The adventurer at the bottom is fantasizing again.

Horton accepted the money pouch, carefully counted the amount, and then nodded in satisfaction, saying:

"Okay, the enchanting will take about two days. Wait a moment, I've already repaired your shield."

He took the warhammer from Piper, turned around and went back to the back of the blacksmith's shop. Soon after, he retrieved the dragon-scale round shield and placed it on the counter.

"Take a look."

The scales on the shield that had been bent by Piper's hammer have all been straightened, and the thick scales are now neatly aligned facing upwards, giving one a sense of security.

Lorraine glanced at the shield's durability again.

[Durability: 44/44]

"Okay, no problem." He nodded.

The two did not linger at the blacksmith's shop. After obtaining the shield, they headed to the government office to inform Nathan that they had agreed to hunt the rock salamanders.

The government offices and Lorraine had changed their appearance when they visited before, with many pine wreaths and ribbons hanging on the walls, creating a festive atmosphere.

"Gentlemen, you've finally arrived! The mayor asked me to go to the tavern to look for you several times, but I couldn't find you each time."

Captain Joel spotted the two from a distance and quickly approached them, then lowered his voice to warn them:

"The three people sent by the Duke have just arrived. Be careful what you say later, and don't offend them."

Lorraine and Piper exchanged glances, both looking bewildered. They hadn't even seen the person yet, so how did things get to the point of provoking someone?

"Okay, take us to see Mr. Nathan."

Lorraine could only nod.

The meeting place was not chosen to be Nathan's office. The two followed Joel through a winding path to an impressive gate.

Joel stepped forward, knocked twice lightly on the door, and announced, "Mr. Nathan, Mr. Lorraine and his companions have arrived."

"Quickly, invite them in!"

Nathan's familiar, warm voice came from inside the door.

The two pushed open the door and entered. The space inside was much larger and more luxurious than Lorraine had imagined.

This room is probably the only place in the entire town of Shallow Beach with carpet.

The room was covered with a deep crimson carpet, its intricate patterns dazzling the eyes.

In the center of the room was a long table, with several high-backed chairs on each side. The chairs were covered with dark green cushions, which looked a hundred times more comfortable than the shabby chairs in the tavern.

"Come on in, don't be shy."

Nathan stood up from the head of the long table and visibly relaxed when he saw the two of them. He walked over quickly and enthusiastically and pulled them to the table.

"Let me introduce you three. These two are the heroes I mentioned earlier."

Lorraine was pulled to the long table, and before she could react, a lazy voice came from the windowsill.

"This... gentleman hero."

His gaze was forced off the candlestick on the long table, which was worth at least ten gold coins, and he looked in the direction of the sound.

A tall, red-haired woman leaned casually against the windowsill, wearing an exquisite ring on her hand and holding a slender staff inlaid with red crystals in her arms.

Hearing the mayor's words, her gaze swept back and forth between the two of them with obvious aggression before finally settling on Lorraine's face, and she asked with a half-smile:

"Nathan said you successfully wiped out a kobold expeditionary outpost, including a scaled warlock. I'd like to ask, given your abilities, how did you manage to do that?"

"Eileen!"

The young woman sitting in the seat closest to the head of the table whispered a word of advice.

She had long, golden-brown hair, which was loosely tied back her head, and she wore a plain white robe with the holy emblem of the Lord of Dawn embroidered on the edges.

A priest of the Lord of Dawn? Judging from his seemingly high status, Lorraine quickly came to this conclusion.

The red-haired mage named Eileen snorted, crossed her arms, and stopped talking, but her eyes remained fixed on Lorraine, as if waiting for him to speak.

Lorraine frowned.

He wouldn't get angry over such a sarcastic remark. If it were him and Piper recruiting teammates, they would definitely check the other party's character and abilities first.

However, he didn't quite approve of this method of probing.

"As long as they are close enough, a spellcaster can be dealt with in a single sword strike," he stated.

"you!"

"......Feel sorry."

The young blonde woman stood up and bowed to the two of them.

"We just wanted to check on our companions. After all, as adventurers, you two should know best that the risks of battle don't just come from the enemy."

She has a gentle temperament, and her eyes and brows exude a natural calming quality.

"I am a priestess of the Lord of Dawn, you can call me Anya. These two are my companions—Eileen and Renn." She sat down again and introduced them calmly and gently.

One plays the bad cop, the other the good cop; their roles are really well-defined... Lorraine thought to herself.

"Hello, Ms. Anya."

He greeted them politely, then looked at the third person.

He was a warrior clad in full plate armor, sitting in the shadows at the far end of the long table. His bright silver armor was engraved with smooth and ornate patterns, and it looked incredibly expensive.

He placed the helmet, also covered in patterns, on the table, revealing short, dark brown hair and a face with strong features, looking somewhat like Anya, especially in his eyebrows, eyes, and nose.

When Lorraine looked over, he happened to look over as well.

Their eyes met, and the soldier immediately looked away, fixing his gaze on the flag on the wall.

Warrior, Mage, Priest...this team seems quite strong..." he thought to himself.

A typical adventurer party could never assemble this setup.

Spellcasters who venture out on adventures are either wild mages who only know two or three tricks and can't afford to study at a magic academy, or lucky sorcerers who don't even know what their own bloodline is and have inexplicably awakened their talents.

As for the highly sought-after position of pastor, there's no need to even think about it.

Lorraine knew it was their turn to introduce themselves, so he cleared his throat and slowly said:

"My name is Lorraine, I am a sorcerer, and I also know some swordsmanship. This is my companion, named Piper, a barbarian."

The heads of the kobold scale warlock and the dragon shield guard have been delivered to the adventurers' guild in this town. The three of you can go there and confirm with Heif.

Or if there are other methods to test our capabilities, we are willing to participate.

"Wait." The red-haired mage Eileen interrupted him, looking at Piper in surprise and asking, "The barbarian? Him?"

"Yes, this red-haired human lady, Piper is a barbarian, but she hasn't fully learned to control her rage yet." The little man nodded.

Even Anya couldn't sit still anymore. She raised her eyebrows slightly, as if she had heard something unreal, yet undeniably happening right before her eyes.

"Halfling...Barbarian?"

With her knowledge, she certainly wouldn't mistake Piper for a dwarf, but a halfling was clearly a more unacceptable answer.

"right!"

Piper puffed out his chest, though with his nearly cylindrical build, it didn't seem to change much.