Goblin Heavy Dependence

Chapter 241 Passing By, Attribute Panel

Resting in the Dragon Nest Tavern lobby.

There's a wide-open view in a corner, offering a view of both the hotel entrance and the bar on the second-floor staircase.

"Crench."

Seemingly unable to bear the weight of the metal plate armor, the four chair legs trembled slightly as they touched the ground, emitting a mournful wail.

Terry William leaned back, resting lightly against the back of his chair.

A natural and friendly smile still lingered on his handsome face.

Behind them, the dining table where Xia Nan and his group had been sitting was now empty, with only a few plates on it, and the tavern waiters were quickly clearing the table.

On the other side, in the stairwell leading to the second floor, the faint sound of footsteps fading away could be heard.

"Captain, how is it?"

A subordinate whispered in his ear, leaning closer to ask.

"It shouldn't be." The smile on his face gradually disappeared as his fingertips lightly tapped the table, replaced by a deeper look of contemplation.

Terry William shook his head almost imperceptibly.

"Perhaps they just happened to be passing by."

"Is it really such a coincidence?" The knight sitting across the table, also dressed in standard equipment but of slightly lower quality, asked in surprise, "Just at this moment, a second son of the city lord from distant Newm suddenly appeared in Moltenscale Town?"

"Captain, I don't think it's that simple."

Terry William did not reply to this, but simply poured himself a glass of ice water.

He drank it all in one gulp and wiped the water from the corners of his mouth.

Those eyes, which had never shown any kindness to Hai'an and the others, were now filled with only the icy coldness that flowed down their throats into their chests and abdomens.

As the youngest knight commander under the Duke of Morton, he has already raised his professional level to lv5 before the age of thirty and is seeking to advance to the next class as a Silver-plated Knight.

Among the five knights who were also professionals, Terry William held the highest leadership position and was the captain of the squad.

The reason they traveled from Sticky Tree Territory across the mountains to Molten Scale Town was certainly not for a picnic or to deliver a message.

His reason for refusing to escort Hai'an back to the territory was not a fabricated excuse.

However, he did have important business to attend to and needed to stay in the town.

Terry William knows the "Dogtooth Squad" and recognizes the squad leader, "Lawson".

He also knew perfectly well what those audacious adventurers had been plotting.

Breaking into the lair of an adult red dragon and safely retrieving a treasure from it would be a task even Duke Morton would find difficult to accomplish.

The "Dog Fang Squad" had been planning this operation for nearly two years, and as his former colleague—although the other had already left when he became a professional, Lawson's team's unusual behavior had been discovered by the Duke's spies a year earlier.

The acquisition of large quantities of items to detect and remove magical traps, fire resistance potions, and even a bid for a Dragonbreaker Dagger at an auction house...

Anyone with a keen eye for detail would easily guess the "Dog Fang Squad's" plan.

Their target was the squad leader, Lawson, who had previously served as a guard at the Duke's mansion and might know some secrets, and was even a survivor of the Red Dragon attack.

There's probably only one—

The Duke of Morton's lost family heirloom.

To be honest, neither I nor the Duke believed that the Fang Squad's outlandish plan had any chance of success.

But since it concerns the Morton family's heirloom, even if the possibility is as small as 0.001%, it is necessary to confirm it.

This is why Terry William and his group stayed in Molten Scale Town.

The only human settlement near the Red Dragon's lair is where the Fang Squad must come to resupply and rest, regardless of whether their plan succeeds or not.

Failure was expected, but what if Lawson and his team were truly blessed by Lady Luck...

The treasures of the Morton family should naturally be returned to the territory by His Excellency the Duke's most loyal and courageous knight.

The moment Lawson returned to town, their scouts, who had been stationed at the town entrance, reported the situation to Terry William and the others, and thus, based on the route, they waited in advance at the Dragon's Nest Inn.

Unexpectedly, before Lawson could even see him, Terry William spotted the conspicuous silver-haired, silver-eyed half-elf with a longbow on his back at the tavern entrance.

