Chapter 26: The Token

"Wood, we have lingered in River Valley Town for far too long."

Silvery-white strands of hair swayed in the breeze as Haian spoke softly to his most loyal guard. Like the "long-ears" who dwelled in the depths of the sky-piercing forest seas, half-elves, despite their inherent kindness nurtured by the teachings of their elders, could occasionally display a stubborn streak.

"Mother once said that the waters of the Vina River never cease (an Elven proverb). We cannot delay any further."

As if struck by a keyword in his words, Wood, who had been contemplating a firmer stance, opened his mouth but ultimately swallowed his words.

*Although he usually seems unreliable, the suggestion Larry made earlier is not a bad option after all,* Haian pondered.

He had yet to officially take up his profession, and his strength was limited. While he had mastered a few combat techniques learned from his mother, they were all geared toward ranged combat. Larry appeared flighty, but he came from a wealthy background and had been trained by professional adventurers since childhood; he had some combat capability, though not much. Doris... well, let’s not mention her. Wood was a genuine professional; in the outer reaches of the Misty Forest, there were almost no monsters that could threaten him. However, based on their previous outings, no matter how intense the battle, he would only ever stay by his side.

With their destination still some distance away and given they were deep within the Misty Forest, avoiding combat entirely was impossible. On that premise, their party truly needed an adventurer with decent combat power who could engage in close-quarters fighting.

Haian looked up at the black-haired young man standing across the clearing, whose expression was one of vigilance. After a few seconds of organizing his thoughts, he spoke slowly:

"As compensation for inadvertently involving you, I will leave you 30 gold coins."

Under normal circumstances, no matter how kind one’s nature, one would not go to such lengths for a stranger. But to improve his party's image in the other's eyes, and more importantly, to pave the way for a future recruitment invitation, Haian chose this pragmatic method to demonstrate his sincerity.

"Furthermore, I would like to offer you 70 gold to hire you as a temporary member to assist our party with our current mission."

Hearing this, Xia Nan, who had been hesitating between running off with the gold or handing over his loot, was momentarily stunned. His first reaction was: 30 + 70 = 100 gold.

*No, no, no.* Xia Nan reined in his thoughts, assessing the authenticity of the invitation.

First, he was carrying items worth nearly 80 gold coins (the Glow-Garlic Vine and the loot from the previous duo). If he could make it back to River Valley Town, that would be a huge profit; there was no need to take unnecessary risks for these 100 coins.

As a lone, low-level adventurer, he had to consider the possibility that the invitation was a ruse to lure him closer for an ambush.

Secondly, he felt something was off about these four people. Even the most bottom-tier adventurer parties, like the riffraff group he encountered earlier, had a standard composition of a front-line warrior (Ga-Gu), a ranged archer (Maji), and an assassin (Er-Ji).

What about these four? The half-elf and his guard were normal enough, but what was the role of that fat man who looked like an even bigger novice than him and wore ill-fitting gear? Not to mention the pale-faced blonde lady at the back of the group, who looked like she could be blown away by a gust of wind. They didn't look like an "adventurer party" so much as a bunch of rich kids on a countryside excursion from the city.

At this thought, Xia Nan paused. He took another strange, careful look at them.

*It couldn't be, could it...*

He felt a mix of amusement and absurdity, nearly having been tricked into boarding a pirate ship. *With a group like this, I wouldn't go with them even for 10,000 gold.*

Though he thought this, his face remained emotionless. He shook his head firmly and decisively at Haian’s invitation.

"100 gold! I’ll give you 100 gold!" Larry, seeing the refusal, seemed anxious and raised a finger, shouting loudly.

*I said no, not even for 10,000!* Xia Nan muttered to himself, continuing his silent, head-shaking refusal.

"You..." Facing his repeated rejections, Larry’s face flushed red. He waved his arms, his mouth opening and closing silently as if brewing a number that would make the other party unable to refuse.

*Slap.*

A fair, well-defined hand pressed onto his shoulder.

"Let it go, Larry." In Haian’s silver-gray eyes reflected the figure of Xia Nan, who seemed ready to vanish into the dense woods at any moment. "There is no need to force it."

Even though the man didn't speak, the half-elf could feel the resolve in the human youth's refusal. He took a money pouch from his backpack and tossed it across the clearing toward Xia Nan.

"30 gold. Keep it."

Xia Nan was taken aback, yet he did not lower his guard. He used the tip of his sword to flick open the pouch and checked it carefully, ensuring there were no tricks. Only then did he tuck the pouch into his robe.

*So honorable?* Even after confirming he wouldn't join the party, the man still handed over the thirty gold coins he had promised verbally. Was it just his nature, or were all elves in this world like this? Feeling the heavy weight of the pouch, Xia Nan couldn't help but find the guy a bit more likable.

Meanwhile, seeing Xia Nan refuse, Wood, who had been silent, breathed a subconscious sigh of relief. "Young Master, the Misty Forest is far too dangerous. It is difficult for me to guarantee your safety alone. Perhaps... we should return to River Valley Town to rest for a few days and reconsider?"

"Our destination is only in the outer reaches. Aren't you a professional? What is there to fear?" Larry, frustrated by Xia Nan’s double rejection, complained.

Wood shot him a cold, icy glance without a word, and Larry instantly shrank his neck as if falling into a cellar of ice, closing his mouth. Wood was endlessly respectful to Haian, but he felt no need to put on a show for anyone else in the party.

"Besides, that group from earlier didn't look like adventurers." Seeing Haian waver, Wood pressed his advantage. "I suspect it was someone from Neum..."

He stopped halfway, but Haian clearly understood his meaning, and his expression darkened.

"No, that's impossible. It... it isn't time yet. They shouldn't go that far."

Haian murmured as if to comfort himself, pulling a pitch-black token from his chest.

"Wait!"

Suddenly, Xia Nan’s voice cut through the air. He had been planning to leave with his windfall of over a hundred gold coins, but he stopped dead in his tracks.

The ink-black token in the half-elf’s hand—narrow at the top, wide at the bottom, and etched with faint, archaic symbols—gave him an intense, overwhelming sense of familiarity at just a single glance.

That distinct, classical style was something he had seen countless times in his memories.

But here, "memory" did not come from his current host body.

It came from a life truly his own—his past life.