Chapter 324: Two Days, Ritual

The village chief's house looked significantly more spacious and cleaner than the other bungalows in the village.

The moist earthy smell after the rain mixed with the faint smell of firewood permeated the air. Several tanned animal skins hung on the surface of the walls, and some unknown herbs were drying on the shelves below, as if they had been temporarily brought into the house because of this sudden heavy rain.

There were no lights on, and only the dim light from outside the window barely illuminated the room.

The three of them sat around a wooden table.

The white-haired village chief sat at the head. Although his face was full of gullies left by the years, his eyes were still clear. At this moment, he was carrying a trace of anxiety and caution that could not be concealed;

Aspen sat next to the village chief, his body tense, his linen shirt slightly supported by the muscles beneath, his expression steady but revealing some nervousness;

Xia Nan sat opposite the table, further away from the two, with two longswords still tied behind him, and naturally, he couldn't take off his armor, his face calm and relaxed.

"Mr. Xia Nan, thank you for your hard work coming from afar." The village chief spoke first, his voice hoarse and polite, and his old hands full of calluses gently pushed a bowl of turbid ale to Xia Nan on the table.

"On behalf of all the villagers of Mist Lamp Village, I welcome your arrival and thank you for your generous help to Aspen and Dongshu."

"The village is remote, and it's rare for outsiders to pass by. Please forgive us for the poor hospitality."

Xia Nan took the pottery bowl with both hands, and a pair of jet-black eyes swept over the turbid ale swaying in it without a trace, his perception ability exerted to the extreme in an instant.

Roughly confirmed that there was no problem.

Only then did he lift the pottery bowl and touch it lightly with his lips, slightly moistening them but not entering his mouth.

Of course, it wasn't that he disliked the quality of the wine in front of him. After all, when traveling alone, one must be careful about everything.

The oppressive atmosphere in the village when he arrived had already made him vigilant. He naturally couldn't easily trust the wine provided by the other party. Raising his glass to slightly moisten his lips was already using practical actions to show his goodwill and respect for the two people in front of him.

Sure enough, seeing Xia Nan act like this, the village chief and Aspen were not angry, but instead felt relieved, which also slightly eased the originally solidified atmosphere at the table.

"You are too polite, Village Chief."

"Being able to have a shelter to keep out the wind and rain on the way to the mission, and a bowl of wine to relieve fatigue, is already a blessing for adventurers like us."

Xia Nan put down the pottery bowl full of wine and replied slowly.

Then, there was a short silence and polite, nutritious-less small talk.

He didn't intend to waste too much time here, nor did he have the idea of testing the other party's attitude with words.

Xia Nan tapped the table with his fingertips and cut to the point:

"To be honest, I didn't pass by here unintentionally. The goal of this mission is to collect Mist Lamp Grass in the canyon not far from Mist Lamp Village."

"It's just because of this heavy rain, I encountered a mudslide, and the entrance to the canyon was completely blocked, so there was no possibility of moving forward."

"Later, I heard that the vicinity of Mist Lamp Village happens to be connected to the entrance at the other end of the canyon, so I had to make this bad move and come to disturb the two of you."

"I don't know if the village... can make it convenient?"

While explaining the situation, he also carefully observed the changes in the expressions of the two.

He could clearly see that when mentioning specific words such as "Mist Lamp Grass" and "entrance at the other end of the canyon," the faces of the village chief and Aspen changed almost at the same time.

No matter how well they covered it up, they didn't escape Xia Nan's eyes.

Aspen even stood up halfway anxiously, subconsciously adjusting his seat.

The two exchanged a tacit look, and then the village chief took the initiative to cough, squeezed a reluctant smile on his face, and said cautiously and hesitantly:

"Ah... Mist Lamp Grass, so that's it..."

"No offense intended, but Mr. Xia Nan, it's not that we don't want to make it convenient, it's just that the Mist Lamp Canyon is a forbidden area passed down from generation to generation for our village. Let alone... uh, outsiders like you, even villagers who grew up in the village are strictly forbidden to enter under the ancestral teachings."

"So..."

Aspen took over the conversation, his voice low and powerful, adding: "Unlike the other end, the inside of the canyon on the side near the village is very dangerous. Unless there is a special situation, the hunters in the village will never approach it."

Xia Nan's expression remained unchanged, his gaze swept over the two people in front of him calmly, his fingertips gently rubbed the edge of the pottery bowl, and his tone was still as calm as before:

"Forbidden area... I did hear you and Dongshu mention it before."

"Every place has local traditions and taboos. I understand this very well. After all, even in a place like River Valley Town, many rules, large or small, are preserved."

"But as an adventurer, I have some experience with various dangerous environments. Perhaps... if it's just activities on the periphery, and I leave immediately after collecting the Mist Lamp Grass needed for the mission, and never go deep, I don't know if the two of you can accept this."

"In return, I am willing to pay some remuneration, or use the supplies I carry as an exchange."

Xia Nan's attitude was sincere, and the conditions he proposed were actually relatively reasonable, and even pointed out compensation at the end.

This made the two people opposite the table even more embarrassed.

The village chief frowned, the layers of wrinkles on his face becoming more and more obvious. After hesitating for a moment, he leaned forward and lowered his voice, making a very careful posture:

"Mr. Xia Nan, I can see your sincerity, but... things are not that simple."

"These past few days, it is... it is the critical period for our Mist Lamp Village to hold the sacrificial ritual. The ritual itself requires absolute silence and 'purity' and cannot be disturbed by any outside world."

"Otherwise, if the progress of the ritual is affected, the whole village will fall into disaster!"

"Sacrificial ritual?" Xia Nan raised his eyebrows slightly.

Being in a fantasy world with gods, he naturally knew what this term meant.

"Yes! It is a traditional prayer ritual passed down for generations in our village." Aspen added, but his eyes were a bit flickering, avoiding Xia Nan's gaze, "Every few years at this time, we will offer... sacrifices to pray for the peace and harvest of the village in the coming year."

Hearing this, Xia Nan didn't speak, just thought quietly.

But perhaps it was his own cold temperament and dress, which put too much pressure on people.

Only a few seconds of silence, but for the two people opposite the table, it was like a countdown before a bomb was about to explode.

The suffocating heavy pressure made it impossible to breathe.

"Two days!" The hurriedly raised tone broke the dead silence in the air. The village chief's forehead was covered with sweat, and he almost shouted.

"The sacrificial ritual is in two days, Mr. Xia Nan, do you think this will work."

"Please take a rest in the village and wait for two days. As long as the ritual is over, we, we will immediately arrange manpower to send you into the canyon to pick the herbs you need."

"These few days, let Aspen arrange for you to stay, and we will provide the best food and accommodation."

"Yes, Mr. Xia Nan, just two days is enough." Aspen's attitude was sincere and sincere, "Please also understand our difficulties. After all, this concerns the whole village, the survival of this land we grew up in."

Xia Nan still didn't speak, thinking in his heart.

From a practical point of view, although the atmosphere in the village was a bit weird, whether it was the villagers along the way or the two people in charge in front of him, the aura they emitted under his perception was at the level of ordinary people.

The strength was not very strong.

According to the practices of some adventurers in this world, not being arrogant in the village is already considered good, and still waiting for two days?

I'm afraid that just as the word "two days" popped out, the blade was already on the other party's neck.

But Xia Nan is different. ===== CHAPTER 325 =====