Goblin Heavy Dependence

Chapter 505 Three Rings - Energy Shaping System

Things are progressing very smoothly.

The warehouse, which stores a large amount of supplies, is an extremely important location for the Tidefall Gang on Wildberry Cliff Island.

Besides Hogan and his group who were sent over, there are also high-ranking gang members who have already obtained professional levels stationed there on a regular basis.

Of course, given the overall strength of the Tidefall Gang, which was only a small to medium-sized organization in Fish Bay, those assigned to such positions were unlikely to be high-level experts.

Two of the most ordinary and common [warriors], both with a class level of only lv1.

He was accompanied by some thugs from the gang who were responsible for handling miscellaneous tasks.

To some extent, this is actually a sinecure.

After all, the warehouse is located in the core area of ​​Wildberry Cliff, and there are outposts set up around the island's coastline.

If someone could actually fight their way from the beach to here against the tide-receding gang's attacks, then these two level 1 professionals probably wouldn't be of much use.

Perhaps that's why they were so relaxed.

When Hogan, under the orders of Ironrock Shield and the others, emerged alone from the bushes and entered the camp, one of the two professionals was already fast asleep, while the other was indulging in alcohol, dancing with the thugs around the campfire with a wine glass in hand, his longsword, which he used as a weapon, nowhere to be seen.

The battle also ended quickly.

Having quickly ascertained the situation within the camp, Hogan had barely finished having a glass of wine poured for him by a few thugs when Xia Nan and his group infiltrated the camp.

As the rogue Agu's dagger pierced the neck of the warrior who was enjoying a sweet dream, a wooden arrow from the ranger Selene whistled through the temple of the drunken warrior by the campfire.

The two professionals died instantly.

The remaining henchmen were then exhausted.

Within minutes, the once bustling warehouse camp was reduced to deathly silence.

The flickering flames from the campfire illuminated the corpses scattered on the ground, and the air was filled with a strong stench of blood.

"Gurgle, gurgle..."

His prominent Adam's apple bobbed up and down, and glistening liquor dripped from the corners of his mouth, soaking the front of his clothes.

The orc Howl held the barrel in both hands and drank heartily, downing most of it in one gulp.

"Cool!"

He let out a low growl like a wild beast, casually tossed the barrel of liquor onto the ground, wiped his mouth with the back of his hand, and said with satisfaction.

"Captain, are you sure you don't want a few drinks?"

Upon hearing this, the dwarf Habik unconsciously swallowed.

As a pure-blooded hill dwarf, I naturally can't live without these intoxicating and wonderful wines.

However, since we are still in the middle of a mission and I am the team leader, I cannot indulge myself in this regard and can only forcibly restrain my desires.

With a stern face, he waved at the orc.

"The mission is important. Just have a couple of sips, but don't overindulge."

"Once we get back, it doesn't matter if we buy up all the remaining stock in the tavern."

Having collaborated for many years, they understand each other's personalities and know what's important.

He just licked his lips as he looked at the barrel of wine on the ground, but didn't drink any more.

"They're all penniless, they don't have anything valuable."

Cleaning up the battlefield is something seasoned adventurers like them are very skilled at.

Less than five minutes had passed since the last thug on the field died, and Sally and Agu had already finished cleaning up.

One of the two men was carrying two long swords, while the other was carrying a somewhat shrunken money bag.

"The weapons of these two professionals are ordinary goods from the blacksmith shop in Suoyu Bay. They won't make much money selling them back home."

"I didn't have much money on me. I searched the entire camp and didn't even find a few gold coins."

That makes sense, though.

On the one hand, when a professional chooses to retire from the "adventurer" profession and choose to become a gang member or a pirate, it means saying goodbye to their original high income and entering a relatively stable life.

On the other hand, this was just a temporary camp, not the main base of the Tide Receding Gang. Shifts were frequently changed, so it was impossible for anyone to carry all their belongings with them while working.

Even if the harvest is small, the income should belong to all members who participated in the task and should be distributed through discussion.

But right now, the Iron Rock Shield team seems to have no intention of distributing the income.

