Chapter 27: Joining! The Ya'er Adventuring Party

Yar greeted everyone with excitement, ushering them to the table to introduce Lis to her teammates.

"This is Lumbus Hammer, a Dark Iron Dwarf shield-bearer and our team's vanguard. Don't let his aged appearance fool you; he's only in his thirties and has just reached adulthood!"

The dwarf, Lumbus Hammer, had already boldly downed a large mug of ale. Wiping the white foam from his beard with a casual sweep of his hand, he grumbled with feigned annoyance, "Hey now, Yar, is it really appropriate to say that about me in front of others?"

Yar made a face at him before moving on to the others. "This beautiful lady is Elena, an Elven Ranger and our scout. Sister Elena is incredible; she helped me out a lot when I first registered as a mercenary."

The blonde elf sitting next to Yar nodded at Lis, her demeanor somewhat reserved.

"And this last one, whom I believe you've already met, Lis: this is Yassen Hard. He’s a warrior, just like me."

Yassen looked at Lis and said with a friendly smile, "It is a pleasure to meet you, Viscount Kane."

Since the other party was so courteous, Lis responded with equal warmth to the most promising descendant of Duke Hard’s house. "The pleasure is mine, Lord Yassen Hard. Duke Hard has always been an elder I hold in the highest regard."

Lis wasn’t merely being polite; Duke Hard indeed held the most prestigious position among all the court nobles and enjoyed the absolute trust of the King.

"Wait, Lis, you're a noble? I never would have guessed!" Lumbus said with blunt carelessness, not concerned in the slightest if his words were rude.

"Just a court title inherited through the family," Lis replied. He didn't mind; he knew from his past life that dwarves were always this straightforward.

Elena also gave Lis a once-over, though a hint of hostility seemed to linger in her eyes.

Yar, feeling ignored, tapped the table impatiently. She hadn't finished introducing Lis yet! "This is Lis Kane. I’ve known him for a while, and I ran into him at the Mercenary Guild today. He’s a Bronze-rank mage."

Yar looked around the circle, lifting her fair, rounded chin with pride. "But from today on, he’s my apprentice! Aren't I amazing?"

Lis tapped the table helplessly with his index finger. "I recall only asking to learn a weapon style from you. How did I suddenly become your apprentice?"

Yar waved a hand dismissively. "Oh, it’s all the same. I teach you, which makes me your teacher, which makes you my apprentice—no problem there!"

Having finally encountered a talent who could save her stomach, she wasn't about to let him go easily. "These dishes were all made by Lis; they taste so good. I’ve already decided: from now on, whenever we go out on missions, the cooking is in Lis's hands!"

Lis listened as Yar laid out his entire future for him, feeling a bit resigned. Of course, he wouldn't refuse. If a "golden thigh" presented itself, he would be doing a disservice to his past life’s memories if he didn't cling to it tightly. Still, it felt strange, as if he had been packaged and sold on the spot. Does this mean he’s officially upgraded to a "thigh ornament"?

"Is he joining our adventuring party? When was this decided?" the elf asked, finally breaking her silence while staring directly at Yar.

"Haha, ah, haha..." It was clear this had been a spur-of-the-moment decision by Yar, and she hadn't consulted the team. Lumbus, however, was already chugging his second mug of ale and didn't seem to care whether Lis joined or not. As for Yassen, he seemed to want to say something, but recalling that he had never once successfully stopped one of Yar’s whims, he let out a sigh and let it go.

"Oh, Sister Elena, Lis’s cooking is truly delicious. Just try it!"

The elf looked at the meat-heavy feast on the table. Aside from a simple vegetable and fruit salad, everything was meat, which left the vegetarian Elena speechless. *What do you expect me to try?*

Yar seemed to realize the issue, gave a sheepish, feigned-innocent laugh, and shook Elena’s arm, acting cute. "But Lis’s food is really good! I don't want to eat those hard, dry rations anymore. Just let him join us, please?"

Elena looked at Yar, who was putting on a pathetic act, and sighed. "He’s only a novice mage, isn't he? It might be dangerous for him to adventure with us."

"I’ll protect him!" Yar patted her own chest confidently.

Elena felt a headache coming on. She was reluctant to have someone she didn't know well join the team, but she was soft-hearted when it came to Yar. Yar never complained about hardship during their adventures, and even though Yar was stronger than her, Elena had always looked at her like a younger sister.

"Fine, fine. Stop shaking me. I agree, all right?"

"Yay!"

Ignoring Yassen’s opinion entirely (his status in the group dropping another notch), she raised her juice glass and announced loudly, "Then welcome Lis to our adventuring party!"

Lis wore a look of genuine delight, clinking his glass with Lumbus to drain a mug of ale before inviting everyone to enjoy the meal. Yar and Lumbus, having long since lost their patience, dug in immediately.

"Mmm, so good!" Yar took a huge bite of the special cold meat drenched in sauce, her eyes widening in surprise. Lumbus was also unstinting in his praise of Lis’s craft. Yassen’s expression was a bit strange, but he didn't eat any slower than the rest. Even Elena was moved by the fruit pudding Lis had specially prepared for her, and the look she gave him softened significantly.

"By the way, Yar, is our team strictly an 'adventuring party'?"

"Oh, right! I haven't introduced that part to you yet!" Yar snatched the last golden shrimp ball from Lumbus, enjoyed it thoroughly, and began to explain. "We are registered as an 'Adventuring Party' called the Yar Adventuring Party. We mostly take exploration and caravan escort contracts. Don't look at us like we're small—well, now there are five of us, including you—but we have quite a reputation at the Mercenary Guild!"

Contracts issued by the guild could be completed solo or by groups, but most high-level commissions were exclusive to registered parties. After all, a lone mercenary couldn't possibly cover every angle like a team could, and one had to remember that accidents could happen at any moment on the road.

Adventuring parties were categorized by the types of contracts they accepted—mercenary groups for war, guard units for protection, and so on. Yar’s group was a more unique variety.

Generally, people became mercenaries to earn gold for a better life. But there were those who were different: they were passionate about exploring the world’s secrets, discovering unknown realms, and finding joy in traversing ruins and perilous lands, regardless of the danger. Of course, the treasure they found was a reward for their courage.

Such parties usually accepted regional exploration tasks from the kingdom or the guild, as well as long-distance caravan escorts. When they had no missions, they would actively seek out unexplored ruins to delve into, spending most of their time on the road.

*Though,* Lis mused, *they probably won't take jobs too far from the capital, right?* Given Yar’s identity, the kingdom likely wouldn't be comfortable letting her wander too far from the capital.