Goblin Heavy Dependence

Chapter 328 Sick Village
Xia Nan felt that her luck was still a bit bad.

Just as that short man, once deeply favored by Lady Luck, once said:

"You can't win all the time, and you can't lose every single game."

A sudden downpour washed away the goblins' tracks in the forest, greatly increasing the difficulty of his search for the goblin's lair.

However, the two hunters, who shouldn't have been there, unexpectedly attracted the goblins' attention. The commotion they made was noticed by Xia Nan, who followed the clues to the destination of the extermination mission.

As he bid farewell to the two, feeling relaxed and content, he continued his journey in the rain, attempting to reach the canyon where the fog lamp grass grew before nightfall.

However, he was surprised to find that the impact of this torrential rain was far worse than he had imagined.

A violent mudslide, rushing down from the highlands, carrying endless mud, sand and gravel, greedily devoured the surrounding oak trees and shrubs.

The quest route from Ms. Edwina remained precise, but the canyon entrance, the destination, was completely buried by massive boulders and mud that had rushed down from above.

Separate Xia Nan and the fog lamp grass on both sides.

He is now a level 2 professional, and it is true that he possesses supernatural powers.

But when faced with such an exaggerated natural disaster, a slightly superior physical ability, a burning black sword, or a howling wolf's head makes no difference.

Perhaps when his professional level reaches double digits, or when his [Gravity Control] improves slightly, he will be able to come up with some solutions to the entrance blocked by mud and rocks.

Right now, they can only stand there helplessly.

The seasonality of fog lamp grass meant that Ms. Edwina's tasks had clear time limits. Fortunately, Xia Nan did not spend too much time on the way, leaving ample time.

Therefore, I wasn't in a hurry, but carefully considered the solution.

His target was the fog lamp grass growing in the canyon in front of him, but the entrance to the depths of the canyon provided by the mission route had been completely blocked by mud and sand, and he couldn't move it with his abilities in a short time.

In this situation, if Xia Nan didn't want to give up the more than one hundred gold coins earned from the mission itself, his only option was to go around to the other side of the canyon.

only……

According to what those two hunters said, the side of the canyon closest to the village is a forbidden area for their village, so they probably won't let me in so easily.

Moreover, although the middle-aged man named "Aspen" extended an invitation to him, saying he wanted to invite him to the village to express his gratitude, the perceptive Xia Nan still sensed the politeness in the other party's words and that he probably did not want him to go to the village where they lived.

"Or should we just turn around and go home?"

The round trip will take nearly ten days, such a long distance. If we go back now, the only reward we'll get is the mission reward for clearing the two goblin nests along the way. After deducting expenses such as supplies, we'll probably only get a few dozen gold.

That's a bit of a loss...

"Why don't we go and take a look at that so-called 'fog lamp village'? Maybe there will be a turning point."

After all, it's a fact that Xia Nan rescued Aspen and Fuyuki from the goblin siege, and they did indeed extend an invitation to him to visit the village.

If it becomes inconvenient for him to enter the "forbidden area" in the village, then... he won't force himself.

As an anchor point for maintaining his true self after transmigrating, Xia Nan was unwilling to break his conscience and bottom line for just over a hundred gold coins.

Otherwise, what difference would there be between him and those scumbags who call themselves adventurers but actually engage in banditry?
With this plan in mind, Xia Nan took one last glance at the rocks and mud that completely blocked the entrance.

They decisively turned around and circled around to the other side of the canyon.

……

……

Xia Nan finally understood why, despite Foglight Village being located on the other side of the canyon, few adventurers had stopped there to rest in previous years.

This terrain is far too complicated.

To find Foglight Village, you need to first traverse a complex woodland with gnarled tree roots that resembles a maze, follow an inconspicuous path trodden by villagers and wild animals, descend a long, rocky hillside following the elevation difference beside the canyon, and finally enter a depression surrounded by towering ancient trees and jagged black rock cliffs.

Fog Lantern Village is nestled in the deepest part of this valley, as if abandoned here, or as if it has deliberately hidden itself.

