Henry paced anxiously in front of the Adventurer's Guild's main doors. Although a cold wind blew past from time to time, freezing his nose red, he was completely unaware of it.
Today's relatively bright sunshine shone on the unmelted snow piled by the roadside, creating a glaring brightness that only made his mood increasingly irritable.
As an ordinary receptionist at the Misty Bay Harbor Adventurer's Guild headquarters, he had never imagined that one day he would need to stand at the entrance like a butler greeting noble masters, nervously waiting and welcoming a group of foreign adventurers.
And according to the internal gossip, the racial composition of these adventurers from a foreign land... seemed a bit too "diverse."
The list even included such magical combinations as Vampires and Slimes.
Good grief, if it weren't for the Guild Leader personally confirming it, and that official notice stamped with the joint seals of the three major merchant associations posted on the most prominent bulletin board in the guild hall, Henry would have absolutely believed that the big shots sitting on the Council had collectively inhaled hallucinogenic seaweed powder or been bewitched by a siren's song.
Letting Magical Creatures enter Misty Bay Harbor as "adventurers"? That was even more outrageous than an old sailor bragging in a tavern about single-handedly fighting a giant deep-sea squid.
The Adventurer's Guild headquarters of Misty Bay Harbor was located near the bustling saltwater dock district. Before landing this "respectable" receptionist job, Henry had worked as a clerk and accountant on a medium-sized merchant ship, the "Seagull," traveling between Misty Bay Harbor and the Southern Islands.
That job meant meager pay, perpetually damp and moldy cabins, nauseating turbulence, and dealing with endless salty sea winds, greasy ledgers, and a hot-tempered captain.
Therefore, this job, which allowed him to stand firmly on solid land, wear a clean uniform, work in a bright and spacious hall, and occasionally receive small tips from adventurers, was more than good enough for Henry.
This was his "lifeline" to escape his past life, his guarantee to maintain his current, barely "respectable" lifestyle.
If he were to lose face, or even his job, in front of that notoriously strict and demanding Guild Leader due to neglecting these special guests... Henry shivered, not daring to think further.
"Welcome, adventurers from a distant land... No, that's too ordinary. Better add 'honorable' or 'respected'..." Henry rehearsed the welcome speech he would give later in his mind, his lips moving silently.
"Addressing them generally as 'adventurers,' might they feel the guild isn't taking them seriously? But calling them 'Slime Master' or 'Vampire Lord'... sounds too bizarre..."
To welcome these special guests, the Adventurer's Guild, located in the busiest area of Misty Bay Harbor and usually bustling with noise from dawn till dusk, had posted notices days ago declaring that it would not receive any ordinary adventurers from Misty Bay Harbor or other regions for the entire day. This was enough to show the importance the upper echelons of the guild placed on this matter.
As a mere receptionist, Henry didn't dare show the slightest neglect.
He and several other equally nervous colleagues paced on the few steps of polished granite in front of the guild, worn smooth by countless boots, their minds filled with anxious thoughts.
But soon, he saw over a dozen large carriages of uniform style and enclosed compartments slowly driving up the main paved road below the guild steps.
These carriages weren't lavishly decorated like the noble carriages common in Misty Bay Harbor. Instead, they appeared plain, even sturdy, but clearly well-made, with wheels clad in thick iron, moving almost silently.
On the side of each carriage's compartment hung a flag of the same design—a vibrant emerald green background with a simple yet unique oval outline embroidered in silver thread at the center, looking... just like a round, plump Slime.
The emerald flags fluttered in the slightly salty sea breeze blowing from the direction of the saltwater docks, heralding the arrival of adventurers from a foreign land.
"Henry! Don't just stand there!" An older, more experienced receptionist beside him gave him a hard nudge with his elbow, loudly reminded him, then quickly put on a professional smile, hurried down the steps, and walked towards the lead carriage, ready to help open the door.
Henry also snapped out of it and quickly followed, standing on the other side of the carriage door to welcome them.
However, when he actually stood before the carriage, the moment the door was about to open, nervousness instantly overwhelmed him. The welcome speech he had rehearsed for half the day vanished completely from his mind. He could only squeeze out a stiff sentence: "Welcome... adventurers from afar..."
Then he lowered his head, not daring to look directly inside the carriage, waiting for the adventurers inside to disembark.
In his nervousness, Henry's ears seemed to catch some strange sounds—a faint *squelch*, *squelch* noise, like the sound a jellyfish makes when caught in a fishing net and dropped onto a ship's deck.
He was all too familiar with that sound. After all, while working on the Seagull, those limp jellyfish were caught along with other sea fish every so often. Sea fish made a crisp *plop* on the deck, only jellyfish made that sticky *squelch* sound...
This made Henry think for a moment that he had returned to his days as a clerk on the Seagull, recalling the chaotic noises of the sailors.
Just as he thought he was losing his mind and hallucinating, a corner of his eye seemed to see a... silver jellyfish? No! It was a Slime, hopping and jumping out of the carriage.
Because it was short enough, it could even meet Henry's lowered gaze directly when it looked up.
What kind of gaze was that?
The eyes showed none of the ferocity or dullness of a beast. Instead, they held a clear intelligence and curiosity, as if... as if the Slime looking back at him wasn't a savage Magical Creature emerging from a Dungeon, but more like... a living person?
After this silver Slime emerged, following behind were a human warrior with a shield and longsword on his back, a lean human assassin, and an Elf Mage in simple robes holding a wooden staff.
It was exactly a complete adventurer party, though the party composition wasn't entirely standard.
But what surprised Henry was the respectful attitude these human adventurers showed towards that silver Slime. Even before disembarking, that human warrior had slightly bowed and respectfully addressed it as Captain.
