Serdur hesitated for a moment but still refrained from asking the question weighing on his mind.
The two of them weren’t official teammates yet, and it’s a big taboo to suddenly inquire about the other’s strength.
Simply waiting was boring.
After meeting up, the two headed towards the entrance hall.
They intended to wait together for Aaliyah to return.
Moreover, the entrance hall offered complimentary juice and assorted dried fruits, though most visiting Casters had little interest in such trivialities.
The two of them found an empty spot and sat down.
Gauss brought over a plate of dried fruits and two drinks.
He curiously observed Serdur’s posture for a few more moments.
Serdur’s snake tail passed through the gap under the chair’s armrest, resting on the ground like a coiled spring maintaining a stable stance.
Gauss couldn’t help but recall what he had read in books.
If it were a thousand years ago.
Humans and these non-pureblood races were still in hostile relationships; under such social pressure, for the two of them to sit together chatting peacefully would have been almost impossible.
Even now, some primitive subhuman tribes still do not welcome ordinary humans, and a select few even hunt down humans who enter their territories.
Fortunately, after a millennium, the demonic race has gradually grown rampant, forcing the intelligent life forms to unite, lay down their prejudices, and create the prosperous multi-ethnic coexistence we see today.
"Serdur, where is your hometown?" Gauss asked curiously.
Although he hadn’t confirmed whether the other would join the team, he still felt it was necessary to care about the members’ family background in advance.
Well, actually, he was just curious.
"It’s not on this continent; my hometown is on a small island off the continent’s west coast, where the climate is hot, rainy, and humid, which makes it home to many Half-Snake Men."
Talking about his hometown, a smile couldn’t help but appear on Serdur’s face.
Of course, to outsiders, that smile carried an inexplicable sinister aura.
Gauss also found it a bit odd and wanted to tell Serdur to smile less often, to avoid misunderstandings.
But after hesitating for a moment, he didn’t say it out loud.
Smiling is everyone’s right. If a smile isn’t friendly and causes misunderstandings, it’s still inconsequential.
When talking about his hometown, Serdur seemed to talk a bit more.
From the habitats of Half-Snake Men, rainforest residences, semi-underground villages, to the treatment of low-intellect Half-Snake Men being exiled, and the hierarchy of the Half-Snake Man tribes — he provided a complete introduction.
"Someday I’d like to visit your hometown."
"Better not," Serdur said with a wry smile. "The Half-Snake Man tribe I belong to is quite hostile towards humans."
"Our people believe that humans took our original lands and drove us to the islands."
"If you visit, being driven away might be the best outcome."
Serdur shook his head.
Gauss pondered a bit; it seems you can’t judge an individual by the stereotypes of their race.
He had initially thought that since Serdur was so friendly to him, his upbringing must have been in a tribe that was relatively friendly towards humans.
But it turned out to be quite the opposite.
As the two were chatting.
Aaliyah approached with light footsteps.
Gauss, noticing Serdur suddenly fell silent, looked up and realized Aaliyah was coming from afar.
"Finished with your work?" Gauss asked with curiosity.
"Yes," Aaliyah replied, her face radiating a smile, clearly satisfied with the outcome.
Today, she had come to consult about advancing to a Level 2 Druid and to undergo testing.
"Congratulations."
Aaliyah was about to respond modestly.
Her gaze suddenly shifted, catching sight of the familiar yet strange figure opposite Gauss, making her body slightly tense.
Although knowing the other person is kind-hearted, the stout snake tail, the golden scales on his cheeks and neck, and the slender slit-like pupils still made her feel uneasy.
"Hello."
"Hello."
After greeting each other, Aaliyah took a seat close to Gauss.
She adjusted her chair to move slightly closer to Gauss.
She gave Gauss a questioning look.
Gauss quickly spoke up.
"This is Serdur, a Half-Snake Man Adventurer, a Priest by profession. Aaliyah, we’ve met him a few times before."
"Serdur, this is my partner, Aaliyah, a Druid by profession."
They both nodded at each other.
After briefly introducing each other’s identities, Gauss went straight to the point.
"Serdur wants to join our team, Aaliyah, what do you think?"
Upon hearing this, Aaliyah showed the same surprised expression Gauss had when he first heard the request.
Join the team?
Priests and similar professions are highly sought after in many teams.
In the months she and Gauss had been doing adventurer work together, they had encounters with strangers requesting to join the team, but after several selections, they hadn’t found a suitable teammate.
Those who wanted to apply to join were usually Level 1 Warriors, Rangers, and similar professions.
Never before had a Priest requested to join.
Why is that?
Firstly, compared to Warriors, Rangers, and Wanderers, Priests are fewer in number, and a considerable portion doesn’t pursue Adventurer work.
Instead, they are distributed in churches, temples, monasteries, theological colleges, medical centers, and charities. Only a few naturally adventurous Priests are willing to venture out into the world.