Goblin Heavy Dependence

Chapter 352 Pastel Gems
"Dear Mr. Xia Nan."

Horak leaned forward, his tone more serious and cautious than when he had spoken with the dwarf, carefully choosing his words.

In contrast to Soldin's straightforward personality, where emotions were readily displayed on his face, the calm and silent black-haired youth before him made him subconsciously tone his voice:

"Although the two rings on your hands appear simple, their craftsmanship is extremely exquisite, with smooth lines, clearly the work of a master."

"It seems you have a good taste and knowledge about accessories."

Upon hearing this, Xia Nan glanced down at the [Death Line] ring and [Dream Corridor] on his right index and ring fingers.

His facial expression remained unchanged, and he made no attempt to conceal it.

Maintaining the same natural posture as before, she smiled at the other person and slowly began to speak:
"They were all gifts from others. When it comes to research on jewelry and ornaments, I am certainly not as good as you."

In fact, Xia Nan wasn't lying.

He didn't really know much about accessories and jewelry in this world, and the two rings on his hand... [Death Line] came from an unlucky bear goblin, and [Dream Corridor] came from the Morton family. In a way, they could be considered generous gifts from them.

Of course, for him personally, describing it as "found" would be a more accurate description.

Besides, these are magical equipment with special effects. Regardless of whether the wealthy businessman in front of him could tell, he wouldn't discuss it too much when it came to his own safety, and would only give a simple answer.

Upon hearing this, Holak paused, vaguely sensing the evasiveness in Xia Nan's words, and knew that the other party might not be very interested in this topic.

A warm smile spread across her face as she gently turned the red jade ring on the little finger of her left hand, steer the conversation back to herself:
"I'm not afraid to admit it, but although I've been in business for quite a few years, I don't have any other hobbies except collecting these shiny little things."

"I always carry a lot with me, and it makes a jingling sound when I walk, which even my family finds annoying."

"You joined the caravan just before we set off. If we had been a couple of days later, we wouldn't have been able to get together. Isn't that a blessing from the gods?"

"If you don't mind, if any of these odds and ends I have on me catch your eye... please let me know."

"The joy of sharing these collections with people who appreciate them is far more delightful to me than for them to lie in boxes as decorations."

Horako's suggestion seemed very natural.

It was as if, for him, giving someone an expensive and rare piece of jewelry was like a kindergarten child sharing candy, displaying exceptional generosity and magnanimity.

Xia Nan... naturally declined politely.

He hadn't even received payment for the escort mission, so how could he possibly accept the caravan owner's unsolicited gift with a clear conscience?

Perhaps having anticipated this, Horak's smile remained unchanged, showing no sign of disappointment. Instead, he patted his thigh as if he quite admired Xia Nan, and laughed:
"Good, good! I didn't expect that the people I'm working with this time are all such upright individuals. I'm the one who's been too materialistic."

He raised his glass to the two members of the Blackwood team and Xia Nan.

"This sentiment will forever remain for you all... But for now, let's continue to enjoy the food and the starlight, and savor this delightful evening."

Time passed quietly.

Although Xia Nan is not a talkative person, he is not aloof. When he encounters a topic that interests him, he will pull himself out of his comfort zone and chat with the others for a while.

Margaret and Soldin were both experienced adventurers, and there were plenty of topics they could discuss. In addition, Horak, who had a high emotional intelligence and made a very good impression on the group with his generous actions, took the lead in speaking, and the atmosphere on the scene became particularly harmonious for a moment.

And naturally, as the discussion around the campfire deepened, the topic gradually shifted to their destination—

Giethoorn.

A remote border town located in the northernmost part of the Subin Province of the Kingdom of Servia, bordering the southern border of the Panyun Province.

Having been situated deep in the plains for many years, it was not famous and had nothing particularly noteworthy. Its so-called "specialty," the honey tangerine, was actually quite common in other human settlements in the Suhama Province.

The only slightly special thing about it is its geographical location, which is barely worth mentioning.

It is one of the countless border towns along the long border between Subin Province and Panyun Province.

For many years, the consumption and taxes brought by caravans and adventurers crossing provincial borders have been the main source of income that has sustained the town.

