Chapter 281: Edwinna, Abi, and Sulfur

Rotation.

It didn't need the assistance of any utensils; the viscous surface rippled like silk, stirring, and a small vortex emerged within it.

Carrying fine mushroom particles, warm steam rose from the milky white soup—it was the sweet fragrance of cream and butter blending, the umami of fungi stimulated by scorching heat, and the fresh grass and wood aura unique to parsley.

Half a spoonful scooped up, the thick white soup clung to the spoon, and the mushroom diced with black pepper sprinkled on it trembled and was sent into the mouth.

The upper jaw squeezed gently, just like laying a layer of velvet on the tip of the tongue; the delicacy and sweetness filled the mouth, and the smoothness of the cream and the granular feeling of the mushroom formed a wonderful contrast.

Distractions and complex thoughts were washed away by an indescribable sense of satisfaction; the brain was blank, leaving only the purest, most original, and simplest—

Happiness.

Edwinna sat opposite the dining table, looking at the black-haired young man in front of her who was like the most serious magic addict consuming magic power, his whole person as if his soul had left his body in an instant.

The expression on her face was incomparably strange.

"Is it really that good to drink?"

She muttered, and also scooped a spoonful and stuffed it into her mouth.

Unlike the previous wolfing down, this senior adventurer who was more of a man than a man, with muscles on her arms that could even strangle a goblin, even specially pursed her lips, leaving the cream mushroom soup on her tongue to taste for a few more seconds before swallowing slowly.

"The taste is indeed not bad." She smacked her lips, her expression looking exceptionally puzzled. "But it shouldn't be this exaggerated..."

"It's just a bowl of mushroom soup; I don't know if you're drinking some dragon blood medicinal soup."

"You don't understand."

Regarding this, Xia Nan just squinted his eyes in enjoyment and shook his head gently.

Goblins or cream mushroom soup, he naturally realized these small hobbies he had gradually developed as he walked further and further on the adventurer's path.

But he didn't intend to control or intervene.

With such great pressure, there must be a way to release it.

Drinking a few bowls of cream mushroom soup and tearing a few green-skinned goblins was much better than wasting energy on card tables and alcohol.

At the dining table, Xia Nan didn't say much.

Instead, in front of Edwinna, he scooped the cream mushroom soup in the wooden bowl empty with an incomparably enjoyable and happy posture, swallowing the last wisp of soup residue remaining on the tip of his tongue.

Only then did he gradually recover, his gaze looking toward the "Green Blood" Edwinna who had already ended the "battle" and swept the food on the dining plate clean.

"Looking at you like this, did you obtain a professional level?"

Compared to before, Edwinna's appearance hadn't changed much.

It was still that scale armor that looked "battle-hardened," and the hairstyle was still like the short, messy crew cut after the butcher processed the fur.

But under the armor, the solid muscles that were obviously a circle larger and bulging the inner lining, and the condensed aura surrounding her body that was obviously different from ordinary adventurers.

Made Xia Nan, who had keen perception, notice the qualitative change that had occurred in his old acquaintance at the first glance.

Recalling many days ago, before he received the escort mission, the other party mentioned that she was only one step away from a "professional."

The reason for Edwinna's change could be imagined.

Sure enough, without any concealment, she nodded with a serious expression:

"Not long ago, just a few days ago when I was training in the suburbs outside the town, I realized it for two seconds."

"That step, I just crossed it."

Following the unspoken rules between adventurers, Xia Nan didn't have any idea of prying into the other party's professional information, only estimating in his heart that it was probably "warrior" or "barbarian," and took the initiative to open his mouth:

"You haven't done the promotion mission yet, do you need me to help?"

As former teammates, even after separating after the "Hunting Day" ended, the relationship between the two was very good, and they often ate and chatted together when free.

Edwinna was also one of the few friends Xia Nan had in this world.

Encountering any difficulties, within the scope of his ability, helping to pull a hand was nothing more than normal.

Even long ago, he had made an agreement with the other party that when she obtained a professional level in the future and needed to do an association promotion mission, she could come directly to him for help, and she didn't need to think too much, just open her mouth.

