Chapter 196 Bride of Night Shadows

The tavern lobby had too many prying eyes, and the other man seemed to be discussing something with his teammate, so Xia Nan had not planned to go over and bother them.

But Cash had spotted him and taken the initiative to wave hello.

Naturally, he had no reason to refuse.

After all, the man had just enthusiastically explained several concepts about class progression to him.

He figured he would exchange a few pleasantries and then find an excuse to leave.

Cash, on the other hand, was acting exceptionally warm. Whether this was just his natural personality or because he had noticed certain traits in Xia Nan remained to be seen, but even though they had only just met that morning, he behaved like an old friend he had not seen in years.

Throwing an arm around Xia Nan's shoulders, Cash introduced him to his teammate. "This is Xia Nan, the guy I mentioned to you earlier. Remember 'Greysword'? I bumped into him on the Association Second Floor today."

As Cash spoke, Xia Nan could clearly feel a curious gaze sizing him up.

The mixed-blood Drow half-elf sitting across the table lacked the gloomy coldness expected of a subterranean race. On the contrary, she appeared quite warm and welcoming.

A gentle smile touched her lips, and her crystalline eyes shifted slightly as she took the initiative to speak. "With an outfit like that, you don't look like the newcomer Cash described."

With their rich adventuring experience and the sharp eyes unique to veterans, seasoned Class Holders like her and Cash might not be able to immediately discern whether a piece of equipment was enchanted.

But simply from the material and craftsmanship, they could already tell that the gear Xia Nan wore was quite expensive.

"Oh, I almost forgot to introduce myself." The dark-skinned Drow half-elf with long, bright silver hair rose gracefully amid the crisp clinking of her hair ornaments and reached out a hand toward Xia Nan. "Veris, member of the Sea Thorn adventure team."

"Hello."

The slightly cool touch of her palm vanished as quickly as it came.

Making no effort to hide his gaze, Xia Nan's eyes naturally swept over her perfectly proportioned figure.

He pondered.

'She's quite tall. Standing straight, her eyes are almost level with mine. She has to be over a meter eighty.'

'But I didn't feel any calluses on her palm. It was unusually fine and smooth.'

'Yet going by her attire, she doesn't look like a Spellcaster. Perhaps... she used some method to remove the calluses on her hands?'

"Have a seat, have a seat." Cash made room and pulled Xia Nan down to sit. "Order whatever you'd like, it's my treat."

Xia Nan waved his hand, signaling that he had already ordered.

His expression remained unchanged, but his inner doubts deepened, even giving rise to a trace of vigilance.

In a world where productivity was far from advanced, he was facing two truly veteran adventurers.

He did not think his current Charisma attribute was high enough to make these two Class Holders—who had been strangers to him before today—act so warmly.

They clearly had an ulterior motive.

Having just finished a long journey back from Nym, Xia Nan could not be bothered to waste time probing them.

He politely entertained them for a few sentences before directly making his stance clear.

Seeming surprised by the black-haired young man's directness, Cash froze for a moment before letting out a breath. He exchanged a look with Veris across the table, and seeing the half-elf nod in agreement, he explained, "We need a teammate."

"You don't need to formally join the team; a temporary party is fine. Of course, if you're interested in partnering with us long-term, we can talk about that later."

He gently rubbed the stone tip of a spear resting beside him. The tattoos covering nearly half his face became even more prominent as his expression turned serious.

"As you can probably tell, Veris and I aren't from Rivervale Town."

"The reason we came here is for a quest."

Xia Nan didn't speak; he just nodded silently.

It was indeed obvious.

Of the man and woman before him, one was clearly from a coastal region and had likely spent a long time as a sailor or fisherman; the other was a Drow mixed-blood, a half-elf.

Even if both were Class Holders, with such distinct identities, there was no way Xia Nan would not have heard of them. He had lived in the town for over half a year and sat in the White Chickadee Tavern—where crowds of adventurers came and went—almost every day to gather intelligence.

They were definitely outsiders.

"As for the specific details of the quest, it involves some critical information, so forgive me, but I can't disclose it. My apologies," Cash continued.

"But what is certain is that the recent beast riots in the Misty Forest are highly likely connected to it."

"That is also why we have stayed in Rivervale Town until now."

As they spoke, a server brought the mushroom soup Xia Nan had ordered to the table.

