Xingtie, started with a guitar, and made a living by singing

"I'm fifteen now, having passed my coming-of-age ceremony, and the academy no longer covers my living expenses. To spread the glory of the Earth Mother and for everyone at the orphanage, I've decided to become an adventurer."

After her companions took the lead, Mimiya politely answered, "I was sent out by my tribe. Unlike my fellow tribesmen who are used to seeing the scenery of their homeland and want to go out and explore new things and experience the joys of adventure, I actually prefer to stay in one place."

"So this is what you call an adult's mission?"

Wendy added with amusement.

And Mimiya sighed.

"That's about right. After all, staying home for too long would make people nag me, saying things like, 'You're just eating expensive fruit here.' But after I left home midway, I found this adventuring business surprisingly interesting, so I just stuck with it."

"Well... my reasons are a little more complicated."

Zarius, who was much taller than the others, had a melancholy look on his face.

"My hometown was originally a place with fertile land and a thriving fishing industry. There were probably few such excellent settlements in the entire Lizardman Kingdom. However, as a young man, I naturally had a fondness for new things from the outside world, so I took the initiative to join the traveling merchant group and embark on a journey, hoping to broaden my horizons across the continent.

I didn't return to my hometown until middle age, but a disaster had occurred there. The native fish living in the swamp were eaten up by another kind of alien invasive monster fish. The tribesmen were starving, and it was impossible to stop the starvation by catching them by hand.

After returning from my travels, I barely relied on what I had seen and learned from the human kingdom to complete the task of cleaning the pond by raising a fish farm and introducing another type of monster fish that was targeted by it, letting them fight each other.

Initially, the disaster in my hometown was indeed suppressed. Later, the introduced monster fish quickly clashed with the invasive species, and both sides fought to a standstill. It was really much easier for the tribesmen to kill them later. It was also at that time that I was granted the position of priest by the [Luang Po] of my tribe.

"From just the first half, it seems like a story that has some twists and turns, but ultimately ends well."

San Yue Qi held up his face and spoke out.

"Yes. If we only look at the first half, it's true... But I overlooked one thing. I'm just an ordinary mortal, yet I'm doing something only a 'god' can do. I'm putting two creatures together, watching them fight, profiting from it, developing my own tribe, and even feeling smug about it—"

A look of deep pain and struggle appeared on Zariyus's face.

"Such an arrogant act brought divine punishment upon my tribe. All the fish in my fishery died overnight. Even the new fry I released died for various inexplicable reasons. This bad luck even continued to spread outward, and even my wife and children were not spared.

In just one month, I became a loner, and other people in the tribe avoided me. Finally, under pressure, Luang Pu stripped me of my priest position and exiled me. I became a stray, and the magic I was given as a priest was also banned.

"I'm sorry. I didn't mean to bring that up. I knew there would be a twist, but I didn't expect it to be this way."

San Yueqi's expression suddenly became apologetic.

Dan Heng seemed to be thinking about something, but he did not comment.

Xing frowned and asked, "I remember that every country seems to have its own gods. Don't the Lizardmen have their own gods?"

"Initially, there were, but according to tribal history, the ancestor dragon died due to a catastrophe from outer space. The bloodline of its descendants was also polluted during the subsequent difficult continuation. The once upright dragon body became hunched, the proud dragon horns gradually shrank, and finally even the dragon wings that once soared across the sky disappeared.

The bloodline of the tribe continued to branch out, extending to the various Lizardmen tribes we have today. Those ancestors who received some of the bloodline of the Ancestral Dragon also fell asleep in the Cretaceous layer due to the passage of time. In the end, all that was passed down was the magic that barely reproduced the corner of the 'true dragon'.

Zariyus' tone was filled with regret, and there was a hint of reminiscence in his eyes.

"However, as far as I know, there's been a rumor circulating among the tribe since some time that if one can reach a higher level of adventure, one might be able to transform into a dragon step by step."

"So does Zariyus think it's true or false?"

March 7 couldn't help but ask.

"Well... from a personal perspective, if it really is natural, that would be great. There will always be young people with better bloodlines in the tribe who can give it a try. But an old fellow like me probably won't see the day of transforming into a dragon in my lifetime."

Zarius is particularly indifferent to reality, and his obsession with transforming into a dragon is not as strong as before.

He looked at the burning flames, picked up the firewood beside him and added it to the flames, and his tone of voice became calm.

"Now I only hope that the tribesmen I've helped can gradually get back on the right track. This, perhaps, can at least wash away some of the sins of blasphemy against God in the past."

