Contrast, Not Very Cute

In front of a roadside stall in the southern district of Anka Market.

Yaya was devouring a piece of grilled meat of unknown origin, mumbling her thanks to Jadeka sitting beside her, "Gurgle... Many woofs! Good eat... Woof!"

"Thank you very much. Please ( ) see the most complete! Fastest updating novels!" Mo Tan, holding a skewer of fried vegetables, also smiled at the old mage, "Thank you for treating us to food."

The old man chuckled, shaking his head, "It's nothing, it's not easy for adventurers these days. I heard about the trouble this Half-Orc girl caused earlier. Those goblins are greedy for money and don't care about their lives. They probably extorted a lot from you, right?"

"A friend of mine helped me pay off the debt," Mo Tan said honestly. "I'm truly penniless. As for Yaya, I actually only met her not long ago~"

Jadeka took a sip of a local drink, also of unknown origin, and smiled at Mo Tan, "It's good to have more friends. If they're willing to help, it means you're worth that help. Mo, right? You're really great..."

As he said this, a hint of loneliness flashed in Jadeka's eyes. He then sighed deeply, "To accept me, a shameless, useless mage, as a teammate, your magnanimity and courage are truly..."

"Everyone who perseveres deserves respect," Mo Tan replied casually. "Although the effort and reward often don't match, what does it matter?"

By this time, Yaya had finished the grilled meat in her hands and was letting out small, satisfied burps~

Jadeka stared at Mo Tan for a while. Then, after Mo Tan and Yaya got up, he paid the bill and walked beside the young man, heading out of the city with them.

"I was born into a family of knights," Jadeka said slowly only after they had walked out of the city gate. "My father was a Great Knight, my grandfather was a High-level Knight of Conquest, and it's said that several remarkable Lord Knights appeared in our family history..."

Mo Tan had already heard most of this from Kasha, the mage of the Voltilong Mercenary Group, but he still listened quietly as Jadeka continued, without a hint of impatience or annoyance.

"Everyone thought I should be a knight~" Jadeka shrugged and made a funny face at Mo Tan and Yaya. "But I've been passionately wanting to be a mage since I was a child! Although my elemental perception is extremely poor, and my so-called affinity with fire elements only prevents me from being blown up by myself, I still want to be a mage."

Yaya blinked, "Woof element..."

Mo Tan speechless pinched her ear, trying to get the girl to be quiet for a moment.

"Haha~" Jadeka just laughed heartily, clearly not bothered, and continued, "Gracefully wielding the power of nature, learned, mysterious, wise, powerful, meditating and comprehending the power of elements, discussing academics and knowledge with companions in the magic tower, the most trustworthy partner in battle, turning the tide with a smile... Very naive, isn't it?"

Mo Tan shook his head slightly, "I think it's very cool."

"I think it's very cool too~" Jadeka 'iced' his already smoking staff again. "That's why I didn't hesitate to leave my family, and why I treasure this staff I bought from the black market for two gold coins. It's not that I like creating explosions, it's just that I can't use high-end staffs at all. This thing at least allows me to perceive a little bit of elemental existence."

"I think it repaid that sentiment," Mo Tan joked. "At least you're still alive and well, aren't you?"

Jadeka looked at him in surprise, clearly astonished by the unique perspective of the chicken soup he had just received. He then gently clenched his fist, "Perhaps. Of course, it could also be my physique. When I was young, my family always said I was a natural knight. Even now, I might not lose a wrestling match against some not-too-strong Orc warriors. Yet, after all these years, the only thing that resembles a mage about me is my appearance and age. It sounds quite ridiculous, doesn't it?"

"No, you don't resemble a mage," Mo Tan said. He then nodded at Jadeka, whose face was slightly flushed, "You are a mage. Even if one day you can defeat a dragon with your bare hands, you are still a mage."

This time, the other party's silence was particularly long...

"Call me Jadeka, pal," the old mage said to Mo Tan only when they were almost at their destination. "Thanks."

Mo Tan patted the old man's shoulder, "Okay, Jadeka~"

"Woofdeca!" Yaya also happily barked at Jadeka, "Woofdeca! Meat, thank woof!"

"Haha~ Yaya has such a good personality."

"That's right~"

"Woof!"

Five minutes later, not far from the south of Anka Market, Jerry's Farm.

"It's roughly like this," a spirited old Orc said to Mo Tan and the other two. "So, while I'm away visiting relatives, I'll trouble you with the farm."

Mo Tan nodded, "Clear the weeds outside, fertilize the crops, and get rid of pests."

Jadeka added, "Fix the leaky roof, check if the fences are sturdy, and drive away any wild beasts that try to ruin the crops."

Yaya tilted her head, "Food woof!"

"Food, food~" The old Orc pointed to a stone house not far away. "There are plenty of ingredients and cooking tools there, feel free to use them."

