After leaving the team, the adventurer ladies regretted it deeply

"I recognize her, she's like the Mage from the Snow Goose Adventure Team, named Aiko, over level 20,"

a man with a goatee said in surprise.

As soon as these words were spoken, everyone hastily retracted their covetous gazes.

Most of these adventurers from the Sparrow District were below level 10; they were the bottom dwellers of White Dove City.

Strapped with loans for their Magical Equipment purchases, none dared cause any trouble.

One could say that even a dog could trample over them with impunity.

But that didn't stop them from enjoying the spectacle.

What business could someone like Aiko have in a dingy, fly-ridden tavern in the Sparrow District?

At the farthest table at that moment,

Kafni, facing the entrance, immediately noticed the elegant Aiko, dressed in a white gown, pure as a white lotus.

She took a sip from her cup with interest.

"Over there," she nudged Lin Da with her mouth.

Lin Da was enjoying a spicy skewered fire lizard, bones cracking audibly, the spiciness hitting the spot in all the right ways.

Turning his head, he was somewhat surprised.

"Aiko, what brings you here?"

Lin Da asked in astonishment.

He had quit the team at noon, and by evening, Aiko had already come to see him.

If it hadn't been for Kafni's prior warning, he would have been overjoyed.

But Aiko's arrival came 'after his argument with Lia'.

Too coincidental.

On the surface, Lin Da remained unflustered, but inside, he was on alert.

"I thought you might not have eaten yet, so I made something myself. As I was passing by this place, I just happened to hear your voice..."

Aiko approached, holding a boxed meal, pouting pitifully.

"Oh right, about the incident at noon." Aiko made her stance clear, adopting a resentful demeanour on Lin Da's behalf, "Lia really went too far, how could she speak so rudely to an old teammate of three years?"

"It's nothing, it's all in the past," Lin Da waved his hand, pulled up a stool from the side, placed it on the right of the table, and said, "Want to join me?"

Aiko didn't answer, and her gaze lingered intently on Lin Da.

'It's in the past'—what did that mean?

You're still in the mood to grill meat? Could it be you no longer care even about me?

Aiko had come specially to bring food, hoping to see Lin Da looking dejected.

Lia, Chloe, Klyne, Oru—they were one thing, but how could Lin Da dismiss her, the one he was closest to, with just a casual 'it's past'?

To trap Lin Da, Aiko had not hesitated to stoop to trading on her looks at the Adventurer's Guild, even releasing a Panda Beast to capture him.

But now, Lin Da's nonchalant demeanor once again wounded her pride.

If it were her who had touched Lin Da's OO, she definitely wouldn't be this calm! Don't tell me he's been secretly touching Kafni, who knows how many times already?!

She took a deep breath, suppressing the urge to unleash the Light Arrow Technique on Kafni, who was brazenly devouring meat, and said with a forced laugh, "No thanks, I've actually been dieting recently."

"Oh, no wonder, you do seem a bit fatter than usual," Lin Da realized.

The smile on Aiko's face froze.

You actually believed that random excuse?

Are you blind?

Aiko cursed inwardly.

She found the grilled meats disgusting, suspecting they might be tainted with the sweat of lower-class hands.

"Well... the boxed meal I made is healthier, maybe you should stop eating the grilled meat?"

With no trace of anger visible on her face, Aiko perfectly mimicked the appearance of a caring girlfriend, and handed Lin Da the rice box wrapped in a white floral cloth.

This scene turned the adventurers in the tavern green with envy, suddenly finding the grilled meat in their mouths tasteless.

To their astonishment, Lin Da shook his head and pushed Aiko's rice box back to her.

No!

Not only were the adventurers in the store dumbfounded, but Aiko's pale fingers clutching the lunchbox also trembled, her mouth agape in disbelief as she looked toward Lin Da.

"Huh?"

She voiced her confusion.

This guy, he actually dared to reject the lunchbox she made herself?

"Aiko, don't come around here so often."

"I left the team, but you're still with Snow Goose. If Lia finds out about this, she'll ostracize you," Lin Da said seriously. "I'm fine for now, you don't need to worry."

His words sounded nice, but the meaning was actually very simple.

Don't come anymore.

Aiko instantly understood what those words implied.

Her eyelids twitched uncontrollably, and she suddenly felt a strong sense of unease.

Why did Lin Da change so much in just one day?

That always kind-hearted Lin Da, shouldn't he be grateful for her lovingly prepared lunchbox?

Aiko found it hard to believe that Lin Da could say such words of rejection.

Her long eyelashes quivered, and she touched her dry eye corners with her small hands, speaking in a slightly sobbing voice,

"Lin Da, why are you being like this? The one who offended you was Lia, not me, right? Isn't it okay for me to come and visit you?"

The sound of whimpering began to resonate within the store.

Many adventurers did not understand the details and believed only what they saw before their eyes. They immediately assumed that Lin Da was cheating with another blonde woman and stared at Lin Da with accusatory glances.

When the barbecue restaurant owner brought over two servings of char-grilled steaks, he burst into hearty laughter, "Ah, to be young! Back in my day, I also..." Mid-sentence, the bald owner stopped abruptly, realizing he had never had a beauty chasing after him.

After the restaurant owner awkwardly exited the scene, Aiko's performance was still not over.

"Lin Da, do you no longer consider me a friend?" Aiko squeezed out a few tears, biting her lip, delicate as a frail animal.

"You're misunderstanding," Lin Da sighed. "I have no other intentions, I just purely think that Lia will ostracize you. You should know her pettiness."

"But I don't care. Visiting friends is normal, right?" Aiko said stubbornly.

"Then..."

Lin Da shockingly proposed, "Why not join my team?"

"Your team?"

"You created a team?"

"Didn't you join the Ice Flower Adventure Team?"

Aiko's eyes widened, suddenly having an extremely ominous premonition. Anxious, she fired off questions with rapid speed.

She originally thought that Lin Da left the team to join a rock-level squad with a better atmosphere.

In such a case, there were many ways for her to bring Lin Da back.

After all, Lin Da was looking for a better chance to conquer World Tree, which was the 'benefit' that led him to switch teams.

But Lin Da creating his own team had a completely different implication.

To come back to Snow Goose, he would have to first disband his own team... The difficulty of bringing him back just multiplied many times over.

For the first time, Aiko felt like the rope in her hands was slipping away, and her dog was about to run off, leaving her panicked.

When talking about creating a team, Lin Da's face was full of bright expectations for the future, and his black pupils sparkled brightly.

It turned out that Lin Da, having left the Snow Goose Adventure Team, truly had no lingering attachment to her...

She couldn't accept it.

Aiko gripped the lunchbox tightly, gritted her teeth, and felt extremely unwilling to let go.

Lin Da joined because of Lia and also left because of her.

And he didn't even inform her before creating his team.

She was just a stranger!

Aiko silently squeezed out a few tears, whining, "Lin Da, I..."