The corner of my eye instinctively swept over.
"Molten Lava Sigh," White Sparrow’s latest signature spirit.
My gaze moved upward to look at the uninvited "guest" sitting directly across from me.
The visitor had a roughly chopped, messy crew cut, rough scarred dark brown skin, and gleaming scale armor over a faded burlap coat...
It was the female adventurer I had once encountered at the Alchemy Shop and whom I had a brief encounter with outside the goblin nest a few days earlier.
"Adeline," she introduced herself in a low, slightly gentle, thin voice.
Bringing a pricey drink over on purpose, she likely bore no hostility.
Nor was it a pickup attempt.
Xia Nan had no interest in the woman before him. Even setting aside that they’d met only twice, not even as acquaintances, her appearance didn’t match his aesthetic at all.
Her hair was several inches shorter than his—a fine, short hairstyle—alongside her rugged facial features and arms the same size as the young half orc at the next table...
Except for the lack of a beard and an Adam’s apple, her voice slightly softer, she was practically indistinguishable from the ordinary male adventurers in town.
In some way, if one were to say, his own body might appear even more delicate.
Thoughts floating, he guessed the woman’s intention.
Yet his face maintained a sharp, calm expression, brows slightly furrowed, and he coldly said:
"What is it? Just say it."
Not wanting to waste time with her here, Xia Nan went straight to the point.
And the female adventurer named "Adeline" seemed to have anticipated Xia Nan’s reaction and cut to the chase:
"I saw you at the Association earlier, are you looking for a team?"
"Our squad is currently missing a front-liner. Are you interested?"
Oh, recruiting me to join.
Knowing her purpose, Xia Nan’s gaze followed Adeline’s shoulder and looked behind her.
At a wooden table near the tavern door, sat her two companions, who he had also seen a few days ago.
Noticing Xia Nan’s gaze, a middle-aged archer carrying a longbow among them smiled warmly at him and raised his glass in greeting.
Beside him, a noticeably fresher-looking youth about Xia Nan’s age kept his face buried in his bowl, focused on eating.
Somewhat abruptly, Xia Nan suddenly asked.
Adeline was taken aback before realizing what he meant.
Still shaking her head.
Inside, Xia Nan couldn’t help but chuckle.
He had assumed she found out about his previous mission records through some means.
Or that she herself was so famous in town that just mentioning her name would make him eager to join.
Now it seemed that neither he understood Adeline’s squad, nor did Adeline know much about Xia Nan himself.
Let alone the team’s composition and each member’s specialized combat type, he didn’t even know the names of the other two members of her team.
Even though Xia Nan indeed needed a temporary team for missions right now.
Agreeing to this would be too reckless.
He pushed the glass on the table in front of him toward her.
Just about to refuse.
A sudden clattering sound of utensils hitting the ground came from not far away.
Two young servers with thin, frail builds apologized repeatedly, their voices almost tearful.
The floor beneath them was soaked with spilled liquor from a fallen wooden cup, mixed with several pieces of dust-covered stew meat.
In front of them, stood a stout dwarf with an iron helmet.
At this moment, he was looking pained, using a cloth to wipe clean his cherished "exquisite" beard braids stained with liquor.
Fortunately, thanks to the upcoming Hunting Day and the approaching departure to Mist Forest, the dwarf, known for his heavy drinking habits, was not drunk.
Despite the mess of spilled food and liquor on the ground, even though his precious beard braids suffered "severe damage."
His companions offered a few words of comfort, and soon dropped the matter, waving the young servers to clean up quickly.
"New servers? Why are they so young?"
Having lived in the tavern for quite some time, this was Xia Nan’s first time seeing the two, stirring a sense of curiosity within him.
Strangely, it carried with it a faint sense of déjà vu.
As if sensing his thoughts, Adeline, sitting across, spoke up suddenly.