Goblin Heavy Dependence

Chapter 342 An Unknown Journey and Hope in the Distance
Xia Nan can kill tangible demons, but he is powerless against the invisible monsters in the hearts of the villagers.

The villagers' reactions to the old village chief's death and the sacrificial ritual that Aspen had said would end forever were something he had never anticipated.

They felt no anger at the leader's death, nor any joy at being freed from the shackles of the "sacrifice ritual."

Time seems to be frozen.

The dense crowd huddled together like lambs huddled in fear, staring dumbfounded at the elderly man who had been the village chief for decades but now lay convulsing in a pool of blood, and at the experienced hunting captain who also held considerable prestige in the village, wielding a longbow.

The first sound was a short, sharp inhale.

But after the broken silence came an even more suffocating, viscous panic, like a quagmire.

Xia Nan could sense the villagers' confusion and helplessness.

They also clearly noticed that, after they fully reacted to the scene before them, their seemingly instinctive reactions were:
The old woman suddenly pulled her bewildered granddaughter behind her, as if this would completely isolate her from the others on the field.

The lean, middle-aged man gripped the farm tool he was using as a weapon, his eyes wary, and his slight retreat seemed to be a way of distancing himself from Xia Nan and the others…

Murmurings and whispers quietly spread through the crowd:
"They...killed the village chief..."

"The ritual wasn't completed, will disaster strike...?"

"Outsiders...shouldn't..."

There was no cheering, nor any gratitude.

Originating from fear, the deep-rooted, almost instinctive understanding of sacrificial rituals passed down through generations cannot be easily dispelled by a completely dead corpse or a few words from a reckless young man.

To some extent, this cannot even be called ignorance or evil.

From a young age, the villagers of Fog Lantern Village have been instilled with the idea that "the risk of a failed sacrificial ritual—the arrival of calamity" is linked to "the cost of the sacrifice—the death of the individual."

Even though Fuyuki tried his best to explain that the so-called great beings in the canyon had been completely killed by passing adventurers, and that the sacrificial ritual was a lie told by the village chief to maintain his rule.

The villagers couldn't possibly believe it completely.

The fear of the failed sacrificial ceremony, the panic over the village chief's death by Aspen's arrows, and the uncertainty about the future amidst the great upheaval are the manifestations of their current inner emotions.

Perhaps only as time goes by, when they stop sending young girls into the canyon out of fear and gradually replace the sacrifices with livestock, only to find that no "calamity" befalls them, will those foolish traditions filled with blood and tears finally be abandoned by them.

It will probably be until then that the villagers realize the significance of everything that is happening before their eyes today.

Xia Nan watched the scene unfold before her quietly, her expression calm and her face expressionless.

My heart remained calm.

The reason he was willing to help kill the fog lamp monster and the druid behind it was partly because of the association's mission requirements, which included entering the canyon to collect fog lamp grass.

On the other hand, it is also an act in accordance with one's own heart.

From the very beginning, he did not expect to gain anyone's approval or gratitude; he simply wanted to make his thoughts flow smoothly.

But at the same time, seeing this scene, he couldn't help but feel a deep sense of indescribable emotion.

A sword may be sharp enough to cut through stubborn rocks, but it cannot sever the shackles in people's hearts.

Often, it seems that as long as the root of the problem is solved, all the tragedies that result can be ended.

But reality is often crueler. The polluted soil, the wrong ideas and thoughts, and the fears are more stubborn and harder to eradicate than the "problems" themselves.

Xia Nan is just an ordinary person, a transmigrator who has been educated in modern society and has normal values, and a passing adventurer who enjoys killing goblins.

He has no right to teach the villagers what is right, nor does he have an obligation to help them escape ignorance.

Killing that druid, eliminating the source of all this, and revealing the truth to everyone was all he could do, acting from the bottom of his heart.

As for how things develop from here on out... that will be entirely up to the villagers themselves.

At the very front of the crowd.

Aspen's fingers trembled as he gently stroked the bow handle, his slightly reddened eyes fixed on the crooked characters, his lips moving as if he were murmuring something.