"It seems that Zarius's reasons for becoming an adventurer are indeed very complicated..."

A faint sigh on March 7th.

"It's really not my intention to spoil your fun."

Zariyus bowed his head and said comfortingly.

March 7th stood there awkwardly, not seeming to know how to explain.

Fortunately, Wendy changed the subject in time.

"Well, why not tell me about our situation here—"

"Hmm... I'm sure your reasons differ from ours, and you have a great mission to accomplish, right?"

As a lizardman who had traveled in human society, Zariyus was very good at observing people's expressions and quickly joined in the joke.

"Haha! There's no such thing. In fact, I was no different from an ordinary bard when I first started out. All I had was a harp and useless poetic skills that were so poor that I couldn't even afford a drink."

Looking back on that time now, it seems so far away. Wendy smiled with a hint of relief as she recalled it.

"But fortunately, a few kind-hearted people helped me, and after I got through the difficult period at the beginning, I started performing in various places. Occasionally, I had to hide from gang members who came to collect protection money. At that time, it seemed that I spent every day fighting wits and courage with homeless people.

But I was lucky. I had the power to pursue freedom, and from then on I was obsessed with many beautiful sights that I had never seen before. I wanted to embrace a freedom greater than the world, so I began my adventure—"

In this regard, it is not difficult for Xing to imagine that scene.

After all, ever since she met Wendy, she had always acted like a slacker in the back.

Having such a past and obsession not only did not make her sigh, but instead she felt that it was very Wendy's style.

"So, what that guy Sambo said back then was actually true?"

March 7th recalled what he had seen and heard during his pioneering journey in Beloberg.

"Don't you think so, Dan Heng?"

"..."

Dan Heng did not respond to her immediately. When talking about the topic of dragon transformation before, he actually recalled some bad memories, which were somewhat related to his past. He never thought that he would see such things on a strange planet.

Although the dragons and vidyadharas here are two different things, the situations they encounter seem to have some similarities. The only difference is that the history of vidyadharas is preserved more completely, and the secret methods of the tribe are also properly preserved, but the secret method of transforming into a dragon... is really not worth mentioning.

"Hello! Dan Heng?"

March Seven poked him again, his cheeks puffing slightly.

"Why are you daydreaming again? It's time for you to explain why you started taking risks!"

"Because I have nothing to say."

Dan Heng turned his face away to avoid her fingers and just said coldly.

"Isn't the reason I started taking risks similar to yours?"

"Well... if it comes down to being picked up and then recruited as a train crew member, then that's certainly the case."

March 7's tone suddenly became subtle.

And Xing on the side simply nodded.

"That being said, I'm pretty much the same. I can't say I've nowhere to go, but thanks to the train, I can still pursue some of the things that interest me."

"Wow... so this Star Train, um... in my language, the Galaxy Train... is truly a formidable organization."

That was all Zariyus could say.

"Yes, it's a blessing to be able to recruit members like you."

Mimiya felt the same way, while Fina blinked a little confusedly, as if she had not yet recovered from everyone's story.

It was not until Zariyus handed her the grilled skewers that she slowly woke up and ate the fragrant meat in big mouthfuls. At the same time, she also did not forget to share the rich-flavored milk wine she brought from the church.

Mimiya also shared a green pastry similar to "tea cake", which is a specialty of the elves. It tastes like tea and is very soft and glutinous.

Even Wendy brought out the rye bread and wine she had brought from Belloberg. Although everyone's faces were flushed from drinking, the wine tasted surprisingly good.

Later, Sanyueqi also shared his snacks. As for Danheng... he never had the habit of bringing food other than dry food, so he could only eat and drink for free like Xing.

Until halfway through the meeting, two bright moons, one purple and one green, hung high above our heads, shining dimly.

The rescued Pu people scout finally woke up. He looked around confusedly for a while, and then followed the firelight to find everyone.

After seeing the silver adventure badge hanging around Mimiya's neck, he naturally regarded her as the captain of the team.

"Captain, I have important information to share with you!"

"Huh? I'm not the leader, that one is—"

Mimiya pointed at the slightly tipsy Wendy, who was sitting with the young priest who had a surprisingly good alcohol tolerance, and they were drinking together. When Wendy saw the Pu Ren scout, he invited him to come over and drink with them.

This unreliable behavior immediately made the Pu Ren scout frown, especially when he saw the white porcelain nameplate hanging around his neck, he felt that he was being fooled.

He couldn't help but raise his voice and said seriously, "Miss Elf, I'm serious about discussing this commission with you. That cave has already summoned Chaos minions beyond their normal size. Sending Baici's novice through there would only mean his death!"

