Goblin Heavy Dependence

Chapter 206 Intertwined Destinies
Qingmai Village is small, and the villagers living here have very little to say about their lives.

Eat, farm, sleep;

Germination, heading, and maturity.

A monotonous life is like wheat in a field, day after day, year after year, in endless cycles.

Therefore, even though a long time has passed, everyone in the village still has a deep impression of that squad that was suspected of being attacked by beastmen.

"We are not too far from the Misty Forest, and adventurers like you gentlemen often pass through here."

"But that time was a little different."

"Under normal circumstances, even if adventurers who come out of the forest look a little... uh, not very presentable, the atmosphere is generally not bad, whether it's the relief of surviving a disaster or the excitement of returning with a full load."

"Even with the severe losses, some members of the team never made it out of the forest; they remained silent and grieving."

"But this is the first time I've seen the situation of that squad."

At this point, the village chief, who was leading the way at the front of the group, paused, as if recalling the scene at that time.

"It was neither joy nor excitement, nor anger nor sorrow."

"It is...fear."

Although Qingmai Village is relatively close to the Misty Forest to some extent, it is undoubtedly much farther away than places like Hegu Town and Cuixi Village.

As a result, the village lost the potential benefits from a large influx of adventurers, becoming remote and impoverished, and consequently, monsters appeared less frequently.

Normally, there are only a few small goblin colonies.

Adventurer teams that manage to escape from the Misty Forest and arrive here are unlikely to encounter any further danger.

In this situation, if, as the village chief said, the behavior is still characterized by "lingering fear and unease," then...

That can only prove that this group encountered something in the forest that was extremely terrifying to them and whose psychological impact they could not shake off even after leaving.

As Xia Nan pondered this in his heart, the group following in front of him suddenly stopped.

Looking up, what appeared before them was a dilapidated wooden house, just like the other buildings in the village.

"They were received by Kelly and her family that day."

"She should know some of the specific details of the situation at the time."

The village chief introduced the group to the people and then knocked on the door.

Tuk-tuk-tuk——

With a series of hurried footsteps, the wooden door was suddenly pulled open.

A plain-looking woman in her early thirties looked at the group of people in front of the door with a surprised expression.

The village chief explained the purpose of Qinghai Thorn's team in a few words. Faced with such an adventurer team, the woman had no intention of refusing them.

With some fear and unease, he welcomed everyone into the house.

The interior furnishings are just as they appear from the outside.

An incredibly rudimentary "living space" that prioritizes functionality over aesthetics.

The damp, uneven dirt ground was partially covered with thatch and straw; in the middle of the inner room, near the wall, slightly below ground level, a fire rose, surrounded by stones, and on top of it carefully sat an iron pot bearing the marks of use.

His gaze swept over the straw basket filled with odds and ends in the corner, a small bunch of onions on the wall, and the thing that could barely be called a "bed," made of a low wooden frame and a patched burlap blanket.

Xia Nan already had a first impression of this "Kelly family".

"Where's your husband? Is he still in the field?" Cash asked casually, also looking around at his surroundings.

When the group arrived at Qingmai Village, it was already afternoon.

Right now, besides the woman, there was only a little boy who looked about seven or eight years old with a runny nose in the whole house. He was hiding behind his mother, holding onto his trouser leg, peeking out with a curious and cautious look at everyone.

Before the woman named "Kelly," who appeared unusually awkward in front of the group, could reply...

The village chief, who was slightly behind, offered an explanation:
"Her husband died two years ago. On his way home from the fields, he encountered a small group of goblins and left behind two."

Upon hearing this, Cash nodded, but his face showed no obvious change in expression, as if he were listening to another adventurer boast at a dinner party.

It was just a casual question, and I only listened to it casually.

Don't care.

“The village chief has already explained it to you, so tell me.” He went straight to the point, “the details of that day, and that adventurer team.”

"Yes, yes, sir."

A pair of calloused hands gripped the hem of her clothes as the woman lowered her head and stammered her reply.

"That day should have been, uh, in the morning, yes, in the morning."

