【Honey Orange】
Type: Dagger
Grade: Excellent (Green)
Effects
1. High Toughness;
2. While held, slightly increases the wielder's Mental Resistance.
Description
A wooden dagger carved from a broken branch of a completely withered "Miracle" orange tree. A special power from a foreign land has caused it to undergo a mysterious transformation.
It was not created for slaughter, but rather as a memento crafted by its owner to solace the past and warn the self. Perhaps the blade, which is not particularly sharp, truly intends to cut things other than flesh and blood.
Note
"The place closest to the Goddess seems to be the place furthest from Her."
...
The wooden dagger, made primarily from the broken branch of a withered orange tree, currently presented a bizarre and magnificent contradiction.
The overall structure of the dagger largely maintained its original coarse appearance; it had not been meticulously polished, preserving its original intent as a memento rather than a weapon.
Its main body, including the grip and the inner core of the blade, remained a branch taken from the "Miracle" orange tree in the priest's childhood memories. The wood was rough and simple, deep brown in color, and covered in fine, natural grain.
Holding it in one's hand, one could clearly feel a warm, lightweight texture unique to aged wood.
However, starting from the tip of the blade and extending upward to the grip, covering the entire cutting edge, was the pink gemstone that Xia Nan was all too familiar with—the one possessing exaggerated physical defense properties.
The translucent pink crystals aggregated tightly against the wooden dagger, forming a perfectly smooth, fluid, and sharp magnificent edge.
Upon closer observation, one could see an irregular, twisting boundary line where the crystals merged with the wood, like a coastline eroded by the tide. The pink gemstone was slowly transforming everything it touched in an irresistible manner, yet it had frozen and stopped abruptly midway.
With a slight flick of the wrist, the glass-like, clear pink edge reflected the moonlight, casting a blend of silver and pink hues into Xia Nan's pitch-black eyes.
It was indeed enchanted equipment, but clearly, the attributes of this dagger were not sufficient for it to serve as Xia Nan's primary weapon, and its type did not fit his combat style at all.
Aside from the rare "High Toughness," the only additional effect was "slightly increases Mental Resistance while carried," which was better than nothing.
Xia Nan even felt that the reason the [Honey Orange] short dagger's quality could reach "Excellent (Green)" on the attribute panel was entirely due to the "High Toughness" pulling it up.
To some extent, it could only be considered an ordinary small knife that was exceptionally sturdy but possessed average sharpness.
Fortunately, the pink gemstones covering the blade's edge had lost their charm effects, so there was no longer a need to worry about whether carrying it would affect his mind.
Xia Nan trusted his judgment, and naturally, he trusted the information on the attribute panel.
If holding it truly caused side effects, his sole "golden finger" would certainly display them.
As it happened, the small knife he carried for cutting biological material trophies was somewhat dull. Due to the gemstone incident in town, he hadn't had time to get it repaired at the blacksmith's.
For now, [Honey Orange] served as a perfect replacement.
With the "High Toughness" effect, it would certainly be far more durable than ordinary daggers.
Come to think of it, it was quite amusing; he was probably the only person who would use a piece of truly enchanted equipment as a daily skinning knife for processing materials.
"If I'm short on money in the future... it's not like I couldn't sell it," Xia Nan mused inwardly, his gaze following the blade toward the priest's corpse on the ground.
The experiences from Moen's dream unconsciously resurfaced in his mind.
Born into a family of fruit farmers, his hometown suffered from a blight. He prayed desperately for the Seven-Day Goddess to appear, and she miraculously saved his family's orchard, leading him onto the path of serving the deity.
He thought he was the chosen one of the gods, only to waste decades in a corner of the church, witnessing the corruption and hypocrisy of the higher-ups. Even his own family became wealthy monopolists of the local industry, and the divine tree of the past ceased to bear fruit.
Heartbroken, he retired to a remote town, where he should have spent the rest of his days in peace, until a pink gemstone descended upon the world.
The dagger in his hand, named [Honey Orange], was in many ways a microcosm of the old priest's life
One end was the starting point born of faith, a past that had withered but was never forgotten;
The other end was the "New Divine Grace" that arrived after faith had cracked, carrying a lethal beauty and unknown power.
The two collided and merged, attempting to force a union amidst fragility and danger, only to stop abruptly halfway, leaving everything frozen.
*Swish!*
With a burst of strength from his arm and a sharp whistling sound, the pink-and-brown blade left a fleeting afterimage in the air.
