Alchemist

Ignoring the strange looks from the commoners, Xin Mu supported Zhang Ruofeng as they walked slowly toward the guild. Both were indifferent by nature, so they felt no discomfort. Upon reaching the entrance, they found Heluo standing there chatting with a colleague; his brow furrowed the moment he saw Zhang Ruofeng and Xin Mu.

"How did you end up in such tatters already?" Heluo looked at the t-shirt on Zhang Ruofeng, which was not only stained with blood but also torn. "You two, don't tell me you went to the Dungeon on your very first day?"

"Should we not have gone?" Zhang Ruofeng asked.

"I really have to hand it to you." Heluo rubbed his forehead. "So, what is your situation now?"

"Ah, we came to the guild to sell *Magic Stone*s." Both Zhang Ruofeng and Xin Mu took off their storage bags and handed them to Heluo. Heluo was startled the moment he took them; the weight was far too heavy for a new adventurer's haul, especially considering this was only their first trip to the Dungeon.

"Wait here a moment." After saying this, Heluo took their bags and turned toward the left side of the guild, presumably to exchange them for their reward. With nothing to do, the two observed the passing adventurers; it was late afternoon, and adventurers were beginning to return in succession.

"Have you noticed that almost none of these adventurers are wearing any jewelry?" Zhang Ruofeng whispered to Xin Mu.

"Mm." Xin Mu was not particularly concerned about this; she was more worried about Zhang Ruofeng's injuries. However, judging by his expressions and movements, he seemed to have recovered for the most part, and his limp had all but vanished.

"That's not right. Jewelry should be essential equipment." Zhang Ruofeng began to mutter to himself again. "Rings, earrings, bracelets—aren't these all great items for boosting various stats? Why is no one wearing them? Could it be..."

"..." Xin Mu watched Zhang Ruofeng start his self-muttering routine again and felt speechless, choosing only to stand quietly by his side.

"You two, what kind of monsters are you?" About 15 minutes later, Heluo emerged from the guild, his expression incredibly vivid, as if he were looking at monsters. "When exactly did you join a Familia?"

"Wasn't it just today?" Zhang Ruofeng looked at Heluo, wondering why he would ask such a question, then glanced at the storage bags in Heluo's hands and understood instantly. "What? Did we earn too much money?"

"How did you, as first-timers in the Dungeon, manage to hunt three elite-level monsters?" Heluo narrowed his eyes. "While experienced adventurers might not care about a Great Barking Dog, this thing is a genuine rookie killer. In the last 100 years, I estimate over a hundred newcomers have died at the hands of this monster. You didn't just kill one; you killed three?!"

"Hahahaha..." Zhang Ruofeng laughed dryly, though he felt a bit suspicious inside. Although this Heluo was a white-haired werewolf beauty, half-beasts shouldn't necessarily have such fiery, explosive personalities. Looking at Heluo's mature and calm demeanor, Zhang Ruofeng had pegged him as a mature older brother figure—who would have thought he was so prone to getting fired up?

"Well, whatever. Here is your money." Heluo tossed the two bags to Zhang Ruofeng. "It's three thousand one hundred and twenty Faris in total. You are monsters among first-time adventurers. This kind of income is basically what people on the 6th or 7th floors earn in a day. Take care of yourselves, 'Flowers Blooming on a Midsummer Night'."

After speaking, Heluo turned and walked back into the guild without looking back. Zhang Ruofeng, however, caught a momentary distortion in Heluo's expression—a pain and loneliness that could not be hidden, a sorrow emanating from the deepest part of his heart. Zhang Ruofeng frowned but said nothing more. He and Xin Mu headed toward the market they had discovered that morning. Zhang Ruofeng's clothes were completely ruined; it seemed it was time to do as the locals do and start wearing these medieval-style garments, he thought.