Yaya's eyes immediately widened, "Good woof!"

"Then I'll be going," the employer nodded. "I entrust the rest of today and until tomorrow evening to the three of you!"

With that, the Orc elder flipped himself onto a sickly-looking, goat-like creature beside him, and ambled away at a speed slower than normal walking.

"Woof Sheep, did you make a mistake?" Yaya looked at the pitiful animal's stumbling, receding figure, scratching her cheek. "So, you were punished by Woof?"

Jadeka stroked his beard, "No, I don't think it's a punishment, just pure bad luck..."

"Agreed," Mo Tan nodded in agreement. "Really bad luck..."

How could it not be bad luck! The old Orc, plus the baggage on his back, was almost twice the size of the creature that looked like a sheep!

After a brief moment of reflection, the three decided to start working.

The technical skill required wasn't high at all. After all, this task could be done by any ordinary person without any special abilities. In fact, besides fertilizing, pest control, and fixing the roof, even a well-behaved dog could do the rest.

By the way, the above description contains no allegorical or metaphorical meaning...

"I'll handle the fertilizing and pest control," Jadeka said to the other two. "Mo, go check the roof. Yaya, go check if the fences are sturdy. Any problems?"

Mo Tan readily agreed, and Yaya nodded vigorously, indicating she had no objections.

And so... they started working...

Mo Tan, with his Level 3 Warrior abilities (he used the experience reward from the previous debt-paying quest), easily climbed onto the roof of the farm owner's house. He looked at Jadeka, who was carrying a bucket of fertilizer in each hand and striding quickly, and Yaya, who was hopping around the fence, and felt that the prospects of this task were bright~

However, it must be said that this task was indeed not difficult. The reason Miss Chris could casually assign it to the three of them, besides a little bit of consideration, was also because other adventurers weren't interested.

The rewards for this quest were meager, both in terms of gold and adventurer experience, and it was incredibly time-consuming. Even novice adventurers wouldn't find this task particularly appealing.

But these three didn't seem to mind...

Mo Tan, who always maintained a mindset of "no good deed is too small to be ignored," aside for the moment, Jadeka, who was constantly isolated and ostracized by other low-level adventurers (high-level adventurers and legitimate mages had no reason to exclude him), certainly didn't mind. As for Yaya, there was no need to even mention her; being able to complete a quest with everyone else made the girl as excited as could be.

Everything was going smoothly, and then...

After working for half the day, the three were preparing for dinner. Were you expecting something? Don't be ridiculous, it's not time yet~

During this period, Mo Tan had already made some simple repairs to the main house's roof using materials left by the farmer; only the details remained. Jadeka had also finished fertilizing and just needed to tidy up a few pests before dark. Yaya had also given a few loose fences a good pat, making them incredibly sturdy...

"This girl has some serious strength," Jadeka muttered, stirring the vegetable and meat stew. "She's almost as strong as I am!"

Was this a sentiment a mage should have...

Mo Tan nodded as well. He had inspected Yaya's work earlier (because he was worried), and he gave the Dog Girl a thumbs-up: "Amazing~"

"Hehe!" The latter immediately put her hands on her hips and shouted, "Woof since small, woof full of strength woof!"

Then she continued to stare intently at the vegetable soup in the pot~

Yaya didn't know how to cook (Mo Tan was not surprised by this). While Mo Tan's cooking skills were decent, the ingredients on the Continent of Innocence were still too unfamiliar to him. He was more concerned that his rash attempts might lead to food poisoning for the three of them, so in the end, Jadeka ended up doing the cooking~

However, this beginner mage, who looked like a great mage, seemed to be enjoying himself.

As the sun began to set, the three, now full and satisfied, continued their work. Mo Tan quickly finished repairing the roof, which was almost done. Jadeka also crushed some pests with his bare hands within twenty minutes (...). During this time, Yaya was engrossed in dealing with the weeds.

Even after the other two finished their work, the girl didn't seem to have made any progress. Of course, this was within reason. No one had noticed that Yaya had ignored the scythes and other farming tools piled nearby and was instead hopping around, pulling weeds with her hands...

Even though her fingernails were quite sharp, they were still human hands! The Half-Orc's characteristics weren't as obvious as Mo Tan's, a Half-Dragon. The former only had beast ears, a tail, and sharp fangs, while the latter had some scales on parts of his face and a slightly protruding forehead. Although he still looked human, it was difficult to discern the player's original appearance.

Of course, it was much better for players who randomly chose races like Goblins or Ogres; at least they had some exotic appeal, right?

"Yaya, move aside," Jadeka said, clapping his hands. He picked up the unstable explosive device next to him and rolled up his sleeves. "Let me handle these things!"

Yaya turned her head and blinked her eyes. "Woof?"

