Goblin Heavy Dependence

Chapter 209 is indeed true.
It must be admitted that when Xia Nan followed the group of people and followed the corpses found on the plains to the vicinity of the Misty Forest, it was quite a sight.

What came to mind was the image of scattering rice grains on the ground to guide the chicks in his past life.

These mangled sheep carcasses seemed to have been deliberately left behind by the beastman for everyone to find, with the aim of luring the Seathorn Squad into the Misty Forest.

Xia Nan couldn't help but have some doubts.

But in reality, if the Seathorn Squad hadn't had their encounter last night, they originally planned to go deep into the forest after completing their investigation in Qingmai Village, following the general directions provided by the association.

Right now, it's just that the plan has returned to its original state, only with an extra detour on the plains, but there's no significant difference.

Step in.

As the gray-white mist quietly spread through the air, the howling, chilly wind on the plain suddenly stopped, and the warm, bright sunlight melted into the depths of the lush, dense foliage overhead.

It was as if I had entered another world, with only the chirping of insects and the soft sound of the wind rustling through the trees in my ears.

Danger, silence.

Nearly a year of adventure has given Xia Nan muscle memory.

The moment the first wisp of mist touched his skin, he instantly became alert.

His body, which had been slightly relaxed due to the vast open plains and wide field of vision, suddenly tensed up, his attention focused, and he became alert to any potential dangers around him.

At the same time, without any instructions from Cash, the team leader, the members had already formed a formation.

Cash led the way, with Veris flanking them, Mint protected in the center as always, and Shanan brought up the rear.

Time passed quietly.

With intense concentration and the unique environment of the misty forest—low ​​visibility and dense canopy—it's difficult to notice how much time is spent there unless you're paying special attention.

Many new adventurers may enter the forest in the morning and, before they know it, the day has already passed.

Fortunately, the members of the Seathorn Squad are all adventurers who have obtained their professional ranks and will not make mistakes in this regard.

Regarding time, even without discerning it through the sunlight filtering through the tree canopy, one can generally sense what time it is.

"Stop, let's rest nearby first. Once we find a relatively safe place, we'll set up camp for the night."

At the very front of the group, Cash suddenly stopped, glanced up at the sunlight filtering through the dense foliage overhead, and began to give instructions.

Darkness falls quickly in the forest, so preparations for spending the night must be made in advance.

If we wait until it's completely dark before taking action, the danger will increase significantly.

Upon hearing this, Xia Nan was not entirely at ease, but remained standing still while keeping a watchful eye on his surroundings.

Compared to when he first entered the Misty Forest, his plate and chainmail armor showed no obvious damage, but the surface of his decapitation sword had several blood-red marks.

—From what he had just encountered along the way: a newly grown leopard, a three-headed blue baboon that looked like it hadn't eaten for many days, and a poisonous lizard about the length of an adult's arm, hiding deep in the bushes, intending to launch a surprise attack on him.

This was just the wild beast he encountered while covering the rear of the group.

If we add Cash and Veris, the number of attacks the Seathorn Squad has suffered would be even more staggering.

Although there were no direct casualties among the team, the number of enemies encountered along the way was undoubtedly the highest in more than a month.

Even Cash, who seemed to have a lot of adventure experience, found this a bit strange.

However, they only attributed it to the recent wild animal rampage in the forest, without giving it much further thought.

It is worth mentioning that the animal carcasses that led the group into the forest were not found again after they actually entered.

It's unclear whether the forest's scavengers cleared the path overnight, or whether the beastmen simply didn't use this route.

He pondered in his mind, as if he had noticed some possible suspicious points.

He turned to Veris beside him and asked:

"Those corpses we encountered along the way, they must have been left behind last night, right?"

"Of course, what's wrong?"

Can you determine the exact time they died?

"Little brother Xia Nan, what do you take me for?" The drow half-elf with slightly dark skin and a hot figure immediately showed a helpless expression on her face.

"It is true that I lived in the Underdark for a period of time, but that does not mean that I can manipulate corpses and summon the dead like those necromancers."

