Warriors will die if they charge.

The reward for a Mayflower is five gold coins per flower, while the reward for a golden scale is much higher, at thirty coins per scale.

So that mysterious and elegant mage came to find this golden lake.

Thirty gold coins per piece, she's really rich.

Marcus set aside his commission and revealed his true thoughts:

"The rainforest across the river is a place that almost no one in town wants to go, except for adventurers. Everyone says that area is the territory of the Water Queen, hiding strange secrets, and that she might eat us. You can serve the Water Queen her foot bath, and I'll become her son. As for Trish, she wouldn't even look at a gray-skinned half-blood."

"There are many secrets hidden there." Bardin didn't react to the tough guy's words, narrowing his eyes, a strange longing deep in his pupils.

"Well, staying in town all the time doesn't offer much work. To make money, I have to do something dangerous. I really hope this adventure will be worth something, instead of always doing things that lose money."

At this moment, Trish, who had already washed and put away the pots and pans, returned to the living room and was drying her hands with a towel when she heard Marcus's last words.

"Are you going on an adventure?"

"Well, you've had enough rest. I'll go talk to Kuran and put this courtyard under my name. You stay here..." Marcus shook his head, thinking to himself that the ruthless mixed-race drow was no mere ornament, and handed her the letter of authorization.

He pondered for a moment, his lips trembling, his mind repeating itself over and over.

Stop being foul-mouthed, stop being foul-mouthed, speak normally.

After a long while, under Bardin's strange gaze and as Trish silently reached behind her waist, Marcus finally managed to utter a sentence:

"Want to come together?"

Trissy took the commission letter and glanced at it, her gaze lingering on May and the golden scales.

The key is the compensation; make sure it's a substantial sum, then look up:

"I need a pair of boots that fit well, a crossbow, and a scimitar."

"That's where we're going."

-

Bardin was in charge of packing supplies and necessities for the trip to the rainforest, while Marcus also bought a pair of well-fitting boots for Trish from the shady tailor shop.

As for the crossbow and scimitar she wanted, that was a bit of a problem.

The tropical climate, humidity, and scarcity of minerals in Linhe Town, combined with several seemingly cursed natural factors, have made the smelting and forging industry extremely backward.

If you want to get weapons that are more reliable than farm tools, the only way is through the militia camp; the blacksmith shop only makes war clubs.

At the militia camp, Marcus relayed Lawson's words to Curran, who was curious why only the halfling looked so dejected when the two of them entered Tira's tent together.

"The house is yours, no one will touch it. As for Lawson, wish him good luck." Kuran didn't answer anything about Tira, his expression as open and honest as if the accident had never happened.

As Marcus requested, he retrieved a powerful crossbow, a longsword, and a round shield from the storeroom, along with a sturdy and durable studded leather armor.

They were all old equipment obtained from the Griffin Kingdom's army through Fielding's connections. They weren't high-quality, but they were stable and reliable.

As Marcus pulled out his money, ready to buy the well-maintained equipment, Kuran patted him on the back, speaking casually:

"Just invite me over for a drink next time. Boss Hawk is on a boat today, so if you want to go on a river adventure, you'd better hurry."

At the beer courtyard, yes.

Marcus named his new home "Ale," presumably so that after each adventure, he could find a place to drink and play cards, instead of always wandering aimlessly in taverns.

The rye wine makers gathered in the courtyard for their first grand research meeting.

The meeting was chaired by the principal leader, Marcus Norfitz, and the attendees were Bardeen Greenock and Trish.

The meeting focused on assigning positions within the team and requiring detailed self-introductions of capabilities, so that leaders could make unified arrangements based on their respective functions during subsequent missions.

The only flaw in the meeting was that when leader Marcus Stan boasted that he was a resilient queen, Comrade Trishes coldly retorted:

"You're just a mortal, you should learn to dodge. If I shoot an arrow behind you, you won't even know how you died."

