Chapter 45

Chapter 45: Adventurer Party

There was no need to guess who it was...

"Yaya?" Mo Tan looked up at the girl who had suddenly darted in front of him, offering her a gentle smile. "What's wrong?"

He had a fairly good impression of this seemingly innocent and adorable girl. Although she had caused him a bit of trouble earlier, Yaya clearly hadn't meant to—after all, she looked like someone completely unfamiliar with the world.

The girl pressed her cheek against Mo Tan's shoulder and rubbed it, her pointed beast ears slightly flattened backward. Her light green eyes were full of grievance as she mumbled hesitantly, "Mission... can't woof... none woof want me... tummy so woof..."

Grrr~

The girl's stomach chose that perfect moment to growl, as if helping to translate for her.

Mo Tan understood about seventy percent of what she said, grasping the general idea. He was about to find a shop to buy Yaya some food when he took a step and remembered that his current character was completely broke. Though he had a few decent low-level pieces of equipment, he didn't have a single coin to his name...

"I happen to be heading to the Adventurer's Guild. You can come along too." Mo Tan waved at Yaya. "If there are some easier missions, that'd be best. If not, I can still find a way to get you something to eat."

His plan was simple: sell the iron sword he'd received upon first logging in as Mo. In theory, it should fetch at least a little money. Since Meg had already given him a new set of equipment, including a high-quality Black Steel Longsword, the starter weapon was essentially useless now. Selling it wouldn't be a problem.

"Woof!" Yaya nodded vigorously, following closely behind Mo Tan, her fluffy tail wagging rapidly. "Thank you~"

Her smile had at least eight plus signs' worth of sweetness!

Seven or eight minutes later, the two arrived at the main hall of the Adventurer's Guild. Just as Mo Tan was about to browse the mission board, the receptionist sister, whom he'd met twice before, popped out from somewhere and slapped his shoulder firmly. "Hey, you can take missions, no problem. But you can't let this little girl participate."

Mo Tan was taken aback. "Why?"

Yaya also looked at the sister with her big, watery eyes, her stomach letting out another "grrr."

"To avoid potential risks." The other woman shrugged, casually pulling out a bone from somewhere and handing it to Yaya. She crossed her arms and shook her head. "She can't clearly explain why she suddenly went berserk and tore down a house back then, and we can't be sure if the same thing will happen again. So for now, she can't take on personal missions."

Mo Tan expressed understanding of this, as he had previously heard about Yaya's "feat." Although he couldn't fathom how this seemingly harmless dog-eared girl had managed it, the Branch's decision was sound, and it also served as a form of protection for Yaya.

It was one thing to get knocked out by stepping on a stair while trying to dismantle a goblin couple's home, but what if she accidentally overturned the stall of some reclusive master next time?

For instance, the Sun-named Pointy-Mouthed Thunder God Face, who retired from the public eye after achieving glorious results in religious endeavors.

Or the White-Bearded Old Man, who waited under a cliff for centuries without finding his destined one, then climbed up and switched to selling vegetables.

Or the Saiyan Boy, carrying alien blood, who crashed to Earth by chance, hit his head, and now spends most of his time chopping wood and fishing in the mountains.

Though these examples seemed a bit off somehow, the Innocent Continent indeed had many masters who kept a low profile. Rather than fighting against evil or good forces, these people preferred a peaceful and ordinary life...

If Yaya accidentally offended a few low-key Sword Saints or Magic Gods, that would be a real disaster.

"How about you wait here for a bit?" Mo Tan looked at Yaya and shrugged. "I'll find a simple task to do?"

He wasn't being so attentive because Yaya was pretty and adorably naive. The main reason was partly that this girl was genuinely pitiful and seemed a bit dim-witted, and partly out of a mindset of caring for wild animals and a disabled (language function) and impaired (somewhat stubborn) young girl—he just felt he couldn't abandon her...