If a comparison must be made, Giraffe Horn Town is far inferior to River Valley Town, which is backed by the Misty Forest, in terms of overall scale, commercial development, and popularity. It is even inferior to "Kalanfor," a satellite town of River Valley Town, which was gradually built up by bloodsucking and the diffusion effect of adventurers within the town.

It is the most common and little-known type of human settlement in the kingdom.

This situation continued until a few months ago.

A peculiar gem, unlike anything ever seen on the continent of Efala, with a dreamy pink hue and a unique, warm texture, gradually began to circulate in the town.

At first, it was just the ramblings of a down-on-his-luck businessman when he was drunk, and no one paid any attention.

It wasn't until an adventurer's party passing through Girthhorn actually brought back a small gem from the town and sold it for a high price at Newme's seasonal auction that this changed.

This news gradually spread within various small circles.

Horako's business is very large, as evidenced by his membership in the "Golden Wheat Chamber of Commerce".

For businessmen like them who make profits through speculation, being well-informed is one of the most basic abilities they must possess.

To some extent, he could even be said to be the first person in the entire city of Newme to learn of this news, and the first to organize a caravan to travel far away, turning his ideas and speculations into practical actions.

"gem?"

Xia Nan frowned slightly. Based on the information he had gathered before the trip, the convoy seemed to be transporting just ordinary goods, and had nothing to do with any pink gemstones.

Upon hearing this, Horak, sitting across the campfire, showed an apologetic expression and explained:
"I have no intention of hiding anything from you all. The cargo in the carriage is indeed all goods brought from River Valley Town. You can all check these."

"But I must admit that shipping and trading is not my main purpose for this trip; it is only a preparatory measure to prevent losses."

Horac organized a convoy in River Valley to head to Giethoorn for one sole purpose: to uncover the truth behind the gem.

If there really is a gem mine in the surrounding area, even without the ability to completely occupy it, the information gap and first-mover advantage would be enough to make him a fortune, perhaps even adding an extra zero to the end of his bank account balance.

But what if it's fake news?

As a businessman, having expended such enormous human and material resources, he certainly couldn't have made a wasted trip.

Therefore, the goods currently in the carriage were prepared.

Even if things don't go well, he can still transport the goods to Giethoorn and sell them. He won't lose too much, and if he's lucky, he might even make a small profit.

It means they made two preparations.

After hearing the other party's explanation, Xia Nan's brows relaxed.

Just as Horako said, he did not deceive them; the goods were indeed in the carriage and did indeed need the adventurers' help to escort them.

The mission of the Kuroki Squad is real and tangible.

He was simply concealing his true purpose.

Of course, this had nothing to do with Xia Nan. He was just hitchhiking along the way and had no intention of staying in the town for long, or even returning to River Valley or Newme from there.

After arriving in Giethoorn and completing his escort mission, he broke away from the group and set off alone to continue his journey to the southern islands.

Whether it's a gemstone or not is irrelevant to him.

As for profiting from this...

Xia Nan may be short of money, but the experience he accumulated in his previous life and the countless cases he had seen have told him this many times.

Unless you're extremely lucky, investing rashly before fully understanding an industry will only lead to losing everything.

Even if there really is a gem mine near Giethoorn, as Horac said, can someone who knows nothing about gems really make money from it?

The idea that you can simply take a chisel, tap a couple of times in the mine, and bring home a valuable, pure gem is an unrealistic dream.

Everyone knows the value of gemstone mines. The key issues are how to block information, or rather, how to limit the spread of information related to the ore as much as possible; how to ensure one's safety amidst potentially enormous wealth; how to get along with local residents; how to determine land ownership; how to negotiate with local lords; taxation; the hiring of workers; mining technology; ore processing methods; transportation; and most importantly, sales channels and subsequent operations.

Even though many of these issues could be resolved through cooperation with relevant individuals, including the wealthy businessman Horako, the time and effort required would be enormous.

If Xia Nan were just an ordinary adventurer in this world, without any special abilities and with his potential limited, he might actually participate in the adventure for the sake of his future happiness, taking a gamble and trying to find a way out.

But right now, he is a young man who has already achieved a career advancement in less than two years since entering the industry, possesses a cheat code with an attribute panel, and has a bright future.

And they are on the path searching for the key to the secret realm technology item, [Dream Corridor].