Marcus scratched his head, feeling confused. Wasn't this discussion supposed to be about explaining each other's weaknesses and strengths? Why was Zhuoer breathing heavily again?

"That's why I need you. On another note, Bardin, Trish is skilled in shooting and assassination..." Marcus muttered to himself, "I really hope she doesn't shoot me in the back. Why didn't you dodge, you short-lived devil? Didn't you know I was going to shoot an arrow?"

He then said to the dwarf:

"And you? Don't try to fool me with that chivalrous nonsense again."

"Me...?" Bardin, biting his pipe, touched the one-handed battle axe hanging at his waist:

"I know a little bit of everything. I can use an axe, I can shoot crossbows accurately, and I can do some of the tricks of a wandering knight, haha."

Although he didn't understand Bardin's veiled thoughts, Marcus chose to be understanding since they were teammates.

Despite not being angered by the dwarf's jokes or that damned dog shit devil, the dwarf is actually quite reliable.

Each member of the team has a clearly defined role: Captain Marcus is the tank; Marksman Trisis is the long-range sniper; and Ranger Bardin is the midfielder who supports the tank or assists the shooter depending on the situation.

The biggest problem for the team right now is that they don't have a single spellcaster.

Trissy's Drow bloodline granted her only a simple lightness skill, which, combined with her agility, allowed her to climb cliffs at will, landing twenty meters high without a scratch.

Of course, Marcus thought this was utter nonsense. Jumping off a 20-meter cliff, wouldn't it hurt for a while?

Of course, he didn't dare say that. He didn't know if it would hurt if he jumped down, but he knew it would definitely hurt a lot if a knife was stuck in his waist.

"Let's talk about the commission first." Staff officer Badin, with a pipe in his mouth, puffed out white smoke as he analyzed the commission form, leaning back in his chair looking like an old man.

"There's a small adventurer's camp in the forest across the river; it's the only place that can provide ale. Hopefully, their ale isn't diluted with too much water..."

"Get to the point, about the mission," Trish said.

"The key point is that the tough guy hasn't been to the forest on the other side of the river. We need to find a guide who is familiar with the environment. The topographical map in the guild is as ugly as a piece of tissue paper that has been used to wipe a nose. It has no reference value at all. Considering the existing information, Mayflower usually grows near streams, so there must be a lot of snakes and insects..."

Bardin talked a lot about the Riverside Forest. He was a dwarf who appeared rough on the outside but was extremely cautious on the inside. His long-lived nature meant he was very patient in everything he did.

Trissy nodded repeatedly, listening intently to the dwarf's explanation. She glanced at the dazed Marcus and asked teasingly:

"As the captain of the rye beer team, shouldn't you say something?"

"As the captain of the rye beer team, my advice is to talk less and work more, so as not to waste my time making money... No, I mean, actually, I have a problem with Lin Zi... damn it... Anyway, let's go!"

Marcus didn't give the dwarves and drow a chance to react, grabbed his waterproof canvas backpack and headed outside.

If you don't want to talk about something, then don't say it at all.

He must not reveal that he is a risky green recruit.

Asking questions like what herbs to prepare to protect against snakes and insects, what terrifying magical beasts roam the riverside forest, and how to get along with other adventurers would seriously damage a captain's authority.

A leader should delegate authority and entrust tasks to capable people. The team leader's job is to go all in, count the money, and fight.

As long as I don't say it, no one will know that I don't understand.

No one knows how to be a leader better than me, no one.

Marcus, you're a genius.

He was secretly pleased with himself, but he didn't see the helpless shake of the head that the drow and the dwarf exchanged glances.

"He's an idiot," Zhuoer said.

"But this kind of fool isn't annoying," Bardin muttered, then noticed the chill in Drow's icy blue eyes as he stared at Marcus's retreating figure. "If you were to shoot him with an arrow..."

"Before I shoot him with an arrow, I'll shoot you through the head first, dwarf."