Chapter 344 Follow-up Plans and Loot Processing

The return journey was even smoother than the trip there.

Since the two extra goblin subjugation quests accepted before departure were already completed, they didn't need to spend extra time searching for goblin lairs.

Although this meant missing out on a chance to indulge his desires and relieve some pressure, Xia Nan had to admit it saved him a lot of time.

As for the two youths trailing behind him—who he had thought might slow them down—their performance exceeded his expectations.

They were incredibly obedient on the road. Whatever Xia Nan said went. They never argued, nor did they ask why when he made decisions an ordinary person might find baffling—like abruptly signaling for silence on the march or inexplicably taking a long detour. They simply obeyed.

They also did everything in their power to help, gathering firewood and cooking meals to spare Xia Nan the extra effort.

Coupled with his sharp Perception allowing them to avoid unnecessary trouble on the road, along with a fair bit of luck, the three of them made excellent time.

Even though they took more frequent rests due to Dongshu and Lillie's physical limitations, they still arrived in Rivervale Town two days ahead of schedule.

White Chickadee Tavern.

At his usual spot in the corner of the hall.

A silver spoon slowly sank into the thick, creamy soup. As he stirred, finely diced dark brown mushrooms and crisp parsley flakes appeared and vanished in the swirling broth.

He scooped up half a spoonful and brought it to his lips, an appetizing drop of broth clinging to the edge of the silver.

The rich, earthy aroma of wild mushrooms embraced the sweet fat of fresh cream. Layered with the appetizing bite of black pepper and the fresh zest of parsley, the flavor exploded on his tongue and instantly filled his mouth.

Savoring the long-awaited cream of mushroom soup, Xia Nan unconsciously narrowed his eyes in pleasure.

In contrast, the boy and girl sitting across the table looked stiff and reserved, completely out of place in the tavern's rowdy atmosphere.

It was only natural.

Having lived their whole lives in an isolated village deep in the basin, they rarely saw travelers from the outside world, let alone a bustling adventurer hub like Rivervale Town.

Suddenly bringing them to a crowded, noisy place like the White Chickadee Tavern—packed with adventurers year-round—would understandably leave them overwhelmed.

In fact, the moment they had followed Xia Nan into Rivervale Town and seen the throngs of people weaving through the streets and the rows of shops lining the roads, the normally lively duo had gone quiet.

They shrank behind Xia Nan like frightened quails, shadowing his every step while carefully observing a world they had never seen.

Xia Nan didn't interfere.

Since they had decided to leave their old lives behind and make a living in Rivervale Town, they needed to desensitize themselves as quickly as possible and get used to a pace of life completely different from Fog Lamp Village.

Spoon in hand, he glanced at Dongshu and Lillie, who were practically radiating the nervous bewilderment of newcomers.

He gently tapped the bottom of the spoon against the edge of his soup bowl.

Clink...

The crisp sound instantly drew their scattered, anxious attention back to him.

"Eat. Don't just stare at it," Xia Nan said.

"Being polite here will only leave you hungry."

The table was already laden with an incredibly lavish feast.

Besides the steaming pot of mushroom soup wafting its sweet, creamy scent, there was a whole roast chicken with crispy golden skin, a beautifully charred and glistening honey-glazed ham, a large platter of sizzling sausages, a mountain of mashed potatoes, and a meat pie exuding a tantalizing aroma of spices.

Naturally, it was Xia Nan's treat.

Compared to his earnings from this trip, a table full of food cost next to nothing.

Having finally finished the quest and returned to town to rest, he was definitely going to reward himself.

Moreover, the two youths were new to town, and since he had a good impression of them, he figured he would look out for them a bit.

Having never eaten anything this extravagant, the village youths hardly dared to make a sudden movement.

It wasn't until the rich scents flooded their noses and they swallowed instinctively that they carefully began to dig in.

Perhaps because his performance in the canyon and on the journey back had been so utterly reliable, Xia Nan—their only familiar face in a strange environment—provided them with a massive sense of security.