The Pu people scouts couldn't even understand why the composition of this team was so strange. Generally speaking, an adventure team should have four people. If they got more rewards from each person, it wouldn't be enough to pay for the mission to repair armor and replenish supplies.

The team before him not only had a staggering number of seven people, but four of them were white porcelain!

Logically speaking, the team members on the other side are at least more reasonable, with one jade, one bronze, and one silver, which is a relatively common adventure team combination. But why did the silver, who is the highest in status, call a white porcelain as the captain?

This is a joke! Even if we were to find newbies to help with odd jobs, wouldn't that little bit of work be more than enough for that guy with white porcelain? Why would we need a few more to share the money, and even make such a joke?

"—I'm not kidding. The reason they're White Porcelain is simply because of the guild's rules. If I were the guild leader, I wouldn't hesitate to give them Gold rank, even if it would break the rules."

Mimiya emphasized.

"……are you serious?"

Seeing her like this, the Pu Ren scouts were a little confused for a moment whether these Bai Ci people were really capable or whether these guys were playing a bad joke.

The answer was the unanimous gaze of the three people with the highest apparent adventurer level. This was not the look of someone who was "joking".

The Pu Ren scouts quickly guessed in their minds that these four Baici men were probably the personal bodyguards of a great noble, but now there was a major city defense crisis in the country, and they were sent out before they had time to upgrade their adventure level.

"In that case, I will say no more. Your Excellency...Captain, may we begin the combat meeting now?"

"No problem. Please tell us the size of the lair, the number of monsters, and most importantly—information about that Chaos minion."

Under the campfire, Wendy did not continue to look tipsy as before, but instead asked seriously about the specific details.

This unexpectedly reliable reaction also made the Pu people scout feel relieved, and he began to tell everything he saw and heard in the cave.

"There are many prayerless ones inside, but some have died due to the sacrifices. Only about ten or so necromancers who control the undead remain. They have set many cursed traps in the lair, so it is best to have hunters who can identify traps and enemy movements to lead the charge."

"Uh-huh. Auntie, I am——"

Mimiya raised her chin slightly.

The Puren scout didn't care about her arrogant tone and just continued to speak.

"As for the Chaos Minions, there are large-eyed monsters that lean towards the flesh side. Their split tentacles have the power to devour flesh, and the sub-eyes on the tentacles also have the ability to cause mental pollution."

Most of the Chaos minions have one thing in common: they cannot be called by their names, otherwise they will suffer unspeakable infection. Therefore, the human scouts simply call them big-eyed monsters.

And this kind of monster with flesh and blood is even more difficult to deal with. He has a serious expression.

"So, everyone, be careful not to make direct eye contact with the Big-Eyed Monster during the crusade, otherwise something bad will happen!"

The meeting lasted until midnight, and then the shifts took their normal rest periods.

The next day, the pioneers and adventurers began their march towards the Big Eye Monster Cave.

Chapter 126: Peeping into the Abyss

Dark and damp.

The depths not exposed to sunlight appear dark and deep, making people feel daunted.

However, the people present were not ordinary adventurers, nor were they timid newcomers. Mimiya, as a hunter, took the lead and walked in front of everyone else.

The main duty of a hunter, or "ambush", is to find possible traps for teammates during adventures, make necessary enemy trace judgments, and carry out long-range harassment after entering battle.

The easiest way to sense whether there is a trap is naturally to rely on keen observation and experience with various ruins traps.

Although she is a person from Kamimori who loves cleanliness, Mimiya occasionally disregards her ladylike manners and lies on the ground to observe carefully.

This allowed everyone to successfully avoid many traps that were filled with evil curses.

For example, the bone spur trap looks no different from an ordinary cave floor from the outside, making it almost indistinguishable from the real thing. However, if someone walks over it, it will collapse immediately, causing the unwary adventurer to fall into the bone spur-covered sinkhole.

Then there is the bone thorn ball trap, a trap disguised as a plant that grows alongside ruins or caves. It looks like a plant ball with some small thorns on it, but if someone reaches out and touches it, they will be quickly injected with a toxin that is lethal enough. If the limb is not amputated in time, the poison will quickly spread to the person in front.

If the pioneers were to enter these difficult traps alone, it would be hard to say whether they could avoid them all. After all, the traps are designed to catch the attacker by surprise, and since they are not local indigenous people, they lack specific knowledge about such things.

Although no one will lose their lives, they will definitely be in a mess.

"Phew, luckily Mimiya is here, otherwise we would have suffered a lot."