9: Chapter 9 Joining the New Team

Richard turned the pendant over twice in his palm, pretending to examine every detail thoroughly. He didn't speak immediately, instead feigning an appearance of careful scrutiny.

He held the pendant up to his eyes for several minutes, then said confidently: "This is a piece of magical jewelry. The material is obsidian with a copper base and a silver chain hook."

"This item originally had two functions: one is to soothe the mind and calm the spirit, which can alleviate anxiety and insomnia when worn; the other is likely some kind of spell."

He didn't mention the information about the raven-summoning spell; that would have been a bit too exaggerated.

Val and the priest apprentice opened their mouths wide in unison.

"However... the enchantment on it is already broken." Richard flipped the pendant over and feigned a careful inspection.

"The spell's function doesn't work, and I don't know how to fix it."

The surroundings were silent for a full few seconds.

Val's mouth opened and closed twice before snapping shut. She then snatched the pendant back from Richard's hand and turned to look at Cecilia, her eyes full of excitement:

"It's exactly the same! What he said is exactly the same as what the old appraiser said!"

Cecilia's expression changed, and the suspicion in her gaze toward Richard had diminished by more than half.

Such a young and accurate appraiser was indeed rare. Coming from a fallen noble background, she knew that some families would train their descendants in appraisal techniques from a young age; perhaps this boy had truly learned it from family inheritance.

"If we form a team, would you charge your own people for appraisal fees?" she asked curiously.

"I don't charge my own people; appraisals for equipment and items are all free." Richard hoisted his halberd back onto his shoulder and grinned.

"You've seen my skills. Can you let me tag along and try it out? If we get along, we continue; if not, I'll leave the team. How about that?"

Cecilia glanced at Val, who was nodding frantically, her red ponytail swinging with her movements.

She then glanced at Liam. This timid priest apprentice actually nodded slightly this time, though the movement was so small it was almost invisible.

"My name is Cecilia." She formally extended her hand toward Richard.

"I am a sword and shield warrior and currently the temporary leader of the team. We will take on a simple task next to test things out and see if you are a good fit for us. If it doesn't work out..."

"I'll leave, no questions asked." Richard shook her hand and nodded.

Cecilia's palms were calloused, her grip was not light, and the palm area of her gloves was worn thinner than other parts—this was a person who frequently wielded a sword.

After she let go, Richard made another mental note: this leader was more composed than she appeared on the surface, and her strength was likely not bad either.

Val had already crowded in, slapping Richard on the back with such force that he stumbled half a step forward.

"My name is Val! Did you see that damn magic swordsman from just now? He was truly excessively arrogant!"

"Let me tell you, that bunch of people are all disgusting. Hehe, from now on, we're in the same boat! If anyone bullies you, tell me, and I'll help you beat them up!"

Richard rubbed his sore back, thinking that this girl had quite a lot of strength.

"Richard Baimon, Warrior. You can call me Richard."

The priest apprentice, who had been standing in the corner without speaking, finally opened his mouth. His voice was as small as a mosquito's buzz:

"Liam... Apprentice Priest. I study the divine arts of Jua, the Goddess of Healing... I, I only know Basic Healing and Detoxification Spell, as well as Light Spell. My abilities are limited, sorry..."

The more he spoke, the quieter his voice became. The last few words were almost inaudible, and his ears turned bright red.

"As long as it's useful, that's fine." Richard nodded at him without saying much more.

Support classes like priests were scarce resources regardless of the situation. Although the young priest in front of him looked a bit timid, as long as he could provide support in the future, it would be enough.

Cecilia turned around, pushed open the guild's doors, and led everyone to the bulletin board.

Richard noticed that when she was looking for a task, she deliberately avoided those high-bounty commissions with unknown difficulty and specifically chose a low-risk one.

The content of the commission was: Beginner Task. In a small village near Blackwater City, the water well had dried up. When villagers went down to investigate, they were attacked by a giant spider. Total reward: 10 gold coins.

"Richard, we are very short on money right now." Val lowered her voice in Richard's ear.

"Last time, one of our Rogue teammates was crippled by a giant rat. Poisoning plus blood loss—the wound festered over a large area."

"The temple's healing fees are even more unscrupulous than the blacksmiths in the docklands. The money we pooled together wasn't enough, and in the end, Cecilia had to pawn the sword her grandfather left her just to make up the difference."

Richard turned his head to look at the longsword currently hanging at Cecilia's waist.

It was an ordinary iron broadsword; the non-slip wrapping on the hilt was new, and there was a slight repair mark on the guard.

Richard withdrew his gaze, thinking to himself: Although these few adventurers were also newcomers, possessing such character made them quite worthy of respect.

Teaming up with people like this, at least one didn't have to fear being stabbed in the back.

"Let's go, what are you looking at?" Val shouted from the front.

Richard hoisted his halberd and followed with long strides. Afterward, the group followed a passing caravan to the mission location.

A day later, they reached their destination. The village was named Grey Elm Village.

The name sounded quite nice, but in reality, it was just a few dozen stone houses squeezed crookedly at the foot of a low hill. In the center of the village, the old elm tree, said to have lived for three hundred years, was already half-withered, and the leaves on the other half were also yellow and wilted.

When the carriage stopped at the village entrance, an old village chief with a wrinkled face led a few sun-tanned villagers to greet them. The anticipation and anxiety in his eyes were mixed together, murky like well water stirred with mud.

The well was right next to the old elm tree. The stones on the well's edge were worn smooth and shiny, but the ground around the wellhead had split into several cracks, as if something had pushed up from underground.

The well rope had been bitten through by something; the broken end was jagged and uneven, with sticky, translucent liquid remaining on it.

The old village chief's voice trembled as he spoke, saying that the well had been dry for several days. They sent three young men down to check, but they disappeared, and only a few screams were heard from the bottom of the well at night.

Cecilia squatted by the well and carefully looked at the cracks and the scratch marks remaining on the well's edge.

After standing up, her voice was very calm:

"Secure the rope well. After going down, find a foothold first; don't rush into the depths. Liam, prepare your divine arts first."

Richard stood by the well and looked down.

The well shaft was very deep. The well walls were coated with layer upon layer of greyish-white cobwebs, which trembled gently in the wind blowing down from the wellhead, as if some living creature were breathing.

There was a faint, strange odor in the air, which was very pungent.

"Spider silk is afraid of fire; we need to prepare two extra torches." Richard reminded them, and then moved his battle axe to a position that was easier to draw.