"I was carrying a wooden bucket, intending to go to the village to fetch some well water. I had only taken a few steps when I heard little Jack shout, 'Mom, adventurers, there are adventurers!'"

Looking back, I saw several adventurers wearing leather armor hurrying towards the village along the road.

"Looking back now, it does seem a bit strange."

Working in the fields under the scorching sun for long periods of time, her dark brown skin appeared exceptionally rough.

"In broad daylight, on a plain, you could see the sheep on the distant grasslands clearly from the village, yet the adventurers kept looking back, panting, as if something was chasing them."

"What's even stranger is that when they got closer, I suddenly realized that these adventurers not only didn't suffer any serious injuries, but their leather armor also had very few obvious scratches."

Kelly carefully raised her head and lowered her voice:
"It doesn't look like he just fought a monster."

For a moment, the room fell silent.

A few seconds later, Cash frowned and pressed on:
"and then?"

Kelly quickly replied.

"Because it was during the hunting season, or as I think that's what it was called, there were many more adventurers than usual. The village had experience in hosting them, so we found them a few empty houses to stay in for the night, and they left just as dawn broke the next day."

"Because my cooking skills were pretty good, I was called over to cook dinner and received a few copper coins."

"Anything else? Is there any other information that might be useful?" Cash's speech quickened, giving off an aggressive vibe. "The identities of those adventurers, what they encountered during their mission, and so on."

The hurried words made Kelly instinctively take two steps back, and little Jack behind her almost fell over as well.

"They didn't talk much, they all looked very tired, and they didn't mention what they had encountered, but..."

"While I was stewing the food, I overheard the conversation of those adventurers. It seems they weren't adventurers who stayed in River Valley Town long-term, but just came temporarily during the hunting days to earn some extra money. They all had their own jobs at other times."

"Oh, there's someone inside, it looks like they came from Newme."

Upon hearing this, Xia Nan's slightly unfocused eyes paused, as if he had remembered something, and a strange expression appeared on his face.

"Only three adventurers in total?" he suddenly asked.

“Yes, sir.” Kelly nodded firmly. “There are only three adventurers in total.”

During the hunting day, an adventurer party of only three people was suspected of being attacked by beastmen, and one of the members was from Newm... Could it be such a coincidence?

Xia Nan felt a rather complicated feeling.

Do you know the name?

“Uh…” Kelly tried her best to recall, “I think one of them was called ‘Spittoon’ by the others? I’m sorry, sir, I really can’t remember.”

That's it.

The "Strainer" Book
And "Buck," who temporarily left the squad during the beastman attack and contracted the beastman disease.

Xia Nan suddenly felt a strange sense of intertwined fates.

My thoughts wandered, and fragmented events silently connected in my mind.

The "Slattery" team was attacked by the Beastmen—Buck contracted the Beastmen disease as a result—on the way back, the team passed through Green Wheat Village and left information—Buck, who returned to Newm alone, suffered a relapse and killed his family—he came to Newm for a promotion mission—at the same time, the investigation request for the Beastmen was also posted on the second-floor mission board.

Xia Nan did not hide the change in his expression.

Therefore, at the same time, his teammates in the room also realized that he had made a discovery.

There was no need to hide anything, except to deliberately omit sensitive information such as "golden elf" and "mirror realm" that might involve his own secrets. Xia Nan told everyone about his previous experiences.

"In this way, the existence of beastmen can be confirmed."

Half of his face was covered in wave-shaped tattoos. Cash stroked the stubble on his chin and concluded.

"After all, some people have actually been infected with the beast transformation disease and transformed into a bear-like wild animal form."

"Moreover, if Xia Nan was not mistaken when he was in Newm, we also obtained some information about the enemy's identity."

"—It's a bear-man."

"A bear-man?" Veris, who had seemed somewhat listless since the beginning, raised an eyebrow.

"These guys are always alone and rarely take the initiative to contact others. You'd say they have good personalities, right?"

Cash simply shook his head at this.

“Just like you, not all drow elves live in the Underdark, and not all bearmen are as kind as rumored.”

"There are always exceptions."

This investigation, conducted outside of the mission, yielded fairly good results.

While confirming the existence of the beastman, they also realized that the other party was a bear-man.