If Xia Nan hadn't possessed exceptional perception abilities, enabling him to keenly detect the traces left by nearby villagers, and hadn't carefully inquired about the village's exact location from Aspen before leaving, ordinary adventurers passing by might not have been able to find this secluded and hidden place.

The valley floor was damp and dimly lit.

The heavy rain had just stopped, but the air wasn't as refreshing and cool as I had imagined; instead, a faint musty smell wafted through the air.

The space that suddenly opens up after the path loses its sense of openness and becomes particularly gloomy, almost sickly, because of the shadows cast by the surrounding rock walls and dense forest.

The ground was muddy, contrasting with the withered wildflowers washed away by the rain, and dozens of crooked wooden houses.

The village houses are mostly crudely built from dark oak and stone chips. They do not follow a neat plan or a fixed style, but simply adapt to the complex terrain of the depression.
Some are squeezed into the crevices of the rock wall, while others are half-suspended by thick tree roots. Some less particular ones are even located directly at the bottom of shallow depressions, their surfaces covered with brownish-green moss.

Needless to say, the roads are even worse; they can't even compare to the neat stone-paved roads of Cuixi Village, let alone the well-maintained stone-paved roads of Hegu Town.

A short bridge made of several logs, slippery natural steps, and wooden floorboards covered with moss and intermittently laid on the ground...

Poverty and desolation permeated almost every corner of the field of vision.

I don't know if it's just Xia Nan's imagination.

Perhaps because they have lived in a damp environment lacking sunlight for a long time, the villagers in Wudeng Village also appear somewhat gloomy and strange.

Their behavior seemed normal, and their clothing and appearance generally matched Xia Nan's perception of ordinary people in this world.

Several men dressed in coarse cloth were repairing the fence, while a carpenter-looking worker was chopping wood in front of the house, and a woman in a dirty apron was stirring food in a pot at the door.

However, the whole scene felt particularly oppressive and somber.

There were no children playing, no neighbors chatting, and even the sound of chopping wood was restrained and short.

An invisible pressure, heavy as lead, was enveloping this remote and dimly lit little village.

As Xia Nan drew closer, those who saw him did not stop what they were doing.

Curiosity, anxiety, awe...

The villagers who sensed his presence did not dare to look him in the eye, but their eyes remained fixed on him in the suffocating silence, never leaving his side.

A low, ambiguous whisper rang out, and against the backdrop of the cold wind whistling through the branches and the wary gazes from the closed windows of the wooden houses on either side, even his footsteps seemed out of place.

Xia Nan frowned slightly.

These ubiquitous silent gazes, those deep scrutinizing eyes, were even more unbearable to him than direct hostility.

It was a chilling sense of isolation, a silent rejection of strangers from the outside world.

Fortunately, this suffocating state did not last long.

Abruptly, a shout full of surprise and enthusiasm suddenly came from the roadside.

"Mr. Xia Nan!?"

Looking towards the sound, he saw one of the two hunters he had rescued from the goblin siege—a young boy who looked about sixteen or seventeen. This was a stark contrast to his dazed, blank-minded state a few days earlier when they had met.

The winter tree now displays a vibrant energy unique to young people in the village where it grew up.

He hadn't fully matured yet, his face still had a youthful, rounded look. Day after day, the wind and sun had given his wheat-colored skin a tough sheen.

His figure was tall and agile like that of a jungle hunter, and the few freckles scattered on both sides of his nose gave him a vigorous vitality that was quite different from the atmosphere of this place, like a birch tree that was growing with all its might.

He appeared to have just finished training; his clothes were soaked with sweat, his flaxen hair was damp with sweat, and hanging at his waist was the old, worn-out one-handed sword that he had gripped tightly that day.

"Mr. Xia Nan, what brings you here?"

"I thought you picked some fog lamp grass and went straight back."

Perhaps it's because the scene they're in now is no longer the tragic scene of the lingering goblins' wails; or perhaps it's because they've gradually come to understand that if Xia Nan hadn't intervened, he and Aspen would have both died there.

This boy, who was initially reckless but later fell silent, is now behaving with extraordinary enthusiasm, greeting Xia Nan immediately upon seeing him.

The sudden breaking of the deathly silence brought Xia Nan a little relief.