Xia Nan, who was standing a little distance away, unconsciously frowned and felt a sense of disgust rising in his heart.

I've already made up my mind to have a good "talk" with them after this mission is over.

Even if it's just a copper coin, you must not be short of your share.

"Let's go, don't waste time."

"Check if the goods in the warehouse are the batch we're looking for. If they are, we can move them and leave quickly."

Seeing that his teammates had already cleaned up the belongings on the field, team leader Habik gave instructions.

Having already learned that the Tidefall Gang had made connections with the Shahua Fishmen, he clearly didn't want to get involved in these troublesome matters. The thugs he had killed along the way, plus the two professionals from earlier, had fulfilled Aurelius's mission requirement to "teach the Tidefall Gang and the pirates a lesson."

He just wanted to grab his things and leave as quickly as possible.

……

The temporary warehouse built by the Tide Retreat Gang on Wildberry Cliff is quite large, estimated to be about half the size of a football field.

Of course, it mainly contains daily necessities; you wouldn't find enchanted equipment or similar items here.

The truly valuable items, for these pirates, were either carried on their person or hidden in secret locations known only to themselves.

Fortunately, perhaps because they had only recently seized the goods from the merchant ship, they hadn't even changed the boxes; they had only opened them and checked them briefly.

It didn't take long for the group to find the collector's goods in the middle of the warehouse, based on the hidden markings on the boxes provided by Oriel.

Three whole boxes.

Including tobacco, rare minerals, and some antique collectibles whose value was not apparent—Xia Nan took the opportunity to scan through them with the cheat code on his attribute panel, but found nothing special; they were all just ordinary items with collectible value.

They needed to move these things to the seaside and then transport them back to the merchant ship using the small boat they had come from.

The earliest shift change at the warehouse is tomorrow morning, but it's only early morning now. As long as nothing unexpected happens, the group has plenty of time.

The Iron Shield team, true to the greedy nature of adventurers in this world, began searching the warehouse for valuables after finding their mission objective and feeling much less pressure.

"Mr. Hague, why aren't you with these gentlemen?"

It's unclear whether he wanted to take the opportunity to escape, or whether he was deliberately trying to get close to her out of fear of being silenced.

Hogan mustered his courage, lowered his body, and cautiously observed Xia Nan's expression out of the corner of his eye.

"Hmm?" Xia Nan raised an eyebrow and glanced at the thug beside him. "Didn't you just say that the warehouse was full of daily necessities? What, you weren't telling the truth?"

"No, no, no!" Hogan said, waving his hands in alarm.

"Everything I said is true, Lord Xia Nan!"

“I was there watching when these things were first brought in.”

"I... I was just asking casually."

Of course, it was impossible to completely trust the thug's guarantee. In fact, when Xia Nan followed the team into the warehouse, his perception was already at its maximum, and his eyes scanned every corner around him.

While the Iron Rock Shield team was confirming that the goods in Oriel were intact and preparing to look for some extra money, Xia Nan had already checked them twice.

This is why he is so calm right now.

In contrast, what he is truly concerned about now is something else entirely.

"On my way here, I came across a dungeon containing many civilians from nearby islands. These must be the sacrifices you plan to trade with the merfolk, right?"

"Yes, sir, it is indeed Chief Gri's preparation for trading with the Shahua fishmen."

Hogan seemed particularly sensitive to the word "you" used in Xia Nan's question, which grouped him with the Tidefall Gang. While confirming this, he tried to distance himself from the group.

"How many dungeons like this are there on your island?" Xia Nan asked, unconcerned by the thug's persistence.

“The exact number is unclear, but it’s no more than ten.” Hogan pondered, recalling carefully. “But not every dungeon is filled with people; many are still empty, supposedly for future use.”

Do you know the exact location?

"The dungeons are mostly built in fixed areas. I saw them when I was patrolling the island with my gang. If I spend some time... I can find them all."

Xia Nan nodded slightly and did not reply.

The commissioned task is almost complete, and the lost collection in Aurelius has been found.

He planned to take advantage of the move to rescue the ordinary civilians imprisoned in the dungeon without affecting the others in the group.

There is enough space on the merchant ship, so the number of people is not a problem.

