And you know what? Mr. Buck looks fierce and is as strong as a bear, but he's really good to his wife..."

"Sorry, we've gone a bit off-topic."

"Anyway, it seems that in recent years, the Buck family has run into some business problems and owes a lot of money."

"To cover his family's expenses, Mr. Buck would return to River Valley every now and then to earn some bounty."

"Um... if I remember correctly, it should be called 'Hunting Day'. I'm sorry, I don't know much about that."

Xia Nan nodded slightly, remaining silent to signal the other party to continue.

"Anyway, in recent years, during the 'hunting days,' Mr. Buck would go on a long trip, and with the round trip, it would take at least three months to return."

“His wife mentioned this to me in a casual conversation before, so I remember it very clearly.”

"But this year is a little different."

"Mr. Buck returned after about a month, or about fifty days."

“It’s not in a very good condition.”

Upon hearing this, Xia Nan unconsciously began to make a mental estimate.

The journey from River Valley to Newme takes about twenty days.

In total, it took more than forty days.

This means that Buck can only stay in River Valley for a maximum of ten days.

It's far from the end of the hunting day.

"Are you injured?" he asked.

“Yes, that should be the case, but…” Harriet frowned, her expression hesitant. “I remember when I saw Mr. Buck, although he was wrapped in bandages and smelled strongly of herbs, his daily activities were not affected. He even greeted me with a smile when we met outside.”

"I originally thought that something unexpected happened during the mission, which caused Mr. Buck to end his adventure early and return to Newme."

"Until that night more than a month ago..."

……

"Boom!"

A flash of silvery-white lightning suddenly illuminated the street, instantly revealing it from the darkness of the night.

A deafening clap of thunder echoed across the sky, and large raindrops, carried by the gale, pounded against the thick glass windows, making a crackling sound.

It was late at night, but Harriet was not sleepy at all.

On the one hand, I hurriedly bought "Gals Greenwind's" new book after getting up in the afternoon, just before the bookstore closed in the evening.

I had already booked her time for the entire evening.

On the other hand, she also genuinely liked the contrast between the lightning and thunder outside the window, the sudden rain and strong winds, and the warm and cozy fire inside the house.

Nestled on the sofa, basking in the soft glow of the fireplace, sipping a cup of fragrant tea, and turning a couple of pages of a book—it couldn't be more pleasant.

Harriet thought today would be like any other day, until the rain outside the window stopped and the hazy morning light peeked through the deep clouds before she finally went to bed, urged on by sleepiness.

But just as she had turned halfway through the book in her hands, and the night outside the window was still dark...

A strange cry suddenly came from next door.

She didn't pay much attention at first, thinking it was just a stray cat in its breeding season or a stray dog ​​frightened by the thunder.

Until the strange cry grew louder and louder, even faintly surpassing the thunder.

Harriet finally realized something was wrong.

That high-pitched whistling sound that vibrates the eardrums is definitely not a sound that ordinary human vocal cords can produce.

The violence and ferocity contained within it, for some reason, unconsciously reminded him of when he was a child and went to the circus with his parents to watch a performance, where he saw a skinny, dirty male lion locked in a narrow iron cage.

For a young woman living alone, going out alone at night on the streets she lives is by no means a safe thing.

She had never had such courage before.

But for some reason, Harriet suddenly found an extraordinary amount of courage that night.

I quickly changed into some thick clothes, then grabbed an umbrella and rushed out of the house.

Following the direction from which the roar came, I arrived at the door of the Buck family next door.

At this moment, the originally loud and clear whistling sound gradually subsided.

But like a vicious dog baring its teeth when fighting for food, a low, hoarse growl gives off an even more dangerous feeling.

Close enough that, in the cold air shrouded in heavy rain, Harriet could faintly hear sounds of tearing and chewing that made her hair stand on end.

The moist rain air that rushed into my nasal cavity with each breath seemed to carry a slightly unpleasant smell of blood.

The frail body under the umbrella trembled, trying to escape.

His right hand, however, seemed to rise slightly as if out of his control.

Reverse your wrist, bend your fingers, and point your knuckles downwards.

It landed gently on the door.

"Tuk-tuk."

The growls and chewing sounds vanished in an instant.

Instead, there was an almost eerie silence.

The rain continued to fall, and thunder echoed in the air from time to time.

Harriet felt as if the world around her had stopped at that moment.

Her intense concentration allowed her to even hear her own heartbeat.

But he dared not move.

Harriet could feel a pair of cold, sharp eyes staring silently at her through the wooden door.

Maybe she was just lucky.

A patrol of guards was passing by on the street in the distance when they were attracted by the shouts and rushed over.

The flickering light and the clanging of metal armor startled some creature inside the door.

Then came the sound of footsteps quickly fading into the distance, followed by the sharp crack of the glass on the back door shattering.

……

"You know what, I wasn't mistaken."

Sitting on the sofa, Harriet's face showed an expression of lingering fear and terror, and even her lips had lost some color.

"Later, when the guards led me into the house..."

"Less than half a foot from the door, there were two blood-stained footprints."

"It really is watching me."

(End of this chapter)