Chapter 632 Transition and Nearing Arrival

"Lord Xia Nan, look at what I caught!"

Wrapped in bandages from head to toe, Tal held his wooden longbow in one hand and steadied a small deer slung over his shoulder with the other, speaking in an ingratiating tone.

Seeing this, Xia Nan felt genuinely helpless. Given the man's physical condition, Tal should have just stayed in camp and rested instead of doing all this. If Xia Nan really wanted to hunt game, he could just take Fanny out for a few minutes and return with a catch.

But since it was a gesture of goodwill, he did not say much. He simply nodded in thanks and motioned for Tal to sit by the campfire.

A few days had passed since he rescued the ranger from beneath the shovel-like trunk of the armored elephant.

With his teammates completely wiped out and himself severely injured by the powerful monster's attack, Tal naturally could not continue his previous quest.

For the sake of safety, Tal had chosen to return to Bloodcast Keep.

However, given his poor physical condition and severely crippled combat strength, traveling alone would be too risky. Even encountering low-level common monsters could put him in immense danger.

Therefore, after learning from Xia Nan that their destination was also Bloodcast Keep—though calling it an inquiry was a stretch; it was more about carefully gauging Xia Nan's attitude. After all, Bloodcast Keep was the only human settlement in the vicinity. Anyone with a little experience could deduce their destination based on their identities and direction of travel.

Tal had tentatively asked if they could bring him along to Bloodcast Keep.

Since they were only a few days away from the destination, Xia Nan did not mind, and the barbarian Forgan cared even less.

Thus, "Roundhead" Tal temporarily became a member of their small party.

Over the past few days, Tal's behavior could only be described as attentive and fawning.

Even though neither Xia Nan nor Forgan were the type to rely on their strength to bully the weak for no reason, the short, stout, bald ranger still exercised the survival experience he had honed over his many years as an adventurer to the fullest.

After following Xia Nan back to camp from the battlefield with the armored elephant, and after receiving Forgan's permission, Tal had efficiently treated his own wounds. When resting at night, he kept as quiet as possible, not daring to disturb the other two.

The next morning, he had woken up right at dawn, packed his belongings neatly, and waited quietly for their departure.

Despite his severe injuries, he never dared to complain or talk too much while traveling. He simply gritted his teeth and followed silently behind them.

Fortunately, Xia Nan mostly traveled in the mornings and set up camp in the afternoons for his daily training, which allowed Tal to barely push through.

Over the past two days, as his injuries gradually healed, the bald ranger took the initiative to help hunt or clean up the camp, doing whatever he could within his capacity, just as he had done now.

Was this simply Tal's natural personality?

Of course not!

What a joke. Just look at the three figures sitting across the campfire right now. What kind of beings were they!?

That powerful wolf beast called "Fanny," with her pure white fur and ice-blue eyes—barring any surprises, she had to be a "winter wolf," a creature listed in the Monster Compendium with a Challenge Rating of Lv3.

If she were just an ordinary monster, such a Challenge Rating might not have surprised him much. But this winter wolf appeared to be completely tamed.

Excluding beast-affinity classes like druids and certain other special circumstances, taming such naturally ferocious monsters usually required strength far exceeding their Challenge Rating.

Thinking of this, Tal's gaze unconsciously shifted slightly upward, landing on the other side of the camp, on the black-haired youth with sharp features and a young face that completely belied his strength.

"Xia Nan"—he had never heard of this name before.

But considering the young man's power, he could not have just spawned out of nowhere. Even if he grew rapidly, there had to be a developmental process.

Most likely, he had a few nicknames that Tal might have heard of.

However, considering that asking might seem offensive, Tal had avoided touching upon the subject.

What was his class?

A warrior, a ranger, or something else?

Tal did not have a single clue.

His entire impression of Xia Nan's strength came from the battle against the armored elephant a few days ago.

Having spent half his life as an adventurer, he had accumulated quite a bit of combat experience despite his mediocre talent.

He could clearly tell that while the battle between Xia Nan and the armored elephant seemed to drag on, the pace of the fight was firmly in Xia Nan's grasp.

He sped it up or slowed it down at will.

