Goblin Dependency
Chapter 93 - 68 Undead Creatures

Chapter 93: Chapter 68 Undead Creatures

The clash between Xia Nan and the gaunt man was extremely brief.

The opponent almost struck once and then retreated. After realizing he was no match, he made a quick decision, exhaled mist to buy time, and seized the chance to escape.

By the time the adventurers rushed to the doorway to provide support, the man had already made it to the window.

It was as if he had bypassed the perception of the many adventurers in the inn and silently slipped into Jeff’s room.

The opponent seemed to possess some kind of stealth ability, disappearing from sight once out of view.

Hum—

With the battle over, the half orc who had provided musical encouragement for Xia Nan also entered the room with the adventurers.

The mini lute on his back still vibrated with lingering notes.

Instead of joining the others in pursuit at the window, Alton went straight to the bedside.

He pulled a small glass vial of gray liquid from his pocket.

The potion filled only a fifth of the bottle, if not less.

Shaking it, he poured it all into the captain’s mouth.

Perhaps due to the excellent efficacy of the potion, or the distance of the gaunt man, the clean fracture on Jeff’s left leg, supported by an invisible force, began to bleed like a spring.

The half orc deftly pulled out the Medical Tool Set, disinfected, stopped the bleeding, and wrapped a bandage.

In just a few minutes, he skillfully completed the emergency treatment.

Jeff’s previously pale and pained expression gradually eased.

His chest, rising and falling with his breaths, also calmed.

However, his eyes remained shut.

"What the hell was that thing just now?"

An adventurer with disheveled clothes looked out into the night, dissolving in the morning light, and asked fearfully.

If he had been the target of such a stealth ability, he probably would have ended up lying in bed, unaware like Jeff.

"Tim, it’s Tim!"

Suddenly, an adventurer who had been the first to arrive in the room, and thus saw the man clearly, shouted loudly.

"Tim?" Xia Nan frowned at the unfamiliar name that suddenly came from the man’s mouth.

"Yes!" The adventurer pondered, as if comparing the man’s image in his mind, then nodded affirmatively.

"Though his skin somehow became like this, and he looks much older."

"But it’s definitely him!"

"I used to play cards with him often, the kind that goes all night, I wouldn’t mistake him."

Saying this, the adventurer seemed to recall more details about Tim.

"Tim was once an adventurer too; he was quite skilled, not quite at the level of a professional, but far better than us on the lower rungs."

In the middle of speaking, the man glanced at Xia Nan, who had sheathed his sword and was watching him seriously, and instinctively swallowed.

"He was an adventurer for many years, and probably saved a lot of money. He retired after getting married."

"But I heard... things haven’t been going well recently. His wife and daughter were forced to move outside the city." The adventurer added a sentence as if to prevent others from wondering why he knew so much, "I heard it from some of my friends who often go to the Full Bag of Gold."

"And then, has Tim been acting strange lately?"

Unconcerned with the tensions between them, Xia Nan pressed on.

"Strange... not really." At this, the man just shook his head pensively and replied.

"I haven’t seen him in Kalanfor for quite a while; I used to think he had gone back to his old career, taking missions outside."

"Didn’t expect..."

Recording this information in his mind, Xia Nan silently recalled the scenes from the battle just now.

Pale, bluish, lifeless skin, eyes as grey and unfocused as a corpse, combined with the sudden effect of the Wooden Sword [Green Pine]...

"Seems like this Tim might have become some kind of undead creature?"

He pondered in his mind.

Recalling the scene he encountered earlier upon entering, he turned to Alton at the bedside and asked:

"How’s Jeff doing, is he alright?"

The half orc’s earlier movements were quite adept, clearly experienced.

He didn’t give a definite reply.

Alton merely stroked his smooth chin while looking at the blood-stained bandage on Jeff’s left leg.

He shook his head and said:

"Hard to say."

"Seems like there’s something left in the wound."

"Though it’s not corrosive, it’s unusually stubborn, as if it’s merged with the flesh, hindering the healing process."

Speaking, he looked up at Xia Nan, a hint of a smile appearing on his face:

"But it’s no big deal; just get to a church."

"Even a random priest can deal with this kind of small matter."

"Though our old Jeff, if he’s reluctant to pay for treatment, might have to spend the rest of his life running a tailor’s shop with his daughter."

Hearing this, Xia Nan also sighed in relief.

As long as he’s fine.

Although he’d only known him for a few days, this honest, simple man left a good impression on him.

With a family and kids at home, dying soundlessly like that would be too much of a loss.

Turning away, he glanced at the sky.

The morning sun had slowly risen.

Xia Nan asked the half orc before him:

"I remember you mentioned before, there’s a church in Kalanfor, we..."

His words were suddenly interrupted by the sound of hurried footsteps outside the room.

Ingram arrived quickly with two guards.

The sheriff, with a strong sense of responsibility, clearly hadn’t slept all night.

His eyes were bloodshot, his handsome face drenched in rainwater, bearing a trace of fatigue.

"Jeff!?"

Seeing the convoy captain lying on the bed with closed eyes, Ingram’s steps quickened even more.

But upon reaching the bedside, he seemed a bit awkward.

He wanted to check, but feared exacerbating the injury with his movements.

He just looked pleadingly at Xia Nan and the others.

"What happened to him? What’s going on here?"

Roused from sleep, seeing things had settled.

An adventurer yawned and recounted the recent events to him.

"Pa."

A warm hand grasped Xia Nan’s arm tightly, and Ingram gratefully said:

"Thank you, thank you!"

"If it weren’t for you, my old friend might have..."

While speaking, he waved at the two guards behind him to go downstairs to see if they could find traces left by Tim.

Not accustomed to such contact, Xia Nan unobtrusively freed himself from Ingram’s grip.

"No need for that, I just happened upon it."

"How could you say that, I spent the whole night..."

Before the sheriff could finish, the half orc suddenly interrupted him.

He pointed to the golden sun emblem inside his sleeve.

"You’re a follower of Amanata, right? Take us to the church."

"Oh, right, right!"

The sheriff snapped back to awareness, instinctively tightened his sleeve, and went out to find a stretcher.