Even though he didn't say much and merely sat across the table, their expressions and movements gradually loosened up as they swallowed bite after bite of delicious food, no longer as stiff as when they first entered the tavern.

Dongshu mustered the courage to half-stand and carve a slice of ham from the far end of the wooden table.

Lillie also grew accustomed to the tavern's clamor, stealing curious glances at the armed adventurers laughing and chatting around them.

To be honest, under normal circumstances, their incredibly green and naive behavior would have stuck out like a sore thumb to the tavern's seasoned veterans.

If they had run into a mean drunk, or malicious adventurers looking to exploit a pair of young newcomers, they very likely would have faced harassment.

But right now, with Xia Nan sitting across from them, all potential trouble simply vanished.

Some adventurers who noticed Lillie's gaze even took the initiative to offer what they assumed were friendly greetings.

Perhaps on the scale of the entire Aifala Continent, or even within the circles of Class Holders in the Servia Kingdom's Cloudclimb Province, Xia Nan was a nameless nobody at the very bottom of the pyramid.

But in Rivervale Town, home to countless low-tier adventurers year-round, the moniker of "Greysword" had spread widely after his year of hard work.

Black hair, dark eyes, twin swords, a cold demeanor, and youth...

His distinct appearance, aura, and weapon loadout made him easy to recognize.

Barring unusual circumstances, none of these ordinary adventurers—who would struggle just to kill a few goblins—would dare offend a "big shot" rumored to have attained a Class Level and gained access to the Association Second Floor.

Just by sitting there and doing absolutely nothing, the weight attached to the name Xia Nan shielded the two youths from ninety-nine percent of the undisguised malice that would have otherwise fallen on them.

Time slipped by.

By the time Xia Nan brought the last spoonful of mushroom soup to his mouth, more than half the food on the table was gone.

He had eaten the vast majority of it himself; his superior physique meant a higher energy expenditure that required ample nutritional replenishment.

Dongshu and Lillie were stuffed as well. Their thoroughly satisfied hunger instinctively translated into psychological security, relaxing their previously taut nerves.

Seeing that the two youths across from him were finally no longer as tense as when they had first entered town, Xia Nan pondered for a moment before slowly speaking up.

"Let's talk. What are your plans going forward?"

Lillie, already having an idea in mind, wiped her mouth with the clean towel a server had brought earlier and answered first.

"I... I plan to look around town and see if there's any work in weaving or sewing."

Her idea was highly practical.

She had no combat training and a frail constitution. Even knowing how lucrative an adventurer's income could be, she had never entertained the thought of entering the profession.

She simply wanted to rely on the skills she knew to carve out a living in a corner of this unfamiliar town.

"My craftsmanship was decent back in the village, but I don't know about here... Alternatively, I can do laundry, prep work in a kitchen, things like that."

Hearing this, Xia Nan gave a faint nod of approval.

For an ordinary resident of Rivervale Town, this was exactly the mindset needed to survive long-term: keeping one's head down, living within one's means, and never being swayed by the free-spending adventurers around them.

Otherwise, blindly following the crowd and being seduced by gleaming gold coins into visiting casinos or similar venues... would only distort an ordinary commoner's view of money, dragging them into an abyss of depravity. In the end, they would be forced to pick up a rusted iron sword, become just another bottom-tier adventurer in town, and eventually rot in some corner of the forest as fertilizer for nature.

Seeing Lillie finish, Dongshu lifted his head.

A bit of sauce still stained the corner of his mouth, but his clear eyes were no longer lost; instead, they held the lucid gleam of careful thought.

"I still want to see if I can become an adventurer."

He reaffirmed his determination to join the adventurer trade, but his quick follow-up proved it wasn't just a fleeting impulse.

"But I'm still not clear on how this industry works, and if I run into danger, I probably couldn't even hold a sword steady. Going out blindly would just be a death sentence."

His gaze swept over the armor and weapons of the adventurers in the tavern, his expression entirely serious.

"So I've decided to first find a job that puts me in contact with adventurers, so I can carefully study the specifics of the trade."