For some reason unknown to Tal, Xia Nan had deliberately slowed his offensive.

Xia Nan's decisive, clean finishing strike at the end proved his theory.

Tal was not sure of his actual Class Level, but judging purely from his performance in combat, he guessed that the youth had to be at least a Level 6 or Level 7 veteran adventurer. Among the combat techniques he had mastered, at least one or two were of the high-quality variety.

Following the unspoken rule of survival of the fittest among adventurers, even if his original four-man party were at their absolute peak, they would still have to tread carefully around an adventurer of this caliber, let alone now that he was the only one left.

As for the final member of the camp.

That barbarian dressed in wolf pelts, taciturn and solitary, leaning against an oak tree while maintaining his handaxes—Tal did not even dare to think too much about him.

If his years of accumulated experience allowed him to barely gauge Xia Nan's combat level, then when it came to this barbarian named Forgan, Tal felt that his entire scale for judging strength was rendered completely useless.

He was simply not an entity someone of his level could ever interact with.

In fact, a few days ago, when he followed Xia Nan back to camp and saw this barbarian, he immediately regretted requesting to tag along to Bloodcast Keep.

Fortunately, neither Xia Nan nor Forgan had made things difficult for him over the past few days, allowing him to grit his teeth and push through the immense pressure.

Now, having weathered the journey without any real danger and finally nearing their destination, Tal could not help but let out a long sigh of relief.

Meanwhile, Xia Nan, sitting on the other side of the camp, naturally had no idea about the short, stout ranger's inner thoughts.

Even if he did, he would not pay them much mind.

Right now, he was focusing on today's dinner.

"Sizzle!"

Grease bubbled and released a charred aroma under the roasting flames, slowly dripping from the surface of the mouth-watering venison.

His Perception attribute quietly went to work.

Xia Nan turned the venison skewered on a wooden branch, carefully observing its roasting progress.

It had not been long since his transmigration, but because of his lone-wolf style of operating and the frequent need to camp alone in the wilderness, his cooking skills were steadily improving.

He was especially getting better at roasted dishes like this, which only required an open flame and simple seasonings.

He rotated the venison over the fire a few more times, confirming that the meat had reached a perfect state.

Xia Nan quickly planted the branch skewering the venison into the ground, freeing his hands to pull a small clay jar from his belt pouch.

Anvil bee honey.

He had obtained it a few months ago on the road from Rivervale Town to Barracuda Bay.

Because of its unique and wonderful taste, he had kept plenty of it on him, occasionally using it as a seasoning.

He remembered hearing from fellow adventurers that this honey was perfect for gifting. He had planned to bring some back for acquaintances in Rivervale Town after his trip to Barracuda Bay, or give it to new friends he met along the journey.

However, after acquiring the [White Flask] pocket watch, he completely forgot about the honey, leaving it deep inside a spare supply backpack within the watch's spatial storage. It was not until he reorganized his supplies in Salt Rock Port a while ago that he remembered it; otherwise, he could have let Lorraine and the shorty have a taste.

Given the current situation, he figured he would not be returning to Rivervale Town anytime soon. So, Xia Nan dropped the idea of saving the honey and simply took some out to eat whenever he craved it.

"Sizzle—"

He gently applied the thick, amber honey over the venison's textured surface using a small brush he had specially prepared. It slowly spread out, and just as it was about to drip, Xia Nan spun the branch to adjust the angle, not wasting a single drop as the honey enveloped the reddish-brown roasted meat.

An alluring aroma permeated the air.

Taking a bite, the crisp, fruity fragrance unique to anvil bee honey perfectly blended with the rich, roasted fat of the venison. It neutralized the inherent greasiness, leaving behind nothing but the pure deliciousness of the meat.

Always one to enjoy good food, Xia Nan narrowed his eyes in delight.

"Whimper—"

A low, gentle whimper suddenly came from beside him.

He saw the winter wolf Fanny gently wagging her tail. Her body was crouched low as she rubbed her fluffy head against his arm.

Her ice-blue wolf eyes looked up at him pitifully.

Knowing exactly what she meant, and since there was plenty of honey left anyway, Xia Nan did not hesitate. He pulled a piece of venison off the branch and fed it directly to Fanny.

