After leaving the team, the adventurer ladies regretted it deeply

After taking the Gold Coin, the other party's attitude warmed up considerably, eyes squinting into slits with a smile as they carefully put the coin into their pocket.

This person claimed his name was Mingde and that he was a retired adventurer who now worked as a doll merchant.

Mainly 'pit,' well, mainly peddling to out-of-town adventurers.

In response to Lin Da's question, Uncle Mingde laughed, "It's right that you can't see her! I've known that kid for two and a half years and have never seen her once!"

"Then how did you get those dolls?" Lin Da pointed to the big bags inside the carriage, looking bewildered.

"We conduct transactions based on trust."

Uncle Mingde said, "The kid would leave the dolls outside in advance, I'd take them, and then leave the corresponding copper coins at the door. She would come out and collect them on her own."

"You've never seen her?" Lin Da was astonished.

"Hmm, I've only heard her voice, very soft and delicate, it's definitely a girl. One time I got curious about how the kid looked, so after placing the reward properly, I hid outside, waiting for her to come out. But, after waiting half an hour, some ruffian adventurers passing by took the copper coins, and she didn't come out!"

"There was nothing I could do. I just had to get the copper coins back and put them at the door again. As soon as I left, I came back a few minutes later to check, and the copper coins were gone. There was a note left behind, though, thanking Uncle me for helping her recover the copper coins."

Uncle Mingde beamed, "She's still a polite and good kid, geez, she's just a bit shy and unwilling to show her face."

This is 'a bit'? It's practically extreme social anxiety!

Lin Da secretly scoffed in his heart.

He looked towards the white western-style house with complex feelings. He had been here for three days, thinking the other party was not at home, but all this time, were they deliberately hiding from him?

Not using the Cooling Magic Array, aren't they bothered by the heat?

Or is it to save money?

Lin Da was slightly annoyed and determined to see what kind of "turtle" was hiding inside, treating him and Kafni like salted meat hung out to dry.

"Thank you for the information, Uncle," Lin Da thanked with a cup of his hands.

However, Uncle Mingde warned him and Kafni, "You two, you're not planning to do something to that kid, are you? If you dare to forcefully intrude into a private residence, I can notify the Law Enforcement Bureau."

"Uh, don't worry about that, we won't. We are bona fide adventurers," Lin Da quickly explained. "I was referred by the kid's friend Lulu."

"I hope so," Mingde huffed as he drove the carriage away, still not forgetting to admonish, "Don't get any crooked ideas!"

"I really won't," Lin Da said helplessly.

Watching the carriage slowly drive away, Lin Da murmured to himself, sorry, but today, even if it meant breaking into a private residence, he needed to see the other party.

Lin Da and Kafni strode up to the door and knocked loudly.

"Hello there, I'm really not a bad person, could you please open the door so we can meet?"

"Why won't you come out? I know you're home."

"If you don't open the door, I'm going to keep knocking," Lin Da insisted.

...

Inside the house, a girl with brown long hair curled up tensely under the blankets, covering her head.

Someone's voice penetrated through the blanket into her ears.

Right now, the girl felt very scared, afraid that the person would break in and drag her out to punish her, stinking and filthy as she was.

Her mother got punished by robbers just for opening the door without permission,

Since then, except for the 'most caring' Lord Captain, she would never open the door to anyone else!

The person outside this time was clever, pretending to be Lulu's friend.

But someone like Lulu could never have friends.

That meant, the man outside was deceiving her!

She absolutely couldn't open the door.

The girl kept her eyes tightly closed, covering her ears, praying that the person outside would leave quickly.

After shouting for a while, the person outside went slightly quiet.

Just when she was about to feel relieved, the voice started up again, this time with a different approach.

"Little sister, the uncle likes your doll and is willing to pay a high price for it. Could you come out and discuss a business deal?"

"Sell it to me for 5 silver coins each?"

A few seconds passed.

"10 silver coins, no, 2 Gold Coins each! I really like your handmade dolls!"

The girl slightly opened the quilt, her heart pounding fiercely.

2... 2 Gold Coins each?

With that much money, she wouldn't have to worry about food for the next year!

And there would still be lots left over to buy new magic puppet games!

The girl was very tempted, but the rationale that remained warned her that this was definitely a trick to lure her out, and once she opened the door, terrible things would happen to her.

"You who skulk in your room like a musty, moldy mess, you don't deserve to live in this world!"

"To be an adventurer and yet be too afraid to adventure in the World Tree, you're truly a waste!"

"Let this lord punish you harshly with a stick!"

Recalling certain scenes from comic books, the girl shuddered violently, her buttocks aching as if an invisible hand was dragging her into a pit of depravity...

"No, I don't want to be punished. Captain, why haven't you come to save Monica yet?"

The girl named Monica was yelping and sobbing under the quilt.

More than three years ago,

the captain called 'Lin Da' assigned her to dust the warehouse, and it turned out to be a long task.

In that warehouse, Monica felt an unprecedented sense of security.

All the dust was swept by her own hands, and apart from the captain coming to check for cleanliness, no one else would come, creating a haven that belonged solely to her.

But then one day, the captain disappeared, Monica's little warehouse was sold by other team members,

and Monica, with nowhere else to go, bought this house with the help of kind-hearted Lulu.

She dared not meet people or adventure in the World Tree, her only option was to make handmade dolls to supplement the household income.

As a result, last year, because she got obsessed with drawing limited magic puppets, she signed her name on a loan flyer from The Mandalas, and the next day someone delivered 10 Gold Coins,

but when Monica finally managed to gather the Gold Coins and was ready to pay back, she found the 10 Gold Coins had turned into 50. No matter how she paid, the debt was never-ending!

Knowing how ruthless The Mandalas were, they would surely catch her for failing to repay the money and throw her into a tavern to be played with by the Beastmen at will!

Just thinking about it was enough to make Monica nearly faint with fear.

The person outside now might just be tricking her into opening the door and then binding her to serve in the tavern.

So, no matter what, she would cling tightly in her quilt and never open the door for them!

...

"Should we break down the door?"

Kafni, from the overgrown garden, found a large, sharp stone and rolled up her sleeves, approaching the door like a soldier ready with a battering ram.

Lin Da was actually in favor of the idea.

But as a law-abiding adventurer, he chose to decline. If he broke the door and scared the girl inside, what if she didn't join his adventure team?

They had come for 'Three Visits to the Thatched Cottage,' not to abduct someone like bandits.

Lin Da decided to win her over with sincerity.

Moments later, the two of them pulled up the grass in the garden, built a Fire on the ground, and began cooking delicious magical beast barbecue.

Fat and juicy volcanic beef steak, outside crispy and inside tender giant rabbit, sizzling fatty lamb leg...

Kafni, with a fan in hand, was responsible for blowing the aroma into the small house.

Lin Da had a snow-white towel slung over his neck and a trace of composed smile at the corner of his mouth as he flipped the magical beast meat in front of the grill.