Goblin Dependency
Chapter 313 - 165 Reunion_2

Chapter 313: Chapter 165 Reunion_2

There was something strange on his face, as his gaze studied him.

"Have you advanced?"

Without any intention to hide, Xia Nan nodded slightly, swirling the drink in his hand.

"Not long ago, just a few days back."

Upon hearing this, the middle-aged man with an aged look on his face couldn’t help but feel a bit sentimental.

"I remember the last time I saw you, you were still two battle skills away from obtaining your Professional Level, right?"

"How long has it been, half a year?"

"Just lucky, that’s all."

"Without your connections, I couldn’t have met the conditions for advancement this quickly."

Reflecting on the whole journey, Xia Nan was quite aware of his capabilities.

His efforts and crucial decisions at key moments were, of course, one reason he could obtain a Professional Level so swiftly.

But the convenience provided by the attribute panel, the help from the likes of Half orc Alton and Green Blood Adeline, along with a "smidgen" of indispensable luck.

These were even more pivotal.

Arrogance leads to downfall; he understood this all too well.

Didn’t want to dwell too much on it.

Xia Nan glanced around, seemingly looking for a silver-white-haired figure, and shifted the topic:

"Why isn’t Hai’an here, didn’t he come out with you?"

Wood looked at Xia Nan, seemingly puzzled as to why he would ask such a question, then suddenly realized, they had never disclosed their identities to him.

Shaking his head, his gaze lowered to the clear water before him.

"The young master’s full name is ’Hai’an Wakefield.’

Wakefield?

Xia Nan felt a strange familiarity, as if he had heard this name somewhere before.

Suddenly bewildered, he lowered his voice and tentatively asked:

"Wakefield... the Lord of Neum City?"

Wood nodded silently.

Well, I’ll be!

He knew Hai’an had a good family background, but he never expected it to be this prestigious.

No wonder they could easily invite a mentor who was close to legendary as an Extraordinary Strong.

Raising an eyebrow, he peeked at Xia Nan, seemingly aware of what he was thinking, Wood explained:

"Sir Fugang and the mistress were teammates for a while. When we returned, he happened to be resting in Neum and since he might pass through River Valley Town, we naturally asked him for help."

Though professionals were not scarce in this world, those in the ’Transcendent’ or even near ’Legendary’ level were a tiny fraction atop the pyramid.

Even the administrator of a large city like Neum, in terms of status, could be lower than some.

Being able to invite Barbarian Fugang was partly because he was passing through River Valley Town, but his relationship with the Half Elf mother was the main factor.

Teaching an adventurer a suitable battle skill along the way wasn’t a big deal; but if it involved the Wakefield family matters, it was another issue altogether.

Recalling the rumors he had heard over the past two days.

He seemed aware that something happened within the Wakefield family.

With a tone that was polite yet not offensive, Xia Nan cautiously asked:

"Hai’an... is he doing alright? Is there anything I can assist with?"

Feeling comforted by the young man’s concern, Wood smiled, revealing a thick sense of helplessness in his expression, shaking his head.

"Thank you for your concern. The young master is doing okay, at least in terms of personal safety... there shouldn’t be any problems."

Understanding the implicit refusal in his words, it was evident that such high-level matters were not something he could involve himself with at the moment.

So Xia Nan did not pursue the topic further.

"And what about you?" Noticing the atmosphere at the table cooling down, Wood proactively steered the conversation, "Staying well in River Valley Town, what brings you to Neum?"

"Planning to retire, come over to enjoy retirement life?"

Hearing that, a slight smile appeared on Xia Nan’s face, and just as he was about to inject his humor into the conversation...

A thought crossed his mind.

Considering that as a Neum local, Wood would be much more familiar with this city than himself, and being an experienced professional, he would have knowledge in many areas Xia Nan was not familiar with.

Perhaps he could share part of his current predicament with Wood, who might provide some insight.

With that in mind, Xia Nan told Wood about the objectives of his advancement task and the difficulties he was currently facing.

"Beastification... that’s quite tricky," Wood frowned, tapping his fingers on the table.

"This adventurer named ’Buck,’ I’m not acquainted with him, so I’m sorry I can’t be of much assistance."

"But if it’s ’Iron Bucket Toad,’ the tavern owner and I go way back, so making an introduction for you is no problem."

Saying this, he got up and took Xia Nan back to the bar.

"No need to be so formal, we are all friends, why the need to be polite?"

Compared to Xia Nan’s expressionless demeanor while ordering, the tavern owner "Stubborn Donkey" was especially enthusiastic after Wood’s introduction.

Smiling, he handed Xia Nan a glass and filled it up for him.

"Buck, that big guy built like a bear, I know him."

"When he first retired, he often brought some mischievous friends to mess around here."

"After his kids were born, the visits became less frequent."

"Sometimes he just came by at night, drinking by himself."

"I heard about the recent events too. For an adventurer... he’s considered lucky to enjoy a few comfortable years like that."

"If you want to know something, just ask! This old man won’t keep it from you!"

Having organized his thoughts in advance, Xia Nan didn’t beat around the bush and went straight to the point:

"If... I mean, if Buck is still alive, where might he be?"

"Where to..." Stubborn Donkey rubbed the grizzled stubble on his chin, a thoughtful expression on his elderly yet vibrant face.

"He hasn’t been here much these past two years, so I’m not really sure."

"However, there’s someone who might know."

"Who?"

"’Colander’ Ben, our former cook and Buck’s teammate."

"Every Hunting Day, these kids team up to go to River Valley Town, and this year should be no exception."

"If you want to know what happened during their mission, or where Buck might be hiding, you could try and get some information from him."

Upon hearing this, Xia Nan’s eyes lit up.

"Where does he live? Is it in Neum? Do you have a detailed address?"

"This... I honestly don’t know," Stubborn Donkey shrugged at Xia Nan, spreading his hands, "He worked here many years ago, and he’s probably moved house several times since then."

"Where he lives now, I really don’t know."

"But I can keep an eye out for you, you know, in this tavern there’s everything lacking, except for drunk adventurers who like to brag every night."

"You never know, maybe some of them are friends with Ben."

Seeing the willingness to help, with substantial progress in the task, Xia Nan couldn’t help but relax.

He took a silver coin from his pouch and pushed it across the bar to him.

"Then, I leave it to you."

"No problem, no problem."

With a stretch of his right hand, the silver coin on the table disappeared without a trace, and Stubborn Donkey’s eyes squinted into a line with his smile.

And just then.

Since making the connection, Wood, who had silently stood by, suddenly reached out and patted Xia Nan on the shoulder.

"It seems... you might not have to wait to learn Ben’s address."

"Hmm?"

Perplexed, Xia Nan followed where Wood’s gaze led.

A few tattooed thugs were swaggering into the tavern, their mood jovial.

The bald, brawny leader’s demeanor was arrogant, revealing a set of yellow teeth as he boasted to the cronies behind him.

In his hand, he casually held a bloodstained black cloth pouch.