Chapter 1262 - 619: Three Days Later_2

Of course, after all, it’s not as powerful as a Transcendent existence like Frogon.

Although Xia Nan’s actual combat power far surpasses his Professional Level and is relatively well-rounded, he would still choose to take a detour when encountering particularly dangerous terrain or sensing territory marked by difficult demons.

This made the actual progress slower than planned.

But it was still within an acceptable range.

Unconsciously thinking back to the intelligence exchanged with that team captain a few days ago.

Unexpectedly, the barbarian Fugang’s speed was much slower than Xia Nan had imagined.

Even though Fugang set out from Salt Rock Port days before him, the current progress hadn’t yet reached Bloodcast Fortress, which was evidently not the speed expected of a near-Legendary powerful entity.

Xia Nan speculated that perhaps Fugang encountered some unexpected situation along the way that slowed down his travel efficiency.

The good news was, according to the team captain’s description, Fugang showed no signs of combat on his body and was in good condition.

Xia Nan couldn’t help but feel a sense of relief.

Having traveled all the way from Suo Yu Bay to here had been full of twists and turns, and it was hard to imagine getting involved in battles of such level again.

Meanwhile, even though Xia Nan knew that Fugang was probably also on the route from Salt Rock Port to Bloodcast Fortress, he only slightly increased his own speed without pushing recklessly.

On one hand, they shared a common destination.

After all, the final goal was Bloodcast Fortress, so they would eventually meet.

Whether sooner or later, a few days wouldn’t make a difference.

There was no need to completely disrupt the already established plan just because of such news, especially if it could adversely affect one’s safety, which would be counterproductive.

On the other hand, for Xia Nan to speed up, he would need to constantly use [Teeth Hunting] on the way, which would greatly consume Stamina.

Approaching the kingdom’s border, and being alone, there might be unexpected troubles. It’s wise to maintain a reserve of energy to respond to emergencies.

So even by accelerating slightly, he managed his energy consumption with reasonable allocation.

Besides, Xia Nan further inquired about the current situation of his destination "Bloodcast Fortress," using the valuable opportunity from interacting with soldiers recently retreated from the frontline during his conversation with the recruitment team captain.

The situation described seemed quite simple: the increase in demons led to heavy border troop losses, forcing the recruitment of adventurers locally.

But thinking carefully, there were many suspicious points.

Bloodcast Fortress stood at the border for a century, facing mostly enemy invasions, so why did so many dangerous demons suddenly appear now?

The kingdom’s side could obviously mobilize official forces from other places to replenish troops, so why did they allow Bloodcast Fortress to recruit adventurers without any response?

Given this premise, what role did the barbarian Fugang, who was heading towards Bloodcast Fortress, play in this, and what was his status?

Complicated thoughts intertwined in Xia Nan’s mind.

Even though there wasn’t enough intelligence to derive a clear thread from these doubts, Xia Nan instinctively raised his vigilance, ready to deal with unexpected situations.

Hmm... saying it bluntly, after all, he was just an adventurer recently advanced to Level 4, and the Sevia Kingdom would be there if the sky fell.

While it was okay to consider more, focusing on the road ahead was sometimes a wise choice.

Lastly, about the little incident on the road with that master and servant who claimed to be from the "Silver Lake Shield" family from the Imperial City.

The two gave Xia Nan an impression somewhat similar to the Half Elf coast and Wanderer Wood he encountered at the start of his adventure.

Only perhaps due to age, the blond-haired, blue-eyed youth named Zanfri showed a much greener side in all aspects, like a rookie fresh out of school.

In contrast, A ke’s level of strength far exceeded that of the Half Elf and his guard, estimated to be around Level 3.

But if what the other side said was true, that the blond blue-eyed boy was the third young master from a great noble family of the Imperial City, traveling so far with only a Level 3 guard...

Xia Nan could already imagine a grand drama of a prestigious family.

Given that the other side was likely to follow the recruitment team to Bloodcast Fortress, he might maintain some distance from this master and servant pair if not necessary, to avoid unnecessary trouble.

Thoughts flowed in his mind.

The wolf howls gradually subsided, and Xia Nan paused on a small hill with relatively high ground.

After a brief rest to recover stamina, his left hand traced a thin metal chain into his armor liner, seemingly pressing something lightly.

With a crisp sound and a faint buzz of a spinning needle,

the air in the palm of his right hand slightly warped as a scroll appeared out of thin air.

He spread it on the ground, unfolding a map large enough to cover a double bed, detailing the route from Salt Rock Port to Bloodcast Fortress.

Due to the map’s size and preservation conditions, very few adventurer teams carried such large, detailed maps on the road.

Having a [White Pot] Pocket Watch meant Xia Nan wasn’t restricted this way; its one-cubic-meter flexible space easily stored a thin map.

Standing on the hillside, his gaze shifted back and forth between the map and the scene ahead.

His brow furrowed slightly.

It’s not a technologically advanced society of the past life, nor a gaming world.

Xia Nan believed that with the magical technological development of Aifala Continent, things like "Living Maps" surely existed.

But for now, he only carried an ordinary leather map that couldn’t display his current location in real-time.

To determine his current location, he had to find suitable reference points to match with map routes.

However, Anlun Province’s border was full of hills, covered in lush greenery that made it hard to find obvious reference points at a glance.

More so because he diverted slightly from the planned route to avoid strong demon territories and bypass extreme terrains recently.

Going blindly without knowing his position might lead to getting completely lost.

As he pondered a solution, out of the hills rose a column of smoke, capturing Xia Nan’s attention.

Involuntarily gazing towards it, Professional Level vision took effect, faintly glimpsing blurred structures hidden amidst the vegetation.

It seemed like... a small village in the woods?

Xia Nan’s eyes brightened up.

After taking a few more careful glances and memorizing the specific location, he retracted the map into the [White Pot] Pocket Watch, activated [Teeth Hunting], and headed there.

...

Out of caution, worried it might be a hidden evil barbarian tribe.

Approaching the small village, Xia Nan ceased to use Battle Skills, remaining carefully vigilant against possible surrounding traps.

Fortunately, under the luck blessed by [Glimmer of Fate] dice, he didn’t fare too badly.

After circling half the village, he only found a few simple hunting devices typical for ordinary hunters.

The traces of intelligent beings’ activities in the forest evidenced this was just a common small human settlement on the Aifala Continent.

He only intended to ask the locals for directions, not planning to stay overnight.

The Pocket Watch had plenty of supplies, preventing him from further depleting the limited resources of the impoverished villagers.

Also, knowing how adventurers like him appeared to ordinary peasants.

To avoid unnecessary trouble as much as possible, Xia Nan didn’t even plan to enter the village, intending to find someone nearby to confirm his location and then leave directly.

Unexpectedly, as soon as he reached the village entrance, he heard a roar accompanied by the dull sound of metal piercing flesh, coming from within.