It wasn't until the commotion from the crowd behind him grew increasingly jarring that his consciousness finally returned to reality.

He silently tied the bow and arrows back behind him and slowly raised his head.

As the second most important person in the village after the village chief, this middle-aged man with a weathered face was already considered the new leader of Fog Lantern Village after he shot and killed the old man with a face full of wrinkles.

He didn't speak, but the mere act of putting away his bow and arrows was enough to quietly quell the commotion in the crowd.

Then, under the watchful eyes of many.

Aspen stepped forward, handing the druid's diary back to Shanan, and with an unprecedented seriousness, bowed solemnly to him:
"Thank you for your help to Fog Lantern Village, Mr. Xia Nan!"

"Whatever your needs, as long as it's within our capabilities... we will never refuse!"

Given such a solemn and serious demeanor, Xia Nan naturally wouldn't ignore the other party's intentions.

For him, Fog Lantern Village was just one of the most insignificant human settlements he had ever passed through in the past and future. After collecting the Fog Lantern Grass, there was no possibility of him stopping and contacting it again.

The so-called reward... when the entire village combined might not even be worth as much as the equipment he carries, it seems to have lost much of its significance.

He then nodded slightly, indicating that he understood the other person's gratitude, and changed the subject, asking Aspen in front of him:

"So you plan to take over as village chief and stay in Foglight Village?"

Upon hearing this, the silent and resolute middle-aged man nodded.

"The sacrificial ritual has long been a lie, and there is no longer any need to hold it, but they..."

Aspen's gaze unconsciously drifted to the villagers who were quietly watching the group.

"Without a sufficiently firm leader, it would be difficult to break the inertia that has become a tradition over the years."

"I will lead Foglight Village out of this quagmire."

Aspen's daughter died in a sacrificial ceremony, and he was filled with complex emotions after learning the truth.

Just as he painfully chose the continuation of the village over the lives of his loved ones under extreme pressure from the village chief, Aspen also has the deepest feelings for this village and the land that nurtured him.

Despite his regret and remorse, Aspen couldn't bring himself to leave alone at this crucial moment that would determine the village's future.

Without commenting on the middle-aged man's choice, Xia Nan turned to look at Fuyuki and Lillie beside her. "You two..."

"We're leaving here." Covered in dust, Fuyuki's expression was resolute. "Lillie and I have already discussed it...we're going to Riverdale!"

The girl beside him nodded silently, suggesting that they had already discussed it while waiting at the canyon gate.

"River Valley Town?" Xia Nan raised an eyebrow, looking at the boy who had just experienced a calamity. "What do you want to do there?"

Dongshu raised his head, his eyes gleaming with a mixture of pain and hope. He opened his lips and uttered the words that Xia Nan had long anticipated:

"Adventurer".

He sighed helplessly to himself.

As a seasoned adventurer, I have a deep understanding of the extremely high mortality rate and various hardships in this industry.

To some extent, Xia Nan admired the reckless and brave young man in front of him and respected his choice.

But he didn't want to hear about the other person's death one day during a casual conversation among hotel patrons, nor did he want to see the boy drunk and depraved on the roadside outside a casino late one night.

However, from the perspective of the two people in front of them, given the current situation in Foglight Village, even with Aspen's help, it would be difficult for Fuyuki and Lillie to escape from the sacrificial ritual and anger the spirit of the canyon.

Until the villagers are completely free from their long-standing, ignorant customs, their attitude will definitely not be much better.

Staying in the village would only result in rejection and indifference.
Thinking this through, and feeling that being an adventurer wasn't a good way out, Xia Nan pondered for a moment before offering a word of advice.

"you sure?"

"This road... is not easy to travel."

“I know.” Fuyuki nodded emphatically. “I’ve heard about the risks of being an adventurer, and I’m aware of the difficulties that may be encountered.”

"Don't worry, I won't be so presumptuous."

