Chapter 150 Here Comes the Commission!

In his past life, Xia Nan had no particular hobbies.

During his student days, he could occasionally gather a few friends for sports, but after starting work, his only pastime was sitting in front of a computer playing games on his days off.

If transmigration hadn't happened to him, perhaps in another dozen years—when the first digit of his age reached a 4 or a 5—he might have picked up hobbies like fishing or collecting antiques.

Even then, he inherently lacked the knowledge and artistic appreciation for them.

Therefore, an amateur like Xia Nan could usually only judge the quality of a carving by its most basic aspects: appearance, material, and price.

The more exquisite the details, the more striking the texture, and the higher the price tag, the better.

But the grayish-black wood carving before him gave him a completely different feeling.

Covered in dust and resting quietly on the shelf like a rock, it was completely inconspicuous. Yet it inexplicably drew the attention of passing customers, compelling them to look closer and discover its rugged but subtly delicate wooden texture.

The statue itself was not complex; even upon close inspection, it was impossible to discern what exactly it was supposed to depict.

But the flowing lines following the material's natural grain seemed organically formed. They curved and extended, engraving the carver's vision in a way that could only be felt rather than seen.

Although he couldn't pinpoint exactly what made it so good, he could feel the exquisite craftsmanship and ingenious design embedded within its lines and facets.

The Sheep-Deer Figurine stood upright like a humanoid creature. Its proportions were severely distorted, and its hooves and fingers were practically indistinguishable, let alone details like fur or muscle contours.

Yet it exuded an eerie harmony that faintly blended into the darkness.

As if it were meant to be exactly this way.

The figurine's two curved horns extended upward like dead branches before finally vanishing into the depths of the grayish-black patterns, acting less like horns and more like pillars supporting the massive expanse of blank space above.

It made him unconsciously fill in the blanks, fantasizing about what kind of scene should rest atop them.

Was it the lush canopy of a forest swaying in the wind? The surging waves of a boundless ocean? The brilliant stars dotting a vast universe? Bubbling froth in crimson blood? Or a massive, writhing entity in the dead silence of the dark...

'!'

Xia Nan suddenly cursed in his mind.

He practically forced himself to empty his surging thoughts, tearing his eyes away from the statue.

He couldn't help but stagger two steps back.

'What the hell is this thing?!'

He panted, his vigilance spiking to its absolute peak in an instant.

He wanted nothing more than to turn around and flee.

But in the next second, the shop's incense-scented air rushed into his lungs, accompanied by the bustling noise from the street outside. The mundane sensory input made Xia Nan realize he wasn't out adventuring, nor were there any dangerous monsters nearby.

Instead, he was in the incredibly safe Rivervale Town, home to the local Adventurers' Association and frequented by high-level Class Holders.

He looked over at the carving again.

The statue rested quietly in the corner of the shelf. Its carving remained exquisite and flawless, and the texture of the material still drew the eye despite its rustic nature.

However, the terrifying sensation that had swallowed his thoughts like a whirlpool was completely gone.

If not for the sweat drenching his clothes and the semi-transparent text gradually fading from his vision, he might have thought the experience was merely a hallucination brought on by exhaustion.

'Something's not right!'

'There's definitely something wrong with it!'

Recalling the despair of his body and spirit detaching—his consciousness sinking into a deep sea, drifting further from the surface as darkness spread and enveloped him—Xia Nan shuddered with lingering fear.

It was only because his intense concentration had triggered the Attribute Panel to automatically appear, interrupting the process and helping him break free.

If he had let his mind continue sinking until it was completely swallowed by the darkness, he didn't dare imagine what would have happened.

"Customer, is everything alright?"

Behind the counter, Farlio looked with concern at Xia Nan's pale face and stiff expression.

The young man's sudden, bizarre reaction had clearly caught the shopkeeper's attention.

Even the middle-aged adventurer hiding in the corner of the shop—who had just been chased out of the blacksmith by Barn and had only dared to peek at Xia Nan out of the corner of his eye—glanced over at the commotion.

"The quote I gave you is actually slightly above market price already; these past two years—"

"It's fine, that's not the reason."

Realizing Farlio had misunderstood, Xia Nan panted and waved a hand, signaling him not to worry about it.

A hint of hesitation surfaced on his face.

