Goblin Heavy Dependence

Chapter 288 "What are you saying in your gibberish?"

The past three days have been the happiest days of Abby's life since she can remember.

money!
That was something I couldn't have imagined just a few days ago—bag after bag of gold coins, a whole backpack couldn't hold them all.

Before this, he had never imagined that he, who came from the countryside, could live such a wonderful life, having all three meals a day eaten by white tits.

He could freely choose any dish on the menu that aroused his appetite without any scruples, and could easily buy a whole set of equipment from the "Rockhammer" blacksmith shop, which he would never have dared to enter before. He could grab a handful of gold coins without even counting them and stuff them into the envelope sent home.

In the past, they risked their lives, fighting and battling various monsters, and painstakingly earned those few gold coins.

He doesn't even get as much as the tips he casually tosses to the waiters at the casino right now.

In just three days, his identity changed from a "low-level down-on-his-luck adventurer" and a "poor man" to the most envied person in the eyes of gamblers and the happiest person in the entire River Valley (in his own opinion).

Abby earned a full five hundred gold coins!
The price paid was merely the tiny amount of physical exertion required to stand up from the card table and gather the pile of chips into one's own arms.

He didn't realize that when he gently turned his wrist to flip the cards over, earning in just 0.5 seconds what he used to need six months of hard work to accumulate, his mindset about money had already changed imperceptibly.

He didn't even have a concept of it.

Following human instincts, the ever-expanding desires have long since buried the already clouded rationality in an unseen corner of the mind.

Make money! Vent! Indulge!

These are all the thoughts in Abby's mind right now.

"Is that the Adventurers' Guild in our Riverdale Town?"

In my mind, a deep, husky male voice echoed softly, its tone friendly yet carrying a strange allure.

"You must have been inside quite a few times, right?"

Abby paused slightly, but the panic she had felt when she first heard the voice was gone. She subconsciously raised her hand to touch her chest and pressed a hard object under her shirt deeper.

Feeling guilty, he deliberately glanced around, and seeing that no one was paying attention, he lowered his voice and muttered to himself:
"Didn't I tell you not to talk to me outside? What if someone finds out..."

"The association's second floor, you probably haven't been up there before."

A magnetic male voice interrupted Abby's questioning at the opportune moment in a gentle tone that was not offensive at all.

"The second floor is only accessible to 'professionals.' Have you ever wondered what's on there?"

"Is it a more considerate and charming receptionist, a more rewarding bounty mission, or... those combat techniques that can't even be found on the market?"

"Want to go up?"

The low, husky male voice wasn't loud, but it seemed to possess some unknown magic, making people subconsciously concentrate and listen intently, deeply remembering every word that echoed in their minds.

Having spent the night in the casino, indulging in the thrill of winning and losing, Abina was both excited and exhausted. Her extremely weak spirit was almost instantly drawn into a beautiful reverie about the future by the male voice.

They were once members of the same team. "Green Blood" and "Gray Sword" have already obtained professional ranks, so there's no reason why I can't.

His current weakness is simply due to his lack of experience and the absence of enough adventurous training; it does not mean that he will definitely be unable to catch up with the two in the future.

If he becomes a professional in the future, he certainly won't be like he is now, singing drunk in the tavern lobby and no one recognizes him. He might even have a prestigious title like "Green Blood".

When he's earned enough gold coins, he'll...

Suddenly, the last vestige of consciousness in his mind struck him like a needle, instantly waking him up.

A clear look of wariness appeared on his face:

"Why do you ask all this?"

"I'm still a long way from achieving my professional rank, there's no need to think that far ahead!"

Although he came from the countryside, any child who grew up on this land, from princes and princesses in the palace to homeless people in the slums, must have heard many lewd stories passed down by word of mouth.

A chance encounter, seduction, initial gains, ecstasy, a sudden turn for the worse, despair, and finally, having one's soul taken away and falling into hell.

