Chapter 253

"Drip."

A crystalline water droplet dripped from the top of the cave, splashing into tiny droplets on the slightly damp ground.

The campfire flickered, and accompanied by the "crackling" sound of bursting sparks, pale white smoke rose in wisps, swirling against the rock wall overhead.

It was still raining.

But it no longer had the violent posture it had just moments ago; against the backdrop of the dark clouds gradually dissolving into the dazzling sunlight in the sky, it had turned into a drizzling, dense rain.

Xia Nan stood at the cave entrance, arms crossed, his body leaning against the wall to the side.

His jet-black hair was damp, and he wore only a dark, close-fitting undershirt; the plate-chain composite armor, which had obvious silvery-white erosion marks on the inside, had already been taken off and placed on the ground beside him.

His head was tilted slightly, his calm, dark eyes reflecting the dense curtain of rain.

Beside the campfire behind him, his few "unlucky" teammates were either lying or sitting.

The battle had ended, and after emergency treatment, it was confirmed that the three surviving members of the escort squad were out of immediate danger.

At Wood's suggestion, in order to avoid being discovered by pursuers from Ronglin Town as much as possible, and also for more efficient recovery, Xia Nan took the group to find a sufficiently safe and hidden resting place near the battlefield for a short rest.

Of course, the spoils of war from Laosen and Teliweilian, and even the equipment from the already deceased Dragonborn Sawa, had also been recovered in time.

As for the specific results of the harvest...

From Xia Nan's perspective, it was hard to say.

Killed by a single sword strike from Laosen, the armor and equipment on the Dragonborn Sawa were preserved intact; the armor itself was of fairly refined craftsmanship, brand new, and could probably sell for three-digit gold coins in the "Rock Hammer" shop.

Even after a discounted recovery price, selling it for a good few dozen gold coins should be easy.

Her rapier was also of good quality; although there were no special enchantment effects on its attribute panel, it was undoubtedly made of special steel and was quite valuable.

Having spent a long time together in the squad, he didn't know this gambling-addicted lizardman very well, but he had roughly guessed that the other party was not wealthy.

That there was nothing valuable on them was within his expectations.

He hadn't held high hopes to begin with.

Compared to the "poor buddies" in the squad, what Xia Nan looked forward to more were the spoils from the two senior adventurers who clearly possessed extraordinary strength.

And the result... he was somewhat disappointed.

Laosen had also died cleanly, his head neatly severed by Xia Nan.

But before Xia Nan entered the fray, this gloomy-faced middle-aged man seemed to have already gone through a high-intensity battle.

The armor on his body might have been of good original quality, but it had looked dirty and worn when they first met, and now it was nearly scrapped, with countless cracks of all sizes on its surface.

With this condition, even the grocery store with the best reputation in Hegu Town wouldn't accept it.

Fortunately, his bee-sting-like rapier had good durability, and the attributes on the panel gave Xia Nan a small, pleasant surprise.

【Kuli Bee Needle】

Type: Rapier

Rank: Common (White)

Effects:

+5% Piercing Damage

+3% Stab Speed

+15% Durability

Description:

A refined rapier with a strong sense of design; the blade is slender, straight, and sharp like a bee's stinger. (The user must be proficient in stabbing techniques to unleash its maximum power.)

Note:

"Please don't be deceived by its 'slenderness'; this thing can sew your mouth shut better than a tailor's needle—permanently."

——Court Sword Master, Fast Sword "Marigold", Ba Suo

For his plan to infiltrate the dragon's nest, Laosen had planned for nearly two years.

From luring the red dragon out of its nest, to avoiding various magical traps and the protection and surveillance of its kin, to sending the Gnome Rogue Bogu, who possessed special stealth abilities, into the dragon's nest, and finally the cleanup work.

Laosen had exhausted almost all his family fortune, and even sacrificed the teammates he had spent years with during the mission.

All the equipment and items he carried were prepared for this mission and used extensively during it.

By the time he returned to Ronglin Town, it could be said he had returned to a state of being penniless.

The so-called foundation of a senior adventurer, aside from the knowledge in his head regarding various secrets and professional advancement, and his own body as a Lv6 professional, was nothing more than the sword in his hand.

Xia Nan did not know the detailed circumstances of this.

In his view, the only valuable item left after the death of such an adventurer "senior" who seemed to have been deeply involved in the industry for many years was this single white-grade rapier.

Thinking back to his own gear—rings, necklaces, wooden swords, leg guards—all sorts of equipment and items that would take half a day just to read the information panel in the games of his past life.

It was hard not to wonder if high-quality equipment was simply rare in this world, and his own situation was the result of the accumulation of his attribute panel cheat, or if the current situation was just special.

And after checking the spoils from the Morton family Knight Commander "Teliweilian"... although he felt it might not necessarily be the case, he guessed it was the former.

It was a fact that the "legacy" Teliweilian left for his successors was more than Laosen's, but it was indeed limited.

The standard heavy armor he wore was very good.

One had to admit, perhaps influenced by the full-body plate armor he saw at the Rock Hammer shop at the beginning of his transmigration, which cost four digits.

Xia Nan had always had a special interest in this kind of equipment that had maxed-out defensive performance but limited flexibility.

Even if his combat style had gradually taken shape later, and before 【Gravity Control】 was developed to the point where it could normalize the reduction of body weight, it was not compatible with this type of equipment.

He still held an obsession in his heart.

It was just a pity that Teliweilian's heavy armor was severely damaged, with a crack that almost cut it in two appearing on the most important and expensive large plate on his chest.

It must have come from Laosen's desperate counterattack before death.

Not to mention whether it was possible to bring this overly heavy equipment out of the mountains, just carrying it all the way back to Hegu Town, the maintenance cost alone would probably be an astronomical figure.

And even if it were repaired later, what would be left for Xia Nan would only be a second-hand item that had undergone major repairs and seen many battles.

He could take on missions alone, and his money-making speed could be said to be very fast; why should he wrong himself like this?

Therefore, after careful consideration in a short time, Xia Nan did not take Teliweilian's armor with him.

Instead, he took the steel heavy sword held tightly in his severed arm:

【Morton's Oath of Loyalty】

Type: Longsword

Rank: Common (White)

Effects:

When held by a blood relative of the Morton family or a sworn loyalist—

+7% Slashing Damage, +20% Durability, Toughness Enhancement;

Description:

A heavy longsword symbolizing the honor and responsibility of the Morton family; the family motto engraved on the blade is an eternal reminder of the wielder's identity and oath.