Chapter 358 Recovery, Position Reversal, and Plans

His fingers squeezed the Pastel Gemstone slightly—an almost imperceptible exertion of force that turned the skin touching the gem's surface pale.

Xia Nan's pitch-black eyes glazed over for a moment as a mechanical voice echoed in his mind, his emotions surging with it.

He kept his expression tightly controlled, however, revealing no obvious change.

Coupled with Margaret's somewhat agitated reaction drawing everyone's attention, no one noticed how Xia Nan's body had suddenly stiffened upon touching the gem before quickly returning to normal.

[Dream Weaving Corridor]... charging... 0.0003%!?

Xia Nan had made it his mid-term goal to charge this alien technological artifact on his person and find its unlock key.

In truth, neither the "key" itself nor the energy required to activate the device could be found easily.

Compared to the sprawling expanse of the Aifala Continent, wandering blindly without crucial information meant his chances of achieving this mid-term goal were virtually zero—like fishing for a needle in the ocean.

This was one of the reasons why, after learning from the druid's experimental notes that a young master of the Morton Family might possess a clue to the [Dream Weaving Corridor] key, he hadn't even thought twice before planning this long journey.

Clues regarding this special item were simply too scarce; he couldn't afford to let even the slightest possibility slip by.

Honestly, if his personal strength hadn't been somewhat lacking, he probably would have already been on his way to the Morton Family's ancestral estate in Sticky-Tree Territory.

For 99.99 percent of the adventurers on the Aifala Continent, the temptation of a special item like the [Dream Weaving Corridor]—which could rapidly boost combat technique proficiency—was absolutely irresistible.

Xia Nan was no exception.

But what he hadn't expected was this.

They weren't even halfway through their journey, and the key still existed only as an expectation.

Yet an unexpected surprise slammed straight into him, much like the large truck that had sent him to this different world.

The 0.0003% energy was merely a catalyst.

What truly made Xia Nan's emotions churn was what Horac had mentioned, the thing that might exist around Sheep Horn Town...

A mine!

—A secret realm!

If a single pure gemstone the size of a fingernail could provide three-millionths of a charge for the [Dream Weaving Corridor], then an entire mineral vein... Xia Nan didn't dare to imagine.

It might even be enough to instantly max out his lv3 [Gravity Etching].

His thoughts raced.

In reality, Xia Nan subconsciously glanced at the [Dream Weaving Corridor] Silver Ring on his right ring finger.

Seeing it sitting quietly on his finger just as it always had, exhibiting no strange movements from absorbing that 0.0003% energy, and noting that the gem pinched between his fingertips still refracted a faint light in the dim glow from the window without the slightest change to its surface, Xia Nan breathed a sigh of relief.

As a crucial item second in importance only to his "Attribute Panel," he didn't want it to inexplicably draw everyone's attention due to some special circumstances.

At some unknown point, the room had grown quiet again.

Horac's abnormal behavior instantly confirmed the theory Xia Nan had proposed to the two members of the Blackwood Squad earlier.

Knowing exactly how troublesome things that subtly influenced will and cognition could be, Margaret practically sprang into the air the moment she received confirmation.

The powerful explosive force of a lv4 [Swordsman] was displayed to its fullest in that fleeting instant.

Before the stool she had been sitting on could even fully hit the ground—while it was still in the midst of tipping over—the agile female swordsman had already retreated rapidly to the room's doorway, her braid trailing behind her.

On the other side, Thordin the dwarf, having suddenly realized the direness of the situation thanks to Margaret's reaction, was squatting in the corner of the room. His stocky, short body resembled a tree stump, and his massive, fan-like hands were clamped firmly over his eyes; he didn't dare to look.

For a moment, out of the three veteran adventurers at the table who had already attained their Class Levels, only Xia Nan remained sitting in his original spot.

"Xia Nan! Are you okay?" Margaret's voice rang out from behind him, thick with anxiety, worried that he had already been influenced by the gem.

To reassure his teammate, Xia Nan placed the gemstone on his palm and casually tossed it into the air a few times like a coin.

Then, without the slightest lingering attachment, he placed the gem back onto the table with a soft clack. He even pushed it toward Horac across the table, signaling to the merchant that he had finished examining it and it could be taken back.