Shortly after they first met, the winter wolf Fanny had shown an unusual level of affinity and enthusiasm toward him.

At first, he found it strange and did not know the reason.

But later, as they spent more time together, he genuinely felt her pure affection for him.

Because of this, Xia Nan absolutely did not mind showing her the same kindness in return.

Although they had not fought side by side much before, he and Fanny had flawless chemistry. Even with the gap in their actual combat strength, the young wolf perfectly handled her role of assisting and distracting enemies without needing him to divide his attention to protect her. This left Xia Nan highly satisfied, making him more than willing to share his food with her.

Surprisingly for someone hailing from the Northern Snow Plains, the barbarian Forgan did not like sweets, so he had turned down the honey-dipped meat.

Instead, he showed a particular fondness for the armored elephant meat from a few days ago—meat that Xia Nan found too dry, tough, and oddly flavored.

A large chunk brought back from the battlefield just for a taste test ended up being eaten almost entirely by Forgan.

As a professional adventurer, besides developing his own combat techniques, Xia Nan certainly would not forget his actual job.

After the battle concluded a few days ago, he had handled the battlefield cleanup.

The final haul, however, could only be described as very mediocre.

Although the armored elephant had a Challenge Rating of Lv5, it did not possess any special abilities like a petrification lizard. It was purely a stat-monster relying on physical strength, similar to an owlbear.

Under such circumstances, it naturally did not yield any particularly valuable loot materials.

If he had to name something, its thick, armored hide was worth a bit of money.

But skinning it was too much of a hassle, and not wanting to expose the existence of his [White Flask] pocket watch to an outsider like Tal, Xia Nan saved himself the trouble and left it behind.

As for the dead adventurers' loot, according to the unspoken rules among adventurers, even though a team member had survived, it had been a newly formed temporary party, and Xia Nan had single-handedly saved its only survivor. This gave him full distribution rights over the spoils.

However, Xia Nan had inspected everything one by one using his Attribute Panel golden finger at the time, and found nothing noteworthy.

The adventurers who teamed up with Tal did not look very wealthy; their savings had likely all been squandered at casinos and tavern tables.

The gear they used—even their most crucial armor and weapons—were just common items with one or two ordinary affixes, and many were damaged from the fight with the armored elephant.

Even if he brought them back, they could only be recycled as secondhand gear, completely lacking the premium value of enchanted equipment.

Added all together, they were not worth much, so Xia Nan did not waste his energy bringing them back, leaving Tal to handle them himself.

Interestingly enough, this had made Tal hesitant.

Compared to Xia Nan, who never spent money recklessly and already boasted a net worth over ten thousand gold, this bald ranger from the lower class was addicted to just about every vice popular among adventurers.

Over all these years, he had saved practically nothing.

They were just temporary teammates, so he felt no emotional attachment to his fallen companions.

Under normal circumstances, he probably would have stripped them down to their underwear to carefully check if they had hidden anything valuable.

But the situation had been too unusual when Xia Nan told him he could handle whatever was left on the field.

Not wanting to leave a bad impression on the powerful young adventurer in front of him, and not daring to waste the other's time with his scavenging, Tal had undergone a brief but intense moment of hesitation before likewise giving up on the loot, leaving the secondhand gear lying in the dirt alongside their owners.

"How much further to Bloodcast Keep? I figure we should arrive by the day after tomorrow at the latest, right?"

Xia Nan compared their surroundings with the map, mentally estimating the remaining distance.

Not daring to ignore him for even a second, Tal, who had been responsible for leading the way recently, instantly sat up straight across the campfire and replied, "Right! Right! You're absolutely correct!"

"If we calculate based on our travel speed over the past two days, we'll be able to see Bloodcast Keep by tomorrow noon at the latest."

For the sake of convenient training, the group had mostly been setting up camp in the early afternoon, not in any particular rush.

But since they were close enough to their destination to see it from a distance, there was no reason to spend an extra day in the wilderness.

Nearby, Forgan paused his axe maintenance and said, "Then we'll cover more ground tomorrow and aim to reach Bloodcast Keep before dark."