He curled his fingers, tapping the surface of the short dagger, feeling the exceptional sturdiness of the blade enhanced by the pink crystals.
Xia Nan nodded with satisfaction and slid the dagger back into its leather sheath, fastening it to his waist.
Ahead, from the direction of the church entrance, faint sounds of painful panting could be heard.
The two members of the Blackwood squad, who had been lying unconscious on the ground, finally woke up now that the battle had completely ended.
The first to regain consciousness was the squad leader, Margaret.
This female swordsman, usually calm and decisive with healthy wheat-colored skin and a heroic aura, now acted as if she had just woken up, struggling immensely to prop herself up with her arms.
Her gaze was vacant and unfocused.
She stared blankly at Xia Nan in the clearing. It took a full two seconds before her brain finally finished rebooting from the dizziness and pain.
Driven by muscle memory, she sprang up from the ground in a reflexive "boing," her cold-glinting longsword shielding her front in a combat-ready stance.
Only then, seeing the corpses on the ground and the changes in the environment, did she realize the battle was over.
She awkwardly lowered her stance and gave Xia Nan a stiff smile.
On the other hand, the dwarf Sordin, perhaps due to his personality and more relaxed nerves, adapted much faster.
Although he had shown the same confusion upon waking, his subsequent reaction was far more natural than Margaret's.
He quickly realized that Xia Nan had dealt with the enemy while they were unconscious.
While remaining wary of the crystallized corpse of the priest on the ground, he beckoned the female swordsman to approach Xia Nan to ask for the details.
Xia Nan had nothing to hide.
After intentionally omitting parts involving his secrets, such as the [Dream-Weaving Corridor] and the [Coin of Fate], he told them the full account of what had happened.
"As I thought, that old bastard was pulling the strings!"
His braided beard swayed as the dwarf expressed great indignation, looking as if he wanted to grab his mace and smash the priest's body a few more times.
He then expressed sincere apologies and gratitude for losing consciousness at the start of the fight, failing to help, and forcing Xia Nan to distract himself to look after them.
He bluntly stated that he would not participate in the distribution of loot and beat his chest, saying he owed Xia Nan another favor; if Xia Nan needed anything in the future, he should just say so, and there would be no possibility of refusal.
Margaret, however, remained somewhat silent after waking up.
Compared to the straightforward Sordin, the female swordsman was clearly much more observant.
The Goddess statue completely corroded by crystals, the battle marks left throughout the church, the fully crystallized priest Moen...
Margaret knew in her heart that the danger and intensity of this battle were likely far higher than what Xia Nan had described.
As teammates—even temporary ones—they had failed to contribute even a shred of strength at the critical moment, losing consciousness immediately upon entering the church and becoming a burden.
This caused the female swordsman to feel a blow to her pride.
It also pushed the invitation to join the party, which she had long prepared to offer Xia Nan upon their parting, deeper into her heart.
He was a lone wolf, that much was true. But given the massive gap in strength, forming temporary teams based on mission needs seemed to be the best way for them to interact with this young adventurer.
Moreover, Margaret keenly noticed that Xia Nan's aura was now more condensed and profound than it had been before they entered the church.
"Did his... professional level rise again?"
She couldn't help but recall the clear growth process of this black-haired adventurer known as 'Grey Sword' that she had heard about in Rivervalley Town.
So young, yet with such a rapid rate of improvement... how could ordinary teammates like them possibly keep up?
Even if their surface professional levels were slightly higher now, in a year or two, they would likely be left so far behind that they wouldn't even see his back.
Shaking her head imperceptibly, Margaret sighed inwardly.
Withdrawing her gaze from the Goddess statue, she looked at Xia Nan and proactively discussed the plan for the subsequent cleanup.
Meanwhile, from the town center square outside the church doors behind them, a faint commotion began to stir.
...
...
"Are you sure you don't want to return to Rivervalley Town with us?"
Cashmere Rusty Nail Inn, Main Hall.
Horako looked at the black-haired youth across the table, clinging to a final shred of hope as he tried to persuade him to stay.
The outstanding strength of this young adventurer named "Xia Nan" went without saying.
His reliability had been proven through actual events, earning the trust of the wealthy merchant who had been deeply unsettled by the gemstone incident.
If possible, even at the cost of a hiring fee many times higher than the market average, he wanted to keep Xia Nan by his side as a guard.
In fact, Horako had already put his thoughts into action, proactively and sincerely offering a salary that would be considered "astronomical" to an ordinary person.