He gripped his spoon and stirred it gently. The rich, creamy aroma filled his nose with every breath.

The sweet, savory scent made Xia Nan swallow imperceptibly.

"So?" Xia Nan asked. "You two should both be veteran adventurers who have held your Class Levels for a long time. Why do you need a newcomer like me?"

Faced with Xia Nan's question, Veris naturally took over the conversation.

Her slender fingers tapped lightly against the table, her smooth, lustrous nails reflecting the soft light of the tavern overhead.

"We need to use these beasts fleeing from the forest to track our target's trail. But the Misty Forest is huge. Without a clear direction, we might waste years here and still find nothing."

"And as you probably know, the Adventurers' Association has... certain special information channels. Whether it's a goblin subjugation task or other commissions, once you accept a quest, they provide relatively useful intelligence to help you complete it."

"Just a few days ago, in response to the beast herds suddenly appearing around the outskirts of the Misty Forest, the Association issued a bounty commission to hunt them down and clear them out."

"It's just that, much like the Hunting Day your town recently finished, the requirement to accept this quest is a party of at least four people."

Xia Nan spooned up a couple mouthfuls of mushroom soup.

His teeth ground the diced mushroom slices, savoring the fragrant, delicate texture.

He considered this.

'Simply put, it's just like how I first met "Greenblood" Adeline.'

'They just need to fill out their party roster to meet the quest requirements.'

Frowning slightly, he asked, "We haven't met before, have we?"

"Are you really that comfortable inviting me straight into your party?"

Hearing the question, Cash sighed, a helpless expression appearing on his face.

"Like I said earlier, the two of us aren't locals from around Rivervale Town. We're new here and barely know any Class Holders, and the few we do know all have their own fixed teams."

"If not for the quest requirements, I wouldn't want to rush this either."

"But don't worry," Cash said, patting his chest. The tight muscles beneath his bronze skin bulged slightly. "This beast-clearing quest isn't all that difficult itself, and it has a relatively long time frame."

"Most of the time, we won't even need to enter the inner reaches of the Misty Forest. You could say it's very safe."

"This way, we should all have plenty of opportunities to evaluate each other."

Before Xia Nan could reply, the Drow sitting across from him seemingly decided to try some classic underhanded tactics.

Veris crossed her legs. Her full thighs, squeezed together beneath her skin-tight leather outfit, pushed her smooth skin to the point of nearly spilling out from the cutouts on the sides. Her leather boots swayed with a subtle rhythm.

"I've always been a good judge of character," she said, a reserved yet seductive smile gracing the exquisite features unique to the Elf race. "You are trustworthy."

'Like hell I believe you,' Xia Nan scoffed inwardly.

During the battle of Nym, he had looked directly at that indescribably eerie entity within the Secret Realm, yet he had managed to keep his sanity intact and return here safely.

His willpower had undergone an almost qualitative transformation.

Those 3 points in the Perception attribute were merely its concrete manifestation on his Attribute Panel.

Right now, this was nothing more than the shallowest of temptations. It hadn't even triggered his mental resistance Feat, [Gaze into the Abyss]. How could it possibly stir any waves in his heart?

He simply kept drinking his mushroom soup while analyzing the quest information the two had provided.

He didn't give a direct reply right away.

Xia Nan looked up, glancing at the empty seat between Cash and Veris.

"You're still short one?" he asked.

"Didn't you say the requirement is a four-person party? Even with me, that's only three."

"Haha, there's another newcomer too," Cash said with a laugh as he filled Xia Nan's wine glass. "She went to the general store to buy supplies and isn't in the tavern right now."

"Once she gets back later, I'll introduce you."

Xia Nan nodded, his mind turning.

Xia Nan had already summarized what he needed to do next and what his short-term goals were.

Accumulate Points, increase his combat technique proficiency, and upgrade the Snake-Scale Arm Shield.

Oh, and he also needed to earn a little cash to recover his net worth.

If he agreed to Cash's request and temporarily joined the Sea Thorn team, what would he stand to gain?

First, as a Class Grade commission, even if the profits were split four ways, the gold coins and Points certainly wouldn't be lacking.

Combat technique proficiency went without saying; it leveled up far faster in real battles than in daily practice.

Second, the two people in front of him were veteran Class Holders. If he became their temporary teammate, they likely wouldn't be stingy about sharing some knowledge regarding class progression.

