He Xi had been worried that returning to the counter to accept the quest would be awkward if he had to face Clara again. Luckily, when he took the quest slip over, the person sitting behind the counter was no longer the playful short-haired girl, but the young woman with a few freckles on her face whom he had seen earlier.
She took the quest slip from He Xi and glanced at him. Her expression turned a little strange, as if she had remembered how devastated Clara had looked just moments ago, but her professionalism quickly suppressed her desire to gossip.
"A quest at the old mine?"
She glanced over the slip and furrowed her brows, offering a kind warning. "I've heard this quest is a little dangerous. The warrior who took it last time came back in tears. He said a ghost had snapped his heirloom sword clean in two."
"Oh, right, Cla—" She seemed about to say something, but her gaze shifted between He Xi and the elven woman beside him, and she stopped herself.
"Thanks for the warning. I'll be careful." He Xi nodded and politely bid her farewell before leaving the counter with Flora.
Outside the guild hall, the warm winter sunlight felt wonderful.
Flora stretched with a happy sigh, her beautiful curves on full display in the sunlight. Several adventurers passing by couldn't help glancing her way. "So, Captain, are we heading straight to the mine to catch some ghosts?" She turned to He Xi, looking eager.
"Not yet. The quest says the ghosts only come out at night." He Xi checked the sky. "There's nothing we can do there right now except stand around in the cold."
"We have to wait until night..." Flora muttered, disappointed. "So what do we do all afternoon? We