Goblin Heavy Dependence

Chapter 208 Bestiality, Soul, and Healing Methods

The sudden attack by the beastmen caused Mint some minor injuries.

But the morale of the entire Seathorn Squad surged imperceptibly.

With the mission objective revealed and the investigation progressing significantly, the upgrade materials for the Serpent Scale Arm Shield were right before Xia Nan's eyes, and he was naturally filled with anticipation.

For Veris and Cash, the mane left on the field by the beastman not only confirmed that their long-tracked target was nearby, but also confirmed that its identity was not some cunning beast as they had previously thought, but a beastman transformed from an intelligent being.

In just one night, the atmosphere in the entire team underwent a tremendous change.

They were well hidden, but the drow half-elf who had smeared poison on his dagger for half the night while on night watch, and the subtle change in the tone of his voice when he spoke to Cash this morning, still made Xia Nan keenly aware of the quiet shift in attitude of his two temporary teammates.

Before this, whether it was the requests to clear wild animals or the journey to Qingmai Village, the two of them acted very professionally and were not perfunctory. However, they gave the impression of being workers on an assembly line, preparing supplies, setting traps, building camps, fighting when they encountered enemies, and collecting materials and spoils after the battle, repeating the process endlessly.

It's not that there's anything wrong with it, but it definitely lacks a proactive mindset.

It was as if something more important was ahead, and everything else was just a transition.

Even though only one night had passed since the attack by the beastmen, the two showed considerable enthusiasm when discussing the follow-up plans that morning.

Cash explained that he hadn't made any discoveries beforehand and it was just a simple investigation request, so he wasn't really interested.

After the appearance of the beastmen, they gained the possibility of obtaining the full reward, and had the opportunity to complete a proper E-level mission.

Therefore, a change in mindset occurred.

Xia Nan remained noncommittal about his statement, not entirely believing it, knowing that the two were hiding something.

However, in some ways, this is a good thing.

It's just an investigation mission; there's no requirement to bring back the beastman's head.

Theoretically, even if I return now and hand over the information I've gathered, the mission would be considered complete. However, I would definitely not receive enough materials to upgrade my arm shield.

In this situation, if faced with a slightly dangerous encounter, Cash and his men could choose to retreat and avoid battle; there was no need for them to risk their lives for it.

Now things are much better. Based on the attitudes that the two of them have subtly revealed, Xia Nan even feels that even if he suddenly quits, his two teammates will continue to carry out the mission.

Outside the window, the last vestiges of night melted away under the glow of dawn.

Xia Nan packed her luggage and checked the room carefully again to make sure nothing was left behind before pushing open the door and leaving.

In front of the cabin, Mint held her yew branch staff, waiting quietly.

The tattered robe that was originally stained with blood had been discarded, and the clothes he was wearing were still the same color and style as before.

It's nothing fancy, just a simple, plain-colored robe.

"How is your injury healing? Are you able to manage?"

Nodding in acknowledgment, Xia Nan casually asked.

“It’s just a minor injury; one night will be more than enough,” Mint replied with a smile.

As he spoke, he raised his left hand and gestured to indicate that he had recovered.

Xia Nan knew perfectly well that he was just making a casual greeting.

After all, last night, he personally witnessed a ball of emerald green light appear in Mint's palm and adhere to the surface of the wound.

It was completely healed in just a few minutes, without leaving a single scar.

I can't help but marvel at how convenient magic is in this world.

If I can learn a similar ability in the future, I might even be able to save on those 50 gold-per-bottle healing potions.

While pondering to himself, and seeing that Cash and Veris had not yet appeared, he started chatting casually with the girl beside him.

"I've heard you mention the Misty Forest before. It seems you used to come here often many years ago?"

"That's what they say, but actually..." Mint nodded slightly. After a night's rest, her face, which had been pale from blood loss, regained a bit of color. "I just followed behind my mentor and didn't dare to do anything."

"Your advisor seems quite trusting, letting you out alone like this, even having to find teammates on the spot."

