Chapter 347 Introductions and an Unexpected Situation

Xia Nan was going on a long journey.

Back in the technologically advanced modern world before his transmigration, this wouldn't have been difficult, provided one knew how to use the right tools and channels.

If someone was truly too lazy to bother, they could even skip making advance plans and pick a destination on the day of departure. With a phone and enough money, they could just embark on a spontaneous domestic trip.

Thanks to a highly developed tourism industry, a comprehensive transportation network spanning land, sea, and air, and the information explosion of the internet era—along with the massive population of his home country—years of accumulated online data meant that even for the most remote, obscure corners of the world, a careful search could likely turn up a forgotten traveler's logs and safety tips from years ago.

More often than not, for the people in his old world, the only real constraints on a long trip were balancing work and money, and deciding whether they were willing to step out of their comfort zones on a precious holiday—getting out of their warm beds, opening their doors, and stepping outside.

But the situation now was completely different.

Perhaps the rumored Baator Purgatory beyond the Material Plane had already formed a massive industrial system, capable of producing oceans of weapons for the multiverse like a factory assembly line.

Perhaps Chromatic Ring City, highly developed in magical creations according to passing adventurers, already possessed an advanced urban framework where the convenience of magic had penetrated the daily life of every resident.

Yet for the vast majority of living beings inhabiting the Aifala Continent, their living conditions were still stuck in the Middle Ages of his past life.

The existence of supernatural powers did not make their lives any happier.

Instead, due to fierce competition for faith, the great gods they devoutly worshipped had birthed irreconcilable conflicts between races, kingdoms, and regions.

Isolation, divergence, conspiracies, and wars—

This sprawling, boundless continent was like a massive palette. The splotches of color appeared to blend, but under the guidance of various factions, they were kept isolated and independent.

To give a simple example.

Suppose a cleric from the church of Chauntea, the Goddess of Agriculture, spent years researching and discovered a special wheat seed with a far higher yield.

If this wheat could be widely distributed across the world, it might feed millions more commoners.

For the vast majority of ordinary people, this would undoubtedly be a good thing.

But would things really progress so smoothly?

Not necessarily.

After all, the circulation of this special wheat seed would also mean, to some extent, the spread of Chauntea's faith.

And faith itself was generated by all living things, possessing an invisible, intangible, yet undeniably real upper limit.

When someone transitioned from a pan-believer who worshipped multiple gods to a devout fanatic of a single deity, the faith received by those other great entities would consequently decrease.

If a person spent a whole day praying in the church of Chauntea for a bountiful harvest, the prayer time that should have been reserved for Mielikki, the Goddess of the Forest, and Grumbar, the Earth God, would have to be reduced or even canceled entirely.

The gods were not emotionless wish-granting machines. They had their own personalities, standpoints, and ways of doing things.

Even among supposedly close allies, when another's tentacles reached into their territory to harvest faith from their believers, how many of them would truly sit idly by?

Therefore, it did not matter how advanced the civilization in a certain region might be—even if it had entered the industrialization stage ahead of time with railways and massive steam-belching machines.

It still would not help the impoverished residents of a remote village nearby, who toiled day and night in the fields under heavy taxes, all just to survive the impending winter and avoid starving to death in the freezing blizzards.

For this journey, Xia Nan needed to make meticulous preparations.

First was the matter of supplies for the road.

Equipment naturally went without saying.

He would be armed to the teeth, wearing a full set of enchanted gear to elevate his combat strength to its peak, ensuring he could handle any dangers along the way.

But spare leather boots, a change of clothes, a waterproof cloak, a poncho, flint, rope, and camping tools all needed to be prepared in advance.

Fortunately, with [Tears of Spring Breath] on hand, he could use Lesser Healing three times a day, which was enough to deal with the vast majority of minor injuries.

Otherwise, Xia Nan would have had to stuff his backpack full of medical supplies like bandages and splints.

Rations also required preparation.

Heading out on a long trip, although hunting wasn't difficult for him, he had no desire to play Wilderness Survival while traveling.

Therefore, before setting off, he had to stock up on enough food that was easy to carry and wouldn't spoil.

Things like dried meat, smoked fish, hard cheese, and black bread.

