Goblin Heavy Dependence

Chapter 191 Gold Coin Gains and Malan Steel

Even through the thin shirt, the hard, cold touch of the scabbard came from behind.

Walking alone on the street, Xia Nan's eyes were slightly unfocused as he pondered.

A visit to the second floor of the association gave him a general understanding of the deepening relationship between adventurers and the association after obtaining a professional rank, and he figured out some of the ways it worked.

In summary, it boils down to just one point:
—Accept quests - Earn points - Exchange for resources - Improve your strength - Accept quests with even greater rewards...

It's simple and efficient, and both the association and the adventurers can benefit from the process, making it a win-win situation.

Xia Nan had no negative thoughts or other opinions about this.

He thought it was great.

With a solid attribute panel and a relatively strong foundation, all I need is a clear and stable environment for improvement. Even if it takes a long time, I can eventually climb up step by step.

The Adventurers' Guild's relatively loose management style towards its professionals suited his tastes quite well, as it avoided getting bogged down in pointless disputes.

On the other hand, and most importantly, through this trip, he finally learned how to improve his professional level and what aspects the so-called "job change" involved.

According to the middle-aged adventurer named "Kash" who wielded a spear.

To upgrade your job level, you must raise your combat skill proficiency in that job category to "Mastery", which is level 5.

As a reference, based on Xia Nan's current skills, excluding the [Whirlwind Slash] which he had already maxed out shortly after his arrival, his remaining combat skills are:

[Fang Hunt] is lv3, while [Gravity Control] and [Gravity Etching] are still lv1.

If he can master all three combat skills, his class level will reach lv4.

Of course, this is a rather distant prospect at the moment.

Among them, the ability to control gravity has an extremely slow improvement rate due to its excessively high potential.

Even now, its proficiency is only 5/100, not even in double digits, let alone leveling up or even reaching level 5.

The skill he's closest to maxing out is his second combat skill, "Fang Hunt," from the extraordinary-rank barbarian "Fogang," which is extremely useful.

After learning about the upgrade requirements, this combat skill will become Xia Nan's training focus for the next period of time until it is mastered to the maximum level.

Then, if you want to move up further, you'll have to find new combat skills.

but……

"Snapped."

The sturdy leather boots landed firmly on the ground, the soles rubbing against the stone bricks with a dull thud.

Xia Nan frowned slightly, feeling a sense of trouble.

According to Kash, combat skills that can improve a class level must belong to a class category.

Otherwise, it will only slow down the progress and waste time and energy.

In this regard, it has little impact on ordinary, basic professions such as "wanderers" and "vagrants".

The association's combat skills catalog alone is over a hundred pages long. You can pick a few from it, and if you don't find anything you like, you can even go to other branches of the association in other regions to look for them.

But regarding his job as a "Meteor Blade Hunter"...

Considering the [gravity control] required for his profession, Xia Nan doubted that there were any peers in this world at all.

If there really is no pioneer, then where should his subsequent combat skills come from?

Xia Nan couldn't help but feel lost.

Perhaps after I finish dealing with things in the next couple of days, I can go to the association to ask Jasmine for the "Combat Skills Catalog" again and carefully check the "Miscellaneous" category.

Looking for combat techniques involving "gravity" or "gravity" to see if we can win a prize.

To put it simply, the three combat skills that make "Meteor Blade Hunter" a true skill, besides [Gravity Control], also include [Fang Hunt] and [Whirlwind Slash], which are related to the "Barbarian" and "Warrior" classes respectively.

Does this mean that he can choose from these two professions when selecting combat skills in the future?

However, the combat skills he learns in the pre-transcendent stage will determine the advanced profession he will advance to when he changes jobs in the future.

Should we make some plans?

But he had no connections, and even his "Meteor Blade Hunter" was pieced together using the system. How could he possibly plan anything?
Xia Nan couldn't possibly entrust his entire future to the attribute panel, hoping it would provide viable career options like it did when he advanced.

All I can do right now is hone my skills and see where I can find a good advanced class change program.

Even if we encounter bottlenecks in the future, we must learn new combat skills to improve our strength.

Considering that there are ten combat skills from level 1 to level 10, each of which is very valuable and requires careful consideration.