This had nothing to do with her race, gender, appearance, or background. It only depended on whether Mo Tan felt he should lend a hand. In most cases, at this moment, he was willing to help anyone in dire straits, provided they were worth helping. And such people weren't as common as one might imagine—in fact, they were very rare...

Otherwise, under his current personality, Mo Tan wouldn't have time for anything else.

"Huh?" Yaya, who was crunching the last bits of food in her mouth, froze, then looked up at Mo Tan for a moment before pitifully pouting and letting out a whimper.

Was she worried about being abandoned?

Mo Tan gave a wry smile. He and this girl had no real connection to begin with. Why did he feel like he was being treated as her caretaker?

"What kind of bizarre atavism is this?" the Receptionist Sister said weakly, holding her forehead with a dry laugh. "If other members of her race saw this, they'd probably want to kill her to preserve the average intelligence of the entire species."

Hey, that's a bit harsh!

Mo Tan patted Yaya's head and asked the Sister, "So she just can't take on any tasks like this?"

"That's not entirely true." The other party shook their head. "If it's in the form of an Adventurer Party, there's no problem. At the very least, we need to know that someone is watching over her—someone capable of controlling her or taking the blame if things go wrong. A Temporary Party works too, as long as it's registered. What are you suggesting...?"

Mo Tan nodded.

"No way." Unexpectedly, the Receptionist Sister extended her index finger and wagged it. "Adventurer Parties are always three to five people. Even if you want to help her, it won't work. Besides, news about this girl has already spread. Finding a second fool willing to team up with her... I mean, an adventurer willing to do so—is basically impossible."

Yaya slumped down in frustration, hugging her knees, her pointed ears drooping listlessly. "Woof... so many of them avoid me, woof."

"So, like I said, you should first learn to speak properly, and then—" The Receptionist Sister's expression suddenly froze mid-sentence. She jerked her head up and shouted toward Mo Tan, "Don't come over here!"

The latter was momentarily stunned, then caught a highly ominous smell of burning coming from behind him. He turned around, and his legs immediately began to tremble.

The first thing that met his eyes was a staff continuously emitting wisps of black smoke. Honestly, if this thing were named [Crazy Ivan's Walking Stick], Mo Tan wouldn't be the least bit surprised... If there were a lightning orb or a bouncing bomb attached to the top, it would be even more fitting...

"Hey there, young man." The owner of the self-destructing walking stick—I mean, the smoking staff—stroked his beard and smiled warmly at Mo Tan. "Perhaps we're both troubled by the same problem right now. Want to form a party? I've been waiting for a second member for days."

Judging by his demeanor, he had apparently completely forgotten how he nearly blew up the young man in front of him last time.

But it seemed he had inadvertently overheard their conversation and had cheerfully wandered over.

"Jadka!" The Receptionist Sister stumbled back several steps, assuming a defensive stance. "You've lived this long already. If that thing of yours finally blows you to bits one day, it'd be heaven's justice—but don't go dragging others down with you!"

The old mage let out an awkward chuckle. "Don't put it so harshly, Miss Chris. If I could take solo quests, I wouldn't be loitering around here every day."

Mo Tan finally caught on. So this great mage had received the same treatment as Yaya. The difference was that Yaya didn't understand the situation, while this old man was probably seen by the Branch as 'incorrigible.' Sure enough...

"If you switched to being a Warrior, I could not only lift all your restrictions but also promote you directly to Intermediate Adventurer." Chris, who finally had a name, waved her hand as if shooing a fly. "So get rid of that Unstable Explosive in your hand already."

The old mage's face stiffened, and he smiled bitterly. "That's a bit unreasonable..."

"Don't like it? Then get lost!" Chris glared at him fiercely. "I don't negotiate!"

Jadka, who possessed extraordinary warrior talent and an impressive physique (which hadn't led to an early death), sighed deeply and turned to walk out, hugging tightly the staff that kept spitting sparks, looking as if he would rather die than let go.

"Um, please wait a moment..."