He nodded slightly to the other person and replied:

"I hadn't originally planned to come, but I encountered an unexpected situation on the way... which was difficult to handle, so I thought I'd see if you had any solutions."

Knowing that the troubles encountered by adventurers of this caliber were definitely beyond his control.

Dongshu, being very sensible, didn't ask too many questions, but instead jogged forward and led the way for Xia Nan:

"I'll take you to see the village chief!"

"The village chief already knows about what happened between Brother Aspen and me a couple of days ago. Since you saved us both, he certainly won't refuse to help us if we need anything!"

Although we've only met once, we're not really that different from strangers.

But unlike the other villagers, Fuyuki, who had witnessed firsthand the devastating power of the young, black-haired adventurer slaughtering goblins, knew clearly:

If the other party really wanted to harm them or the village, there was absolutely no need to use any unnecessary methods.

Beneath that black and gray straight sword that seemed capable of cutting through steel, there was no essential difference between the villagers and the green-skinned goblins.

……

The village isn't big; even with its complex terrain and winding roads, it only takes a few minutes to walk from the entrance to the innermost part of the village.

Soon, a similarly simple wooden house, but noticeably cleaner than the surrounding houses, came into view.

Before Xia Nan could go up and greet him, Dong Shu, being very considerate, took the initiative to step forward and knock on the door for him.

"Village Chief, we have guests! Open the door quickly!"

Xia Nan stood slightly back, carefully observing her surroundings.

Immediately afterward, a steady and powerful footstep was heard coming from inside the house.

Hmm...it seems vaguely familiar.

"What's the rush? Why are you acting so rashly?"

as predicted.

As the door opened, a face that I had only seen recently came into view.

"Brother Aspen, what are you doing here?" Fuyuki's tone was somewhat surprised. "That's perfect, it saves me the trouble of making another trip."

"Look quickly, who's here?"

Upon hearing this, a middle-aged man with a composed appearance, around thirty or forty years old, turned his gaze toward the back of Fuyuki.

Xia Nan could clearly see that when the other person saw him, their brown eyes suddenly froze for a moment.

Then he realized what he had done and put on a polite and friendly smile:

"Mr. Xia Nan?"

"Come in quickly, come in quickly!"

Aspen greeted Xia Nan warmly, opening the door to welcome her in.

But before Fuyuki could sneak into the house, Fuyuki shoved a foot into the doorframe and scolded him with a frown:

"It's getting late, what are we still doing here?"

"Go back and take a shower! Wash off all the sweat from your body, don't neglect the guests!"

Seeing this, Fuyuki could only purse his lips.

He peered through the crack in the door a few more times, still unwilling to give up, before turning away with a frustrated look on his face.

"Mr. Xia Nan, this way."

"It was just a casual remark; I never expected you would actually be willing to visit our little village."

"Why didn't you tell us in advance? You came so suddenly. We weren't prepared at all. It would be so rude of us if we couldn't entertain you properly."

After exchanging pleasantries, Aspen led Xia Nan into a slightly more spacious inner room.

There, the owner of the house, the village chief of Fog Lantern Village, stood up straight, waiting for this unexpected visitor.

"Mr. Xia Nan, welcome, welcome!"

The speaker was an elderly man with white hair and a face full of wrinkles, whose exact age was impossible to discern.

Compared to the much worse living environment in my previous life, for a short-lived species like humans, aging would be extremely fast without the support of professional skills.

Many people who look seventy or eighty years old may actually be only in their early fifties.

But without a doubt, the fact that someone can have the title of "village chief" attached to their name means that they have one of the most extensive experience in the entire village.

His interpersonal skills may differ slightly from those of leaders in other villages due to the closed environment, but he is not far behind.

Especially when facing a powerful adventurer like Xia Nan, whose individual strength alone is enough to crush the entire village.

As soon as the sound came from the doorway and the name "Xia Nan" was heard, the village chief realized that the visitor was the cold and ruthless adventurer who had helped Aspen and Fuyuki out of their predicament, and whom the two had described as too young.

As thoughts raced through his mind, the wrinkles on his face almost pressed together.

With an exceptionally humble, even slightly unsettling, demeanor, he respectfully said:
"Respected adventurer, may I ask..."

(End of this chapter)