Chapter 659 A Pointed Hint

"M-Mr. Xia Nan, we... [chewing sounds]... just got back from the registration office," the noble young master from the Imperial Capital replied indistinctly, his cheeks bulging.

Sitting across the dining table, he held a fork speared with a slice of bacon in one hand and gripped a roasted chicken leg directly in the other.

Clearly, the dry rations he had endured for days on the journey from Salt Rock Port to Bloodcast Keep had left him thoroughly fed up.

Now, finally enjoying a delicious feast after so long, he abandoned all regard for his image and simply buried his face in his plates.

In contrast, Winsor, the fisherman sitting beside him, showed little interest in the expensive spread on the table—luxurious delicacies he might not have tasted even once or twice in his entire life under normal circumstances.

He focused only on the few plates closest to him, lacking any desire to even stretch his arm. He merely repeated the mechanical rhythm of stuffing food into his mouth, chewing, and swallowing.

Xia Nan held a cup of mead, his dark eyes reflecting the figures in front of him.

Through their earlier introductions, he had pieced together their current situation.

Having met during the conscription march, the trio had grouped up and headed straight for the registration office the moment they arrived at Bloodcast Keep.

For whatever reason—perhaps too many new recruits had arrived recently and the fortress was understaffed, or perhaps it was due to the special circumstances hinted at earlier by the young logistics officer—the three had waited outside the registration office for a long time without the line moving an inch. Seeing that it was getting late, they had decided to rest for the night and try again at dawn.

And then... the incident in the tavern had happened.

"Mr. Xia Nan!" Having finally swallowed his mouthful of food, Zanfrey wiped his mouth with the back of his hand and asked earnestly, ignoring the stiff, awkward stare of his guard, Ake. "Is your party still short on people? What do you think of me?"

The noble youth's original plan had been to mirror his ancestors' experiences: start from the bottom ranks at the front lines, steadily gain experience, build his resume, and gradually climb the ranks.

But the young man possessed a clever mind; he was never that rigid to begin with.

His experiences along the journey had gradually made Zanfrey realize that times had changed.

While his ancestors' rise to power was glorious, perfectly replicating it today was far harder than he had imagined. Under these circumstances, Zanfrey was not opposed to taking a few small shortcuts to smooth out his path forward.

Right now, the adventurer named Xia Nan sitting before him possessed tremendous strength.

If he could follow this man, never mind how much it might aid his future plans to forge anew the glory of the Shield of the Silver Lake family—he would undoubtedly learn a great deal and accumulate vast experience.

For that alone, pausing his military career for a short time would be completely worth it.

Xia Nan's answer to the young man's request was blunt and concise: "You won't do."

Given his current level of strength and combat rhythm, even an ordinary Level 4 or Level 5 Class Holder wouldn't be able to keep up at all. Often, for the sake of the team, Xia Nan even had to deliberately slow his attack frequency so his teammates could adapt.

In this situation, unless a quest had a strict headcount requirement like the previous one, or his teammates were like Alton and Verol, operating as a lone wolf was what suited Xia Nan best right now.

Zanfrey was only fifteen or sixteen and hadn't even obtained a Class Level yet. Xia Nan wasn't a babysitter, nor had the Shield of the Silver Lake family offered him any benefits. He had no reason to drag along dead weight on his quests.

Zanfrey seemed to have expected Xia Nan's rejection. Hearing the response, he merely gave a cheeky grin and buried his head back in his plates.

He had only been trying his luck and hadn't held much hope to begin with. Being turned down naturally only left him feeling a bit of pity, without harboring any hard feelings.

On the other side, in stark contrast to the two youths' vastly different temperaments, the highly experienced guard Ake handled everything far more appropriately.

Not only did he pay for the entire table's meal, but he also kept a very humble profile when speaking with Xia Nan. Along with his compliments, he took the opportunity to fish for local intelligence from the two adventurers who had already spent some time in Bloodcast Keep, asking if there was anything they needed to watch out for.

"I think you'd best find a reliable team to travel with," Xia Nan advised. "Even if you don't enlist at the barracks for now, don't just take on quests and head out adventuring as a standalone party."