But since he didn't have any spatial storage items, no matter how high his Constitution was, there was only so much he could carry. His backpack couldn't be entirely dedicated to food; he needed room for other items.

Eating sparingly and supplementing with wild game, these rations could stretch for half a month at most.

Thus, route planning became his top priority.

Reality wasn't a game. It wasn't a matter of clicking a mouse on a screen and watching a character fly over with a whoosh.

The journey from Rivervale Town to Barracuda Bay in the Southern Archipelagos would take nearly fifty days. Xia Nan would have to stop at multiple towns along the way to rest and resupply.

He might even have to take a boat for several stretches of the journey.

The distance was long and remote.

Under these circumstances, charting a safe, reliable, and convenient route became another problem.

Fortunately, Rivervale Town was a major hub for adventurers, gathering people from all over. Information about the surrounding regions converged here, and there was no shortage of individuals who had traveled through the Southern Archipelagos.

By spending a little money and buying a few rounds of drinks, he was able to gather meticulous details—things he would never have thought of if someone hadn't pointed them out.

Details like local customs, the living habits of the residents, taboos, and the weather. At the same time, thanks to the special nature of Rivervale Town, Xia Nan was able to buy a map that included both Rivervale Town and Barracuda Bay. Just to be safe, he specifically bought a second copy to annotate all the information he had gathered.

Yet even reaching this point, his preparations were far from over.

Planning a route required considering a massive number of factors.

Were the border relations tense between the noble territories he would pass through? Were there any regions occupied by dangerous monsters that required a detour? What was the difference between taking the main road and a side path to the same destination? Did the villages where he planned to rest welcome outsiders? Were there any taboos to watch out for—

Even considering extreme scenarios—could he temporarily alter his route, or even turn back the way he came...

After preparing in Rivervale Town for three full days, Xia Nan felt like his head was going to explode.

Every night after his training, he locked himself in his room, staring miserably at the map that was now densely packed with annotations. He had prepared three backup routes, with numerous branching rest stops along the way.

It was only because he had received a complete, systematic education in his past life and spent years honing his skills in the workplace that he possessed the ability to synthesize and analyze information. Otherwise, he really might not have been able to pull it off.

Today, having finally completed the preliminary planning, Xia Nan decided to treat himself generously.

Sitting in his usual corner spot in the main hall of the White Chickadee Tavern, he ordered an entire table's worth of delicious food.

Right now, his financial resources might be far inferior to his peak period when his savings had broken into the four digits, but after the rewards from his three commissions were transferred to his account—even after subtracting the 500 gold expense for [Purgatory Pulse]—the cash on hand still reached 542 gold, 8 silver, and 3 copper.

Since he didn't have hobbies like gambling, nor expenses like forging weapons, spending a little money on food was more than enough for him to live comfortably in town for quite a while.

"Clink."

His mug landed softly back on the table.

His Adam's apple bobbed. Xia Nan smacked his lips, savoring the sweet and creamy flavor dancing on the tip of his tongue, which carried a trace of astringency as the mellow ale washed it down.

His gaze shifted to Dongshu and Lillie sitting in front of him.

Rivervale Town was a gathering place for adventurers and merchants looking to strike it rich. As long as one was willing to work hard, there was never a shortage of job opportunities.

In just three days, these two young people had already found suitable jobs for themselves.

Lillie had found work as a seamstress in a modest tailor shop in town. She was still in her probationary period, but he heard she was doing well and had a high chance of becoming a permanent employee.

Dongshu had successfully become an apprentice at the town's posting station, doing chores like sorting fodder, feeding the horses, and shoveling manure. Because of the special nature of the station, he could come into contact with a large number of transient people from all walks of life, including adventurers, which was exactly what he had planned.

Neither of them earned very much, but it was more than enough to support themselves.

In those three days, the plain white dress Lillie had worn for the Sacrificial Ritual had been swapped for simple linen clothes that were easy to work in. Dongshu had locked his old hunter's outfit away in the depths of his wardrobe, simply wearing a brown shirt that couldn't be more common among the townspeople.

However, the mental state of the two had undergone an earth-shaking change compared to when they were back in Fog Lamp Village.

