My job list is full of alien girls.

Chapter 24 This is the spirit of our like-minded partners! #TacticalLeanBack

"I'm not considering joining an adventurer's group for now; we can cooperate another time if the opportunity arises."

Faced with the invitation from a group of people, Rhode took his reward, waved his hand, and stepped out of the Adventurers' Guild.

Even after he had walked quite a distance, those burning gazes behind him remained fixed on him.

Rhodes frowned, pushed off with his feet, and used the speed of the Swift Ranger to turn into a secluded alley.

A fleeting glimmer of bluish-gold light flashed by.

The next second, Rhodes, dressed in patched linen clothes, stood still, with a blonde girl wrapped in a large black robe standing next to him.

"Phew..." Alina pulled down her hood, hiding her delicate face in the shadows. "Finally, I've shaken off those people."

The two walked side by side toward home, the cobblestone path beneath their feet making a soft, crunching sound.

"You're really popular..." Alina said quietly, kicking a pebble by the roadside.

"right."

Hearing him admit it so readily, Alina fell silent instantly.

She regretted it so much she wanted to bite her tongue.

Why bring this up? It's just asking for trouble.

Is it because of anxiety...?

The wind whipped up the fallen leaves, swirling them past her feet. Alina watched the hurried passersby on the street heading home, feeling a void in her heart.

Looking at this completely unfamiliar city, she realized that the only person she could be considered familiar with was Rod beside her.

But... how long can they take me in?

Thinking of Milan's explosive fire spell that could blast away a horde of goblins with a mere wave of her hand, Don Quixote's valiant charge into battle with his greatsword, and the gentle yet reliable healing light of the priestess Susanna, Alina couldn't help but feel anxious.

Each of them plays an irreplaceable role.

And what about her?

Aside from being able to merge with Rhodes to become the Gale Ranger and serve as an accessory, she seems to have no other use.

Last time in the forest, she was so exhausted and dizzy after shooting just one arrow that Rod had to carry her and run for their lives. In the end, they only managed to escape because of that special circumstance...

This time was no different; she stayed hidden in her consciousness space the whole time, seemingly unable to help at all except for being anxious.

Remembering what Rhodes had said before, that he would try to find other materials to combine...

When he finds a new person with whom he can merge, someone who can transform into an even more powerful mage, priest, or warrior...

Would he still need himself, or a useless and potentially troublesome half-elf?

"If that's the case, why didn't you accept their invitation..." Alina paused, then asked in a muffled voice:

"Some of them look really good. If I team up with them..." They all seem better than me, right?

She didn't dare say the second half of her sentence.

"Because you'll be unhappy."

"Uh-huh!"

Upon hearing his blunt answer, Alina's voice instantly rose several octaves, and she abruptly stopped and looked up at him.

A few strands of blonde hair slipped down to her shoulders as she paused, and beneath the hood, Alina's emerald eyes widened in disbelief at the answer she had heard.

I thought Rhodes would give some bizarre reason, such as "they are too weak," "they have ill intentions," or even "it would ruin the character of the Wind Ranger," but I never expected him to give this answer.

"Hmm?" Rhodes stopped and tilted his head in confusion. "What's wrong? Is there a problem?"

"I, you... no, uh..." Alina stammered for a while before finally gathering her thoughts and explaining, "I'm not unhappy, why would you think that?"

"Since you started working with Milan and the others, you've been complaining much less," Rod recalled, stroking his chin. "Especially today, you haven't said a word all day."

"Well, that's because..." Alina stammered, "the tense atmosphere during battle was so bad that I was afraid it would distract you."

"Really?" Rhodes glanced at her questioningly. "You weren't like this the first time we met."

"Don't keep saying those weird things that can be misunderstood!" Alina couldn't help but complain.

"Look." Rod shrugged and took out his keys to open the door.

"I just can't do anything with you..." Alina sighed, only then realizing that the two of them had returned to the cemetery.

"So, why do you think I'd be unhappy teaming up with other people?"

Alina followed behind Rhodes, closed and locked the door before asking.

"If we join another adventurer's group and team up with others for a long time, our secret of fusion might be discovered, right?"

As Rod started cooking, he casually explained.

"I sensed you were worried about this the whole time, so you didn't dare say a word," he paused in his potato-peeling, then nodded seriously, "You must be afraid of affecting the image of the Swift Ranger."

"..." Alina opened her mouth, not knowing how to refute his words for a moment.

"I feel your concerns are valid. Short-term team formation is fine, but if it continues for a long time, it's easy for someone to discover something, which seems like it could cause a lot of trouble..." Rhodes analyzed seriously.

