Goblin Dependency-Chapter 698 - 350: Emotional Intelligence and Generosity

One must admit, Horak’s timing was rather subtle.

A little earlier, Xia Nan and the others were still collecting honey in the nearby woods;

A little later, they might have already finished dinner.

At this moment, just as several of them were returning to camp with the Anvil Beehive, not even enough time to process it yet... it’s hard not to suspect whether the other party knew their whereabouts in advance and deliberately chose the timing.

However, considering that Soldin left the camp alone at the time, and only Margaret and Xia Nan were aware of matters related to the "Anvil Beehive."

With the Perception Ability of the strongest adventurers in their group, there was no possibility of anyone tracking or spying on them.

So most likely it was just a coincidence.

At least Xia Nan didn’t find anything strange in the other party’s expression.

"Good evening! My young friends!"

"On a night deep in the wilderness, having only starlight as a companion would be too dull!"

Horak walked in front of the group, greeting them with a smile before even entering their small camp.

After seven days of getting along, this generous merchant, initially giving the impression of treating the caravan trip like an extravagant noble outing, appeared quite considerate and kind in everyday dealings.

Don’t even mention Xia Nan and the adventurers specifically hired by their caravan, even those few servants who served the caravan members never saw Horak scolding them face-to-face.

Even if a team member occasionally made a mistake, he remained very calm, with most of the scolding being done by his assistant steward following behind him, a stern-looking, lean man—Xia Nan guessed, serving the roles of "bad cop" and "good cop."

Generous indeed, often praising and rewarding a team member for doing something well, even if most of the rewards were just a few copper coins or one or two silver coins, but calculating all together, the bonus given to the team members alone was enough to hire two or three more newcomers.

Not to mention the silver chain pocket watch Horak forcefully gifted Xia Nan as a greeting present upon their first meeting, giving Xia Nan a good impression of this merchant.

"My old friend here always says one should enjoy the loneliness of the evening properly." Horak patted the shoulder of the caravan steward beside him, "But I was born to love bustling activities, especially sharing food with fellow travelers."

The servants following behind quickly stepped forward, placing the food-fragrant iron pot they were carrying on the campfire.

As the lid was lifted, a thick, enticing aroma burst forth with the rising smoke, revealing the dish beneath, which by appearance alone promised a delicious meal.

Golden oil bubbled in the thick stew, with onions, carrots, and vegetable roots accentuating the main ingredient: a pot full of tender, fragrant, simmered chicken.

"From a farm near the Mist Forest, nourished by magic particles in the woods from the moment it hatched, it’s the finest Black Feather Chicken. Before departing, I even found the best cook in River Valley Town to marinate it for a whole day with special spices."

"Simmered slowly over low heat, the flavors have seeped into the bones. Give it a try, you definitely won’t be disappointed!"

Saying this, Horak casually sat on a folding stool his servants prepared for him, assuming an easy and natural demeanor, as if he were not in a makeshift camp on a journey, but his own living room.

But paired with his enthusiastic and composed attitude, along with his genuine act of bringing high-quality food, it caused no aversion.

Quite perceptive, noticing that the reactions of several people today differed from previous days, Horak seemed to realize something, glancing at the bag Margaret was holding and the swollen, red hands of the Dwarf, and he made a guess in his mind.

Without awkwardness, he only smiled to ease the atmosphere:

"Haha, looks like... I came at a bad time?"

"Not at all." Dwarf Soldin quickly replied, the decoration on his chest braid clinking lightly, "We’re all fellow travelers here, there’s no such thing as bad timing."

Saying so, he exchanged glances with Margaret and Xia Nan beside him, and seeing them both nod slightly, he pointed out to Horak across the campfire where they had just been. 𝑓𝘳𝘦𝑒𝑤𝑒𝘣𝘯ℴ𝘷𝘦𝓁.𝑐𝑜𝑚

"Anvil Honey!?"

Whether it was to provide sufficient emotional value or genuinely surprised by the rarity of the ingredient, Horak’s surprise seemed very genuine, almost making him sit up straight on the stool.

"Aren’t these bees usually only found in mountains and mining areas? Didn’t expect them to be in this plains wilderness."

"It’s also fortunate it’s you guys here, otherwise even if my lads in the caravan stood right in front, they’d probably not recognize it."

This plump merchant easily gave a few compliments to the group, almost without them noticing.

He also skillfully avoided asking Xia Nan and the others about the specifics and remaining status of the Anvil Beehive.

When Soldin offered him a portion from his share to taste, the merchant only scooped a few spoonfuls symbolically, neither taking much, stating how he was benefiting from Xia Nan and the others, vowing to treat them to several lavish meals back in River Valley Town once the task was concluded.