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

dusk.

The setting sun casts a golden glow, scattering orange-red light. The clouds drift and dance in the wind like a dream, changing into all sorts of strange shapes.

The endless wheat fields stretched out under the setting sun. The crops had long been harvested, leaving only the neatly standing stalks. The land gleamed with an oily sheen in the sunlight.

Several villages are faintly visible in the distance, their smoke rising in the breeze and merging with the clouds on the horizon, bringing a sense of peace to the soul.

The travelers' robes were also draped in a thin golden veil, and a beautiful woman leaned out of the carriage, grabbed a branch in front of her, and plucked a few berries.

She turned and sat back in the carriage, handing the berries to Aleta who was sitting next to her.

"Here you go, this is a cheri, it tastes good."

Aletta paused, then looked up at her.

He was about twenty-five or twenty-six years old, with long, dark brown hair casually tied back. He wore a blue robe with delicate asters embroidered on the collar and cuffs, and a short cane slung across his waist.

A monk, and one who's not short of money.

A mix of emotions flashed through her mind as Aletta turned to look at Roland directly opposite her.

Roland sat quietly, and when she saw her looking over, he nodded gently.

Aleta then took a bite of the berry, and her expression relaxed a bit.

The woman smiled at her reaction, her tone softening: "First time on an adventure?"

"……Um."

"What request?"

"Collect any amount of Forsythia suspensa."

"Then you're in luck," the woman said with a smile. "This kind of mission isn't very dangerous; it doesn't require going too deep into the swamp."

Aleta bit into a berry and responded softly, but her eyes couldn't help but dart ahead.

A man is riding a horse, walking in front of the carriage.

He was a bit older, around thirty years old, wearing dark brown, heavily worn leather armor, and on his back was a large two-handed sword, the blade of which was slightly mottled, clearly having been used for many years.

Atlantis.

Aletta still remembered the name and what he had said to her yesterday.

At that time, she was looking for suitable teammates according to Roland's instructions. After being rejected by three teams, Art took the initiative to approach her.

He said, "It's normal to be rejected if you don't have extraordinary abilities; I was the same way back then."

They added, "Come with us, and we can help you get to the swamp, but you'll have to complete the task yourself."

So, she naturally joined Atreus's team and met the mage named "Thea" next to her today.

Both sides were surprised.

Aletta never expected that At's teammate would be a mage; among the lower-level adventurers, those who could cast spells were extremely rare.

Ate didn't expect that Aletta had brought another person with him, but he didn't ask any questions. He just nodded and accepted Roland's presence.

The reason he was willing to help Aleta was because he had been helped by someone in the past, it was that simple.

In this situation, he didn't mind having one more person in the team. After all, judging from the exposed style of that longsword, it must be someone with extraordinary combat power. Such a person joining the team would only make the journey smoother.

As for Thea, Biath was clearly more cautious.

She rested her arm on the windowsill, looked at Aleta, and laughed, "At is such a nice guy. He suddenly said he wanted to bring someone along temporarily. I was worried he'd bring in someone with bad intentions."

As she spoke, she glanced at Roland across from her, clearly harboring suspicion about his arrival.

Roland didn't speak, as if he hadn't grasped the deeper meaning of those words. He simply leaned quietly against the carriage, his breathing steady.

Aletta opened her mouth, but didn't know how to respond, since it was indeed her oversight to forget to tell the two of them about Roland's existence.

But Ate in front seemed to have heard these words, and turned around, his tone neither hurried nor slow.

"What's so surprising? It's your first adventure, so it's normal to be inexperienced and make mistakes."

Thea smiled, did not refute, and simply looked leisurely at the village outside the window.

As dusk fell, a gentle breeze stirred her long, loose hair, filling the carriage with a delicate fragrance.

Aleta quietly munched on her berries, her gaze sweeping over the two of them before she suddenly felt a pang of envy.

She had spoken this way with Little Slag before; it was the kind of tacit understanding that could only be forged after going through many things together. The two of them must have been partners who had been on adventures for a long time.

Roland was also observing.

Compared to Aletta, his senses were sharper and his observations more detailed, thus he saw more.

First, these two adventurers are quite capable and certainly have the confidence to accept strangers who rashly join them.

Secondly, Thea is not simply an adventurer. Judging from her composure and impeccable manners, she must have received a good education, such as that of a merchant or noble.

It's rare to see someone like that become an adventurer, but since Thea didn't say anything, he wouldn't ask any further questions.

This was, in fact, his first time working with other unfamiliar adventurers.

The atmosphere was surprisingly relaxed. Although there was wariness and suspicion, there was not much scheming or conspiracy.

Or rather, this is how normal adventures should be.

However, in his pursuit of stories, he often deliberately gravitates towards dangerous people, which results in other elements being mixed into each of his journeys.

