Goblin Heavy Dependence

Chapter 183 Attic Moonlight and Attribute Feats

It wasn't footsteps.
It's also highly likely that it's not a language he's ever heard before.

The sound coming from the end of the street was more like the noise of some hard objects rubbing, colliding, carving, or striking each other.

Xia Nan stood still, carefully sensing the details.

It must be said that in this desolate and lifeless environment, where not even the chirping of birds or the barking of dogs can be heard, it is quite a sight.

Such a sudden turn of events is certainly unsettling.

On the other hand, as an adventurer who had experienced several missions, Xia Nan was also very clear about this.

In unfamiliar environments, it's best not to be overly curious about strange noises coming from unknown places.

Leaving the group to search for the source of the sound is absolutely forbidden.

However, the current situation is special. Along the way, apart from this voice, Xia Nan has not found any useful clues that could help him get out of trouble.

Even the planned Adventurers' Guild... he had already searched it once and seen the results.

In other words, physical mobility is restored, and all combat skills, including [Gravity Control], can still be used normally, and the attribute panel can be freely accessed.

This gave him more confidence.

Even setting aside the terrifyingly beautiful and strangely powerful blonde elf from before, if an ordinary person were suddenly transported to such a place, they would either collapse on the spot or be completely bewildered and panicked.

How could anyone be like him now, calmly analyzing his situation and looking for a way out?

A thoughtful glint flashed in his eyes.

Xia Nan tightened his grip on the sword hilt, his gaze fixed on the end of the street, in the direction from which the sound came. He had already made up his mind.

They remained vigilant and on guard, their bodies tense as they moved.

……

River Valley is not a large town; its area is even smaller than that of a district in Newme.

The area where the Adventurers' Guild is located is almost at the heart of the town.

Even so, it still took Xia Nan several tens of minutes to walk from the association's gate to the town center square, despite his highly focused attention and constant vigilance.

"Click...tap..."

The strange noise in the air became increasingly clear.

His dark eyes followed the direction from which the sound came.

What comes into view is a dark brown wooden ladder.

There is nothing special about its appearance; in fact, it looks rather simple.

There are no carvings or decorations; it consists simply of a sturdy frame. If you look closely, you can even see the wood grain on the surface and small splinters that haven't been cleaned off.

You can find similar items in any ordinary household on the street, and they might even look more exquisite.

But strangely enough...

At this moment, the ladder, despite having no support in any direction, seemed to stand abruptly suspended in the air.

Even the base that should have been resting on the ground was separated from the stone bricks in the square by a gap of several centimeters.

Xia Nan could clearly hear that the sound of hard objects colliding and striking came from the air above the ladder.

His brow furrowed slightly, and he felt increasingly uneasy.

This ladder, standing prominently in the center of the square, is both striking and extremely eye-catching.
It's like a huge red button on a desktop with no indication of its purpose, and even an arrow-shaped label next to it that says "Do Not Touch".

Even if you know something is wrong, you can't help but look at the other person, and a strange impulse surges in your heart.

Take a step forward gently.

Then he suddenly stopped and took three steps back.

Xia Nan let out a long breath and, almost forcibly, turned his gaze to the buildings on the sides of the square.

Just to be on the safe side,

No rush. Let's keep this as a backup plan. If we still don't find anything useful after exploring the whole town, we can come back later.

With that thought in mind, he walked around the ladder on the other side and headed to the other side of the square.

One hour, or maybe two hours.

I don’t know how much time has passed.

When Xia Nan returned to the town center square, the dark brown ladder still stood quietly in the same spot.

I casually flipped through a thin book that I had taken from the bookstore shelf.

The yellowish-brown cover is clear and realistic, and you can feel its rough texture when you rub it with your fingertips.

But the title on the cover is like ink spreading in water, blurry and indistinct.

The pages of the book were transformed into illusory, abstract black shadows, making it impossible to read a single word.

Xia Nan tossed it away casually, his expression knowing.

After walking around like this, my previous judgment was further confirmed.

He was not in the real River Valley Town, nor was it a complete replica of the real world.

Rather, it is a special secret realm constructed primarily from one's subjective memories.

