"Suit yourself."
Nolan thought for a moment and replied.
It didn't really matter whether there was one more person or one less.
"Let's go, we're heading to the Adventurers' Guild. We'll pick up a few commissions along the way."
Nolan led Shenhe and Hu Tao towards the Adventurers' Guild. After all, how could they go on an adventure without taking some commissions?
Moreover, they had already agreed to meet Yun Jin there.
Despite his immense strength, he was just a poor guy with only two million Mora in savings.
"Let's go, let's go. Ever since I handled that huge job for the Geo Archon, it feels like my luck ran out. I haven't had any new customers, so a little adventure sounds like a good way to unwind."
Hu Tao crossed her arms and sighed.
"Isn't it a good thing not to have business? It means no one is passing away!" Nolan was a little confused.
"Dummy, Wangsheng Funeral Parlor doesn't just handle funerals. We provide all kinds of ceremonial services, sell incense, spirit money, and much more. Business is booming!" Hu Tao said with a hint of dissatisfaction, glancing at Nolan.
"Oh, I see. Sorry, I misunderstood," Nolan quickly admitted his mistake.
When they arrived at the Adventurers' Guild, they spotted Yun Jin already waiting. She seemed to be chatting with Lan, the Branch Master of the Liyue Adventurers' Guild.
"Hey, Yun Jin!" Hu Tao waved with a bright smile, her usual cheerful and lively self.
"Hu Tao? What are you doing here?" Yun Jin asked, surprised.
"Oh, I heard from this annoying guy that you were going on an adventure, so I thought I'd tag along since I had nothing better to do," Hu Tao said, placing her hands on her waist, her black-painted nails contrasting sharply with her pale skin.
"Alright, but you better not play any tricks on me!" Yun Jin sighed, her delicate face showing a hint of helplessness. Even her sigh sounded sweet and clear.
She had known Hu Tao since childhood. They were good friends, and while Yun Jin enjoyed her fun, Hu Tao's pranks could sometimes be bothersome.
"Don't worry! I won't cause you any trouble!" Hu Tao patted her chest confidently.
While they were chatting, Nolan had already gone to find Katheryne and accepted a few commissions.
One was to eliminate monsters that were attacking merchant caravans, another involved clearing out an infestation of slimes in a wealthy merchant's forest, and the last one was to deal with a group of water serpents that had invaded a nearby river, disrupting the local ecosystem.
All the tasks were along the same route, and since they were all about fighting monsters, it wouldn't take much time—just a few quick battles.
"Shenhe, Yun Jin, Hu Tao—the commissions are done. Let's head out," Nolan said as he returned to the group.
"Alright," Shenhe nodded calmly.
Just as they were about to leave, Lan, the Branch Master, called out to Nolan.
"Wait a moment!"
"What's the matter, Miss Lan?" Nolan stopped and asked curiously.
"It's nothing major. Since you're an outstanding adventurer, I just wanted to ask if you could keep an eye out for any information about the 'Hidden Blade Sword' (Unseen Razor) while you're out exploring," Lan explained.
Nolan was a little surprised. This sounded like a familiar plot from the game...
Finding the "Hidden Blade Sword" would be difficult since all they had was its name.
But fortunately, it wasn't something he needed to search for actively—just paying attention while on other tasks would suffice. If he found it, great. If not, no big deal.
So, he agreed to help.
Shenhe's old village was located southwest of Tianheng Mountain, in the Lisha Outskirts—pretty close by.
"I didn't expect you to have gotten so proficient at controlling wind elements," Hu Tao remarked.
At that moment, the group soared into the sky, carried by wind gliders that Nolan was manipulating. Hu Tao recalled how, not long ago, he needed Lumine's help just to reach the Jade Chamber.
"Well, what can I say? I can't help it—I'm just naturally talented," Nolan replied with a mock arrogance.
"Ha! Nolan, you're unexpectedly funny," Yun Jin chuckled lightly, having just finished chatting with Shenhe.
"We should be near the area where monsters often appear. Let's descend and check it out," Nolan said, pulling out a Liyue map and comparing it with the marked locations from the commissions.
"Let's go! This kind of moment calls for a poem!" Hu Tao exclaimed as she dived down with her wind glider, reciting:
"Upon the floating clouds, I descend to vanquish evil!"
These two simple lines were instantly crafted by none other than the infamous "Alley Poet of Darkness." As she finished her impromptu verse, they descended further.
With her sharp eyes, Hu Tao quickly spotted a group of Hilichurls who had set up sentry towers along a key trade route in the Lisha Outskirts.
She giggled mischievously.
While still in midair, she pulled out a crimson spear, radiating a fierce power, and said, "Let's see how you handle the Funeral Parlor's Secret Spear Technique!"
Dark red flames erupted from her body, and spectral butterflies of flame swirled around her. Spinning in midair, she launched herself toward the Hilichurl sentry tower with a devastating attack.
"This Hu Tao… She's so reckless! Didn't she notice the explosive barrels behind the sentry tower? I can already see her being blown sky-high," Nolan sighed, rubbing his forehead in exasperation.
Thinking back to how he used to handle clearing monsters, Nolan would always conduct a thorough investigation first, making sure that the group of monsters was within his capabilities before taking action.
