Goblin Heavy Dependence

Chapter 262 Hiss!

The town of Vergrove.

A street that is not particularly bustling.

Wearing the same plate and chainmail armor that looked somewhat tattered after the battle, Xia Nan walked alone on the road.

His eyes were slightly glazed over as he recalled his conversation with Violet.

Faced with her direct attack before her departure, the mysterious girl seemed incoherent and even flustered.

This contrasts sharply with their performance when they confronted the red dragon named "Krogbari," whose breath alone could wipe them out.

Xia Nan couldn't help but feel that it was absurd.

Surely I can't be more terrifying than a fully grown red dragon?
After a moment of confusion, Violet offered her own stammering explanation to his suspicions.

There's nothing special about it, just some statements like "coincidence," "looks a bit like someone I used to know," or "I must have mistaken someone else for someone else," which don't contain any special information.

Xia Nan, of course, would not believe it so easily.

But given the other party's behavior, it's clear they're resistant to this kind of topic and unwilling to engage in deeper conversation.

He was too lazy to ask any more questions.

Anyway, it was just a casual remark before leaving, and we won't see each other again for at least three years.

He often stayed in the tavern's main hall and heard many rumors from countless adventurers, so he knew very well what he was talking about.

Unless absolutely necessary and you are familiar with the other party, in most cases it is not a good thing to pry into other people's secrets.

It will only get you into unnecessary trouble.

As for why not invite the other person to team up and go on adventures together.

To be honest, Xia Nan was a little worried.

Even though the other party has proven its reliability in critical moments, it banished an adult red dragon to another plane.

Furthermore, as a spellcaster with solid fundamentals, he can provide a great deal of assistance to the team.

But it must be admitted that Violet was hiding too much.

Regardless of her seemingly low professional level, she actually possesses the combat ability to directly confront adult dragons;
She joined the escort team without her knowledge, seemingly just for a few hundred gold coins, which were not much for most mages. No one knew the girl's true purpose.

Xia Nan even doubted whether "Wei Rou'er" was really the other person's real name.

Under these circumstances, how could he, with a lingering shadow in his heart, possibly invite such an unfathomable figure to team up with him?

The same applies to Violet.

The identity of a "reborn person" and the heavy burden of "saving the world" on her shoulders almost made her breathless.

On countless quiet nights, she thought more than once that there were more suitable candidates than grains of sand in the hourglass on the continent of Aifara.

Why was it me, an unknown and ordinary extraordinary mage who even had to work for my mentor in the mage tower's laboratory, who was chosen to receive such an opportunity?

But since the deed had already been done, her sense of responsibility and conscience left her with no choice but to comply.

Of course, Violet wanted to tell her past life's mentor, or several important figures from the righteous faction on the continent, about what she had experienced, hoping that they could share her burden and provide her with assistance.

But the beings above the river of time are watching her all the time. If she reveals even a little bit about her identity as a "reborn person," she will only lose this one and only precious opportunity to save the world.

This is the premise.

Her seemingly inexplicable goal, her eccentric behavior that defies common sense, the special nature of the mission and the extremely high need for secrecy mean that Vera is destined to complete this journey in the shadows of the world alone.

A short-term collaboration is perfectly fine;
Long-term teammates are simply impossible.

Neither of them explicitly stated it, but a strange tacit understanding had formed between Xia Nan and Wei Rou'er.

Until they truly left and disappeared from sight.

Neither party mentioned anything related to forming a team.

He slightly turned his body to let a middle-aged man, dressed simply and looking fearful, walk past him from the front.

Xia Nan pondered his next plan.

The Serpent Scale Arm Shield should have been forged by now. He should return to River Valley Town, but it's not realistic to expect him to stay in such a remote town with nothing for several months.

Therefore, he decided to follow Violet's advice and take the route from the other end of Yuansha Province, around the Molten Scale Mountains, back to River Valley Town.

