Chapter 382 Honey Tangerine

[Honey Tangerine]

Type: Dagger

Grade: Fine (Green)

Effects:

1. Greater Toughness;

2. When held, slightly increases the bearer's mental resistance.

Description:

A wooden dagger carved from a snapped branch of the completely withered "miracle" orange tree. A special power from another realm has caused a mysterious change within it.

It was not forged for slaughter. Rather, it serves as a memento crafted by its owner to commemorate the past and warn himself. Perhaps its dull blade was truly meant to sever things other than flesh and blood.

Note:

"The place closest to the Goddess seems to also be the farthest from Her."

...

The wooden dagger, fashioned primarily from the dead branch of the orange tree, now presented a bizarre yet magnificent contradiction.

Its overall structure largely maintained its original coarse appearance without any careful polishing, preserving its initial intent as a memento rather than a murder weapon.

Its main body, including the grip and the blade's inner core, still consisted of the dead branch taken from the "miracle" orange tree in the priest's childhood memories. The dark brown wood remained rough and unadorned, covered in a fine, natural grain.

Holding it, one could clearly feel the warm, lightweight texture unique to aged wood.

Yet, spreading from the tip of the blade all the way up to the grip and covering the entire edge was the Pink Gemstone Xia Nan found all too familiar—the same material boasting absurd physical defense properties.

The crystal-clear pink formations clung tightly to the wooden dagger, forming a perfectly smooth, sleek, and magnificently sharp edge.

Looking closely through the intersection of crystal and wood, an irregular, twisted dividing line could be seen. Like a coastline eroded by the tide, the Pink Gemstone had been slowly and irresistibly transforming everything it touched, only to freeze mid-process and come to an abrupt halt.

With a flick of his wrist, the glass-clear pink edge reflected the moonlight, casting an interwoven sheen of silver and pink across Xia Nan's pitch-black eyes.

It was indeed an enchanted piece of equipment, but clearly, the dagger's attributes weren't high enough to serve as Xia Nan's primary weapon, and its weapon type completely clashed with his combat style.

Aside from the rare "Greater Toughness," its only other added effect was "slightly increases mental resistance when carried"—better than nothing.

Xia Nan even suspected that the short dagger [Honey Tangerine] only managed to reach the "Fine (Green)" equipment quality on his Attribute Panel purely because that "Greater Toughness" trait brought it up.

To some extent, it could only be considered an unusually sturdy, ordinary knife with average sharpness.

Fortunately, the Pink Gemstone encasing the blade's edge had lost its charming effects, meaning he no longer needed to worry about it affecting his mind if he carried it around.

Xia Nan trusted his own judgment, and naturally, he trusted the information on the Attribute Panel.

If holding it truly caused any side effects, his one and only golden finger would definitely display them.

As it happened, the small knife he carried for carving up biological loot had grown dull, and due to the gemstone incident in town, he hadn't had the time to get it repaired at the blacksmith.

Now, [Honey Tangerine] would serve as a perfect replacement.

With the "Greater Toughness" effect, it would certainly be far more durable than an ordinary dagger.

It was rather amusing when he thought about it. He was probably the only person who would use a genuine piece of enchanted equipment as an everyday skinning knife for processing materials.

'If I'm ever short on money... it's not like I can't sell it.'

Xia Nan pondered this, his gaze sliding down the blade toward the priest's corpse on the ground ahead.

His mind involuntarily recalled what he had experienced in Moin's dream.

Born to a family of fruit farmers, his hometown had been struck by a blight. After he begged for seven days, the Goddess appeared and miraculously saved his family's orchard, leading him to step onto the path of serving Her.

He had thought himself chosen by the divine, only to waste away in a corner of the Church for decades. He witnessed the corruption and hypocrisy of the higher-ups, and even his own family grew into a wealthy household monopolizing local industry, while the sacred tree of the past no longer bore fruit.

Disheartened, he retreated to a remote town. He was supposed to spend the rest of his life there in peace, right up until a Pink Gemstone descended into the mortal realm.

The dagger in his hand, named [Honey Tangerine], was very much a microcosm of the old priest's life:

On one end was the starting point of his faith—a past that had withered but was never forgotten.

On the other was the "new divine grace" that arrived after his faith fractured, bringing with it lethal beauty and unknown power.

The two collided and blended, attempting to forcefully merge amidst fragility and danger, only to abruptly halt halfway and leave everything frozen.

"Swish!"

He exerted force in his arm. Accompanied by a sharp whistle through the air, the pink-and-brown blade left a fleeting blur in its wake.

Bending his fingers, he lightly rapped his knuckles against the short dagger's surface, feeling the abnormally sturdy blade reinforced by the pink crystals.