Xia Nan's gaze swept over the dilapidated houses on both sides, and he asked seemingly casually, but his words carried a hint of probing.

That is indeed strange.

To be able to become a legal professional at such an advanced age, and even have a certain background behind it, with mentors from senior professionals taking care of it.

Yet he ventured out on his own, despite his poor close-combat skills and the fact that he didn't even bring a guard. He simply joined a random team.

Based on Xia Nan's observations of Mint over the past few days, she knew less about Cash and Veris than she did herself.

Whether it's the mentor she mentioned or herself, they're both incredibly audacious.

Mint responded to this as follows:

"I've already obtained a professional level, so I can't hide behind my mentor forever. Going out to gain experience for a few years and meet more people can't hurt."

Ok……

Xia Nan felt a little uneasy, but didn't react much, and replied:

"So you've lived with your mentor since you were a child?"

"I guess so." Mint looked hesitant, as if she didn't want to delve deeper into the topic.

Having discerned the other party's meaning and knowing that the probing had reached its limit, Xia Nan nimbly changed the subject, asking the girl beside him quite earnestly:
"You're a druid by origin, so what's your understanding of 'beastification'?"

The encounter in Newme and the battle with the beastman "Bark" piqued Xia Nan's interest in this ancient and terrifying curse.

Oh, rather than being interested, I'm more concerned about its beast-like effects.

Xia Nan is very satisfied with her current body and doesn't want a tail to grow out of nowhere or to howl every full moon night.

Therefore, after returning to River Valley, he began a detailed investigation and study of this curse.

I now have a basic, albeit incomplete, understanding that there are roughly two ways to cure it.

One method is to directly remove the "beastification syndrome" using spells such as "Remove Curse".

However, [Remove Curse] is a third-circle protection spell, and there is a certain learning threshold. Not all casters have the time and energy to learn it.

And it's foreseeable that unless you have a special relationship with the other party, it would be extremely expensive to hire such a spellcaster!
It's definitely not something that ordinary people can afford.

The second method involves using special items such as potions or magic scrolls.

Of course, putting aside the purchase channels, their prices alone are astronomical for ordinary people.

In conclusion, if ordinary people in this world were to accidentally contract the Beast Transformation Disease, there might truly be no cure.

However, Xia Nan sometimes wondered if the priests in certain areas under the jurisdiction of certain churches could provide some assistance.

Mint, who claims to have a mentor among professionals, undoubtedly knows more about the terrible curse of "Beastification Syndrome" than Xia Nan does. "Removing the curse is certainly useful, but it needs to be done in stages."

Her long robe fluttered gently in the morning breeze, and her head was slightly lowered, her short hair with a light green sheen falling across her cheeks.

"If it's just a recent injury, and one realizes they might have contracted the beastification disease, with timely treatment, there's a possibility of completely removing the curse."

"But if it progresses to the later stages and the symptoms gradually become more severe, then it will be more troublesome."

Long, slender, fair fingers caressed the staff, and the veins beneath the delicate skin were faintly visible.

"Beastification syndrome is, after all, a curse, not a disease."

"It is inherently a struggle between humanity and animality."

"The impact extends beyond the physical body..."

Mint suddenly looked up, her eyes fixed on Xia Nan.

"And the soul."

It was only for a moment, then he lowered his head again, burying his eyes in the shadows on his face.

"In most cases, the bestiality syndrome cannot be cured on its own. No matter how strong one's willpower is, it can only suppress the bestiality temporarily and cannot eradicate its influence."

“A person infected with animalism may be a considerate husband, a competent colleague, or a kind neighbor in ordinary days, but on those moonlit nights... you would never want to know what he is enduring and going through.”

"But if humanity is suppressed, and animalistic instincts take over, or even if one actively accepts the beastly side of their heart."

"Then you will succumb to its wildness and bloodlust, and your personality will be silently influenced by it, turning you into a beast."

"In short, if someone is infected with the animalization disease and does not receive timely treatment, he will become a destabilizing factor in the city, a walking bomb that could explode at any time."

