Chapter 254

"I hope we don't encounter any more trouble, so we can reach Nianshu Ling safely."

When Xia Nan heard this sentence from Wood's own mouth.

The experience accumulated from countless entertainment works in his past life made him feel that something was wrong.

It was a "jinx," and also "Murphy's Law."

As everyone knows, in many cases, especially after saying it out loud, the more one hopes something won't happen in their heart, the more likely it is to happen.

The unease hovering in his heart made him, as one of the only two remaining combatants in the current squad, raise his level of caution far beyond the ordinary.

The four of them crossed the Ronglin Shanmai while taking the opportunity to slow down and seize the time to recover from their injuries and fatigue.

But what surprised Xia Nan was.

Perhaps the bad luck of their group had all been exhausted in the previous encounter with that adult red dragon, Laosen, and Teliweilian.

For a whole week, seven days.

Until the escort squad truly stepped onto the land belonging to the Yuansha Province on the other side of the Ronglin Shanmai, the four of them did not encounter a single attack.

They didn't even see a single one of those green-skinned Goblins that filled every corner of the continent like cockroaches.

It was as if all the monsters in the entire Ronglin Shanmai had died out.

Allowing them to reach the end of this mission very smoothly.

Yuansha Province, Nianshu Ling.

Weiergeluofu Town.

A private room in a tavern called "Three Wild Boars."

Xia Nan sat on a sturdy wooden chair with a cushioned seat; even if he shook it hard, there was no cheap "creaking" sound.

On the dining table in front of him was a table full of delicious dishes of various kinds, most of which had been swept clean, leaving only a few food scraps.

The unique habits formed by his past life experiences made this young adventurer feel exceptionally comfortable after enjoying a sumptuous meal.

He leaned back almost entirely against the wooden chair, his eyes slightly narrowed, and the fresh, sweet aroma of cream and mushrooms lingered in the air.

Sitting across the table were Haian and Wood.

Compared to the deathly pale, spiritless, and heavily injured state they were in after the battle ended a few days ago.

The spirits of the two were clearly much better now.

Only the shriveled, drooping sleeve on the middle-aged man's left arm and the bandage exposed under the half-elf's collar showed what they had been through.

"This is your reward for this mission."

A crystal card containing 630 gold was handed over by Haian with both hands.

Xia Nan's expression returned to seriousness; he took it solemnly and tucked the crystal card into his bosom.

Of this 630 gold, 500 gold was the escort mission reward previously agreed upon by the two and Xia Nan.

It could only be said that having a father who was the Lord of Niumu City indeed meant having the strength in terms of financial resources.

You know, even for the "E"-rank association commission Xia Nan had taken before, targeting the Beast-kin Bo He, the maximum reward was only 300 gold, and that was assuming it was paid entirely in gold coins without choosing to exchange for points.

500 gold was a full two-thirds more than that.

And the mission difficulty...

To be honest, if it weren't for bad luck, being forced into the battle between Laosen and Teliweilian, and encountering that red dragon named "Kelaogebali."

This 500 gold was basically no different from finding it for free.

After all, along the way, they didn't encounter any enemies that were truly targeting Haian and Wood and launching an attack on the squad.

The reason for such twists and turns was just that their luck was too bad.

As for the extra 130 gold, it was the gold coins the two paid additionally for the relics on the Dragonborn Sawa, including the armor and rapier she left behind.

—According to the unspoken rules of adventurer groups, the equipment of a deceased teammate is, to some extent, also part of the spoils of war.

Of course, the actual situation wouldn't be so cold-blooded.

After all, since they could form a team together, they must have been familiar with each other; they were all brothers and sisters who risked their lives, and if someone died, they would help send the relics back to the other's family.

The unspoken rule mentioned above often occurs in teams formed temporarily, like this escort squad.

Xia Nan and Sawa were teammates, it's true, but from the first meeting until the other party died, it had only been a few dozen days, and their communication in between was sparse; they didn't even count as friends.

Naturally, it was impossible to be so kind as to take care of the other party's funeral arrangements.

Helping to bury the body after the battle was all he could do.

But for the half-elf Haian, Sawa had been hired through the friendship between the Wickliffe family and the Dragonborn clan.

Accidental casualties during a mission were understandable; after all, that's what adventurers do, and there would be such a day sooner or later.

But with his personality, he must have been thinking about giving an account to Sawa's clan.

So he took the initiative to propose spending money to buy the spoils that had already been distributed and belonged to Xia Nan.

There was no reason to refuse.

He hadn't intended to keep them himself anyway and was planning to find a grocery store to dispose of them; facing the generous offer from the half-elf, Xia Nan naturally couldn't refuse.

A rapier, a set of armor, plus some miscellaneous items, totaling 130 gold, were all calculated into the mission reward.

"So... you still intend to follow the original plan and stay in Nianshu Ling?"

Xia Nan raised his wine glass, lowered his head to take a sip, and said pointedly.

What he wanted to express was actually very simple.

Nianshu Ling was the territory of Duke Morton, and the Duke's Knight Commander had died at their hands just a week ago.

After speculation, the 【Dream Weaving Corridor】 terminal, suspected to be the treasure lost by the Morton family, had fallen into his own hands.

With this as a premise, the two staying right under the Duke's nose might be a bit too dangerous.

To this, Wood just shook his head.

"It's okay, we're only staying for a short time."

"After a while, when the turmoil in Niumu City is completely over... the young master and I will consider whether to go back or continue our long journey."

As he spoke, a smile appeared on his weary face.

"Don't worry, except for us, no one knows Teliweilian's whereabouts, and the body has been disposed of cleanly; those knights in Ronglin Town might still be looking for their boss even now."

"The Wickliffe family... also has some arrangements in Nianshu Ling; living there for a short time is much safer than you going out on a mission."

Since the other party had said so, Xia Nan didn't ask any more questions, just looking at the half-elf and the rogue guard in front of him.

"You know my address."

"If you need any help in the future, send a letter or send someone to pass a message; both are fine."

Hearing this, Haian only showed a helpless smile.

"Come to think of it, this mission shouldn't have had so many twists and turns; the red dragon, including Laosen and Teliweilian, were all unexpected situations outside the plan."

"If it weren't for you... I'm afraid I wouldn't have had the chance to sit here and say these things to you."

Regarding the half-elf's reply, Xia Nan naturally understood the meaning behind the other party's words.