Goblin Heavy Dependence

Chapter 232 Squad Changes and Familiar Figures

All things are reviving, and spring has arrived.

As the snow melts in the streams during the harsh winter, the withered old oak trees sprout new buds.

Before we knew it, the month of Windclaw had arrived.

Xia Nan is also about to celebrate the first anniversary of his transmigration to the continent of Aifara.

He believes that a sense of ritual is needed to further alleviate the heavy pressure brought about by the intense and adventurous life.

It also adds a bit more humanity to oneself, so as not to become a ruthless machine for earning coins and grinding proficiency.

Of course, since he wasn't one to show off or put on a show, he certainly wouldn't do what some of the professionals he'd met recently had: spend a fortune to book the entire tavern for a banquet.

A large pot of creamy mushroom soup, specially prepared to suit individual preferences, bursting with aroma, accompanied by a few slices of toasted, crispy wheat bread, a plate of premium stew, and half a bottle of chilled ale.

The crisp, satisfying feeling of tearing goblin flesh apart with a sword blade a few days ago, still lingering between my fingers.

That already made him feel very satisfied, and he felt that he had spent a fulfilling and wonderful day.

Sitting alone in his usual spot in the corner of the tavern's main hall, he enjoyed a sumptuous feast.

The White Sparrow Tavern was as lively as ever, filled with all sorts of adventurers.

I wonder when the willow and hazel branches hanging above the tavern's door appeared, the bundles of grass tied with colorful ribbons next to the liquor cabinet, and the small green plants specially placed in the corner of the counter...

This heralds the arrival of the "Green Grass Festival," a traditional festival in the continent of Alpha.

Xia Nan was not clear about the customs of this festival in the town. His memories from his predecessor only told him that people would weave garlands, pray to the gods for a good harvest in the new year, and exchange plans for spring planting on this day.

For the adventurers in the White Sparrow Tavern, including himself, so many festivals every year didn't really make much difference.

The tavern owner might put on a show by decorating a few small decorations or even hosting some eye-catching and lively events.

In the end, what adventurers actually receive are just a few seemingly discounted wines and set meals.

It doesn't save you many coins; in fact, the festive atmosphere makes expenses much higher than usual.

The same is true today.

However, it must be admitted that the otherworldly atmosphere that reflects the local customs and culture of this world is quite nice to look at.

The plate chainmail armor, which cost a discounted price of over 250 gold and was made of Marant steel, has already been repaired after being purchased from the blacksmith.

The most serious injury he suffered in the past two months was being grazed by a dying bear goblin with a hammer, but thanks to Xia Nan's increasingly skilled equipment maintenance techniques, it has remained in relatively good condition.

Perhaps it doesn't look as brand new as it did when it first came out of the blacksmith's shop, but the few remaining signs of battle on its surface add to its seasoned aura.

Its defensive capabilities have not been weakened, and it can obviously still be used for a long time.

Cash's [Tidal Lure Rod], from his former Seathorn Squad teammate, is still on consignment and no one in the association is interested in it.

That's to be expected, given its demanding usage conditions and highly targeted effects.

Just waiting for the right person to fish.

Xia Nan was not in a hurry about this.

The threat of the beastification curse has been eliminated with the help of the mage named "Veiro".

He no longer needed to spend 500 gold to buy the scroll to remove the curse, which greatly reduced the pressure on his gold reserves.

It's worth mentioning that after selling the Resonance Relic to Violet for 400 gold, Xia Nan's net worth once reached over 1,200 gold (the association charged a 5% handling fee in the transaction of the Resonance Relic).

Now, after two months of targeted training against goblins, his savings have decreased instead of increased, leaving him with only a little over five hundred gold coins.

As for the reason... it was certainly not because he was extravagant or had picked up any bad habits.

Instead, they spent all their money on upgrading the [Serpent Scale Arm Shield].

Having obtained "Corrosion Steel" as a reward for the Association's investigation mission against the Beastmen, and using snake scales obtained from the Secret Realm as the main material, the upgraded arm shield has entered the forging process.

Even though he had already provided two precious main materials, after roughly calculating the remaining miscellaneous expenses, including labor costs, auxiliary material costs, etc., he still paid Barn a full 1000 gold coins.

