Chapter 157 Nym

"Thud."

The rapidly spinning wheels crunched over the gravel, sending the carriage bouncing and pitching.

Under normal circumstances, a passenger inside who failed to control their center of gravity would have been thrown off balance by that single jolt.

With worse luck, they might smash into a sharp edge and crack their skull.

But Xia Nan sat perfectly steady.

Leaning against the padded backrest with his hands folded over his stomach and his eyes half-closed, he looked as if he were napping.

He hadn't anticipated the carriage's sudden jolts, nor was he fully concentrating on manipulating his muscles and bones to maintain his balance.

Much like breathing or blinking, it required no extra thought. Driven entirely by instinct, his body subconsciously maintained a state of equilibrium unaffected by external shifts.

As for the reason...

On one hand, it came from his class feat, [Tidal Stabilization].

One of its effects granted Xia Nan superior balance whenever he stood on an unstable surface.

Previously, his understanding of this feat had been limited to maintaining his center of gravity in combat to avoid falling.

But as he tested it over the past few days, he gained a deeper understanding of how the ability actually manifested.

To give a few simple examples...

If he could have taken this skill back to his previous life, Xia Nan definitely would have made a name for himself in skiing or surfing.

He might not have won countless championships, but reaching a professional tier would have been a breeze.

Standing on a skateboard, an ordinary person wouldn't even be able to push him over. It was practically a cheat.

On the other hand, it naturally stemmed from his Agility attribute, which now sat at a lofty eight points.

This was thanks to the physical enhancements brought by [Spinning Slash], Dewdrop, [Fang Hunt], and the [Meteor Blade Hunter] class.

On the Attribute Panel, it might look like a simple numerical increase from a starting five to a seven or eight.

Just a matter of two or three points.

But the actual impact on his body was far greater than a mere forty or sixty percent improvement would suggest.

To some extent, Xia Nan's current body had gradually broken away from his past world's understanding of humanity.

Those so-called human limits and world records no longer applied to him.

In terms of combat, when factoring in his own battle experience, equipment, and combat techniques, the gap between Xia Nan and an ordinary person was like night and day.

Take the bandits who had ambushed the caravan in the dead of night a dozen days ago, for instance.

They had boasted a sizable force, complete with a few well-equipped cavalrymen, and looked quite the part.

But they were only good for bullying the ordinary caravan guards who had yet to earn a Class Level.

Once Xia Nan stepped in, the battle turned into a one-sided slaughter.

Two casual swings of the Decapitating Longsword left behind a wide swath of severed limbs and spilled organs.

And as for those who tried to run, how could they possibly outpace the howling wolf hunting them from behind?

As for the handful of cavalrymen, Xia Nan hadn't even bothered to exert himself. He simply shifted their centers of gravity, and they tumbled right off their horses.

Not a single one was spared, and the battle concluded cleanly in under ten minutes.

He hadn't even broken a sweat.

It was worth noting that while the bandits were wiped out, their horses had all been left behind. Most were unharmed; only one had caught a blade to the leg during the fight and looked a bit lame.

They should sell for a few gold coins.

As a passenger who had temporarily filled in as a guard, Xia Nan would naturally receive a corresponding cut of the profits.

The caravan leader had already discussed the exact amount with him. Once the loot—including the horses and the bandits' gear—was processed, his share would be sent to the White Chickadee Tavern.

Based on the experience he'd accumulated over so many quests, the sum probably wouldn't be massive.

But it would be more than enough to cover his carriage fare.

This brought a fair bit of comfort to Xia Nan, whose little treasury had shrunk significantly after forging his new gear.

"Smack!"

Suddenly, a sharp slap against the door interrupted his thoughts.

He could faintly make out a grubby, messy-haired little boy hopping along outside the carriage.

The boy held a stack of grayish-white newspapers high in the air.

"Wycliffe is gravely ill! Dark clouds loom over the position of Nym's city lord!"

"The Feast of the Moon is fast approaching! Five things you must watch out for!"

"Sir, sir! For just two coppers, you can—"

The boy was only halfway through his pitch when the commotion drew the attention of the caravan's guards.

"You got a death wish, selling papers here!?"

"Shoo! Get lost!"

