Synthesis-type adventurers

Chapter 68 With meat, even a dragon can grind grain.

"Get out of the way, half-dragon. We have business to do."

Chiba huddled behind Avira's scratched tower shield, only her trembling fox ears peeking out.

Her prized large tail was tucked tightly between her legs as she forced a fierce tone, but this only betrayed her insecurity: "If we miss out on making money, what will you use to compensate? Peel off all those scales?"

Olivia did not make way.

She tilted her head, her vertical pupils slightly contracted, and scrutinized her prey with a critical gaze.

"I don't believe you." Her words were blunt, completely devoid of any euphemism. "That old beast is indeed dead, but the smell on you is too strong. The scent of sulfur and ash clings to your very bones, far stronger than any ordinary curse."

Olivia took a step forward, and Avira immediately raised her tower shield, the metallic clang of metal scraping against metal was deafening.

Ignoring the knight's hostility, the half-dragon extended his finger and tapped Rhodes' heart from a distance.

"I have reason to suspect that you are not actually cursed, but that you have stolen the power of that red dragon. My mother once said that humans are best at taking things from other people's pockets."

Avira's brows furrowed. If Rhodes hadn't placed his hand on the back of hers, this stubborn knight would have already charged forward to defend her lord's honor in battle.

Rhodes peered through his black crystal goggles at the dangerous red-haired woman before him.

In the [Analysis View], the orange and purple combat power stats on the opponent's body shimmered with a chilling light.

"So what?" Rhodes raised an eyebrow. "You're going to kill me here, for a baseless 'suspicion'?"

"No."

Olivia withdrew her hand, and the muscles on her wild face twitched stiffly, revealing an extremely unnatural smile, as if a wild beast of the wilderness were clumsily imitating human social etiquette.

"Killing you will kill the trail. What if that dragon has some other legacy hidden elsewhere? I won't be able to find it."

She crossed her arms over her chest, her high breastplate forming a striking curve as she declared defiantly, "I'm going to keep an eye on you. Eating, sleeping, excreting... whatever you do, I'll be there. Until I'm sure you have nothing to do with that old beast, or... until I find evidence and tear you apart with my own hands."

Rhodes found it somewhat absurd: "You're going to spy on me?"

"Yes, surveillance."

No sooner had the words left his mouth than an untimely gurgling sound broke the tense standoff.

Olivia's previously aggressive expression instantly crumbled. She rubbed her empty stomach in annoyance, a fierce glint of hunger flashing in her vertical pupils.

"Tsk... this leftover wild boar leg is definitely not enough to fill my stomach." She muttered, staring intently at Rhodes. "By the way, you have to pay for my meals. This is my... well, in your human terms—surveillance fee?"

Rhodes was slightly taken aback, and a glint of light flashed in his eyes.

A top-tier combatant with epic attributes like [Primordial Red Dragon Power] and [Heart of the Furnace], yet his thought process is as simple as a straight line.

This extremely dangerous yet easily manipulated creature has come to us asking for "close surveillance."

Even if she is a lycanonical bomb that could explode at any moment, as long as the fuse is in hand, she is an absolute force that can deter all sides.

"Food included?" Rod's smile widened. "Do you know how expensive meat is these days? Prices in Rust Harbor are rising every day. Even leftover minced meat costs two copper coins a pound."

"I'm strong." Olivia stomped her foot, and a brick shattered into dust beneath her. "If someone's causing trouble, I can kill them for you. As long as they give me meat, the kind with bones."

"make a deal."

Rhodes agreed readily, stepping aside to make way for the back door of the blacksmith's shop, as if he were inviting a friendly friend rather than a humanoid Tyrannosaurus Rex.

"Welcome to our adventure team, intern. But let me make this clear: if you want the rewards, you have to work. Also, keep your murderous aura to yourself and don't scare your teammates. Building good relationships with your teammates is our top priority."

Olivia snorted and strode toward the back door that was billowing black smoke, muttering, "This place reeks of rust and cinders. I don't like it."

Watching that wild and powerful figure disappear behind the door, Chiba finally peeked out from behind Rod.

"Boss... are you crazy? You really want to keep this insane woman?" Her fox ears drooped, her face contorted with despair. "Didn't you say she almost beat Avira to death last time? Now you want me to be torn to pieces and devoured alive, skin and all?!"

"Chiba, broaden your perspective."

Rhodes reached out and patted the fox-girl's thin shoulder, feeling her muscles tense with fear, yet he felt unusually pleased.

"There are only resources in the wrong place in this world. There's an old saying in my hometown—'Money makes the world go round.' Do you understand this principle?"

"I understand the logic," Chiba blinked his amber eyes, looking puzzled. "But judging from your accent, aren't you a local from Rusty Harbor? When has this kind of old saying ever existed in our shabby place?"

"That's not important." Rhodes chuckled and strode forward. "As long as we give them enough meat, even a dragon would have to obediently pull the millstone for us."

"boom--"

Just then, a dull thud, like a heavy object falling to the ground, came from inside the blacksmith's shop.

Then came the dwarf Tolin's signature gruff voice, trembling with fear: "By the God of Forging! You madwoman, how dare you come here... Don't you dare touch my furnace! That's not a barbecue grill!"

To avoid Torin and Olivia, both hot-tempered, from starting a fight at the slightest disagreement, Rhodes quickened his pace and pushed open the half-closed iron door.

A wave of heat hit them, and in the dimly lit workshop, the firelight illuminated Olivia's tall figure.

She squatted beside the huge forge, staring at the red-hot coals inside, as if examining some rare treasure.

Meanwhile, the dwarf Torin, holding a pair of red-hot tongs, retreated to the corner, his large beard trembling. He harbored a deep psychological trauma from the half-dragon who had once knocked him unconscious with a single blow.

"Calm down, everyone."

Rhodes entered the workshop, his gaze sweeping over the tense dwarves and the eager half-dragons.

"Torin, put down your pliers. She's new... uh, my adventurer's new security guard." He pointed at Olivia. "As for you, intern, stay away from the furnace. If you dare to spit into the molten steel and cause defects in the finished product, your dinner tonight will be nothing but boiled vegetables."

Upon hearing this, Olivia withdrew her hand from the furnace as if she had been electrocuted, letting out a low growl of resentment, but she still obediently moved to a corner of the workshop and sat down in a wooden box full of scrap iron.

Chiba cautiously slipped in, stood close to the wall, and her eyes darted between Olivia and Rhodes, as if assessing whether the team that had just given her hope still had a future.

"Alright, now that everyone's here..."

Rhodes walked to the workbench and slammed the Titan Core and the living metal core from his backpack onto the table.

The dull thud drew everyone's attention.

"Torin, light the fire. We need to upgrade the team's equipment." Rhodes's tone now revealed no concealment of his ambition. "In this damn world, only by being armed to the teeth can we survive longer and earn more."