Harvest and Parting

Hearing "You pick first," Xia Lin felt as if his falling-apart body had instantly been injected with Dwarf's strong liquor and Goblin excitement.

Fatigue? Pain? What were those things, could they be exchanged for money?

He scrambled up from the ground with a "swish," his movements so fast they startled Lila, who was preparing to help him up.

Barrett and his two companions wisely retreated to the side, watching Xia Lin begin his "treasure hunt."

Xia Lin first walked to the nearest kobold corpse, his gaze sweeping over it.

A light blue light screen flowed across his vision like water.

[Deceased Common Kobold]

[Value: Chitin scales (inferior), teeth (possibly with cavities), maybe some bone powder can be gathered?]

[Evaluation: Standard cannon fodder, died a worthy death. Friendly reminder: Be careful not to get splashed by residual bodily fluids when scavenging, who knows what diseases they carry.]

Scanning dead creatures, the mental energy consumption was almost negligible.

Xia Lin then let loose, quickly "going through" all the kobold corpses in the cave, and simultaneously opened his [Attribute Panel] to confirm his status.

[Name: Xia Lin Tolemo]

[Race: Human]

[Class: None]

[Status: Lightly Injured (Right shoulder penetrating wound, slowly recovering), Moderately Fatigued, Arcane Depleted]

[Attributes:]

[Strength: 9]

[Agility: 10]

[Constitution: 8]

[Intelligence: 14]

[Perception: 11]

[Charisma: 16]

[Skills:]

[Item Appraisal]

[Basic Swordsmanship Lv.1 (186/1000)]

[-Pommel Strike Lv.0 (45/50)]

[-Block Counter Lv.0 (41/100)]

[-Thrust Lv.0 (52/100)]

[-Furious Slash Lv.0 (48/100)]

[Arcane Pool 0/1]

[Equipment:]

[Weapon: Mercenary Standard Longsword (Durability: 12/80)]

[Evaluation: It has endured more weight than it should have, and its current shape is already a miracle. Recommend finding a reliable blacksmith to salvage it, or just sell it as scrap.]

[Armor: Iron-Clad Hard Leather Armor (Durability: 25/60)]

[Evaluation: Multiple damages, the right shoulder part is basically scrapped, but at least it can block the wind? Defense is better than nothing.]

[Accessory: Ring of Swift Wind (Levitation Spell: Used, cooling down)]

[Items: light hand crossbow (Durability: 38/40), crossbow bolts x9, lockpicking tools, rope, simple space bag (Contains: silver coins x9, copper coins several, Low-Quality Copper Ore Chunk x1, Crude Beast Fang Amulet x1, Unknown Scroll x1, Locked tin box x1, Daggers x2)]

Practical combat was indeed the best teacher; the proficiency of several key skills had significantly improved.

After confirming his own status, he shifted his attention back to the corpses of the kobold shamans and god-chosen.

[Deceased Kobold Shaman]

[Value: Tattered robe (stained with unknown filth), Bone Staff (inferior), a few strange stones (perhaps useful to an alchemist?), a bag filled with teeth and copper coins.]

[Evaluation: This guy's spellcasting level was probably as bad as a troll's personal hygiene habits. Its only achievement might be successfully leading its kin to worship the right "god"?]

Next, he walked towards the corpse emitting a burnt and sour smell.

[Deceased Kobold God-Chosen (Candle Divine Power Contaminated Body)]

[Value: Mutated golden scales, sturdy bones, a dull heart.]

[Evaluation: Ironclad proof! These brainless crawlers, bowing to a big candle, actually conjured a "god"!]

Enduring the stench, he took out his dagger and painstakingly pried off a few of the most intact golden scales from the corpse, carefully putting them away.

These things looked extraordinary and might fetch a good price, or perhaps he could find a blacksmith to see if they could reinforce his equipment.

The light screen flickered, followed by more detailed information popping up.

[Attributes:]

[Strength: 16 (+11 Divine Power Bonus)]

[Agility: 16 (+11 Divine Power Bonus)]

[Constitution: 16 (+11 Divine Power Bonus)]

[Intelligence: 5]

[Perception: 5]

[Charisma: 5]

[Special Abilities: Divine Power Scale Armor, Regeneration, Golden Flame Eyes]

"Hiss..." Xia Lin gasped.

All his physical stats were 16? No wonder he could send an old hand like Barrett flying with a single punch.

Also, was the threshold for deities in this world a bit too low?

He shook his head, no longer dwelling on the "unscientific" setting, and continued searching the cave.

His gaze swept over the "shiny" trash scattered on the ground, collected by the kobolds.

Soon, he found a few items that clearly didn't belong to kobolds.

In the corner, half-buried in rubble, was a Dwarven Standard Helmet with a twisted, scratched rim.

[Item: Damaged Dwarven Helmet]

[Evaluation: Judging by the impact marks, its previous owner probably ended his adventuring career face-first. Good quality, but deformed. It's not even good enough to be a chamber pot.]

Not far away, there was a dagger stuck in a rock crevice. The hilt bore a blurry family crest he had never seen before.

[Item: Rusted Noble Dagger]

[Evaluation: Decent craftsmanship, but extremely poorly maintained. Perhaps it belonged to a runaway young master who met his final "surprise" here.]

There was also a tattered hardcover book floating in a puddle, its cover's writing illegible.

