novelnext Chapter 13 The Elf's Beautiful Legs
Chapter 13 The Elf's Beautiful Legs
At that moment, the food he ordered was served.
The roasted mushrooms smelled wonderful, with a slightly charred surface and sprinkled with some unknown herbs; the pine nut bread was baked until crispy on the outside and soft on the inside, still warm.
Perhaps because she was hungry, Xia Lin found this simple meal exceptionally delicious.
Although the golden barley wine is rough, when chilled, it is refreshing and soothing to tired nerves when drunk in large gulps.
Xia Lin felt like she had received a new toy, and while eating, she used her recognition skills to scan the tavern.
Oak wood wine table (standard)
Made of ordinary oak, its surface is covered with scratches and wine stains, and the legs are slightly loose; its value is almost zero.
【Roasted Mushrooms with Herbs (Regular)】
Today's special at the tavern features juicy, fragrant mushrooms.
Pine Nut Bread (Regular)
Made from whole wheat and studded with pine nuts, it has a crunchy texture.
The Elf's Beautiful Legs
Long and straight, with smooth and supple muscle lines, long, slender, and white—a perfect golden ratio. The owner of these legs is in a bad mood...
Ok?
The intelligence level of the recognition technology exceeded Xia Lin's expectations.
While we were eating, an argument suddenly broke out at the next table.
"I've made myself perfectly clear!" The adventurer in half-armor suddenly stood up, his face flushed with excitement.
"The Black Wolf Squad is offering a base salary of twenty silver coins per person! And their commission is ten percent higher than yours! I'm here clearing goblin lairs with you guys, working two days straight, and I only get a dozen or so silver coins. What can that even cover? Not even enough to repair equipment!"
Three people sat opposite him: a female elven ranger carrying a longbow and with slightly pointed ears; a burly man wearing studded heavy armor who looked to be about two meters tall; and a halfling wearing a cloak.
"Hank, we've been working together for almost half a year now." The burly captain's voice was deep, tinged with suppressed anger. "The pay is a bit low, but it's reliable. Teams like Black Wolf only take on life-threatening jobs."
"Reliable? Can reliability put food on the table?" The adventurer named Hank scoffed. "Alright, Targen, that's enough. I'm leaving the team. We'll settle the previous commissions, and part ways amicably."
After saying that, he ignored his teammates' ugly expressions and strode towards the door.
He slammed the wooden door of the tavern shut with a loud crash.
The elven ranger slammed his fist on the table, making his wine glass bounce. "If I'd known he was this kind of person, I shouldn't have brought him along!"
"Never mind, Leah." The burly captain, the warrior known as Targen, rubbed his temples. "Everyone has their own ambitions. What we lack right now is a reliable warrior who can take turns with me at the front. I'll find another one. Elwynn Town has no shortage of warriors."
Xia Lin glanced at the equipment on the three people and quietly activated his identification skill.
The female ranger's longbow—[Wind Chaser Longbow (Green)]—is enchanted with "Minor Airflow Guidance," which slightly corrects the trajectory of arrows.
The warhammer hanging from the waist of the burly man, Tagen, is the [Rockbreaker (Green)], which has the "Shock" trait.
The most eye-catching thing was the large metal shield that Targen carried on his back.
The shield is made of thick steel with brass edging, and the center is slightly raised and polished so that it can reflect a person's image.
[Defender Steel Shield (Green)]
Made of high-quality steel, double-riveted, and lined with a cushioning layer of wood.
Effects: Significantly increases physical defense (+2), enhances stability when blocking (+1), and provides additional resistance to charge and impact attacks.
Condition: Well maintained, enchantment effect is stable.
These are all high-quality, eco-friendly equipment! Xia Lin was thrilled.
His standard shield, though lightweight and practical, was merely a product of ordinary craftsmen.
This steel shield is clearly several levels above, and its price must be considerable.
"This is what a proper elite adventurer team should look like..." Xia Lin couldn't help but sigh inwardly.
They are well-equipped, have a clear division of labor, and are likely to be taking on well-paid missions.
Thinking back to when I was struggling to earn a few dozen copper coins just by cleaning up moles, the difference is just too great.
Perhaps it's time to consider joining a team?
A person can make a living by taking on odd, low-level jobs, but if they want to quickly improve their equipment, they still need to join an experienced team.
He glanced again, without making a sound, at the three people at the table who were whispering to each other.
Xia Lin silently finished the last piece of bread and paid for the meal—two silver coins.
After some spending, his income dwindled to 5 gold, 12 silver, and 60 copper.
---
The next morning, Xia Lin went to the blacksmith shop to retrieve the repaired equipment.
Sindar the dwarf: "The old soldier's longsword can last a while longer. You should replace your leather armor too. Once you have all the materials, I can make you a custom-made set."
"What's the price?"
"The high-level equipment I got before must have cost at least tens of gold coins."
Xia Lin nodded without saying anything more.
He did have a few gold coins in his pocket, but considering he still needed to live, resupply, and deal with unexpected events, he temporarily put the idea aside.
After leaving the blacksmith's shop, he went to the market to find the vendor who always had a stall in the corner.
The person is not here.
A half-orc was kicking the wooden frame of a stall while cursing, and several onlookers whispered among themselves: "He's probably hiding from his debt collectors..." "Who knows where he's gone."
Xia Lin frowned, a sense of unease crossing her mind. Could it be that they had run off with the money?
He didn't linger and turned to walk towards the Adventurers' Guild.
As soon as he entered, Nim called out to him, "I was just looking for you. A team that's clearing out a goblin lair is short of members. I'll take you to meet them."
Following Nim to a group, Xia Lin was taken aback; it was the same group he had seen at the Moonlight Tavern yesterday.
The female elven ranger looked him up and down in his plain, unadorned gear, her brow furrowing slightly. "Nim, is this the expert you were talking about?"
Nim said calmly, "Go ask around at the gem appraisal center. He's dealt with mutated monsters all by himself."
Xia Lin looked at Nim in surprise. Was this guy so well-informed? Was it because he had paid too readily before?
The team members exchanged glances, seemingly acknowledging Xia Lin's strength.
The leading burly warrior extended his hand: "Tagen, warrior. This is Lia," he gestured to the elf, "Ranger. That's Ezio, halfling, wanderer."
Xia Lin shook hands: "Xia Lin, soldier."
Tagan nodded and briefly explained the mission: "Greystone Village, west of the town, is being harassed by goblins in a nearby mine. The association has been commissioned to find someone to clear them out. The lairs near the village are usually not very large, so if we're careful, we should be fine."
"And the payment?"
"Four gold coins, the rest will be paid per person, four silver coins per goblin. If there are any spoils in the lair, they will be divided according to contribution." Seeing that everyone had no objections, Targen said, "Meet at the big oak tree at the town entrance early tomorrow morning."
---
The carriage swayed and rattled as it headed toward Greystone Village.
Inside the carriage, the group leaned against their luggage. Targon wiped the gleaming steel shield, Leah inspected the arrows, and Ezio toyed with a delicate dagger.
"Speaking of which, Xia Lin, what did you do before?" Tagen broke the awkward silence first, wanting his teammates to get to know each other.
"A farmer who tills the land in the countryside."
"Farmer?" The halfling blinked.
This answer clearly surprised everyone in the team, even the elf looked at Xia Lin.
"And your swordsmanship..."
"Self-taught."
"Whoa—" *3
Targen paused, looking over. "Explain in detail?"
Xia Lin paused for a moment.
You can't exactly say you time-traveled and learned everything using some kind of cheat code...