I'm not a goblin Frankenstein's monster.

Chapter 17 The Return Journey, A Hot Potato

Hearing this from not far away, Lia glanced at Ezio, who was taking notes in a small notebook, and snorted:

"Are there really any idiots who believe this?"

Ezio scribbled furiously: "This is all knowledge..."

Tagen, however, seemed serious, pondering as he asked:

"Sounds like a shamanistic custom... Is it effective?"

Xia Lin shook his head:

"I don't know, I've never died."

I haven't tried it here, at least not here.

Everyone: "..."

So the two dug a shallow pit next to the mine and buried the unidentified remains wrapped in tattered cloth.

No one knows his background or past, and of course, even if he were to tell his story now, no one would care.

The soil fell, neatly concealing the last traces of his past adventures.

Sigrún has taught at the Iceland University of the Arts as a part-time lecturer since and was Dean of the Department of Fine Art from -. In – she held a research position at Reykjavík Art Museum focusing on the role of women in Icelandic art. She studied fine art at the Icelandic College of Arts and Crafts and at Pratt Institute, New York, and holds BA and MA degrees in art history and philosophy from the University of Iceland. Sigrún lives and works in Iceland.

The group returned to Graystone Village and informed the village chief of the results of clearing the goblin's lair.

The village chief thanked them repeatedly, finally getting rid of this major worry, and insisted on having everyone stay for dinner.

Tagen declined the hospitality but borrowed an old cart from the village instead.

Leah's injuries hadn't healed yet, so the other three had to carry her on their shoulders and in their hands.

That pile of junk equipment looted from the goblins was quite a lot; if people carried it all back to town, they'd probably be exhausted half to death.

Upon seeing this, the village chief simply waved his hand and said that the vehicle was given to the team for use.

Tagen shook his head and took out ten copper coins, stuffing them into the old man's hand.

Leah explained to Charlin in a low voice, "Tagen's father used to be a farmer before becoming an adventurer. That's why he always helps the villagers whenever he can and never takes anything for free."

Xia Lin nodded.

No wonder veterans like Lia and Ezio are willing to stay with Targon's team for a long time.

The cart wheels creaked as they rolled over the dirt road.

As they pulled the cart, the group tallied up their spoils from the trip.

Aside from the Adventurers' Guild's quest rewards, there was also a cartload of goblin "premium equipment," which was practically trash, but the quantity made up for it.

The goblin has twenty-two ears on its left side, plus a goblin, a bone staff inlaid with red crystals, and an old money bag "inherited" from an unknown adventurer containing six gold coins.

In addition, there were three ordinary-quality gems found in the "Goblin Suite".

"Oh, and this too."

Targen paused, then took something out of the small leather pouch:

It was that bone necklace engraved with tribal symbols.

"Go back to the Adventurers' Guild's equipment appraisal center to get a quote. If the stats are suitable, maybe we can keep it for someone in the party."

Xia Lin recalled the unsettling feeling she had when she touched the necklace before, and offered a friendly reminder:

"Captain, maybe we should just forget about it. When I was holding it before, I felt itchy all over... That goblin might not be very clean."

"Huh?" Taggan's hand trembled, and the necklace fell back into the small leather bag with a "thud".

He hurriedly wiped his hands on his trouser leg, still feeling uneasy, and turned to hand the bag to Ezio:

"Weren't you interested in the tribal runes above? Keep them for now."

Ezio jumped back as if he'd been burned:

"It suddenly disappeared!"

Tagen looked at Xia Lin.

The latter lowered his head and focused intently on wiping the old soldier's gun with leather.

Targen looked at Leah again. Leah's eyes widened, and she shook her bandaged arm:

"I'm wounded!"

Ultimately, after much "concession" from the team, a vote was held, and the necklace was entrusted to Leah for safekeeping, on the grounds that she was "not carrying any weight."

All are happy.

So, as dusk deepened along the country road, the group continued their journey toward the town.

This time, however, it was the elf's turn to disdainfully swing his longbow and use the tip to lift the small leather bag.

A passerby walked by.

"So particular, do adventurers have obsessive-compulsive disorder?"

