Chapter 330 Two Days, The Ritual

The village chief's house was noticeably wider than the other single-story homes in the village, and much cleaner.

The damp scent of earth after the rain mingled with a faint smell of firewood. Several cured animal hides hung on the walls, and unknown herbs dried on a shelf below, seemingly brought inside because of the sudden downpour.

No lamps were lit. Only the dim light from the window barely illuminated the room.

Three people sat around the wooden table.

The white-haired and white-bearded village chief sat at the head. Though his face was carved with deep wrinkles, his eyes remained clear, and currently carried a trace of poorly concealed anxiety and caution.

Aspen sat beside the village chief, his body tense. His linen shirt stretched slightly over his muscles, and his steady expression couldn't hide his nervousness.

Xia Nan sat across the table, maintaining a greater distance from the two. The twin longswords were still strapped to his back, and naturally, he hadn't removed his armor. His expression was calm and relaxed.

"Mr. Xia Nan, you've had a hard journey," the village chief spoke first. His voice was hoarse but polite as his calloused, aged hands gently pushed a bowl of cloudy ale across the table toward Xia Nan.

"On behalf of all the villagers of Fog Lamp Village, I welcome you and thank you for your generous help to Aspen and Dongshu."

"Our village is remote, and it's rare for outsiders to pass through. Please forgive our poor hospitality."

Xia Nan accepted the clay bowl with both hands. His pitch-black eyes inconspicuously swept over the cloudy liquid within as he pushed his Perception to its limits.

He confirmed there were no obvious issues.

Only then did he raise the clay bowl and lightly touch it to his lips, wetting them slightly without drinking.

He wasn't looking down on the quality of the alcohol; when traveling alone, one had to be careful about everything.

The oppressive atmosphere in the village upon his arrival had already made him vigilant, and he naturally couldn't completely trust the drink they provided. Raising the bowl to wet his lips was enough to show his goodwill and respect.

Sure enough, seeing Xia Nan act this way, the village chief and Aspen weren't angry. Instead, they relaxed a bit, easing the stagnant atmosphere at the table.

"You're too polite, Village Chief."

"Having shelter from the wind and rain during a quest, and a bowl of ale to relieve fatigue, is already a blessing for adventurers like us."

Xia Nan put down the full clay bowl and slowly replied.

Then came a brief silence and some polite pleasantries.

He didn't plan on wasting too much time here, nor did he intend to test their attitude with words.

Xia Nan tapped his fingertips lightly against the table and cut straight to the point.

"To be honest, I didn't just stumble upon this place by chance. The goal of this quest is to gather fog lamp grass from the canyon not far from Fog Lamp Village."

"Because of the heavy rain, I ran into a mudslide. The canyon entrance was completely blocked, making it impossible to press on."

"Later, I heard that the area near Fog Lamp Village happened to connect to the entrance at the other end of the canyon. So, I had no choice but to come and bother you."

"I wonder if the village could do me a favor?"

While explaining his situation, he carefully observed their expressions.

He could clearly see that when he mentioned specific terms like "fog lamp grass" and "the other end of the canyon," the village chief and Aspen's expressions changed almost simultaneously.

No matter how well they hid it, they couldn't escape Xia Nan's eyes.

Aspen even half-rose in visible anxiety, instinctively adjusting his seat.

The two exchanged a tacit look before the village chief coughed dryly. He forced a stiff smile and said carefully and hesitantly, "Ah... fog lamp grass. I see..."

"I don't mean any offense, Mr. Xia Nan, but it's not that we are unwilling to do you this favor. It's just that to our village, Fog Lamp Canyon is a forbidden ground passed down through generations. Let alone an outsider like yourself, even the villagers who grew up here are strictly forbidden from entering under our ancestral teachings."

"So..."

Aspen picked up the thread, his voice deep and forceful as he added, "Unlike the other end, the canyon on the side near the village is extremely dangerous. Unless there's a special situation, the hunters in the village will absolutely never go near it."

Xia Nan's expression remained unchanged. His calm gaze swept over the two men as he lightly rubbed the rim of the clay bowl, his tone steady.