"If your sister had this ability, she wouldn't have come with you to this godforsaken place where we can't take a shower for ten days or half a month."

Upon hearing this, Xia Nan could only awkwardly smile and didn't ask any further questions.

In his previous life, he had read some mystery novels, in which the detective protagonists could determine the exact time of death of the deceased by looking at some details on the corpse.

He didn't have a detailed understanding of this, so he wondered if anyone in the team had the relevant knowledge.

It seems that at least Vera has no chance right now.

Judging from their behavior along the way, Cash and Mint probably don't know more than I do.

As for why he asked this question... it was just a fleeting doubt in his mind, not particularly important. Since he couldn't figure it out, it didn't matter if he just let it go.

Set traps and build camps.

The sky overhead was only slightly dimming when the bright, blazing campfire was already burning.

Xia Nan leaned against a tree trunk, holding a piece of gauze in his hand, carefully wiping his decapitation sword.

He carefully removed the bloodstains that he hadn't had time to clean during the day while rushing to his destination.

Suddenly, a voice came from beside me.

“You take good care of yourself.” Cash sat by the campfire, looking at Xia Nan with a kind smile on his face. “When I first became a professional, I made a lot of money and wanted to get a new set of equipment for every mission.”

Xia Nan smiled without saying a word, but secretly grumbled to himself.

Although the "Decapitation Sword" is just a white-grade item, its stats are quite good. It not only has an impressive 50% durability bonus, but also adds 5% decapitation damage.

Sharp and durable.

Even for ordinary professionals, this is considered very good equipment; it's not something you can just buy easily.

Although his equipment had a slightly higher failure rate, it didn't mean he didn't cherish it. He didn't skimp on maintenance and upkeep.

Look at the plate chainmail armor he's wearing now; it's brand new, like it was just bought. It only has a few scratches from unintentional scratches during combat, and there's absolutely no flaw caused by improper maintenance.

"Speaking of which, your nickname 'Grey Sword' comes from this longsword, doesn't it?"

Upon hearing this, Xia Nan immediately became wary.

Sensing that the other party seemed to be intentionally trying to gather information about him, he remained calm and skillfully changed the subject:

"Nicknames are just rumors spread by the people in the tavern. Basically, anyone with a little bit of fame has been given one or two nicknames."

"Don't you have one?" Cash just laughed and waved at Xia Nan.

"I've spent most of my life at sea, fishing and occasionally catching a couple of unlucky pirates. What kind of fame could I possibly have?"

Is it that you don't have it, or that you don't want to say?
Xia Nan naturally didn't believe the man's explanation, but he didn't point it out either, keeping his head down and silently wiping his longsword.

Cash continued, "Ahead, Cash said:"

"To be honest, we're pretty much the same. You don't really know me as a person, but rather you know this old thing in my hand."

Oh?
Xia Nan raised an eyebrow and followed the gaze.

What came into view was the bluish-gray stone spear in Cash's hand.

It looks dusty and doesn't have anything particularly eye-catching about it.

Even the tip of the spearhead lacked the sharp, cold gleam that any ordinary weapon should possess.

The only noteworthy feature is the almost nonexistent wave-shaped engraving on the surface of the spear shaft, which has no trace of splicing with the spear itself and is a smooth shape made entirely of stone.

At first glance, it looks less like a weapon and more like a ritual object used in seaside church ceremonies.

Having spent so many days with the Seathorn Squad, Xia Nan naturally had some understanding of Cash's main weapon.

I know it's not as simple as it looks, but usually the other party only brings it out during missions, so I don't have a chance to get close and hold it. I just concentrate on using the panel to identify its attributes.

Now that the other party seems to be mentioning relevant information, I can't help but become a little interested.

"I mentioned to you before that I come from a fisherman's background, remember?"

Xia Nan nodded.

"Looking back now, even though decades have passed, those days are still vivid in my mind."

"I remember when I was a child, my family was not well-off. The five of us squeezed into a dilapidated house by the sea. We had to sell all the fish we caught. Every day we could only fill our stomachs with a porridge made of black bread and beans. We rarely had a full meal."

