Chapter 19: Bargaining

Xia Nan raised his glass, pretending to be calm as he took a sip.

The aroma of malt surged into his nasal cavity, and on the tip of his tongue was the unique, faint bitterness of hops and the crisp sweetness of the chilled drink.

But at this moment, he had no heart to carefully savor this otherworldly flavored beverage.

He was even feeling vaguely nervous.

After about five or six seconds, until the sharp gaze behind him disappeared, he visibly let out a sigh of relief.

"This feeling……"

Xia Nan recalled the scene he had just seen, that seemingly ordinary, plain man.

It was definitely not an illusion!

Even while at the center of attention, he possessed a weak presence that made him subconsciously ignored like a passerby;

And the gaze that instantly condensed with a strong warning after detecting his own line of sight.

It was like those dazzling, high-level pieces of equipment in online games from his previous life; there was no need to even engage in combat—just one look was enough to feel the powerful strength of the other party.

"Perhaps, a professional who has truly completed their job advancement?"

Xia Nan speculated in his heart.

Fortunately, he had only detected the other party's existence and hadn't made any abrupt moves.

Therefore, that gaze had only condensed for a moment before dissipating into the tavern's clamor.

A small interlude.

No longer looking back to deliberately observe the Half-Elf squad by the window, Xia Nan downed the ale in his glass.

His heart was somewhat turbulent.

"I wonder how one actually acquires this so-called 'professional level'?"

Maji had seemed to mention to the predecessor that "profession" was related to the "combat techniques" one chose to practice.

But the other party hadn't explicitly stated what the specific connection was.

He had also scanned the 【Adventurer's Handbook】 once, but it contained no relevant information.

"I'll try to ask a veteran adventurer when I run into one later. If it really comes to it, paying a price is acceptable."

Pondering this, Xia Nan shook his head.

Considering these things now was still too early for a novice adventurer like him.

"Let's just get a good night's sleep first."

……

The accommodation conditions in the tavern were not good.

A hard wooden bed with a slight odor, terrible soundproofing where even the creaking of the bed next door could be heard clearly, a squeaky staircase, the noise from the tavern hall downstairs, and even the occasional mouse running through the ceiling crawlspace.

Let alone the star-rated hotels of his previous life, even lying on a park bench with a newspaper would be quieter and more comfortable.

But Xia Nan slept until noon.

On one hand, he had stayed up late the previous night flipping through the "Adventurer's Handbook" to carefully understand useful information about River Valley Town;

On the other hand, it was because his body was overly exhausted.

The Mist Forest was filled with danger; even during the period of the four-person squad when Erji and Gagu were still alive, they had needed to take turns keeping watch and couldn't rest securely.

Now that he had arrived in a safe town, Xia Nan finally had his first good sleep since crossing over to this world.

After enjoying a wonderful lunch at the White Tit Tavern,

he arrived in front of the Adventurer Association once again.

For a dangerous profession like "adventurer" that lived from hand to mouth and walked on a tightrope, Xia Nan, who had been an ordinary office worker in his previous life, was naturally unaccustomed to it and didn't particularly yearn for it.

But at the same time, when a mortal who had lived his whole life in a non-magical, technological world suddenly arrived in a fantasy world with true supernatural powers,

it wasn't very realistic to expect him to take the hundred-plus gold coins in his hand and return to the idyllic life of working at sunrise and resting at sunset, living in seclusion.

What's more, the only "attribute panel" that could be considered a golden finger for Xia Nan only functioned on matters related to adventurers.

He naturally had to make use of it.

"Let's start with the simplest tasks first."

Xia Nan looked at the bustling association gate ahead, muttering to himself.

Having made the decision in his heart, his footsteps followed.

His figure disappeared into the crowd.

"Is something wrong, Wood?"

Hearing Haian's puzzled call in his ear, Wood withdrew his gaze from Xia Nan's back and replied softly:

"Nothing, Young Master."

Having discovered himself in a "Conceal Breath" state in the tavern yesterday, and now running into him again by chance at the association gate today.

As a qualified guard who had always been known for his caution, how could Wood not be suspicious?

It was just that he had also observed him carefully yesterday.

That black-haired youth with sharp features, while showing signs of having had some training, was an out-and-out novice in terms of dress, behavior, and habits.

Could it be…… that he was really overthinking it?

Wood frowned slightly, his expression suspicious.

On the other side, the silver-haired, grey-eyed Half-Elf "Haian" naturally wouldn't know what his guard was thinking.

At this moment, he was introducing the content of this mission to the new member of his squad:

"It's roughly in this range. If we don't find it, we can extend it further outward."

"In other words, you don't even know what you're looking for yourselves?" Hearing this, the thin, dark-skinned man in leather armor and boots, dressed like a classic adventurer, couldn't help but look surprised. "The Mist Forest isn't a place you can just wander around in."

"We'll stay on the outskirts, we won't……"

Haian had only just started speaking when he was interrupted by a rather high-profile voice.

"Three days!" In the squad, the plump youth dressed in luxurious gilded robes held up three fingers and said loudly, "And we don't need you to help us look together. Once the time is up, we leave if we want to. I don't know what there is to dawdle about."

"As for safety……" The plump youth glanced at the guard Wood beside Haian, "You don't need to worry about that."

Hearing this, the thin, dark-skinned man stared fixedly at the other party and gritted his teeth:

"Fine, but I want 70 gold!"

"70?" The plump youth's voice suddenly turned sharp. "Just 50! With such a big Adventurer Association, if you don't do it, there are plenty of others who will!"

Not controlling their volume, the dispute between the few people in front of the association gate gradually attracted the attention of passersby.

Perhaps because of this, the golden-haired girl beside the youth, who had been silent and impatient from the beginning, suddenly urged:

"Lali, we've been in town for days, it's not interesting at all. I want to go home!"

As soon as she finished speaking, the plump youth named "Lali" instantly reined in his previously aggressive demeanor, dragged his expensive custom robe, and leaned in to fawn:

"Don't worry, Doris, we'll leave soon! I heard from the guards at home that the white mist inside the Mist Forest is actually concentrated magic. It's said that if you take a breath of it……"

The Half-Elf "Haian" withdrew his gaze from the two with a look of helplessness and looked again at the thin, dark-skinned man he had just pulled into the squad who was now reneging and demanding a price increase.

"We can only offer 50 gold here. If you don't accept, then I can only say sorry."

His emotions remained stable.

To some extent, the fatty Ke Li could be considered to have contributed a little.

After this ordeal, the thin, dark-skinned man didn't want the fat job to slip away, so he put on a reluctant look and nodded:

"Fine, 50 gold it is."

"When do we set off?"

"Today. We've already prepared the supplies."

(End of Chapter) ===== CHAPTER 20 =====