Good grief, the smallest, most unassuming-looking Slime was actually the captain of this adventurer party? That was as bizarre a hallucination as one could only get from ingesting hallucinogenic seaweed.
And it wasn't just this party. From the other carriages also emerged Slime adventurers of various colors and shapes.
They hopped up the granite steps in front of the guild. Their movements might have looked somewhat clumsy, but their speed was not slow at all. The sound of their gel bodies making light *squelch* sounds on the stone steps rose and fell one after another.
Henry quickly followed, but his gaze couldn't help but sneak peeks at these unprecedented Slime adventurers. After brief observation, his knack for reading people, honed at the fishing port and the guild, began to work:
Those with bodies showing a silvery-gray luster, holding short swords, maces, or two-handed hammers, were mostly warrior-class. When they moved, the sound of their gel contacting the ground was heavier, and sometimes they preferred rolling over walking.
Those with bodies in various bright colors, holding short staffs or crystal balls, were undoubtedly mage-class. Weak elemental fluctuations often surrounded them.
Of course, there were also some Slimes that instinctively made Henry's hair stand on end. Their colors were deeper, their size perhaps not large, but the aura they exuded was like a lurking beast. This was a Slime variety he had never seen before.
Only now, having seen it with his own eyes and felt it personally, did Henry dare to truly confirm—Slime adventurers really existed; they weren't rumors or hallucinations.
And he would bet a year's salary that any one of these cute or weird-looking little guys could easily take on ten ordinary people like him.
Having received adventurers of all shapes and sizes at the reception desk for so long, he hadn't learned a single warrior's swordsmanship, mage's fireball, or assassin's Stealth, but he had honed an intuition for reading people.
Whether an... adventurer... was formidable or not, his intuition could give a fairly accurate judgment just based on their aura, gaze, equipment maintenance, and walking posture.
And these Slimes gave him a feeling of being quite extraordinary.
"Please, welcome, adventurers from afar."
Their Guild Leader, a portly middle-aged man, personally came out from the main hall to greet them.
Although his expression clearly showed some strangeness and discomfort upon first seeing these Slime adventurers, he quickly suppressed it, put on an enthusiastic smile, and ushered them up to the VIP reception area and important meeting rooms on the guild's second floor.
In the following days, these adventurers from the Slime Kingdom temporarily stayed at the Adventurer's Guild.
During the day, they either visited local adventurers who had accepted the investigation mission regarding the vampire clan's merchant convoy to exchange information, or searched around, lingering in Misty Bay Harbor's streets, alleys, taverns, and markets, seemingly filled with interest in everything about this trade capital.
Henry also heard that their notoriously stingy Guild Leader had even offered to book out the entire Elven Forest Inn—the best and most expensive inn in the dock district—for these adventurers to stay in, but they had refused.
These Slime adventurers insisted on staying in the simple rooms provided by the guild, saying it was more convenient for communication and work.
However, Henry not only held no hostility towards these foreign adventurers, he even welcomed them with open arms.
Simply because these adventurers were incredibly generous!
Even he, a mere receptionist, had earned a full ten silver coins in tips over these past few days, just for answering some questions about the situation of Misty Bay Harbor's fishing port—details like the types of trade Goods, main trade route directions, and tariff rates.
Although these questions seemed odd to Henry—in his view, adventurers should care more about monster lairs and treasures—but who would argue with shiny silver coins?
None of this was his concern. In Henry's simple worldview, only the silver coins in his pocket were real. He wished these generous adventurers would stay in Misty Bay Harbor for a year or half a year.
......
On Jenny Road at night, a lively but not-too-safe street connecting the dock district and the commoners' residential area, Henry, after work, hunched his shoulders, shivering as he walked, clearly feeling the night's cold.
But feeling the cool silver coins in his pocket, and thinking about being able to go to the Whale Hunter Tavern tonight, warm himself by the cozy fireplace, exchange boasts with the mercenaries there, and finally have a big drink, the fatigue from the day's work vanished completely, and his steps unconsciously quickened.
However, while he was still fantasizing about what drink to order—should he try the newly arrived Southern sugarcane wine, or stick to the usual Rye beer—he was completely unaware of a shadowy figure following behind him.
That person slowly Stealthed closer, arriving silently behind him, then suddenly struck, covering his mouth with a hand and dragging him directly into a dark, foul-smelling alley next to the road, reeking of rotting garbage.
The last moment Henry disappeared into the darkness, he left behind only a terrified face and futile struggling.
Not far from Jenny Road, in the shadows on the roof of an abandoned warehouse.
"Huh? Your Majesty, you guessed right. Someone really did target these receptionists." Elara, who had been hiding in the dark and witnessed everything, let out a sound of surprise.
Soon, a distortion appeared around her, shadows projected over, and the figures of the gel clone, Nilly, Leon, and Max appeared.
Now it seemed someone really couldn't hold back.
"Hmm? Chaos worshippers?" The gel clone's divine sense swept over that assassin.
"Why are chaos worshippers involved in this matter now?" Leon, long accustomed to His Majesty's miraculous perception, was just puzzled about why chaos worshippers would appear here.
These guys usually preferred creating chaos in ruins or lawless lands, rarely setting foot in commercial cities like Misty Bay Harbor with relatively strict order.
"Let's follow and see." Nilly rubbed her hands, her eyes lighting up, saying eagerly, "What if we can track these guys back to their lair and dig up some good stuff?"
"Maybe they're even connected to those Cult Followers."
The next moment, the four figures, along with the gel clone, merged into the shadows again, silently following that chaos worshipper who had abducted Henry.