Chapter 159 Enthusiasm and the Newsboy

Jeff was a good man.

At least, that was the impression he had given Xia Nan over the days they had spent together.

He naturally possessed the shrewdness of an ordinary commoner in this world; after all, he had run a trade caravan for years and dealt with countless people.

If he were truly as simple and honest as he appeared, he could never have saved enough to open a tailor shop like this in Nym for his retirement.

Xia Nan knew this perfectly well.

But as a husband, a father, and even a caravan captain, Jeff had undoubtedly done everything within his power.

For years, he had led his caravan through the Wilderness outside the city, navigating terrain crawling with dangerous monsters and ruthless bandits, risking his life for the coin that supported his family.

To the adventurers who escorted him, as Xia Nan had back then, he had never been stingy with pay or stipends. He had even helped forge valuable connections, taking excellent care of them.

Because of this, even though they hadn't known each other long, Xia Nan had a fond impression of the hardworking middle-aged man.

Given all this, he naturally didn't mind stepping in to swat away a minor nuisance he happened to encounter.

After all, wasn't keeping this exact kind of unpleasantness at bay the reason he trained so rigorously?

He was a "Class Holder" now, after all. If he let street thugs act like tyrants right in front of him, wouldn't he have raised his Class Level for nothing?

However, things had played out slightly contrary to his expectations.

The bald man leading the thugs actually had a decent eye and managed to recognize the [Gravity Control] Xia Nan had deliberately used out in the open.

Realizing Xia Nan was a Class Holder, the man's attitude had changed rapidly.

He was smart enough, at least.

That saved Xia Nan the trouble of exerting any extra effort.

"May the Goddess of Trade bless you always!"

"Boss, we'll take our leave now! We'll be sure to patronize your business next time!"

Outside the Dove Feather Tailor Shop, the Gray Badger Gang lackeys—usually fierce, tyrannical fixtures of the streets—were bidding farewell to Jeff and the others under the leadership of the burly bald man.

Every one of them held a roll of colorful fabric, creating a comical contrast with their ferocious tattoos.

Then, not waiting for a reply, they turned and left, their footsteps quickening into a jog until they vanished at the end of the street.

'Sensible enough,' Xia Nan muttered inwardly as he withdrew his gaze.

Jeff's loud, grateful voice rang in his ears. "Thank you so much for this time, Xia Nan. I hadn't even had the chance to properly thank you for last time, and now today... I really don't know what to do."

Seeing the man's deeply moved expression, Xia Nan simply waved his hand, signaling that there was no need for all this.

"It was no trouble at all."

Knowing Xia Nan's personality, Jeff refrained from saying any more mushy words of thanks.

Instead, he reached behind the counter and pulled out his daughter, Lilina, who had been secretly peeking at them.

He introduced him with solemn sincerity: "This is the adventurer I've been telling you about, the one who saved your father's life—Xia Nan. The only reason your old man is still standing here safely, keeping you company in the shop, is because of him. You..."

"Alright, alright, there's no need for that, Mr. Jeff." Xia Nan could feel the sincerity and earnestness in Jeff's words, but having himself introduced like this to his face still felt a bit too grand.

To his surprise, however, the frail girl named Lilina—whose youthful face exuded a heavy scholarly air, clearly having graduated not too long ago—completely shed her earlier timidity at Jeff's introduction. Holding up a face that was still a bit pale, she gave Xia Nan a proper, formal bow.

"Thank you so much for saving my father, Mr. Xia Nan."

Her earnest expression left Xia Nan at a loss for how to respond.

He couldn't help but sigh inwardly. No wonder Jeff had mentioned paying exorbitant tuition fees every year to send his children to study at the academy in Nym City.

That money truly hadn't been spent in vain.

It was already evening by the time Xia Nan arrived in Nym.

The tailor shop was nearing the end of its business hours anyway, and after the disruption caused by those Gray Badger Gang thugs, they simply closed up shop and stopped receiving customers.

"Thank you." Standing inside the shop, Xia Nan smiled and nodded as he took the teacup Lilina handed him. He then turned to Jeff and asked, "This Gray Badger Gang... what's their background?"

He had only helped Jeff out today because he happened to be passing by.

Once he completed his quest and left, he didn't know how they would handle it if the Gray Badger Gang came back to cause trouble.

"They're a gang in the West District of Nym. They have a pretty large territory and a bit of influence." Catching the underlying meaning in Xia Nan's words, Jeff smiled slightly, looking completely at ease.

"It's fine, don't worry," he continued. "I might not be an adventurer, but after running caravans for so many years, I have a few minor connections. We just opened the shop recently, and I was so dizzy with everything that I forgot about this. Once I find someone to put in a word, this matter will blow over."

Xia Nan nodded silently, not doubting that the man was telling the truth.

After all, back in Rivervale Town, Jeff was renowned as a good-natured fellow who had ties with many veteran adventurers.

