The Hostess of Fertility—every resident of Orario knew this place, and as a supporter who often worked with adventurers, Liliruca certainly did too.
To save enough to buy her freedom from her Familia, she had squeezed her living expenses to the absolute minimum, renting a shabby room in a back alley and eating the cheapest food possible every day.
So when she came here now, the bustling atmosphere filled with adventurers made her tense, especially under curious glances from the crowd.
Her body reacted instinctively—avoiding eye contact.
But the good news was that Liang Yue hadn't rejected her proposal outright. That meant there was still a chance her plan to leave her Familia could work.
…
Compared to her own nervousness, Lili looked at the figure walking ahead of her. He was also wearing a cloak, yet carried himself with ease. She couldn't help feeling a twinge of envy.
If she were an adventurer, would life be so much easier?
Behind the counter, Mia, the burly proprietress, was cheerfully tending to customers. When she spotted Liang Yue, she set down a mug and greeted him warmly.
"Kid, you're back late today?"
"Mm."
As a powerful adventurer, Liang Yue was still patient and respectful toward everyone. He even offered advice to rookie adventurers when needed.
There was no reason for Mia to think poorly of him.
He ordered dinner as usual—carbs, protein, and a drink. The only difference tonight was the girl sitting beside him.
Since the goal was to make money, Liang Yue only ordered for himself. "Mia, just these for me."
"What about her?"
"I've already eaten…"
Perched on a chair she had to tiptoe to climb onto, Lili met Mia's eyes for a brief moment before quickly looking away.
She knew she was here to discuss something with Liang Yue, not to trouble him. She picked up the menu, but her lips twitched slightly at the prices. Finally, she looked up.
"I'll have a juice."
"No problem."
From Mia's perspective, Liang Yue usually acted alone. His calm demeanor now didn't raise any questions. If there was mutual interest between two people, a little matchmaking could help—but otherwise, she let them be.
She poured juice into glasses for both of them before heading into the kitchen. "Your food will be ready soon."
——
Liang Yue took a sip of his drink, then turned his gaze toward the small, doll-like girl beside him.
It wasn't hard to guess what she wanted—most likely, she needed someone to take care of Soma Familia's strongest member, Zanis.
"How much are you willing to pay?"
Holding the glass with both hands, savoring the layered flavors of the juice, Lili froze for a moment.
Her prejudice toward adventurers wouldn't vanish overnight, but she knew full well that if she wanted to leave her Familia, she had to rely on this adventurer—who, so far, didn't seem all that bad.
Still… things were quickly slipping out of her control.
Glancing around the room, she couldn't help feeling the absurdity of it all. Her plan was to use Blue Papilio powder to knock out all her Familia members… and hire an adventurer to fight her own captain.
If someone overheard her here and told the Soma Familia, she didn't even want to imagine the consequences.
"Uh… are you sure you want to talk about this here?"
"I'm talking about payment."
Since this was business, Liang Yue repeated himself patiently, then shifted his attention to the bowl of noodles set in front of him. Hunger came first.
Lili, thrown off by his attitude, couldn't imagine he had guessed the full details of her plan already. She didn't press the matter.
Frowning slightly, she thought it through—she didn't actually need him to kill Zanis. Just stalling him for a while would be enough.
That shouldn't be too expensive, right?
With the faris she had left, she could leave Orario and live in some relatively safe, remote town.
After deciding, she lowered her voice. "Fifty thousand?"
For a normal adventurer exploring the Dungeon without running into rare monsters, it would take at least half a month to earn fifty thousand faris after expenses.
It was a decent offer, and Liang Yue figured it was easy money—no need to haggle.
Glancing at the delicate-featured girl, he thought that, in this situation, acting like a cold, businesslike killer was best.
"All right, then. How far do you want me to go?"
"Just stall him long enough for me to act."
Realizing she'd never save up enough to leave her Familia otherwise, Lili felt that fifty thousand faris to solve the problem wasn't too steep.
After checking there were no adventurers nearby, she added seriously, "The plan is for tomorrow night. I'm ready. The target is a level 2 adventurer…"
Her tone wasn't for his safety—it was because she feared he wouldn't be able to stop Zanis, which would doom her plan.
From what she'd seen so far, he was the type who could train using killer ants or take down rare monsters solo. But she didn't actually know his exact strength.
Liang Yue raised a brow. "Just stall him for time?"
"That's right."
"Then it's going to cost extra."
His quick agreement to the job had already surprised her—but this sudden price increase left her stunned.
Her expression darkened. Her poor opinion of adventurers made her instantly assume the worst—if she refused, would he threaten her into paying more?
The thought brought a bitter smile to her lips. Any goodwill she had toward him evaporated. She knew she had no real right to refuse.
Still, even if she had to pay more, she wanted to know why.
With a cold smile, she bit back her irritation. "Didn't we agree on fifty thousand? Why the extra?"
After finishing his noodles, Liang Yue drained his drink, his tone unchanged.
With his rank-up and the Sword Soul template's skills, he saw no reason he couldn't defeat Zanis.
Zanis might also be level 2, but without real combat experience or fighting spirit, he wasn't a threat.
Almost as if to answer her unspoken doubts, Liang Yue said calmly, "Simple. I think taking out a level 2 adventurer is a lot easier than just holding him off."
"…??"
Lili stared at him, unsure if he was serious.
Taking a deep breath, she worked to steady her mood—but in the end, she couldn't help but laugh.
"Well… if you want to take him out, I certainly won't complain."
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