—Haiyan Wycliffe.

The second son of the Lord of Newme.

Because of the Duke's relationship with Lord Wycliffe, Terry William and Haian had some connection.

Given the other person's personality, they probably already consider me a close friend.

Terry William would certainly not refuse such an extra channel, but if this relationship affected his status in the Morton family and delayed the opportunity to obtain resources for his job change...

He also knows what's important and what's not.

Currently, considering what I heard recently about the changes in senior management at Newme's side.

It makes sense that Hai'an would travel such a long distance to seek refuge in Yuansha Province.

But as his subordinates just said, it was too much of a coincidence.

Just as Lawson returned to the tavern after finishing his mission, Haian and his group happened to appear.

Even though he believed the other party's claim that they just happened to be passing through Molten Scale Town, he couldn't help but have some doubts.

According to the other party, Wood, the experienced and seasoned bodyguard who always stayed close by, was also in town.

Perhaps, Hai'an, like himself, did not lie, but simply concealed some crucial information.

For example, it is true that he escaped from Newme, but it was intentional that he was passing through Moltenscale Town at the moment.

It was all for the sake of the heirloom that the Duke had lost.

After all, if the rumors are true, and the rise of the Morton family was due to this item, then if the half-elf gets his hands on it, the Wycliffe family's current predicament will be easily resolved.

Whether it's regaining his position as Lord of Newme or choosing another location to start over, both are good options.

Even the two adventurers he had just glimpsed beside Hai'an did not seem like normal guards at all.

First, there's no need to say anything about the woman named "Vejore".

Without a doubt, he is a spellcaster, and a legitimate one with a professional rank, not just an ordinary mage apprentice.

The Wycliffe family clearly paid a considerable sum to hire him as a bodyguard.

Then came the taciturn, yet sharp-looking, black-haired youth.

Undoubtedly a professional, but their specific level is unknown.

But Terry William was certain that the opponent was no weakling.

That refined aura formed through long-term, regular training and extensive practical experience.

Compared to the lowly adventurers in the tavern who are stuck with one worthless quest after another, living day to day and wasting all their gold coins on card tables and prostitutes, this is a far cry from the lowly adventurers in the tavern.

It's easy to spot at a glance.

Even though he was too young, he didn't really participate in his conversations with Hai'an.

Terry William was also quite certain that this dark-haired youth was far more troublesome than he appeared.

“Don’t create any unnecessary complications before they actually take any actions that affect our plans,” Terry William instructed his men at the table.

"With limited manpower, our focus should remain primarily on the target."

"But don't let your guard down. If you're sure the other party is making a targeted move... remember to deal with the spellcaster first, and clean up the mess. The second son of a soon-to-be-fallen Lord of Newm won't have much of an impact."

Terry William certainly didn't want a direct conflict with Hai'an and his group. Their strength was unknown, and he also didn't want to lose this fairly good channel relationship.

However, if it comes to his mission objectives, compared to the allure of promotion and job change, then that's a different story.

Right now, the most crucial thing is to confirm whether the Fang Squad's plan was successful and whether they brought back Lord Morton's treasure from the dragon's nest.

Judging from Lawson's behavior after entering the hotel, their team's progress doesn't seem to be going smoothly.

However, if we consider the red dragon that flew over Moltenscale Town a few days ago, whose wings flapped with boundless fury, and Lawson's appearance alone in the tavern without any teammates by his side.

Terry William speculated that Lawson's plan might only have been half successful.

That family heirloom had already been stolen from the dragon's nest by their team through some means.

However, due to internal strife or the emergence of third-party forces, Lawson was unable to obtain the item.

Of course, it cannot be ruled out that the other party discovered their presence and deliberately misled them.

"Keep a close eye on them these next two days!"

What was initially a low-probability event with little hope took a dramatic turn for the better in just half a day.

If that heirloom could be returned to the Duke, not only would the current bottleneck he was facing be overcome, but even the "extraordinary" goal, which he had never dared to dream of before, would not seem so unattainable with the Morton family's resources.

