Chapter 233 Squad Changes and a Familiar Figure

All things revived as the breath of spring arrived.

The bitter winter melted away with the snow into the streams, and the withered old oak trees sprouted new buds.

Before he knew it, the Month of the Wind Claw had arrived.

Xia Nan was also about to welcome his one-year anniversary since transmigrating to the Aifala Continent.

He felt he needed a bit of ceremony to further ease the heavy pressure of his tense adventuring life.

It would also add a little more humanity to himself, keeping him from completely degrading into a heartless machine that only earned gold coins and ground proficiency.

Of course, since he wasn't the type to show off or put on airs, he naturally wouldn't spend a fortune to book the entire tavern for a banquet like the few Class Holders he had seen a few days ago.

A large pot of creamy mushroom soup, specially seasoned to his preferences and bubbling with a rich aroma, paired with a few slices of toasted, crispy wheat bread, a plate of premium stewed meat, and half a bottle of ice-cold ale.

Along with the lingering, crisp sensation in his fingers from tearing through Goblin flesh with his sword edge a few days prior.

This alone made him feel incredibly satisfied, conscious of having spent a fulfilling and wonderful day.

Sitting alone in his usual spot in the corner of the tavern hall, he enjoyed the table full of sumptuous food.

The White Chickadee Tavern was as bustling as usual, filled with all sorts of Adventurers.

He just didn't know when the willow twigs and hazel branches had been hung above the tavern doors, or the grass bundles tied with colorful ribbons by the wine cabinet, or the small green plants deliberately placed in the corner of the front desk...

They heralded the arrival of the Greengrass Festival, a traditional holiday on the Aifala Continent.

Xia Nan wasn't clear on what customs this festival had in town. The memories from his predecessor only let him know that on this day, people would weave wreaths, pray to the gods for a bountiful new year, and discuss their spring plowing plans.

For the Adventurers in the White Chickadee Tavern, including himself, there wasn't much difference among the many festivals each year.

Perhaps the tavern owner would put on a show of hanging a few small decorations, or even host some eye-catching, lively events.

But in the end, the actual benefits to the Adventurers were just a few seemingly discounted drinks and meals.

They didn't save many copper coins, and due to the festive atmosphere, their expenses might even be much higher than usual.

Today was no different.

But he had to admit that this otherworldly atmosphere, reflecting the local customs and practices of this world, was still quite nice to look at.

The Plate-Chain Composite Armor forged from Iris Patterned Steel, which he had originally bought from the blacksmith shop at a discounted price of over two hundred and fifty gold, had long been fully repaired.

The most severe damage he had encountered over the past two months was merely a glancing blow from a dying Bugbear's iron hammer. Under Xia Nan's increasingly proficient equipment maintenance skills, it still remained in a relatively intact state.

Perhaps it wasn't as shiny and new on him as when it had just come out of the forge, but the few lingering battle scars on its surface added a touch of seasoned flair.

Its defensive capabilities hadn't weakened, and it could clearly still be used for a very long time.

The [Tide-Surge Lure Pole] belonging to his former teammate from the Sea Thorn Squad, Cash, was still on consignment, sitting ignored in the Association.

This was somewhat normal; after all, its usage conditions were harsh, and the equipment's effects were quite niche.

It was just waiting for someone fated—or rather, an avid fisherman.

Xia Nan wasn't anxious about this.

The hidden danger of the Lycanthrope curse had already been purged with the help of that mage named Verol.

He naturally no longer needed to spend 500 gold to buy a Remove Curse magic scroll, so his financial pressure dropped sharply.

It was worth mentioning that after selling the Resonance Relic to Verol for 400 gold, Xia Nan's net worth briefly reached over 1,200 gold coins (the Association collected a 5% handling fee on the Resonance Relic transaction).

Yet now, after two months of targeted training against Goblins, his savings had decreased instead of increasing, leaving him with just over 500 gold.

As for the reason... it naturally wasn't that he spent recklessly or had picked up some bad habit.

Rather, he had spent it all on upgrading the [Snake-Scale Arm Shield].

Having obtained the "Bone-Eroded Patterned Steel" rewarded from the Association's Lycanthrope investigation quest, and using the serpent scale acquired from the Secret Realm as the primary material, the upgraded version of the Arm Shield had already entered the forging process.

And even though he had provided two precious primary materials, after roughly calculating the remaining scattered expenses—including labor and supplementary materials—he still paid Barn a full 1,000 gold coins.

It was said that any excess would be refunded and any shortfall made up, but according to Barn at the time, for Magic Equipment crafted from materials of this level, even if there was anything left of the 1,000 gold in the end, it likely wouldn't be much.