"A forbidden ground? I did hear you and Dongshu mention it earlier."

"Every place has its local traditions and taboos. I fully understand this. After all, even a place like Rivervale Town maintains many rules, big or small."

"But as an adventurer, I have some experience with all sorts of dangerous environments. Perhaps... if I just operate on the outskirts, gather the fog lamp grass required for my quest, and leave immediately without going deep inside... I wonder if you two could accept that."

"In return, I am willing to pay some compensation or trade with the supplies I'm carrying."

Xia Nan's attitude was sincere, and the terms he proposed were reasonable, even offering compensation at the end.

This made it even more difficult for the two across the table.

The village chief furrowed his brow, making the layers of wrinkles on his face stand out even more. After hesitating for a moment, he leaned forward, lowered his voice, and adopted a cautious posture.

"Mr. Xia Nan, I can see your sincerity, but... things aren't that simple."

"These past few days happen to be the critical period for our Fog Lamp Village's Sacrificial Ritual. The ritual itself requires absolute quiet and 'purity,' and it cannot be subjected to any outside interference."

"Otherwise, if the progress of the ritual is affected, the entire village will fall into disaster!"

"A Sacrificial Ritual?" Xia Nan raised his eyebrows slightly.

Being in a fantasy world where gods existed, he naturally knew what that term meant.

"Yes! It's a traditional blessing ritual passed down through generations in our village," Aspen added. However, his eyes flickered slightly, avoiding Xia Nan's gaze. "At this time every few years, we offer... sacrifices to pray for the village's peace and good harvest in the coming year."

Hearing this, Xia Nan didn't speak. He just thought quietly.

But perhaps his own stern aura and attire exerted too much pressure on them.

A mere few seconds of silence felt like a countdown to a bomb exploding for the two men across the table.

The heavy, suffocating tension made it hard to breathe.

"Two days!" A rushed, elevated pitch broke the dead silence in the air. The village chief's forehead was covered in sweat, and he practically shouted.

"The Sacrificial Ritual is in just two days, Mr. Xia Nan. See if this works for you."

"Please rest in the village and wait for two days. As soon as the ritual ends, we... we will immediately arrange for men to escort you into the canyon to pick the herbs you need."

"For these few days, let Aspen arrange your stay. We will provide the best food and lodging."

"Yes, Mr. Xia Nan, just two days," Aspen said, his attitude genuine and sincere. "Please also understand our difficulties. After all, this concerns the entire village, the survival of the land we grew up on."

Xia Nan remained silent, pondering inwardly.

From a practical standpoint, although the village's atmosphere was a bit eerie, whether it was the villagers along the way or the two men in charge right before him, the auras they gave off under his Perception were all at the level of ordinary people.

Their strength wasn't considered great.

According to how some adventurers in this world operated, not throwing their weight around in the village was already good enough. And they had to wait two days?

The moment the words "two days" left their mouths, a sword blade would probably already be resting on their necks.

But Xia Nan was different.

Hailing from the modern society of his past life, his well-rounded worldview forged by a complete education meant that even though he possessed formidable power far exceeding ordinary men, he still treated the commoners of this world as "people."

He would absolutely never break his bottom line and let himself slide into the abyss of depravity.

Therefore, facing their earnest pleas, he was truly considering the feasibility of their proposal.

The time limit for Lady Edwina's gathering quest was fifteen days. The round trip would take about ten days. Hmm... based on his speed getting here, he should be able to shorten that a bit.

After all, even with him taking the time to clear out two Goblin Lairs along the way, he still arrived at his destination far ahead of schedule. Delaying for two days in the village now would still keep him within the planned timeframe.

There was even a considerable margin for error left for the return trip—about six or seven days—which was completely enough.

So maybe it would work?

A few seconds of silence felt as long as a century to the village chief and Aspen, the tension and unease visible on their faces.

When Xia Nan made up his mind and slowly opened his mouth, the muscles on the middle-aged hunter's face even twitched.

"I accept."

Xia Nan gave a slight nod.

