Chapter 329 Sick Village

Xia Nan felt his luck was a bit poor after all.

It was just like the short fellow beloved by the Goddess of Luck once said:

"You can't win forever, nor will you lose every game."

A sudden heavy rain had washed away the tracks the goblins left in the forest, vastly increasing the difficulty of his search for the Goblin Lair.

Yet it had also caused two hunters who shouldn't have been there to accidentally attract the goblins' attention. Xia Nan had noticed the commotion, and by following the vine to find the melon, he had located the destination of his extermination quest.

After parting ways with them, he had relaxed and continued through the rain, intending to reach the Fog Lamp Grass Growing Canyon before dark.

That was when he unexpectedly discovered that the torrential rain's impact was far worse than he had imagined.

A violent mudslide had rushed down from the high ground, sweeping up endless silt and gravel to greedily devour the surrounding oak trees and shrubs.

The quest route provided by Lady Edwina remained precise, but the canyon entrance—his destination—had been completely buried by massive boulders and mud washing down from above.

It completely separated Xia Nan from the fog lamp grass.

It was true that as a Level 2 Class Holder, he possessed supernatural power.

But in the face of such an overwhelming natural disaster, a slightly superior physique, a Burning Black Sword, or a roaring Wolf Head made no difference.

Perhaps when his Class Level reached double digits, or when his [Gravity Control] improved a bit, he might be able to come up with a solution for the mud-blocked entrance.

Right now, however, he could only stand there helplessly.

The seasonal nature of fog lamp grass meant Lady Edwina's quest had a strict time limit. Fortunately, Xia Nan hadn't delayed much on the way here, leaving him with plenty of time to spare.

Because of this, he wasn't particularly anxious and merely pondered a solution.

His goal was the fog lamp grass growing inside the canyon before him. However, the entrance leading deep into the canyon on the quest route was completely blocked by mud and sand; with his current abilities, there was no way to clear it anytime soon.

Under these circumstances, if he didn't want to give up the hundred-plus gold coins rewarded by the quest, Xia Nan's only remaining option was to detour and enter from the other end of the canyon.

It was just that...

From what the two hunters had just said, the side of the canyon near their village was a forbidden area. In all likelihood, they wouldn't let him in so easily.

Furthermore, although the middle-aged man named Aspen had extended an invitation, claiming he wanted to properly thank Xia Nan in the village, Xia Nan's sharp Perception still caught the polite detachment in the man's words. It was highly likely Aspen didn't actually want him visiting their village.

'Or should I just pack it up and go home?'

'A round trip of nearly ten days, such a long distance... If I go back now, my only profit will be the bounty for clearing out those two Goblin Lairs along the way. After deducting expenses like supplies, I'll probably only pocket a few dozen gold coins.'

'That's a bit of a loss...'

'I might as well go check out that so-called Fog Lamp Village. Maybe things will turn around.'

After all, no matter what, it was a fact that Xia Nan had saved Aspen and Dongshu from the goblin siege, and they had indeed invited him to visit the village.

When the time came, if it was truly too inconvenient for the village to let him enter the "forbidden area," he... wouldn't force the issue.

As the anchor maintaining his original sense of self after transmigrating, Xia Nan was unwilling to cross his own bottom line or break his conscience for a mere hundred-plus gold coins.

Otherwise, what difference would there be between him and those degenerate scumbags who called themselves adventurers but acted like bandits?

With this plan in mind, Xia Nan took one last glance at the rocks and mud completely blocking the entrance ahead.

He decisively turned around and took a detour toward the other side of the canyon.

...

...

Xia Nan finally understood why so few adventurers ever stopped to rest at Fog Lamp Village over the years, even though it was situated right at the other end of the canyon.

The terrain was simply too complex.

To find Fog Lamp Village, you had to first pass through a complex woodland of gnarled, maze-like tree roots, follow an inconspicuous trail beaten down by villagers and wild beasts, navigate the elevation drop along the canyon, walk down a long slope covered in loose gravel, and finally enter a hollow surrounded by towering ancient trees and jagged black stone cliffs.

Fog Lamp Village huddled at the very depths of this valley floor, looking as though it had been abandoned here, or perhaps deliberately hidden away.

If it weren't for Xia Nan's outstanding Perception allowing him to keenly detect the tracks left by passing villagers, combined with his careful questioning of Aspen about the village's exact location before they parted, an ordinary passing adventurer likely wouldn't have been able to find this desolate, hidden place at all.