He can't exactly tell others, "I need to de-transform and let the half-elf out for some fresh air," nor can he tell people, when he's not in fusion mode, "I need to fuse with my materials to have any fighting power."

I feel like someone might find a loophole, which is not a good idea.

"So you knew too..." Alina thought to herself, but a touch of emotion welled up inside her.

This guy actually listened to what I said; he even has a shred of normal human thinking!

This time in the village was fine, as there was a private room where they could hide from people and break the fusion. But if they were camping in the wild, Alina was worried that Rhodes wouldn't be able to conjure himself up out of thin air in front of strangers.

That scene was terrifying!

"If the true identity of the Wind Ranger is exposed, our peaceful life will be disrupted, won't it?" Rhode murmured, staring at the ceiling.

What kind of peace is this?!

"While that would be a lot of fun, I feel like it would ruin the character of the Swift Ranger..."

Snapped--

Alina wiped the smear on her face, speechless for a moment, her heart filled with remorse.

Why would she think this guy is a normal person?

It turns out all those worries were unnecessary...

While inwardly complaining, Alina didn't forget to steer the conversation back on track:

"I thought you'd like a strong team like Milan..."

"Ah, them..."

Rhodes said thoughtfully, "I originally thought their warrior-mage-priest setup would be a textbook example of a strong team, but in actual combat... it felt quite average."

Alina: "?"

What on earth is this guy talking about?

"The mage's casting speed is too slow. Every time he casts Explosive Fire, it takes him a long time to prepare. If he is disturbed even slightly, the spell will be interrupted and he will miss the target." Rhodes commented at length.

"The soldiers have no team spirit at all. They rush ahead faster than anyone else, without caring whether their teammates can keep up. This is unacceptable."

"Pastor..." Rhodes asked after thinking seriously for a while, "What did she do again?"

"If I were them, I definitely wouldn't have made such terrible plays," Rhodes said confidently, arms crossed.

"Huh?" Alina squinted at Rhodes, unable to resist trying to deflate his arrogance, "But we only have this strength because we've merged..."

"That means our teamwork is even better," Rod replied decisively.

Upon hearing this, Alina shuddered and immediately looked away from him.

"...Don't say such weird things," she muttered softly, turning her head away, "We haven't known each other for very long..."

[Basic resonance has increased!]

[Current basic resonance level: 20% → 25%]

Rod was stunned for a moment when he saw this, then suddenly realized what was going on.

Sure enough, she, like me, was also pursuing greater power.

This is the spirit of our like-minded partnership!

……

……

Mist City, Fire and Steel Craftsman

A middle-aged man with extremely thick elbows held a piece of fine deerskin and was wiping his oddly shaped oak wand with great fascination.

The staff twisted and coiled like an old tree root, with a piece of blue-purple crystal the size of a pigeon egg embedded at its top, which shimmered with a faint, cold light under the glow of the fire.

"What a fine staff, what a fine staff..."

As he maintained it, he kept praising it, muttering words about the art of forging and enchanting.

The owner of the magic wand stood in the shadows at the far corner of the shop, so short that he only reached the height of the counter. He was completely covered by a dark gray hooded robe, with even his fingertips hidden in the wide sleeves, revealing only a pale, almost transparent chin.

Faced with the weapon shop owner's praise, she didn't react much. She just stood quietly with her arms crossed, her eyes scanning every corner of the shop from under her hood, watching her surroundings warily.

crunch--

The heavy wooden door was pushed open, and the smell of burning iron filings and charcoal filled the air.

As soon as Rod entered the room, he felt a cold gaze fall on him, which vanished in an instant.

He followed his instincts and looked in the corner, where he saw a short figure wrapped up tightly. The person had already lowered their head again, as if they had no interest in him at all.

"Boss, I..."

"Look for yourself, don't bother me," the boss said coldly without looking up, his tone full of impatience, judging from the young voice. "Can't you see I'm working?"

He felt he had the blood of a dwarf craftsman, and although his beard wasn't trimmed as long as stereotypically believed, his height and arrogant disdain for others were no less impressive.

In his view, none of the poor and incompetent fellows he usually encountered were worthy of the weapons he forged, so how could he possibly take his eyes off this perfectly crafted magic wand now?

Rhodes glanced at him and the wand owner in the corner, and realizing that the other person had indeed arrived first, he decided not to bother him any further.

I picked up a wooden bow hanging nearby. The wood grain was crooked and there were several obvious knots on it. The bowstring was a bit loose and it was a little awkward to draw.

He weighed it in his hand, shook his head, and put it back.