Of course, since it's not part of the commission, he will negotiate with Oriel later to make up for the losses incurred by these civilians, or things like food expenses.

"Fuck, there's not a single valuable item in this warehouse!?"

The orc Howl took a vicious bite of a piece of cured meat he had rummaged through a food box and complained rather disappointedly.

For adventurers like them, the reward for the quest itself often accounts for only a small portion of their total income.

The main source of income is the extra money earned along the way, including but not limited to protection money offered by villagers encountered on the road, loot from other adventurers, and monster materials.

He felt somewhat unwilling to return with the mission objective as it was.

His round eyes instinctively shifted to Hogan beside Xia Nan, his tone filled with ferocity as he threatened:
"Hey kid!"

"Is there anything else of value in this place?"

"If you dare to lie to me, I'll skin you alive!"

"No, really, that's all, sir!" Under threat, Hogan immediately prostrated himself on the ground and begged for mercy.

Baring his teeth, the orc wanted to say something more, but the instinctive reaction to danger from his orc bloodline made him unconsciously shut his mouth.

His gaze unconsciously shifted from Hogan to Xia Nan beside him.

The remarkably young-looking, black-haired youth had somehow already half-turned around.

His brows furrowed slightly, his dark eyes fixed on the deep darkness beneath the warehouse door.

"what happened?"

Xia Nan's unusual behavior also caught the attention of the squad leader, Habik, who asked him a question.

"Something's up."

Xia Nan's keen senses allowed him to vaguely perceive the unusual noises coming from the depths of the night.

Sally, who prides herself on her strong senses and works as a Ranger, also focused her attention and tried to sense things carefully, but found nothing.

He shook his head slightly at Habik.

"I didn't feel anything..."

Woo-long—

A high-pitched, sharp sound, like a steam whistle, came from afar, instantly interrupting Sally's words.

The expressions of the Iron Rock Shield team members changed drastically.

Ignoring their ongoing search for supplies, they quickly gathered together and formed a line.

"What's going on!?"

Habik growled.

Xia Nan was also unaware of what had happened, but his perception attribute, which was as high as twelve points, allowed him to react almost instinctively and perfectly in the instant the crisis struck.

With a forceful pull of his right hand, he grabbed Hogan by the collar and threw the unfortunate thug out the window—he needed Hogan's help to find the dungeon later, so he had to ensure the thug's survival as much as possible.

Then, with a burst of power from his legs, his dark body almost became a blur, and in the blink of an eye, he moved from near the warehouse entrance to the three boxes of goods that were the mission objective.

[Emberfall] The straight sword was drawn in an instant, but instead of moving forward, it hung down naturally with the tip pointing diagonally at the ground; the left arm was raised horizontally, and the [Netherscale Guard] arm shield protected the front of the body.

"Raise your shields!"

He reminded his temporary teammates.

Although he didn't know why Xia Nan reacted so strongly, seeing his behavior, the dwarf Habik subconsciously took off the large heavy steel tower shield he was carrying on his back.

It happened the very next second after the bottom edge of the tower shield hit the ground.

Amidst the echoing horn sounds, a deep, resonant hum was added.

As Seri lunged toward the back of the dwarf shield, her gaze instinctively drifted toward the direction from which the sound came.

What comes into view is the bare wooden wall of the warehouse.

And the orange-red light that was rapidly expanding, seeping in and surging from every crack in the wooden planks.

The intense, scorching heatwave rushed into the warehouse almost simultaneously with the wooden planks that had been blasted into pieces and transformed into fiery spears.

It was an extremely fast and concentrated ball of fire, its outer layer enveloped in orange-red flames, while its interior was a nearly transparent white, accumulating explosive high temperatures unimaginable to ordinary people.

The warehouse walls were as thin as paper, easily torn apart, and the surrounding goods were reduced to unrecognizable charcoal with the slightest impact.

It was like a shooting star that flew horizontally into the room.

Under everyone's watchful eyes, the sphere, constructed entirely of flames, gently landed in the center of the warehouse.

"boom!!!"

—Three Rings, Energy System, Fireball!
(End of this chapter)