The valley floor was damp, the lighting dim.

The heavy rain had just stopped, yet the air wasn't as crisp and cool as one would expect. Instead, it churned with a faint, musty odor.

The space that suddenly opened up at the end of the trail lost the liberating feeling it should have had, smothered by the shadows cast by the surrounding cliffs and dense forest. It felt exceptionally gloomy, almost diseased.

Dozens of crooked wooden cabins stood on the muddy ground, contrasting with the withered wildflowers battered by the rain.

Most of the village's houses were roughly built from dark oak and stone slabs. They followed no neat layout and possessed no fixed style, merely adapting to the complex terrain of the hollow:

Some were squeezed into the crevices of the cliff faces, others were half-suspended against thick tree roots, and a few of the more haphazard ones sat directly at the bottom of shallow pits, their walls covered in brownish-green moss.

There was no need to even mention the roads. Let alone the neat stone-paved streets of Rivervale Town, they couldn't even compare to those in Emerald Creek Village.

Short bridges cobbled together from a few logs, slippery natural stone steps, and wooden planks intermittently laid across the ground, thick with fungal moss...

Poverty and desolation saturated almost every corner of sight.

Xia Nan didn't know if it was his imagination.

Perhaps due to living in a damp, sunless environment for so long, the villagers of Fog Lamp Village also seemed somewhat gloomy and eccentric.

Their behavior looked normal, and their attire generally fit Xia Nan's understanding of ordinary people in this world.

A few men in coarse clothes were mending a fence, a worker dressed as a carpenter was swinging an ax to chop wood in front of a house, and a woman in a dirty apron was stirring a pot of food in a doorway.

However, the entire scene felt exceptionally oppressive and suffocating.

There were no children playing, no neighbors chatting. Even the sounds of chopping wood were restrained and abrupt.

An invisible, leaden pressure shrouded this isolated, dim little village.

As Xia Nan gradually approached, the people who saw him didn't stop their work.

Curiosity, anxiety, awe...

The villagers who noticed his presence didn't dare meet his eyes, but out of the corners of their vision, their gazes remained locked onto him in stifling silence, never looking away for a second.

Obscure whispers quietly rustled. Set against the whimpering of the cold wind through the branches and the guarded stares coming from deep behind the tightly shut windows of the flanking cabins, even his footsteps seemed to become out of place.

Xia Nan frowned slightly.

To him, these omnipresent, silent stares and deeply scrutinizing gazes were even more unbearable than outright hostility.

It was a chilling sense of isolation that wordlessly shunned outsiders.

Fortunately, this suffocating atmosphere didn't last long.

Very abruptly, a shout full of surprise and enthusiasm rang out from the roadside.

"Mr. Xia Nan!?"

Looking toward the voice, the person who entered his sight was one of the two hunters he had previously saved from the goblin encirclement—the green boy who looked about sixteen or seventeen.

This was a stark contrast to the dazed, blank-minded stupor he had shown after their fierce battle a few days ago.

Right now, back in the village where he had grown up, Dongshu displayed the vigorous vitality unique to a young man.

He hadn't fully matured yet, his face still holding a touch of youthful roundness. Day after day of wind and sun had coated his wheat-colored skin in a resilient sheen.

His frame had the tall, agile build of a jungle hunter. A scattering of freckles on both sides of his nose bridge imbued him with an exuberant youthful energy completely at odds with the village's atmosphere, making him look like a white birch sapling putting all its strength into growing new branches.

He looked as if he had just finished training. His clothes were soaked, his flaxen hair damp with sweat, and hanging at his waist was the Worn One-Handed Sword he had gripped so tightly that day.

"Mr. Xia Nan, what brings you here?"

"I thought you'd head straight back after picking the fog lamp grass."

Perhaps because they were no longer at that tragic scene echoing with the wails of dying goblins; or perhaps because he had gradually figured it out over the past few days, realizing that if Xia Nan hadn't stepped in to help, both he and Aspen would have died there.

This young man, who had been reckless at first and silent afterward, was now acting exceptionally warm, immediately calling out in greeting the moment he saw Xia Nan.

The sudden shattering of the deathly atmosphere made Xia Nan feel a little more at ease.

