Chapter 42 Just how much capacity does Nailiang actually have?

"Charging a fee?"

Hearing this, Yelin looked utterly astonished. Wasn't Remidia Basilica always widely praised among commoners for its benevolence, compassion, and free services? Why the sudden change?

"That's right. Crusaders possess the ability to heal wounds and buff attributes, making them great companions for adventurers."

"But as you know, ever since the Transfer Phenomenon, monsters on the Arad continent have become increasingly volatile. We often hear news about monster sieges and heavy losses everywhere, which keeps the Crusaders busy all day."

"If you want to take a Crusader with you to explore certain ruins or dangerous areas, you have to pay a certain amount of gold as a reward. This reward is then used to help those suffering people."

Shiaote looked deeply admiring. Hundreds of years ago, during the Dark Crusade, the Priests had shed their blood and burned their souls for Arad, and countless Priests had slumbered alongside their crucifixes on the path of fighting the Impostors.

Compared to the ghost-handed people and Empyrean gunners who had only appeared in the last decade or so, the solid and weighty image of the Priests was far more deeply etched in people's hearts.

"If that's the case, charging a fee is completely fine. When you went to the town hall, I also asked around a bit. Sky Tower is extremely extremely dangerous; even Leon's Iron Wolf Knights suffered casualties in there."

The monsters at the bottom of Sky Tower were Dragonians. These monsters, carrying a trace of dragon blood, possessed sharp teeth, ultra-high-speed movement capabilities, and the elite ones could even use a small amount of light attribute magic.

"Tonight is the semi-monthly celebration at the Moonlight Tavern. Many people, including adventurers, will be there. Why don't you guys just recruit companions directly in the tavern?"

Soryun was very pleased with her new outfit—the red Sand God set, which highlighted her already graceful elven physique and made her figure look even more charming.

"You really look gorgeous."

Shiaote's eyes were full of envy. That kind of elegant and composed elven temperament was simply not something ordinary people could learn.

"I'm old, just an old woman now. How can I keep up with tender-skinned young girls like you?"

"No way, when we stand together, doesn't it just look like a pair of sisters?"

The two women here began to compliment each other, while Yelin grabbed a large piece of white paper and, with a flourish of his brush, wrote down the requirements for team members.

"We hold a Sky Tower entry pass, which allows multiple people to enter at once. Now recruiting team members: Crusaders (paid), freeloaders... crossed out, Nen Masters, Empyrean gunners preferred. Other classes considered upon meeting and discretion. Discuss details in person, follow the arrow →"

Since Soryun said it would be very crowded and lively tonight, a trail of white paper with arrows was posted all the way into Shiaote's and Mael's room.

Moving his bedding to one side and pushing two desks together made it an interview room.

Mael, Shiaote, and Yelin himself would be the interviewers.

Mael said that since Sky Tower was connected to the Apostle Bakal, there might be clues to the Great Will, so she had to go.

"I understand why you want a Crusader, but what is the Nen Master for?"

Shiaote slapped away the hand making mischief on her silk stockings and placed her Hidden Dragon Greatsword on the table as a warning to keep his paws under control.

"A Nen Master masters the Breath of Wind, which makes your movements lighter and your sword swings faster!"

If he could behave himself, it wouldn't be him. His right hand reached out again, only to be grabbed by the wrist by Shiaote. To her surprise, this guy had an astonishingly shameless amount of strength, and she actually couldn't pull her hand back.

"Shameless, stop pulling down my stockings."

Mael seemed to be in a daze, but her eyes couldn't stop glancing over here, and the single strand of hair standing up on her head was swaying back and forth...

Creak~

The door opened—the first adventurer!

"Yo, you guys set this up to be pretty formal."

Kailey poked her head in, only for a blade of wind to slice off a few strands of her hair. Startled, she instinctively pulled out a grenade.

"Get lost, you're interrupting my serious business!"

"Shameless!"

Whether it was because the Moonlight Tavern was too lively or not, half an hour passed, and besides Kailey, not a single person came.

"Hey, if you're bored, read some love letters."

A stack of more than ten love letters was placed in front of Shiaote, implying that if she had nothing to do, she should read them to deepen their emotional bond—maybe she'd end up letting him nibble on her earlobes again.

