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Goblin Dependency-Chapter 292 - 155 Neum_2
Chapter 292: Chapter 155 Neum_2 freewёbn૦νeɭ.com
But that’s all there is to it.
It’s just a newspaper, and later, when you get off the carriage, you can find a place by the roadside to buy one. There’s no rush.
Xia Nan sat alone in the carriage, looking out the window.
What came into view was no longer the endless fields and wastelands he’d grown tired of on the long road, but rather rows of orderly houses and wide, bustling streets.
The noise in his ears was no longer just the creaking of wheels rolling or the annoying howling of the wind across the plains.
But rather, there was an added bustle of pedestrians and vendors coming and going along the road.
After more than half a month’s tedious journey, with stops and starts along the way, the caravan finally reached their destination:
—Neum.
Speaking of which, throughout this trip, no difficulties, as seen on that night, were encountered again.
Be it demons or bandits, none appeared.
But for Xia Nan, the experience was nothing short of torture.
There was no soft and comfortable big bed in a hotel room, no warm, creamy mushroom soup, and even training battle skills became difficult, only possible during the brief stops for rest.
The only advantage of being on the carriage compared to life in River Valley Town was that it was slightly quieter at night when sleeping, without the noise from the tavern hall downstairs.
To some extent, because he needed to stay highly alert, always on guard against possible demons, time subjectively flew by.
Even when adventuring in the Mist Forest, it wasn’t as painful as it was now.
Especially for someone like Xia Nan, who came from modern society and enjoyed the convenience of transportation propelled by technology.
He had never missed the old, worn-out car in his garage so much, nor the cramped subway car filled with various odors during rush hours.
However, based on his observations during this time, the magic power in this world is highly developed, and there’s a high probability that technology in the realm of "teleportation" exists.
Perhaps inventions akin to trains and aircraft have already appeared and been practical due to developments in magic power.
It’s just that he lived in a remote place, so he hadn’t come into contact with such information?
As he pondered, the speed slowed further after entering the city, and even the carriage, which children could keep up with by running, finally came to a halt.
"Mr. Xia Nan, we have arrived."
From outside the window came the rather respectful voice of the caravan leader.
Xia Nan gathered his belongings and alighted from the carriage.
"Sir, your spoils, as we discussed earlier, will be exchanged for gold coins at market price and deposited with Boss Chapton at the White Sparrow Tavern."
"Alright, just mention my name then," Xia Nan nodded in reply. "I mentioned it to him before I set off, so this works out perfectly."
After exchanging a few pleasantries, just as he was about to leave, the caravan leader hesitated a bit and cautiously asked:
"No offense, but do you know when you plan to return? If the timing is right, perhaps..."
Understanding the other party’s intention, it was clear they wanted to give him a ride back to River Valley Town.
It was completely understandable.
Having an extra professional like Xia Nan among the passengers meant they could earn fare while also having him double as a "guard" in case of danger, without extra pay, and even keeping part of the spoils as a tip.
It’s almost entirely advantageous with no drawbacks.
To this, Xia Nan wasn’t particularly concerned, but the timing of this task was uncertain.
If things went smoothly, he might return to the city as soon as tomorrow;
But if he encountered some trouble, staying in Neum for ten days or half a month wasn’t impossible.
So, he shook his head, politely declined:
"You go about your business, don’t worry about me. I’ll find another caravan to return with when the time comes."
Having said that, the caravan leader had no reason to insist further, so he said a few more nice words and took his leave.
Carrying his luggage, Xia Nan stood on the street, discerning the roads.
It was already evening when the caravan entered the city.
Though he knew the destination of his task, investigating immediately seemed inappropriate.
He planned to find an inn to rest for the night, recharging and gathering some information.
And wait until daylight tomorrow to head to the location on the note...
"Plop."
A sudden, faint sound of footsteps came from behind.
Instinctively, he shifted his body sideways, clearing the way.
The next second, a youthful figure stumbled past him.
It appeared to be another adventurer, but clearly inexperienced, as their gear looked rather crude.
They clutched a package tightly to their chest.
Xia Nan furrowed his brows, vaguely remembering them.
This young man with a fresh face seemed to be a fellow passenger from the caravan.
He recalled them traveling with a slightly older man, though he had been killed by a bandit’s blade.
It was sheer bad luck; many people in the caravan were injured in that fight, but he was the only one who died.
This was the reason Xia Nan had an impression of the person before him.
Watching the other’s back disappear into the crowd.
Xia Nan withdrew his gaze, shook his head, and stopped paying attention.
He walked towards the other side of the street.
...
Neum,
as the core city of the Pan Yun Province in the Sevia Kingdom.
You could say it truly has the look of a big city.
Aside from River Valley Town, Xia Nan had previously only visited Kalanfor, its satellite town, and had no concrete impression of the world’s large cities.
Now, walking down the street.
Even though he was still far from the city’s central district.
Just by looking at the densely lined-up storefronts reflecting myriad lights through the glass display windows, he could feel the prosperity within.
Often, a city’s development level can be glimpsed from the attire and demeanor of the civilians walking the streets.
There were, of course, scruffy-looking vagrants, but they were only a few.
For the most part, the pedestrians Xia Nan observed were dressed decently, with scarcely any of the patches commonly seen on rural clothes.
Since it was evening, it was also the end of the workday.
People, having finished a hard day’s work, moved briskly, and food stalls were crowded with customers.
From time to time, he could even see families of three walking hand in hand along the street.
This left a very good first impression of the city on Xia Nan.
However, based on his understanding of this world, he guessed that he was currently in a relatively affluent area of the city.
Places like slums definitely existed.
Probably just a couple of streets away.
On the other hand, compared to River Valley Town and Kalanfor, there was a noticeable difference.
Adventurers like him, fully equipped, were not commonly seen on the streets.
Only occasionally did he spot one or two burly men clad in armor, dashing through the crowd with iron at their waist.
Instead, there were squads of guards in official gear, looking quite heroic on the surface, marching down the center of the roads.
No rush.
Xia Nan continued to experience the culture and customs of the big city, strolling leisurely down the street, his eyes scanning the shop signs on either side, searching for a potential inn.
[Stone Oven Bakery]—"I still feel like eating some meat tonight. I wonder if any taverns here serve mushroom soup, and how it tastes."
[Old Badger Oil Lamp]—"Seems like a shop selling candles and lamps, but it looks empty from the outside."
[Nightingale’s Nest]—"Hmm..."
[Three Copper Coins]—"The name seems straightforward, a cheap butcher’s shop, but aren’t there a bit too many flies?"
[Pigeon Feather Tailor Shop]—"The shop looks new, like it just opened not long ago, yet it seems to have a decent number of customers..."
"Hmm?"
His gaze paused, and he unconsciously stopped his steps.
A rather peculiar expression suddenly appeared on Xia Nan’s face.
Inside the tailor shop, a familiar figure was bustling about, limping.
He considered whether to go up and say hello.
But then he saw, from the other side of the street, a few fierce-looking men with rolled-up sleeves and half-open shirts, deliberately exposing colorful tattoos.
They walked straight into the tailor shop’s door.
"Is it really that classic?"
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