He gave the other a slight nod and answered, "I really didn't plan on coming at first, but I ran into an unexpected situation on the way... It's not easy to deal with, so I figured I'd see if you guys had a solution here."

Dongshu knew that any trouble encountered by an adventurer of this caliber was definitely not something he could resolve himself.

Being highly sensible, he didn't pry. Instead, he jogged over and began leading the way for Xia Nan. "I'll take you to see the village chief!"

"The village chief already knows all about what happened to Big Brother Aspen and me a couple of days ago. You saved the two of us, so if you need any help, he definitely won't refuse!"

Although they had only met once and were essentially no different from strangers, Dongshu was unlike the other villagers. Having truly witnessed the scene of this black-haired young adventurer slaughtering goblins with the ease of crushing dry weeds and rotting wood, he clearly knew one thing:

If the other party truly meant harm to them or to this village, there would be absolutely no need to use any extra tricks.

Beneath that Dark Gray Straight Sword that seemed capable of severing steel, there was no essential difference between the villagers and the green-skinned goblins.

...

The village wasn't large. Even with the complex terrain and winding paths, walking from the village entrance to the very back only took a few minutes at most.

Soon, a wooden cabin that was just as crude but noticeably cleaner than the surrounding houses appeared before the two of them.

Without waiting for Xia Nan to step up and announce his presence, Dongshu very tactfully took the initiative to step forward and knock on the door for him.

"Village Chief, a guest has arrived! Open the door!"

Xia Nan stood slightly further back, carefully keeping a vigilant watch on his surroundings.

He then heard the steady, powerful sound of footsteps coming from inside the house.

'Hmm... that sounds faintly familiar.'

"What's the rush, acting so recklessly?"

Sure enough.

As the door opened, the face that appeared in his line of sight was one he had also seen not long ago.

"Big Brother Aspen, why are you here too?" Dongshu's tone carried a hint of surprise. "Well, that's perfect. It saves me another trip."

"Quick, look who's here!"

Hearing this, the steady-looking middle-aged man, who appeared to be in his thirties or forties, shifted his gaze behind Dongshu.

Xia Nan could clearly catch that the moment the man saw him, those brown eyes abruptly froze for a second.

Then he regained his wits, and a polite, amiable smile appeared on his face. "Mr. Xia Nan?"

"Please come in, come right in!"

Aspen called out repeatedly, throwing the door wide open to welcome Xia Nan inside.

Yet, just before Dongshu could sneak into the house behind him, Aspen planted a foot squarely on the doorframe and scolded with a frown, "It's getting late, what are you still doing here?"

"Go back and take a bath! Wash all that sweat off, and don't slight our guest!"

Seeing this, Dongshu could only curl his lip.

He stubbornly peeked through the crack in the door a few times before turning and leaving with a depressed look on his face.

"Mr. Xia Nan, this way."

"I just mentioned it in passing. I didn't expect you would actually be willing to visit our little village."

"Why didn't you give us some advance notice back then? Arriving so suddenly, we haven't even prepared anything. How rude it would be if we failed to host you properly."

Making small talk, Aspen led Xia Nan into a slightly more spacious inner room.

There, the master of this house—the village chief of Fog Lamp Village—had already stood up straight, waiting for this unexpected visitor.

"Mr. Xia Nan, welcome, welcome!"

The speaker was an old man with a full head of white hair and a face covered in wrinkles, making it impossible to tell his exact age.

Compared to his past life, the living environment here was much worse. For a short-lived species like humans, without the support of a Class's power, they aged incredibly fast.

Many times, someone who looked to be in their seventies or eighties might actually only be in their early fifties.

But without a doubt, since he could append the title of "Village Chief" to his name, it meant he possessed some of the greatest experience in the entire village.

His ways of dealing with people might differ slightly from the leaders of other villages due to the closed-off environment, but ultimately, the difference wouldn't be too far off.

Especially when facing a powerful adventurer like Xia Nan, whose individual strength alone was enough to crush the entire village.

As soon as the voices had rung out at the door and he heard the name "Xia Nan," the village chief realized the newcomer was the fierce adventurer who had helped bail Aspen and Dongshu out—the one they had described as excessively young.

While thoughts churned in his mind, the wrinkles on his face practically squeezed together.

Assuming an exceptionally humble posture—one that even faintly induced a sense of discomfort—he spoke respectfully, "Respected Sir Adventurer, may I ask..."