In this way, before actually entering the Misty Forest, the Seathorn Squad can flexibly adjust their tactics and strategies accordingly.

They won't be completely clueless, not even knowing who the enemy is before the battle begins.

There's no more useful information to be gained from Kelly, so there's no point in staying here.

However, it was already late, and dusk was falling on the horizon.

Entering the forest at this time of day, even just the outer edges, is far too dangerous.

The Seathorn Squad decided to stay in the village for one night and set off again the next morning to search for traces of the beastmen deep in the Misty Forest.

It's worth mentioning that although Qingmai Village looks dilapidated, adventurers still frequently come and go, and they know how to scavenge for food from the hands of these generous "gentlemen".

The village always has a few empty houses and provides related services for passing adventurers to stay at. The prices are relatively low and well within the acceptable range for most people.

While camping in the nearby open space is perfectly fine, a warm and soft bed is definitely more comfortable than a thin blanket spread on the ground where you can even feel the pebbles behind you. You also don't have to take turns keeping watch at night, or be disgusted by those bugs that crawl on your face in the middle of the night.

"correct."

Before the squad left Kelly's house, Xia Nan, who was lagging behind, suddenly remembered something.

He stopped and turned around, his gaze falling on Kelly, who stood trembling in front of him.

"You just said you're a good cook?"

"I'm so sorry, sir, I just..."

Kelly was stunned for a moment before she realized what was happening. She hurriedly explained while cautiously watching Xia Nan's expression.

She had only spoken halfway when a flash of silver light suddenly caught her eye, causing her pupils to widen involuntarily.

A silver coin, gleaming brilliantly in the sunlight, was flipping and bouncing between Xia Nan's fingers.

There's a dish I'm wondering if you know how to make?

……

"Ding."

The metal ladle stirred the soup, making a crisp sound as it struck the bowl.

The aroma of food wafts through the air, and the rising steam is especially enticing in the winter.

It's not the creamy mushroom soup with parsley leaves, thick and creamy with a rich milky flavor that you might imagine.

At this moment, although many chopped mushroom pieces could still be seen in the bowl in Xia Nan's hand, the milky aroma in the soup had disappeared.

Instead, a complex diet consisting of beans, grains, wild vegetables, radishes, onions, and cured meat slices was introduced.

If I had to name it, would you call it a mixed mushroom soup?
Green Wheat Village was poor and remote, and Kelly's family was even less wealthy, so it was impossible for them to have the essential ingredients for cream of mushroom soup, such as cream, refined flour, and pepper, on hand all year round.

This mushroom soup was the best she could do.

Of course, compared to the meal expenses Xia Nan paid, she definitely didn't lose out.

Sitting alone in the empty rooms that the village chief of Qingmai Village had prepared for each of them, Xia Nan gently scooped up a spoonful and put it in his mouth.

Experience the blend of multiple flavors on your tongue, complex yet without excessive seasoning, simply bringing out the natural taste of the ingredients—a simple, unpretentious deliciousness.

He squinted and nodded in satisfaction.

As Kelly herself said, her cooking skills are indeed quite good.

Xia Nan did not resist his identity as an adventurer and his job, but the immense pressure during the mission and the threats from the enemy, even though he did not have many physical injuries, were seriously draining his spirit.

Therefore, during breaks between missions, he always took the time to rest and recuperate. Whether it was sitting in the White Sparrow Tavern drinking a bowl of cream of mushroom soup or cleaning up a few goblin nests in the woods, it would comfort him and help him recover quickly.

Compared to other adventurers' drinking and gambling, his behavior was undoubtedly much healthier.

However, this trip was too rushed. He had just returned from Newme and left Riverdale with the team. Then came a series of beast-hunting missions, leaving him with very little time to rest. This left him with some regrets.

Now that this opportunity is available and the conditions are right, I can't let it pass me by.

As Xia Nan sipped the mushroom soup, her thoughts gradually drifted away.

If the attribute panel could visualize his sanity value, you would definitely be able to see the numbers "+1", "+1" constantly popping up in the air around his body.

Just then, a sudden scream shattered the silence.

(End of this chapter)