In the town, wherever I've been, even if the memory is a bit blurry, I can still clearly see the texture on the surface of every stone brick.

The remaining unknown areas were nothing but darkness.

In theory, Shanan could even follow his own route all the way to Caranford, and even Newme.

But the situation there is probably no different from that in River Valley.

Right now, I want to escape from this illusory world.

He seemed to have only one option left.

His dark, deep eyes were fixed on the lone ladder standing in the air ahead.

If everything in this world comes from his memory... Xia Nan doesn't remember ever having such a ladder in the center of the square.

Without hesitation, he went straight forward.

He gripped the pine wood sword in his right hand, making it easier to exert force with one hand, while his left hand gently held the horizontal bar of the ladder.

My core is taut, ready to jump off the ladder at any moment.

With his right knee bent and his thigh raised, the sole of his leather boot landed firmly on the ladder bar.

When you engage your calf muscles, you need to lift your entire body upwards.

And right at the very bottom, the moment the left foot, the supporting leg of the entire body, leaves the ground.

The encounter from the Newme slums to this secret place has happened once again.

There were no warning signs whatsoever.

The vast plaza surrounding his body vanished in an instant.

Instead, there are multi-layered silk curtains pulled up tightly, preventing any light from coming in, and marble walls adorned with dim lamps on both sides.

A small house.

The hands of the clock hanging on the wall were frozen in place;
Fine stone dust, like the first snow, was scattered on the dark teak floor. The unfinished plaster statue was not clearly shaped, and in the dim light, only its humanoid limbs could be vaguely discerned.

Triangular files, round axes, and steel carving knives—highly directional tools—were haphazardly piled on several rolls of sandpaper smeared with paint. Next to them lay a small tin bucket, inside which brushes were placed at an angle.

"A carving studio."

This was Xia Nan's first impression after arriving at this room from the illusion of River Valley Town.

He instinctively wanted to leave the ladder and search carefully.

But the thought had only just arisen and hadn't yet been transmitted through the nerves to drive the body.

Xia Nan suddenly realized.

It seems that I have lost control of my body once again.

Just like when facing the blonde elf before. "Click, tap, click..."

The sound of hard objects colliding rang out above him again, as if urging him on.

And the body, which is invisibly restricted and unable to escape, seems to instinctively climb up the ladder.

One step, two steps, three steps...

His footsteps on the ladder bar resembled the hands of a clock.

Time began to flow within the room.

The tightly closed multi-layered curtains let through a dim light that flickered between light and shadow.

More and more stone powder accumulated on the surface of the teak floor, gradually covering the entire room like snow.

On the wooden table, various carving tools sway back and forth, and with each slight arc, the marks of use on the tools become more pronounced.
Something was drawn and painted on the surface of the sandpaper with scarlet paint, and then the sheets were crumpled up and thrown under the table;
The cold light flickered violently, and the statue shrouded in mottled shadows changed silently. Its originally blurry outline became clearer, and textures symbolizing hair grew on it. Its long, narrow head obscured its face, with only two forked protrusions on the top of its head extending and elongating.

Everything fell silent the moment Xia Nan took his final step.

The completed stone statue, set against the backdrop of scattered pale stone powder and strangely colored scarlet paint, was covered with a thick white cloth.

Meanwhile, Xia Nan finally reached the top of the ladder.

Land on both feet.

What came into view was a small, dimly lit attic.

There were no flames or lights to illuminate the area; everything was shrouded in darkness and could not be seen clearly.

The only clear sound was the friction noise coming from right behind me, so close I could barely touch it.

Turn around.

The soft moonlight slanted down through the only small window in the attic, and bluish-black powder flakes fell softly and gently, as if they were about to melt into the moonlight.
When the fair back of his hand exerted force, the veins stood out, and his thumb pressed firmly against the spine of the knife, leaving a smooth and natural line on the surface of the wood carving.

Only a small sliver of moonlight illuminated the gradually taking shape wood carving and the hands that were carving.

Like a natural spotlight, Xia Nan instinctively focused his gaze on it.

"It is a [sheep-deer human figure]."

Even though it wasn't finished, the strange appearance of the wooden carving—a human body, a sheep's head, and deer antlers—along with its simple, natural, and extremely harmonious otherworldly style, made Xia Nan recognize it at first glance.

