The wooden staircase leading to the third floor was old. Each step creaked beneath their feet.
He Xi walked in front, while Bruce trailed behind listlessly. Even the sound of his claws on the stairs had grown much softer.
"He Xi, may I have a rib when we get back? Just one!"
"Didn't you eat ten salmon fillets tonight? You're still hungry?"
"I was full then," Bruce whined, aggrieved. "But after breathing so much fire, I feel like my stomach's empty."
Thinking of how hard Bruce had worked that evening, He Xi's heart softened. "All right. If you can still eat them, you can have both smoked ribs."
"Woof!" Bruce perked up at once, his tail shooting straight up. He bounded up the stairs in three quick strides and excitedly circled outside He Xi's room.
Creak—
Just then, the door next door opened a crack.
A tousled head of short chestnut hair poked out, and Healy peered out sleepily. She was wearing an oversized nightshirt, clearly woken by the noise on the stairs.
When she saw He Xi, she quickly rubbed her eyes, trying to look more alert. "Mister Galen! I'm glad you're back. Do you have time to go to the Adventurer Guild tomorrow morning? I want to see if we can recruit any suitable temporary teammates to round out the party."
As if she had just remembered something, she added, "Also, I asked around about what you wanted me to look into. Apparently, the supplemental contract that pays by webbed toe was proposed by a newly arrived merchant guild director. Old Nick said the director is often at the Adventurer Guild in the mornings."
A merchant guild director?
He Xi had already planned to visit the local Adventurer Guild, and hearing that made him all the more determined