As for the address provided by the other party...

Judging from her performance during this mission, at least, Violet does not seem to harbor any hostility towards her.

Since this place might have something that could help him, and since it was on his way anyway, Xia Nan didn't mind going over to take a look and do the other party a small favor.

……

……

Ashvale Village.

A remote village located in the interior of Yuansha Province, near the edge of Nianshu Territory.

Like countless remote and unnamed small human settlements within the kingdom, it has neither distinctive and economically valuable specialties nor is it close to major transportation routes.

As a result, many elderly people living in the village may never have left the boundaries of the village, which are surrounded by scattered fences. Few outsiders are willing to cross the extremely lush forest to come to this small village that has nothing special about it.

Many years ago, Ash Valley Village had a chance to change its fate.

This is also the origin of its name "Grey Valley". Near the southwest of the village, after wandering in the forest for half a day, you can see a barren little valley with many gray rocks.

Once, a lost merchant passed through this place, discovered a business opportunity, and wanted to develop this place into a quarry.

If the development is successful, as the only human settlement in the vicinity, it will undoubtedly provide the villagers with a large amount of income and jobs.

If mineral deposits are discovered, it is not impossible for "Grey Valley Village" to become "Grey Valley Town", or even "Grey Valley City".

Unfortunately, on the third day that the businessman, accompanied by experts and guards, was surveying the valley and formulating development plans, the situation changed.

A group of powerful and cunning monsters, dwelling deep in the valley, attacked their camp.

The merchant died in the attack.

The "quarry project," which was supposed to lift "Grey Valley Village" out of poverty, was never completed and became a source of regret for the old folks at the village entrance.

Tom had heard this story countless times from his father, even on the night before the man died. The old man, with his gray hair and wrinkled face, still held his hand and murmured that if the merchant hadn't died and the quarry development had continued, their lives might be very different now. Tom didn't believe that the old man had any sense of honor or belonging to the village, or that he, like those compassionate pastors in the church outside, hoped that all the villagers would live a good life.

The reason he couldn't forget it was because when the merchant came to the village to hire a guide, he patted his then young father on the shoulder and praised him for being strong and capable, making him a good candidate to transport stones once the quarry was fully operational.

A man who spends his whole life wielding a hoe in the fields, growing up amidst sweat and responsibility, could never bear the greatest praise he'd ever received, except for his wife's words, "This year's harvest is good; we should be able to get through the winter."

That evening, after returning home, he broke from his usual taciturn demeanor and, at the dinner table, dreamed with his mother and himself, who was still young, about the good life that would come his way.

The roof that has been leaking for a long time may finally have time to be repaired, a little more salt can be added when cooking, and meat can be eaten a couple of times a day, or even a calf can be added to the family.

I have to admit that I had fantasies about the meat my father talked about back then.

However, even now, many years after the honest man who once tried to improve his family's quality of life through hard labor passed away, and who has since started his own family with two children and taken the place of "father," those childhood fantasies and expectations for the future have still not been realized.

"Tom, wake up, don't fall asleep!"

The sudden low growl startled Tom, making him tremble. He was in a drowsy, almost asleep state, but suddenly became alert.

"understand!"

He nodded vigorously and assured the middle-aged man beside him, who was called "Uncle Mike".

There weren't many complaints.

Tom knew perfectly well that Uncle Mike, as the only able-bodied man in the family, had worked hard in the fields all day, just like him.

At this time of night, when I should be asleep, I am just as tired as I am.

Right now, they're just holding on through sheer willpower.

"Hang in there a little longer." The middle-aged man beside him, his bloodshot and cloudy eyes wide, comforted the slightly younger Tom.

"Andrew and the others should be here to take over in two or three hours."

Tom didn't reply, but took a deep breath, feeling the smell of hay and a faint odor of sweat fill his nostrils, tightened his grip on the pitchfork, and nodded vigorously.