Xia Nan certainly felt a pang of heartache.

But at the same time, he felt even more anticipation for the final product.

Without a doubt, whether in crafting cost or material quality, the Arm Shield would be far superior to the [Bone-Bound Iron Greaves] currently on his legs.

Setting aside the specific effects, the grade of the finished equipment would definitely be above them.

It was guaranteed to be a Fine-grade green item. Otherwise, never mind himself, Barn as the blacksmith would probably proactively return the materials and labor fees.

There was also a very high chance of it being a blue item.

And if he was lucky enough, or if Barn had a flash of inspiration during the forging process... Xia Nan might just obtain his very first purple item since transmigrating!

This couldn't help but make him feel excited.

The only pity was that Barn was, after all, a famous blacksmith in Rivervale Town.

For standard equipment that could be mass-produced and had fixed procedures on normal days, it was fine—both repairing and crafting were relatively fast.

But for this type of Magic Equipment that needed to be customized according to material properties and the user's needs, the required forging time was much longer.

From what Xia Nan knew alone, when he officially handed the Arm Shield and Bone-Eroded Patterned Steel over to him, Barn already had at least two enchanted equipment orders on hand.

Therefore, for the vast majority of the past two months, Xia Nan had merely been waiting while communicating in detail with him regarding the Arm Shield's upgrade plan, including but not limited to: the specific style after shaping, whether it would still be an Arm Shield, and the mixed materials during forging...

The actual crafting had only begun in the past couple of days.

Thus, he still needed to wait a while before he could get his hands on the finished product.

"Clack."

Accompanied by the soft clinking of metal armor and a faint scent of blood, a familiar set of footsteps approached from ahead.

"Got delayed at the general store for a bit," she said, her voice hoarse, still sporting that messy short hair that looked like animal pelt hacked by a butcher.

"Greenblood" Adeline sat straight down opposite him, dropping two freshly bought pitchers of dark beer onto the table with a sloshing sound.

"I'm late. This meal is on me today."

Hearing this, Xia Nan merely shook his head, signaling for her not to mind.

In the nearly one year since his transmigration, he could count the trustworthy friends he had made on one hand.

Adeline sitting before him was exactly one of them.

They had experienced life-and-death battles together and were teammates who could entrust their backs to each other.

Even though they hadn't worked together for a long time now, during his free time outside of quests, he still frequently met up with her for drinks and chats.

"How have things been recently? I heard a few newcomers joined your squad?" Xia Nan asked casually.

Without looking at her, he kept his gaze on a dwarf drinking with his teammates somewhere in the tavern hall.

"It's been alright," Adeline replied. "One of them has a bit of experience and received some combat training in his village before. The other used to be a hunter. They're both quite obedient to lead."

The reason Adeline had become an Adventurer—her former life's sole goal, that Red-Mane Bugbear—had already been killed by Xia Nan.

Although she had considered retiring, after so many years of fighting Goblins to the death, it was already impossible for this physically strong, strong-willed female Warrior to return to a peaceful, quiet rural life.

Since Xia Nan left the squad, she took a short break before bringing Abi along to continue her career as an Adventurer.

A few newcomers were also recruited to fill out the squad.

"Speaking of which, those two joined the squad because they heard the name 'Greysword.' I actually took advantage of you," she teased.

Hearing her words, Xia Nan merely smiled and waved his hand.

As a Class Holder who rose from the bottom rung of Adventurers, even though he hadn't done anything worth boasting about recently...

...the reputation he had accumulated in the past gradually fermented as he repeatedly returned to the tavern and as passing Adventurers spread his tales.

As long as one stayed in Rivervale Town for a few days and had the mind to inquire about noteworthy veteran Adventurers in town, the name "Greysword" would nine times out of ten be among them.

This was also the reason why, despite currently being in a bustling tavern with a motley mix of fish and dragons, the small circle of tables around him was basically empty.

"You've held your Class Level for so long now. Forget creating your own squad, haven't any other squads invited you?" Adeline asked.

She raised her glass and chugged several large mouthfuls of beer.

"Given the difficulty of Class Grade quests, isn't it a bit too dangerous to work alone?"

"Oh right, didn't you temporarily join a squad before? I have a pretty deep impression of that Drow half-blood. She wore leather armor and had a great figure."

"How come I haven't seen them around lately?"

"Uh..." Xia Nan didn't know how to answer for a moment. He paused slightly and tactfully said, "We ran into an Owlbear in the woods, and we split up after that."