They smiled more. Gone was their heavy-hearted appearance; their bodies were no longer tense, and they were much more relaxed overall.

They gave off a vibrant feeling of vitality, like they were bathing in sunlight and striving toward the future.

Xia Nan couldn't help but feel gratified.

Even if he didn't consider himself a particularly kind-hearted person, when he looked at these two kind, simple youths who had escaped their tragic fates and were gradually walking toward the light because of his casual intervention...

A sense of indescribable accomplishment still welled up from the depths of his heart.

He felt that his choice hadn't been in vain.

"Mr. Xia Nan, did you say... you're going on a long journey?" Lillie asked softly, taking small scoops of the meat soup in front of her.

"To the south," Xia Nan gave a slight nod. "The next time I come back will probably be in three or four months."

"That far!?" Dongshu subconsciously opened his mouth wide, a look of yearning on his face. "I'm so jealous. The farthest place I've ever been in my life is right here in Rivervale Town."

Thinking back to the map in his inn room, densely packed with annotations, Xia Nan's face remained largely impassive, but he inwardly shook his head in agony.

He had specially called them out today, and naturally, it wasn't just to treat them to a meal.

A round trip of nearly a hundred days left too much room for things to happen.

He didn't want to finally finish his mission and return, hoping to check in on the young couple, only to find that Dongshu or Lillie had died from some absurd situation.

Therefore, he wanted to make some preparations for them before he left.

For example, calling out an old friend he had originally planned to introduce to them after the adventure was over. Even if she didn't take special care of them, they could at least become familiar faces.

"Clack, clack."

Accompanied by the scraping of metal armor, heavy footsteps echoed in their ears.

The dining table, originally filled with the aroma of food, was abruptly tainted by the coppery stench of goblin blood—a scent Xia Nan was incredibly familiar with.

"Greenblood" Adeline didn't stand on ceremony, sitting down right beside Xia Nan.

She poured herself a full cup of ale and downed it in one gulp.

Wiping her mouth casually with the back of her hand, her gaze swept across Dongshu and Lillie across the table, who were a bit tense from her sudden appearance.

She turned her gaze to the black-haired young man beside her, a smile surfacing on her face.

"Are these the two little guys you mentioned?"

Without waiting for Xia Nan to reply, she turned back and struck up a conversation with the two young people. "I heard you're from the village near the canyon where fog lamp grass grows. That's quite far—what made you decide to come to Rivervale Town?"

"Have you both found jobs yet? Do you want me to introduce you to some good gigs?"

"So you're the one who wants to be an adventurer? Do you have any relevant experience—hunting? Yeah, that definitely counts, but—"

While preparing for his long journey over the past couple of days, Xia Nan had naturally conversed with Adeline.

He knew that although she had already gained a Class Level, she was still leading the few ordinary adventurers in her party.

The commissions she took on a daily basis were mostly things like clearing out goblin lairs, which were relatively low-risk.

After all, given her personality, she wouldn't abandon her teammates just because she had become a Class Holder.

In addition, her material desires were even lower than Xia Nan's. After the death of the Red-Mane bugbear that had attacked her family and village, she had avenged her great grudge and was left with no further worldly desires.

She had no drive to climb higher.

For a very long time to come, she would probably just stay in Rivervale Town, taking her teammates on simple tasks as a Class Holder to earn a little cash.

Since he was about to depart on a long trip and wouldn't be back for over three months, introducing Dongshu and Lillie to her in advance meant Adeline could help look after them a bit.

That way, they wouldn't die a baffling, absurd death in some corner of the town over a minor trouble that would be trivial for her to resolve.

And just as the atmosphere between Adeline, Dongshu, and Lillie grew increasingly harmonious and their conversation heated up...

Another familiar figure appeared at the tavern doors.

Her shoulder-length blonde hair swung violently from her hurried steps, the silver studs on her earlobes flashing through her locks.

She was still wearing the uniform of an Adventurers' Association receptionist.

Molly walked into the tavern, glancing left and right. It was only when Xia Nan's figure entered her line of sight that she breathed a small sigh of relief and walked straight over.

"Mr. Xia Nan, there's news about the equipment you put on consignment at the Association!"