To some extent, it also determines the upper limit of one's future potential.

Therefore, you should try to accumulate as many points as possible, and unless it is particularly suitable, you should not consider combat skills with around 100 points.

We absolutely cannot settle for anything less; we must find some suitable types with higher development potential.

I pondered this all the way.

It wasn't until Xia Nan arrived at his destination that he came back to his senses.

What comes into view is a small storefront with a simple yet stylish decor.

It seemed that at this time of day, there were hardly any customers, and it looked rather deserted.

The wooden sign standing in front of the door displays the shop's name:
"Fairy Wind" General Store.

Standing at the gate, Xia Nan hesitated for a moment, feeling uneasy.

He had to admit that his encounter with the "Sheep-Deer Statue" in the shop and his experience in the mirror-like secret realm had left a slight shadow in his heart.

I felt a bit resistant to stepping into this grocery store again.

Fortunately, the bustling noise of the surrounding streets and the reflections of people in the shop through the glass gave him some confidence.

Take a deep breath.

Push the door open and enter.

"Dingling~"

The metal bell hanging at the door jingled softly.

Xia Nan's first reaction upon entering the general store was not to greet the shop owner, "Farillo," who was sitting behind the counter looking at him.

Instead, he suddenly turned around and looked at the shelves.

The shelf where the [Sheep-Deer Statue] used to be was now completely empty.

I couldn't help but breathe a sigh of relief.

The shopkeeper, Faris, spoke with a hint of regret in his voice.

"Looking for that statue?" As if recalling the scene in the shop with Xia Nan, he explained, "Unfortunately, it was bought by someone else right after you left that day."

Of course, the regret in Farillo's tone wasn't because Xia Nan hadn't bought it, but because...

He sold it at a loss.

“You should have bought it that day.” Farillo shook his head slightly, the gold-rimmed glasses on his nose reflecting a faint light. “Statues like this one have gone crazy in price.”

"Don't even mention a dozen gold coins, even if the price is raised to three digits, people are willing to pay for it, saying it's very popular in Newme."

“I was thinking of getting more from the convoy a few days ago, but then I heard that there was something wrong with the statue and it has been banned from circulation by the Newe authorities and is being urgently recalled.”

"Sigh, I'll never earn this kind of windfall in my lifetime."

Looking at Farillo sighing and groaning ahead, Xia Nan couldn't help but mutter to himself.

These ordinary merchants in the town, although they all have their own intelligence channels, are fairly well-informed.

However, since it wasn't the Adventurers' Guild, there weren't any special intelligence transmission channels. The distance between River Valley and Newme was considerable, so the spread of information was somewhat delayed. When he first learned that the [Sheep-Deer Statue] was circulating in Newme, the actual statue had already become extremely popular among the city's elite, and its price had skyrocketed.
When news of the high market price of the [Sheep-Deer Statue] reached River Valley via the caravan, Farillo was filled with regret for the wood carvings he had sold cheaply and wanted to buy them in bulk to sell. Meanwhile, news about the "evil object" had already appeared in the newspapers in Newme.

As for now... half a month has passed, and the city has probably almost finished collecting everything. He may have just received the news that there was a problem with the wood carving.

In other words, the number of statues is not large, and there is no possibility of large-scale procurement.

Otherwise, if Xia Nan had seen the shelves full of [sheep, deer, and human figures] when he entered, he probably would have turned around and run away to Caranford, or even further, to avoid the limelight.

He didn't respond.

I carefully scanned the shelves to make sure there was nothing unusual.

Xia Nan took out a small cloth bag from his waist pouch, which made a crisp, clinking sound when it was shaken, and handed it to the other person.

Inside were several crystals with nice colors.

This was one of the rewards the Badger Gang offered them for helping them repel the rat horde.

Speaking of which, the Badger Gang has now been destroyed, and several core members of the gang have died at the hands of the beastman Buck.

I wonder if other forces will appear later and take over the streets they control, and what kind of business "Iron Head," the thug who was lucky enough to run into me and survive, will do.

"Five obsidian stones, all of average quality. I'll buy them for you at market price, 40 gold in total."

Aside from the statues he misjudged, Farillo was quite knowledgeable about these glittering little stones.

One by one, I picked them up and examined them carefully with a magnifying glass.