Terry William suddenly became excited, and his handsome face was filled with an indescribable excitement.

"What about the back door of the hotel? Have Giri and the others secured it?"

"The shift just changed, and Grove has already taken over."

"Hmm, we'll spend some money later to ask the front desk about Lawson's rooms and book the rooms next to his so we can keep an eye on him."

"Yes, I'll do it right away!"

"Don't rush, wait..."

The group sat in a corner, discussing their next plan in whispers that only they could hear.

One of the knights who was keeping watch at the tavern door suddenly spoke up:

"Rotten toe? In broad daylight, how come this guy has time to come here? Resting at the Dragon's Nest isn't his territory."

Terry William followed his gaze.

What came into view was a bald man with a limp and a fierce-looking face, followed by several thug-like henchmen.

Having been stationed in the town for many days, they had already learned about several well-known figures in Molten Scale Town.

"Rotten toes" is one of them.

Actually, there's no need for much introduction; his rather unseemly nickname alone is enough to demonstrate his notoriety in the town.

An adventurer by trade, he not only owns the only casino in town, but is also secretly involved in the slave trade.

Although he was certainly not on par with Terry William and his knights, he was still a figure of some importance in a remote town like Molten Scale Town.

At least for the ordinary people in the town, if they offended the other party, they would have absolutely no chance to fight back.

But strangely, this leader of the criminal gang, who always appeared only at night and could not be seen in the light, was...

He was sweating profusely and rushed nervously into the Dragon Nest Inn, a place that was not under his control.

The hotel receptionist, who mistook him for someone who had come to cause trouble, shrank back even more, wishing he could hide under the counter.

Terry William signaled to his brothers not to act rashly.

He sat quietly at the table, watching as "Rotten Toe," surrounded by his henchmen, hurried to the front desk.

After a few hurried words, he tossed down two silver coins and led his underlings up to the second floor.

Just a few dozen seconds later, another set of footsteps came from the stairs.

But this time, besides the rotten toe and the others, another gloomy figure came down from upstairs.

"Lawson!"

Terry William's pupils constricted sharply, and his brain raced.

They immediately guessed that the other party's reaction was probably related to the treasure that the Fang Squad had stolen from the dragon's lair.

In a few glances, he had already completed the exchange with the knights at the table.

Lawson had barely rushed out of the hotel with Rotten Toe when Terry William and his men followed.

"Where did all these people come from in such a hurry?"

Luca, carrying a large bag of supplies, stood at the tavern entrance, puzzled as he made way for the two groups of people.

He's never been one to cause trouble, so even as a professional, he doesn't have much of a temper.

They brushed past the crowd.

Watching the backs of the middle-aged men and knights disappear into the crowd, he scratched his head in confusion.

Without thinking much, he simply used his free left hand to gently stroke his chest, feeling the cold, hard, round object placed close to his body.

He tightened his grip on the supply bag, went into the hotel to ask the front desk for his room number, and went up to the second floor.

……

……

"So you found this on two slave traders?"

Hai'an stared at the oval-shaped metal object in his hand, his silver-gray eyes reflecting the faint, ever-changing characters on its surface, and asked in surprise.

"Hehe." Luca chuckled, as if he had done something great. "I found it on the dwarf they tied up. It was sticking out of his clothes, and that's when I saw it."

"What happened to them? Did you chase them away?"

"That dwarf was already dead when I arrived. The two slave traders were quite fierce; I lost control of my strength and broke their necks."

"However, that alley is quite remote. I didn't see anyone when I went there. I dragged their bodies into the alley, and it's possible that no one will find them after we leave the town."

"You were a bit reckless this time. Luckily, those two slave traders were just ordinary people. If..."

"Can you show it to me?"

A sudden sound from the other side of the room interrupted Hai'an's words.

"Of course!"

Without the slightest hesitation, he handed over the oval metal object in his hand, the purpose of which was unknown.

Xia Nan reached out and took it.

The semi-transparent characters that symbolize the attribute panel have been floating in the void for a long time.

(End of this chapter)