Chapter 262 You... Seem to Be Afraid of Me?

Verol's two conditions.

For Xia Nan, they could no longer be described as simply "generous."

It was practically a free giveaway.

He did not know the concept of "World Line Deviation Rate," nor did he know the young mage had already exceeded her planned goals.

From his perspective, Verol had paid a considerable price to banish an adult red dragon for the escort squad.

Looking back on it now, it still felt a bit unbelievable, but she had actually pulled it off.

Yet, based on that premise, she had voluntarily given up her share of the spoils and instead proposed two ambiguous conditions to him.

Truth be told, on the way here, Xia Nan had thought about it countless times—what methods he would need to use and what price he would have to pay to keep the [Dream Weaving Corridor] by his side.

However, the current development had vastly exceeded his expectations.

Of course, even so, given his personality, he wouldn't blindly agree just because of a swing in his emotions, nor would he feign generosity and offer extra compensation.

Instead, he began to carefully consider the feasibility of the two conditions Verol had proposed.

First was explaining the general functions of the [Dream Weaving Corridor] to her.

Without a doubt, the [Dream Weaving Corridor]'s special ability to increase combat technique proficiency made it a precious device akin to a "divine artifact" for any Class Holder in this world.

Under normal circumstances, for his own safety, he naturally wouldn't reveal the equipment's effects to others.

But the current situation was different.

Standing before Xia Nan right now, asking him to explain the effects of the [Dream Weaving Corridor], was a mysterious mage whose Class Level was clearly no higher than Level 5, yet who had managed to permanently banish an adult red dragon with a Challenge Rating as high as "17."

Her background and strength were a mystery.

Given that her request was reasonable, and she hadn't shown any hostility—even explicitly expressing goodwill as a teammate—Xia Nan felt he shouldn't hide this information.

Or rather, in the face of her question, if he deliberately concealed it or carelessly fabricated information, it might instead push a situation that should have progressed smoothly in a terrible direction.

It might even ultimately escalate into an irreconcilable conflict between them.

As such, his only concern was the potential exposure of information regarding the existence of his Golden Finger, the "Attribute Panel."

And considering that Verol had specifically mentioned he could withhold anything involving his personal privacy, there wasn't much of a problem.

The first condition was acceptable.

Xia Nan weighed the pros and cons in his mind.

As for the second condition—a favor to be used at least three years from now to clear out a Dragon Lair.

It was decent enough, well within the acceptable range.

With his current growth speed, he would definitely reach Level 5 in three years' time; going even higher wasn't impossible.

Under those circumstances, with the few trump cards he possessed and his "gravity" special ability, facing a Dragon Lair without its master—while he couldn't guarantee absolute success—shouldn't be a problem in terms of survival.

Moreover, Verol's combat strength was mysterious. Judging by the personality he had observed in her, making this proposal meant she already had full confidence. Since she had already banished the dragon now, she would be even more reliable after three years of preparation.

It was acceptable.

Xia Nan nodded to himself, recalling Verol's exact wording just now, feeling a little doubtful inside.

'A favor... Is my favor really worth that much?'

The air was silent.

Ever since Verol proposed those two conditions, no one had spoken.

Her amber eyes, almost as if forced, were fixed tightly on the black-haired figure in front of her.

Even the usually lively chestnut high ponytail at the back of her head had stopped bouncing. The tension on the young girl's face was so thick it practically overflowed, and her tightly clenched teeth could faintly be seen between her slightly pale lips.

If someone possessed mind-reading abilities right now, they would easily detect the chaotic and frantic thoughts swirling in Verol's mind:

'Why isn't he saying anything? Are my conditions a bit too harsh?'

'That shouldn't be! I thought about this all night yesterday!'

'Why is he frowning?! It's over, it's over. Should I just drop it?'

'But if I suggest putting the conditions on hold now, will it have a negative effect instead?'

'Whether he agrees or refuses, just hurry up, hurry up!'

'Say something—'

Finally, under Verol's undivided attention, Xia Nan finished his deliberations.

His eyes regained focus, looking at the young mage.

He lightly nodded his head.

"Alright."

Phew—it was hard to imagine Verol's feelings at this moment. It was as if the heavy pressure that had been brewing in her heart was released all at once, and her entire body instantly relaxed.

If he wasn't standing right next to her, she probably would have slumped directly onto the ground.

