Goblin Dependency

——A small shop selling goods.

If that were all there was to it, it wouldn't have left Xia Nan so astonished.

But the memories surging in his mind were making it clear.

This was the place he had visited many times, earning three-digit Gold Coins from various small stones—

The general store called "Fairy Wind"!

And at the same time, it was also the place where he first encountered the [Sheep Deer Statue]!

"Have I returned to River Valley Town!?"

Xia Nan felt himself being engulfed by a massive sense of absurdity.

If it weren't for the two pieces of armor on his body, which had melted into molten iron, and the wooden carving that had vanished from the shelf.

He might have thought that his recent experiences from River Valley Station to Neum were just an illusion caused by the statue.

It wasn't until he stared at his reflection in the window, summoned the attribute panel, and carefully checked the Skill Level of each Battle Skill, confirming they were no longer in the state they were before departure, that he finally breathed a slight sigh of relief.

Meanwhile, the rationality that returned to his brain after the Elf's high pressure and his gradually calming heart after temporarily escaping the predicament made him notice the oddities in his surroundings.

First and foremost, he could confirm one thing.

The position he was currently in was definitely the "Fairy Wind" general store located in River Valley Town.

The arrangement and interior design of the store, even several details that ordinary people rarely noticed, were exactly the same as what he had seen before.

But...

That storekeeper "Farrello," who wore a pair of gold-rimmed glasses and should have been sitting behind the counter, had vanished.

Not a sound could be heard from the inner room.

Even the bustling street filled with adventurers coming and going outside the door day and night was now only deathly silent.

Noticing something strange.

Xia Nan tightly gripped the Beheading Longsword, his body tense, ready for any potential danger.

He quietly stepped forward, cautiously pushing open the door of the general store.

"Ding-a-ling~"

The bell hanging on the wooden door rang lightly.

What appeared before him was a street with which he was very familiar.

A straight, wide stone-bricked avenue, colorful signs attracting the attention of passersby, shops lined up in rows...

Xia Nan could even see from a distance, the highly recognizable adventurer association with its Mist Forest style, resembling a towering oak tree.

Only that the usually bustling and lively street.

At this moment, was utterly deserted.

There were neither adventurers, merchants, nor even a single sparrow in sight.

A cautious look flashed in the depths of Xia Nan's dark eyes, inexplicable thoughts flowed through his mind.

The iron-grey tip of his sword angled upward as he slowly began to stride forward.

He didn't rashly shout out, merely walking along the road, towards the adventurer association's direction.

He initially thought that after chanting the so-called "true name," he had been teleported to River Valley Town.

But the current situation seemed somewhat different from what he had imagined.

Like the "Mirror World" of urban legends from his previous life, where the environment is indistinguishable from reality, yet without a single living soul around.

Unaware of how to exit, he planned to first visit the adventurer association.

After all, in his impression, the association was the safest place in the entire town.

If everything outside of life had been copied over, then in that place where high-level professionals from the real world gathered, there might be something useful to help him escape this predicament.

While pondering this, Xia Nan's light steps suddenly stopped.

Before him appeared a tightly shut door.

Through the crevices of the door, he could vaguely see the warm orange light inside.

This is... the White Sparrow Tavern.

A flash of inspiration crossed his mind, as if he was trying to confirm something.

He cautiously stepped forward, opening the door slowly.

"Creak."

With the sound of hinges creaking.

What appeared in his vision was the flickering fireplace flame, the transparent luster of glass wine glasses, slightly swaying colorful tapestries...

And an empty tavern with no sign of any people at the tables.

Since arriving in this world, Xia Nan had never seen the White Sparrow Tavern in such a state.

Even on the busiest Hunting Day, it was filled with the noise of adventurers, the tavern hall brimming with the scent of alcohol and food.

Now it was so vast and quiet.

The intense contrast sent a chill down his spine.

Taking a deep breath, Xia Nan walked straight through, heading to the room on the second floor where he had a long-term lease based on his memory.

He observed carefully.

Noticing that the setup inside the room was the same as when he left.

Inside the drawer were a few silver coins he had temporarily stored within and forgotten to take.

At the doorway on the side facing the outside corridor, there were even a few blood-stained footprints.

Xia Nan remembered clearly that the day he packed his bags, intending to head to the coach station to travel to Neum.

He happened to encounter a few adventurers returning drenched in blood after completing their missions for a rest.

He remembered being complained about by the innkeeper Chapton, who said the blood stains dripping on the floor were troublesome to clean.

But now...

Xia Nan frowned, noticing a flaw in the details.

Based on his impression of the cleaning service at the tavern, such stains in a conspicuous place in the corridor should never last until the next day.

A few blood-stained footprints, no matter how difficult to clean, it was almost a month since he left, even if it was just sprinkling water and wiping them casually, they should have been dealt with long ago.

They could not still be as they were, as though they had just been freshly made.

"Could it be that... the timeline in this Mirror World isn't synchronized with the outside world?"