"This is precisely why many cities abhor and expel the beast-like human race."

"When a pure soul is tainted by bestiality, it's like ink mixed into clear water."

"It's not something that a third-level spell like [Remove Curse] can solve."

Upon hearing this, Xia Nan couldn't help but affirm his long-term plan to have a certain amount of savings.

If I were to accidentally fall victim to this curse in the future, whether I were to purchase the relevant potions from the alchemy shop on the second floor of the association or directly post a request to hire a spellcaster to remove the curse, it would certainly be a considerable expense.

As he pondered this, he glanced at the girl in front of him.

It was just a casual question, but I didn't expect the other person to actually know something about it.

Seizing the opportunity, he continued to ask:

"So those infected with the beastification disease who want to live in the city for a long time have to live carefully and avoid being discovered?"

“It’s hard to endure.” Mint shook her head. “The effects of the beast transformation curse are not something an ordinary person can withstand.”

"There are many intelligent beings in this world infected with the beastification disease. In those remote wilderness areas, there are many communities composed of beastmen. This is not a secret. Many people know about it."

"Some people even deliberately contract the bestiality disease and embrace their animalistic nature in order to increase their strength in a short period of time."

“There are even offspring of humans and beastmen—'beastmen'.”

Originating from ancient times, with a long history, a vast number of creatures, and an extremely strong ability to spread, the terrifying curse of "beastification" has given birth to too many things on this continent.

It cannot be explained in just a few words.

To gain a full and comprehensive understanding of it, one might need to visit a library in a major city or consult with scholars or professors in the relevant field.

Xia Nan had no way of researching this kind of knowledge on a regular basis. The only high-level professional he had ever met, Fu Gang, had already left, leaving behind only a wolf fang as a token of goodwill.

I don't even know where to ask.

Seeing that Mint seemed to know quite a lot, he thought he should take the opportunity to learn more about her extraordinary knowledge.

However, before he could even speak, Cash and Veris walked over from the other side of the road.

Last night, the wooden house was attacked by beastmen, and half of it was smashed, causing a great commotion in the village.

The two went out to find the village chief and explain and handle the relevant matters just as dawn was breaking, and they have only just returned.

"Are you all ready?"

Cash asked the two people in front of the house.

Seeing that Xia Nan and Bohe had no objections, he nodded slightly.

"Let's set off then, it's time for us to leave."

……

The appearance of the beastmen disrupted the plans of the Seathorn Squad to some extent.

After all, their original plan was to first go to Qingmai Village to find out the details from the villagers who had been in contact with the attacked adventurers, and then, based on the information they obtained, enter the Misty Forest to explore according to the general location provided by the association.

With the beastmen nearby, there's no need for a second step.

The group immediately began searching the surrounding area, using Qingmai Village as the center.

Very detailed, circle by circle, gradually moving outwards.

Xia Nan didn't have high expectations for this.

After all, in his view, a beastman who could disappear instantly after attacking Mint, leaving no trace even for experienced adventurers like Cash and Veris, clearly possessing some kind of concealment method, shouldn't have left everyone with a chance to investigate after leaving.

Unexpectedly, before the sun even reached its highest point, they discovered the first trace, which most likely came from a beastman.

It was a mangled sheep carcass.

It was not the work of other predators on the plains.

Its limbs and internal organs were scattered all over the ground, and even its head had been torn off its spine.

However, upon closer inspection, it can be found that there are no obvious defects in the sheep's flesh.

Piecing them together piece by piece, they can almost form a complete head.

This means that the killer was not motivated by hunger or the need to hunt.

It's simply violence, unleashing one's bloodlust on other creatures.

Even more crucially, the footprints around the corpse were almost identical to those of the beastman from the previous night, and they too vanished suddenly in some corner as if by teleportation.

The group continued searching the surrounding area.

Soon, the second and third bodies were also discovered.

And the direction they were pointing was precisely the target that the Seathorn Squad had planned:
—A misty forest!
(End of this chapter)