To his surprise, however.

Horac—the wealthy merchant who had appeared incredibly anxious the moment the gem left his hands, staring at it fixedly as if it would vanish into thin air if he let it out of his sight for even a second—showed absolutely no reaction to Xia Nan returning the Pastel Gemstone.

Instead, he just stood there with an indescribable expression of bewilderment mixed with deep confusion, staring blankly at the gem that had been pushed back across the table.

He didn't even notice that the small jewelry box, which he had been clutching tightly in his palm out of obsessive attachment, had at some point fallen to the floor.

"Hmm... Did I see it wrong just now? Looking at it again, it just seems like a normal gemstone of decent quality. How strange. Was it an illusion?" Thordin muttered from his squatting position in the corner of the room. His thick, radish-like fingers parted over his face, revealing eyes filled with perplexity.

Horac's behavior and the dwarf's muttering made Xia Nan realize something.

When he looked carefully at the Pastel Gemstone again, its dazzling appearance—which in his memory had looked like condensed, blooming radiance—had silently vanished into nothingness.

All that remained was an ordinary, fingernail-sized pink gem.

'Could it be...'

Xia Nan had already formed a guess.

Reaching out, he grabbed the gem and, with his palm facing up, offered it back to Horac across the table.

"What are you staring blankly for? Why don't you take it back?" Xia Nan said to the wealthy merchant, carrying an imperceptible hint of probing. "Don't you want it anymore?"

"No... I don't know..." Horac looked dazed. He took the gem from Xia Nan's hand but wasn't in a hurry to put it back into the jewelry box. Instead, he pinched it between his fingertips, carefully examining it against the lingering glow of the sunset outside the window.

The expression on his face conveyed a jarring sense of "I traveled all this way in person just for this?" and "What was I thinking back then!?"

Seeing the reactions of everyone present, Xia Nan was now eighty percent certain.

When the [Dream Weaving Corridor] absorbed that three-millionths of energy from the Pastel Gemstone, the mind-control effect attached to the gem vanished right along with it.

This reduced the iridescent gem—which had seemed to embody all the beauty in the world—into an ordinary crystal that one could buy at any jewelry shop for a few gold coins.

Since it involved the [Dream Weaving Corridor], he naturally couldn't explain the specific reason for this change to the others.

Nor did he need to say much.

Having lost the continuous influence of the Pastel Gemstone, his cognition no longer clouded, Horac—who had already recovered his ability to think rationally about the matter—practically collapsed backward into his wooden chair.

He displayed an empty state of exhausted relief, much like someone who had just finished an intense workout.

Seeing that Xia Nan was fine, Margaret and Thordin approached as well. They picked up the gem that the wealthy merchant had casually tossed onto the table, passing it back and forth to inspect it closely.

"If you want it... just take it," Horac said weakly, taking a cup of water handed to him by his assistant, Afu, and tilting his head back to take a huge gulp. "I don't know what evil spell came over me, traveling thousands of miles all the way from Nym to Sheep Horn Town just for this broken little rock. Everyone, get ready. The investigation mission is canceled. In a few days, once we've handed over all the goods and fully restocked our supplies, we'll begin our journey back."

Xia Nan's warning from a few minutes ago was still echoing in his mind.

Having realized that there was something wrong with this thing, Horac now only wanted to leave this bizarre town as quickly as possible.

As for some gemstone mine or potential profits...

Now that his sanity had returned to its proper level.

Compared to a person's one and only life, Horac, being a wise merchant, naturally knew what choice to make.

There was no possibility of staying in town for an extended period, let alone getting swept up in its complex undercurrents.

As for the two from the Blackwood Squad, they naturally had no objections either.

They had witnessed the stark contrast in Horac's behavior from start to finish.

This kind of imperceptible yet seemingly omnipresent mind-control effect gave them goosebumps.

Perhaps the cancellation of the investigation mission would significantly reduce their earnings from this trip.

But for the sake of safety, leaving Sheep Horn Town as quickly as possible was the best choice for Margaret and Thordin right now.

At most, they would report the situation to the Adventurers' Association and the Church after returning to Nym or Rivervale Town.