Suddenly, a somewhat helpless voice sounded from behind him. Jadka turned around and saw the half-dragon young man raising his arm slightly, asking him, "If you can guarantee you won't blow us up... and of course, not affect the mission either... the two of us here are short one mage."

Jadka froze. He couldn't remember how many years it had been since someone had seriously called him a 'mage,' especially knowing about his particular traits. Mo Tan's words just now nearly made the old man's eyes red.

He placed his left hand on top of the unstable explosive, and after two failed attempts at casting, managed to cover it with a thin layer of frost. Then he turned and slowly walked back, bowing slightly to Mo Tan and Yaya: "Novice Mage Jadka Ben Diesel is willing to serve you both."

"Are you serious?" Chris looked at Mo Tan like he was watching a nameless Zaku pilot declaring he'd take on Kira Yamato one-on-one, or like he was staring at a grave overgrown with weeds two meters high. "You want to team up with Jadka?!"

Mo Tan nodded. "I think it's worth a try."

Even though he knew he might be playing with fire—or rather, playing with lightning—Mo Tan still felt that this old man who had persisted on the path of a mage deserved respect.

Everyone has dreams, and among them, a few kinds are especially admirable...

Those who, despite lacking talent, achieve success through hard work.

Those who can decisively abandon their dreams and walk another path for the sake of others, society, the nation, or honor, giving their all to shine.

And those who, even when hope seems nowhere in sight, still stubbornly hold on to their original dreams, refusing to give up no matter how many setbacks they face.

Jadka clearly belonged to the last category...

Too many people, in their youth or childhood, chased things that now seem like jokes in hindsight—music, painting, basketball, science, entertainment...

But in the end, the vast majority chose another path, one more realistic but not aligned with their original aspirations.

This isn't sad, because life is full of helplessness and change, and everyone is gifted with different talents. But those dreams hidden deep in our hearts never truly disappear. They still stir restlessly at all times, only buried deeper and deeper as we grow older and more experienced, as we become increasingly realistic.

Someone who has become a football superstar might have a hobby of playing basketball in a street court for an afternoon, a game that even elementary school kids would find unwatchable.

A household-name financial tycoon might secretly enjoy singing alone with his terrible, off-key voice, producing meaningless noise that could scare children.

A celebrity or singer who frequently appears on TV might also harbor a scientist's heart, even if a simple oxygen-making experiment could blow half a desk to pieces.

Dreams have never truly died. Perhaps, given a second chance to choose, many would take a path far more ordinary, even one that might starve them, yet utterly different from their current life.

But Jadka was unlike most. His dream not only hadn't died, it had nearly gotten quite a few people killed... Sorry, I got sidetracked...

What I mean is, despite being completely, utterly, and extremely lacking in mage talent, he still clung to this dream. Even after enduring countless sneers and criticisms along this path, even with most of his life already behind him, he remained without regret.

Mo Tan respected people like that. And now, he happened to have an opportunity to ease this old man's heart, so he made a decision he would be immensely grateful for in the future.

Acknowledge him, and accept him.

As long as he kept a close eye on keeping his own health full, he probably wouldn't be easily blown to death. Yaya, though she looked quite slender, was likely much stronger than him. And according to Meg, half-orcs generally had decent constitutions.

"Alright, alright~" Receptionist Sister Chris nodded helplessly. "Since you two have no objections, I can help register you and recommend a task that isn't too difficult and shouldn't cause any trouble. Follow me."

So the three of them trotted after her to an empty counter.

After going around to the back and simply registering them as a 'Temporary Adventurer Party,' listing the most reliable-looking Mo Tan as the captain, Chris said to them gloomily, "Not far south of Anka Market, there's a farm. Its owner posted a rather urgent task this morning. The content is to guard the place for one day. Number 4414. No one's taken it yet..."

The three of them nodded eagerly.

"Then I'll register it for you." Chris propped her cheek on her hand without any dignity, staring at them fiercely. "If you manage to screw up a task that anyone could handle..."

Mo Tan and the others all gulped audibly.

"Then go die ten thousand times for me!"

Chapter 45: The End