While Saifei'er was sizing up the other party, her employer naturally observed the seven adventurers. "Three Silvers and four Coppers? As expected, it's hard to recruit powerful adventurers in such a remote place, but it's still acceptable."
"I hope you can fulfill your duties and protect me along the way. Of course, the remuneration will not be short by a single cent. Alright, prepare yourselves. We'll depart in half an hour."
Pike's tone wasn't exactly pleasant, but as he was the employer, the adventurers naturally had no right to criticize him. However, as he left, Saifei'er clearly noticed that his gaze seemed to linger on her for a while longer.
Saifei'er, "???"
Fi seemed to notice this as well and whispered, "Beastmen are very rare in this country, and a large number of people hold a certain degree of discrimination against them. Be careful, don't interact with him alone."
Then, upon hearing Fi's words, Saifei'er's urge to steal from this employer grew even stronger.
I'm so cute, and you discriminate against me? How can I tolerate this?
Of course, Saifei'er wouldn't be foolish enough to act now. Firstly, she had never stolen anything before and was very unsure about her thieving skills. Secondly, acting now might cause trouble for Ailiya and the others.
After all, Saifei'er's identity was that of a thief, and Pike hired her shortly before something went missing. No matter how you looked at it, her suspicion would be very high.
Saifei'er rubbed her chin with one hand, pondering silently. The best time to steal would be upon arriving at some relatively prosperous large town, or the day after the commission was completed.
As for now, should she practice her technique first?
She took out the adventurer badge Fi had recently given her, spread her five fingers, and spun the badge between them.
Speaking of thievery, the most important thing is naturally finger dexterity. Saifei'er's fingers were slender, long, and very beautiful. Although she initially only tried spinning it for fun, her movements quickly became smoother, and the badge continuously flipped at her fingertips.
Immediately after, Saifei'er found Ailiya and said, "Little Ailiya, I'll show you a magic trick. Are you interested?"
"Magic trick?" Ailiya hesitated and nodded. The concept of magic tricks also existed in this world, usually performed by Bards on the streets to earn some tips.
"Ahem, then watch closely~" Saifei'er said, holding her badge between her right index and middle fingers, then slowly clenching her fist. When she opened her hand again, the badge had vanished into thin air; there was nothing in her right hand.
Ailiya was startled, a bewildered expression appearing on her face.
Then, Saifei'er opened her left hand, the badge resting in her palm. She didn't clench her fist but simply turned her palm downwards. However, the badge didn't fall to the ground. When she turned her palm back up, the badge disappeared again.
"Eh eh eh!? Saifei'er Big Sister, how did you do that? It's amazing!?"
It must be said that for a magician, the greatest praise is the audience's astonished reaction. Saifei'er put her hands on her hips, her tail gently swaying behind her, feeling very pleased. "Hehe, impressive, right~"
In fact, the principle of this 'magic trick' was very simple: it relied on sleight of hand and speed, throwing the badge into the other hand at a speed beyond the audience's dynamic vision before they could react at all.
This might sound absurd, but in Saifei'er's previous life, many famous magicians could do similar things. If ordinary people on Blue Star could do it, there was no reason Saifei'er couldn't, especially knowing the principle!
Although her technique was still a bit rusty, Ailiya wasn't a very clever person, so it was normal for her not to see through the trick.
The enjoyable time teasing Ailiya quickly ended. Half an hour later, the seven adventurers, Pike, and his two guards, a total of ten people, gathered outside the town and officially set off.
Pike sat in a carriage, one of his guards drove the carriage, and the other rode a horse alongside it. As for the seven adventurers, they naturally had to follow on foot.
A gentle breeze blew, ruffling a strand of Saifei'er's hair near her neck. This strand finally landed on her chest, feeling a bit itchy. She casually brushed the hair off her chest, then instinctively scratched her northern hemisphere.
By this time, they had left the town for a while. Saifei'er was standing on a tree branch, gazing at her surroundings.
A 'thief' is not a profession skilled in direct combat, and because of her absurd hearing, Fi assigned her the task of lookout in this commission, to watch for potential enemies in the vicinity.
As for why Ailiya was the captain, but Fi was the one assigning tasks? That question was meaningless, really.
Then, Saifei'er continued jumping from tree to tree in front of the carriage, for several hours.
"Ah~ so boring~"
However, this was the normal situation for an escort mission. Most of the time was boring, and it was impossible for bandits and magical beasts to attack every moment.
Or rather, arriving safely at the destination and directly receiving the reward, that would be the best scenario.
At noon, Saifei'er sat on a tree branch and gnawed on a white bread. In the evening, she returned to the carriage. Ailiya set up a tent, and Saifei'er naturally slept with her.
As for night watch, it was handled by Fi, Douglas, and the Black Robed Man and 'Little Raccoon' from the other adventurer team. Saifei'er, Ailiya, and the female warrior, as girls, naturally received some preferential treatment; they just needed to sleep and rest normally.
Although Saifei'er herself had a strange expression when she learned she could enjoy this privilege, she ultimately accepted the arrangement. This peaceful life continued for two days, and finally, on the morning of the third day, an unexpected event occurred.
Saifei'er was hanging upside down, her legs hooked onto a tree branch. She had a blade of grass in her mouth and was staring blankly, utterly bored. Suddenly, the cat ears on top of her head twitched slightly, and a sound of hurried footsteps emerged from the distance.
Saifei'er's legs immediately relaxed, and she dropped from the branch. Although she should have been head-first, she managed to flip in mid-air without any leverage, landing steadily on her feet.
After all, she was a cat, always landing on her four feet. This was a 'rule-based' skill!
......
ps: The contract has been signed, and I can receive gifts now. Please send some gifts, meow meow meow~ Please, I'll do anything (probably?)~