It was late at night, but the two, who had worked in the fields all their lives, did not go to bed early as usual to recharge for the next day's work.

Instead, they lay prone on the grass mounds, one on each side, using their eyes and ears to warn the villagers of Gray Valley of any potential dangers that might come at any moment.

As for why...

A week ago, Henry's mother, the kind-looking old woman, was attacked by an unknown wild animal while gathering firewood in the forest near the village.

Farmers who rushed to the scene after hearing the screams from the nearby fields found only the old woman's blood, pieces of clothing, and countless tiny footprints on the muddy ground, resembling those of a human child.

There was no need to even ask the village's respected and knowledgeable elders to identify it; the farmers themselves could confirm the identity of the so-called "unknown beast" from these unmistakably clear clues:

—Goblin!

A group of more than ten goblins!

For large cities with towering walls, or small towns with sheriffs and guards, dealing with just a dozen or so goblins might not be more troublesome than cleaning up rats in the sewers.

But for the villagers of Ash Valley, this is a dangerous enemy that they must face with caution and go all out to overcome.

Thanks to the widespread distribution of these cruel yet resilient little monsters on the continent, even the most foolish and illiterate rural farmers are well aware of the dangers posed by these green-skinned bastards.

They consider humans to be a top priority on their prey list and are willing to attack any lone human, or any human within their reach, regardless of gender.

Moreover, if caught by these beasts, it would be better to die, at most being used as food to fill their stomachs. But if they were still alive when they were captured and brought into the den, it would be an inhuman torture that even the most cruel interrogators would find hard to bear.

Henry's mother's disappearance was just the beginning.

The goblins who discovered Ashvalley Village were like piranhas that had smelled blood. One by one, as soon as they left the protection of the sunlight and walls and entered the forest, they could not escape their covetous and greedy gaze.

If there are enough of them, these green rats will have enough courage.

Then they will not hesitate to shriek and rush into the village in droves, smashing all living things in sight and taking them back to their dirty, damp burrows.

The villagers of Gray Valley were not about to sit idly by and wait to die.

Generations have lived in this remote area for so many years, and they have encountered quite a few green rats.

They had already developed a comprehensive defense strategy for the goblins.

The ditches, barbed fences, traps... all these arrangements had already been checked over and over again in the past few days.

Every night, villagers are assigned to take turns monitoring and keeping watch.

Tom and Mike are the ones chosen to be on duty for the first half of the night tonight.

"Damn it, these goblins are more troublesome than weeds in a field. No matter how cleanly you kill them, they seem to grow out of the ground every now and then, popping out from who-knows-where."

Tom has been married for many years and is not young, so he has naturally had experience fighting goblins.

Two years ago, he even followed the main group in the village and killed one with a pitchfork.

While complaining, there's also a hint of doubt:
"But these bastards are few and far between, and they're very cowardly. If they don't have weapons, they probably can't even beat a goose. How dare they attack such a big village like ours?"

After a moment's hesitation, Mike replied with a serious expression:
"Green-skinned goblins may look loud and brainless, but they are actually very smart."

"If there are only five or six, they will at most attack a lone ordinary person, like the old lady in the Henry family."

"With ten or more, a convoy of average size will be within their attack range."

"As for the attacks on villages..." Mike's eyes flickered, his expression obscured by the darkness, "there would probably be at least twenty, maybe even thirty."

"You know there are only so many people in the village."

"We're just acting as insurance right now, in case a large goblin horde attacks the village..."

Mike suddenly looked up, his eyes fixed on Tom in front of him, and his voice suddenly dropped to almost inaudible.

"Take your wife and kids and run, don't look back."

"They can't take that much with them. Once they've eaten their fill and caught their fill, they'll go back."

Upon hearing this, Tom was taken aback for a moment, opened his mouth, and was about to say something.

Suddenly, a sharp and strange howl rang out from the dense forest not far away.

Hiss—

(End of this chapter)