If he does manage to make a discovery in the Southern Islands, his advancement speed will increase even further.

Given this premise, it would be a waste to squander his most precious time and energy on a potential mineral vein just for some gold coins.

He can distinguish between primary and secondary matters.

Unlike the technological society of the previous life, this is an alien world with supernatural powers, gods, and "legendary" powerhouses at the top of the pyramid.

Strength is the foundation of everything.

When you truly reach that level, wealth, power... everything you once longed for but could never have will come rushing to you with just a glance.

Sitting across the campfire, Horak carefully observed the expressions of the three adventurers before him.

Margaret, the squad leader, frowned, seemingly displeased at being involved in the incident.
The dwarf Soldin, however, clearly didn't think that far ahead; he was simply excited about the potential existence of gem veins.

As for the black-haired youth named "Xia Nan," Horak could sense a momentary fluctuation in his emotions after he learned of his true purpose. It seemed... he found it troublesome?

But it was only for a moment. Soon, after he explained the situation, the other party returned to his previous calm state.

Horako did not see the greedy and covetous look on the other person's face as he had imagined.

He couldn't even tell whether the other party was hiding their emotions too perfectly, or whether they genuinely didn't care about the potential wealth.

This made the wealthy businessman feel somewhat uncertain.

But now that we've come this far, we can't just stop here.

Horako followed up on the conversation, looking at the group of people in front of him with a sincere expression:

"Actually, the main reason I'm bringing this up with you all today is to make a request."

"I will pay the full amount of the escort mission's reward upon arrival in Giethoorn."

"But after that, I also hope to hire a few people to stay in town for a while longer to assist me in investigating information about the gem mines."

"Don't worry, I will definitely not treat you unfairly in terms of compensation. In fact, we can even offer you a deposit in advance!"

Xia Nan naturally refused.

The reasons have already been explained, so there's no need to elaborate further.

The only question is, since the other party has achieved such a high level of business, haven't they cultivated a few trusted professionals?
If I were in their shoes, I would never just find a few adventurers in town and entrust them with such an important task; otherwise, it would seem too casual and lacking in consideration.

But since it involved the other person's privacy, he didn't ask any further questions.

As for the two members of the Kuroki squad on the other side, they did not immediately nod.

After a brief discussion, they indicated that they needed some time to consider and would make a decision once they arrived in Giethoorn.

The slightly indifferent reaction from Xia Nan and the others seemed to have taken Holak to some surprise.

After a slight hesitation, he struggled as he carefully pulled a small box from his pocket.

"Actually, the pastel gemstone I mentioned earlier, which sold for a high price at Neume auction house... is in my possession."

He held the box in his palm, his arm outstretched, in a position that was clearly visible to everyone but absolutely safe, and that he could easily retract it at any time, and gently opened it.

hum-

Against the backdrop of the night and the firelight, a dazzling pink light flashed before everyone's eyes.

It was a pink gem the size of a fingernail, as clear as solidified water.

It is not round, but has an irregular shape that resembles a miniature mountain range. After being refracted and cut by countless tiny crystal faces inside, the light is exhaled in a softer and deeper way, like a cloud of light mist inside the gemstone.

In that instant, Xia Nan seemed to have some kind of illusion, as if this precious deep pink gemstone possessed some indescribable, invisible magic, guiding his attention and drawing him into its depths.

Just as his concentration was becoming increasingly focused.

"Crack."

Horak slammed the box shut and stuffed the gem back into his pocket.

This wealthy businessman, who had previously acted with unparalleled generosity, showed no intention of handing the gemstones over to the crowd for close inspection, unlike before.

However, it was only briefly revealed before being quickly withdrawn.

"Look, this is it."

He murmured almost in a whisper, his tone tinged with a strange emotion, a mixture of a businessman's pride and a strong, possessive desire, almost like that of a food guard.

This contrasts sharply with her earlier generous manner, when she seemed eager to give away all her jewelry to the group.

Even those eyes, which should have been shrewd and rational, seemed to retain a trace of pink light from the small box.

Looking at Horak, whose expression changed in an instant, he recalled the change in his own mental power that he had sensed the moment he saw the gem.

Xia Nan suddenly frowned.

(End of this chapter)