Faerun: The arcane mage is still too imprisoned.

Pushing open the oak door, you enter a spacious hall where most of the dozen or so tables are already occupied, and the air is filled with the aroma of roasted meat and the rich scent of ale.

The waiter spotted Lance immediately—a silver-haired half-elf in a dark blue mage's robe, with a black cat perched on his shoulder… This combination was too eye-catching; he must be the master the boss had instructed him to be.

"Sir! Please come upstairs!" The waiter bowed and scraped, running upstairs to lead them upstairs.

A separate room on the second floor contains a large round table that can seat ten people.

Lance sat down in the main seat, with Cielsa to his right. Little Black jumped down from his shoulder and lay on her lap.

The four members of the Iron Fist team sat down opposite each other.

The waiter handed over the menu, its leather cover edged with gold.

Lance flipped through the list, then looked up at Dulak: "What would you like to eat? Order whatever you like."

Drucker scratched his head, a little embarrassed: "This...this is really inappropriate, you should order."

"Don't be shy." Lance pushed the menu towards him. "We'll be fighting together in the future, what's a meal?"

Dulac took the menu, his eyes scanning the first page, his Adam's apple bobbing.

As he scanned the second page, his Adam's apple bobbed again.

He took a deep breath after scanning the third page, closed the menu, and handed it to Greta: "You, you order."

Greta glanced at him, took the menu, flipped through it expressionlessly, and then looked up at the waiter:

"Charcoal-grilled rock lizard legs, mead-braised wild boar, flamebird wings, stone-grilled monitor lizard eggs, deep-sea squid rings, secret-recipe roasted ribs, cream of mushroom soup, and a basket of white bread."

She paused, then added, "This is enough for now, order more if needed."

The waiter quickly wrote it down, nodded, and left.

Lance looked at Greta, somewhat surprised: "You order quite skillfully, do you come here often?"

Greta replied expressionlessly, "Personal preference."

Finn sat on the far side, his back ramrod straight, his gaze sweeping across the room—the windows, the doorway, the vents, he looked them all over.

Then he looked at Lance and asked softly, "Lord Lance, is your cat... a magical pet?"

The little black cat was licking its paws on Cielsa's leg when it heard someone call its name. It looked up and its eerie green eyes stared at Finn.

"No." Lance reached out, and Little Black immediately jumped off Cielsa's lap, climbed up his arm to his shoulder, and squatted down. "It's just a regular cat."

Finn nodded, but there was a hint of doubt in his eyes—why would a mage bring along an ordinary cat?

The dishes were served quickly.

The charcoal-grilled rock lizard legs were as thick as an arm, with a crispy, charred exterior revealing snow-white, steaming meat inside. The honey-braised wild boar was tender and juicy, with a thick, glossy sauce and an aroma that wafted straight into the nose.

The flamingo's wings are bright red, supposedly marinated with a special kind of chili; they look spicy just from looking at them. The stone-grilled monitor lizard egg, when cut open, has an orange-red yolk that's runny.

Drucker stared wide-eyed at the table full of food.

"This, this is too lavish..." He swallowed hard, but didn't touch his knife and fork. Instead, he looked at Lance.

Lance raised his glass: "Don't be shy, eat."

Drucker immediately grabbed a knife and fork, cut off a large piece of wild boar meat, and stuffed it into his mouth.

"Mmm!" His eyes widened, his mustache twitched, "So...delicious!"

Logan started eating too, muttering between bites, "Captain, slow down, no one's going to take it from you..."

Greta ate very politely, but quickly. Finn ate the least, spending most of his time drinking water and occasionally picking up a couple of bites of vegetables.

Lance didn't eat much; he spent most of his time observing.

He looked at Drak: "How many years have you been adventurers?"

Drucker swallowed the meat in his mouth and stroked his beard: "I started when I was twenty, so it's been thirty years now. Greta and Logan started a little later, but they've been doing it for over ten years. Finn is the latest, but he's been doing it for seven or eight years."

"Thirty years of adventure, haven't you ever thought about retiring?"

Dulac chuckled and forked another piece of rock lizard leg meat: "Retire? My axe is still as sharp as ever. Besides, I've spent most of my savings on good wine, why would I retire?"

Logan added fuel to the fire: "The captain almost retired last year. He was knocked unconscious by a bear. After we got the priest to revive him, his first words were, 'Where's my axe?' and his second was, 'The tavern still owes me three barrels of ale.'"

Greta said calmly, "He didn't even mention his teammates once."

"It's just three barrels of ale, not worth much money, yet you remember it so clearly."

Finn said softly, "Those who do this job either die on the road or work until they can't work anymore."

Lance nodded and didn't ask any more questions.

After several rounds of dishes, Dulac patted his belly and leaned back in his chair, looking completely satisfied: "Lord Lance, I'll remember this meal for three years."

"Three years?" Logan glanced at him. "Captain, your memory isn't that good."

"If I ask you what you ate today three days later, you'll probably stammer out an answer."

Dulac glared at him, but his beard obscured most of his expression, making him look somewhat comical.

Sissa smiled and poured Lance a glass of wine.

After a satisfying meal, Lance tapped the table and steered the conversation back to business: "Let's get down to business. My requirements for tomorrow's operation are very simple—"

He held up one finger: "I'll take care of the attack, you guys take care of protecting me. Don't let any monster get within five meters of me."

Drucker scratched his head and looked at Greta, who remained silent.

Logan and Finn exchanged a glance but said nothing.

Finally, Drucker slapped his thigh and said, "Fine! You're the employer, you decide! What time do we leave tomorrow?"

"Meet at the south gate at seven o'clock in the morning." Lance stood up. "Get a good rest tonight; we have a long walk tomorrow."

"yes!"

……

At seven o'clock the next day, outside the south gate of Rield.

The wild grass on both sides of the road was still covered with dew and swayed gently in the breeze.

Lance walked toward the old oak tree by the roadside.

His long, silvery-white hair was tied into a high ponytail.

He changed into a dark gray travel robe that allowed for easy movement, and put on a light leather vest over it.

The little black dog on his shoulder was equally spirited, its eerie green eyes fixed on the wildflowers by the roadside, its tail swishing back and forth, seemingly lost in thought.

Today, Cielsa was wearing that brown leather armor, her long silver-gray hair was tied into a neat ponytail, a curved sword was at her waist, and a short bow was on her back. She looked very heroic.

The Iron Fist team was already waiting under the old oak tree.

Drak stood at the front, his short stature carrying a huge backpack almost as tall as him, bulging and full of stuff.

Greta followed behind him. The woman carried only a two-handed sword, traveling light. The scars on her face appeared fainter in the morning light.

Logan carried a small bundle on his back and held a steaming loaf of bread in his hand, munching on it like a hamster.

Finn carried a longbow taller than himself, with a quiver hanging at his waist, and his low golden ponytail swayed gently in the wind.

He glanced at the little black dog on Lance's shoulder.

"Lord Lance, are you sure you want to take this kitten with you? It might be in danger."

"rest assured."

Lance gently played with Little Black's tail.

Once I reach level 5, I'll gain two specializations, and one of them will definitely be...

"Let's see how lucky Xiao Hei is. If he's lucky, he might become even stronger than Finn."

"Is everyone here?" Lance glanced around. "Then let's go."

"Wait, wait!" Logan shoved the bread into his mouth in a few bites and mumbled, "I haven't finished eating yet..."

"What are you saying! Eat as you walk!" Greta glanced at him. "Do you want Lord Lance to wait for you?!"

Logan puffed out his cheeks and followed.