The cold morning sunlight spread across the street, where puddles and litter were scattered on the mottled stone pavement, and noisy voices came from the shops on both sides of the street.
No matter which city's slums, the adventurers there all share the same characteristic: they are extremely loud, and everything they do seems like an argument.
The slums are home to the largest number of orcs, and fighting is commonplace here. On the streets, you can also see adventurers dressed in black robes, sneaking around and selling dream grass in the narrow alleys.
This scene, so commonplace yet both familiar and strange, unfolded before her eyes. Linda looked dazed, her steps becoming noticeably lighter.
Gradually, a blue, old-fashioned domed building appeared in front of them. That was where Linda used to work part-time—a branch of the city's public library.
Linda worked there as an administrator for a few months, mostly cleaning, with the rest of her time free to read. Those months helped Linda quickly learn about the customs and culture of the Secret Realm Continent, transforming her from a stranger into a local of White Dove City.
His adventure also began on Willow Leaf Street, where he met Lia, who had just arrived in White Dove City.
The two sides hit it off immediately and excitedly headed to the Adventurers' Guild branch to establish the Snow Goose Adventure Team.
Lia, standing beside him, probably thought the same thing. The pale golden light of the rising sun fell on her thick eyelashes, casting ever-changing shadows in her fiery red pupils.
Lia murmured, "So much has happened since that day. Lin Xi left, and you left the team too, leaving only me, Eiko, and Chrona."
"Um."
"We're almost there, with the adventure goal we set for ourselves coming to fruition," Leah said. "We're about to become the strongest adventurers in White Dove City."
"It seems that's really the case..."
Linda's sluggish brain was stirred, and she showed a surprised expression.
At the latest, this summer, the Ice Abyss Training Camp will begin a new round of recruitment. Abner and his group will definitely head to Azure City. With that, all the older generation of Steel-class soldiers will disappear from White Dove City.
Phoenix Tail Flower, Snow Goose, Ice Flower, and the next level of the Brave Adventure Team will become the new pillars of this city.
In a sense, they achieved their first adventure goal.
Like a pebble thrown into a lake, Linda's calm mind was rippled with waves.
Suddenly, I realized that I had already come quite far down the path of adventure.
Three years have passed in the blink of an eye.
From a lowly adventurer living in the slums and having to carefully budget his meals, he slays a bunch of monsters and climbs over their corpses to become one of the top figures in White Dove City.
"I've certainly been through a lot," Linda thought to herself.
He glanced at Lia without showing any emotion, recalling her words on the arena: "We're the ones who've spent the most time together, aren't we?" A subtle feeling welled up inside him.
Leah acts as a key NPC throughout his adventure.
'I can't keep overthinking this; I don't want to be bothered by this annoying person for the rest of my life!'
Linda realized that her opinion of Leah was taking a strange turn, so she quickly frowned and forced herself to stop.
"You...you're Linda, right?"
Just then, a chubby, blond middle-aged man walked over with a surprised expression on his face.
"Are they Linda and Leah?"
The middle-aged man seemed somewhat afraid of the aura emanating from them, and his voice became much softer.
"Uncle Li Wen?"
Linda compared the chubby, kind face with the one she remembered and recognized him.
Li Wen, the owner of the panel shop.
When Linda cleaned the street in front of the library, she would often help clean it because Levin's bakery was next to the library. In return, Levin would give her the bread that he couldn't sell at night.
"Yes, yes, it's me, Levin!" Levin laughed, scratching his head awkwardly. "Oh my, I didn't expect that you would all become big shots at the Star Rank in just a few years."
"Is it really Linda?"
A group of neighbors sitting in front of the bakery curiously gathered around.
"I've read about you in the newspaper. I heard about the reconstruction of the slums. Thanks to you, I'll get over a hundred gold coins from the demolition compensation for my house!"
"Tsk tsk, so promising at such a young age! I knew you guys were destined for greatness back then!"
"I really didn't recognize Leah, she's gotten more and more beautiful!"
Everyone's eyes lit up, as if the village's intelligence agents had caught up with the person they were talking about, and they all showered him with praise.
Leah blushed from the compliments and stammered, unsure how to respond.
This is understandable. In the Sparrow District, even a level 10 adventurer is considered powerful, yet two big shots of the Star Rank have emerged. Even just knowing Linda and the others is enough for everyone present to boast about for a lifetime.
If the thugs of Willow Leaf Street could see them chatting warmly with Linda, that would be even better. Star-rank adventurers don't need to unleash their "aura"; just a little bit of fame is enough to scare those thugs into running away with their tails between their legs.
A torrent of praise rained down on Linda. Linda's heart stirred, and she smiled: "If you have any difficulties, please feel free to tell me, and I will help as much as I can."
Li Wen and the others paused, feeling somewhat embarrassed as Linda saw through their thoughts.
"Here's the thing, White Dove City recently had a policy of recruiting adventurers from other areas, right..."
After Li Wen started, the neighbors seemed to unleash a floodgate, each chiming in with their own words, eager to speak:
"A group of dark-skinned minotaurs came from Red Peach City. The leader is a level 10 or so, and they collect protection money every few days, making it impossible to do business!"
"Yeah, and they often dine and dash, my restaurant is almost going out of business because of them!"
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