Then she moved a couple of steps to the side...

"Are you sure it's okay?" Mo Tan asked with some concern. "Safety first..."

"No problem!" Jadeka smiled confidently and began to wave his staff. "Although I'm just a beginner mage, dealing with these weeds shouldn't be a big problem!"

Mo Tan glanced around Jadeka, and after confirming there was nothing nearby that would be troublesome if it were blown up, he nodded and also moved a few steps away.

"Red Cloud!" Jadeka shouted excitedly, flicking his staff. He drew a fiery trail, which, a second later, rapidly spread along the ground towards the patch of weeds, finally disappearing precisely before it could burn the surrounding fence.

A perfect spell!

"Amazing!" Mo Tan immediately clapped his hands. "So convenient!"

Jadeka stroked his beard and was about to say something when he suddenly heard a low growl from not far away...

Mo Tan naturally heard it too, so he stiffly turned his head to look intently.

He then saw Yaya squatting on the ground, her right hand clutching the tip of her tail, staring intently at the two of them. Her originally emerald green eyes were now filled with a deep crimson, and her fangs seemed to have grown a bit longer...

At the tip of her tail, there was a clear patch of black charring...

At this moment, Mo Tan suddenly remembered what Miss Chris had said earlier...

[Demolished half the house~]

[Flattened someone's yard~]

[With extremely high slaughter efficiency... that's right, that's what I meant~]

There were a few more things, but there was no time to think!

Yaya pounced!

"Aargh! That hurts so much!!!" In an instant, the girl appeared in front of Jadeka, grabbed the collar of his dirty mage robe, and forcefully flung him away before he could react. "It hurts, you damn bastard! You old geezer, you're not going to explode and burn my tail, are you! You can't live without causing trouble, can you!"

For some reason, her originally soft, puppy-like voice (...) now had a cool, mature aura, and more importantly...

Her Common was incredibly standard! And spoken at lightning speed!

"Yaya!" Mo Tan suddenly realized this wasn't the time to be impressed. He jolted and quickly ran in front of the girl, shaking his head. "Calm down..."

Bang!!

With a fifth of his health gone, Mo Tan was spectacularly sent flying backward, crashing directly into the main house!

"Stop getting in the way, you guy!" Yaya roared without looking back, then placed all four limbs on the ground and exerted force. She appeared behind Jadeka, who had just gotten up, in a blur. "How dare you treat a lady's precious fur like this! Go to hell ten thousand times, you old scoundrel!!!"

The girl's slender right leg swept across the ground, disrupting the beginner mage's balance. She immediately followed up with a spinal-crushing knee strike and an over-the-shoulder throw. Finally, she held him upside down by his legs and began to spin him wildly, all the while screaming, "Go to hell, you noob mage, go to hell, go to hell, go to hell!!!"

Whoosh!

She released her slender hand, and Jadeka was sent flying in circles, plowing a deep furrow through the farmland before crashing through the kitchen they had used for cooking. He then continued through a large section of fence before finally stopping.

"Yaya!" Mo Tan, having just scrambled out of the partially collapsed main house, shouted loudly, "Calm down! Stop messing around..."

"You're so annoying!" Yaya, with a red light flashing in her eyes, darted behind Mo Tan. "Do you want me to hit you too, believe it or not!"

Then Mo Tan was sent flying too...

flew straight towards Jadeka, who was struggling to get up...

and half a second later, it collided fiercely with the latter, sending them rolling several meters away!

"Are you alright?" Mo Tan, who was left with half his health, immediately looked at the old mage who had just been beaten up and asked with concern, "Are you seriously injured?"

The latter, however, shook his head. "I'm fine, my physique is quite good..."

A whistling sound rose again, and Yaya, entering some kind of strange state, charged towards the two without the slightest pause!

"You get out of the way quickly!" Jadeka shouted at Mo Tan. "I remember a binding spell, maybe it can temporarily subdue her!"

Mo Tan immediately scrambled several meters to the side... his legs were a bit numb right now...

At the same time, Yaya lunged over like a gust of wind!

Then...

BOOM!!

It was the same familiar feeling. The moment Mo Tan was sent flying, he understood. This wasn't Yaya's attack, nor was it some binding spell. It was Jadeka's staff, which was written as a staff but read as an unstable explosive, that had detonated again!

"After Yaya woke up, she and Jadeka told me to go back to the city to rest, and they'd stay at the farm to clean up the mess." Mo Tan said, sitting on the living room sofa with a dark expression, speaking to Yi Dong on the phone. "Later, on my way back to the city to buy repair tools, I got disconnected and switched accounts. Nothing else happened after that... Hello? Are you listening to me? Hello?"

A few seconds later, a series of hysterical laughter erupted from the other end of the phone...

Chapter Forty-Six: The End