"Two pieces of blue quartz, 30 gold coins."

"Oh, there's also a small piece of carnelian. The quality is pretty good. I can offer 52 gold."

"That makes a total of 122 gold coins. What do you think?"

The income from this small bag of spoils exceeded expectations, and I've never been good at bargaining anyway.

I was hoping to close the deal right away.

Suddenly, as if remembering something, a smile appeared on Xia Nan's face, and she swallowed the "yes" that was already on the tip of her tongue.

Instead, he raised the price:

"I'm a regular customer here, so here's a fixed price: 135 gold."

……

"jingle."

The door to the grocery store was slowly pushed open from the inside.

The cold wind crept into my shirt through my collar, and the icy chill unique to winter air seeped into my body through my skin pores.

For professionals with strong physical fitness, this bit of wind and frost won't make them sick or catch a cold, but the feeling of cold and dampness won't be reduced much.

Xia Nan walked out of the "Fairy Wind" general store and tightened his cuffs in front of the door.

His face was expressionless.

The reason he acted out of character just now and took the initiative to bargain with Farrillo was because of this.

Actually, I wanted to further test the effect of that 1 point of charm attribute bonus.

As for the results...

Inside the pouch were a crystal card worth 100 gold coins and twenty-five glittering gold coins.

That is sufficient to demonstrate.

All we can say is that Farillo is indeed as described in the Adventurer's Handbook.

They have outstanding professional skills, but their asking prices are often quite demanding.

Compared to the initial offer of 122 gold coins, after bargaining, only 3 more gold coins were offered.

"Perhaps my charm isn't reflected in this aspect?"

"Or is it that these extra 3 gold coins actually already have a charm bonus effect, but the other person's personality is like that, so the effect seems weak?"

Xia Nan pondered to himself.

In any case, making more money is definitely a good thing.

Three gold medals are enough for him to live a carefree life in the White Tit for a week.

Without thinking too much about it, he quickly determined his direction, took a few steps, and disappeared into the crowd.

……

Although there didn't seem to be much loot.

But all things considered, Xia Nan's income from this mission was actually quite good.

A few sparkling little stones—125 gold;
The reward given by the Badger Gang along with the crystal is 53 gold and 2 silver.
On the way to Nium, after defeating the attacking bandits, the money obtained from selling their equipment and horses was 36 gold, 1 silver, and 6 copper.

In total, there are 214 gold, 3 silver, and 6 bronze.

This is without considering the possibility that Jasmine's application might increase the rewards for the advancement task.

This gave his savings of 500 gold coins, which he had previously spent on customizing equipment, a huge boost.

His net worth returned to 526 gold, 7 silver, and 3 bronze.

Although it is far from reaching nearly four figures at its peak.

But it also gave Xia Nan, who was standing at the entrance of the "Rock Hammer" blacksmith shop, a bit more confidence.

At least a few pieces of ordinary equipment are still affordable.

"Boss, there aren't many customers today."

Xia Nan walked into the blacksmith shop, waved to the shop owner, Barn, and greeted him.

The middle-aged man, who claimed to have dwarven blood but was actually as muscular as a goblin, was holding a piece of gauze in his hand and wiping a dagger behind the counter.

Upon hearing the voice and seeing that it was Xia Nan, a smile appeared on his face.

He put down what he was doing, opened his mouth, as if wanting to joke with the old acquaintance who hadn't been to the store for almost two months.

Suddenly, she noticed the thin shirt Xia Nan was wearing.

As if realizing something, his expression suddenly became subtle.

"What happened to the two pieces of armor you bought before? Are they both ruined?"

"Hey." Xia Nan scratched his head, his expression slightly embarrassed. "There was a slight mishap during this mission."

"Is there a problem with the equipment's quality?"

"No, it's pretty good."

They didn't even ask why the scrapped armor wasn't brought back for recycling.

Barn has gradually become accustomed to Xia Nan's exaggerated equipment failure rate, which almost eliminates the need for routine maintenance.

She turned around, waved to him, and walked into the inner room.

"We just got a new batch of Marant steel in the shop. I made a few pieces of armor. You can try them on later."

"The enchanted armor you ordered was completed last week."

"It's inside, come with me."

(End of this chapter)