“Often before dawn, my father would set out to sea in his little wooden boat with my brother to fish, and they wouldn’t return until very late; my mother would stay home with my sister to spin thread, mend nets, and take care of other chores.”

“I was young and mischievous, and I couldn’t sit still at home. Occasionally I would help them dry some fish or pick up some shells and small crabs on the mudflats, but I couldn’t do it for long.”

"Until that day." The voice suddenly paused.

Darkness falls quickly in the forest; just moments ago, only a sliver of twilight was visible, but now the woodland is completely dark.

A misty haze hung in the air, and the dark, thick shadows mingled with the orange glow of the fire, obscuring the middle-aged man's face and leaving only the wave-like tattoo on his profile visible.

"I remember it very clearly. The waves were huge that day. They crashed against the rocks on the shore and looked like they were about to break apart. My father and brother didn't go out to sea for safety reasons. The whole family stayed in the small house."

"I actually quite like this feeling. I don't have to go out. I can just sit on the bed, watch my older brother and sister bicker, and my parents chatting over there. It's great."

"Then he came."

"An adventurer passing by, just like us."

"Although he was alone and didn't look particularly strong, he was an adventurer after all, so his family treated him with both warmth and trepidation."

"As for what happened afterward..."

Cash suddenly grinned, revealing his gleaming white teeth.

"Yes, it's what you think."

"Because I'm small, my older sister shielded me and I ran out by myself."

"I didn't go home until I was too cold to stand it anymore at night."

"All dead."

"No one survived."

"Oh, the adventurer's body is in there too—my father stabbed him through the neck with the adventurer's own weapon."

As he spoke, Kash raised the stone spear in his hand.

"that's it."

"That night, I was so tired that I slept in the house all night and didn't get up to clean up until the next day."

"I've kept this stone spear with me ever since."

"I have to say, it's actually quite useful."

Before Xia Nan could even finish speaking, a sneer came from the shadows beside him.

"You're listening to him brag."

Veris's face was full of amusement, and the two short daggers in her hands were already coated with poison, their edges reflecting dangerous and deadly iridescent light.

"The origin of this broken stone spear in his hand, based on what I've heard, is at least three different stories. Oh, and with the one from earlier, that makes four."

"This old guy is just trying to fool someone into getting rid of this thing so he can get a new one. Don't fall for it."

On the other hand, upon hearing what Veris said, Cash didn't show any anger or embarrassment on his face. He just grinned as if he had been exposed.

"You'd better stop talking nonsense, or maybe this time it would have worked!"

"It's just a broken stone spear, not some kind of magical equipment. Even if I didn't say anything, who in their right mind would buy it?"

"What did that collector say last time? The price was almost agreed upon, if it weren't for..."

The two were arguing, but Xia Nan didn't get involved; he just focused on wiping his sword.

Then, upon hearing a certain keyword uttered by the other person, a thought struck him, and he casually replied:
"I've seen a few of these magical items on the exchange catalog on the second floor of my association. The prices vary widely. Is there anything special about them?"

“Of course!” Veris glared at Cash, too lazy to argue with him any longer, and explained to Xia Nan.

"Needless to say, equipment of different grades will have different prices, even if the quality is similar, the price of the equipment will often vary considerably depending on its type."

"The most expensive items are, of course, 'jewelry,' such as rings and necklaces. They are discreet, easy to wear, and experts who can enchant these small items often produce quite good finished products."

"Even the seasoned adventurers on the second floor of the guild might not have a magical accessory like this."

"Similar products are rarely seen on the market; they are usually absorbed internally."

At this point, Vera sighed.

"Sigh, we've gone off on a tangent."

"For low-level professionals like us, a single magical item can bankrupt us. We might spend years trying to acquire it, so there's no need to think about it so much."

"Indeed." Xia Nan nodded heavily.

His right hand, adorned with an inconspicuous silver ring, gripped the hilt of the sword. He lifted the decapitation sword that lay across his thighbone armor, pulled it back into its sheath, and stacked it next to another wooden sword beside it.

(End of this chapter)