Goblin Heavy Dependence

Chapter 271 The Shrine, the Undead, and the Scorching Airflow

Silent all night.

To Xia Nan's surprise, the adventurer team that had unexpectedly arrived in Gray Valley Village actually stopped causing trouble after his silent warning, and remained completely still all night.

However, this did not change his decision.

After having breakfast at Tom's house, he happily drank a bowl of steaming, sweet and delicious mushroom soup, which Mrs. Janice had carefully modified to suit her own taste. He then told Lyon to rest well at home and not to wander around in the forest unless necessary.

Dressed neatly and fully armed, Xia Nan left the hut and headed towards the village entrance.

Instead of rushing to carry out his previous plan, he found a secluded spot nearby with a good view and waited quietly.

Just as expected, after waiting for more than twenty minutes deep in the dense forest, the four-person adventurer team appeared in his sight at the entrance of the village.

The scarred captain with a scimitar at his waist, the tall ranger with a longbow on his back, the green-skinned orc hybrid, and the slightly bloated dwarf.

Not one was missing.

Compared to their travel-worn and irritable appearance last night, a night's rest didn't seem to have helped them recover much.

In particular, the burly green-skinned orc looked sullen and kept turning back to look at the village behind him, as if he regretted not being able to wreak havoc on the place.

The backpacks behind them were also noticeably bulging.

Inside were grains that the villagers used to get through the winter.

Perhaps the number isn't too large, but he has no doubt that if a few people were given a portable carriage or some kind of storage device, they could move the entire warehouse.

Xia Nan saw all of this.

His dark eyes appeared calm and dull, but in reality, a deep, mysterious light was brewing within them.

He was not good at stealth, nor did he have any related skills or expertise.

Fortunately, his experience in the dream world of the [Dream Corridor] terminal [Fang Hunt] allowed him to gain some experience from his early observations of the Winter Wolf pack from a barbarian's perspective, thus escaping his previous state of complete ignorance.

I have gained some understanding of how to sneak and what aspects to pay attention to when sneaking.

In addition, his outstanding perception ability allows Xia Nan to maintain a considerable distance from the adventurer team, minimizing the probability of being discovered while still keeping up closely behind without losing them.

As time passed, the group moved further and further away from the village.

"It's almost time."

As Xia Nan was thinking this, he suddenly realized that the trajectory of the adventurer team ahead was strangely identical to his own yesterday.

Their direction is... Ashenvale?
Thoughts surged through my mind.

First, that was his first thought.

Could the reason this adventurer party is passing through the village be because of Ashenvale?

They came here with the goal of "Ash Valley" because they heard some news or accepted a related commission.

If that's the case, they might have more information about Ashenvale than we do.

However, if the group simply happened to arrive here and, unaware of the location, proceeded in the direction of Ashenvale...

It doesn't seem to be entirely worthless to me.

After all, the Grey Valley is shrouded in mist and fraught with danger. If a few people could scout ahead, it would be a great thing for Xia Nan, who had originally planned to venture in alone today.

The manual mine-clearing method allowed them to escape all the dangers in the valley, and the potential gains, as the "wildcatcher" he was targeting, would ultimately fall into his pocket.

As for whether the adventurer party might back down at the last minute...

Based on Xia Nan's understanding of these adventurers, any suspected ancient ruin that could bring a large amount of wealth enough to allow them to retire there, even with only a one percent chance, would be enough to make these money-grubbing desperados rush in one after another.

With their initiative maximized, there's absolutely nothing to worry about.

And this is indeed the case.

From Xia Nan's perspective, if the group had just arrived in Ash Valley and witnessed its strange environment filled with gray rocks, they could clearly sense a hint of hesitation.

As they cautiously ventured deeper, they discovered the ruins of the building they had explored the day before.

His face was now filled with fervor.

"An old house! Ruins, it must be ruins! Gorge is going to strike it rich!"

The green-skinned orc struggled to lower his voice, almost growling with wild joy.

The massive wooden club inlaid with iron in his hand was swung around in mid-air, stirring up the mist.

