Chapter 28: The Cause

"Bang!"

A single-handed hammer, gleaming with a metallic luster, crashed down.

Accompanying the dull thud of hard object meeting flesh, the green snake—which, only a moment ago, had been coiled and poised with its head raised in a display of warning—was instantly reduced to a twitching, writhing lump of meat.

"Aren't there just too many snakes in this forest?" Larry the chubby man, dressed in tight, compact gear, complained while flicking the blood droplets off his hammer with a look of disgust.

A few more hours had passed since Xia Nan joined the squad.

The complex environment of the Foggy Forest, filled with dense shrubbery and tall grass, had made their journey, if not exactly arduous, then certainly difficult, depleting their stamina rapidly.

Facing the prospect of potential skirmishes, Xia Nan and the others could not afford to exhaust all their energy on traveling; they needed to maintain a certain level of combat readiness. Consequently, they had found a relatively safe spot to take a temporary rest and recover their strength.

Xia Nan sat in a corner of the camp, leaning against a tree trunk. His iron-gray longsword was propped diagonally beside him, within easy reach. He was using a piece of gauze dampened with a little water to wipe his leather armor. Although he hadn't been injured in the life-and-death struggle with the duo earlier, the enemy's blood had splattered all over him.

It wasn't that he was a neat freak; it was simply that the smell of blood attracted danger, and the sticky sensation on his skin was uncomfortable. Now that there was a lull, he took the opportunity to clean up.

"Xia Nan, do you usually encounter this many snakes when you're on missions?" Larry asked casually, tossing the pulped snake into the bushes nearby. Since they were now part of the same squad, everyone had naturally exchanged names.

Xia Nan looked up, suppressing the urge to dash over and harvest the snake gall. He reflected on his journey here and felt a bit puzzled himself. "The variety of snakes we've encountered along the way does seem a bit excessive."

*Back when I was with the 'Smelly Shrimp' squad, I don't remember there being this many snakes in the forest,* he thought to himself, though he said nothing aloud. After all, this was only his second mission, and he was no more familiar with the Foggy Forest than Larry. He simply replied, "Perhaps this area is unique? You know how it is—the Foggy Forest is filled with strange things everywhere; it's hard to say what one might run into."

"Oh? Strange?" This ambiguous answer piqued Larry's interest. "You mean rare magical beasts? Or giant man-eating plants? I've heard my cousin say that these 'large mana-gathering points' sometimes even contain legendary ancient fortresses and dungeons!"

As they discussed a topic of interest, Larry’s voice rose slightly. The blonde girl beside him also pricked up her ears, seemingly eager for stories from this new adventurer.

But clearly, the subject matter had gone beyond Xia Nan's scope of knowledge. Unsure of how to respond, he twisted his lips and said helplessly, "I'm just a rookie myself; I don't know much about those things."

"A rookie!? Your performance earlier didn't look like that of a greenhorn!"

"Why not ask Wood? His experience is clearly far richer than mine." Xia Nan shifted the topic with some stiffness.

Hearing this, Larry first shrank his head and peeked around like a thief, then remembered that the man had already left the camp to scout ahead. He leaned in, lowered his voice, and whispered, "Him? Aside from Haian, he looks at everyone like they're dead. Who would dare ask him anything? He can't squeeze out a single word all day, and whatever you ask, he just gives you a cold stare. If it weren't for..."

"Ahem."

Haian coughed deliberately to interrupt Larry, his expression somewhat resigned. "Don't listen to his nonsense. Wood is actually very competent."

Xia Nan tended to agree. He could feel the guard's wariness toward him, but that didn't prevent him from acknowledging the man's professionalism. He was still preoccupied with the wooden plaque; he hadn't had a chance to ask about it earlier, but seeing that they were now speaking openly, he decided to inquire about its origin.

"That thing?" Larry took the initiative to answer. "I bought it when I was out shopping last month. At the time..."

According to the chubby Larry, the plaque had originally been found by an adventurer in the Foggy Forest. Thinking the exotic-looking piece would fetch a high price, the adventurer had been disappointed when no shop in River Valley Town would accept it. He had eventually sold it at a low price to the owner of the "Griffin Department Store" in Neum, where Larry had discovered and purchased it.

"I originally wanted to hire that adventurer to lead the way, but he refused point-blank. In the end, I only spent a few gold coins to buy the location where he found the plaque."

"Just you guys? Why didn't you bring any guards?" Xia Nan noticed the loophole and couldn't help but frown. Even a wealthy young master traveling to the countryside would usually bring a few personal guards. Looking at Larry, nothing about his attire or style suggested he was short on money. Under these circumstances, he hadn't brought a single bodyguard?

Xia Nan didn't understand. If it were him, he might not even come in person; since it was just the outskirts of the Foggy Forest, he would spend some money to hire dozens of professionals. It would be safer and significantly increase the odds of finding something.

To this, Larry just gave a silly laugh and scratched the back of his head. "My dad never likes... bank accounts... all spies... sneaking out..." He muttered incoherently, his gaze subconsciously drifting toward the blonde girl resting nearby.

"Tch." Xia Nan pursed his lips and shook his head, his curiosity fading. They had reached this point, and whether it was him or Larry, whatever they encountered was a result of their own choices.

"So, what is so special about this piece of wood that it made you run all the way here from Neum?"

For Xia Nan, the source of the plaque's appeal needed no further explanation. But for these locals? They weren't archaeologists; risking their lives to enter a monster-infested Foggy Forest for a plaque of unknown origin didn't seem worth it.

Larry went silent. Haian, however, let out a soft sigh and explained, "I am the one leading the team." He looked up, his silver-gray eyes—typical of a half-elf—fixed on Xia Nan. "I can't say too much about the details, but I suspect this plaque... has something to do with the disappearance of one of my relatives."

Xia Nan frowned upon hearing this. Just as he was about to speak, a rustling sound suddenly erupted from the tall grass beside the camp.

He stood up instantly, instinctively grabbing his longsword, prepared for battle.

A moment later, the figure of Wood, clad in black leather armor, appeared before them. His gaze swept across everyone's faces before finally settling on the half-elf Haian.

"Young Master, I've found something."