At that time, Edwinna also patted her chest and agreed, saying something like "I won't waste this relationship with 'Grey Sword'."

But he didn't expect that when the other party really needed to do a promotion mission, she hesitated instead.

Fingers with thick calluses at the knuckles from holding weapon handles for a long time pinched the soup spoon for a long time before the woman slowly opened her mouth:

"You should also know that I'm not the kind of greedy person who makes arbitrary demands because of a friendship."

"You've been out on this mission for so long, and you haven't rested for two days since returning to town, and I'm pulling you out again... We're not in the same squad anymore, it's not very appropriate."

"On the other hand, I've also looked at the mission content sent down by the association; there's no difficulty, ordinary adventurers can complete it, and it must be carried out in a squad temporarily formed by the association side..."

"I understand what you mean."

Xia Nan waved his hand, signaling the other party not to say any more.

He naturally understood the idea Edwinna wanted to express.

The relationship between people can never be unchanged.

Last year, the himself who hadn't been promoted to a professional might have had higher combat capability than the other party, but the two sides still maintained a relatively balanced state overall, and the other party might even have occupied a core position in the squad because of her identity as "captain" and "senior adventurer."

And with the end of "Hunting Day," the himself who had gotten 【Gravity Control】 started and obtained a professional level, even if he didn't have obvious changes in daily interaction with familiar people under the influence of the three views of his past life, their attitude toward him had also changed implicitly, and even became somewhat alienated.

Abi's performance, which was worlds apart from before, was the substantive embodiment of this change.

To a certain extent, the Edwinna of the past who hadn't obtained a professional level could maintain a relationship like a familiar friend with him without too much change, which was already quite rare in this world.

This requires both sides to have corresponding personalities and ways of dealing with things, and not to have grudges against each other because of some inherent concepts deeply rooted in the hearts of people in this world.

Right now, Xia Nan could naturally wave his hand and help the other party solve the association's promotion mission with a sentence of "we're all buddies."

And then what?

Many times, when there is a considerable gap in strength level, maintaining a harmonious and normal friendship requires more careful and cautious maintenance by both sides.

"What you said is also true. I've traveled half the Pan Yun Province around the Ronglin Mountains on this mission, and I don't know how many goblins I've chopped on the road. I really need to rest in town for a while."

"Goblins? These bastards are like cockroaches, everywhere. I almost swept all the lairs near River Valley Town a few months ago, but they grew out of the ground again in two days. If you ask me, the Kingdom should..."

Obviously, the common topic about green-skinned goblins made the dining table that was slightly cold just now lively again.

Chatting until night fell outside the window, Edwinna said goodbye and left, returning to her single cabin rented near the tavern.

"Tap, tap."

Fingertips tapped lightly on the wooden table, nodding to the waiter who was cleaning up the dining table beside him.

Xia Nan showed a thoughtful expression.

For a whole day, all the spoils of his mission had been processed.

In the blacksmith shop, not to mention, the monster materials collected on the road, plus the coins searched from the half-orc and the goblin lair, totaled 42 gold, 3 silver, and 5 copper.

Plus the 630 gold as a reward for the escort mission (of which 130 gold was the resale price of the Dragonborn Sawa's equipment).

Finally, subtracting the 198 gold he spent buying plate-chain composite armor in the morning.

Right now, Xia Nan's cash assets had reached 1089 gold, 9 silver, and 6 copper.

For his dream, which was still placed in the center of the shelf of the "Rock Hammer" blacksmith shop today, that set of full-body heavy plate armor armed to the teeth, he was only one-third away.

Small expenses like mushroom soup, needless to say.

He didn't have any idea of squandering, and even thought about where to get some more money.

After all, the decapitation longsword was lying in the blacksmith shop, and after three days, when the characteristics of the 【Melted Grey Silver Ingot】 were studied by Ba'en, they would have to start the forging of the longsword.

Referring to the arm shield in his hand, even though he provided the main material, it still cost a full thousand gold to finally get the finished product.

As a weapon that has always been more expensive than other types of equipment, the cost of recasting the decapitation longsword will only be more, not less. ===== CHAPTER 282 =====