Behind the counter stood a row of beautiful Beastman girls. Dressed in crisp, uniform attire, they expertly registered quests and distributed rewards. Facing the menacing adventurers filling the hall, they maintained professional smiles, handling each situation with practiced ease.
"Hurry up, little girl! This old hag's got Troll heads to chop in the Northern Mines for a pint!" a one-eyed Wolf-woman roared impatiently, slamming her massive axe on the counter hard enough to send wood chips flying.
"Certainly, Lady Kali. Please wait just a moment," replied a rabbit-eared girl, her long ears twitching nervously, yet her hands moved swiftly without a trace of panic.
Meanwhile, a burly human man with a thick beard slammed a still-dripping monster claw onto the counter with a thwack. He bellowed at a cat-eared girl, "Kobold miners from the Wailing Caverns—cash out the bounty!" "By the way, Amy, are you free tonight? Your big brother wants to take you to the city's best steakhouse!"
Amy, the cat-eared girl, didn't even look up as she calculated the bounty, but a playful smile tugged at the corner of her lips, and her tail wagged merrily behind her.
"Not today, Uncle Reg," she said, her voice sweet and playful, with a hint of mischievousness.
"Last time was convenient, but you drank too much and the Enchanting Fox Proprietress had to hang you from the rafters to sober up. Did you forget that already?"
"Ha ha ha!"
The surrounding adventurers burst into hearty laughter.
Reg didn't take offense. He stroked his thick beard with a boisterous chuckle, grabbed the coin pouch, and swaggered away.
Lin Qingyue and her group of four stood at the entrance, their minds momentarily short-circuiting as they took in this scene overflowing with raw vitality—or perhaps, more accurately, bursting with hormones.
"Sis..." Lin Xiyue swallowed hard and muttered under her breath, "I officially don't understand anything anymore."
"Do men in this world come in different models?"
"Are the ones on the streets the 'Hamster' base model, while these are the 'Tiger' advanced edition?"
"Or are Professionals some special 'premium' model that requires extra money to unlock?"
"I... I'm dizzy with confusion," Xia Lian said, her cheeks flushed as she felt her worldview system blue-screening and rebooting.
Su Wan remained silent, but the deep furrow between her brows betrayed her utter bewilderment.
The scene inside the guild had completely overturned all her previous assumptions about this world.
So that's it!
Lin Qingyue's heart instantly blossomed with joy.
In that moment, all the pieces clicked into place, fitting together perfectly.
The foreman's authority, the couple's sweetness, the engineer's sudden change in demeanor, and the Professionals' unrestrained behavior...
The key isn't gender—it's power!
Two diametrically opposed approaches to marriage and romance, rooted in strength!
Commoner men have limited power. To avoid being forcibly bound by "wild females" and losing their freedom to frequent pleasure establishments, they recoil at the mere sight of women.
Her gaze fell on a burly man who had just completed a quest and was trying to ask the rabbit-eared girl behind the counter out. He responded with an enthusiastic smile.
Professionals, on the other hand, possess overwhelming power over commoners! They have no need to fear; they seek equal matches, pure mutual attraction based on strength.
This astonishing contradiction! This absurd yet self-consistent gap moe!
How utterly fascinating!
Leading the three still-stunned companions, Lin Qingyue ignored the curious glances around them and strode directly toward the massive Quest Board.
The quests on the board were wildly diverse, perfectly illustrating the ecology of this Steel City.
[Urgent Quest: Escort a batch of "Blazing Ambition" refined malt ale to the Northland Outpost. Requirements: A team of at least three Novice Class Holders capable of handling Ice Wolves along the route. Reward: 1200 gold coins.]
[Hunting Quest: A nest of "Iron-Armored Pangolin Beasts" has appeared in the abandoned mine west of the city, severely hindering the steam pipeline construction progress. Requirements: Clear out the nest and bring back their armored scales as proof. Reward: 800 gold coins, plus a weapon personally crafted by the legendary blacksmith "Hammer of Blazing Flames" Lola.]
[Long-Term Recruitment: "Tender Village" urgently seeks physically robust and energetic masseuses, male or female, with preference given to Beastmen. Full board and lodging provided, with generous compensation. Requirements: Skilled techniques, ability to read social cues, and willingness to work demanding night shifts. Contact: Enchanting Fox Proprietress.]
Upon seeing the last quest, Lin Xiyue burst out laughing, nudging Lin Qingyue with her elbow. "Sis, look at this! What kind of quest is that? Is this really what adventurers do?"
Lin Qingyue glanced over, her expression unchanged. "Maybe."
Su Wan snorted coldly, turning her head away as if even a glance would stain her eyes.
Xia Lian's cheeks flushed again, muttering softly, "How... how can there be quests like this...?"
Most quests offered rewards ranging from a few hundred to just over a thousand gold coins, with higher-paying tasks typically requiring significantly more time.
But Lin Qingyue's ambitions extended far beyond such modest gains.