The same underlying theme, the lessons learned over thousands of years, passed down from generation to generation, instill in people an instinctive wariness of those who lurk in the shadows, bewitching others with profit and greed.

Abby considered himself to be very clear-headed.

He knew that what he was currently in contact with was very likely to harbor some kind of hidden danger.

But since he can stand here unharmed, it means that the other party has no way to deal with a low-level adventurer like himself.

His life will not be affected as long as he does not enter into any form of written contract with any being as is said in legends.

During this period, he can make the most of the other party's power to gain benefits for himself.

The part of the brain responsible for alertness was subtly obscured by the magical particles, unaware that their thoughts had slipped to the brink of danger.

Abby seemed to be clearly analyzing the pros and cons, attempting to use his mortal body to harness unimaginable powers.

In reality, the demonic claws reaching out from the depths of hell had already quietly seized his soul with each gold coin he stuffed into his pocket.

"Oh, that's true, but... don't all professionals climb the ladder step by step?"

Sensing the slight resistance in Abby's words, the male voice changed its tone, from a low, seductive tone to an enthusiastic and uplifting one.

"Now... let's ruthlessly plunder your first pot of gold on your future career path from those damn casino owners!"

Emotions are subtly guided, and the initial sense of vigilance that arises in one's heart is quickly buried by desire.

On Abby's slightly pale face, illuminated by the sunlight, was excitement and anticipation for the gleaming gold coins that were about to be pocketed.

I started walking towards another casino in town.

A magical glimmer flashed across the surface of the hard object hidden inside the shirt on the chest.

Humans are, after all, just humans.

Even if they are told many precautions, are repeatedly reminded, and are presented with countless tragic cases, they will still be affected.

Jealousy, lust, gluttony...

As long as greed remains deep within one's heart, those beings who feed on desire and soul will be as conspicuous as fireflies in the night.

Everyone is like this; at the very beginning, they maintain the highest level of vigilance towards themselves.

But with just a gentle squeeze, grasping their desires in your palm, and a few simple, seductive words, they are only one step away from complete depravity.

He wasn't in a hurry, and his goal was definitely not this cheap soul that hadn't even obtained a professional rank yet.

Patience is the prerequisite for everything.

"Do you think I might win too much at the same casino and someone find out? Maybe I should go to Newme. I've heard that the casinos there are much better than those in Riverdale, both in terms of the number and the scale."

As they gradually descended into the abyss, words driven by desire echoed in the air.

Without even needing to think, experience repeated countless times over thousands of years, the world's most sophisticated rhetoric, seemed to instinctively organize the language for "him":

“Of course! Big cities like Newme…” The hoarse male voice in my mind stopped abruptly halfway through its sentence, which was extremely unusual.

Abi was taken aback and subconsciously opened her mouth to ask:
"What's wrong with big cities like Newme?"

"say something!"

"what happened to you?"

But all he received in response was a cold, deathly silence.

Fearing that this source of hope for their lives, which were mired in despair, would disappear, Abby's expression unconsciously became flustered.

Just as he was thinking of finding a deserted alley to take out the things in his arms and examine them carefully.

A long, strong hand, with silver rings on its index and ring fingers, quietly landed on his shoulder.

"What are you mumbling about?"

Abby's body jolted with fright.

I turned around instinctively, and what came into view was a face that was all too familiar.

"Mr. Xia, Mr. Xia Nan... how... how did you get here?"

Xia Nan glanced suspiciously at the young man's unusually panicked face, but didn't answer directly. Instead, he gestured with his lip towards the Adventurers' Guild across the street:
"What do you say?"

"Ha, haha..." Abby gave an extremely awkward, dry laugh, her expression stiff, and she tried to change the subject. "I was just being nosy. Where's Boss Adeline? Isn't she with you?"

"She has her own things to do."

It was impossible to let him have his way, so Xia Nan asked again:
"Hey, what were you talking to yourself about just now?"

"No, no." Abby's eyes darted around frantically, as if she was desperately trying to organize her thoughts, and she stammered an explanation.