He paused before probing, "Did you hear any sounds just now, or experience anything unusual?"

"Anything unusual..." Farlio's expression grew even more confused. "I don't think so?"

Feeling even more creeped out, Xia Nan couldn't help but take another two steps back.

He pointed from afar at the wood carving on the shelf and asked, "That statue—the one that looks like a dusty rock—what's its origin?"

Farlio's eyes lit up behind his glasses. His tone unconsciously rose as he enthusiastically introduced it. "Customer, you have an excellent eye!"

"This style of statue is incredibly popular in Nym City lately."

"Rumor has it that it comes from a master carver. Many nobles in high society absolutely love it."

"I had to pull a lot of strings just to get my hands on it."

"Seeing as you have such great taste, I'll just take a modest cut for my efforts and give you a twenty percent discount."

"Twenty-nine gold, what do you—"

"No! No! No!" Seeing the man launch into such a fiery pitch just because he had casually asked, Xia Nan waved his hands and immediately rejected the offer.

He was terrified of being associated with that cursed thing in any way.

You've got to be kidding!

Just one look had almost taken his life.

If he actually bought it and carried it around, it would be a death wish.

Without waiting for Farlio to try and make him stay, he turned and walked straight out of the shop.

Bang.

The hinges groaned, and the door chime rang with a ding-a-ling.

Farlio withdrew his gaze from the figure vanishing behind the door.

Sitting back down behind the counter, he felt a twinge of regret.

Although the black-haired adventurer looked young, none of his equipment was cheap. He clearly had deep pockets.

His sales pitch hadn't been a lie; this style of wood carving really was very popular in Nym right now, and it did boast a master level of craftsmanship.

However, when it came to the price, he had added two extra zeroes.

He had hoped to make a massive profit, but he never expected the man to be so scared off by the quote that he wouldn't even try to haggle before running.

He shook his head in annoyance. "If I had known, I would have just asked for nineteen gold. I still would have made a profit."

Suddenly, footsteps approached the counter.

It was the middle-aged adventurer who had been dawdling in the shop earlier without buying anything. Now that the black-haired youth was gone, the man walked straight up.

Cradled in his arms was the very same wood carving Farlio had just regretted overpricing.

"Boss, this... could you make it a bit cheaper?"

"Of course, of course!"

Farlio hurriedly stood up, greeting him warmly.

Intense curiosity.

In certain situations, it was not a good trait for an adventurer to have.

Unlike the legendary epics woven by bards.

An inexplicable cry for help outside a camp at night most likely wouldn't come from a lost, distressed princess; and an archaic treasure chest suddenly appearing by the roadside was highly likely to be a mimic planning to have you for lunch.

The longer Xia Nan worked in this line of business, the deeper his understanding of this truth became.

He had already clearly sensed the danger and suspicious nature of the wood carving. Even the obscure description on the Attribute Panel had warned him in a cryptic manner.

Naturally, he wasn't going to stick around the grocery store any longer, much less spend money to buy such an ominous object.

Pretending he had never seen it and slipping away as fast as he could was the best option.

Having safely left Fey Wind, he walked down the bustling street.

Xia Nan couldn't help but heave a sigh of relief.

In his mind, he recalled the Attribute Panel that had done him a huge favor by snapping him out of his hallucination.

'[Sheep-Deer Figurine], no item level.'

'The [Description] is also too obscure to understand.'

'But this [Remarks] section...'

Remarks:

Ef'tisuu... Hai'Iot'vhu... Vurahkia...

This was unlike the diverse, famous-quote-style comments previously seen on the Feat and equipment panels.

The remarks for the [Sheep-Deer Figurine] were a string of chaotic and indecipherable characters.

Oddly enough, however, it wasn't just a meaningless jumble of letters, like someone rolling their face across a keyboard.

Upon closer inspection, there was indeed some sort of pattern.

Keeping his mouth shut tightly, Xia Nan recalled the syllables from the panel's remarks. Yet, driven by some residual influence, he instinctively began to recite them silently in his mind.

'Ef-tisuu... Hai'Iot—'

He didn't know what region this language belonged to. Imbued with a heavy sense of exoticism, the pronunciation was thick and sluggish, making heavy use of guttural sounds and repetitive syllables accompanied by irregular pauses.