[Item: Severely Damaged Spellbook]

[Evaluation: It might have once recorded earth-shattering secrets, but now it's barely good enough to start a fire. The knowledge within is probably only understandable by water elementals.]

Xia Lin shook his head. These items might have some research value, but they weren't very meaningful to him right now.

His gaze was finally drawn to the bottom of the altar.

In an inconspicuous groove formed by scorched stones, lay a stub of a candle no thicker than his thumb.

This small candle looked unremarkable. Compared to the once resplendent giant candle on the altar, it was like dust.

He walked forward, crouched down, and carefully reached out, grasping the small candle stub.

It was cold to the touch, with a peculiar texture, and not made of real wax.

[Item: ??? Remnant Candle (Material Unknown)]

[Status: Energy depleted? Dormant?]

[Evaluation: A total mystery. It's definitely related to the big one up there, but what exactly... who knows. Maybe it's a battery? Maybe a remote control? Or just a useless candle stub?]

The moment Xia Lin picked up the small candle stub.

"Pfft."

At the top of the altar, the giant Golden Candle, as if its last spark had been extinguished, suddenly dimmed and went out completely.

The last warmth vanished, leaving only the ray of sunlight filtering down from the opening in the cave ceiling, drifting lonely in the swirling dust.

"This is it." Xia Lin stood up, tucked the unremarkable candle stub into his pocket, and gestured to Barrett and the other two. "I want this one."

Barrett and Kasimir exchanged glances, clear confusion in their eyes.

Lila's mouth hung open. "Xia Lin, are you sure? That... that's just a candle stub! There's still plenty of golden wax on the altar! That's what's valuable!"

"I want this one," Xia Lin repeated, his tone calm.

Barrett gave Xia Lin a deep look. Though he didn't understand, he still nodded.

"Alright, suit yourself. It's settled, you pick first." He turned to Kasimir and Lila. "The rest, the three of us will split."

The looting didn't take long.

Apart from Barrett's several bundles of "goods" tightly wrapped in thick oilcloth, there were very few valuable items.

The Kobold Shaman's money pouch contained only a pile of Copper Coins and a few silver pieces, along with some spellcasting materials Xia Lin couldn't use, which Kasimir took.

Lila carefully scraped up all the golden wax she could find, filling a small jar, which made up for the loss of her expensive scroll.

As for the chosen one, apart from scales and bones, there were no special discoveries.

In the final tally, all the "public property" combined, Xia Lin only received a little over three silver coins.

By the time they left the mine, dusk was approaching.

Back at the entrance of Changhe City, Barrett patted Xia Lin on the shoulder.

"We have to go to the neighboring 'Graystone City' to handle this 'private job'. We'll probably be gone for a while."

He had a serious look on his face. "Xia Lin, we owe you this time. Are you interested in officially joining us? Our little team might be a bit poor and everyone has a bit of a temper, but when it counts, we're absolutely reliable."

Kasimir stood to the side, nodding slightly in agreement though he said nothing.

Lila's eyes sparkled as she looked at Xia Lin, her face full of anticipation.

Xia Lin smiled and shook his head. "Thank you for the offer, Brother Barrett. However, I feel I still need more experience. If I joined you now, I'd probably just be a burden."

"Alright." Barrett didn't push. "Then we'll part ways here. Next time I'm back, I'll treat you to a drink!"

"Take care." Kasimir said concisely.

"Xia Lin, you be careful too!" Lila waved goodbye with a hint of reluctance.

Watching Xia Lin's retreating figure, Barrett broke the silence first.

"That kid..." Barrett walked along, stroking his chin, and turned to Kasimir. "What do you think?"

Kasimir looked straight ahead, his tone calm. "Good potential, sharp combat intuition, ruthless. Just too inexperienced, prone to impulsiveness, and a bit greedy."

"Hey, don't be so demanding!" Lila chimed in. "He saved us! And..."

Her voice dropped, her cheeks flushing slightly. "And... he's quite handsome too..."

Barrett and Kasimir stopped simultaneously, looking at her with the expression of "you're hopeless."

Xia Lin was unaware of the "little interlude" that happened after he left.

He walked on the road home, pulled a piece of hard jerky from his pocket, and took a big bite.

Though he was tired as a dog and his whole body ached terribly, he felt an unprecedented sense of peace.

He had survived, obtained a mysterious candle that might be incredibly powerful, and clarified his own strength.

This trip was definitely worth it!

"Meow~"

A soft cat meow interrupted his thoughts.

He looked down and saw a plump white cat squatting at his feet. The fur on the tip of its tail was a bit sparse. It stared at the jerky in his hand with a pair of emerald green eyes, looking pitiful and full of desire.

"Huh? Where did this fat cat come from?" Xia Lin squatted down and tore off a small strip of jerky, offering it.

The white cat took it without hesitation, swallowed it in a few bites, and then rubbed its furry head against Xia Lin's fingers, purring with satisfaction.

Xia Lin picked it up casually. It felt substantial and surprisingly good in his arms.

He scratched the cat's chin, watching it happily squint its eyes.

"White, tail a bit bald..." A flash of inspiration struck him, and he remembered the bizarre missing cat poster at the Adventurer's Guild.

"Could it be you? Mimi?"

The cat let out a comfortable "meow," as if confirming.

Xia Lin glanced at the sky; the afterglow of the sunset had not completely faded.

"The Adventurer's Guild... it shouldn't be closed yet, right?"

He weighed the substantial, fat cat in his arms.

"Heh, my luck today is really good."