Xia Nan nodded in satisfaction, sheathed the dagger, and fastened it to his waist.

Ahead, near the main doors of the Church, pained gasps faintly echoed.

The two members of the Blackwood Squad, who had been lying unconscious on the ground, finally woke up now that the battle was completely over.

The first to regain consciousness was the squad captain, Margaret.

This typically calm and decisive female swordsman, with her healthy wheat-colored skin and striking heroic spirit, now acted as though she had just woken from a deep sleep, struggling immensely to prop herself up with her arms.

Her eyes were unfocused and dazed.

She stared blankly at Xia Nan in the clearing ahead. It took a full two seconds for her brain to finally reboot through the dizziness and pain.

Driven by muscle memory, she sprang up from the ground in a reflexive blur, her gleaming longsword raised defensively in front of her as she assumed a combat stance.

Only then did the corpse on the ground and the changes in her surroundings help her realize that the battle was over.

She awkwardly dropped her stance, her facial muscles stiffening as she offered Xia Nan a smile.

In contrast, the dwarf Thordin beside her—perhaps due to his inherently thick-nerved personality—fared better.

Though he showed the same confusion right after waking from his faint, his subsequent reaction was much more adaptable than Margaret's.

He quickly realized that Xia Nan had already taken care of the enemy while the two of them were unconscious.

Keeping a wary eye on the priest's crystallized corpse, he beckoned the female swordsman to approach Xia Nan and asked him for the details.

Xia Nan had nothing to hide.

After intentionally omitting the parts that involved his own secrets, such as the [Dream Weaving Corridor] and the [Fate Coin], he gave them a complete recount of his experience.

"I knew that old bastard was the one pulling the strings behind the scenes!"

His beard braids swaying, the dwarf looked exceptionally furious, looking as though he wanted to heft his Faceted Hammer and smash it into the priest's body a few more times.

He then expressed his most sincere apologies and gratitude for passing out right at the start of the battle, failing to help out later, and forcing Xia Nan to look after them.

He straightforwardly declared that he wouldn't take any share of the loot, patting his chest as he claimed he owed Xia Nan another favor. He insisted that if Xia Nan ever needed anything in the future, he just had to ask, and there was absolutely no way he would refuse.

Margaret, on the other hand, had remained somewhat silent ever since waking up.

Compared to the brash Thordin, the female swordsman was clearly much more observant.

The Goddess statue that had been completely corrupted by crystals, the battle scars littered all over the Church, the fully crystallized Priest Moin...

Margaret knew very well that the danger and intensity of this battle was likely far greater than Xia Nan had let on.

As his teammates—even temporary ones—they hadn't been able to contribute a single ounce of strength at such a critical moment. They had lost consciousness the moment they entered the Church, forcing him to divide his attention to protect them.

This dealt a severe blow to the female swordsman's pride.

It also made her bury the squad invitation she had been preparing to offer Xia Nan upon their parting even deeper into her heart.

He was a lone wolf, yes, but given the massive gap in their strength, teaming up temporarily out of mission necessity seemed to be the best way for them to interact with this young adventurer.

Moreover, Margaret keenly noticed that the aura radiating from Xia Nan was much more condensed and profound than it had been before they entered the Church.

'Is this... did his Class Level increase again?'

She couldn't help but recall the clear growth trajectory of this black-haired adventurer known as "Greysword," which she had investigated back in Rivervale Town.

He was so young, and his improvement speed was so rapid... How could ordinary teammates like them possibly keep up?

Even if their apparent Class Levels were slightly higher right now, in a year or two, they would likely be left so far in the dust they wouldn't even be able to see his back.

Shaking her head imperceptibly, Margaret sighed inwardly.

She withdrew her gaze from the Goddess statue, looked at Xia Nan, and took the initiative to discuss the subsequent cleanup procedures with him.

At the same time, faint commotion began drifting in from the town square outside the Church doors behind them.

...

...

"Are you sure you won't come back to Rivervale Town with us?"

Inside the lobby of the Woolen Rusty Nail Inn.

Horac looked at the black-haired young man across the table, clinging to a final shred of hope as he tried to persuade him to stay.

The outstanding strength of this young adventurer named Xia Nan went without saying.

His reliability had been thoroughly proven through recent events, earning the complete trust of the wealthy merchant, who had been deeply unsettled by the gemstone incident.

If possible, he wanted to keep Xia Nan by his side as a guard, even if it meant paying an exorbitant salary far exceeding the market average.

In fact, Horac had already put this thought into action, proactively and sincerely offering him a sum that any ordinary person would consider an "astronomical" wage.