It wasn't that he hadn't considered joining a fixed Adventurer Squad, but for some unknown reason, both the former Ragtag Party and the recent Sea Thorn Squad... the results hadn't been very good.

There was always a shadow in his heart. Even if his teammates didn't clearly show hostility, he would subconsciously guard against being backstabbed by others. Over a long period of time, it was inevitable to feel exhausted and weary.

On the contrary, acting alone meant no one would share the danger he faced, but his heart was ultimately much more carefree and relaxed, as he didn't need to consider so many things.

Misunderstanding his meaning, Adeline assumed the Sea Thorn Squad had suffered heavy casualties in the battle against the Owlbear. Feeling she had misspoken, a hint of apology flashed in her eyes, and she quickly changed the subject.

"Abi mentioned a couple of things to me while resting recently. He wants to leave the squad," she said.

"Oh?" Xia Nan frowned subconsciously. "He's only been in this line of work for a little over half a year, right? Will he be okay?"

To this, Adeline merely shook her head helplessly.

"I know the captain of the Adventurer Squad that recruited him. He's fairly reliable."

"I've also greeted him in advance. Once Abi joins their squad in a while, they should look out for him a bit."

They were all adults fighting for survival in the Misty Forest; everyone had to be responsible for their own decisions.

Abi had experienced working alongside Xia Nan and was personally trained by Adeline.

Faced with certain choices and changes, the two of them as bystanders might be able to offer suggestions, but how to truly walk that path was still up to him to decide.

Given Adeline's personality, she had presumably already discussed the pros and cons of leaving the squad with Abi.

If, under such circumstances, he still stubbornly chose to leave the safe "Greenblood" squad to head out and pursue more things...

...then no one would stop him.

What surfaced in his mind's eye was the image of the green, tender, yet stubbornly defiant rookie when they first met, contrasting with his increasingly utilitarian and restless figure over the recent months as his equipment gradually became Fine-grade.

The two images constantly alternated, and an inexplicable sense of lament welled up in his heart.

Xia Nan scooped a spoonful of mushroom soup.

"What about you? How have you been lately?" he asked.

At the mention of this topic, one could see a hint of joy surface on Adeline's usually composed face.

"I managed to get a pretty good combat technique. If nothing goes wrong... by the end of the year, or early next year, I should qualify to go up to the Association Second Floor."

"That's a good thing. Congratulations!"

A flash of surprise crossed Xia Nan's eyes.

Thinking about it carefully, her progress was actually reasonable.

Back when he had just joined the "Greenblood" squad, Adeline was already a well-known Adventurer in town who was close to obtaining a Class Level.

With a few more months having passed, it truly was time for her to advance.

After all, not everyone could overtake others at a speed surpassing the common sense of this world like he did, obtaining a Class Level just a year after becoming an Adventurer.

To some extent, this was also one of the reasons why Xia Nan never kept a fixed squad.

His strength was improving too rapidly!

The Attribute Panel, combined with his own talent and this body's decent foundation, allowed him to surge down the Adventurer's path like he was riding a rocket.

With the proficiency of [Fang Hunt] currently at Level 4 and nearing the halfway mark, he estimated he was only two or three months away from becoming a Level 2 Class Holder.

And this was considering that [Fang Hunt] was of higher quality, meaning the time required for training and growth was much greater than that of ordinary combat techniques.

If it were any other technique, his advancement speed would only be faster!

If he really joined a fixed squad, it might be fine for the first few months, but after two or three, or four or five years passed, he'd probably leave his teammates seven or eight levels in the dust.

By then, setting aside the difficulty of quests a squad with such a power disparity could take—what suited Xia Nan would be too hard for his teammates, and what suited his teammates would yield too little for Xia Nan.

Just the massive gap in combat power alone would cause inexplicable, subtle shifts in their originally harmonious teammate dynamics.

In the end, they might not even be able to remain friends.

The current way he interacted with Adeline was actually the most suitable for him.

"When you do your Advancement Quest, if you need a teammate, remember to come find me," he told her.

"Of course!" Adeline replied with a smile. "With my connection to the famous 'Greysword,' I wouldn't be silly enough to just leave it unused."

Clang—

The two clinked their glasses. The crystal-clear liquor refracted the soft lighting as it splashed into the air.

Their conversation gradually deepened, from the reconstruction of Kalanfor to the recent high-level reshuffling in Nym, from slaughter techniques for Goblins to methods for identifying a Goblin Lair...

Just as Xia Nan was in high spirits talking, a familiar figure who shouldn't have been here caught his eye as the tavern doors were pushed open.

"Wood?"