"Maybe... work as an apprentice at the staging post, helping look after the horses? Or find a restaurant that adventurers frequent and ask for a job as a server?"

Xia Nan's expression didn't change, but internally he felt a flash of appreciation.

These two youths were country-born and had seen little of the world. For them to see past the false glamor of the "adventurer" profession and base their plans on their own practical abilities was truly commendable.

He picked up his glass and took a sip.

"Not bad. Work hard at it," he said.

"If you run into any trouble later on, you can come find me."

He was about to travel far to the Southern Archipelagos for clues regarding the [Dream Weaving Corridor] encryption keys, so he naturally didn't have the time to mentor these two newcomers.

However, having scraped by in this town for so long, he had built up a decent network.

He figured that by the time he returned from the Southern Archipelagos, Dongshu should have a solid understanding of the adventurer trade. If the boy still wanted to enter the field by then, he might be able to find an avenue to help him out and give him a leg up.

He wondered how Adeline was doing these days, and if she was still taking on rookies.

He had a solid relationship with the capable woman known as "Greenblood." Having worked with her for a time, he knew her style; she was the rare type of adventurer who was fiercely responsible for her teammates.

If Dongshu could get his start in her party, it would be an excellent beginning.

That said, Adeline had recently advanced to become a Class Holder. Even though she was still leading a few of her old teammates, plenty of time had passed, and things might have changed.

She could still be subjugating goblins as usual, or she might be pushing for higher progression as a Class Holder. Both were possible.

He needed to find a chance to chat with her and ask about her plans.

Xia Nan mulled this over but didn't reveal any of it to the boy and girl.

He simply instructed them to work diligently and reminded them to seek him out if they had problems, before parting ways.

As newcomers, Dongshu and Lillie had a lot to sort out. They not only had to find affordable lodging but also needed to secure suitable jobs immediately to support themselves.

Xia Nan also needed to make the most of his time. He had to turn in his commissions, process the loot he had brought back, and then head to Rockhammer Smithy to pay off his 500-gold debt. Afterward, he would pick up his newly forged enchanted armor and prepare the supplies needed for his long journey.

It was a busy, fulfilling schedule.

...

Two hours later.

At the entrance to the Verdant Crucible apothecary.

Xia Nan hitched up the backpack on his shoulders. His face showed little emotion, but the cloth pouch at his waist was noticeably fuller than when he had left the tavern.

He had already turned in the bounties for the two goblin lairs cleared mid-journey. The combined reward for the quests would come to around 60 to 70 gold, though the exact amount would be transferred to his bank account in a few days once the Association finished their verifications.

All the loot gathered from the lairs had been sold off at the general store. Combined with the loose change he had found, it netted him exactly 18 gold, 7 silver, and 3 copper.

On top of that, he was carrying the 27 gold coins he had looted alongside the diary in the druid's cabin back at the canyon.

All added up, it was already a profit of over a hundred gold coins.

Combined with his current savings of over four hundred gold, it was enough to cover the forging fee for his enchanted armor with a few dozen gold left over.

Oh, he almost forgot—Barn had mentioned earlier that if his chainmail returned from this trip in good condition, the blacksmith would offer a very solid price to buy it back.

Going by his usual habits... Xia Nan hadn't given it much thought, but now it was looking like an unexpected windfall.

Of course, all of this was just incidental income from the expedition.

The true fortune was the 15 to 150 gold reward for the fog lamp grass gathering quest.

Xia Nan had harvested an entire backpack's worth of fog lamp grass, and all of it was of the high-quality variety Lady Edwina had specifically requested.

With the smooth return trip causing almost no delays and the herbs properly stored, the fog lamp grass was far from wilting.

Even if he didn't hit the full 150 gold maximum, he was guaranteed at least 100.

Meanwhile, he was also carrying the biological materials from that mutated Fog Lamp Monster.

A Crystallized Fog Lamp Monster Core, along with several bundles of the toughest thorny vines from its body.

He wondered if they would fetch a good price.

Lost in thought, Xia Nan stepped forward and gently pushed open the doors to the Verdant Crucible.