And he would always opt for stealth when possible, attacking from a distance whenever he could, never giving the enemy a chance to hurt him.
But Hu Tao? She just crashed straight into an explosive barrel.
He was already prepared to summon some threads to move the barrels away and prevent her from getting hurt.
"Hu Tao, as a Vision holder, her body is protected by elemental energy. At most, the explosion will just blow her away from the impact; she won't be hurt," Yun Jin reminded him.
"Uh, right, that makes sense."
Just as Nolan was about to act, he hesitated a little.
The Hilichurls' explosive barrels were made from Pyro Slimes, and their power depended on the strength of the slime inside.
With his golden Eye of Judgment, Nolan could see that the Pyro Slime in that particular barrel was only level 30, while Hu Tao was level 60. No matter how he looked at it, there was no way the explosion could harm her.
But… what if?
Nolan couldn't stand the thought of seeing a girl get hurt right in front of him.
It wasn't much trouble anyway, so he decided to play it safe. From a distance, he extended a translucent mental thread and grabbed the explosive barrel, hurling it toward a Fire Axe Mitachurl who was sitting on the ground.
"Boom!"
The barrel exploded right on the Mitachurl's head, engulfing it in intense flames.
However, it only ended up looking a bit singed, as the explosion didn't deal any significant damage. The Mitachurl was level 50, after all.
The loud noise, on the other hand, alerted the surrounding Hilichurls.
Most of them were level 30 to 40, and there was even a Hilichurl Shaman with a power level close to 60.
Now, all of them were rushing toward the source of the explosion.
Meanwhile, Hu Tao had just destroyed the sentry tower with a light strike from her spear, but that was it.
Because Nolan had preemptively detonated the barrel, all the monsters gathered around, leaving Hu Tao surrounded.
"Huh?"
Hu Tao was confused.
In her plan, she should've made a cool descent, destroyed the sentry tower, and the explosion from the barrel would have created a cloud of dust, giving her the chance to dash in and out of the monsters like a ghost.
Now, why had she suddenly ended up surrounded?
Wait a minute, didn't she see a translucent thread earlier? Was it that guy, Nolan?
Above them, Yun Jin's crimson eyes quietly gazed at Nolan. He had called Hu Tao reckless, but wasn't he the impulsive one?
"Ahem, no big deal. Let's go down and help Hu Tao," Nolan said awkwardly, avoiding Yun Jin's gaze. Shenhe, standing between them, felt a strange emotion stirring within her, and the corners of her mouth lifted slightly.
Was that… a smile?
"Oh, for goodness' sake," Yun Jin sighed, pulling out her spear as she retracted her wind glider and leaped down.
The rising air currents lifted her skirt as she descended, revealing the purple tights that hugged her legs and hips.
"Flags, rise!"
Standing side by side with Hu Tao, Yun Jin gave a gentle command, and several opera flags made of Geo energy blocked the elemental arrows fired by the bow-wielding Hilichurls.
"Hehe, thanks, Yun Jin," Hu Tao said gratefully.
Although Hu Tao's strength exceeded that of the monsters, it was still a bit of a strain to handle so many at once. She could defeat them, but she'd likely end up injured.
In such a situation, retreating was the smarter choice.
Hu Tao could transform into golden spirit butterflies and slip through anything.
Basically, no monster could stop her.
"Shenhe, let's go help them," Nolan suggested, glancing at her.
"Okay."
Shenhe nodded lightly and jumped down to join Hu Tao and Yun Jin.
With Hu Tao's level 60 strength and Yun Jin's skills—polished since childhood and currently at level 43—the two could defeat the monsters without getting hurt if they coordinated properly.
But how could Nolan stand idly by while the girls fought?
He brought Shenhe, who was even stronger than both of them, into the fight, and within a few minutes, they had easily wiped out the monsters.
Nolan also gained over 6,000 Adventure EXP.
"Nolan! That explosive barrel—was that your doing?" After the battle, Hu Tao stormed over to him, fuming.
She grabbed him by the collar, standing on her tiptoes and glaring at him up close!
She suspected that this guy still held a grudge from her earlier prank and had taken this opportunity to get back at her!
"I was just worried you hadn't noticed the barrel and might get hurt..." Nolan, knowing he was in the wrong, looked to Shenhe and Yun Jin for help.
Shenhe glanced between them and finally said to Hu Tao, "Yes, he did it because he was concerned you'd get injured."
"Really?"
Hu Tao believed that Shenhe wasn't the type to lie, so her tone and expression softened significantly.
"Alright, Hu Tao, I'll vouch for him—it's true. Nolan was just worried about you," Yun Jin added with a smile, seeing that Hu Tao still had some doubts.
"Oh, by the way, I noticed a treasure chest over there during the fight, along with some goods that the monsters had stolen. Let's go check it out."
"Ahem."
Since Yun Jin had also spoken up, Hu Tao realized it was indeed true. She let go of Nolan's collar, smoothed out his clothes, and gave an apologetic smile.
"Okay, okay, I'm sorry. I guess you really were worried about me. Haha!"
[Hu Tao Has Developed Good Feelings Towards You, Obtained 230 Affection Points. Current Affection Level: Lv.5 (0/500)]
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(End of Chapter)
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