Xia Nan simply smiled and shook his head.
He had already explained his reasons for refusing; his current actions were enough to signal his stance.
"Very well..."
Freed from the mental control of the gemstone, Horako had returned to being the shrewd yet generous and kind wealthy merchant.
Knowing that such things could not be forced, he stopped pestering him.
Instead, he took a high-denomination crystal card from his breast pocket, containing a full three hundred gold coins.
He placed it on the table and pushed it toward Xia Nan.
"I left in a hurry and didn't bring much with me..."
"I've heard the details from Sordin and the others. Without you, I fear we all would have remained here forever."
"This is the reward for the contribution you made to the entire caravan, including myself."
"It's a small token of my appreciation; please, do not refuse."
Since the man put it that way, Xia Nan didn't stand on ceremony and nodded, accepting the crystal card.
This caused his net worth to soar to 839 gold, 2 silver, and 6 copper.
"Finally, I wish you a smooth journey."
"Remember, if you have the chance to visit Neum in the future, be sure to find me."
At the same time, the two members of the Blackwood squad walked in through the inn doors, followed by a plainly dressed young girl.
She looked vaguely familiar; with a bit of thought, he remembered she was the girl he had met in the orange grove.
Now, following the two adventurers, the girl huddled her shoulders, appearing nervous. Her steps were fragmented and her body stiff, but she carried a basket covered with hemp cloth in her hand.
"This girl seemed to have been waiting outside for a long time, but she didn't dare come in. If the captain hadn't spotted her with her sharp eyes, she'd probably still be waiting across the street," the dwarf explained, waving to Xia Nan.
Moen's death had not only caused the light wall that enveloped the entire Horn Town to dissipate—piercing through the church dome—but it also freed the townspeople who had been charmed by the gemstones from their state of mental control.
Their memories remained; they could clearly remember everything that had happened during this time.
Naturally, they were aware of the identity of the culprit—the highly respected priest of the town—and the contributions made by Xia Nan and his companions.
They might feel fear because of the crystallized villagers who had been killed and the overwhelming strength they couldn't resist, but more than that, they felt gratitude and relief.
Xia Nan understood the townspeople's reactions. In fact, the impact of the crystallization incident was far from over.
The gemstone crystals deeply embedded in the flesh of the residents that had lost their effect, the priest of the Shantia Church who had betrayed his faith, the origin and source of the pastel gemstones...
There were still many matters left for the relevant authorities to handle.
Presumably, for a short while, the residents of Horn Town would not be able to return to their former peaceful lives.
And Xia Nan was about to leave the town to continue his journey.
Barring any accidents, he likely would never have the chance to return to this remote town again...
Seeing the black-haired youth by the dining table, the girl from the orange grove seemed to breathe a sigh of relief.
Her pace quickened as she approached the puzzled Xia Nan.
Lifting both hands, she offered the basket to him.
Xia Nan reached out and lifted the hemp cloth covering the basket.
Accompanied by a sweet orange fragrance filling the air, what met his eyes was the vivid orange-red characteristic of honey oranges.
...
...
"Hiss..."
At the same time, on the other side of the continent, deep within a dense jungle.
A girl with delicate features and a deep chestnut ponytail tied behind her head sat alone in a camp, with magical glimmers faintly flickering in the air.
The small brown cloak draped over her shoulders was neatly placed on a blanket to the side. Her beige robe was slightly tightened due to her cross-legged posture, outlining a slender and fragile silhouette.
The young mage, possessing memories of two lifetimes, still wore an expression of deep exhaustion and heavy pressure, as she had before.
Right now, however, she was in stark contrast, grimacing with her eyes tightly shut in pain.
Only after she grabbed a nearby water bottle and gulped down nearly half of it did she finally catch her breath.
With a hint of resentment in her amber eyes, she looked down at the ground in front of her, where a small orange with green skin sat, one segment already broken off.
"I remember these oranges being very sweet. The season is clearly here, so why..."
While complaining in her heart, the girl's body suddenly stiffened.
At some unknown moment, within her perception, the world-line deviation rate had actually increased by another 0.12%.
"Why... why!?"
"How can this be!?"
The sudden shock left the girl momentarily stunned.
Suddenly, she felt the lingering sourness on the tip of her tongue.
For a moment, the way she looked at the small orange on the ground became strange.
After hesitating for a moment, that slender, fair hand reached toward the orange again, trembling slightly.
(End of Chapter)