Chapter 167 Reunion

Wood sat alone in a corner of the tavern's main hall.

On the table before him sat a half-empty glass of water and two or three plates of simple, easy-to-eat dishes.

It could hardly be called a feast.

This wasn't because he was strapped for cash and needed to skimp on meals, of course.

In fact, as a personal guard trained for many years by the "Wycliffe" family, he had practically watched the young master grow up, and the master and matriarch had never mistreated him when it came to money.

The savings he had accumulated over the years would be enough for him to enjoy his twilight years in comfort, even if he squandered them every day at the high-end restaurants in Nym City.

It was just that the harsh years of his childhood spent in the Slums had long since ingrained a habit of frugality in him.

Three meals a day to fill his belly.

That was enough to satisfy him.

Beyond that, Wood's greatest wish was simply to stay by the young master's side, protecting him until he grew old.

The matriarch had been gone for years, and he could never fully repay her for dragging him out of the muck of the Slums and giving him a new lease on life.

He could only pour all his gratitude into fulfilling his duties as a guard, looking after and protecting the only child the matriarch had left behind in this world.

Unfortunately, he was ultimately of low birth and possessed abysmal talent. Even with the Wycliffe Family pouring resources into him, he had only barely managed to obtain a Class Level and become a so-called Class Holder.

In the face of a high-level power struggle involving the position of city lord, he was nothing more than a tiny fish struggling to survive in a whirlpool, unable to even guard the young master's side around the clock.

He had been forced to take a "vacation" and driven out of the Wycliffe family castle.

Wood didn't have many hobbies.

On normal days, aside from polishing the Rogue combat techniques that hadn't seen any real improvement in years, the thing he did most was hide in the shadows, constantly staying alert for any danger that might threaten the young master.

Now, this sudden holiday left him feeling a bit at a loss.

He simply sat in the tavern killing time, much like the adventurers he had interacted with in the past.

Fortunately, his time off was almost over. In two more days, he would finally be able to return to his post.

"Tap..."

The sound of footsteps rang out, gradually drawing closer.

Wood paid it no mind, not even bothering to lift his head.

His eyes remained fixed on the gently swaying, crystal-clear liquid in the glass on the table.

To facilitate his guard duties, he had undergone targeted training the moment he stepped onto the path of an adventurer.

After becoming a [Rogue], he naturally acquired a passive Feat related to concealment.

Unless someone was also a Class Holder, or possessed a specialized talent in Perception, it was very difficult to detect his presence.

As for ordinary people, even if they looked right at him, their attention would slip off him like a wet bar of soap.

They would know someone was sitting at the table, yet subconsciously ignore exactly who it was.

And as for the "peers" who truly noticed his presence, seeing him act this way, they would usually choose not to bother him and avoid asking for trouble.

But to his surprise.

That set of footsteps—which should have changed direction upon approaching under the influence of his [Rogue] concealment Feat—seemed completely unaffected.

It approached him in a straight line.

And then...

"Clink."

A glass liquor bottle, reflecting the tavern's soft lighting, was placed gently onto the tabletop.

Following that fair, knuckle-defined hand upward, his gaze took in a set of Fine metal chainmail, the slightly familiar hilts of twin swords, and...

...that highly distinctive face with its sharp features.

"Xia Nan!?"

"Where's Hai'an? Why are you out eating all alone?"

Xia Nan asked with a smile, sitting across from Wood as he casually poured himself a glass.

He had only come to the "Iron Bucket Toad" hoping to dig up some information about Buck; he hadn't expected to stumble upon such a surprise.

Wood, a Rogue, and also the first proper Class Holder he had interacted with since transmigrating.

He remembered that back then, he had only recently arrived in this world and had no clear understanding of the "adventurer" profession.

During a transitional gathering quest, he had met the half-elf "Hai'an" and his guard "Wood." Drawn in by a token bearing the classical Eastern style of his past life, he had accepted their invitation and temporarily joined their party.

It was exactly during this quest that he had learned about things like "combat techniques" and "classes" from the two of them, and at the end of the quest, he had entered the Snake Den secret realm.

As a result, he had absorbed the Dewdrop, gaining his current high Constitution attribute of 8 points, as well as the "Snake-Scale Arm Shield" on his left forearm.