The mountain dwarf, who was already incredibly greedy, behaved even worse, his small body almost touching the ground as he searched inch by inch for any hidden treasures.

He was so focused and absorbed that he didn't even hear the question from Marcus, the Bloodblade Squad leader whom he always feared.

He was just waiting for the other person to kick him hard, almost sending his bulky, sturdy body flying, rolling twice on the dusty ground.

He then casually dusted himself off, stood up, and spoke in an extremely excited tone:

"This is definitely not the architectural style of the Kingdom of Servia!"

Greed was one aspect, but this extreme pursuit of wealth also led this short man to acquire a great deal of knowledge related to it.

"While maintaining the main structure's solidity and sturdiness, the interior decorative patterns are extremely complex and gorgeous. The superposition of wrought iron and wall patterns is a unique style that, to my knowledge, is rare in the entire continent of Efala."

“I suspect it is a creation left over from before the founding of the Kingdom of Servia, or even from the ancient times.”

"Moradin, bless us! We're going to be rich!"

The dwarf's words, filled with ecstatic joy, reached Marcus's ears, stirring a wave of emotion within him.

It was originally just an ordinary journey, not even a mission request.

Even the "Grey Valley Village" from last night was discovered by chance while crossing the forest.

Unexpectedly, I have encountered such a pleasant surprise.

He couldn't help but marvel at his good fortune.

At the same time, he couldn't help but feel a sense of anticipation for the ancient ruins mentioned by the dwarf "Stone Belly".

The danger certainly exists, but if they can take a few well-preserved, exquisite items that can prove their origin, those collectors who are known for their lavish spending might just start fighting over them.

They can earn a substantial income that would otherwise require years of risking their lives abroad.

If you really don't want to go through the trouble of exploring any further, just listing the location information of this place on the auction house would fetch an astronomical price.

But what if one were to actually find a precious magical artifact from ancient times, or even a legacy of combat techniques…

Marcus's breathing quickened, and his gaze toward his teammates became dangerous.

In contrast, the somewhat sarcastic ranger in the team seemed relatively calm, at least on the surface.

Concealed by the strange fog, a faint, incongruous stench of blood wafted through the air.

He frowned, his gaze instinctively turning towards the direction from which the smell was coming. His expression faltered slightly.

"careful!"

……

The four of them maintained a cautious and vigilant formation, ready to engage in battle at any moment.

In front of them lay several carcasses of axe-beaked birds, their blood drained away.

Coincidentally, these enormous chocobos, with their strong, powerful beaks capable of crushing rocks, all had empty necks, their heads completely missing.

A few animals had obvious cuts on their chests, thighs, and backs.

As she gently traced the severed neck with her fingertips, the ranger "Ciri" wore a solemn expression.

At this moment, she no longer had the heart for sarcasm. Instead, she explained her discovery to her teammates in an extremely serious tone, reviewing the scene of the dead hackberry birds before her:

"There were no obvious traces around, which means the battle ended quickly, and the attackers were far stronger than these axe-beaked birds."

"So what? Gorg alone can smash the heads of these big birds!" the orc interrupted indignantly, gesturing with his iron bar at the corpses on the ground as if considering where to begin.

"Shut your filthy, stinking mouth, which is filthier than an ogre's latrine, and listen to what I have to say!"

Forcibly suppressing her anger, Celie pointed to the motionless, stiff chocobo corpse on the ground and continued:
"First of all, you all saw the fatal wounds they suffered, from their necks, a single, fatal blow."

"The wound was flat and smooth, clearly cut with a sharp instrument, and the action was precise and swift."

Marcus listened intently, putting himself in the attacker's shoes and wondering if he could just as easily sever the heads of several axe-beaked birds if he were facing them.

But the next second, Celie's discovery made him wary.

“The strangest thing is that you should look closely at the locations where these axe-beaked birds died.”

"Only the one at the very front is facing the enemy head-on."

"The other four heads were all beheaded with their backs to the attackers, and the positions of their deaths varied."

"What does this mean?"

"This means that only the first axe-beaked bird dared, or rather, didn't react in time, to engage the attacker in direct combat."