It was as if he had done this countless times before.

The moment the guard hopped down from the carriage, the little boy waving the newspaper tucked his stack under his arm, turned, and bolted without a shred of hesitation.

Like a little mouse caught in a sudden beam of light, he vanished into the depths of a dimly lit alley in the blink of an eye.

Xia Nan waved a hand at the apologetic-looking guard outside the window, signaling for him not to worry.

He slipped the two copper coins he had just fished out of his pouch back inside, feeling a twinge of regret.

He actually had wanted to buy a paper.

After all, he was new here, and he desperately wanted to learn more about Nym City.

Even gossip columns would have been fine; at the very least, they would help him recognize a few names.

Unfortunately, the carriage's windows were sealed shut. To interact with the outside, he would have had to open the door, making it impossible to finalize a deal with the newsboy from inside the cabin.

But it was what it was.

It was just a newspaper. Once he got off later, he could buy one anywhere along the street. There was no need to rush.

Xia Nan sat alone in the carriage, turning his gaze back to the window.

What filled his vision was no longer the fields and wastelands he had grown tired of seeing on the long road, but neat, orderly rows of houses and wide, bustling streets.

His ears were no longer filled solely with the creaking of rolling wheels and the annoying howl of the wind sweeping across the plains.

Instead, they were graced with the lively clamor of pedestrians and merchants going about their day.

After nearly a month of a dull, start-and-stop journey, the caravan had finally reached their destination:

—Nym.

Even though they hadn't run into any more trouble since that night, the rest of the trip had been a slog.

Whether monsters or bandits, they hadn't encountered a single one.

But for Xia Nan, the experience had still been borderline torture.

There were no soft, comfortable inn beds, nor was there any piping hot, creamy mushroom soup. Even practicing his combat techniques had become a hassle, requiring him to squeeze in a few drills whenever they stopped to rest.

Compared to life in Rivervale Town, the only real advantage to sleeping on the carriage was that the nights were a bit quieter, sparing him from the noisy tavern hall downstairs.

To some extent, because he had to maintain a high level of concentration at all times to watch out for monsters, time had subjectively flown by.

Even adventuring through the Misty Forest hadn't been this painful.

Especially for Xia Nan, who hailed from modern society and had enjoyed the convenience of technologically advanced transportation.

Never in his life had he missed the beat-up old car in his garage so much, nor had he ever missed the cramped, smelly subway cars during the morning rush hour.

However, based on his observations over this period, this world's magical power was highly developed. Teleportation technology most likely existed.

Who knew? Technological creations like trains or aircraft might have already been developed through magic and put to practical use.

Perhaps it was simply because he was in a remote rural area that he hadn't come across any relevant information?

While he pondered this, the carriage—whose speed had slowed to a crawl since entering the city, to the point where even a child could jog alongside it—finally rolled to a halt.

"Mr. Xia Nan, we've arrived," the respectful voice of the caravan leader drifted in through the window.

Xia Nan gathered his luggage and stepped out of the carriage.

"Sir, just as we discussed, your share of the loot will be converted into gold coins at market price and left with Boss Chapton over at the White Chickadee Tavern."

"Yeah, just give him my name when the time comes," Xia Nan replied with a nod. "I mentioned it to him before I left, so this works out perfectly."

After exchanging a few pleasantries, Xia Nan was about to leave when the caravan leader hesitated, then carefully probed, "No offense intended, but I was wondering what day you plan to head back, sir. If the timing works out, perhaps..."

He understood what the man meant: he wanted to give him a ride back to Rivervale Town.

It was entirely understandable.

Having a Class Holder like Xia Nan among the passengers meant they could collect his fare, and if danger struck, he would pull double duty as a guard without them needing to pay him extra wages. They could even keep a slice of the loot for themselves as a side gig.

It was practically all benefits and zero drawbacks.

While Xia Nan didn't mind the idea, the timeline for his current quest was completely up in the air.

If things went smoothly, he might be able to head back as early as tomorrow.

But if things proved difficult, staying in Nym for ten days or half a month wasn't out of the question either.

He shook his head and politely declined. "Just handle your own business and don't wait for me. I'll find another caravan to take me back when the time comes."