Even [Fang Hunt], the combat technique he now used most frequently in battle, had come from the high-level Class Holder they had introduced to him, "Forgan."

It was safe to say that he wouldn't have gained a foothold in this world without their invaluable help.

After learning that his quest destination was Nym, Xia Nan had thought about paying them a visit.

Even if he couldn't offer any real help, simply catching up and maintaining their friendship would be nice.

Unfortunately, he didn't have their exact address. He only knew roughly that the half-elf lived in Nym and seemed to come from a wealthy family.

He had originally planned to stay for a while after finishing his quest to ask around and see if anyone knew them.

He definitely hadn't expected to bump into him in a place like this.

Wood was equally surprised by Xia Nan's appearance.

"You..."

He opened his mouth, about to say something.

But then his expression suddenly paused.

A strange look crossed his face as his gaze swept up and down Xia Nan.

"You advanced?"

Having no intention of hiding it, Xia Nan gave a slight nod and swirled the glass in his hand.

"Not long ago. Just a few days back."

Hearing this, the middle-aged man with a slightly weathered face couldn't help but sigh with emotion.

"I remember the last time I saw you, you were still two whole combat techniques away from obtaining a Class Level, right?"

"How long has it been? Half a year?"

"Just good luck."

"If it weren't for your connections, I never would have met the advancement requirements so quickly."

Xia Nan had a pretty clear understanding of everything he had gone through to get here.

His own hard work and correct decisions at critical moments were certainly part of the reason he had reached a Class Level so fast.

But the convenience provided by the Attribute Panel, the help he received along the way from people like the halfling Alton and Greenblood Adeline, coupled with just a "tiny bit" of indispensable luck...

...those were the true keys to his success.

Arrogance led to destruction. He was very clear on that point.

He didn't want to dwell on the topic.

Xia Nan looked left and right, as if searching for a certain figure with long silver-white hair, and changed the subject.

"Why isn't Hai'an here? Didn't he come out with you?"

Wood stared at Xia Nan, seemingly confused as to why he would ask such a question, before suddenly realizing that they had never actually explained their identities to him.

He shook his head, lowering his gaze to the glass of water in front of him.

"The young master's full name is 'Hai'an Wycliffe'."

'Wycliffe?'

The name felt inexplicably familiar to Xia Nan, as if he had heard it somewhere before.

He suddenly paused, lowering his voice to ask tentatively,

"Wycliffe... the City Lord of Nym?"

Wood silently nodded.

'Good lord!'

He knew Hai'an came from a good family and was a wealthy guy, but he really hadn't expected his background to be quite so heavy.

No wonder the Class Holder mentor they casually invited over turned out to be a Transcendent Tier powerhouse on the verge of the Legendary rank.

Glancing up at Xia Nan, as if sensing what he was thinking, Wood explained,

"Mr. Forgan and the matriarch were teammates for a time. He happened to be resting in Nym when we returned. Hearing that he might pass through Rivervale Town, we took the opportunity to ask him for a favor."

While the number of Class Holders in this world was by no means small, those at the "Transcendent" tier, let alone those approaching the "Legendary" rank, were only a tiny handful at the very top of the pyramid.

Even when compared to the rulers of a major city like Nym, it was hard to say whose status was higher.

Being able to enlist the barbarian Forgan was partly because he happened to be passing through Rivervale Town, but his friendship with the half-elf's mother was the main factor.

Teaching a suitable combat technique to a random adventurer along the way was no big deal, but getting involved in the Wycliffe family's internal affairs was another matter entirely.

Recalling the various rumors he had heard from all directions over the past two days since arriving, he knew that the Wycliffe Family seemed to be dealing with some sort of trouble.

Xia Nan asked carefully, keeping his tone polite so as not to offend,

"Hai'an... is his situation alright? Is there anything I can do to help?"

Comforted by the black-haired young man's concern, Wood smiled, though a deep sense of helplessness showed in his eyes as he shook his head.

"Thank you for asking. The young master is doing alright. At least in terms of personal safety... there won't be any issues."

He could hear the polite refusal in the other's words. Obviously, an incident involving upper-management power struggles was not something he could get involved in right now.

