Chapter 126 - 122: Cooperation?

Chapter 126: Chapter 122: Cooperation?

"Good day" is a very common greeting in this world, suitable for any time of day.

’It’s probably equivalent to "Have you eaten?" from my past life.’

However, because of its rather formal wording, aside from the nobility who were particular about etiquette, commoners only used it to greet people they weren’t very familiar with.

Furthermore, the one to say "Good day" first was always the party of lower age or status.

Take Lu Wei, for example.

’He would only "Good day" elders like Old Yor, Elder, and Old Fenris.’

’But he would never "Good day" Furen, Bai Ya, or Mirana.’

’Thinking of it that way, "Have you eaten?" didn’t seem like a fitting analogy after all.’

’It should be more like a formal "Hello."’

’Or "Blessings upon you," or something of that sort.’

In any case, whether it was "Hello" or "Blessings upon you," it was a very deferential greeting.

And the reason this man, Marcus, had suddenly acted this way was also obvious.

"Esteemed Miss Mage..."

Her eyes widening in a daze, Bai Ya’s first instinct was to turn and look at Mirana.

Seeing Mirana gesturing with her eyes, Bai Ya followed her gaze and looked down at herself.

Only then did she finally realize where her "esteemed" status came from.

’Ah, I forgot I took off my cloak!’

Her expression instantly became flustered, and Bai Ya was at a loss for a moment.

It was true her badge was pinned to her chest, but she had been wearing a cloak over it.

But since it was noon and a little hot, she had taken her cloak off while eating.

’AAAAH! So embarrassing!!’

"No, no, I..."

Waving her hands in embarrassment, Bai Ya snapped back to her senses and tried to explain.

But in the next instant, Lu Wei suddenly cut her off.

"Um, your throat still hasn’t recovered, has it? You should talk a little less."

Huh?

’My throat?’

Bai Ya looked at Lu Wei, her embarrassed expression turning to one of confusion.

Fortunately, Mirana reacted quickly. She immediately tugged on the corner of Bai Ya’s sleeve and gave a tiny shake of her head, signaling her to keep quiet.

’Mmm... given Bai Ya’s reaction time, she naturally didn’t understand why she wasn’t supposed to speak.’

However, Lu Wei had repeatedly drilled into her the discipline of "follow orders, even if you don’t understand them," so she ultimately just kept her mouth foolishly shut.

Meanwhile, Lu Wei calmly explained to a puzzled Marcus:

"Apologies. She injured her throat, and it hasn’t fully healed."

"Oh, is that so? Is it serious? How did she get hurt?"

Marcus nodded quickly, his expression one of extreme concern.

’I’m the one who hurt her.’

’You can guess the reason yourself.’

Lu Wei just smiled without answering and changed the subject.

"Marcus, would you mind introducing your three teammates?"

"Ah, of course."

Thanks to Bai Ya, Marcus’s attitude toward Lu Wei was now completely different. He immediately made the introductions:

"This is Urzha, our Half-Beastman Warrior."

"This is Andrew, our Archer."

"You’ve seen these two before."

"And this Dwarf is named Geluo; he’s a companion who just joined us."

"Mm, hello to you all."

Lu Wei gave a slight nod, basking in the secondhand authority Bai Ya provided. Then, ever one to hold a grudge, he asked for confirmation:

"What about the guy who was telling jokes last time?"

"Jokes? You mean Olist, right?"

Marcus sighed and answered softly, "Alas, he’s passed away."

"Oh? Really?"

Lu Wei was taken aback. He hadn’t expected the man to actually be dead.

Furen and the others also looked regretful.

Even though they didn’t even know what Olist looked like, as fellow Adventurers, hearing of another’s death inevitably sparked a sense of shared sorrow.

This was especially true for Mirana, who was likely reminded of her own two fallen teammates.

In any case, a brief silence fell over the group.

The silence held until Marcus sighed again and continued,

"Alas, after we went back that time, he went to Pigeon Lane."

"He must have taken too much Giant Dragon Grass. For three whole days..."

"It was horrifying..."

"..."

Everyone: ???

...

...

"So, this Giant Dragon Grass..."

"Oh, right. It’s a potent herb that makes a man... tireless."

"How magical..."

Ten minutes later, the two squads, eight people in all, had learned each other’s names.

At the same time, Lu Wei also finally understood why Hess had led him here.

No one would believe the reason if he told them—

It was because the little guy wanted a drink!

That’s right. It all started when the Dwarf, Geluo, had used strong liquor to disinfect his wound.

Fur Ball’s sense of smell was apparently quite sharp, or perhaps it was just especially sensitive to the pungent aroma of alcohol, because it had caught the scent from a great distance.

But it didn’t dare approach on its own, so it tricked Lu Wei into coming along.

’Pretty clever.’

’Too bad it couldn’t hold its liquor.’

Bai Ya had only poured a tiny bit of liquor into her palm, and the creature had passed out immediately after absorbing it.

"Marcus, we saw your campfire by the river this morning."

Glancing at Hess, who was fast asleep in Bai Ya’s arms, Lu Wei looked away and got back to the matter at hand.

"So, has your current mission been going well?"

’There was absolutely no logical connection between those two statements.’

’The first sentence was just a preamble; the second was what Lu Wei actually wanted to ask.’

Marcus, however, didn’t try to hide anything and answered frankly:

"Not very well. A few days ago, we bought some intel from the Adventurer Association that said there was a small War Lizardman den near here."

"We found the entrance to the den this morning and killed the War Lizardman guarding it."

"But we ran into a trap as soon as we went inside. That’s how Geluo’s leg got injured."

"Setting traps means there’s a mutated, high-intelligence individual in that War Lizardman clan."

"That’s beyond what we can handle, so we fled immediately."

"To be honest with you, our original plan was to rest here for a bit and then head back."

Marcus shook his head, his tone full of resignation. As he spoke, however, his eyes kept drifting, intentionally or not, toward Bai Ya.

Lu Wei, for his part, was somewhat surprised by their team’s level of power.

After all, War Lizardmen were bona fide "Middle Level Monsters."

Although their combat strength couldn’t compare to High Level Monsters like bear goblins, they were much stronger than goblins and kobolds.

For Marcus’s team of four to dare and try to clear out the den... even if they failed due to bad intel, it was proof enough that their power had reached the level of "capable of clearing out a Middle Level Monster population."

’According to Lu Wei’s personal rating system, they belonged to the "Mainstay" tier.’

’That was two levels higher than the "Disorderly Mob" tier.’

’No wonder they’d looked down on a Giant Spider Silk Gland before.’

"It’s a shame, but it’s always better to be cautious."

Looking at Marcus, Lu Wei offered some genuine consolation. "At least you found out in time, before there were any serious consequences."

"Alas, that may be true, but that intel cost a whole Gold Coin. To return empty-handed is to take a loss."

Marcus glanced at Bai Ya again. "Besides, War Lizardmen love to attack goblin and kobold clans and plunder their nests."

"So their dens are bound to be full of spoils. It feels like a real waste to just give up on it all..."

’Hm?’

’Is that how it works?’

Hearing this, Lu Wei’s eyes instantly lit up.

When Marcus noticed his reaction, he immediately lowered his voice and probed,

"Brother Lu Wei, why don’t we team up for this one?"