It's so painful! So hard! So difficult!

The girl hesitated for a moment, but still sat in the front and held Bai Lin's hand. Bai Lin waved goodbye happily and walked out of the room.

Nice! Successfully captured the first teammate!

Although she didn't feel her opponent was particularly powerful during their fight, according to the boss, magicians were extremely rare, and for a fledgling adventurer like her, reaching this level was quite impressive. From Bai Lin's direct observation, Fei'er's strength was just as unfathomable as she herself had shown.

From the moment she opened the door silently, to the changes in her voice, appearance, and even her aura, to her ability to adjust her presence and absence at will, this level of skill was terrifying. It felt like her strength was definitely on par with that of the Purple Flame Mage. In short, Bai Lin felt like he'd found a treasure.

Of course, although the result was satisfactory, Bai Lin still felt a little tired because of the process. She sat on the bed and leaned against the wall.

Alas, it's only been a short time since we've been apart, and I'm already missing that little girl with such a quick-changing but understanding temperament. Bai Lin rubbed his temples and stood up again after a short rest. It was already dusk, and it would soon be dinner time. He still had to eat a good dinner.

By the way, how about asking Fei'er to go out for dinner together? I just wanted to tell her that Bai Lin has to go see Andel tomorrow, so it's a good time to arrange a meeting between the team members.

For social anxiety, it's better to communicate more and encourage more. Bai Lin understands this. Her reluctance to open up is her own business. If you don't have much goodwill with others, who would tell you about their own affairs?

It didn't matter whether she agreed or not, the important thing was to show her presence. Thinking of this, Bai Lin knocked on Fei'er's door.

"Is Fei'er here? I'm Bai Lin. Are you free to have dinner together?"

As soon as the voice fell, there was a rustling sound in the room. The mysterious old man appeared again and opened the door for Bai Lin. Although she did not hide her actions this time, she still changed her appearance and aura. Bai Lin did not care about her appearance at all. She asked directly,

"Can we eat at the pub downstairs?"

Fei'er came out to open the door, and it was obvious that Bai Lin already knew that she had agreed, so she dared to ask directly. Fei'er shook her head and pointed to the steaming hot food on the table in her room and said,

"Buy it and eat it. I'll wait for you."

Although it was a small table, it was more than enough for two people to eat. Perhaps Fei'er didn't like crowded places, so she must have discussed it with the owner and had the food delivered directly after paying. Bai Lin quickly finished shopping and walked back to Fei'er's room.

Bai Lin pulled a chair, and Fei'er sat on her bed. The two of them sat opposite each other, and the situation looked very natural and harmonious. However, eating meant only one thing.

Fei'er's true face is about to be revealed!

Noticing Bai Lin's fiery gaze, Fei'er glanced at him, then naturally removed her mask, revealing her youthful and delicate features. This slightly smaller, but not quite round face gave Bai Lin a refreshing, lemony aroma, making him feel invigorated. However, her young age was somewhat unexpected.

Judging from her appearance alone, Fei'er is a few years younger than the younger Katie, about 16. Overall, she is a young beauty.

Chapter 205 Team Meeting

"Ahem." Fei'er coughed lightly, interrupting the somewhat subtle atmosphere. Bai Lin also realized that he seemed to have been looking at her for a long time, so he retracted his gaze and said something very annoying.

"You've been hiding it for so long, I thought you would try to hide your appearance even more."

Fei'er shook her head gently. "You've already revealed it, so it's not good for me to hide it. That's all."

This was the longest sentence Bai Lin had spoken since meeting Fei'er. He had a feeling she wasn't simply socially anxious, but more like someone who would open up more as relationships developed. She probably had a desire to socialize, but it was her past experiences that shaped her current behavior.

So, Bai Lin also roughly grasped the direction of her opening words. She cleared her throat and started talking about business.

