The two of them tidied up their recent improvements, which also served as a summary of their recent shortcomings.
At the same time, they made a simple plan for the goals to be accomplished next.
At this point, Mark was about to take out the quest he had accepted at the Adventurer's Guild today and explain it to Monica first.
However, Monica spoke up first, "There's one more important thing I must tell you, and that is that we might be welcoming a new companion."
"Hmm? Did you really summon a familiar?" Mark asked, not understanding.
As soon as Mark spoke, Xiao Mu, as if understanding, suddenly shot out from Monica's pocket and landed in Mark's arms. Pink tentacles tightly gripped Mark's sleeve, as if afraid Mark would discard it.
Just as Mark reached out to pull away the clingy Xiao Mu, the suite's door was suddenly knocked on from the outside.
"Apologies for the intrusion." Anna's clear, cool voice, mixed with the rustling sound of leather from her quiver, came from outside the door. "Miss Monica, I've already spoken with Leader Beta and, as agreed, I've come directly."
As Mark turned back in confusion, Monica had already risen from the terrace and, at the suite entrance, gracefully opened the door.
Then Monica pulled Anna inside, and after closing the door, she led Anna directly to the terrace under Mark's bewildered gaze.
At this moment, the slightly warm river breeze blew across the terrace.
This archer from the Beta Adventurer Group was wearing tight leather armor, carrying a silver-inlaid longbow, with a neatly folded gray-green cloak at her feet, pressed down by a rattan chest.
Her long, pointed ears beneath her light green long hair twitched slightly to avoid the tentacles of Xiao Mu pouncing at her. Her serious, pretty face couldn't help but blush slightly under Mark's gaze.
"So, the new companion you told me about is Miss Anna?" Mark asked Monica in confusion. "Isn't she an archer from the Beta Adventurer Group?"
"Huh?" Monica looked at Mark in surprise and blinked, asking, "Shouldn't you be surprised first that little sister Anna is an elf?"
Mark, unmoved by Monica's playful words, looked at Anna with a serious expression and asked, "Anna, if Miss Monica is forcing you to do this, you don't have to pay attention. I can go with you to explain to Beta now."
Mark knew that Monica sometimes had the temper of a noble lady. Before, when they were in the caravan, she would occasionally show a domineering side to the six youngsters like Oak.
He thought that Anna, perhaps not being good at refusing, had been tricked by Monica into joining their incomplete small team.
Moreover, the people and beasts in their small team were shady, and they couldn't afford to take in any other adventurers!
"Mr. Mark, Miss Monica did not force me; I voluntarily joined your team. And you don't need to worry about Leader Beta; I was never officially part of the Beta Adventurer Group, and Leader Beta has agreed to my joining your team."
Although Anna's pretty face was slightly flushed, she calmly stated her position.
"No... but Monica and I are solo adventurers, not an adventurer group..."
"Alright, alright!" Monica interrupted Mark, reaching out and holding Anna's slender hand. "I know what you're worried about. At times like this, it's best for everyone to be honest!"
!!?
Do you even listen to what you're saying!
Anna clearly looks like a young girl of fifteen or sixteen!
Seeing Mark's eyes, Monica seemed to have guessed what he was thinking.
She gave Mark a mock glare and said, "I told you two to show your personal information panels, what were you thinking!"
"Cough!" Mark choked, unable to catch his breath, his face turning bright red.
He felt that his strange thought just now must have been influenced by the internet culture of his past life, where seeing a peculiar word could lead to misinterpretations.
Anna, on the other hand, was like a simple young girl. She didn't understand why Monica was angry or why Mark was blushing.
She simply and honestly displayed her profession and level panel.
【 Name: Anna Eldrinval 】
【 Profession: Elf Archer （Ⅱ）, Shadow Elf （Ⅱ）】
【 Level: Lv.18, Lv.18】
"Anna Eldrinval?" The amount of information provided by Anna's panel alone was enough to make Mark daze.
Since he had come into contact with the Beta Adventurer Group, this young archer had always felt like an invisible presence to Mark.
In the Beta Adventurer Group, she rarely spoke, and her expressions were generally calm and serene.
Even the sense of existence of the two Shield Warriors, Jack and Jerry, was stronger than hers as an archer.
But unexpectedly, this young girl was an elf, a race rarely seen in the Lily Kingdom.
And her surname was Eldrinval!
While ordinary people might not know much about the racial surnames of elves, Mark was, after all, from a family with some background.
Eldrinval, that was the surname of the Elven Royal Family!
Translated directly from the common language of the Holy Dragon Continent, it meant "Ancient Guardian," representing that their race had guarded the World Tree since ancient times.
Setting aside Anna's surname for a moment, let's look at her profession.
It must be said that geniuses are indeed attracted to each other.
Look at Monica; she herself is a dual-profession genius, and yet she casually recruits two adventuring companions who are both geniuses.
One is a fake Holy Order, and the other is also a dual-professioner.
It's just that "Shadow Elf" sounds somewhat familiar. It seems to have a slight connection with Monica's "Shadow Assassin," doesn't it?
"Anna's second profession is not affiliated with the God of Nature; it is a 'cursed' profession of the elves," Monica explained softly at the right time.
"Does it also belong to that God of Shadows?" Mark asked.
Monica nodded in agreement, "Perhaps. That's why Anna can neither stay in the Elven Forest nor freely display her second profession in other adventurer groups."
Hearing Monica say this, Mark understood why Anna chose to join him and Monica's team.
Since Anna had honestly displayed her real personal panel, Mark naturally had to reciprocate and truthfully inform this future companion about his own situation.
They were all heretics; no one should look down on another's fallen state.
Mutual understanding was also a reassurance for everyone. Without true life-or-death camaraderie, friendship was actually not necessarily more reassuring than understanding each other's secrets.
Moreover, Mark was extremely satisfied with this archer whom Monica had newly recruited. This way, their small group would be more complete.
Their actions in the Monster Beast Mountain Range would also be safer.
After Anna saw that Mark accepted her joining the team, a visible hint of relief showed on her serious expression.
As she was moving her personal belongings into Monica's room, Monica then talked in detail with Mark about how she had recruited Anna into the team.
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