"I won some money at the casino last night and got a little too excited."

As he spoke, he reached out and patted the bulging money pouch at his waist, as if this would increase the credibility of his explanation.

Are you free these evenings? How about I treat you to dinner?

After a slight hesitation, thinking about the petrified lizard quest he had just accepted from the second floor of the association, Xia Nan shook his head:
"I might not be available right now, let's talk about it another time."

"but……"

Under Abby's extremely tense gaze, Xia Nan glanced at his waist bag.

"Although there is a sheriff in the town, it is still a gathering place for adventurers, so it is not very safe."

"I suggest you go to a hotel or bank as soon as possible to deposit the gold coins. Don't carry too much cash with you, otherwise it will be very dangerous if someone with ulterior motives finds out."

"Yes, yes, you're right! I'll go deposit the money right away." As if relieved, Abby nodded repeatedly.

Sensing the other party's hasty behavior, as if they were eager to end the conversation, Xia Nan said nothing more.

After exchanging a few pleasantries, I took my leave.

However, before leaving, he glanced at the other person's shirt one last time.

But it was this last glance that seemed to strike Abby's Achilles' heel, causing him to break out in a cold sweat and stand frozen in place.

It wasn't until Xia Nan completely disappeared into the crowd on the street that he came to his senses.

His right hand instinctively reached up and touched his shirt in front of his chest.

Before he could even touch the hard object, the familiar voice rang in his mind again, making him breathe a sigh of relief.

"That black-haired guy from earlier...do you know him?"

His once deep, husky voice now carries an indescribable, subtle tone.

Abby's initial confusion about the man's sudden silence vanished without her realizing it, and driven by instinct, she answered the man's question without hesitation:
“‘Gray Sword’ Xia Nan is a fairly well-known adventurer in River Valley Town. He obtained his job level last year, and I happened to run into him on my last mission.”

"What's wrong? Is there something wrong with him?"

Strangely, the magnetic male voice, which had always been unquestioning since their first meeting and even more enthusiastic than the waitresses in the casino, fell into a long silence in the face of his questions.

I stood there waiting for a long time, until Abby almost thought that something had happened to the other person again.

Only then did the other person's voice finally resound in his skull.

It's not complicated, just four words:

"Stay away from him."

……

……

Carrying a wooden sword, Xia Nan walked down the street, recalling the scene of her encounter with Abi.

After receiving the mission from the second floor and buying the [Petrification Resistance Potion], he happened to see the other person across from the association. After all, they were former teammates, so he thought he would go up and say hello.

did not expect……

With a perception attribute far exceeding that of other professionals of the same level, reaching double digits, he naturally noticed Abby's unnatural behavior.

It seemed the other person was hiding something from him, something he didn't want them to know.

According to his perception, the object seemed to be hidden inside the other person's shirt, near their chest.

Therefore, he had to find out the secrets of his former teammate who had gradually become estranged from him, and track him down, interrogate him, and even torture him to find out what he was hiding.
Naturally impossible.

He doesn't have that much curiosity, and that's not his personality.

In this world, it's perfectly normal for someone to have some secrets.

If he had to investigate every single person around him who acted strangely, Xia Nan could forget about his vacation, especially since he was currently preparing for an upcoming mission.

Moreover, his experience as an adventurer over the past year, along with information gleaned from the patrons of the inn, made him acutely aware that indulging his curiosity could easily lead him into unnecessary danger.

What if Abby is carrying some kind of demon? If I get involved and get targeted, I'll be in big trouble.

He only needed to make sure that the secret the other party was hiding posed no threat to him.

Regarding this point, Xia Nan had secretly sensed it carefully during their conversation and had not detected any dangerous aura.

That's enough.

Clearing my mind of distractions, I quickly determined my direction and headed towards the location of the "Rock Hammer" blacksmith shop.

His decapitation sword was severely damaged, so before he could officially set off on his mission to hunt the petrified lizard, he needed to prepare another longsword-like weapon as a temporary measure.

(End of this chapter)