Goblin Heavy Dependence

Chapter 165 The Iron Bucket Toad
"Beastification syndrome".

Some believe it is a contagious disease designed to destroy intelligent life, while others think it is some kind of terrible curse originating from the moonlight and the wilderness.

For countless years, people have had various theories about its origin.

It is a twisted creation of a whimsical, mad sorcerer from ancient times, an evil conspiracy plotted by the gods to spread their faith and cultivate offspring...

It is undeniable that this is still the case today.

"Beastification" has become one of the most terrifying and feared terms on the continent of Aifara.

It has the ability to transform a normal, healthy intelligent being into an irrational, bloodthirsty beast.

The method of infection does not require any complicated rituals or lengthy prayers.

Through the blood.

Once you are harmed by a beastman, this invisible and intangible terrifying curse will silently invade your bloodline and gradually corrode your body and sanity over time.

Eyes that gleamed unusually in the darkness, increasingly sharp canine teeth, and thick, suddenly growing fur like a wild beast…

Under the moonlight, it won't be long before you transform into a ferocious, beast-like, upright, uncivilized humanoid with wild beast-like features.

Of course, it is possible that some individuals may be able to resist the erosion of personal rationality by relying on their own will or the characteristics of the curse's refined variants.

Even after becoming a beastman, he retains the rationality and cognition he had before the transformation.

But they still need to be careful on those bright moonlit nights.

Xia Nan had been hanging around the White Sparrow for so long, spending his days sitting in the tavern listening to the adventurers around him boast and chat.

I have some understanding of this kind of curse.

I have a rough idea of ​​what kind of impact it will have on ordinary people, and I have also heard of a few related events whose authenticity is uncertain.

It's roughly about a few unlucky adventurers who contracted this curse during a mission, and upon returning, they fell ill and went on a killing spree in the village.

He initially treated it as a casual topic of conversation among drinkers and didn't take it seriously.

Now that Harriet had brought it up, the clues in my mind were starting to connect.

"Adventurers returning midway through the hunting day," "bandages wrapped around their bodies," "the smell of herbs emanating from them," "the roar of beasts in the dead of night," "the vanished Buck"...

The sheriff's deduction seemed to be correct.

All signs indicate that Buck contracted the Beast Transformation during his adventure in the Misty Forest and lost his mind after the curse took effect, leading him to attack his family.

From then on, things became very simple for Xia Nan.

Find him and kill him.

If Buck hadn't left Newmey yet...

……

After roughly determining that the mission target was Buck, who was infected with the Beast Transformation Syndrome.

Xia Nan's first task was naturally to find the other party's whereabouts.

According to Harriet's account of that night, Buck must have broken through the back window and escaped before the guards arrived.

And Newme is so big. If Xia Nan is determined to hide, he could just find a place to hide in the downtown area, which is full of countless alleyways and ruins and shacks. He could probably wander around the city for two years and not see a single piece of the other person's clothes.

Therefore, he could only look at other aspects to see if there were any clues worth paying attention to.

Fortunately, the girl named Harriet, who lives off her parents' inheritance and stays at home, leads a life of reversed day and night, much like a modern youth in her previous life.

But as neighbors, they often interacted with the Buck family.

She would probably chat with Buck and others who had just finished their afternoon snacks and were out for a walk when she woke up from her afternoon nap and went out to find something to eat.

Over the years, I've come to know roughly which of the places this part-time adventurer frequents.

—The "Iron Bucket Toad" tavern is one of them.

Xia Nan stood on the street, looking around.

It's not a wealthy neighborhood either, and the surrounding environment is even worse than Greytree Lane where Harriet lived.

Scattered bits of trash faintly emitted a foul odor, and sewage from an unknown source formed puddles of varying sizes on the uneven road surface.

Occasionally, one can see a few ragged, dejected figures in the shadows of the streets and alleys.

The overall environment is almost indistinguishable from the slums of the downtown area.

On the other hand, since he entered Newm with the caravan, this was the first time that Xia Nan had seen more than three people dressed as adventurers in his line of sight at the same time.

Although it is far less bustling and vibrant than Riverdale, "Iron Bucket Toad" still attracts a large number of adventurers from Newme City thanks to its reputation built up over the years.