"So, all those statues in Newme were sculpted by him?"

Recalling the changes in the workspace over time during the climb, Xia Nan made a guess.

His gaze unconsciously followed the moonlight, looking upwards at her fair and slender hands.

Forearm, shoulder, neck... and finally the cheek.

The attic was already dark, and with the other person sitting with their back to him, he could only see a few blurry silhouettes.

Xia Nan strained to open his eyes wide, as if trying to make out the other person's appearance in the shadows.

But the next second, it was as if she sensed his gaze.

The dark figure suddenly turned around!
hum-

My mind went blank for a moment, and the consciousness that had been scattered during the climb was instantly dispelled.

A buzzing sound echoed continuously within the cranial cavity, and tangled thoughts were straightened and cast into the void.

Xia Nan couldn't see the other person's face clearly.

The moment the shadowy figure turned around, all his perceptions were distorted and deformed amidst countless bizarre and wondrous sights, turning into an indescribable void.

The perspective is magnified infinitely, passing through the moonlight and dust, and penetrating into the deepest folds of the wooden wall.

Mold grew backwards in the shadows of the attic, transforming into swirling rings of growth that assaulted and devoured his spirit.

Sinking, sinking.

The absurd and illusory fragments, wrapped up by the rolling rings of time, are brought out from the depths of memory.

The deep shadows that linger in the depths of the pool, the slender antennae of a grasshopper flicking its wings, the soft calls of a hazy dream...

Xia Nan felt his soul and consciousness being swept along by these long-forgotten, bizarre fragments of memory, being pushed towards a certain place like a tide.

He was unaware of what he was facing, nor was he aware of his current predicament.

Under the invisible yet immense impact, his completely shattered spirit made it impossible for him to concentrate or think.

In this situation, all that remains is the biological instinct for survival.

Like a small boat lost in a storm, bobbing up and down in the surging waves, seemingly about to be swallowed by the sea at any moment, yet stubbornly floating on the surface.

It protects the deepest part of the soul, symbolizing the spark of the "true self".

It could be a hundred years, or it could be less than half a second.

The perception of time and space has completely vanished in the disintegration of consciousness.

He was not unconscious, but he was not exactly conscious either.

Xia Nan simply stood quietly in place, like a reef on the shore, enduring the impact of wave after wave of tides.

I don’t know how much time has passed.

When those fragmented scenes, swept up by the rings of time, return to the depths of memory;

As the relentless waves that washed over my consciousness slowly receded.

Everything then returned to nothingness.

In the deep, lightless darkness, only a tiny, fragile yet tenacious flame flickered silently.

whoosh—

What woke Xia Nan was a sudden gust of cold wind.

Like specks of starlight gathering together, the shattered consciousness is once again glued together, stronger than ever.
The spirit that guards the soul amidst boundless storms also becomes increasingly steadfast invisibly.

His chest heaved as he breathed, and the air that filled his nostrils was slightly smelly but also incredibly real.
The cool, chilly night air wafted across my skin, and I could hear the howling of the evening wind from some unknown place in the distance.

Senses gradually returned.

Xia Nan slowly opened her eyes, her expression blank.

It was like a dream.

What came into view was neither the cramped attic shrouded in mist, nor the illusory river valley town.

Instead, it consisted of crowded, dilapidated slum houses, remnants of battle, desolate abandoned open spaces, and sturdy, pale bear bones lying on the open spaces.

In my line of sight, semi-transparent characters flickered and flashed by.

"Charm +1"

"Perception +3"

"The special ability [Looking into the Abyss] has been unlocked."

"..."

Xia Nan stared into the darkness before him.

His facial expression was neither sad nor happy, revealing no emotional fluctuations.

Just standing there.

After a long while, he finally let out a deep sigh of relief.

He slowly raised his head.

His gaze passed over the animal bones on the ground, over the dilapidated houses in front, and over the blurry outlines of buildings in the distance.

up.

Remaining at the very center of the sky,

That round moon was perfect and flawless, radiating a soft, clear light.
—A tranquil and bright silver moon.

(End of this chapter)