But Xia Nan only smiled and shook his head.

He had already explained his reasons for declining, and his gesture was enough to reaffirm his stance.

"Alright..."

Freed from the gemstone's mind control, Horac had returned to being that shrewd, generous, and amiable wealthy merchant.

Knowing he couldn't force the matter, he stopped pestering him.

Instead, he reached into his coat and pulled out a large-denomination Crystal Card containing exactly three hundred gold coins.

He placed it on the table and slid it over to Xia Nan.

"I traveled in a hurry and didn't bring much with me..."

"I've heard the details of what happened from Thordin and the others. If it weren't for you, I'm afraid all of us would have been left here forever."

"This is your reward for the contributions you made to the entire caravan, myself included."

"It's just a small token of my gratitude. Please, do not refuse."

Since he put it that way, Xia Nan didn't stand on ceremony. He nodded and accepted the Crystal Card.

This caused his net worth to soar to 839 gold, 2 silver, and 6 copper.

"Lastly, I wish you a smooth journey."

"Remember, if you ever have the chance to visit Nym in the future, you must come find me."

At that moment, the two members of the Blackwood Squad walked in through the inn's front doors, followed by a plainly dressed little girl.

She looked faintly familiar. After a brief recollection, he remembered she was the girl he had met in the Orange Orchard earlier.

Following behind the two adventurers, the little girl shrank back, looking rather nervous. Her steps were small and her body stiff, but she firmly gripped a woven basket covered with sackcloth.

"This girl seems to have been waiting outside for a long time, but she didn't dare come in. If the captain hadn't spotted her, she'd probably still be waiting across the street," the dwarf explained, waving to Xia Nan.

Moin's death had not only dispelled the wall of light shooting out from the Church dome to shroud the entirety of Sheep Horn Town, but it had also freed the gemstone-charmed townsfolk from their mind control.

Their memories remained intact. They could clearly remember everything that had happened during this time.

Naturally, they also knew that their highly respected priest was the primary culprit, and they recognized the contributions Xia Nan and the others had made.

They might have felt some fear regarding the crystallized villagers the group had killed and their irresistibly powerful strength, but for the most part, they felt gratitude and relief.

Xia Nan understood the townsfolk's reactions. In truth, the fallout from the crystallization incident was far from over.

The depowered gemstone crystals deeply embedded in the chests of the town's residents, the priest who had forsaken his faith under the Chantier Church, the origins and source of the Pastel Gemstone...

There were still many matters left for the relevant authorities to handle.

He imagined that it would be a long time before the residents of Sheep Horn Town could return to their once-peaceful lives.

As for Xia Nan, he was about to leave the town and continue his journey.

Barring any accidents, he would likely never have the chance to return to this remote town...

Seeing the black-haired young man by the dining table, the girl from the Orange Orchard seemed to heave a sigh of relief.

She couldn't help but quicken her pace, walking right up to the bewildered Xia Nan.

Raising both hands, she offered the basket to him.

Xia Nan reached out and lifted the sackcloth covering the basket.

Accompanied by a sweet, clear tangerine fragrance that filled the air, what greeted his eyes was the vibrant orange-red unique to Sugar Tangerines.

...

...

"Hss..."

At the same time, on the other side of the continent, deep within a dense jungle.

A girl with delicate features and a dark chestnut ponytail was sitting alone in a camp. The flickering glare of magic could faintly be seen in the air around her.

The small brown cloak she usually wore over her shoulders had been neatly folded on a blanket to the side. Her beige robes were pulled slightly taut by her cross-legged posture, outlining her slender, delicate figure.

The young mage with memories of two lifetimes still wore the same expression of profound exhaustion and heavy pressure as before.

Right now, however, she was grimacing in sharp contrast to her usual demeanor, her eyes squeezed tightly shut in agony.

It wasn't until she grabbed the nearby canteen and gulped down half the bottle that she finally managed to catch her breath.

Resentment lingering in her amber eyes, she glared at a small, unripe tangerine on the ground ahead, from which a single wedge had been peeled.

'I remember this type of tangerine being very sweet. The season has clearly arrived, so why...'

While complaining in her mind, the girl's entire body suddenly stiffened.

Before she noticed, under her perception, the World Line Deviation Rate had surprisingly increased by another 0.12%.

'W... Why!?'

'How is that possible!?'

The sudden shock left the girl looking somewhat dazed.

Suddenly, she felt the lingering sourness on the tip of her tongue again.

For a moment, the look she gave the little tangerine on the ground turned extremely bizarre.

After a moment of hesitation, her slender, pale hand trembled as it reached toward the tangerine once more.