Full health is the kill threshold, no matter if you're a god or a demon!

After a night's rest, both my mental state and the condition of my game character have returned to their peak.

The next morning, Liu Nian activated [Fungal Vein Teleportation], and his figure disappeared in a distorted halo with a faint fragrance of spores. The next moment, he appeared precisely in the ancient riverbed area where he had placed the [Incredible Coordinate Locator] the day before.

He first carefully examined yesterday's disguise.

The branches, vines, and pebbles covering the vehicles and ore piles showed no signs of disturbance, and the few subtle "marks" he had deliberately left were still intact. The five goblin trucks and the shimmering magical ores remained quietly hidden under the natural cover.

Soon, the air rippled again, and two figures appeared almost simultaneously. They were Yun Xiangrong and Jiang Yi, who had just acquired the [Dark Swiftness] boots.

"Wow! You've got so many trucks and ore! That's amazing!" Yun Xiangrong exclaimed, covering her mouth as she looked at the convoy hidden under the tree branches.

Hearing this, Jiang Yi glanced at Yun Xiangrong with a strange expression and muttered under his breath, "When did my sister Yun start talking like this... in a coquettish way? Something's wrong..."

Although Yun Xiangrong is not usually cold and aloof, she is usually calm and capable. Could she have some feelings for Liu Nian?

He quickly shook his head to dismiss the strange thought.

"Let's check the vehicle's condition; I didn't look at it closely yesterday," Liu Nian said.

The two responded, composed themselves, and began to carefully inspect the trucks. The first few trucks all appeared to be in good condition.

When Jiang Yi walked to the back of the last truck, which was also the one loaded with the most ore, and lifted a corner of the thick waterproof tarpaulin to inspect the ore pile, his brows suddenly furrowed.

"Hey, Liu Nian, Sister Yun, come and take a look at this." His voice carried a hint of doubt.

Liu Nian and Yun Xiangrong immediately went over. Following the direction Jiang Yi pointed, they saw a metal object, about the size of a thumb, lying quietly in the cracks of the ore, near the corner of the carriage. The object was covered with dried blood that had turned dark reddish-brown.

Jiang Yi carefully used the tip of his dagger to pry it out and placed it in his palm. The three of them then gathered around to examine it.

It was an exquisitely crafted composite metal gear. Unlike the rough, rivet-strewn style common in goblin creations, this gear had smooth, beautiful lines and precise, seamless meshing of its teeth. Even stained with blood, its superior material was still evident, with a subtle matte silver-gray sheen. It resembled a precision instrument part rather than a component of a crude machine.

Liu Nian's expression shifted slightly as he reached out and picked up the small gear from Jiang Yi's palm. It was cold and hard to the touch.

He carefully wiped away most of the blood and grime from the gear's surface with the corner of his clothes. As the dirt faded, the metal's cold luster shimmered slightly in the dim ambient light. Almost simultaneously, a system notification sounded:

Bloodstained precision gears

Type: Key

[Description: This emblem, engraved on the inside with a combination of tiny gears and lightning bolts, is an identification tag for the Dwarf Guard and can also be used as a key.]

Liu Nian's pupils suddenly contracted!

He immediately turned the gear inside out and examined it carefully in the brighter light.

Sure enough, on the edge of an extremely inconspicuous groove on the inside, he saw the lifelike micro-carved mark that required a magnifying glass to see the details—an exquisite gear pierced by a slender lightning bolt!

"These are the identification badges worn on the chests of members of the Dwarf Prince's Guard—the 'Heart of the Gear Guard'!" Liu Nian's voice carried a hint of surprise.

He had seen similar signs in the Prince's City of the Heart of the Gear, though they were larger and more ornate, but the design was exactly the same!

In an instant, countless clues and fragments of information collided and connected wildly in his mind!

This caravan of magical ore...

Previously, while exploring the salamander's nest, they found a dwarf engineer being carried in the salamander's mouth...

Due to a shortage of magic stones, the teleportation array in Prince Gearheart's City has been forced to close some of its external nodes...

Prince Gelbin mentioned that they had engaged in an extremely fierce battle with the goblins in resource-rich areas, which even affected the supply of magic stones...

And here's the blood-stained, elite gnome identity gear that appeared in the goblin transport vehicle's ore pile!

All the points are connected by a clear line of logic!

"Could it be... that the dwarfs' base is nearby?" Liu Nian asked excitedly.

After hearing Liu Nian's reasoning, Yun Xiangrong and Jiang Yi's expressions instantly became excited.

"If that's really the case..." Yun Xiangrong analyzed quickly, "There's a gnome stronghold nearby that's being attacked by goblins, but is clearly still resisting? Gnomes are a level 100 NPC faction! Even if it's just an outpost and not that high-level, its defenses are definitely not something goblins can easily break through!"

Jiang Yi chimed in, "Moreover, goblins and gnomes are mortal enemies, and their conflict is exactly what we'd like to see! If we can find this gnome stronghold, we can use their strength to give the goblins a good beating!"

Liu Nian's gaze swept towards the upstream direction of the ancient riverbed, the direction from which the vehicles had come yesterday.

Plans can't keep up with changes.

The original plan to transport the minerals was put on hold after the discovery of clues about the dwarf gears.

Liu Nian, Yun Xiangrong, and Jiang Yi formed a temporary team and carefully made their way upstream along the dried-up ancient riverbed.

Out of caution, the three ate the fish and acted very discreetly.

After all, Liu Nian had just wiped out a goblin caravan yesterday, so they would most likely send someone over to check on things today.

Given the nature of goblins, they certainly wouldn't just send one or two.

However, to their surprise, the journey was unusually quiet.

Forget about the goblin patrols, we didn't even see a single goblin.

"Something's not right, it's too quiet," Jiang Yi said in a low voice, his staff glowing slightly, ready to deal with any unexpected situation.

As they walked, Yun Xiangrong quietly approached Liu Nian and asked in a voice only the two of them could hear, "Liu Nian, are we... friends?"

Liu Nian glanced at her with some surprise and nodded: "Of course."

Yun Xiangrong's fair cheeks flushed slightly, and her voice lowered even further: "I...I don't want to be friends with you."

Liu Nian paused, his brow furrowing slightly as he looked at her with a puzzled expression: "Hmm? You want to be my enemy?"

Yun Xiangrong: "..."

She took a deep breath, as if she wanted to say something, but in the end she just rolled her eyes helplessly and turned her head away.

She was being abrupt...

"Pfft, hahaha..." Jiang Yi, who had been eavesdropping nearby, finally couldn't help but burst out laughing, earning him a glare from Yun Xiangrong, who was both embarrassed and annoyed.

"Sorry bro, Tai Chi is hilarious!" Jiang Yi laughed so hard his stomach almost cramped up.

Liu Nian looked at the two of them, puzzled.

what does it mean?

Straight men who have never been in a relationship won't understand this hint.