Facing Litt’s question, Red hesitated for a long time.
He wanted to open a weapons shop in Yeming Town.
As a Creation Mage, repairing equipment and crafting weapons had always been his strength.
Even when he was in the team, it was Red alone who maintained the gear for Liz and the others.
But the problem was, opening a weapons shop required a lot of money, and he didn’t have that much on hand right now.
He had originally planned to squeeze some funds out of Letia, but unfortunately, that priest was a real deadbeat.
She would repay eventually, but only in tiny monthly installments, always calling it “installment payments.”
Who could bear that?
“I might open a weapons shop here eventually, but I don’t have much money on me right now. Litt, do you know of any jobs around here? Preferably something suited to my profession.”
Litt paused for a moment.
Seeing Red’s serious expression, even though she had lent him a lot of money, she hadn’t expected him to be this short on cash.
“What about the money you earned as an adventurer?”
Normally, being an adventurer was quite profitable, or else she wouldn’t have been able to buy this house herself.
Red didn’t have many expenses either.
Even if she occasionally gave him some help, it shouldn’t have left him completely broke.
Where had his money gone?
“I still have a little left, so I won’t starve, but without a steady income, it’s safer to find a job,”
Red said with a wry smile, shaking his head.
“Besides, to open a weapons shop, you’d need a storefront, right? You know how scary the rent in Yeming Town is.”
“I see…”
Litt pondered for a moment, but didn’t stop what she was doing with her hands.
“Red, can you help me grab the Chef’s Knife?”
“Oh…”
Seeing Litt reach out, Red felt that this scene was oddly familiar.
Coupled with her casual tone, it triggered a strong sense of déjà vu.
Soon, Red remembered.
When he first learned cooking from Letia, there had been a similar scene…
Plus Litt’s expression made it hard not to feel an inexplicable sense of familiarity.
Litt quickly snapped out of her thoughts, almost breaking character from being so absorbed.
Especially when she turned to meet Red’s burning gaze, her heart skipped a beat.
To avoid being discovered, she hurriedly reverted to the gentle and kind white nun persona.
“Mr. Red? Is there something on my face?”
“Ah… sorry, I was a bit distracted just now.”
Red shook his head and handed over the Chef’s Knife beside him.
He couldn’t help but chuckle quietly to himself.
Was it because he had just left the team?
Why did he keep subconsciously linking his former teammate and Litt together?
Compared to this angelic white nun, Letia the stingy priest just didn’t compare.
“There are jobs, but since this is Yeming Town, most of them are still related to adventuring. The only ones I can think of are odd jobs helping Adventurer Parties. The pay isn’t much, but if you’re willing, I can introduce you.”
Adventurer Parties weren’t the same as Hero parties.
Hero parties always had a Hero, but Adventurer Parties didn’t—they were more like ordinary people exploring dungeons, and if you put it bluntly, a bunch of desperate souls.
But… since this was Yeming Town, it was normal.
“Of course.”
Red wasn’t surprised by the answer.
Having quit the team, he had lost his adventurer qualification.
To outsiders, he was now just an ordinary Creation Mage with no credentials.
“But Mr. Red, since you’ve chosen to continue adventuring, why not just join Brian’s Hero party?”
From Litt’s perspective, if it were her, she’d have joined Brian’s team after quitting.
For one thing, it was better than taking odd jobs for Adventurer Parties.
More importantly, it would annoy Liz a bit.
“No need.”
Red sighed.
After everything with the Dawn Edge, he was really tired.
On one hand, the Hero party’s pressure was immense because they ventured deep into dungeons.
During the Dawn Edge incident, that feeling was even more pronounced.
Dawn Edge, as a Hero party, had the following lineup: Liz (Hero), Letia (Priest), Bethany (Elf Archer), Jessica (Mage).
This setup revealed a big problem at a glance.
Too many backliners, too few frontline.
Except for Liz, everyone was a backliner, so Red was the only one responsible for drawing aggro and tanking.
But he was a Creation Mage, and as Bethany had said, he lacked the ability to draw aggro.
So to attract enemies’ attention, he had to charge into the front lines.
Such a high-pressure environment lasted for three whole years, not counting logistical issues.
At first, Red could still manage.
Back then, everyone seemed pure-hearted, striving for dreams and success.
But as they delved deeper into the dungeon, the inability to draw aggro became a growing problem.
Frontliners were under enormous pressure, and so were the backliners.
The tension accumulated until, on the twenty-third floor, during a Monster Tide, everything finally exploded.
Thinking of this, Red sighed again.
He was truly exhausted.
Even if joining Brian’s Scarlet Legion would be a bit easier, it was only slightly so—not exactly a desirable gig.
“My former teammate might be right,” he murmured.
“Life’s like rowing a boat in the sea of bitterness; enjoy the moment, don’t exhaust yourself.”
He had once had dreams that fueled his efforts to make Dawn Edge better.
He believed he had done everything he could.
But after everything went downhill, looking back, maybe Liz saw his efforts as just what he was supposed to do—his duty.
“Letia?”
“Yes.”
Red nodded.
“That girl was always a pure hedonist. Most of the time unserious, but sometimes serious… if only she could repay me.”
Litt averted her gaze.
Repayment was impossible.
She barely had any coins herself.
No money, no life—no selling myself, next.
“Mr. Red…”
“Just call me Red. Adding ‘Mr.’ makes me sound ancient.”
“Alright, Red,”
Litt nodded, then continued, “Where are you staying now?”
“Nowhere. I’ve been sleeping in inns these past few days. I planned to rent a place today, but because of what happened this afternoon, that fell through.”
“I see.”
Litt tapped her lips lightly with her index finger.
A faint blush appeared on her face.
After hesitating for a moment, she finally spoke.
“How about… staying at my place? My house is quite big.”
Thanks for the chapter!
Thank you for reading!