Looking at the adventurers coming and going in front of the tavern, wearing various armors and carrying weapons, Xia Nan suddenly had the illusion that he had returned to River Valley Town.

Just like the name of the tavern "Iron Bucket Toad," its signboard features a simple line drawing of a toad peeking its head furtively out of an upright iron bucket.

Push the door open and enter.

"jingle……"

A soft clanging sound followed, and a warm current carrying the rich aroma of wine and food enveloped his body.

Xia Nan could clearly feel that as he entered the tavern, gazes, some hidden and some undisguised, were directed at him from all directions.

His gaze lingered briefly on the young man's face, then quickly shifted to the longsword behind him and the fine chainmail he wore, before abruptly withdrawing his gaze.

He was already used to it, and maintained a cold, expressionless face.

He strode forward and went straight to the bar counter.

"What to drink?"

The speaker was an elderly man in his fifties or sixties with graying temples, located behind the bar.

He was in very good spirits, without the lethargy that one would expect from an elderly person his age.

His eyes were exceptionally bright, and his sleeves were slightly stretched by the bulging muscles in his arms, making him look as strong as a young man in his twenties.

—Nicknamed "Stubborn Donkey," the owner of the Iron Bucket Toad Tavern.

Having done his homework before coming, Xia Nan recognized the other party's identity at a glance.

Sitting at the bar, my eyes scanned the menu:

"A stew, two slices of wheat bread, a pitcher of dark beer, and... a cream of mushroom soup."

It was already noon, and Xia Nan, who had spent the whole morning at Harriet's place because of the association's mission, was thinking of finding a restaurant to have lunch.

That's perfect right now.

As for drinks, although it's during a mission, given his physical condition, one glass won't have any effect at all, and it will even help him gather information from the other party later.

As for mushroom soup...

Since it's already on the menu, what's wrong with ordering one?
"1 silver and 3 copper".

He fumbled in his fanny pack and pulled out a few coins, handing them to the other person.

Xia Nan sat at the bar, waiting quietly, pondering which angle to use to ask the other party about "Buck".

Is it better to be direct, or to take a slightly roundabout approach?
Should we give a small tip? After all, we asked for their help. Five or seven silver coins, or maybe just a gold coin?
Or, take your time, just chat briefly to leave an impression.

After the tailor shop closes at night, I'll have Jeff take me there again.

I think Jeff mentioned before that he had some connection with "Stubborn Donkey," the owner of "Iron Bucket Toad," and maybe he could ask the other man for help.

While pondering this, Xia Nan subconsciously observed the tavern he was in.

The hall is very large; the number of birds that can be seen at a glance is almost twice that of the white tits.

The interior was rather ordinary, nothing to brag about, and even a bit cluttered. Only one or two women dressed as waitresses were seen walking through it, sweating profusely.

The adventurers in the hall seemed to be missing something compared to those in River Valley Town, as if... Xia Nan's gaze suddenly paused, his eyes fixed on a quiet, deserted corner of the hall.

What came into view was a middle-aged man wearing black leather armor, with an ordinary appearance and a very low profile.

"Oh, what a coincidence?"

He recognized the other person at a glance, and a smile unconsciously appeared on his face.

Xia Nan stood up and walked straight over.

……

……

at the same time.

On the other side of the Iron Bucket Toad Tavern.

At a table piled high with cheap liquor bottles.

"Ho...ho..."

It's like the last drop of water for a lost soul in the desert.

Walker lay on his back, mouth wide open, revealing his rotten, yellowish-brown teeth. Above his tongue, dripping with sticky saliva, was a drop of glistening liquid hanging upside down from the mouth of a glass bottle.

"Tick."

The wine dripped.

Walker smacked his lips hard, as if savoring the last remaining delicious flavor.

He reached for his wallet at his waist with his right hand, only to find it completely empty.

With some reluctance, he shook each of the bottles on the table in front of him to make sure there was no more alcohol left in them.

The middle-aged man, whose face was flushed and who reeked of alcohol, suddenly seemed to have lost all his energy. He slumped onto the table and was about to fall into a deep sleep.

Suddenly, a hard sensation came from my chest.

It was as if she had suddenly remembered something.