Recently, monsters had been appearing more and more frequently around Bloodcast Keep. Just on the trip back from Ice Tree Village, Xia Nan's group had run into two fairly powerful and dangerous monsters.

With this trio's composition of one older man and two youths, all it would take was a bit of bad luck. If they ran into a monster with a Challenge Rating above 2 in the wilds, they risked a total party wipe.

If they officially enlisted and operated alongside the soldiers of Bloodcast Keep, their numbers would give them an advantage.

But if they ventured out as an adventuring party... Xia Nan reckoned this would be the last time he ever saw them.

"Is the situation here really that tense? Could you tell us more?" Ake's expression instantly turned serious upon hearing Xia Nan's words, keenly aware that the young master he needed to protect was sitting right beside him.

However, Xia Nan had other matters to attend to according to his schedule, leaving him no time for detailed explanations. Catching a single glance from him, the bald ranger Tal across the table instantly understood and took the initiative to pick up the conversation.

"You've probably noticed that there are a lot more adventurers around Bloodcast Keep now. Ultimately, it's because..."

Tal was acting remarkably enthusiastic.

Part of the reason, of course, was Xia Nan's signaled glance.

But the other reason was Ake himself.

Judging by his aura and Tal's own Perception, this middle-aged man named Ake had a decent Class Level—likely at least Level 3—and possessed considerable strength.

Moreover, the heavy shield on his back indicated that he was exactly what the Sulfur Dragon Breath party Tal was about to join desperately needed: a frontline Warrior. Even though Ake was currently dragging along two dead weights, who could say what the future held? Perhaps an opportunity would arise in due time.

More importantly, Tal had gleaned from Xia Nan's conversation with them that this middle-aged shield-bearer hailed from the Imperial Capital's Shield of the Silver Lake family.

With Tal's wealth of experience, he had naturally heard of such renowned legendary figures.

Hailing from a great family with generations of heritage, Ake's actual combat prowess, bolstered by quality equipment and combat techniques, might even surpass that of ordinary adventurers at the same level.

If Tal could find a chance to pull this man into the Sulfur Dragon Breath party, his own future quests with the team would undoubtedly be much safer.

Seeing Tal chatting passionately with the man, Xia Nan decided not to linger. He bid the group farewell and stood up to leave.

Just then, Winsor—the young man who had been quiet the entire time—suddenly dropped his previously disinterested attitude. He looked at Xia Nan with earnest eyes and bid him farewell.

"May you be safe, Mr. Xia Nan."

Patting the young man on the shoulder with a smiling nod, Xia Nan walked out the tavern doors.

After briefly getting his bearings, he led Winter Wolf Fanny toward the Inner Keep.

Compared to his first visit to the Inner Keep, there were far more soldiers and officers hurrying through the corridors now, despite the late hour, and almost all of them looked incredibly busy with their hurried footsteps.

Wondering if this was related to the recent surge in frenzied monsters, he asked for directions while following Winter Wolf Fanny's guidance, winding through the castle corridors for a while.

Pushing open a heavy door, Xia Nan arrived at a small open-air courtyard on the eastern side of Bloodcast Keep.

Soft moonlight spilled gently from the brilliant, starry sky, casting a silvery glow over his Frost-White Wolf Cloak as its fur swayed faintly in the evening breeze.

Like a silent glacier, a burly figure sat alone in a small pavilion at the center of the courtyard.

Clearly, the man had sensed Xia Nan's identity even before he opened the door.

Forgan didn't even turn his head, simply maintaining his posture and sitting quietly where he was.

Leading Fanny forward, Xia Nan took a seat next to Forgan.

He followed the man's gaze, looking out into the distance.

Under the blanket of night, the rolling mountains of the Servia Kingdom's northeastern border stretched out beneath the cliffs of Bloodcast Keep.

The dense, dark green canopy looked like a blanket of foliage draped over the undulating hills in the distance. Occasional, untraceable beast roars drifted from afar, only serving to make the night feel even more silent.

Further out, partially obscured by the woods and hills, a familiar stretch of icy white could vaguely be seen—that was the Rime Hills Xia Nan had just returned from.

"How was it?" the Barbarian's low, hoarse voice drifted over, still carrying his classic Northlands accent.