Her gaze swept swiftly across the Quest Board until a crimson-inked parchment at the very top caught her attention.
The script was elegant yet forceful, a stark contrast to the rough, hurried handwriting elsewhere.
[High-Value Bounty: Locate Missing Mage - Karula]
[Quest Details: Lady Karula, an Intermediate Evocation School instructor at Raya Lucarian Academy of Magic, took a leave of absence ten days ago to conduct academic research in the Silent Forest. She was scheduled to return three days ago, but there has been no word since, and Magic Messages remain unanswered. The Academy is deeply concerned and offers this bounty.]
[Quest Requirements: Find Lady Karula, dead or alive. Bringing her back safely will earn the highest reward. If only relics or verified information are recovered, the reward will be determined based on the intelligence's value.]
[Base Reward: 5000 gold coins, plus Honorary Guest Elder status at Raya Lucarian Academy of Magic, granting unrestricted access to the first floor of the Academy Library.]
"Five thousand gold coins!" Lin Xiyue's beautiful eyes widened instantly. "The Magic Academy really knows how to splash the cash!"
"It's not just the gold," Su Wan said, her eyes gleaming like ice crystals as they locked onto the small line of text. "Access to a magic academy's library... even just access to the first floor... is worth far more than mere money!"
As an Elemental Mage with an insatiable thirst for knowledge, this additional reward held far greater appeal for her than the 5,000 gold coins.
Lin Qingyue stroked her chin, also intrigued by the mission.
An Intermediate Mage should be considered a powerful figure in this world, yet they had vanished without a trace.
The disappearance site, the "Silent Forest," sounded ominous just from its name.
Moreover, the quest issuer was the "Raya Lucarian Academy of Magic," a name that stirred a sense of familiarity within her.
Could this dungeon somehow incorporate elements from Elden Ring? If so, could I learn the Gavel of Haima and Carian Greatsword here?
An Intermediate Mage vanishing in the forest... this plot is intriguing. It offers both financial gain and the chance to mingle with the world's elite combat circle, while also allowing me to explore the map along the way.
"This is the one," Lin Qingyue declared, reaching out to peel off the crimson bounty notice.
"Wait," Su Wan stopped her. "Judging by the posting date, this quest has been up for at least three days. With such a high reward, why hasn't anyone claimed it yet?"
Su Wan calmly pointed out the most crucial discrepancy.
Hearing this, Lin Qingyue glanced around the hall.
Sure enough, the seemingly experienced adventurers in the hall, though occasionally glancing at the red bounty notice, mostly showed wariness and resignation in their eyes. Not a single one approached the board.
Just then, a horned female warrior nearby, who was polishing her massive axe, noticed their interest. She grinned broadly and offered a well-intentioned warning:
"Hey, you newbies! Take my advice, Big Sister's advice—don't touch that mission."
"Why not?" Lin Xiyue asked curiously.
The horned warrior sighed, slamming her axe into the ground with a dull thud.
"Because the Silent Forest is Elf territory."
She lowered her voice, her tone filled with deep reverence.
"Those pointy-eared snobs are arrogant and xenophobic. They don't take kindly to outsiders trespassing on their lands."
"Plenty of foolhardy adventurer teams have tried their luck there before. You know what happened to them?"
"Either they got riddled with arrows and tossed out like hedgehogs, or they simply vanished without a trace."
"That mage named Karula probably thought she was hot stuff as an Intermediate Mage and ignored the Elves' warnings. Now she's probably fertilizer in the forest."
Another Leopard-woman sidled over, shaking her head.
"Exactly. Offending a group of mysterious and powerful Elves for someone who's probably already dead? Not worth it. Five thousand gold coins is a lot, but you need to be alive to spend it."
Hearing the adventurers' fearful chatter, Lin Xiyue and Su Wan's expressions grew serious.
"Sis, this mission... the risks outweigh the rewards," Lin Xiyue whispered.
Yet Lin Qingyue showed no fear whatsoever. Instead, she unconsciously reached up and gently touched her earlobe. There, Moonlight's Embrace radiated a soft, ethereal glow that only she could perceive.
The corners of her mouth slowly curled upward into a smile—a blend of delight and absolute certainty. Her eyes sparkled with the same excitement a mischievous child finds when discovering a new toy.
"No," she murmured, her voice soft yet brimming with unwavering confidence. "Quite the opposite."
"This mission was practically tailor-made for us."
It was a gift personally bestowed by Elf Queen Ilanier—a symbol of the Elven royal family's recognition and friendship!
Elsewhere, it might merely be an accessory that provided continuous renewal.
But here...
In this Elven Territory, deemed a Forbidden Zone and a graveyard by all adventurers...
Lin Qingyue could no longer suppress the grin spreading across her face.
This thing is basically the ultimate VIP pass, declaring me as one of their own!
Even if the Elves of this world don't recognize it, I still have Miss Pink Elf's Blessing to fall back on!