Goblin Heavy Dependence

Chapter 194 Zhuo Er and the Hollowed-Out Leather Jacket

River Valley Town, White Sparrow Tavern.

The sticky, mixed noise mingled with the soft clinking of glasses, blurring the boundary between day and night amidst the rich, almost solidified aroma of wine in the air.

The grief of losing teammates, the excitement and elation of scavenging in the goblin lair, the exhilarating anticipation of breaking through combat skill proficiency...

A complex and tangled mix of emotions swirled in this small tavern in this remote borderland, like a fine wine swishing down the throat, catalyzing the deepest desires and instincts within.

"Damn, it's been so hard to make money these past two years!"

“I remember when I first started out, my brother took me on one mission a month. We earned so many silver coins that they couldn’t even fit in our bags. The rest of the time we could just lie in bed and do whatever we wanted. It was so comfortable.”

"Look at this now, this one meal isn't even enough to feed my little Jack, and they still want to charge me two whole silver coins."

"If you want to rob me, just take it from my pocket. Why bother with all this trouble!"

A scruffy-bearded man, dressed in cheap leather armor, huddled around a small table near the tavern entrance, complaining with a face full of the smell of alcohol.

The table in front of me was almost covered with empty bottles. Only through the gaps between them could I barely see the empty plates buried underneath, still containing food scraps.

"Don't you even know where you are?"

"If you want something cheap, just go to any restaurant on any other street in town, and you can drink until you drop for a gold coin and nobody will care."

What are you doing here, White Tit?

A fellow adventurer nearby picked up the conversation and refuted the claim.

"Other places... hiccup..." The drunkard squinted, his cheeks flushed red from the smell of alcohol. "Drinking there is no fun!"

I glanced at him; he seemed delirious and even stuttered when he spoke.

The familiar adventurer sitting next to him seemed to have a ulterior motive, and probed meaningfully:
"Where's your brother? Didn't you say he was doing quite well working under you? How come he's out here on his own now?"

"Dead." The drunkard's face showed no obvious expression, as if all the emotions that should have been displayed had been numbed by alcohol and were hidden beneath his stiff face.

"While cleaning the cave, hiccup... unfortunately, I ran into a bear goblin."

"One blow from the hammer and his brains would come out."

As he spoke, the drunkard grabbed a bottle and gestured at the other person in the air.

"Didn't you save any money during the recent hunting day?" the acquaintance asked, his gaze unconsciously drifting to the other person's somewhat empty waist pouch.

"I'm recovering from my injury; I haven't left the house for almost a month."

"By the time we came out to find a way to make a living, the hunting day was almost over, and we couldn't find a single goblin in the forest, only other, more dangerous monsters."

"We finally made it this far, and before we even had a chance to complete a few more tasks, this happened."

"What the hell is wrong with me!"

Hearing the other person complain like that, the acquaintance took the opportunity to move closer to the other person.

He spoke with a mixture of pretense and genuine empathy, expressing his feelings:

"Sigh, the Misty Forest, it always seems to stir up some trouble every now and then, aren't you used to it?"

"It's actually been alright lately, except that a bunch of wild beasts have suddenly appeared out of nowhere. If we're careful, we can manage."

"In the first half of the year, there were so many venomous snakes and scorpions in the forest, densely packed, almost every clump of grass had them, have you forgotten?"

As he spoke, his left hand, concealed by the wooden table above, quietly reached towards the drunkard's waist.

His technique was quite skillful, and it was clear that this was not the first or second time he had done this.

With palm down and fingers slightly spread, he brushed his hand across the drunkard's fanny pack in the blink of an eye.

When I pulled them back, there were two gold coins that shone brightly under the light between my index, middle, and ring fingers.

He flipped his wrist and quite naturally stuffed the gold coin into his pocket, as if it were truly his own.

Meanwhile, the drunkard was still absorbed in the conversation they had just had.

"The problem is on the outskirts of the forest, hiccup... it must be something inside the forest."

"With so many wild beasts appearing lately, I guess it's because some high-level monster inside is going berserk and scaring out the surrounding animals."

Having already succeeded, the acquaintance lost interest in chatting with the other party and only gave a few perfunctory replies.

"The interior of the forest is even less of our concern; let the professionals in town handle it."