Sigrún has taught at the Iceland University of the Arts as a part-time lecturer since and was Dean of the Department of Fine Art from -. In – she held a research position at Reykjavík Art Museum focusing on the role of women in Icelandic art. She studied fine art at the Icelandic College of Arts and Crafts and at Pratt Institute, New York, and holds BA and MA degrees in art history and philosophy from the University of Iceland. Sigrún lives and works in Iceland.

When the group arrived at the town gate, a long queue had already formed to enter the town.

Fortunately, Tagan was acquainted with the captain of the guards at the gate, and after a few words, the captain waved him through.

Even though these guards were used to seeing dusty adventurers and caravans laden with goods, they couldn't help but twitch when they caught sight of the various "spoils" piled on the carts.

A young man carrying a backpack complained, "How come they can just go in like that?"

The guard glanced at him, his tone flat: "Our captain has already spoken with them. They're adventurers who just wiped out a goblin lair, so they're considered to be serving the kingdom. What about you?"

"I can talk too! I... I'll be an adventurer someday!" the young man raised his voice. "I can serve the kingdom!"

"We'll talk about that once you actually become one." The guard turned around, his voice brooking no argument. "Now, immediately, right now, get back to your lines!"

The young man's face flushed red as he muttered, "I know, why are you yelling so loudly?"

Finally, after being mocked by those around him and "kindly" kicked in the backside by a guard, he sullenly shrank back to the back of the line.

But the resentment in those eyes was clear.

"Never underestimate a young man's potential; fortunes can change in thirty years..."

Sigrún has taught at the Iceland University of the Arts as a part-time lecturer since and was Dean of the Department of Fine Art from -. In – she held a research position at Reykjavík Art Museum focusing on the role of women in Icelandic art. She studied fine art at the Icelandic College of Arts and Crafts and at Pratt Institute, New York, and holds BA and MA degrees in art history and philosophy from the University of Iceland. Sigrún lives and works in Iceland.

The group passed through the city gate and went straight to the Adventurers' Guild.

The person on duty behind the counter happened to be the young receptionist, Lia.

Xia Lin felt it was a coincidence; it seemed that every time she came to hand in her task, she would always run into her on duty.

The group handed over the letter of commission and the adventurer's badge together.

Adventurers' Guild/Elwyn Town Branch/Xia Lin/9527.

Leah remained calm, skillfully taking the bag of stained ears and counting them one by one on the table. After a moment, she looked up:

"Commission fee: four gold coins. Twenty-two goblin left ears. One goblin, for a total of 14 gold coins."

She then took out a small money bag from below the stage and pushed it over: "All the captured equipment has been disposed of by the association, and a total of 12 silver coins have been obtained."

She paused, her tone becoming more formal and polite than usual:

"Are you sure you're correct, Mr. Xia Lin?"

This sudden use of honorifics left Xia Lin somewhat bewildered, and she quickly nodded, "Run... Oh, confirmed, no problem."

The association's corner "Mineral Valuation" counter.

The same elderly man wearing a monocle was still sitting behind the counter.

The group handed over the three gems they had looted from the goblin's "suite".

The old man examined it for a while before slowly saying, "Its quality is average, its market price is about five to seven gold coins, and the association's purchase price is six gold coins."

That's fair enough.

Xia Lin recalled the half-section of the dark log in his arms and asked the shopkeeper to appraise its quality. The old man waved his hand, "I only appraise rare gemstones. If you want to determine the mineral composition, it's better to find the blacksmith in town."

Well, I still have to go to the dwarf blacksmith.

If even his hands, which have been handling minerals for years, can't recognize it, then this thing is probably truly unrecognizable to anyone.

On the other side, at the advanced equipment appraisal station, the appraiser was holding the bone staff.

He tapped the red crystal at the top and then examined the broken joint closely.

"The crystal is of good quality and reacts actively with energy, making it a decent fire-type amplifier."

The appraiser said in a flat tone, "Unfortunately, the staff is severely damaged; the association can only offer a maximum of twelve gold coins."

Finally, there was that strange bone necklace.

The appraiser frowned as soon as he emptied it from the bag.

"There's a trace of residual negative energy. Considering the cost of subsequent purification, the association can only offer four gold coins for it. Is that acceptable?"

Upon hearing the result, everyone breathed a sigh of relief and nodded in agreement.

Even the old leather bag that had once contained the necklace was readily given away, as if handling it for even a moment longer would be a hassle.