"Tomorrow, I'm going to recruit other team members. I've already chosen a friend, and I'll rely on her recommendations for the recruitment process. Of course, I'll be with you throughout the process. So, I thought I'd take you to meet her. What do you think?"

Fei'er hesitated for a moment, then shook her head. She wasn't particularly enthusiastic about getting to know others. The unknown was the source of human fear, and for someone like her with social anxiety, even an ordinary person faced a bottomless abyss of the unknown.

Bai Lin smiled slightly, swallowed a mouthful of food, and said soothingly, "I won't force you, but I can assure you that she is also a kind person. If you are willing to get to know her a little, that would be great."

After saying that, Bai Lin continued eating the food on his plate, not even glancing at Fei'er's expression. This kind of subtle, hard-to-get tactic is very effective for sensitive people. Fei'er, just so happens to be one of those sensitive people.

She glanced at Bai Lin and realized he wasn't even looking at her. She couldn't get any answers or clues from his face. This meant Fei'er was forced to think about this somewhat difficult matter. Finally, after weighing the pros and cons, she spoke to Bai Lin.

"Well... we can only get to know each other a little bit, um, a little bit..."

Bai Lin immediately raised his head and said to Fei'er in an encouraging tone, "Yes, just a little acquaintance. Fei'er is still very courageous."

Although these words were somewhat exaggerated and unreasonable, Fei'er's lips curled up slightly. What this kind of person lacks most is the encouragement and recognition of others. Bai Lin certainly had his own selfish motives for completing the task, but he still wanted to help her out of the haze. It was a pity to leave such a lovely girl in such a depressed state.

-

At night, they both went to bed early. Bai Lin agreed to wake her up the next morning and go find Andel together. Although Andel might not be at home in the afternoon and evening, if he got up early, there was a high probability that he would run into her at her house while she was still fast asleep.

As it turned out, after Bai Lin hurriedly dragged Fei'er, a mysterious woman wrapped in a tightly black robe, to Andel's house, he actually managed to run into her sleeping... and her father, who was doing morning exercises outside. After explaining their purpose, Andel's father, who looked quite strong, enthusiastically led the two strangely dressed young people into the house.

Andel's house wasn't huge, but it was definitely bigger than a typical store. It was plainly decorated, but it seemed to have quite a few rooms, probably because the whole family lived there. Bai Lin, aside from anything else, still had the basic etiquette of greeting people politely. Adding to her good looks, her father also seemed much more enthusiastic and volunteered to wake Andel up, and so—

Things have evolved into what they are now.

After being woken up at this point, Andel swung her pillow at her father with even more ferocity than when she attacked Bai Lin. The latter seemed to have long been accustomed to Andel's behavior, and easily dealt with the pillow blows and some moderate verbal abuse.

"I'm on vacation, so what? I can sleep a little longer. Stop yelling!"

"But your friend came to see you..." Her father was still speaking in a nice way.

"Even if the king of heaven comes, he can't stop me from sleeping!"

Of course, her father's method of waking her up was quite forceful. I won't go into detail about this, but I can only say that Bai Lin seemed to see a miniature version of herself back then. This level of grumpiness when waking up was truly unexpected.

In this situation, Fei'er could not help but lean behind Bai Lin and hide herself. Then Bai Lin also realized that if she continued to watch the fun like this, the real business would not be able to be discussed, so she quickly shouted,

"Andel, it's me."

"Who are you?" Andel suddenly realized that there were outsiders around her. Then she looked at Bai Lin and Fei'er, then at her father, and finally focused her eyes on her hands. Finally, with a red face, she slapped the pillow on her father's face and said loudly,

"Everyone get out right now!!!"

Her father happily pulled Bai Lin and Fei'er outside and said as if he was used to it, "My daughter often does this. Don't be too surprised, my friends. Why don't you sit on the sofa outside for a while?"

"Okay, thank you for your help, uncle." Bai Lin responded politely with a sweet smile.

