That's right, that's what adventure is like!

[Found a Coin (One Extraction)]

Type: Curiosities/Consumables

Rank: Elite (Blue)

Description: Its previous owner, an exiled knight, had loyally served a nobleman, but in return, he received not the promised fiefdom and glory, but a meticulously planned murder.

Effect: 1. When in the vicinity of a site where a fierce battle has taken place, it will be easier to notice the location of overlooked, unnatural signs of destruction or objects left behind;

2. You will develop a vague perception of others' lies (limited to promises or transactions).

Extraction requirements: Insightful stories ×1

Note: This item can only be extracted once more.

……

The coins twirled and flipped between Roland's fingers as his gaze passed over the huddled figures of the adventurers and landed on the few pieces of parchment that had just been pasted up.

His goal this time is "insight," which is somewhat similar to exploration but has a very different core.

Exploration is more about discovering and exploring new places and new things, while insight is about piercing through the disguises amidst a multitude of confusing phenomena to find the only truth.

This is not easy. Despite numerous commissions, very few can construct a complete story while also incorporating insightful elements.

Fortunately, he quickly found a target that met his criteria.

Task ID: 98696

Objective: To search for missing persons

Reward: 50 gold coins

Description: The "Stone Raven Squad," which accepted commission number 97839 (the disappearance of the Karan Chamber of Commerce), entered the target area two days ago but failed to return within the stipulated time to find them.

Note: This commission is issued by the association, which can provide corresponding support.

"An interesting mission."

Roland's gaze swept over the notes below, his eyes narrowing slightly as he keenly sensed something amiss.

He still remembered commission number 97839. It was the mission he had given up when he was choosing one of the three because of the bad reputation of the merchant guild owner. The requirement was to find the missing personnel of the Karan Merchant Guild when they were transporting goods. The description was "the last trace leads to a cave that is suspected to be a gathering place for goblins".

But if it were just goblins, how could they cause an adventurer party to disappear again, with none of the members returning?

What's even stranger is the association's attitude this time; they actually issued a commission specifically for a low-level adventurer team.

As is customary, if a previous mission fails, the association will usually only communicate with the commissioner and increase the reward amount. It rarely wastes resources on the loser by specifically posting a commission to search for them.

"Something's not right, the water looks really deep in here..."

Not only him, but the adventurers around him also seemed to have noticed the problem. All the other newly issued commissions were snapped up, leaving only this parchment alone on the wall.

Seeing this situation, he couldn't help but hesitate.

While the ability to extract stories is important, risk factors must be taken into account. If the safety of the task cannot be guaranteed, he will never choose it.

However, just as he was pondering this, a force carrying the scent of damp earth suddenly struck his shoulder, neither too hard nor too soft.

Ok?

Roland frowned, his body tensed instinctively, and his right hand quietly slid towards the longsword at his waist while glancing sideways.

However, what came into view was not a provocateur, but a familiar, resolute, silent face.

Orc Yogurt.

He was still wearing that simple, durable leather armor, with some fresh grass clippings still clinging to his body, as if he had just returned from the wild.

Yogurt didn't speak, but gave Roland a deep look with her amber eyes, then raised her thick finger and pointed steadily at the forgotten parchment.

The movements were clean and swift, without any explanation, yet the meaning couldn't be clearer.

Roland raised an eyebrow. After a brief moment of deliberation, his trust in the elven ranger outweighed his hesitation, and he stepped forward to peel off the parchment.

The two moved to a relatively secluded corner, leaning against the wall to let the shadows cover half of their bodies.

"Why did you come here instead of learning from that professional?" Roland asked in a low voice.

"I have a mission," Yogurt said quickly, glancing around to make sure no one was paying attention. "My teacher assigned it to me directly, saying it's a trial for me."

"Trial... alright, what kind of mission?"

Yogurt paused, seemingly choosing his words carefully, before finally fixing his gaze on the task sheet in Roland's hand: "It's also a disappearance, but the scope is wider and the situation is more bizarre... I think it might be related to what you have."

Roland understood.

To put it simply, Yogurt was worried that it would be difficult for one person to complete the task, so she wanted to find someone else to improve efficiency.

This is actually a good thing. The elf's trial will probably not be too cruel, and there will be corresponding safety measures, which will give him more security.

But he still had one question: "Why me?"

Yogurt's gaze fell on Roland's face, and she answered frankly and directly: "I heard about your experience from my brother last time, and I think you're smart and quite capable."

"Also... I recently listened to that poem, and those who are favored by the gods are generally quite lucky."

So that's why?

Roland was somewhat taken aback, only then realizing that in this world, reputation was indeed a kind of alternative passport.

"Alright," he nodded slightly, already glancing at the counter not far away, "How do you plan to complete that task?"

"You accept this commission first, and then I'll investigate with you. We might find clues to help you complete the trial... If you're willing to continue participating, I can share some of the profits with you."

"no problem."

When the two came out of the association's gate, Roland had a thick stack of documents in his hand, with a black bone whistle on top.

According to the receptionist, this assistance was specially provided by the association for this mission. The materials included all the information from the previous commission, and the bone whistle could be used for remote communication in critical moments.

They handed some of the documents to Yogurt, and the two stood under the eaves dripping with rain, quickly flipping through the documents in their hands.

The contents were more than expected. In addition to the basic mission summary and the list of missing persons and goods provided by the Chamber of Commerce, there were also several pages of on-site investigation records, indicating that the association had already sent people to conduct a preliminary investigation.

Roland's eyes scanned the information rapidly, focusing on anything of value.

The location where the disappearance occurred is near the entrance to an unnamed canyon, about a day and a half's drive northeast of Duanyan Town. There are no residents in the surrounding area, which is basically a wilderness.

There was a very small amount of blood at the scene, some damaged cargo boxes (the Qingyue Vine inside had all disappeared), and some drag marks.

The drag mark pointed to the so-called "Goblin Cave," but judging from the accompanying picture, it looked more like a dark crevice in the rock, with the contents unknown.

The only unusual feature is a pattern carved next to the crevice, consisting of multiple irregularly nested ovals, which were roughly cut apart by claws or a sharp instrument.

"What do you think?" Roland handed the pattern to Yogurt.

Yogurt examined it carefully, then shook her head: "I've never seen it before. It's not the symbol of any nearby tribe or clan, nor does it resemble the emblems of those secret organizations my teacher taught me about... What did the association say?"

"They didn't say anything, just noted that the meaning was unclear."

Roland put away the documents and turned his gaze to the end of the street, where many chambers of commerce gathered.

But soon, he turned his attention to the muddy road leading out of town.

"However, I think we can ask Ms. Barlow first..."

Why?

"Because I really don't understand why she insisted on having the Merchant Guild send the Azure Moon Vine over to the northeastern part of Broken Rock Town, when there are only monsters there."

"And why? The file specifically mentions that she left here in a hurry this morning after learning that the Stone Raven Squad had gone missing."