Before Hao Ren could finish, Noobie's shadow bolts rained down on his face, and while the damage was basically zero, he was still flustered for a moment, and the two of them looked at each other.
Two seconds later, Noobie opened her arms wide in a threatening manner. "Haa —"
Vivian pulled the little one down from her shoulder and stared at her. "How did you follow me?!"
"Ghssss —"
"How would she know if you ask her!" Hao Ren recovered from his shock, and looked at the little one who should have been left in the Surface World with the goddess. "Didn't you hand her over to Raven 12345 …"
As soon as he mentioned Raven 12345, the little guy immediately let out a shrill scream. He rolled over and hugged Vivian's thumb, trembling as he curled up into a ball. He looked like he was scared out of his wits.
"Did she sneak out when you left the goddess's place?" Vivian asked in a hushed voice. "But that's not right. Where did she hide all along the way, and we didn't even notice her …"
Hao Ren stole a glance at Rheia, and she was looking at them curiously. She was obviously curious about the little one who looked exactly like Vivian, but out of politeness, she did not interrupt. But she had to ask anyway.
"You didn't notice?" Hao Ren asked Vivian in a hushed voice. "She was standing on your shoulder just now, and if I'm not mistaken, she should have been hiding on you all along."
Vivian shook her head. "Not at all … eh?"
She looked at her hand in surprise. Noobie, who had been hugging her thumb and shivering, felt that it was not safe enough, and shrunk even deeper into her palm, and as it did so, the little one's body started to turn illusory and soon turned into a hazy mist, just like the blood mist that Vivian usually summoned, and fused into the latter's arm.
Lily blinked. "Ugh … Battie, did you eat her just now?"
"No!" Vivian immediately glared at the husky maiden. "Can you stop thinking about eating everything! She seems to have fused into my body … "
"Can you feel her now?" Hao Ren asked curiously.
"I think I can feel her now," Vivian said uncertainly. "So that's why I felt weird earlier … Looks like she followed us all the way here."
Hao Ren's jaw dropped. "… Just so she doesn't have to eat noodles next to Raven 12345, she's forced to learn a new skill."
Rheia finally could not hold back her curiosity and broke the silence. "Ahem, pardon me for asking … Is this young lady a necromancer? But the spirit you summoned looks a little weird. Did you make it look like this? "
Hao Ren was having a headache over how to explain Noobie's existence, and when he heard Rheia's words, he immediately found a way out. While it sounded like the 'necromancers' in this world would not summon something like Noobie, it was still an explanation. Hao Ren quickly nodded. "Yeah, she's a necromancer, but her heritage seems to be different from the normal necromancers. Anyway, it's hard to find out, and the spirit she summoned looks like this."
"Ugh …" Rheia seemed to have thought of something as she looked at Vivian with a weird gaze. She even took half a step back. "Making the summoned spirit look like you … Ahahaha, while I've heard that many ancient wizards and necromancers have some weird fetishes, but … hehe, hehe, not bad, not bad."
Seeing Rheia's reaction, Vivian could not help but frown. "I feel like you've misunderstood something."
"Ah no, it's nothing. I shouldn't be commenting on other people's heritage and hobbies. After all, this doesn't affect our employer-employee relationship." Rheia quickly waved her hand as she cut off the topic. "Then let's continue with the introductions. According to the usual rules, as mercenaries — of course, I know you're adventurers, but since you've accepted the mission, you'll be considered mercenaries for now. First, introduce yourselves. "
Hao Ren had wanted to find a chance to let Lil Pea out for a breather and meet Rheia, but it seemed like explaining to Noobie was difficult enough, so he put the idea aside for now. He planned to wait until he had a better understanding of this world and found a suitable opportunity before letting the baby out. After all, he had prepared a comfortable environment for Lil Pea in his Dimensional Pocket. A huge water tank, a fully enclosed and highly realistic environment simulator, and a variety of toys to play with. The little one would not be bored even if she stayed there for a few days. At the very most, he could just throw the MDT in as a sacrifice every few days …
After making his decision, he revealed the identities that they had discussed earlier. "I'm Hao Ren, an expert in dual swords and spears. I'm a warrior with a mix of skills. Vivian, hmm … a necromancer, but she also knows some unorthodox spells. Lily, as you can see, a werewolf greatswordsman. These two are the siblings Nangong Sanba and Nangong Wuyue. The former specializes in spells and runes, and the latter is our healer. This big guy is Y 'zaks, a warrior, and this is his daughter Y' lisabet, a fire mage … I'm serious, this is his daughter!"