He suddenly ripped open his collar and pulled out a bundle wrapped in black cloth from his clothes.

By prying open the cloth with your fingertips, you can vaguely see two twisted, upward-sloping corners.

His gaze swept blankly over the bottles of liquor behind the bar, and he swallowed hard.

Walker stuffed the package back into his arms, mustered his strength, and, leaning against the table, shakily got to his feet, intending to leave.

But after taking only two steps, a sudden force came from beside him, causing him to lose his balance and fall to the ground.

The cold touch of the tavern floor accompanied a sharp pain that shot through my spine.

In my ears, I heard the crisp sound of a wine bottle falling off the table, along with contemptuous laughter.

Already disoriented and numbed by alcohol, this ordeal only fueled Walker's barely contained rage.

He picked up a bottle, opened his mouth, and was about to blurt out a classic swear word often heard on the streets.

But then, as he stood up and saw what the people in front of him looked like.

Then it was as if a bucket of cold water had been poured over him; the anger in his heart vanished instantly, leaving only a cold feeling.

The person standing in front of him at this moment was neither a drunkard nor one of those unruly children.

Instead, they were several fierce-looking, burly men with tattoos covering their skin.

The one who deliberately knocked him to the ground and mocked him was one of the bald, burly men who stood at the front and seemed to be the leader.

"The Grey Badger Gang!"

Walker felt a sudden chill, as if his drunkenness had vanished in an instant.

He silently put down the bottle he was clutching, swallowed the profanity that was already on the tip of his tongue, and forced a stiff, ugly smile onto his face.

"I'm sorry... hiccup, I'm sorry, gentlemen, it's my fault for not seeing you when I got up and bumping into you."

Seemingly experienced in handling such situations, he lowered his head, bowed, and adopted an extremely humble posture.

as predicted.

Seeing his behavior, the bald, burly man who had been smirking and waiting to see him make a fool of himself immediately frowned and lost interest.

"Damn it, what bad luck!"

He kicked her straight in the chest and abdomen.

"Get lost, and don't let me ever see you on this street again!"

"Hey, hey!" Walker was kicked to the ground, and his body rolled forward as he stuffed the bundle that had been thrown out of his arms back into his arms.

He then clutched his stomach, bowed and scraped, and hurried toward the tavern's exit.

Behind him, he could hear the voices of the Badger Gang members.

"Boss, did that old man offend you before?"

"What, you don't recognize this good-for-nothing Walker?"

"Walker? The one whose wife died from drinking sewage?"

"But I remember he had two young children at home, how did they end up like this?"

"Tsk tsk, he still has both hands and feet, where can't he go to beg for food? He just buries himself in the pile of liquor and relies on his little brother to sell newspapers for him to make money."

“Although our Badger Gang hasn’t done anything good, if I ever see any of you disgracing the Badger Gang like this old geezer…”

"Don't worry, boss, there are no cowards in our Badger Gang!"

"I'd rather work myself to death than be a good-for-nothing like him!"

"..."

His pace quickened unconsciously, and his staggering, swaying figure looked even more disheveled.

The mocking voices from the Badger Gang, heard in front of so many people, sounded incredibly grating to Walker at that moment.

What welled up in my heart was a complex mix of resentment, regret, guilt, and sadness.

But the next second, he gasped for breath.

The aroma of wine that filled the air rushed into my nasal cavity with each breath, and seeped into my heart and lungs through my throat.

Recalling the cool, refreshing liquor gliding across the tongue, the aroma lingering in the mouth, it's as if one is in a beautiful dream, forgetting all worries, and even time seems to speed up – a wonderful experience.

The guilt and regret I had felt earlier vanished completely.

Only the deep, dark desires driven by instinct remain, propelling the body.

He touched the package in his arms through his clothes.

The image of that statue—ugly at first glance, but with a certain charm the more you look at it—came to mind.

"I wonder how many silver coins it's worth?"

"If only it could cover my two months' worth of alcohol expenses..."

Already in a semi-drunk state, their ability to perceive the outside world was greatly reduced.

Therefore, what Walker failed to notice was...

After he stumbled and fell out of the tavern.

The thugs from the Grey Badger Gang exchanged glances and quickly followed.

(End of this chapter)