So, the two of them sat on the cushioned bench in the living room, waiting for Andel to show up. After a while, Andel, still a little bored and shy, walked out of her room and sat on the small bench in the living room. Seeing this, Bai Lin said jokingly,

"If you're sleepy, you can go back and sleep for a while."

Andel glared at Bai Lin and said unhappily, "You're the only one who talks too much. Tell me what you want from me."

Bai Lin immediately straightened his demeanor and got down to business. "I'm here today mainly because I received a great mission, so I want to form a team of about five adventurers. This is the magician I found. He's quite capable, but he's not very good at communication."

Only then did Andel notice Fei'er standing next to Bai Lin. Although her current appearance seemed out of place in this world, like a black, twisted mass, she seemed embedded in the environment. Andel couldn't help but feel a chill down her spine. Is this guy reliable?

But after all, it was Bai Lin who found her, so Andel chose to believe her for the time being. She extended her hand to Fei'er enthusiastically, with a standard smile and a business-like voice. In the dim light of the early morning, she looked a bit like a goddess.

“Welcome to join our team and work hard together!”

Chapter 206 Tavern

Andel's cordial invitation did not seem to move Fei'er's heart at all. She once again lowered her head in fear and hid her eyes. Bai Lin quickly stood in front of her and explained for her,

"You made a lot of noise when you got up just now. So you scared her a little bit..."

"Huh?" Andel was confused and about to lose her temper. But after thinking carefully, Bai Lin came from the village with Katie. If she was trying so hard to protect someone, her strength must be guaranteed. So she twisted her mouth and said something in a yin-yang way,

"It's really my fault that you guys saw me like that. I'd better not give you a chance to wake you up early, Bai Lin."

Andel looked at Bai Lin with a smile, but Bai Lin didn't buy it. She replied in a similar tone,

"Whatever. I usually get up early anyway."

Andel rolled her eyes and stopped arguing with Bai Lin. Instead, she said, "It's a good thing that we already have one team member. However, if there are still two vacancies... you asked me to come here today, probably to find the remaining two."

Bai Lin nodded. "First, the magician issue has been resolved. What remains is a priest and an archer. Do you have any suitable candidates in mind?"

"Don't worry, I'll pick the people!" Andel waved his hand generously and promised confidently.

So, after waiting for Andel and eating something to fill their stomachs, the three of them set out. After explaining the mission details and the requirements for the team members, during the walk to the destination, Andel tried to pull Bai Lin aside several times to talk in private, but Bai Lin ignored all her hints.

After all, if she were to talk to Andel alone at this moment, Bai Lin's trust in Fei'er might be reduced. She knew very well that Andel would not question her choice, so it was no big deal to let Andel be confused for the time being.

Magicians are hard to find, and this alone can allow Fei'er to be a little more willful. But honestly, if a team can't communicate freely, the overall level will be greatly reduced. On this point, Fei'er still needs to do some ideological work.

"Bai Lin has never been here, so I just happen to take you around today." Andel said.

"Ah? Where is this place? I don't see any iconic buildings nearby." Bai Lin asked in confusion.

On either side of the road, besides clusters of buildings, there was only a bridge connecting the roads. Beneath the bridge lay a seemingly long river, its deck wide and slightly arched. Greenery lined the riverbanks, creating a pleasant scene.

"Could it be that...the team members you mentioned live under the bridge?" Bai Lin speculated jokingly. And Andel almost laughed out loud.

"If you were an adventurer, would you live under the bridge? Seriously, didn't I tell you a long time ago that this city is divided into the upper and lower parts? After crossing this bridge, you will reach the upper part."

After suppressing a smile, Andel explained. Bai Lin nodded thoughtfully. No wonder there seemed to be so much traffic here. No need for checkpoints within the city, the three of them quickly crossed the bridge. At the end of the bridge stood an antique mahogany plaque with a black square background and a few large black characters printed on it: Upper Town.