"It's okay to wait a day or two, even if we earn less money, it's not a big deal."

As he spoke, he stood up and walked towards the tavern entrance.

Behind him, there was the clatter of bottles falling to the ground, and the drunkard's mumbling, his voice gradually fading as he drifted off to sleep.

At this moment, even the acquaintance could no longer contain his joy, and a smile of triumph appeared on his lips.

Thinking to myself, tonight I can just call two hot girls... no, I should call three!

Since it's not my own money, I can spend it however I want...

"Crench."

The screeching sound of the hinges rubbing together interrupted his thoughts.

The tavern door in front of him was slowly pushed open.

The cold sunlight unique to winter, mixed with the biting wind that seeps into your pores, howls and squeezes through the cracks in the door.

Backlit, what came into view was a black-haired young man with a cold and stern demeanor.

The metal plates gently collided with the buckles, and under the light, the matte surface of the dark gray-black plate chainmail was covered with a layer of blurry, cold, and hard light.

The dark gray bone fragments, secured by rivets and ropes, protect the shinbones and thighs like armor. The smooth, natural lines after polishing seem to be an extension of the armor above.

Two sword hilts of different sizes emerged from behind his head, a small dagger hung at his waist, the shield on his left arm was dark and dull, and the material was not visible. On the index finger of his right hand, there was a slightly reflective silver-white iron ring.

A seasoned adventurer armed to the teeth.

This was his first reaction.

Even without witnessing the opponent in actual combat, their exceptionally fine equipment and composed demeanor alone are enough to demonstrate their strength.

Even... they might be professionals!
Suddenly, the two long swords on the other person's back reminded him of a name that had been mentioned frequently in the tavern recently. He pondered for a moment and couldn't help but take a second look.

That's why his gaze was noticed by the other party.

His narrow, sharp eyes shifted slightly as he glanced around.

The adventurer, who had just stolen two gold coins from a close friend, felt a chill run down his neck.

A chill ran down my spine.

He immediately lowered his head, unable to look any further.

"Grey Sword!"

His highly distinctive attire made him instantly recognizable, even without hearing much news recently, and with a little recollection, he recognized the person who was rumored to have already achieved a professional level.

The secrets that had circulated in the tavern flashed through my mind, and as if by psychological effect, the terrifying coldness on my neck became more pronounced, and I even felt a faint stinging pain.

What appeared before my eyes was the other person's incredibly cold and sharp face, and the indescribable, invisible low pressure, which I had only caught a glimpse of just now.

He dared not provoke the other party at such a moment. With each step, he turned away, pretending to be just passing by (and in fact, he really was just passing by).

He planned to walk around the tavern for a while, wait for the other person to be seated, and then leave on his own.

……

Xia Nan was in a bad mood.

One reason is his significantly reduced net worth.

曾经接近四位数的银行存款，在接连遭遇“500金护腿”与“255金护甲”的打击之后，只剩下可怜的271金7银3铜。

It has almost reached its lowest point in recent times.

To be honest, two hundred gold coins is a huge sum of money for ordinary people in the town, and even for most low-level adventurers, under normal circumstances.

If you save money on daily expenses and make some low-risk small investments, you'll have enough for retirement.

But after all, they had a considerable amount of savings before, and it was a large expense in a short period of time.

Even knowing that the money was well spent and not wasted.

Xia Nan still felt somewhat irritated, slightly uneasy, and anxious.

I can't wait to storm into the forest right now, raid a few goblin lairs to vent my anger, and maybe even make some extra money.

On the other hand, what stirred his emotions was his experience in the blacksmith shop.

I have now found the material "Corrosion Steel" that can clearly upgrade the [Serpent Scale Arm Shield] into a formal magical equipment.

And the weight also meets the requirements.

However, obtaining the steel requires completing a "Beastman Investigation" request on the task board on the second floor of the association.

Leaving aside the difficulty, the most crucial aspect is the prerequisite for accepting the mission:
—A four-person squad.

Xia Nan has always been a loner and rarely teams up with others when going on adventures unless absolutely necessary.

Several of his former teammates also suffered heavy casualties.

Currently, there are only two people that can be found in Riverdale: "Greenblood" Adeline and rookie Abby.

