The sudden voice startled the three.
Especially the short-haired girl, who visibly shivered all over.
The Archer girl, however, observed Gaosi with a scrutinizing gaze, out of wariness towards a stranger.
She did not respond.
But from her somewhat resistant expression, it was clear she was leaning towards refusal.
In her opinion, Gaosi’s appearance didn’t suggest much strength.
He wore no decent armor, only a bleached linen tunic with several small holes in the hem, and the only weapon he carried was a worn dagger at his waist.
Rather than an adventurer, he looked more like a young man struggling to make ends meet, gritting his teeth, and preparing to take a gamble.
The only commendable thing about him was his rather refined and clean appearance—black hair and blue eyes. He wasn't particularly handsome, but his bright, piercing eyes made one want to look at him longer.
She quite liked those blue eyes, but she couldn't possibly bring a combat-lacking “pretty boy” into the team for that reason.
She remained silent, simply trying to think of an excuse to refuse him.
After a few seconds of silence, the atmosphere became subtle.
The young Swordsman leaning against a pillar spoke up at this moment, responding to Gaosi.
“We’re also new, if you want to gain adventuring experience, it’s best to team up with veterans.”
He spoke weakly, but his words were very honest and held a hint of kindness.
“It’s fine, my goal is also a Goblin quest, I just haven’t found a suitable solo quest yet, so I thought I’d try teaming up temporarily with someone.” Gaosi actually wasn’t very keen on teaming up with veterans who had been in the lower echelons of adventurers for many years.
“I need to discuss it with my companions.” Seeing Gaosi say this, the Archer girl finally spoke.
“No problem.” Gaosi nodded.
He wasn't forcing it; he was just asking out of curiosity.
If he was rejected, he would simply go look for other suitable quests.
“Oh, right.”
Just as Gaosi was about to move further away to give the three space for private discussion, the Archer stopped him as if remembering something.
“Is your main weapon a dagger? Or do you have any other special skills?”
She didn't actually expect a useful answer; an adventurer's main weapon was always the one they were most proficient with.
She asked this simply to keep the conversation going, intending to use the excuse that a teammate already mastered daggers and they didn't need another melee member to politely decline him after their discussion.
However, Gaosi’s answer surprised her.
“For close combat, it’s the dagger. As for special skills, I used to be a Hunter, so I won’t get lost in the wilderness, and I just learned a spell.”
“A spell?”
After Gaosi finished speaking, all three looked over, their expressions conveying a sense of “that doesn't seem like something you’d be involved with.”
“Are you a Mage?”
“I don’t know if I count as one, but I have indeed mastered a spell.” Gaosi had no intention of hiding it.
Since he was asking to team up, there was no need to conceal anything.
Thinking that words alone weren’t enough, he immediately activated Mage Hand.
The air briefly and slightly twisted, and an invisible ghostly hand materialized, shaped by magic.
He handed over the dagger.
The Mage Hand grasped the hilt and swung it twice at the empty air.
“It really is… magic!” The Archer girl’s eyes couldn’t help but light up as she watched the dagger floating in the air, cutting nothing!
She eagerly approached, asking Gaosi, “What spell is this?”
“Mage Hand, its effect is to materialize an invisible hand.” Gaosi briefly explained.
While he had no intention of hiding his skill, he didn't elaborate further for now, as he didn't know if they would agree to let him join the team.
Saying too much now would be a waste of breath if he was rejected.
“Mage Hand… Hmm, it sounds very good.” The Archer girl nodded repeatedly, her eyes still somewhat excited.
She seemed to be enthusiastic about magic and spells.
“Then let’s discuss it first. Please wait for us here, don’t leave yet.” After saying that, she quickly pulled her two companions to a corner to talk.
The three didn't walk far, and Gaosi still had no intention of eavesdropping, but their unsuppressed voices still reached his ears.
“Should we team up with this stranger?”
“He’s a Mage!”
“Having a Mage temporarily team up with us should make it safer. For our first quest, with seven or eight Goblins, it’s better to be cautious.”
“…”
After a brief meeting, the three returned to Gaosi.
“My companions and I have no objections. Welcome to our team, and we hope to cooperate happily on the upcoming quest.”
The Archer led the welcome for Gaosi, extending her hand to him.
“Yes, please guide me.” Gaosi also reached out and shook her hand. “How should I address the three of you?”
“I’m Hailier, my specialty weapon is the bow, and I can provide ranged support for the team. Uh, I can also cook.”
“I’m Mia, I use a dagger.”
“Bell, I use a longsword.”
The three had different personalities. Hailier seemed the most enthusiastic after learning of Gaosi’s “Mage” identity, Mia was the shy, short-haired girl, and Bell was the languid-speaking Swordsman boy.
Despite their varying personalities, Gaosi instinctively felt that none of them were bad.
“You guys aren’t from around here, are you?”
Gaosi had been in the town for over a year but had never seen any of them.
“That’s right, we all come from Barri, and we’ve been friends since childhood.”
...
On the first day of temporarily joining the team.
Hailier, as the leader, generously treated everyone to a celebratory dinner at the tavern.
The three from Barri City indeed came from good families; while certainly not nobility, they at least had no worries about food and clothing.
Roast meat, ale, salted sturgeon, venison sausage…
Gaosi ate the most lavish meal he had since arriving in this new world.
Large, sizzling cuts of roasted meat, drizzled with the innkeeper's secret sauce, exploded on his taste buds the moment he bit into them, the meat juices and salty sauce blending perfectly.
The sliced venison sausage also had a very unique taste, an extremely rich cured meat flavor, somewhat like beef, mixed with a mysterious smoky, fruity aroma.
The chefs in this world weren't bad, especially after Gaosi had been eating black bread, oatmeal, and pickles for days; in comparison, the dishes before him seemed incredibly abundant.
However, when the waiter announced the price at checkout, Gaosi, still burping, secretly gasped.
“That will be 3 silver coins and 40 copper coins.”
One meal had consumed all his assets.
He had originally intended to suggest they split the cost, but he silently swallowed the words, a hint of embarrassment appearing on his face.
Having just paid his adventurer registration fee, he truly didn't have enough money to split the cost of this meal.
“Don’t be polite with Hailier, her family is in business, they have a bit of money.” Bell said quietly.
Gaosi nodded, suddenly realizing that the wealth disparity in this other world was equally significant.
Both were young people just starting out; the original owner had left home with only 30 copper coins, a change of clothes, and 1 pound of black bread. He had worked hard for over a year, saving more than 3 silver coins, which was barely enough for one meal.
He shook his head.
While he felt the impact of this disparity, he wasn't disheartened.
After all, the future was his.
Though he was currently short on cash, he knew it was only temporary.
When he had money later, he would treat them back.
Gaosi rubbed his empty coin pouch and followed the three out of the tavern.