Sweat had unknowingly soaked the shirt beneath the girl's robe, and even her breathing had become a bit more rapid.

At the same time, along with the momentary relaxation following extreme pressure, came an unparalleled sense of accomplishment.

She did it!

Relying on her own tenacious and stubborn will, she had briefly overcome the shadow of fear that originated from her previous life—a fear that had been reinforced and deepened just days ago.

Calm, composed, and maintaining her bottom line, she had completed a fair transaction between Adventurers with the man known as "Death Omen" standing before her.

At this moment, Verol even couldn't help but sigh in her heart. Her experience of rebirth and the heavy burden of "saving the world" on her shoulders had indeed allowed her to grow.

Perhaps her strength was still far inferior to what it was before her rebirth, but her mental will was gradually improving, becoming ever more resolute.

With a subtle look in his eyes, Xia Nan glanced at the girl standing in front of him, who seemed a bit dazed.

Having grown accustomed to her trembling yet feigned composure, he rubbed the pad of his thumb against the Silver Ring on his right ring finger. Organizing his words and omitting any information that might expose his Attribute Panel, he slowly spoke.

"This item's effect is actually very simple. It allows the user to experience a near-realistic, complete 'dream' in an extremely short amount of time, and the specific content of the 'dream' may be related to the combat techniques the user has mastered."

"After the 'dream' ends, the user can gain a large amount of combat technique proficiency related to the contents of the 'dream'."

"It was precisely under the effects of this device that I managed to break through the bottleneck of a combat technique that was already close to the 'Mastery' level, thereby gaining an increase in my Class Level."

"But the device's usage is not without cost. Its activation conditions can be described as extremely harsh. I only barely managed to activate it back then by a stroke of luck. It cannot be replicated, and I won't have the ability to use it again anytime soon."

Hearing this, Verol, whose emotions were gradually calming down, also subconsciously fell into thought.

'It can increase combat technique proficiency?'

'No wonder Sava seemed to hit a turning point in her life after this mission in my past life, rapidly soaring in all aspects.'

'Looking at it this way, the rumors about the Morton Family are somewhat more credible. Their ancestor likely relied on this device to complete the leap from a commoner to a founding duke.'

'And the usage restrictions "Death Omen" mentioned are exactly why no one in the Morton Family has been able to revive their ancestor's glory since.'

'However—'

Right now, Sava was dead, but the device had fallen into Xia Nan's hands.

This entity—who also hailed from an ordinary background but possessed extraordinary talent and would carve out an infamous reputation in the future—had already displayed an abnormal growth speed in this current timeline.

Now, he had also acquired this inherited treasure of the Morton Family.

His speed of improvement would only be faster than in her previous life.

As for the achievements he would attain in the future... Verol couldn't help but shiver again.

Regardless, the item being with him was still better than it falling into the hands of Sava, the Alliance's great traitor.

The young girl comforted herself like this in her heart.

At the same time, she retrieved a small, fingernail-sized, dark purple diamond-shaped crystal from her belt pouch.

She reached out and handed it to Xia Nan, placing it in his palm.

"This is a specially modified communication crystal. When the time comes and I am ready, I'll use this to contact you," she said.

"Don't worry. The crystal material is fragile, and its uses are limited. I won't bother you normally; I'll only use it once I've finalized the plan regarding the Red Dragon Lair."

Xia Nan nodded. His gaze swept over the surface of the dark purple crystal a couple of times before he put it away, placing it in the deepest part of his pouch alongside the Wolf Fang that the barbarian Forgan had left for him.

Suddenly, as if thinking of something else, Verol's expression became hesitant.

She stammered for a moment before speaking softly, with a hint of caution.

"Do you plan to return to Rivervale Town afterward?"

"What's wrong?" Xia Nan asked, his brow furrowing slightly as he caught the implication in her words.

"From the Abyssal Veil Province to the Cloudclimb Province, setting out from the town we're in now, the most convenient route is obviously to go back the way we came."

"But Morton's side might have already noticed what happened to Trevelyan. The entrances and exits near the mountain canyon will probably be sealed off soon, and Molten Scale Town is a complete mess. Going back just like that might be a bit troublesome."

Hearing this, Xia Nan's frown deepened.

He definitely had to return to Rivervale Town; that went without saying.