The others were similar; either the wood was too weak or the bowstring was of poor quality. They were most likely made by apprentices and were probably worth only a few dozen copper coins.

"His skills aren't that great..." Alina couldn't help but ask, "Does he really have dwarven blood?"

"I've heard of it," Rod said.

"They're only similar in height and temperament," Alina couldn't help but complain.

If it weren't for the fact that the ash wood longbow and ordinary arrows they had bought earlier couldn't withstand much magic power, they wouldn't have considered changing their weapons so soon.

The hooded figure in the corner moved slightly, and something seemed to glitter in the shadow of the hood.

Rhodes wandered around again, but couldn't find a bow and arrow that felt right to him. He walked up to the shopkeeper, who was engrossed in maintaining his wands, and asked:

"Boss, do you have a better bow? These aren't quite right."

"It's already good enough that they can even manage this much. Being so picky, these young people nowadays are really all talk and no action. They don't have much money in their pockets, but they have big appetites..."

The boss turned his head with extreme impatience, just about to unleash a torrent of curses, but his gaze stopped when it swept over Rhodes's cyan-gold leather armor.

Although he was arrogant, he had a good eye for talent.

The armor's patterns are smooth and natural, and the dark gold lines on the edges gleam slightly under the fire. Its texture is clearly not ordinary. Whether it's the cut or the material, it's definitely not the cheap, mass-produced items on the market. It even faintly exudes a magical aura.

His originally cold expression softened slightly, but he still had a grumpy face.

"Wait."

He reluctantly put down his wand and turned to walk into the warehouse at the back.

The hooded figure in the corner raised his head, his gaze falling on Rhodes' leather armor for a full three seconds before quickly shifting to the warehouse door where the boss had disappeared.

After a series of clanging sounds, the boss came out carrying several long wooden boxes and placed them on the counter with a "thud".

That's all. See for yourself.

The shopkeeper opened the boxes one by one, his movements rough, seemingly venting his dissatisfaction at being interrupted while maintaining the wand.

While the materials of the first two bows were acceptable, the craftsmanship was somewhat rigid. After all, the boss preferred to forge heavy weapons and enchanted items rather than bows and arrows, which were troublesome to manufacture, had a high loss rate, and were difficult to sell.

After all, compared to swords and staves, which have a higher tolerance for error and less noticeable flaws, it is easy to tell if the materials and craftsmanship of a bow and arrow are of poor quality.

Moreover, apart from those clueless fools who can't see their own limitations, there aren't many people who can truly master archery skills; the vast majority of people will choose other weapons after trying them.

Snapped--

Rod opened them and picked them up one by one, weighing them in his hand. His eyes lit up slightly when he opened the last wooden box.

Inside lay a quiet elven bow, its body made of lustrous, deep purple yew wood, with fine vine patterns carved on its surface. A gentle touch with the fingertips revealed a subtle, natural ripple.

The bow tip is covered with polished silver leather, the bowstring is made of three strands of silver moon spider silk, and the handle is wrapped with soft deerskin. The whole bow is light yet tough.

"This one feels alright," Alina's voice came from the consciousness space, tinged with surprise. "It's about the same as the one I used at home, but a little worse."

"Why not use the bow that appears when you combine? Doesn't that feel better?" she asked, puzzled.

"It consumes too much magic power, so we can't shoot many times," Rhodes explained. "And what do we do when we're not combined? You need a more suitable weapon."

After thinking about it, Alina felt that what Rhodes said made sense, so she concentrated and tried even harder to feel the bow.

The hooded figure in the corner moved again, this time her gaze fixed on the elven bow in Rhodes' hand, her fingers hidden in her sleeve gently caressing the crystal at the tip of the wand.

"I think we should fire a few shots to test the feel," Alina's voice rang out again after a moment. "You can't tell how accurate you are just by weighing them."

"Could we test fire it?" Rod immediately asked.

"Are you looking down on my skills?! There won't be any problems with what I make!"

Seeing that Rod spent a long time choosing before finally reluctantly picking one out and then acting as if he didn't trust him enough to even try it out, the shopkeeper immediately felt offended by his skills.

He slammed his fist on the counter and shouted loudly, spitting everywhere.

The hooded figure in the corner didn't speak, but merely tilted his head slightly, seemingly waiting for Rhodes's reply.

"Let's try it in the backyard. But let's make this clear first: you can try it, but if you break it, you'll have to pay the original price."

The boss finally relented, though his tone remained harsh: "If you mess up and miss the target, damaging the stone wall and lawn behind me, you won't be shortchanged a single penny on repairs."

"Don't think you can impress me just by wearing decent leather armor. A poor young master like you probably can't even draw this elven bow."