"The remaining four didn't even have the courage to attack. Their first reaction upon realizing their companions were under attack was... to run away!"

"Whether the enemy's displayed combat power was too exaggerated, causing these monsters to lose the will to fight back, or whether it was due to some kind of mind control effect, I don't know."

"But one thing is certain: other powerful adventurers have indeed discovered this valley and have explored it first."

Upon hearing this, Marcus, the captain of the Bloodblade Squad, recalled the sharp figure who had stood in the crowd last night, their eyes meeting briefly before parting.

Could it be him?

While thinking this to themselves, the adventurer team was concerned about the other forces that Celine might have mentioned.

While vigilant, there was even more anger at being beaten to it and hatred towards those competing for the treasures in the ruins.

"The treasures belong to Gorg! Anyone who dares to steal them, Gorg will smash their head in!" the orc roared, the veins bulging on his neck like steel cables.

"Then what are we waiting for? Let's hurry inside before they loot everything!" The dwarf rubbed his hands together anxiously like a fly, his two thick, short legs pacing back and forth as if he would lose dozens or hundreds of gold coins if he delayed even for a second.

Ranger Celie remained silent, and after explaining what she had discovered on the field, she shut her mouth.

But given her personality, this silent action already revealed her attitude.

After all, they were all adventurers, even more extreme than those cunning and crazy merchants, risking their lives for money.

When a sufficiently large benefit is presented, the hidden dangers behind it are overlooked.

Even Marcus only thought for a few seconds before giving instructions to the team to remain vigilant, be wary of potential dangers, and continue exploring deeper into the valley.

They were quite a distance apart.

After seeing the group of people who had discovered the carcass of the axe-beaked bird ahead, their figures disappeared into the depths of the fog.

Xia Nan also withdrew his right hand from the sword hilt.

In his eyes, the moment the group stepped into Ashenvale, their chances of survival were already gone.

Given that the two sides are hostile, he cannot allow either of them to transmit information about Ashenvale to the outside world and connect themselves with the possible treasures inside.

Silencing them is necessary.

The only difference is the timing.

If the team members had planned to evacuate after discovering the axe-beaked bird carcass on the ground, which they hadn't had time to deal with the day before.

Then it was time for him to make his move.

Now that the group intends to go deeper, they still have some use to Xia Nan.

With a slight shift in his emotionless, dark eyes, Xia Nan took a step, and his body disappeared into the mist.

But soon, after only five or six minutes, he had to stop again.

Ahead, the team was blocked by a broken altar.

The building itself is less of an altar and more of a giant shrine.

The colossal statue is now only half a shell, supported high by a fortress-like, heavy base adorned with intricate and ornate carvings; the two massive, broken stone pillars on either side, resembling ribs gnawed by wild beasts, are diagonally embedded in the rubble.

The statue, which disappears from the waist upwards, is so damaged that its identity is no longer discernible. The only way to identify it as a "goddess" is through the stone skirt that ripples like a light veil and the bare toes that lightly touch the base.

At the same time, a strange "hoho" sound, like someone drowning, could be heard.

A withered figure, shrouded in a tattered, coarse cloth cloak that had long lost its color and was stained with stone dust, knelt motionless to the west of the stone statue, hands clasped together, praying devoutly.

His head was bowed, and the dry skin on the back of his neck, covered with deep wrinkles, was taut to the limit, making the jagged vertebrae below seem to pierce out; his arms, which protruded from his cloak, were thin and ugly like specimens, with lifeless dark purple skin.

A mummified corpse.

Xia Nan made this judgment in his mind.

But the next second, a blue wooden sword named "Green Pine" came from behind.

A sudden burst of scorching air rushed up and down the neck and back.

His vigilance was instantly raised to its highest level.

　Book Recommendation: *The Necromancer, Summoning 055? What the Heck?*

　　Recommendation:
　　A masterpiece of a time-travel novel spanning two worlds. If you're tired of the same old summoning tropes, then come and experience the unique charm of "a necromancer piloting a warship."

(End of this chapter)