If one really had to point it out, his very first meeting with Ingram—the evil sheriff who had contributed the [Light-Bathed One] Feat to him—had been arranged by Jeff.

Even if he had ultimately nailed that sheriff dead to a tree trunk.

"Why didn't you write ahead to let me know you were coming to Nym? It's so rushed now, I haven't prepared anything at all."

Hearing him say that, Xia Nan remembered that on the night Jeff announced his retirement, he had told Xia Nan to look him up if he ever came to Nym.

However, he wasn't the type to demand repayment for a favor. Even if he had remembered, it was highly unlikely he would have proactively asked the man to do anything for him.

So he just smiled and said casually, "I haven't rested for long myself. The Association happened to issue a quest with a rather tight deadline, so I contacted a caravan that very day and came over."

Knowing the sensitive nature of such matters, Jeff didn't ask for the specific details of the quest. Instead, he simply patted his chest. "If there's anything you need this old cripple for, just say the word. I might have a bum leg and be useless in a fight, but there are still quite a few people who recognize this old face of mine."

Hearing this, Xia Nan took a sip of his tea, a few thoughts springing to mind. "There's nothing else, really. It's mainly that I'm new here and don't know much about Nym. I haven't even found a place to stay yet. I was wondering if you had any inns to recommend. It doesn't matter if the price is a bit high, as long as the environment is decent and the food is good."

Upon hearing this, an incredibly enthusiastic smile bloomed on Jeff's face. He stepped forward, grabbed Xia Nan's shoulder, and laughed, "Why stay in a tavern? You finally made the trip to Nym; there's no way I'd let you pay for lodging! Listen to me and stay at my place. We happen to have a few empty rooms. It's quiet at night for sleeping—much better than some noisy tavern—and you'll get to taste your sister-in-law's cooking."

Although he had paid a massive sum of five hundred gold coins to commission custom equipment, severely shrinking his little treasury, he hadn't planned on skimping on food and lodging during his quest.

Nor was he the type to eagerly take advantage of such a petty bargain.

He was just about to refuse when he saw a blissful expression surface on Jeff's face. With a hint of pride, the man enthusiastically insisted, "Your sister-in-law used to work as a kitchen helper in taverns down in the big cities to the south! If nothing else, her cabbage stew, salted herring porridge, and cream of mushroom soup are far more delicious than anything those cooks in Nym City can make!"

Catching the key words, Xia Nan's brow arched. "Oh?"

...

...

Meanwhile, on the other side.

On a street that gradually grew narrow and filthy.

"Boss, there really is something wrong with that kid, isn't there?" a young-faced thug with a neck tattoo asked, reaching back to rub his spine with his right hand, his face full of bewilderment.

He remembered standing perfectly fine at the door of the tailor shop just a moment ago. When he saw that black-haired youth dressed as an adventurer approaching, he had even wanted to reach out and block him.

But unexpectedly, his hand had only been halfway out when a bizarre suction force suddenly erupted from behind him.

It was as if someone hiding back there had forcefully yanked his body.

If it hadn't been for the nearby doorframe that allowed him to grab on as he stumbled backward, he likely would have fallen flat on his back.

Thinking back on it now, he found it both strange and a bit humiliating.

But the moment he spoke, the burly bald man beside him forcefully slapped the back of his head. "Shut up!" he barked in a low voice.

At the same time, the bald man sneaked a guilty glance backward. Seeing that the street was completely empty with no one in sight, he finally breathed a sigh of relief.

"How many times have I told you over the past few months? Don't interact with those crazy adventurers! Especially the ones whose gear looks like it could buy your little life ten times over. If you see them, walk away. Don't even meet their eyes. Otherwise, a reckless punk like you won't even know how you died!"

Hearing the burly man say this, the young thug beside him couldn't help but scratch his head, a confused expression on his face. "I've seen plenty of adventurers in taverns before, and they seemed alright. Do we really need to be that careful?"

The only reply he received was two cold sneers from the burly man.

To Xia Nan, who had lived in Rivervale Town ever since he transmigrated, adventurers were something he was already accustomed to; there was nothing special about them.

But in other regions of this world—especially towns far from mana gathering points where monsters rarely appeared—their frequency was nowhere near as high as in Rivervale Town.

If you were unlucky, you could sometimes sit by the side of the road for half a day and still not run into a clearly dressed adventurer.

And because they possessed weapons, equipment, and even combat techniques, their strength far exceeded that of ordinary commoners.

If you offended the "part-time" adventurers who worked normal jobs and only went to Rivervale Town to earn extra cash on Hunting Days, that was still fine.

But if you bumped into the kind of veteran adventurer who did nothing but eat, sleep, and hack at monsters—someone who had lost touch with normal human society, whose values had warped, and whose mental state had gradually begun to develop issues...

...then the speed at which they chopped off your head wouldn't be much slower than killing a Goblin.