He had never explained the source of the item "Letter Full of Admiration." Whether it was Seria, Tana, or Shiaote, they all assumed he had written them himself...

Especially Tana, who had told him more than once that his love letters were so cheesy, yet she loved them.

"How boring. You actually had the nerve to write such cheesy lines."

She opened one letter. Wow, so cheesy.

She opened another. How on earth did you have the nerve to write this...

She opened yet another. Shivering, shivering...

While Shiaote kept complaining verbally, her hands didn't stop moving at all...

Creak~

The door opened again. Startled, she shoved all the love letters underneath the table and sat up straight, putting on a proper expression.

"Excuse me, are you recruiting Crusaders here?"

A silver-bell-like crisp and melodious voice carried a hint of confusion and hesitation. Why was a recruitment venue a guest room?

"Ah, yes, this is the place. Come on in, we're all good people."

The person outside fell silent for a moment, beginning to wonder if she should run away first...

She wore a church uniform, long black hair, a robe attached to the top, and a black skirt that reached her knees. Her facial features were quiet and delicate, and although her figure was slender and graceful, she didn't seem to have much in the way of curves. On her slender, straight legs, she also wore a pair of white over-the-knee stockings.

Her gaze swept over the three of them, and upon realizing there were two other female companions, she quietly breathed a sigh of relief and sat down demurely and ladylike on a chair.

Silence...

"What are you spacing out for? Aren't you the team leader?" Shiaote pinched his arm.

Yelin snapped back to reality and subconsciously blurted out, "I was comparing the length of her legs to yours..."

"Shameless!"

The Crusader, who had just relaxed, stiffened. Her intuition told her to run—she needed to run, for ahead lay an abyss of no return.

But her reason urged her on: adventurers with entry passes were simply too rare. Wait a little longer, just a little longer.

"Name?"

"Yuna."

"Good name. Class? Crusader?"

"Yes, I have already comprehended [Courage Blessing] and [Courage Hymn]."

"Not bad. What is your mana capacity?"

"Huh? What did you say?"

"Mana capacity..."

Yuna's face gradually flushed red. Under Yelin's suspicious gaze, it took her a long time to squeeze the words out through her teeth, "Joining your party comes with this requirement too?"

"Of course, this is very important, you know? What if your capacity is weak and we get into danger at Sky Tower? Do you know about the Empire's Iron Wolf Knights? They suffered a huge defeat in Sky Tower!"

Yelin was utterly baffled. Wasn't he just asking her to state what level she had comprehended [Courage Blessing] to and what quality her gear was so he could judge her stats? Why was she acting so distressed?

"Pervert..."

Yuna braced her hands on the chair and wanted to leave, but the moment she thought of the mysterious, evil aura she had sensed before the Empire blockaded Sky Tower, she couldn't help trembling all over. She had to investigate the source.

Her gaze swept past Shiaote. Hmm, quite decent curves, a bit better than her own. Then she swept past Mael...

Huh?

Mmh?

Mmm-hmm?!

Good heavens! How could this goofy-looking girl be so righteous!

"As expected, a pervert. Even his teammates are well-endowed."

Yuna bit her lower lip and muttered like a mosquito, "How big I am—can't you just look for yourself?"

"How am I supposed to look? Am I supposed to have X-ray vision?"

Strange, was this奶妈 (milk-giver/healer) an idiot? No one could see through someone else's comprehended class enlightenment, not even Awakened ones.

"You...! I don't use padding!"

"I know you don't use electricity; you're not a Levia or Pikachu."

Yuna's delicate eyebrows twitched violently. She gritted her teeth in secret, telling herself to endure it—she must endure it. Once she investigated that evil power, she would leave immediately without lingering a second, and then put this guy on her blacklist!

"Based on my own feeling, it's pretty decent, I suppose... fits the requirement..."

"Is that just self-satisfaction? Not very convincing. How about you let me test it out so I can judge for myself? If it's a good fit, we can talk about your reward."

From Yelin's perspective, as long as Yuna cast a buff on him, all his attribute boosts would become crystal clear, allowing him to decide whether she was worth the paid-healer status.