Chapter 1299 - 638: Surprisingly Human_2

Dark brown hair tied into a thick braid at the back of the head, a pair of bright, lively eyes that were sharply defined in black and white.

The girl’s appearance was clearly not intentionally arranged by the village.

It could be seen, at the moment she walked into the room carrying a tray, the village chief, who had been cautiously agreeing with the adventurers at the table, suddenly frowned.

Taking advantage of the adventurers’ momentary distraction, he glared at the girl, indicating that she should leave quickly.

But the girl had already made up her mind.

Ignoring the village chief’s angry gaze, her lively eyes subtly shifted, casting glances over the adventurers facing away from the wooden door, finally resting on the resting Winter Wolf not far from the door.

As if having found her target, her eyes suddenly brightened.

Before she was able to act, she noticed Xia Nan sitting by the fireplace, looking at her.

It was apparent, the moment their eyes met, the girl’s body visibly trembled, her gaze retracting instinctively.

But just a second later, she seemed to force herself to straighten up, giving Xia Nan a somewhat awkward salute, then calmly stepping forward and gently placing the tray on the small round table before Xia Nan.

"These are freshly baked wheat cakes, please enjoy them while they’re hot."

While speaking, the girl’s black and white eyes couldn’t help but glance in Fenney’s direction.

Having delivered the food, she should have retreated.

But the girl seemed to have resolved something in her heart, standing there, taking a deep breath, her lips tightly pressed.

She then slightly raised her head, overcoming inner fear with great courage, raising her head to meet Xia Nan’s mysterious dark eyes.

Her voice trembling, she said:

"Sir, your companion... may I take a look at it?"

Xia Nan found it amusing.

When he entered the village, he didn’t hide anything; Fenney was right by his side, and anyone with sharp eyes could tell the relationship between them.

It wasn’t surprising that the girl knew Fenney was his companion.

But...

All these adventurers were seasoned ones; it’s likely only that green-skinned hybrid hadn’t thought of it. How would the others be unaware of the reason the village chief only arranged for the burly middle-aged farm women to serve and clean up?

In such circumstances, this girl not only dared to enter the room but also mustered the courage to speak to him.

It’s hard to say whether she was truly brave or had some mistaken belief about the moral standards of adventurers in this world.

At the moment the girl straightened up and spoke, the nearby farm women, who were silently observing, couldn’t help but freeze.

As for the village chief, he almost rose from his chair, feet braced on the ground.

Presumably, if Xia Nan showed even a hint of displeasure, he would crawl forward and beg for mercy.

Xia Nan didn’t answer right away.

His dark eyes turned, glancing past the rash girl before him, to Winter Wolf Fenney.

Fenney seemed to be resting with closed eyes, but the moment the girl tried to approach Xia Nan, the wolf’s ears, which had been drooping, perked up alertly.

Fenney understood Universal Language, and with its hearing, would not miss the girl’s question.

Sensing Xia Nan’s gaze seeking its opinion, the Winter Wolf didn’t bother to open its eyes, merely snorted a cold breath, swiftly flicking its wolf tail behind it, blocking the girl’s view.

The attitude was all too clear.

If Xia Nan insisted, Fenney might agree to let the girl approach, but Xia Nan was evidently not the type to inconvenience his close companion for a stranger’s request.

He merely lifted his chin towards Fenney and, looking at the girl before him, said gently:

"Seems it doesn’t quite like you."

It was obvious, a hint of disappointment appeared on the girl’s face.

Of course, despite inner disappointment, she maintained caution and politeness outwardly.

"I’m sorry for bothering you, sir."

Her tone was sincere, not directly turning to leave, but instead lowering her head to carefully tidy up Xia Nan’s table, not a hint of complaint.

Watching her, Xia Nan pondered, intending to say something.

Suddenly, a gaze filled with malice came from the other end of the room.

Their brief exchange was enough to draw the attention of others in the room.

Gangke’s yellow-brown beast eyes narrowed, his gaze falling upon the girl.

"Sir, try this, it’s a specialty of the Frost Forest!"

The village chief reacted quickly, almost rising the moment Gangke looked over, attempting to block the Half-Orc’s view.

But he hadn’t even lifted the tray when Gangke slammed him back down with one palm.

"Get out of the way, you’re blocking me!"

The fleeting goodwill he had exhibited vanished instantly, replaced by a beast-like malicious desire.

There’s no doubt, had Gangke been the only adventurer present, Ice Tree Village would face a grim fate.

But now... circumstances were different.

Xia Nan hadn’t even risen, still sitting by the fireplace in his chair.

He merely lifted his head slightly, his dark and mysterious eyes showing no emotion, casting a distant glance at him.

Equally derived from beastly instinct, Gangke’s body, almost half-standing, inexplicably sat back down under unspoken pressure.

His light green face flushed red, as if insulted by some humiliation, he was immensely angry.

Evidently, he couldn’t accept his own cowardly action.

Gangke was never afraid of conflict, but at this moment, truly standing up to continue his previous behavior, the indescribable sense of danger elicited during that crossed gaze made him instinctively press his rear tightly to the chair surface.

As the temporary captain of "Sulfur Dragon Breath," Uriah swiftly recognized the on-field conflict.

Perceiving Xia Nan’s formidable strength, unwilling to make an enemy of him, this Minstrel promptly, the next instant after Gangke sat back down, used a supposedly reprimanding yet actually peace-making approach, scolding the Half-Orc in front of everyone:

"Gangke! Don’t do anything to embarrass Captain!"

"Once the mission is complete and we return to the fortress, you can play however you want."

"But now... you mustn’t!"

Previously, hearing Uriah leveraging Captain Gretchen’s name to reprimand him again would merely annoy Gangke.

Yet now, he suddenly felt relieved instead of resistant.

Even Uriah’s intentional loudness, ensuring everyone heard it, matched his wishes.

See, it wasn’t because of Xia Nan, the dark-haired human, that he abandoned his original actions.

It was simply out of regard for the squad’s reputation and the rules set by Captain Gretchen that he forcibly restrained himself.

Nothing to do with anyone else!

Thinking along these lines, hearing Uriah’s reprimand, the Half-Orc simply went with the flow, letting out a comedic cold snort, no longer looking towards Xia Nan, deliberately focusing back on the food at the table.

Seeing this, the village chief, forcibly seated across the table, pale with fear, let out a long sigh of relief.

Though unable to speak directly because of the Half-Orc before him, he still sent a grateful glance towards Xia Nan’s direction.

Clearly understanding it was Xia Nan who had stopped the Half-Orc Gangke.

In response, Xia Nan’s expression remained calm, yet he couldn’t help but feel slightly regretful.

This mixed-blood really understood humanity.

His gaze fell upon the girl before him, observing that though she appeared to be tidying up the table, her body couldn’t stop trembling, aware of the malicious and dangerous moment that had just passed.

Thinking for a moment, Xia Nan stood slowly, arranging his clothing slightly.

"The room’s too stuffy, I’m going out for some air."

Then, he tilted his head towards the girl whose eyes slightly lost focus due to excessive tension as she instinctively looked up at him.

"Lead the way."