It had long since become a bodily instinct; they wouldn't hesitate for even a second.

In the burly bald man's eyes, the black-haired youth who had just walked into the tailor shop undoubtedly belonged to the latter category.

His overly young appearance might give the deceptive impression of a rookie, but the visibly Fine-grade equipment on his body—which likely totaled triple digits in gold coins—along with the icy aura born of long-term, high-frequency slaughter...

...was enough to make anyone flinch and step back.

Yet the true reason he had disregarded his dignity and instantly changed his attitude like a circus clown...

...was that when the youth entered the door, the lackeys on both sides had fallen backward in unison, as if struck by some invisible impact.

That had already broken past his understanding of ordinary adventurers.

"Damn it, did I really bump into a Class Holder...? I was just collecting protection money! Talk about fucking luck!" An incredibly depressed expression surfaced on the burly man's face. He planned to find a church to pray at tonight and see if he had picked something up when passing by the graveyard a few days ago.

"Boss, then that tailor shop, are we still going to collect from them in the future..."

"Collect my ass!" Slapping him again, the burly man scolded angrily. "Stop hanging around there from now on, you hear me!? If you cause trouble and drag me into it... not a single one of you will escape!"

Setting aside that suspected Class Holder who clearly had ties with the shop owner, the crippled old geezer himself—judging by his performance just now—didn't look like some ordinary person honestly running a store.

If it was true like he said, and he was friends with "Stubborn Donkey" from the [Iron Bucket Toad], then later he only needed to ask someone to come over and drop a word with the boss of their Gray Badger Gang.

He and his men wouldn't be able to go there to collect protection money in the future anyway.

If someone caused trouble, they might even have to help look after the place.

"Look at this mess, fuck!" Unable to stop himself from cursing again, the burly bald man only felt a suffocating anger in his body that was difficult to vent.

He turned his head, wanting to say something to his lackey. "Tonight, get two of the guys who know how to have fun, and go..."

But a figure suddenly approached from the corner ahead.

Head lowered, walking without looking at the road like a walking corpse, the person crashed straight into the burly man's chest.

Staggering and violently retreating a few steps, he only managed to steady his body with the support of his lackeys.

"Fuck, are you blind? Can't you see people?" the bald man grimaced and rubbed his chest, cursing as he looked ahead.

Appearing in his line of sight was a young man with a naive, boyish face.

At this moment, he stood there blankly, completely motionless. His hands tightly hugged a bundle, his head hung low, and he stared vacantly at the ground.

His lips parted slightly, as if he were still muttering something.

The bald man's eyes shifted slightly, his gaze rapidly sweeping over the young adventurer in front of him.

Cheap armor with no signs of use, a brand-new one-handed sword at his waist, the tightly hugged bundle in his arms...

A thick flash of greed flitted through the burly bald man's eyes.

He raised a hand in a silent signal, and the lackeys beside him immediately surrounded the youth.

Grinning, he licked his dry lips and drew a coldly gleaming dagger from his waist. "Kid, you..."

Whether he really had picked something up in the graveyard or not, things once again took an unexpected turn.

The burly bald man had only just spat out two words of his threat when the dazed-looking young man proactively stepped forward to meet him.

And what filled the thug with panic and terror was that in this moment, he actually abruptly lost control over his own body.

He could only watch helplessly as the other party stepped closer and pressed up against him.

"Squelch."

His right arm trembled, the sluggish resistance of a sharp blade sinking into flesh transmitting through the dagger's hilt.

Thud—

The young-faced adventurer fell backward onto the ground, a pool of scarlet blood rapidly spreading beneath his body.

The surface of the dagger blade in the thug's hand was already covered in blood.

"Fuck! Fuck! Fuck! Fuck! Fuck!" The moment he regained control of his body, the burly man felt a rush of cold air shoot straight from his tailbone to his scalp, all the hairs on his body standing on end.

Ignoring his bewildered lackeys on either side, he turned and sprinted wildly in the opposite direction.

The bulging veins on his neck and his red, teary eyes revealed just how panicked and terrified the burly bald man was at this moment.

Unaware of the details and seeing their boss suddenly react this way, the lackeys could only jog after him in confusion.

In just a few fleeting seconds, the dilapidated street was left with nothing but a stiffening corpse that was gradually growing cold.

It still hugged that bundle in its arms, faintly revealing a corner of the grayish-black wooden carving inside.

Two curving horns that snaked upward and vanished at their tips seemed to multiply and spread within the natural, intricate grain, melting into the depths of the dim twilight.

It was unknown how much time had passed.

Until the last traces of dim light in the air faded completely, and starlight gradually appeared in the sky above.

A frail, diminutive figure walked tiredly along the road nearby.

The light was dim, making it impossible to see his exact features clearly.

One could only faintly see that tucked beneath his stick-thin arm seemed to be a thick stack of newspapers.