Chapter 355 You Should Calm Down

The tavern owner's sudden shift in attitude struck Xia Nan as odd.

He wasn't angry.

It was just that the man's behavior bore an unexpected, faint resemblance to Horac's.

One was exceptionally generous, willing to hand over an expensive piece of jewelry to a stranger he had just met. Yet, when their interest shifted to the Pastel Gemstone on his person, he rarely brought it out to show them. The only time he did, he kept it safely cupped in his palm at a distance, only letting them look from afar.

The other had been overwhelmingly welcoming to a first-time guest, offering complimentary lemonade and tangerines while answering every question with complete transparency—playing the part of the enthusiastic, good-natured tavern owner perfectly. But the moment the rumors of the gemstone were mentioned, he suddenly became a different person, turning incredibly cold and even showing a hint of hostility and distance.

Xia Nan wasn't an idiot.

With a little thought, he noticed the common denominator between the two:

The Pastel Gemstone.

Recalling the hasty glimpse he had caught of it in Horac's hand that night, a thoughtful expression appeared on Xia Nan's face.

His doubts regarding the potential mine Horac had mentioned, and the gemstones it supposedly produced, deepened considerably.

Still, these were only guesses.

Without the actual object to study, with too small a sample size and a lack of key evidence, it was hard to draw a definitive conclusion.

He could only wait and investigate over the next few days to see what he could turn up.

Sitting at the bar, sensing the sudden chill in the air and the owner's shift in mood, Xia Nan obviously wasn't going to ask for a snub.

He somewhat stiffly changed the subject, trying to steer back to daily life in the town to learn a bit more about the local customs.

However, whether his conversational skills were just too unpolished or the mention of the gemstone rumor had hit a fatal nerve, the tavern owner's attitude toward Xia Nan had fundamentally changed.

No matter how Xia Nan tried to strike up a conversation, the slightly plump middle-aged man maintained the polite but distant demeanor of an owner serving a complete stranger.

His earlier enthusiasm was entirely gone.

'Is it really that serious?'

Xia Nan shook his head inwardly, feeling it was a bit of a pity.

If he were a little more eloquent and transitioned the topic smoother, things might not have ended up like this.

But what was done was done. Given the tavern owner's current attitude, pressing the matter further for the information he wanted would require force, and that wasn't his style.

So Xia Nan quieted down, simply sitting at the counter and peeling tangerines to eat.

He didn't have to wait long.

Only about five minutes later, the two members of the Oathkeeper Blackwood Squad finished packing their luggage and came downstairs one after the other.

Popping the last slice of the peeled tangerine into his mouth, Xia Nan asked for his total, left a few copper coins on the counter, and picked up the fruit basket full of tangerines, walking straight toward his two temporary teammates.

"How about it, have you made up your minds?" Xia Nan asked casually. He tossed the fruit basket onto the table, gesturing for them to help themselves, and took a seat opposite them.

They knew he was asking whether they intended to stay in town and help Horac investigate the origin of the pink gemstone, or stay out of it and stick to their original duties.

Margaret didn't try to hide anything. Her calloused hand plucked a tangerine from the basket. Unlike Xia Nan, who slowly peeled the skin, she just applied a little force and snapped the Sugar Tangerine in half without crushing the fruit inside.

"We've decided," the swordswoman said calmly.

But when she popped the fruit into her mouth, her eyebrows shot up instinctively, causing her tied-back dark-gold hair to sway slightly.

"We need the money," Margaret answered directly, reaching into the basket to grab two more Sugar Tangerines. "You know the current state of Oathkeeper Blackwood. Whether we train rookies or recruit experienced adventurers we've worked with before, it's going to take a long time to build chemistry."

"The party's reserve funds are almost dry, and we can't exactly dip into our retirement savings. Earning a little extra is always a good thing."

Across the table, the dwarf Thordin chimed in, "Heh, to be honest, I'm pretty interested in that Pastel Gemstone Horac has, too. Even if he offered less pay, I'd still be willing."