"Then I will intrude upon your village for a few days. After your ritual concludes, I will trouble you to take me to the edge of the canyon."

Hearing this, Aspen and the village chief breathed a sigh of relief almost simultaneously. Their tense bodies instantly went slack.

"Wonderful! Thank you for your understanding, Mr. Xia Nan!" A genuine smile appeared on the village chief's face as he reached up to wipe the sweat from it. "You truly are reasonable!"

"I'll arrange the best room in the village for you right away. Please wait a moment."

"Also, thank you again for your help to Aspen and Dongshu. We will definitely—"

After this came another round of pleasantries, naturally.

They respectfully saw Xia Nan out of the room and called a villager to lead him to a vacant house.

It wasn't until the figure carrying two swords disappeared behind the tightly shut wooden door that the two inside the room finally relaxed completely.

"Village Chief, are we really letting that adventurer enter the forbidden ground?"

Letting out a long breath, Aspen slumped into his wooden chair, leaning back against it.

His back had become completely soaked with sweat.

The pressure he felt in those few minutes was even greater than when he had once faced a cave bear alone in the wild.

"What else could we do?"

The village chief's expression lost its previous respect and caution, his deep wrinkles filling with gloom as he shot back.

"You didn't really think that if I just refused, he'd willingly leave and give up on that fog lamp grass, did you?"

It was true that few travelers passed through Fog Lamp Village, but as the village chief, he possessed the most extensive experience reading people in the entire settlement.

He had dealt with many adventurers, and had even spent some time fighting to make a living in Rivervale Town in his youth.

Because of this, he could clearly judge that the seemingly young, black-haired man sitting across the table just now was absolutely not the sort of trash who bought two pieces of crude gear and called himself an "adventurer."

His chainmail, his greaves, and even the two longswords on his back—any one of them pulled out at random might be enough to buy this entire house.

And the Fine quality of his gear was only one aspect.

Another factor was his fierce combat record in Aspen's description, having easily crushed over twenty goblins single-handedly. There was also the aura of a powerhouse he gave off face-to-face, the kind of aura that only came from being forged through countless trials.

There was an extremely high chance that he was a veteran adventurer who had already obtained a Class Level!

As for the request he made...

Even if they couldn't agree, they had to agree!

Otherwise, if they angered him, Fog Lamp Village might just become history.

By that point, if the village didn't even exist anymore, whether the ritual succeeded or not would be meaningless.

Fortunately, his willingness to sit in the room and calmly negotiate with them already showed his attitude and way of doing things.

He definitely wasn't the extreme, radical type.

"Two days, right when the ritual finishes."

As he spoke, the village chief showed hesitation. "When the time comes, I'll personally take him there and keep an eye on him. I'll try my best not to let him go too deep, otherwise it won't end well if he disturbs the entity inside."

"Host him well these two days. Also, pass the word to the people in the village. Don't let any blind fools enrage him for no reason."

"Understood!" Aspen nodded heavily.

Led by a villager, Xia Nan walked down the path toward the empty house.

His expression was calm.

Mud, moss, and crooked little wooden houses...

It was just as desolate and run-down as before.

But perhaps because they saw him coming out of the village chief's house, the wariness in the scrutinizing gazes of the surrounding villagers had somewhat dissipated.

No one dared to come up and chat, but there was also much less hostility in their eyes.

Happy for the peace and quiet, Xia Nan casually surveyed his surroundings.

Suddenly, his gaze paused.

He saw an inconspicuous little house sitting further in from the wooden house where the village chief lived.

It looked like someone tended to it regularly. Both the house itself and the surrounding ground were much cleaner than anywhere else in the village.

There were even two men standing in front of the door, seemingly chatting but actually acting more like guards.

Feeling curious, he asked the villager leading the way, "That wooden house looks a bit special. Do people from your village live there too?"

The villager had his back to Xia Nan, so he couldn't glimpse the man's expression.

But he could observe the sudden halt in the guide's footsteps and his instantly stiffening body the moment he grasped the meaning behind the words.

"No, I don't know, Mr. Xia Nan."