Finally, there was the matter of upgrading the Snake-Scale Arm Shield.

He remembered that he was currently stuck right at the hurdle of needing "teammates."

The Lycanthrope investigation quest on the Association Second Floor, which offered "Bone-Eroded Patterned Steel" as a reward, had exactly the same restriction Cash had just mentioned: a "four-person party."

A glimmer of light flashed deep within his dark eyes.

Xia Nan wiped his mouth and looked directly at the two of them.

"I can join your party."

"But..."

"I have one condition."

...

...

White Chickadee Tavern, a second-floor guest room.

Xia Nan sat at the desk, leaning back against his chair.

His right palm was facing upward.

A glittering gold coin, reflecting the sunlight from outside the window, levitated in the air just above his palm.

Like a satellite in outer space, it slowly spun on its axis while orbiting his hand in a regular rhythm.

He wore a thoughtful expression.

The Sea Thorn team had agreed to his condition.

After finishing the beast-clearing quest, regardless of whether they found clues related to their target, they would continue functioning as a four-person party to help Xia Nan complete the commission to investigate the Lycanthrope's trail.

As for the specific rewards, they would be distributed based on contributions during the quest.

Of course, since the material required for the Snake-Scale Arm Shield had a weight limit, once the quest concluded, Xia Nan would trade Points or gold coins for the "Bone-Eroded Patterned Steel" obtained by the others, gathering enough mass for Barn to forge the upgrade.

He had already agreed upon this with the two of them while downstairs just now.

All that was left to do now was organize his gear, purchase supplies, and wait three days to regroup at the White Chickadee Tavern before heading into the Misty Forest.

"Snap!"

The floating, spinning gold coin suddenly dropped. His five fingers snapped shut, gripping it tightly in his palm.

Xia Nan suddenly felt a bit irritable.

Coming back from Nym, he had originally intended to rest in Rivervale Town for a while, or perhaps find a few Goblin Lairs to relax in.

Now, however, he had no choice but to get busy once again.

...

Meanwhile, down in the tavern lobby.

Cash and the Drow half-elf Veris were still sitting in their original seats.

But the atmosphere between the two was nowhere near as lively as when Xia Nan had been present.

It felt quiet and cold.

Slender fingers lightly wrapped around a wine glass, swirling it before the crystalline liquor slipped between plump lips.

"You should have given me a heads-up," Veris said, narrowing her eyes. She seemed to be savoring the aroma of the wine on her tongue, but a deeply hidden, sharp gleam flickered beneath her half-lowered eyelids. "That Xia Nan is far more dangerous than he looks."

"I know," Cash replied without looking up, solely focused on cutting the beef on his plate. "But you must have seen it just now, too."

"That set of armor on him, those greaves... Tsk, even if we tossed them into the black market, they'd easily fetch a few hundred gold combined."

"Just consider it an extra meal for ourselves."

"Besides, we really do need a teammate, don't we?"

Veris shook her head noncommittally, but a fleeting flash of greed crossed her eyes as she stared at the glass in front of her.

"Are you sure he's a newcomer?"

"Of course. I saw the Association receptionist take him to the Association Second Floor with my own eyes. He didn't even know how to level up or change classes."

"He's probably a guy with no connections who just happened to scrape together three combat techniques and somehow scored a Class Level."

"And what about that so-called 'Greysword' title?"

"Heh, just a nickname circulating among bottom-tier adventurers. Anyone who climbed their way up step by step used to have a few. Didn't you? Or do I need to remind our respected 'Bride of Night Shadows'?"

Veris didn't reply, but the slight curl of her lips already made her attitude clear.

"Isn't there another newcomer in the team? How do you plan to handle her?"

"Her?"

"Why do you think I dared to pull another newcomer into the party?"

"When the time comes, we'll just kill her in passing and be done with it."

Tap—

The wine glass was suddenly set down on the table, letting out an abrupt clack.

The slightly reddish wine sloshed and spilled over.

Cash snapped his mouth shut instantly.

She didn't need to do anything more; he already understood her meaning.

The icy atmosphere, which had seemed to sink into the shadows, suddenly became lively again.

Smiles reappeared on both of their faces, as if they were discussing some fascinating topic.

It wasn't until a petite figure drew closer amid the sound of footsteps that Cash turned around, acting as though he had only just noticed, his tone soft and friendly.

"You're back! Have a seat," he said.

"We found a new teammate."