Chapter 1269 - 623: Mysterious Darkness

Xia Nan followed the barbarian Fugang and Winter Wolf Fenney to the depths of the valley.

The terrain they were on was relatively high, with a constant uphill slope, making it difficult for him to see the scene in the distance.

But as they went further, Xia Nan gradually caught a familiar scent in the air that made his heart race.

Sure enough, after trekking through the dense forest for about twenty minutes.

A large goblin community appeared before them.

With rich experience in dealing with goblin tribes, standing on the lush hillside, Xia Nan only needed a glance down to estimate the approximate size of this goblin settlement.

The number of ordinary individuals should be between 100 to 120, and there must be elite individuals; otherwise, such a number of goblins wouldn’t gather.

But...

Xia Nan’s dark eyes stared at the clearing in the valley below, and he couldn’t help but frown slightly.

This goblin community seemed a bit different from those he had encountered before.

Normally, with the base nature of green-skinned goblins, even with an elite individual leader, it would be hard to completely suppress their chaotic and depraved instincts.

However, here, in this valley clearing, Xia Nan didn’t see the expected scene of scattered excrement and rotting corpses of prey where goblins gathered.

In some respects, it could even be considered clean.

Unlike most goblins who dig deep underground to build nests, this goblin community of over a hundred, which should have been capable of constructing large underground caves, had built its nest directly on the surface.

They had somehow procured patchy, colorfully mismatched tents, ramshackle yet mysteriously formed wooden huts, and even a spiked fence that surrounded the camp like a proper defensive structure.

From afar, if not looked at closely, one might mistakenly think it was a temporary camp set up by a military force of an intelligent race.

And at the same time, more unexpectedly, the goblins in the camp were displaying an eerie sense of discipline at this moment.

Upon observation, there seemed to be about twenty goblins standing on the central clearing of the camp.

As if undergoing military training, they stood in two crooked rows, waving their wooden sticks in relative unison under the lead of a noticeably stronger goblin, echoing the chorus of "hiss-gah".

Even when some goblins occasionally gave in to their instincts and fell out of line in excitement, a glare from the leading goblin captain would send them shrinking back into formation.

Xia Nan even noticed individuals who seemed like sentries and patrols near the edge of the perimeter fence.

This is not right, is it?

This kind of display, almost like an actual military of intelligent beings, even with an earth goblin as the leader of the community, is not something goblins should be capable of in his understanding.

Xia Nan instinctively turned his head, looking at the barbarian Fugang who had brought him here.

As if sensing the confusion in Xia Nan’s gaze, the barbarian did not turn his head but with his icy blue eyes, looked far down at the goblin camp and explained.

"It seems you’ve also noticed what’s different about this goblin tribe."

"It’s because of them that I temporarily changed my route to the Blood Castle."

"I suspect these goblins are from the border."

Many days ago, Fugang had already discovered this strangely behaving goblin tribe.

With his transcendent power nearing legendary level, annihilating them would be effortless.

But the barbarian did not do so.

Noticing something amiss and having his suspicions, he took this time to conduct a comprehensive investigation into the origins, exact circumstances, and reasons for the transformation of this goblin group.

This is also why Xia Nan was able to catch up afterward.

As for Fugang’s final findings from his investigation...

He had some discoveries, but the details would have to wait until they reached the Blood Castle for further scrutiny.

With so many days having passed, Fugang had thoroughly investigated this goblin tribe, which most likely came from the border, and saw no reason to keep observing them.

He originally intended to let Winter Wolf Fenney have some combat training before leaving.

Unexpectedly, Xia Nan, who was supposed to meet at the Blood Castle, arrived just in time and was somewhat lost on his career path.

Fugang thought of using this goblin community as a tool for testing, to observe how the young man had changed over the past year through real combat.

Understanding the barbarian’s intention, Xia Nan nodded and asked for confirmation:

"What exactly do I need to do?"

"Stealth assassination, or..."

"Just act as usual." Fugang replied, crossing his arms, "Do what you usually do with these goblins, there’s no need to overthink."

As usual...

Upon hearing this, Xia Nan’s expression remained the same, but his heart couldn’t help but hesitate.

Admittedly, it’s something to consider.

Even though his little hobby, compared to gambling or heavy drinking, was much healthier.

In most cases, it’s not something worth boasting about.

When he used to indulge, he might not hide it much, and if someone happened to see it, it wasn’t such a big deal—certainly not a reason for eliminating them.

But if he were to truly display his understanding of goblin physiology and his highly skilled torturing techniques in front of the barbarian...