Catch the Pervert

Sitting before Xia Lun and the others was a tall, gangly merchant. With prominent cheekbones and shrewdness gleaming in his deep-set eyes, he wore a well-tailored, slightly vintage dark suit that draped over his overly slender frame. A black bowler hat rested on his head, and a highly valuable ebony walking cane stood leaning against the sofa beside him.

"You must be the members of the Wings of Dawn... Welcome." Sander briefly tipped his hat in greeting. "Mr. Xia Lun, we have met before."

"This is Mr. Sander, our client for this commission," Xia Lun introduced him to his companions.

"I have heard that the Wings of Dawn is an adventuring party that has subjugated a dragon. With such formidable strength, catching a petty thief will surely be a walk in the park." Sander looked quite pleased. He had originally assumed that adventurers were a vulgar bunch who would be difficult to communicate with, but Xia Lun displayed an exceptionally high level of professionalism.

Moreover, this group clearly looked like they were hiding profound depths.

An unfathomable mage whose face was concealed beneath a cloak; a petite thief with distinct, fluid muscle definition; an elven archer with sharp eyes who seemed boisterous but concealed a deadly edge; and a heavily muscled, bald warrior who looked like someone you should never cross.

"This is our first time accepting a mission of this nature... Having never crossed paths with him, we cannot guarantee with absolute certainty that we will catch this phantom thief," Xia Lun replied after a moment of thought.

Now look at that, this was what you called professional.

The delight on Sander's face grew even more pronounced.

He had already inquired with the Adventurers Guild beforehand. The adventuring party that accepted his commission, the Wings of Dawn, was an elite squad with few members but overwhelming strength. In just two short years, they had skyrocketed from a newly registered Level 1 party all the way to Level 4. Furthermore, their battle record was stellar; they had subjugated various powerful monsters and even saved an entire city. They were currently the most highly regarded adventuring party around.

Sander had originally assumed that high ranking adventurers would turn their noses up at such a trivial task, and he would have thanked his lucky stars if even a Level 3 party was willing to accept the commission. Because of this, he had intentionally increased the bounty by a significant margin. However, he never expected a team like the Wings of Dawn to take on the job, so naturally, he dared not show them any disrespect.

Of course, if it had been any other low ranking adventuring party, he would not have given them such a pleasant attitude.

"Let us discuss the specifics of the commission, Mr. Sander."

"Of course, Captain Xia Lun... Minnie, my sweet daughter, come on out," Sander called out to the room behind him.

A young girl wearing a taupe ruffled gown and a lace trimmed sun hat gracefully stepped out in front of everyone.

Holding the edges of her skirt, the girl offered a slow, measured curtsy to the group before taking a seat beside her father without uttering a single word.

Minnie's etiquette was textbook perfect. Even a royal tutor who taught courtly manners might not have done it any better than she just had. It seemed as though every single movement was meticulously calculated; she was the very personification of elegance.

The young girl's appearance was equally outstanding. She had a round face that carried a hint of endearing childishness, and her facial features were exceptionally delicate. With her chin slightly tucked and a dainty, straight nose, she did not look plain in the slightest; rather, she possessed the dignified charm of a classical beauty.

Unfortunately, her expression was incredibly indifferent. She seemed entirely devoid of emotion, much like a living porcelain doll.

Liyana's mouth involuntarily broke into a wide grin. Moke discreetly nudged her, warning her not to make a fool of herself.

If they were just out on the streets, he would have let it slide, but in their current situation, Moke could hardly pretend that he did not know Liyana.

"Miss Minnie, could I ask you to briefly recount what happened previously?" Xia Lun asked in a gentle tone, looking at the girl seated before him.

Ever since Minnie walked into the room, her gaze had been fixed entirely on Xia Lun.

Aina involuntarily shifted closer to Xia Lun until their thighs were pressed together.

Xia Lun looked a little surprised.

"Liyana is crowding me," Aina said flatly.

"What?" Liyana had barely leaned her head over when Aina used the round gemstone at the tip of her staff to shove her right back by the face.

"The first time I encountered that elf was two months ago," Miss Minnie began slowly. "That day, I noticed a shadow shifting slightly on the balcony. I thought it was just a stray cat that had jumped over from the tree branches. I originally intended to shoo it away, but when I stepped closer, I realized it was an elf.

"I was startled and instinctively tried to scream, but the elf immediately clamped a hand over my mouth. It was then that I noticed he had an incredibly beautiful face, much like most elves do."

At this point, Minnie cast a glance at Liyana, who offered her a somewhat sheepish smile in return.

Minnie continued, "He did not do anything else. He simply apologized to me, begged me not to tell anyone about the incident, and then left. I figured that the elf probably wasn't a bad person, so I agreed to his terms. But just a few days later, he came back."

"What did he come back for?" Xia Lun asked.

"Well... he did not do anything. He just wanted to chat with me about random nonsense." Minnie let out a soft sigh. "He would always ramble on and on, forcing me to stay up late talking to him every time, which left me rather sleep deprived."

Xia Lun and his companions exchanged glances.

"Isn't he just a total pervert harassing a young girl?!" Liyana exclaimed loudly.

"Because he did not seem to have any malicious intent at first, I didn't want to complicate matters by letting anyone else know. But at some point, he began to cross the line." Minnie shook her head gently, looking utterly helpless. "For instance, he started telling dirty jokes to tease me, or he would try to get handsy. At first, he would only chat with me from the balcony, but later on, he blatantly started coming inside my room and sitting on my chair as if he owned the place."

"What a scumbag!" Liyana said, filled with righteous indignation.

Minnie continued, "Then, just recently, he outright stated that he wanted to... I truly could not tolerate it any longer, so I called for help to chase him away."

The fact that she had tolerated the guy for so long proved that Miss Minnie simply had too soft of a temperament and was far too easy to bully.

Sander added, "However, the scoundrel is incredibly agile. With a single light leap, he can bound right up onto the roof, so none of my men have been able to catch him. That is why I was hoping to hire you adventurers to help me resolve this problem. Even if you cannot capture him, I hope you can at least protect Minnie, or perhaps teach him a harsh enough lesson that he won't ever dare to return."

Xia Lun gave a slight nod.

"Don't you worry, Miss Minnie! I will definitely help you catch that pervert!" Liyana promised, swearing solemnly. "I want to see exactly which scoundrel is out here dragging the good name of our elven race through the mud!"

Moke turned his head away, looking as though he was struggling immensely to hold back his laughter.

He honestly couldn't think of any elf who was more of an embarrassment than Liyana herself.

A look of profound joy appeared on Sander's face. "That is incredibly reassuring to hear... I will leave this in your capable hands then, Captain Xia Lun."