These identities were made up based on the intel gathered by the probes in the city, and there were some parts that were ambiguous, but this was to match the identity of the adventurers. While adventurers and mercenaries were often confused, there was still a big difference. Adventurers usually moved freely, and while they lacked organization, they were not bound by many mercenary rules. While they often worked in the mercenary guild, it was mostly to issue commissions or resell information and materials. In order to survive in a variety of environments, adventurers usually had no clear boundaries, and basically, any skill that could be useful would be mastered. Mercenaries, on the other hand, had a higher level of organization and discipline. Most of them belonged to a larger party, and for the sake of the party's operations, there was a clear division in their professions. They accepted the mercenary guild's management, and at the same time, they valued credibility and the party's honor more.
This was also why Rheia was so concerned about whether Hao Ren and his crew were adventurers, mercenaries, or unregistered residents. Mercenaries were of course the first choice for helpers, as there was a rule binding them, and in order to survive in this line of work, they were usually more reliable. The next tier was the adventurers, and while there was a lot of uncertainty as they were not registered with the guild, adventurers still had to move around in the open, and they still had to deal with other organizations and needed support from the guild, so they would also pay more attention to contracts. Unregistered residents were the choice that had to be avoided as much as possible. They were dangerous people with serious misdeeds, such as killing their employer, and had their licenses revoked by the guild. Some of them were still in various prisons, and those who had been released after serving their sentences or had not been sanctioned by the law for some reason were lawbreakers. Only someone as down and out as Rheia, who was not afraid of anything, would put unregistered residents on her list of hiring targets …
"Hao Ren … Vivian …" Rheia repeated the names one by one. Some of the names sounded weird to her, but this was White Maple Leaf City, and people from all over the world would gather here. Some of them came from the outskirts, and some even came from the other side of the Golden Sea. No matter how weird the names were, it was no surprise. Finally, her gaze fell on the cat-lady who was dozing off across the table. "Eh? Why didn't you introduce her? "
"Well …" Hao Ren coughed. "She's Rollie, a shadowy assassin."
While there was no need to worry about Rheia's reaction if it was a direct transliteration, it felt weird to mention the cat-lady's name in front of strangers.
At that time, he might as well have named her Hello Kitty.
"Miss Rollie?" Since it was a transliteration, Rheia did not feel anything wrong, and even repeated it seriously. "A single-word name … Are you a practitioner from the Country of Mist? I've been looking forward to your homeland, it's the most mysterious place in L 'Haronne. "
Vivian coughed. "Ahem, Miss Rheia, we're done here. Shouldn't we talk about you?"
"My name is Rheia. I don't have a surname, because the great mages don't need those things. Just a name is enough to be passed down through the ages!" Rheia perked up, and even stood up from the table as she patted her chest. "As you can see, I'm an experienced scholar and mage. And I'm probably the last smart person in the entire White Maple Leaf City!"
"Oh …" Hao Ren and his companions were dumbfounded.
Everyone was dumbfounded, and even the flamboyant Rheia realized that she had gone overboard in front of the strangers, so she smiled awkwardly and sat back down. "Ahem, in short, I'm an academic and combat mage, and also a scholar who studies ancient civilizations and historical legends. I'm looking for you guys mainly because of this. I've recently found clues to an ancient ruin in the literature, and the location of the ruin is a little troublesome for me. Of course, I'm quite capable in combat, and I often go to Longwind Ridge to hunt lions and tigers during my training, but if we're going to explore the ruin, it's better to have a few helpers. You don't have to worry about money. While I may look poor, I'm a mage, and no matter how poor I am, I'm still a rich person. I'll pay the price of a normal merchant escort … No, I'll double that. How about that? "
Hao Ren, of course, did not understand the price, and pretended to think about it before nodding. "The price is fine, but I'm more interested in the ruin you mentioned … where is it?"
Rheia put on a fake smile. "Ahahaha, it's actually not that dangerous. It's just around Longwind Ridge, but it's a little … closer to the underground, and a little connected to the Great Pit. Of course, you don't have to worry. Based on the information I have, the ruin is just next to the Great Pit, and you don't have to go in … "
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