"Not to mention how generous our wealthy friend is being."

He was holding a tangerine as well.

However, as a dwarf [Shield Warrior], his fingers were far too thick and powerful. Misjudging the thickness of the Sugar Tangerine's skin, he barely felt himself applying force before the fruit—looking as tiny as a quail egg in his meaty palm—burst open with a squirt of juice.

He didn't mind. Treating it like the foam about to spill over the edge of a beer mug, the dwarf held down his chest braids with one hand to keep them from getting sticky and leaned his head right in.

With a few messy bites, he even chewed up a couple pieces of the peel.

Judging by the look of sheer delight that immediately followed, the Sugar Tangerine's flavor clearly suited his tastes perfectly.

"What about you?" Tossing another piece of tangerine into her mouth, Margaret glanced at the somewhat messy dwarf before looking across at Xia Nan.

"Are you still planning to stick to the original plan, resting in town for a few days before moving on?"

She had, of course, considered inviting Xia Nan to join the Oathkeeper Blackwood Squad.

After all, both his strength and character had been tested in the field, and given how young he was, he was practically the perfect candidate.

In fact, during the journey from Rivervale Town to Sheep Horn Town a few days ago, the swordswoman had already dropped a few tentative hints about an invitation.

It was just that she had been met with rejection every time.

Having learned that the black-haired young man preferred to operate alone, she stopped asking for the impossible.

To her surprise, with the merchant proposing this commission, her former pipe dream seemed like it might actually come true.

Margaret and Thordin were fully aware that with a fixed reward for the mission, adding another member would cut significantly into their own shares.

But their experience during the Purgatory devil incident in the underground nest had made them acutely aware of the sheer sense of security that came with having a teammate like Xia Nan.

And to some extent, the very reason Oathkeeper Blackwood still existed—and that the two of them were sitting here peeling fruit—was precisely because of him.

It was no exaggeration to say that even if Xia Nan's condition for joining the operation was taking half or even two-thirds of the final bounty, they would both nod in agreement without a moment's hesitation.

Unexpectedly, compared to his decisive rejections over the past few days, Xia Nan's attitude toward Margaret's invitation was rather ambiguous.

This made the swordswoman's heart skip a beat, and she was just about to push her luck and throw in more bargaining chips to keep him.

Seeing right through Margaret's intentions, Xia Nan waved a hand, cutting off the words she was about to blurt out.

"My thoughts are indeed a bit different from before, but—I still plan to observe the situation for a couple of days and make a decision once my supplies and luggage are fully prepped."

"If you make any special discoveries in the meantime, I hope you can share some of them with me. That way, I might come up with some ideas to help you out."

"Of course, I won't take advantage of you two. Once the mission is over, you won't need to split Horac's commission with me; you can divide it between yourselves."

"I just want information about this town and that potential 'gemstone mine'."

Hearing Xia Nan say this, Margaret actually frowned.

With her personality, if Xia Nan really helped them find the source of the Pastel Gemstone, she would take out her own share and distribute it to him based on his contribution to the mission, even if he didn't formally join the investigation squad.

But before she could speak, a burst of hurried footsteps suddenly echoed from outside the tavern.

The stern-faced middle-aged man who always played the "bad cop" for the caravan—their second-in-command—appeared at the door.

His normally immaculate clothes were slightly disheveled, his forehead was covered in a fine layer of sweat, and his eyes revealed a deep sense of panic.

His gaze swept quickly across the hall, and it was only when he spotted Xia Nan and the others sitting at a side table that he visibly sighed in relief.

He practically jogged over, trying to lower his voice, but his intense agitation caused his volume to involuntarily rise as he spoke urgently, "Everyone! Please come with me! There's an emergency!"

"Mr. Horac—he got into a fight with someone at the blacksmith shop!"

With the return trip still ahead, the escort mission was far from over for Margaret and Thordin. Faced with an emergency reported by the caravan manager, they naturally couldn't just ignore it.