Since he put it that way, the caravan leader naturally had no reason to insist. He offered a few more polite words before bidding him farewell.

Luggage in hand, Xia Nan stood on the street, getting his bearings.

It was already evening by the time the caravan entered the city.

Although he knew the destination of his quest, heading over to investigate right now felt inappropriate.

He planned to find an inn to get a good night's rest first, recovering his energy while gathering some intelligence.

Once dawn broke tomorrow, he would head to the location on the note...

"Pit-pat."

A flurry of light footsteps suddenly sounded from behind him.

He subconsciously turned his body sideways to make way.

A second later, a youthful figure stumbled past him.

The youth seemed to be an adventurer as well, but clearly a greenhorn just starting out, sporting rather shabby gear.

He was tightly clutching a bundle in his arms.

Xia Nan frowned slightly, vaguely remembering the boy.

This youthful-looking fellow had also been a passenger on the caravan.

He recalled that the boy had been traveling with a slightly older man, but that man had died under the bandits' blades.

Talk about bad luck. In that battle, many people in the caravan had been injured, but very few had actually died. That man was one of them.

That was exactly why Xia Nan remembered his traveling companion so clearly.

Watching the youth's back disappear into the crowd...

...Xia Nan withdrew his gaze, shook his head, and put the matter out of his mind.

He began walking down the other side of the street.

...

Nym.

As the core city of the Servia Kingdom's Cloudclimb Province, one could only admit that it truly possessed the air of a metropolis.

Before this, apart from Rivervale Town, Xia Nan had only ever visited its satellite town of Kalanfor. He had no concrete impression of what large cities in this world were like.

Right now, as he walked down the street...

Even though he was still a very long way from the central district...

...just looking at the neat rows of shops on either side and the dazzling array of goods gleaming behind glass display windows was enough to make him feel the city's prosperity.

Often, a city's level of development could be gleaned just from the attire, appearance, and demeanor of the commoners passing by.

Scruffy-looking vagrants certainly existed, but they were in the minority.

At the very least, the vast majority of the pedestrians Xia Nan saw were dressed quite decently, rarely even sporting the patches that were so common on clothing back in the countryside.

And because it was evening, it happened to be the time when people got off work.

Having finished a hard day's labor, the people walked with notably brisk steps, and the food stalls were packed with lines of customers.

From time to time, he even spotted families of three strolling down the street hand in hand.

All of this left Xia Nan with a very good first impression of the city.

Of course, based on his understanding of this world, he guessed that the area he currently found himself in was likely one of the wealthier districts.

Places like the Slums undoubtedly existed without him even having to think about it.

For all he knew, they could be just two streets over.

On the other hand, there was a stark difference here compared to Rivervale Town and Kalanfor.

Fully armed adventurers like him were not a common sight on the streets.

Only occasionally would he spot one or two burly men clad in armor with iron swords hanging from their waists, weaving hurriedly through the crowd.

Taking their place were squads of guards decked out in official standard-issue gear, marching right down the middle of the road looking quite heroic on the surface.

He was in no rush.

Xia Nan took his time taking in the sights and sounds of the big city, walking slowly down the main street while sweeping his gaze across the shop signs on either side in search of an inn.

[Stone Oven Bakery] — "I still want some meat for dinner. I wonder if the taverns here sell mushroom soup, and how it tastes."

[Old Badger Oil Lamp] — "Looks like a shop selling candles and lamps, but there's no one outside."

[Nightingale's Nest] — "Mmm..."

[Three-Copper Offal] — "The sign is pretty straightforward. A cheap butcher shop, but aren't there a few too many flies?"

[Dove Feather Tailor Shop] — "The storefront is brand new. Must have opened recently, but they have quite a lot of..."

"Hm?"

His gaze snagged on something, and he unconsciously came to a halt.

A rather subtle expression suddenly surfaced on Xia Nan's face.

Limping about inside the tailor shop, bustling back and forth, was a familiar figure.

He was just wondering whether he should go up and say hello...

...when he saw several fierce-looking men walking down the street from the other side. Their sleeves were rolled up and their shirts half-open, deliberately showing off their gaudy tattoos.

They marched straight through the doors of the tailor shop.

"Is it really this cliché?"