As they walked slowly, Zhang Ruofeng spent most of his time looking at various rare materials, but Xin Mu, being a girl, had to step into almost every clothing shop to take a look. For some reason, Zhang Ruofeng could never muster any interest in dressing up, while Xin Mu seemed merely curious about these European-style clothes; usually, he saw her dressed quite casually.

"Is this a potion shop?" Zhang Ruofeng watched Xin Mu enter a clothing store run by Amazons. He felt he really couldn't go into a place where the outfits looked like nothing more than swimsuits, and the tan-skinned Amazons constantly coming and going in their revealing attire made him feel it was better to stay away. Just then, he spotted a tiny shop at the corner of the street with a potion symbol hanging outside; truth be told, if one didn't look closely, it would be impossible to see.

"Welcome..." As soon as he entered, a slightly lazy female voice drifted over. Zhang Ruofeng focused his eyes and saw a very, very petite girl sitting behind the counter. How to put it—she looked about 10 years old, but the lazy aura about her was completely at odds with her appearance, creating a contradictory feeling.

"It's very rude to stare at people, you know?" The female finished speaking and picked up the pipe at her side, taking a silent puff. Zhang Ruofeng was even more surprised; he pulled out a cigarette and lit it for himself, suddenly remembering that this world had the Human race. Although they weren't like the Amazons who were exclusively female, Humans were petite regardless of gender, usually stopping their growth at about one meter tall, with their features essentially locked in place. Thus, the age of the person before him remained a mystery.

"Little ghost, you seem to be holding something very strange." Before Zhang Ruofeng could react, the cigarette dangling from his lips vanished. He focused his eyes to see the Human already sitting on the solid wood counter, smoking the cigarette he had just lit. "Oh, this mellow taste is completely different from the feel of a pipe. Although it's not strong enough, it's very convenient to carry, isn't it?" The Human looked at the cigarette in her hand in surprise, seemingly ignoring the dumbfounded Zhang Ruofeng.

"You..." Zhang Ruofeng had always been confident in his reaction speed, but he hadn't even realized when the cigarette had left his hand.

"What about me? Newbie ghosts are so rude." The Human blew a smoke ring lazily. "You want to be hostile to me, a Level 4 'Potion Master'? You're still far off. By the way, this thing of yours is quite good. What is this cigarette called? Where is it produced? How many more do you have?"

"Who exactly are you?" Zhang Ruofeng had already adopted a hostile gaze, watching the absolute expert before him—who could subdue him in an instant if she chose to act—with vigilance.

"Don't be so tense." Zhang Ruofeng only saw a black shadow fly toward him. His right hand caught it instinctively, and he discovered it was a potion bottle with red liquid inside. "As compensation for taking your cigarette, I'll give you this intermediate healing potion." While Zhang Ruofeng was still confused, the woman sat properly on the counter, putting her at about the same height as him.

"Let me introduce myself formally. I am the Familia head of the medical deity 'El Familia', named Permanselrus. You can just call me Perman." The Human extended her hand. Zhang Ruofeng cautiously extended his own: "Hello, I am Zhang Ruofeng of the Flower Goddess 'Flora Familia'."

"Zhang Ruofeng, what a strange name." Perman frowned slightly. "Mm, but why did you choose that Flower Goddess? Although the Flower Goddess and our main deity do have a very good relationship. Speaking of which, haven't you seen our main deity? Didn't she go to visit your main deity this afternoon? But looking at your miserable state, you just came out of the Dungeon, right? Oh my, oh my, I remember that as of yesterday, the Flower Goddess didn't even have a Familia. A new Familia in such a rush to go into the Dungeon?" Zhang Ruofeng suddenly felt he had met an upgraded version of himself. This Human female spoke very loudly—unlike him, who muttered to himself—but her speed was just as fast as his own internal monologues, making her a bit difficult to handle.

"But your Familia does have a very beautiful nickname." Perman suddenly smiled mysteriously: "Flowers Blooming on a Midsummer Night."

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