Goblin Dependency

Neum, the station.

The holiday of the Moon Feast had not yet ended, but the place was already crowded with bustling people.

An bearded Dwarf cloaked in bear fur, resembling an upright bear cub, swung the whip in his hand, cursing at the pedestrians blocking the way with some unspeakable foul words;

A Half orc, bare-chested with solid, muscular form writhing and expanding under the sweat-soaked pale green skin, grimaced due to excessive exertion, heaving heavy sacks off a carriage.

The Moon Feast was certainly worth celebrating, but for many impoverished residents in the slums, who couldn't even fill their bellies, it was at most an excuse to have a relatively lavish dinner on the festival day.

Things like "holidays" and "rest" could only be enjoyed by "city folks" with steady jobs and regular income.

In their situation, missing a day of work meant an extra day of hunger.

No one would forgo the opportunity to earn money for those elusive holiday customs.

"Big news! Big news!"

"The Moon God Church was attacked, evil presence rumored to be spreading in the city!"

"..."

The cries of the newsboy echoed among the crowded throng, reaching Xia Nan's ears.

It caught his attention.

Looking over, he saw a small, familiar figure standing atop a nearby carriage's saddle, vigorously waving a newspaper, trying to sell today's news to passing pedestrians.

He vaguely recalled encountering this figure when he first arrived in Neum.

He originally thought of buying a newspaper, but due to being chased away by the convoy guards, he didn't manage to.

Today, he unexpectedly ran into the person again.

He thought it was quite a coincidence.

Xia Nan stepped forward, took two copper coins from his purse, and handed them over.

"Give me one."

"Alright, sir."

For some people, the major incident that suddenly occurred in the city might be a dangerous event keeping them up all night.

But for these newsboys who made a living off newspaper sales, it was a good time to earn money.

As long as it didn't affect them personally, they hoped for big news every day, even if it meant a new City Lord daily.

The sensational news title kept Little Nasal extremely busy, not even recognizing the adventurer he had once seen through a carriage window.

He smiled, taking the two copper coins from Xia Nan and handing him a newspaper from his arms.

He didn't care about it.

With one hand lightly on his purse, Xia Nan squeezed through the crowd, found an open corner, and began to read the newspaper.

The first thing that caught his eye, naturally, was the headline mentioned by the newsboy—

"Moon God Church Suspected of Attack by Cultists, Heavy Losses for City Guards"

The followers of the Moon Maiden Serenne were widespread, and its clergy had always adhered to its doctrine, guiding the lost and helping those in distress.

The Moon God Church enjoyed high prestige not only in its West City District area but also in the distant slums.

The attack on the night of the Moon Feast had directly overshadowed the recent turmoil among Neum's high-ranking officials, becoming a hot topic among most residents in the past two days.

Various strange and wild speculations arose around this event in the city's taverns, large and small.

Some said that Devils from Hell had bewitched a nun with shaky faith in the church, causing her to betray the goddess and stir up trouble;

Others doubted if the event itself was related to the recent shadow cast over the City Lord position, suggesting collusion between the church's chief Priest Isidor and some noble.

Some even believed it was linked to the adventurers returning to Neum City after Hunting Day, thinking that these dangerous post-slaughter individuals had brought evil forces from the River Valley Town and Mist Forest.

Of course, regarding this last point, most people dismissed it with a laugh after hearing it, treating it as fanciful nonsense.

Following that was another headline on the front page, right below the church attack report:

"Urgent Recall! Forbidden Statue Circulating in the City, Contact Local Sheriff if Seen, Unauthorized Possession May Be Charged as 'Blasphemy'"

The report linked the statue with the attackers of the Moon God Church, claiming it was a conspiracy by cultists and urged residents possessing such wooden carvings to surrender them quickly, lest they endanger their own safety.

Next to it, a frontal image of the statue was affectionately provided for citizens to distinguish and identify.

Looking at the image of the "Sheep Deer Statue" with stag antlers and a ram's head on the newspaper.

Xia Nan felt a bit complicated.

Afterward, when he went back, he naturally reviewed what had happened that night.

He realized that the peculiarly behaving golden-haired Elf had likely ventured into the slums to find him to have him recite that "true name" noted down.

His attraction to the Golden Elf probably originated from his first encounter with the "Sheep Deer Statue" at Fairy Wind.

This wooden carving was the origin of it all.

Thanks to his calm demeanor and relatively good fortune, he found the key to escape in the Secret Realm constructed dominantly by his own memory.

And by relying on his robust willpower, he forcibly withstood the mental onslaught from the unseen sculpture artist.

He reaped specialties and attributes unexpectedly benefiting from misfortune.

Otherwise...

Recalling the bizarre environment in the Secret Realm and the unspeakable plight in the attic...