"After we get to River Valley, we plan to find odd jobs to make a living and also try to find out information about adventurers. Once we have a detailed understanding of the industry, I'll see if I want to join or look for other ways out."

Given the limited time, the two young people naturally couldn't come up with a detailed plan.

Seeing that Dongshu wasn't blindly joining the adventurers out of envy for their strength and wealth, but rather had his own plans, Xia Nan breathed a slight sigh of relief.

If you're just looking for a way to make a living, River Valley Town, which is frequented by a large number of wealthy adventurers and merchants, is indeed a good choice in the surrounding area.

Venturing into an unfamiliar town, though dangerous for those who have nothing, is actually a path to take control of their own destiny.

To be honest, both of them came from the countryside, but compared to Abby, who had never received any combat training, Fuyuki had at least been a hunter with Aspen for a few years and trained hard, so he had some basic skills.

If he could find a good team, work together a bit to improve their experience, and take on some simple goblin extermination missions on a regular basis, as long as they didn't pick up any bad habits, it would be enough for him and Lillie to live a relatively decent life in Riverdale.

That's one way out.

He didn't say anything more, just nodded slightly:

"It's good that you have a plan."

Aspen seemed to have anticipated Fuyuki and the other's decision.

A thick, strong hand slammed down on the boy's shoulder, the tone both感慨 (gan3kai3, deep emotion) and 真重 (zhen3yong):
Be careful in everything you do, and don't be reckless!

"If you really find it difficult, come back. With me here... no one else can embarrass you in front of me."

Dongshu nodded heavily, seemingly suppressing his emotions, and did not reply, but his body trembled.

"Don't rush off. Come back with me later."

"After all these years, you've reached the point where you can graduate. I have a few things to pass on to you when we get back."

Standing aside, I listened as the others explained the arrangements for what was to come.

Knowing that the wrap-up work for this short adventure was almost done, it was time to say goodbye.

Xia Nan tightened the backpack containing the fog lamp grass behind her, intending to say goodbye and leave.

But then she noticed that Fuyuki suddenly seemed hesitant and awkward, as if she was hiding something and dared not say it.

After asking, the freckled boy in front of Xia Nan, rather embarrassed, asked for his help:

“Mr. Xia Nan, as you know... Fog Lantern Village is quite far from River Valley Town, and you may have to pass through the outer area of ​​the Fog Forest in between.”

"Of course, it's not a problem for you, but if it were me and Lillie, the journey would be much more dangerous."

"So I was thinking... could you... please take the two of us with you on your return trip..."

"Please rest assured, we promise to be obedient and won't cause you any trouble!"

"We will definitely pay you the corresponding compensation!"

At this point, his voice, which had been slightly louder due to his assurance, suddenly became weak, sounding rather unsure.

"However, it may take a little longer to pay you back. We will return the money to you once we have earned some money in town."

Thinking it was something important, Xia Nan waved his hand casually when he heard Dong Shu say that, indicating that the other party didn't need to think about it so much.

They immediately agreed to the other party's request.

Although the previous sacrificial ceremony delayed us for two days in Fog Lantern Village, we had already saved a lot of time on the way here. So, even with both of these factors combined, we still had plenty of time before the mission deadline.

Xia Nan had already planned to return home, and picking up two more people along the way was not a difficult task for him at this point; it was just something he did on a whim.

Even if some troubles arise along the way, there is ample room for error.

"Then let's go back to your village first, and I'll replenish my supplies a bit."

"Let's set off together the next morning."

Upon hearing this, Fuyuki and Lillie's faces lit up with surprise. The youthful energy and bright hopes for the future that were unique to young people were something that the two of them had never shown before in the canyon.

The horizon was shrouded in a hazy glow of sunset, casting long shadows of several people on the ground in the opposite direction from the village.

Behind them are dilapidated wooden houses faintly visible in the dimly lit depression, bewildered and silent villagers, and the nightmares of the past;
Ahead lies the swaying branches of shrubs, the brilliant glow of the sunset, an unknown journey, and hope in the distance.

(End of this chapter)