As for the civilians in town whose minds had already been deeply affected... saving and helping them wasn't the duty of an adventurer.

Funnily enough, it had only been half a day since the group followed the caravan into Sheep Horn Town, yet their respective plans and positions had taken a complete one-hundred-and-eighty-degree turn.

The Blackwood Squad, who originally planned to accept Horac's commission and stay in Sheep Horn Town to investigate the gemstones, now only wanted to leave as soon as possible;

Meanwhile, Xia Nan—who had previously only considered this place a temporary rest stop and intended to continue his long journey once resupplied—now wanted to stay and investigate further because of the Pastel Gemstone's connection to the [Dream Weaving Corridor].

However, listening to their conversation and knowing that the group would still wait in town for a few days to deliver goods and restock supplies, Xia Nan didn't reveal his thoughts to them in order to avoid unnecessary trouble—such as being mistakenly assumed to be under the gem's influence as well.

Instead, he just sat quietly in his chair, thoughtfully turning the Silver Ring on his right ring finger.

He had originally intended to find another opportunity to ask the now-lucid Horac for more information about the Pastel Gemstone, Sheep Horn Town, and that potential mineral vein.

But seeing the man looking utterly exhausted, barely able to keep his eyes open as he spoke, Xia Nan patiently swallowed the words he had prepared.

He figured he would let the merchant get a good night's rest first and ask him about it tomorrow.

Outside the window, the last trace of the sunset's afterglow dissolved under the shroud of the night sky.

After agreeing to discuss their next steps in detail tomorrow, the group left Horac's room and returned to their respective quarters.

Although the Woolen Rusty Nail Inn was the highest-class inn in Sheep Horn Town, compared to the White Chickadee in Rivervale Town, both the furniture and the various details inside the rooms were noticeably inferior.

The only thing it had over the latter was its quiet environment.

The White Chickadee Tavern constantly bustled with a large number of adventurers all year round. When night fell, it was merely the beginning of the nightlife for many patrons, and the clamor wouldn't cease until dawn;

The Woolen Rusty Nail Inn, on the other hand, perfectly matched its setting in a remote frontier town. When the sun sank below the horizon and the moonlit night arrived, both the inn and the town outside fell practically silent.

Only the chirping of insects and the distant barking of dogs remained outside the window.

Xia Nan stood alone by the window, his pitch-black eyes almost melting into the night, wearing a thoughtful expression.

At present, the development of events had gradually become clear.

After learning that the gemstones circulating here had a charging effect on the [Dream Weaving Corridor], it was impossible for him to just leave so easily.

At the very least, he needed to investigate what exactly was happening in the town and whether the rumored mine actually existed.

If worst came to worst, he would see if he could touch all the gemstones in the townspeople's hands. While collecting energy, he could conveniently do a good deed and help them break free from the Pastel Gemstones' mind control.

Of course, he wasn't an idiot. If he genuinely sensed a danger beyond his capabilities, putting it on hold, remembering the location, and returning later was also an option.

However, considering how easily he had dispelled the charming effect of one gemstone just now relying on the [Dream Weaving Corridor] ring...

This incident definitely wasn't as sinister as facing the evil god statue back in Nym; its level was far lower than the latter.

He could afford to be a little bolder in his actions while still maintaining caution.

Xia Nan's plan was to go out tomorrow and ask the townspeople for some specific information about the gemstone mine. Hmm... reflecting on the intense reactions of the tavern boss and the blacksmith that afternoon, he needed to spend tonight carefully thinking up his talking points. He didn't want to "fail a persuasion check" and have the conversation blow up in his face again.

As for using forceful methods relying on his own strength, on one hand, that wasn't his style. On the other hand, before thoroughly investigating the town, it would be too easy to alert the snake in the grass and stir up unwarranted trouble.

Amid his musings, a few bird cries suddenly rang out outside the window.

He snapped back to reality and looked toward the source of the sound.

Brilliant stars littered the sky as a few small, dark silhouettes flapped their wings, flying through the air against the backdrop of a silvery-white full moon.

Further down was a building that was noticeably taller than the other houses in the town, and faintly more exquisite and unique.

Sweeping his gaze over its highly recognizable spire and bell tower, Xia Nan was thoughtful.

'A Church?'