From this glance, one could see the completely different architectural styles of the upper and lower districts. The lower district's facades were mostly uniformly painted, but in the upper district, Bai Lin could see a wide variety of styles just by looking at it. There were Chinese-style buildings with wooden cladding, and some decorations similar to those in the lower district were not uncommon.

Some even combine both, but employ their own unique approach to materials, primarily using sand and stone. Overall, the result is a vibrant riot of color. While the diverse styles create a somewhat chaotic overall scene, the visual effect is like a blend of diverse buildings into a single space, creating a truly stunning experience.

Especially for Bai Lin, who came from the modern era, this kind of place seemed too dreamy. However, her shock didn't last long; these were just normal residential buildings. She glanced at Fei'er next to her and noticed that she was looking up into the distance, seemingly intently.

"Fei'er has never been to the upper city area?" Bai Lin asked softly.

"Yeah." She replied briefly, then lowered her head, seemingly unwilling to say anything more in such a crowded place. Bai Lin certainly wouldn't bother herself, so the three of them continued their journey.

"Speaking of which..." After walking for a while, Bai Lin looked at the carriages passing by and said, "Why don't we stop a carriage too."

Aundair spoke again, speaking expertly. "Ever since Camillan's population has grown, carriage traffic has been restricted. We're all adventurers, so there's no need to waste money. We're all pretty strong anyway, so we can just treat it as exercise."

What kind of exercise is this? It's just like taking a walk. Bai Lin thought to himself. As they chatted, Andel said, "This way," and walked towards a shop on the street. Although the sign on the door said "Closed", Andel pushed the door open without a care in the world, obviously very familiar with the place.

As the three of them entered, they heard a lazy voice.

"It's closed now." A deep, middle-aged man's voice came from behind a sofa.

The light here was dim, but with the help of a wall lamp that Andel had turned on, she could clearly see the inside of the store. This was a tavern, completely decorated in wooden style, with both the floor and the bar being very loyal to the dark wood.

Although the space was relatively small, the tables and chairs were not very densely packed together, making it a well-decorated tavern. Andel quickly walked to the sofa and asked, "Where are the Norwens?"

"You know the rules, right? As a guest asking questions, you need to order a drink first, one per person." The lazy voice sounded again, and it was obvious that the owner of the voice was lying on the sofa. Andel gritted his teeth and said, "Aren't you closed for business?"

"You're not just any customer, so of course we have to open for you." The man sat up. His beard and hairstyle were a bit unruly, a bit sloppy. Although he had a tough face, his body didn't look particularly muscular, but it matched the smirk on his face quite well.

Andel sighed helplessly. Seeing that the man was serious and ready to start working, she turned around and asked the two of them, "What would you like to drink?"

Chapter 207 Norman

Bai Lin thought for a moment, then shrugged, "This is our first time here, so let's order the same as you."

Bai Lin's meaning was simple. He had only ordered this glass of wine out of perfunctory consideration. He didn't know the names of the wines in this world, and Fei'er had obviously not asked for any, so he made his own decision. Andel understood very well. As soon as she turned around, the middle-aged man said with a smile,

"Okay, three cups of Phoenix's great deeds, I got it."

Apparently, Andel often used this drink, which is why the man said so. Andel sighed and pulled the two of them to sit on the high stools at the counter. The man quickly moved the bottle and cocktail shaker in his hands, his movements skillful, rough yet professional. Soon, three glasses of orange-yellow liquid appeared before the three of them.

"Enjoy your meal! I'll call someone." The man took the payment with a smile and politely walked away. Andel swirled the wine glass in her hand. The single candlestick on the table didn't seem too glaring in this relatively gentle and harmonious setting, but rather gave it a warm feeling.

In modern terms, this is a "quiet bar," which is more of a place for friends to chat than a quiet place. Andel took a sip of wine, then turned his head to look at the two people who hadn't taken action.