The agreement was that any overpayment would be refunded and any underpayment would be collected, but according to Barn at the time, even if there was any money left over from the thousand gold coins for magical equipment made of materials of this level, it probably wouldn't be much.

Xia Nan naturally felt heartbroken.

But at the same time, there is even more anticipation for the final product.

Without a doubt, in terms of both production cost and material quality, the arm shield is far superior to the [Bone-Binding Iron Greaves] he is currently wearing.

Regardless of the specific effects, the quality of the finished equipment will definitely be above that of the previous one.

Green-grade equipment is definitely available; otherwise, not only would Barn, as the blacksmith, probably have proactively returned the materials and labor costs.

There's a pretty good chance it'll be blue gear.

If he's lucky enough, or if Barn has a flash of inspiration while forging... Xia Nan might be able to obtain his first purple-grade equipment after transmigrating!
This made him feel excited.

The only pity is that Barn is, after all, a famous blacksmith in Riverdale.

Standard equipment that can be mass-produced and has established a fixed process is fine; both repair and manufacturing are relatively quick.

However, for magical equipment that requires customization based on material properties and user needs, the forging process takes a relatively long time.

As far as Xia Nan knew, when he officially handed over the arm shield and the Corroded Steel to the other party, he already had a list of at least two enchanted equipment items.

So for the past two months, Xia Nan spent most of his time waiting while communicating in detail with the other party about the upgrade plan for the arm shield, including but not limited to: the specific design after completion, whether it would still be used as an arm shield, and the materials mixed during forging...

Production will actually begin in the next couple of days.

Therefore, it will take him some time before he receives the finished product.

"Thump."

Accompanied by the soft clanging of metal armor rubbing against each other and a faint smell of blood, a familiar footstep came from ahead.

"I was delayed at the grocery store for a while." His voice was hoarse, and his short, messy hair still looked like fur that had been processed by a butcher.

"Green Blood" Adeline sat down across from them, the two pitchers of dark beer she had just bought falling onto the table as the drinks swayed.

"I'm late, this meal is on me."

Upon hearing this, Xia Nan simply shook his head, indicating that the other party should not take it to heart.

In the nearly one year since I traveled through time, I can count the number of trustworthy friends I've made on one hand.

Adeline, standing before me, is one of them.

They had gone through life-and-death battles together and were teammates who could entrust their backs to each other.

Even though they haven't worked together for a long time, he often meets up with the other person for drinks and casual chats during his free time outside of work.

"How have you been lately? I heard you've got a few new guys on your team?"

Without even looking at the other person, Xia Nan stared at a dwarf in the tavern hall ahead, who was drinking with his teammates, and casually asked, "Not bad. One of them has some experience, having received some combat training in the village before; the other is a hunter by trade, and they're both quite obedient."

To make Adeline an adventurer, her entire life's goal, the red-maned bear goblin has been killed by Xia Nan.

Although she had considered retiring, after so many years of fighting goblins, it was impossible for this strong and resilient female warrior to return to a peaceful and tranquil rural life.

After Xia Nan left the team, she rested for a while before continuing her adventurer career with Abi.

Several new members have also been added to the team.

"Speaking of which, both of them joined the team because of the name 'Gray Sword,' so I actually benefited from your situation."

Hearing the other person's joke, Xia Nan just smiled and waved his hand.

As a professional who started as a low-level adventurer, I haven't done anything particularly noteworthy lately.

But the reputation he had built up gradually grew as he returned to the tavern time and time again, and as word spread among the adventurers who came and went.

If you spend a few more days in River Valley and are willing to investigate the experienced adventurers worth noting in the town, you'll most likely find the name "Grey Sword" among them.

This is why, even though he is in a bustling tavern with a mix of people, the tables around him are mostly empty.

"You've already achieved your professional rank for so long, and even if you don't create your own team, haven't any other teams invited you?"

Adeline raised her glass and took several large gulps of beer.

"Given the difficulty of a professional-level mission, isn't it a bit too dangerous for someone to go it alone?"

"By the way, didn't you temporarily join a squad before? I remember that drow hybrid pretty well; he was wearing a leather jacket and had a great physique."

"Why haven't I seen them lately?"

“Uh…” Xia Nan didn’t know how to answer for a moment. After a slight pause, he said tactfully, “We encountered an owl bear in the forest, and then we split up.”