As his mind processed the syllables...

Xia Nan suddenly felt his perspective detach from his body. Looking down from above, he saw himself in the crowd, carrying twin swords on his back and walking with stiff steps.

It was like looking out through a peephole in a security door—the scenery on both sides darkened, warped, and stretched, while only his own body in the center was magnified.

It was as if some formless entity in the unseen void was casting its gaze from an unknown distance, searching... Buzz! Xia Nan suddenly snapped back to his senses.

He had only silently chanted two syllables before realizing it wasn't of his own volition, his forehead already covered in cold sweat.

Even though he had left the grocery store, the wood carving still seemed to exert a slight influence, compelling him to recite the remarks.

Fortunately, thanks to the Attribute Panel, he had reacted in time and prevented his consciousness from sinking completely into it.

Like the mist in the Misty Forest, once he distanced himself from it, this residual influence became like water without a source, swiftly dissipating entirely.

Moreover, since he had only chanted silently without vocalizing the words, and had quickly realized something was wrong, he was able to forcefully stop himself.

This caused that eerie feeling of being watched by a formless entity to fleet by, vanishing instantly like a passing illusion without further consequence.

Not daring to dwell on it any longer, he buried all memories of the statue's appearance and the remarks deep within his mind.

It wasn't until his mind had completely regained its calm that his tense body finally relaxed.

In this kind of fantasy world where supernatural powers existed and deities truly watched you from the heavens...

...there were some words you truly dared not speak lightly.

Otherwise, who knew if a divine lightning bolt of punishment would strike you down the second after you said them.

Xia Nan even suspected that the remark was some sort of blasphemous phrase he had no knowledge of.

Thankfully, his reflexes were sharp.

Otherwise, something disastrous might have happened.

His footsteps paused as lively clamoring sounds drifted over from ahead.

Greeting his eyes were fully armed adventurers coming and going, alongside the Rivervale Town Adventurer Association's signature massive, treehouse-like building styled after the Misty Forest.

He felt a sense of relief wash over him.

Xia Nan strode toward the Association's main doors.

At the front desk in the lobby of the Adventurers' Association.

Molly was sitting feebly behind the counter, just like always.

Thump!

A cloth loot bag, its bottom seeping with blood, was tossed onto the desk. Yet, there was no figure visible in front of the counter—only a glimpse of reddish-brown scalp peeking over the table's edge.

"I've been writing letters to complain for almost five years now. Are you guys at this branch seriously not going to consider lowering the front desk windows a bit?"

A muffled voice, echoing like a tolling bell, drifted up from below.

"I used to work in Mute Iron Keep for a few years, and the Adventurers' Association there isn't like yours. Even for the most stoutly-built dwarf..."

"Fifteen goblins. That comes to a total of five gold, five silver, and five copper coins." Molly placed a money pouch on the desk, cutting off the dwarf's complaints.

"I'm sure the Association in Mute Iron Keep has also received plenty of complaint letters from half-orc adventurers—assuming they know how to write..."

Ding!

"Next."

Her brain habitually filtering out the fading grumbles, Molly wearily pressed the bell, the foul stench of goblin blood still clinging to her fingertips.

She merely glanced at the sky outside the main doors, calculating that she still had to sit there for a few more hours before she could get off work, and dropped her head once more.

One second, two seconds, three seconds...

She could hear approaching footsteps in front of her.

But the expected cloth bag—stuffed full of "loot," dripping with blood, reeking of rot, and occasionally squirming with bugs—never hit the desk.

'A rookie?'

Frowning slightly, Molly subconsciously raised her head and looked forward.

Appearing in her line of sight was a young adventurer with black hair, black eyes, and sharp features.

Set against the piercing white sunlight from the main doors behind him, the Chainmail Iron Rings reflected a cold metallic glint.

He possessed an indescribable aura unique to a Class Holder, vastly different from that of ordinary adventurers.

"Hello. If I want to go up to the Association Second Floor, do I need to register here with you?"

The words entered her ears, were received by her brain, and were translated into a clear, understandable meaning in a fraction of a millisecond.

Whoosh—Molly's slumped posture on the desk instantly straightened up.

The short blonde hair framing her cheeks swayed violently as an invisible luster flashed in her eyes.

'Here comes my commission!'