Silence fell over the carriage, broken only by the rumble of wheels on the dirt road.

Finally, Thea spoke again, but this time it had a casual, conversational tone, as if she wanted to pass the time.

"You went to the swamp to collect foraging herbs, do you know what else that stuff is used for besides alchemists?"

Aletta shook her head; she had only recently come into contact with the supernatural world and her understanding of these things was still quite superficial.

Roland, however, had heard of it and chimed in, "Besides being used to make potions, Seekerleaf is also very popular among elves, who often use it to trade with Whispering Woods."

Having encountered elves multiple times, he had also inquired about the situation in Whispering Woods and learned quite a bit about it.

Due to their geographical location, the elves here are not isolated from the world and frequently come into contact with other races. Although they are still xenophobic, they occasionally trade with the merchants of Broken Rock Town.

The leaf-seeker is a gift that merchants give to elves during transactions in order to please them.

Thea smiled slightly upon hearing this: "That's true, but now it also has some other uses, namely as toll fees."

Aletta looked up, her disguised vertical pupils filled with doubt: "Toll fee?"

"Hmm," Thea said slowly, toying with the berries in her hand, "As you all know, the kingdom is getting closer and closer to destruction, and more and more people are preparing to travel from here to the Baron Alliance."

"It takes a month to get there from Broken Rock Town, and you'll pass through many dangerous places along the way, including crossing a small section of Whispering Forest."

"Although it's just the outer edge of the forest, the elves are unwilling to let outsiders into their territory, so Seeker Leaf is one of the fees for passing through."

Roland narrowed his eyes, his voice flat: "Does it really work?"

"I don't know," Thea said softly, looking out the window. "That's the story, but the one who set off with the Leaf-Seeking Grass never returned. Nobody knows if he's already gone or if he died from the elves' arrows."

Ate's voice came from ahead: "Those elves aren't so easy to coax; I bet they're dead."

Roland nodded slightly, agreeing with this statement.

The elves aren't fools. If they allow wave after wave of humans to cross their territory, they will gradually lose control of the area. Therefore, they won't be so easy to talk to.

If you're going to go there, it's better to find someone who actually has a good relationship with the elves, so that nothing bad will happen.

……

The wheels continued to roll over the area, and the group chatted casually, gradually easing the initial awkwardness and creating a more lively atmosphere.

In the blink of an eye, the last glimmer of orange-red on the horizon had been swallowed up, and the clouds had lost their color, leaving only faint outlines hanging on the horizon.

"It's getting dark," Art slowed the horses down and walked alongside the carriage, calling out from the window, "We should set up camp and rest."

The carriage stopped on a sheltered hillside, surrounded by sparse low trees that did not obstruct their view, and a clear river flowed gently in the distance.

When Roland got out of the car, Art had already tied the horses to the trees and was unloading several tarpaulin bundles, preparing to set up camp.

Thea chanted a spell in a low voice, and a glow appeared on her staff as she began to set up a warning spell to prevent wild beasts from disturbing the place.

Aleta, watching their practiced movements, felt somewhat lost and unsure of what to do.

"Go gather some firewood." Roland, carrying his bag, gestured with his chin towards her.

Aletta paused for a moment before realizing what was happening and ran towards the nearby grove of trees.

"Should we let her go alone?"

After reciting the incantation, Thea sat on the ground, which had been cleared of rubble, rested her chin on her left hand, and looked at Roland, asking a question.

"If you're going to take risks, you have to learn to do it alone," Roland said, walking towards the river and picking up a stick to poke fish. "Besides, it's right there, what problems could there be?"

Thea raised an eyebrow at the answer, but said nothing, and turned to start using her mage's hand to help Atreus build the tent.

When Aletta returned with firewood, there were already three fish with their innards removed and several strips of dried meat in the iron pot.

Atelier took the firewood from her, placed it under the iron pot, and then struck a flint to light the campfire.

"Now, let's assign the watch order," he said, glancing at the three of them. "Tina (Aleta's alias) will go first, then Nolan, then me, and Thea last."

Roland nodded, offering no objection.

Aletta, somewhat curious, asked in a low voice, "We set off at dusk and haven't gone far from town yet. Besides, Sister Thea has set up a watchful spell. Is it necessary to keep watch at night?"

Thea heard this, smiled, and said, "Warning spells won't work on monsters, and once you leave the town, you must enter an adventure mode and never let your guard down."

Roland nodded in agreement: "It's precisely because it's close to the town that high-level monsters won't appear, but low-level monsters are more likely to flock here. They know that where there are people, there is food."

Aletta nodded thoughtfully, keeping those words in mind.

She looked up again at the distance.

The setting sun is sinking into the embrace of the mountains.

Will a monster appear tonight?