As for Xia Nan, even if he didn't know exactly what had happened, he had to go check out the commotion—if only for the sake of the Silver-Chained Pocket Watch currently tucked in his waist pouch.

They were already fully armed and didn't need to return to their rooms for gear.

The group immediately set off.

Before leaving, Xia Nan returned the still mostly full basket of Sugar Tangerines to the counter. He asked the tavern owner—who had barely recovered a hint of his former warmth after some time to cool off—to keep an eye on it so no one else would take it, promising to pick it up when he returned later.

The incident wasn't located too far from the Woolen Rusty Nail tavern.

After following the caravan manager just halfway down the street, they could hear Horac's voice, pitched rather high from intense agitation, and saw a crowd loosely forming a circle.

In a flash, Xia Nan keenly sensed the oddity of the scene before him.

—

Under normal circumstances, when faced with a sudden argument or dispute, pedestrians on the street might be startled at first, but those who gathered afterward would mostly just watch from the sidelines out of curiosity.

But among the crowd surrounding them now, Xia Nan didn't hear a single whisper, let alone anyone trying to break up the fight.

With a strangely uniform, cold demeanor, gaze after gaze—filled with scrutiny and hostility—fell silently on Horac, who stood at the center of the storm.

At this moment, the usually composed, amiable, and wealthy merchant had completely lost his dignified bearing. His round face was flushed red, his breathing was rapid, and his eyes were bloodshot from sheer agitation. His sleeves flapped wildly as he gestured with both hands at the burly man in front of him.

"I was just asking! Just asking!" Horac's voice carried the grievance of someone who had been deeply offended. "I asked where to find the best gemstones in this town. What's wrong with that? What gives you the right to treat me with that kind of attitude!?"

In the face of his questioning, the bald, burly man in front of him—suspected to be a blacksmith—showed no sign of backing down.

The bulging muscles of his arms looked ready to burst through his coarse linen shirt. Hideous veins snaked up from beneath the skin of his neck. With a metal forging hammer gripped in his hand, his eyes looked like those of a starving beast fiercely guarding its food.

"I'll say it one last time, outlander!" His voice seemed to be squeezed right from his throat, heavy with a thick warning. "I don't know anything about any gemstones, and our Sheep Horn Town has never had anything like that!"

"I only have blades, hoes, and horseshoes here! If you have no business, then scram and stop interfering with my work!"

The blacksmith's attitude was exceptionally vicious; in a way, this was exactly how one would treat a mortal enemy.

And Horac's behavior surprised Xia Nan even more.

In his impression, this merchant—always gentle and with a constant smile on his face—had long ago honed an exquisite ability to communicate with people through countless negotiations.

Under most circumstances, it was absolutely impossible for him to enrage a passerby to the point where they wanted to smash him to death with a hammer...

Nor should he ever display such an embarrassing posture out in the open street, allowing his emotions to hijack his brain in a frenzy of lost reason.

'No wonder his assistant manager was so anxious and came looking for us to defuse the situation.'

'But what caused such friction between two people meeting for the first time? Was it really just Horac's inquiry about the "gemstones"?'

As Xia Nan pondered this, his feet were already following Margaret and Thordin ahead of him, pushing through the crowd and walking toward the center of the storm.

Meanwhile, the argument between the two men grew even more intense.

"You're lying!" Horac took two sudden steps forward, tilting his head up so his round face was practically pressed against the burly man's jaw. "The seller of the gemstone I bought told me they got it directly from you!"

"Bullshit!" As if some kind of taboo had been touched, the blacksmith cursed and let out a sudden, furious roar.

Blood rushed to his head, and his right hand gripped the hammer's handle so tightly his knuckles turned faintly white. His entire arm trembled violently, as if he would raise the hammer in the next second and viciously bash the skull of the unreasonable man in front of him.

But right at that moment, just as the forging hammer in his hand twitched slightly upward, showing the faintest sign of rising...

Accompanied by a deep shadow that quietly descended, a slender, well-knuckled hand rested gently on the flat of the hammer, pressing it back down.

"Friend, perhaps you should—calm down a little."