So, Xia Nan dropped the subject.

"What about you?" Sensing the atmosphere at the table cooling down, Wood took the initiative to find a topic. "You were doing just fine in Rivervale Town. Why come all the way to Nym?"

"Planning to retire and settle down here?"

Hearing this, a slight smile appeared on Xia Nan's face. He was just about to unleash his sense of humor and play along with the joke, when a thought suddenly struck him.

He realized that as a local of Nym, Wood was definitely far more familiar with the city than he was. On top of that, he was an experienced Class Holder with knowledge in many areas Xia Nan was unfamiliar with.

Perhaps he could explain his current predicament to the man; he might just get some useful information out of it.

With that in mind, Xia Nan told him about the objective of his Advancement Quest and the difficulties he was currently facing.

"Lycanthropy, huh..." Wood tapped his fingertips against the table, his brow furrowing tightly. "That makes things a bit troublesome."

"I don't know this adventurer named 'Buck,' so I'm sorry, but I can't help you there."

"But if it's the 'Iron Bucket Toad' you're looking into, the tavern owner and I are old acquaintances. I have no problem introducing you."

Saying this, he stood up and led Xia Nan back to the bar counter.

"You should have said so earlier! We're all friends here, no need to be so polite!"

Compared to his expressionless face when Xia Nan had ordered earlier, the tavern owner, "Stubborn Donkey," was incredibly enthusiastic after Wood's introduction.

Smiling, he pushed a glass toward Xia Nan and filled it to the brim.

"Buck, you say? That big guy, built like a bear. I know him."

"When that kid first retired, he used to come around here to fool around with his shady friends all the time."

"He started coming less after his sons and daughters were born one by one."

"He'd only drop by occasionally at night to drink alone."

"I heard about what happened a few days ago. Well, he was an adventurer... being able to live a few comfortable years like he did is already pretty good."

"Whatever you want to know, just ask! This old man definitely won't hide anything!"

Having already organized his words in his mind, Xia Nan didn't beat around the bush and cut straight to the chase.

"If... and I mean if, Buck is still alive, where might he be?"

"Where might he be..." Stubborn Donkey rubbed the grizzled stubble on his chin, a thoughtful look appearing on his old but energetic face.

"He hasn't been around much these past two years, so I really have no idea."

"However, there is one person who might know."

"Who?"

"'Colander' Big Ben, who used to be a cook here. He was also Buck's teammate."

"Every year on Hunting Day, those boys group up and head to Rivervale Town together. This year shouldn't be any exception."

"If you want to know what they ran into during their quest, or where Buck might be hiding, you could try sounding him out."

Hearing this, Xia Nan's eyes immediately lit up.

"Where does he live? Is it in Nym too? Do you have an exact address?"

"Well... that, this old man really doesn't know." Stubborn Donkey shrugged at Xia Nan and spread his hands. "It's been years since that kid worked for me, and he's moved several times since then."

"I honestly have no idea where he lives now."

"But I can keep an eye out for you. As you know, my tavern might lack a lot of things, but there's never a shortage of drunk adventurers who love to brag every night."

"Who knows, maybe some of them are acquainted with Big Ben."

Seeing that the owner was willing to help and that his quest had made a substantial breakthrough, Xia Nan couldn't help but sigh in relief.

He fished a silver coin out of his belt pouch, placed it on the bar, and slid it over.

"I'll leave it to you, then."

"Not a problem, not a problem."

With a swipe of his right hand, the silver coin on the counter vanished without a trace, Stubborn Donkey's eyes crinkling into slits as he smiled.

And it was right at that moment.

Wood, who had been standing silently to the side ever since making the introduction, suddenly reached out and patted Xia Nan's shoulder.

"Perfect timing," he said. "If you want to know Big Ben's address... you might not have to wait."

"Huh?"

Confused, Xia Nan followed Wood's gaze.

He saw several tattooed thugs swaggering into the tavern, laughing and joking among themselves.

The bald, burly man leading them had an arrogant look on his face. He bared his yellow teeth in a wide grin, seemingly bragging about something to his underlings behind him.

In his hand, he casually swung a black cloth bundle stained with traces of blood.

(End of chapter)