"Since we've ordered everything, let's drink it. I quite like this wine."

Bai Lin nodded, removed his helmet, and, with a try-it-out attitude, closed his eyes and took a sip. How should I put it? A mellow, delicate sweetness followed by a perfectly balanced, strong aftertaste. Bai Lin put down his glass and gave Andel a satisfied thumbs-up.

Andel smiled and nodded, then tentatively asked our new team member, "Don't you want to give it a try, Fei'er?"

"Ah?" Fei'er was surprised for a moment, as if she had almost fallen asleep before. Then, she shook her head gently. Andel naturally would not force it too much, so she turned her head away and slowly said,

"I'd like to take this opportunity to briefly introduce you to the Upper and Lower Districts. Camillan practices a system of separate governance within the city. The Lower District is divided by the aristocracy, emphasizing distinctions between different social classes. The Upper District, on the other hand, is governed by the will of the people, prioritizing public opinion."

Bai Lin thought about it for a moment, and then subjectively defined them as the two major political factions in the original world. Then she asked, "Won't this cause problems? We are obviously in the same city, so this doesn't seem to be very united..."

Aundair said soothingly, "Of course not. How could Camillan allow a city to be divided? After so many years of evolution, the current governing plan is made by the 13 crown lords who have been passed down from generation to generation."

"Guan Jue..." Bai Lin seemed to have thought of something, "Doesn't that still seem to be a little indifferent to public opinion? It's just that there are more people participating in the discussion."

Andel shook her finger. "Of course it's not that simple. The Lord and the Party cadres have the power of impeachment at any time, and they can also mobilize the people's representatives to vote and make decisions. Relatively speaking, it's still fair, but..."

"Both in the Upper and Lower Towns, there are still so-called factions. These factions include radicals and those who advocate for peace. Most of the nobles in the Lower Town support the nobility's rule, while in the Upper Town... there is an organization called the Red Man Party."

As Andel spoke, she seemed to get a little excited and introduced the Red Party to the two of them.

"They're basically very united. Regardless of whether they advocate peace or not, if they see a comrade in distress, they'll definitely help. And this faction seems to teach some basic martial arts or something... I'm not sure about the details."

Bai Lin nodded thoughtfully, perhaps understanding the city's policy distribution. Fei'er, on the other hand, seemed to be unconcerned about all this and showed almost no reaction.

"In short, if there are fanatics who particularly want you to join a certain faction, it's better to avoid them."

"Eh, is it so scary?" Bai Lin couldn't help but sigh.

"The world is so vast, and there are so many wonders." Andel shook his glass again and took a long swig. A moment later, a voice echoed from the left side of the bar. A wooden door there opened. The first person to step out was the middle-aged man.

"I've brought the person to you, Miss Andel." The middle-aged man whistled jokingly, then turned around and shouted, "Hurry up, Nowen, others are waiting for you!"

"Here I come..." A young, brown-haired man, also dressed as a bartender, emerged from behind the wooden door. While still quite tall, he appeared a bit thin. He had a handsome face, perhaps even a delicate, feminine one. He was truly handsome. His pale blue eyes and smiling lips gave him a gentle air.

The middle-aged man brought Norman over and said, "Well, you guys chat, I'll go lie down for a bit." Then he immediately jumped onto his favorite sofa. Norman smiled and sat down next to Andel.

"Who is this...?" Bai Lin gestured to introduce him.

Before Norwen could speak, Andel interrupted, "He's the priest I had in mind. Don't underestimate him, he's a top-notch priest. He's skilled in holy light spells and healing, and he's also a skilled wielder of the longstaff."

"So powerful." Bai Lin couldn't help but sigh, "But why is it that such a powerful person is the one we get to recruit?"

"Hahaha, actually, I'm not as amazing as Andel says. I'm just lazy. I prefer playing the piano and wiping glasses in this tavern to going on adventures."