There is no intention to belittle them, but realistically, neither of them has yet achieved a professional ranking.

Abigail was just a newcomer who had only recently entered the field. Even dealing with a few goblins required a long and arduous battle, and he might not be able to defeat them even if he tried his best.

Bringing the two of them into this kind of professional-level mission is tantamount to sending them to their deaths.

Given this premise, it seems that I only have one choice left—

Find a professional-level random team within the association.

This involves many issues that need to be considered, such as "who to find," "how to find them," "reward allocation," and "whether teammates are reliable."

very troublesome.

Besides these two urgent matters, Xia Nan also needs to earn a large number of association points in the near future to exchange for materials, items, and high-quality combat skills.

The former is used to customize equipment for Barn, improving overall strength and fault tolerance;
The latter is essential for professionals to upgrade their skills and change jobs.

"grass!"

"There's just too much going on!"

Xia Nan cursed inwardly.

At the same time, I decided to first have two bowls of long-awaited cream of mushroom soup to soothe my soul.

He had been away from River Valley for nearly two months, and although he had had some tasting experiences during that time, he still really missed the classic flavors unique to White Sparrow Tavern.

"Same as usual, one set meal number three, please."

Xia Nan called out to Chapton from afar.

When I came to the tavern to collect the gold coins and spoils that the caravan had stored there, I had already exchanged pleasantries with the other party.

They didn't linger there, but instead looked around at the surrounding tables, searching for an empty seat.

Then he saw the wiry, middle-aged man named "Kash," who called himself the captain of the "Seathorn" adventure team and wielded a stone spear.

It was that person who had just explained information about upgrading and changing jobs to me on the second floor of the association.

I am currently sitting at a table not far from the bar.

Meanwhile, what attracted even more attention was a woman with slightly dark skin and smooth silver hair sitting opposite Kash.

Unlike the dark color of workers who are often exposed to the elements for long periods of time, such as those working in fields or on ships, their skin is darker.

The woman's skin color was a deep, shadowy, and even slightly purplish natural dark color.

She has a hot figure and doesn't seem to mind showing off her physical advantages to the outside world.

The angle from the side and rear made it impossible for Xia Nan to see the other person's face clearly.

But it was precisely because of this that he was able to witness some of the woman's physical charm.

Unlike the other adventurers in the tavern, who prioritized practicality over appearance with their bulky attire.

The woman was wearing an extremely tight-fitting black leather armor that looked as if it had been painted on, which perfectly accentuated her slender waist and the breathtaking curves formed by her full figure.

The design even features cutouts on the sides of the thighs and lower back, revealing the smooth, delicate skin and the alluring waist dimples that conform to the curves of the palm.

The smooth muscle lines beneath the thin clothing, the silver hair ornaments and braids at the ends, combined with the woman's slightly dark skin, create a mysterious and dangerous beauty.

The perception attribute, now at "10 o'clock," subtly took effect, allowing Xia Nan to appreciate the beauty of the other person's body while also noticing many more subtle yet exceptionally important details.

Emerging from long silver hair, long, sharp ears; a waist clinging to full thighs; two short daggers protected by black sheaths; dark purple tattoos faintly visible through the cutouts of the leather jacket; unnaturally swaying shadows cast on the ground by the tavern lights…

Information is gathered in the mind and analyzed through its meager knowledge base to arrive at the following results:

This is a Drow half-elf hybrid class, possibly belonging to the "Wanderer" category, who uses a dagger as a weapon.

Without a doubt, this slender woman with Drow blood attracted countless fervent gazes from all around her in the White Sparrow Tavern, a place that always gathered a large number of adventurers from the lower classes.

But not a single person dared to approach and strike up a conversation.

Professional, well-dressed, outstanding, wanderer...

When these factors are piled up together, one can only say that anyone with a modicum of rationality and a sliver of hope for survival in this world would not want to get close.

Xia Nan had met the other party's companion, a middle-aged man named "Kash," once before.

However, he is not the type of person who would proactively go up to say hello or join in the fun in an obviously inappropriate setting.

I looked away, intending to continue searching for an empty seat.

Cash, who was ahead, suddenly noticed his figure.

"Xia Nan?"

He waved from afar, calling out.

(End of this chapter)