After all, the Snake-Scale Arm Shield he had spent a fortune to upgrade was still at the "Rockhammer" blacksmith shop. He couldn't possibly just give it up.

But at the same time, if things were as Verol said, even if the Morton Family didn't possess any evidence that he had killed Trevelyan, heading back the same way and diving headfirst into an area heavily monitored by hostile forces was indeed quite dangerous.

At present, he was far from being reduced to the point of needing to force his way through Molten Scale Town on the belief that "the most dangerous place is the safest."

"So?" Xia Nan asked, raising an eyebrow slightly and looking at the young mage in front of him, gesturing for her to continue.

"There are two choices," she said.

Feeling the young man's gaze upon her, Verol felt her mouth go dry and subconsciously pursed her lips.

"The first choice is to stay in town and rest. Wait a few months for things to blow over, and then head back the way we came."

"The second choice is to take a massive detour, looping around the Molten Scale Mountains from the other side of the Abyssal Veil Province to return to Rivervale Town."

"Both choices will consume a certain amount of time, long or short. The specifics depend on how much importance the Morton Family places on that dead Knight Commander, as well as your travel speed."

Xia Nan didn't reply; he just quietly watched her.

In his view, given the young girl's personality, it was impossible for her to bring this up for no reason.

There was more to come.

Evidently, his guess was entirely accurate.

Faced with the invisible pressure, Verol couldn't hold it in any longer. She decisively surrendered and stated her true objective.

"Here."

She took a blank slip of paper from her pouch, gathered magic power at her fingertips, and traced a few strokes across its surface. Two clear lines of text promptly appeared.

"Right at this location, there might be something that can help you," she said.

Her amber eyes shifted slightly, her gaze sweeping over the Silver Ring on Xia Nan's right ring finger.

The location on the paper came from "Plan-B" of her plot against the dragonborn Sava. It was a backup plan in case she hadn't successfully joined the escort squad in Rivervale Town, or if she hadn't found an opportunity to kill Sava herself.

From an ordinary, bottom-tier Adventurer all the way up to a major figure whose future betrayal could cause an entire front line to fall, the dragonborn's growth trajectory had a few key nodes.

The escort mission from Rivervale Town to Sticky-Tree Territory was the first, and also the most important one.

And what was recorded on the paper she gave Xia Nan was clearly defined in her memory as the second location of Sava's transformation.

Previously, Verol had known absolutely nothing about what the dragonborn had obtained there; the information was even more vague than the previous escort mission.

But after hearing from Xia Nan about that device—which could increase proficiency in a short time yet had severe usage conditions—she now had a few vague guesses in her mind.

Glancing at the paper, Xia Nan decisively tucked it into his clothes.

His face remained expressionless as he spoke in a deep voice.

"Thank you."

"Speak. What do you need me to do?"

It naturally couldn't be a free gift. With so much buildup beforehand, he had long since sensed her intentions.

Sure enough, as soon as his voice fell, an awkward smile appeared on Verol's face.

"Actually, it's nothing much."

"Just one thing—"

"..."

A thoughtful expression appeared on Xia Nan's face.

He pondered her request in his mind.

After thinking it over for a moment, he lightly nodded.

"Then I'll leave it to you!" Verol said. Seeing this, she couldn't help but breathe another sigh of relief.

With that, the two of them had fully communicated everything regarding the distribution of spoils and subsequent arrangements.

Seeing her forcibly strained expression, her face growing increasingly pale, he knew there was no need for further pleasantries.

Xia Nan was just about to say his goodbyes and leave.

But right after turning halfway around, he suddenly seemed to remember something and abruptly turned back.

This caused Verol, whose body had just relaxed a bit, to instantly stand at attention.

"I don't mean anything by this. It's purely out of curiosity," he said.

"Actually, ever since we first met at the Adventurers' Association, I've always had this question."

"The timing wasn't quite right before, but now is a good time."

"You... seem to be afraid of me?"

A bone-chilling cold erupted from her heart, spreading throughout her body in an instant, causing her slender, rock-tense frame to tremble violently twice.

Her lips quivered and her pupils contracted. Her amber eyes reflected the pitch-black figure in front of her as panic and terror spread invisibly, as if trying to devour the young girl's consciousness.

"I..." She opened her mouth, but the countless excuses she had prepared long in advance seemed lodged in her throat, unable to be spoken no matter how hard she tried.

In this moment, Verol forgot to breathe.