Having originally planned to report the anomalies he'd discovered during his quest to Forgan anyway, Xia Nan had no reason to hide anything. He recounted his entire experience on this trip to the man.

This included the hunters and the banshee in Ice Tree Village, the inexplicably increased number of monsters on the journey back, and his theories regarding the goblins.

"An ice crystal flower?" Forgan suddenly turned around, fixing his icy blue eyes on Xia Nan.

Trusting the mentor who had guided him on his professional path, Xia Nan didn't think Forgan would covet a green-quality piece of equipment. He took off the [Unarrived Spring] from his neck and handed it over.

Reaching out to take it, Forgan inspected the bracelet closely.

He didn't speak, and his expression remained entirely undisturbed.

Yet, Xia Nan could sense the swelling tide of emotion churning deep within the man's silence.

Even Winter Wolf Fanny, sitting beside them, subconsciously straightened her back and pricked up her pointed ears.

"A fine accessory," Forgan said, offering a rare piece of straightforward praise. He handed the [Unarrived Spring] back to Xia Nan and asked casually, "You said the Elf who turned into a banshee was from the North?"

Hearing this, Xia Nan nodded.

"According to her husband, her homeland seemed to have suffered some kind of disaster, forcing the Elf to flee alone to the Rime Hills," Xia Nan replied. "But he didn't know exactly what happened either."

"However, it was precisely because of her Elf background that her Half-Elf daughter took such a strong interest in Fanny, which gave us the opportunity to meet. This ice crystal flower accessory was a gift from her daughter," he added.

"People always harbor certain beautiful fantasies about anything related to their homeland," Forgan replied, "even if they have never truly set foot on a single inch of its soil."

"How is your self-developed combat technique progressing? Any ideas?" he asked.

Seemingly unwilling to delve any deeper into the previous topic, Forgan shifted the conversation to the progress of Xia Nan's new combat technique.

To this, Xia Nan could only respond with a bitter smile.

"At the very least, I've ruled out a few wrong directions," he replied.

"There's no need to rush," Forgan said. He glanced over at Xia Nan's side, a subtle glimmer of peculiarity flashing in his eyes as he looked at Winter Wolf Fanny, who remained glued to the black-haired youth's side without making the slightest move to approach Forgan.

"Your talent is exceptionally high; your Perception attribute is already catching up to many Transcendent Tier adventurers," he continued. "Don't overthink it. Just follow your instincts and take your time."

He was different from some adventurers who possessed clear combat technique development plans and steady, trackable progress.

Xia Nan's inherent talents and his outstanding Perception ability dictated that the progression of his self-developed combat technique wouldn't follow a predictable path.

To a certain extent, he could be considered an inspiration-type combatant.

Without the right opportunity, he might not make any progress for months.

But if he did strike upon inspiration, a single night's epiphany could equal what others might reap in one or two years.

"Also, your theory is correct."

"Since the beginning of this year, the sudden spike in goblin numbers along the borders of the Servia Kingdom is indeed connected to the monster frenzy phenomenon."

"That is also one of the reasons I came to Bloodcast Keep."

Forgan didn't explain too much to Xia Nan.

And Xia Nan understood exactly what he meant.

Put simply, his guess was correct, but this matter was clearly not something a low-level adventurer who had just reached Class Level 4 could handle.

Leaving the issue to Forgan was the end of it; Xia Nan could just go about his own business without needing to dig any deeper.

Naturally, Xia Nan had no objections to this.

He had never liked being dragged into conflicts that had nothing to do with him. His current goals in Bloodcast Keep were solely to develop his combat technique and to quickly raise his War Merits rank so he could exchange for the [Endtime Reverse Scale].

As for any other conspiracies or conflicts between factions, as long as they didn't affect him, he couldn't care less.

"So moving forward, I should just take quests and accumulate War Merits normally like before?" Xia Nan asked the Barbarian.

"There's no rush. You've seen the state of the fortress; the channels for accepting quests haven't been opened yet," Forgan replied.

"Rest up for a couple of days and recover your energy," Forgan said with pointed meaning.

"And then... just do what needs to be done. You don't need to worry too much."