Dragonkin Priest

"If you're the sort of passerby who easily trusts others, you'll very likely end up in 'Thorn'."

"What awaits you there won't be a welcoming Hill Dwarf proprietor, but rather ill-intentioned bartenders, scoundrels filling the hall, and covetous thieves."

"Don't be surprised; Thorn is precisely the kind of shady establishment that specializes in preying on unsuspecting travelers."

"Of course, if you're a suspicious sort, believing he's trying to deceive you and wanting to do the opposite, the situation will be slightly different."

"When you walk into 'Green Dragon Princess,' you'll deeply regret not heeding the old man's warning and believing you misunderstood someone who was trying to guide you."

"Because... Green Dragon Princess is also a shady establishment."

Inside the warm, dry treehouse.

A woman with green eyeshadow carefully placed a bubbly green drink in front of Roger, offering a cheerful smile:

"Fortunately, you're smarter than both of those types."

"Welcome to 'Dragon Tooth Village'."

Roger nodded slightly in thanks.

He took the drink but didn't sip it.

The woman, unbothered, tidied her dark, long hair and gracefully sat down.

"My name is Cindy, and I'm the leader of this village."

She introduced herself with a smile in her eyes: "Two children from our village met you this morning, and you quite frightened them."

"But please don't mind them; they were indeed just tracking the Jackal Beasts' corpses when they happened upon you."

"Forgive my forwardness, but what should I call you?"

Roger didn't conceal his name and stated it.

About ten minutes earlier, Roger had arrived at Dragon Tooth Village.

After informing the guards of his intentions, he was received by the woman who introduced herself as Cindy.

Cindy appeared to be in her thirties, with a beautiful face and a stunning figure.

Her upper body was only covered by a light green bandeau, revealing her fair chest and a playful navel; below was a grass skirt woven from reeds, and something seemed to be moving beneath the skirt, sparking the imagination.

But Roger dared not underestimate this woman.

His Qi Divination Technique indicated her profession was 'Dragonkin Priest'.

Furthermore, her details in categories like level, health, and traits were a series of question marks.

This meant either Cindy's strength far surpassed his, or she possessed some secret art that could resist the analysis of Qi Divination Technique.

In either case, it signified that this woman was far from as simple as she appeared.

During his interactions with Cindy, Roger was extremely cautious.

While conversing.

Roger, sticking to his previous story, told Cindy he was an adventurer from the west of the wetlands.

His teammates were currently pursuing the remaining Jackal Beasts.

He, however, had come ahead to see if he could obtain some supplies from a human settlement.

"An adventurer from the west?"

"Your teammates are chasing Jackal Beasts?"

A smile that Roger couldn't suppress appeared on Cindy's face.

She looked deeply at Roger:

"You are indeed the most cautious adventurer I've ever met."

Roger remained silent.

"But you're not from the west, and you don't have teammates. All the Jackal Beasts were killed by you alone, weren't they?"

Cindy crossed one fair leg over the other, her tone light:

"I'm not questioning you by saying this—it's very necessary to be cautious when adventuring alone."

"I just want to tell you: relax, we mean you no harm."

Roger looked into her clear, large eyes and suddenly asked, "Have you been to the Jackal Beast settlement?"

"Yes," Cindy admitted:

"After those two reckless youngsters told me what happened, I went to the scene to see for myself."

"And I only found traces of your fighting."

Roger nodded and then asked:

"Then, what's wrong with the phrase 'adventurer from the West'?"

Cindy smiled, picked up the drink in front of her, and took a sip.

"There are no adventurers left in the West."

"That's the territory of the 'Lord of Evil Spirits.' No living person can enter or leave."

Roger suddenly understood and felt a bit more relaxed.

At least he hadn't made a logical error; he had simply lost due to a lack of information.

It was inevitable when arriving in a strange place.

"I have a commission," Cindy said suddenly.

Roger's spirit jolted, knowing the important part was coming.

She had talked to him so much for a reason.

"Tell me about it," he didn't shut her down completely.

Cindy nodded, her tone becoming serious. "The old man you met on Lettuce Avenue is named 'Hanfulan'."

"He's the biggest villain on Yellowstone Island. The Green Dragon Princess and the Thorn Inn are both his properties."

"He's always been ruthless to passing adventurers, killing and robbing them is commonplace."

"He also harbors malice towards the other residents on the island."

"Recently, he's gathered a group of Marshland Refugees and has begun frequently harassing our village. I'm worried that if this continues, the villagers will be harmed, so I hope you can eliminate him for me."

After listening, Roger remained silent.

Cindy smiled and took out various items from a nearby cabinet, placing them in front of Roger.

"What does this mean?" Roger asked.

"These are the rewards for the commission. You can choose any one."

Cindy pointed to the first item – a simple wooden carving. "This is a precious ticket. With it, you can go to the Beast Tamer on the south of Yellowstone Island and take the 'Flying Dragon Express.' The Flying Dragon Beasts will take you anywhere in the Great Wetland... well, except the West."

Then she picked up the second item – a delicate silver-white ring.

"This is the 'Wind Control Ring,' a top-tier magic item. With specific incantations, it can allow you to control strong winds."

Then her hand rested on a yellowed parchment.

"A map of the 'Green Dragon Temple,' said to be the greatest treasure trove in the Great Wetland. Although I only have half of it, it's still priceless."

Finally, she gently patted herself.

Roger was stunned for a moment.

"And lastly, there's me."

The Dragonkin Priest bit her lower lip, her slender fingers pressing against her light green top. Coupled with her slightly leaning posture, it created a huge visual impact.

"I definitely won't disappoint you."

Her tone became suggestive.

The restless shadow beneath her grass skirt also revealed its true form.

It was a slender, scaled tail.

Roger coughed, stood up, and pushed away the Dragonkin Priest who was almost pressing against him.

"Sorry, my ambitions lie elsewhere... uh, no..."

"In short, I refuse."

In the end, Roger successfully exchanged for food and fresh water, other than fresh lettuce, in Dragon Tooth Village.

He did not accept Cindy's commission, and the reason was simple.

He wasn't an assassin in the first place.

He hadn't even figured out the background of that 'Hanfulan.'

From beginning to end, all he had heard was Cindy's one-sided account.

Although Roger did smell a strong scent of blood when he passed those two inns.

But that didn't mean Cindy hadn't lied or withheld important information.

In Roger's opinion, this commission was extremely risky with very little reward, and there was no reason to accept it.

However, he did gain a very important piece of information from Cindy.

There was a Beast Tamer on Yellowstone Island.

She had trained a team of Flying Dragon Beasts that could transport people anywhere in the wetlands.