He had considered joining a regular adventurer party, but for some reason, the previous mediocre party and the recent Seathorn party... both didn't go well.

There are always some shadows in his heart. Even if his teammates have never shown obvious hostility, he is subconsciously on guard against being betrayed by others. Over time, he inevitably gets tired and weary.

On the contrary, acting alone may mean facing dangers without anyone to share them, but it always feels much more carefree and relaxed, without having to think about so many things.

Misunderstanding his meaning, and thinking that the Seathorn Squad had suffered heavy losses in the battle with the Owl Bear, Adeline felt that she had said something wrong, and quickly changed the subject with a hint of apology in her eyes.

“Abby mentioned to me a couple of times during her recent break that she wanted to leave the team.”

"Oh?" Xia Nan frowned subconsciously. "He's only been in this line of work for about half a year, right? Can he handle it?"

Adeline simply shook her head helplessly at this.

"I know the captain of the adventurer team that recruited him; he seems reliable."

“I’ve already spoken to them beforehand, and when Abbi joins the team in a while, we should be able to help each other out.”

We are all adults struggling in the misty forest, and each of us must take responsibility for our decisions.

Abby and Shana had worked together before, and Abby was personally mentored by Adeline.

When faced with choices and changes, two people who are bystanders may be able to offer each other advice, but ultimately, the decision of which path to take is up to the other person.

Given Adeline's personality, she must have already discussed the pros and cons of leaving the team with Abby.

If, under these circumstances, the other party still insists on leaving the safe "Green Blood" squad and going out to pursue more things.

No one will stop them.

What comes to mind is the image of myself when I first met the other person, a naive, stubborn, and inexperienced newbie; and the image of myself in recent months, becoming increasingly pragmatic and restless as my equipment has become more sophisticated.

As the two alternated, a strange feeling welled up in my heart.

Xia Nan scooped up a spoonful of mushroom soup.

How have you been lately?

When this topic came up, a hint of joy appeared on Adeline's usually composed face.

"If I acquire a decent combat skill, barring any unforeseen circumstances... by the end of the year, or early next year, I should be qualified to ascend to the second floor of the association."

"That's great news! Congratulations!"

A hint of surprise flashed in Xia Nan's eyes.

Thinking about it carefully, the other party's progress is actually reasonable.

When she first joined the "Green Blood" team, Adeline was already a well-known adventurer in town, close to achieving a professional level.

Several more months have passed, and it's time for them to advance.

After all, not everyone can achieve such a breakthrough as I have, surpassing the norms of this world and obtaining a professional level in just one year since becoming an adventurer.

To some extent, this is one of the reasons why Xia Nan has never had a fixed team.

Their strength has increased far too quickly!

With his attribute panel, his talent, and the good foundation of his body, he was able to speed along the path of an adventurer like a rocket.

With his current proficiency at level 4 in [Fang Hunting], he estimates it will only take him two or three months to become a level 2 professional.

This is even with the [Fang Hunt] being of higher quality, requiring significantly more time to train and develop compared to ordinary combat skills.

In any other situation, his promotion would have been even faster!

If he were to join a fixed team, things might be fine for the first few months, but after two or three, or even four or five years, he would probably be seven or eight levels ahead of his teammates.

At that time, even disregarding the difficulty of the tasks that teams with this kind of strength distribution can take on—tasks suitable for Xia Nan are too difficult for his teammates; and tasks suitable for his teammates yield too little benefit for Xia Nan.

The sheer difference in combat strength between them can cause inexplicable and subtle changes in the originally harmonious team relationships.

In the end, we might not even be able to remain friends.

The way he's interacting with Adeline now is actually the best fit for him.

"When you're doing your promotion quests, if you need teammates, remember to come find me."

“Of course!” Adeline replied with a smile. “With the connection to the famous ‘Grey Sword,’ I wouldn’t be foolish enough to leave it unused.”

bang——

The two clinked glasses, the glistening liquor reflecting the soft light and splashing in the air.

The conversation gradually deepened, ranging from the ongoing reconstruction of Caranfall to the recent changes in Newm's leadership, from goblin killing techniques to methods for identifying goblin lairs...

Just as Xia Nan was engrossed in his conversation, a familiar figure that shouldn't have been there came into his view as the tavern door was pushed open.

"Wood?"

(End of this chapter)