Moreover, her ultimate goal was simply to use this so-called new teammate to scare Keti back, so there was no need to risk being molested like this.
Besides, these people who came for recruitment didn’t follow the conditions she had set at all—professions didn’t match, ages didn’t match, and there were even a bunch of D-Rank Talents pretending to be something else!
Are you kidding? D-Rank?!
Hmph, the person she was looking for…no matter what, couldn’t be worse than Keti, right?
Alice had spent the entire morning arguing herself hoarse, nearly losing her mind, yet she couldn’t find a single candidate she liked.
After the crowd completely dispersed, the blonde twin-tailed loli bit her lip in frustration.
Why was it so difficult to find just one new teammate?!
However, just when she was about to give up, a figure suddenly came over and sat down in front of her.
Alice tiredly lifted her head, expecting another ugly, fat old man, but was suddenly dazzled!
Ke… Keti?!
Alice’s heart skipped a beat as if her eyes were deceiving her. She thought the most romantic moment was about to unfold—Keti was going to reappear before her!
But—
“Hello, I’m here for the interview as an alchemist. May I ask… are you the Alice who carries the bloodline of the Hero?”
Only after a moment did Alice snap back to reality upon hearing the silver-haired young man speak, realizing that the smiling boy in front of her was not Keti.
The blonde twin-tailed loli was momentarily disappointed and somewhat annoyed. Why wasn’t it Keti?!
But soon, she suddenly realized something. She carefully sized up the silver-haired youth from head to toe, and once again, Alice’s eyes lit up!
He looked… so similar!
That silver hair, that figure, almost an exact replica of Keti!
Although his crimson vertical pupils and gentle facial features differed slightly from Keti’s, if you only looked at his back, even Alice herself might be a bit confused.
The blonde twin-tailed loli immediately grew excited. After all, what kind of new teammate could break Keti’s defenses better?
Of course, it would be someone who looked very much like Keti himself!
Just imagine, seeing this person interact intimately with her former teammates—could Keti not feel jealous?
He would realize that he now had nothing while this other person possessed everything he once could have had!
Hehe, if she recruited this person into the team, then… once Keti found out, he would be as anxious as ants on a hot pan!
Almost instantly, Alice had made up her mind. She nodded at once and pointed at him:
“That’s right! You’re an alchemist, right? You’re the one! I approve your entry into our Hero Squad. Pack your things and come with me to the base!”
“Eh?” The silver-haired youth looked a bit caught off guard. He awkwardly scratched the back of his head, blinking his crimson pupils, “Bu… but I haven’t even introduced myself yet.”
For some reason, the moment Alice saw his eyes, a strange flutter went through her heart. She was stunned for a moment but then nodded more firmly:
“Ah… that’s okay, we’ll talk more later, but… it’s you! Please make sure to join our team!”
This was the entire process Alice went through to find someone.
Back at the Hero Squad’s base, Layla looked at Alice, who was completely indifferent to Keti’s situation, and sighed.
“Sigh… When it comes to finding a new teammate, why didn’t you consult with us first? We’re members of the team too, right? You can’t just add someone without our consent, can you?”
“Huh? Wha… what do you mean?”
Seeing Layla’s serious expression and Sylvia’s silence on the side—obviously not supporting her—Alice was momentarily stunned.
She had thought it would be easy to get her two teammates to accept a newcomer.
After all, Keti had been missing for so many days, and their team had been stuck. No matter what, her reason to find a new teammate was more than enough.
But the girl didn’t expect Layla to immediately give her a cold shoulder.
The purple-haired jellyfish-headed older sister frowned as she sized up the silver-haired boy sitting on the sofa, then turned her head and coldly protested to Alice:
“Who is this guy? Where did you find him? Have you checked his background? It’s ridiculous to just add a mysterious stranger to the team, Alice, you really…”
“Hahaha…” Hearing this, Alice actually breathed a sigh of relief.
She thought Layla and the others were just cautious of strangers and weren’t completely opposed to accepting new teammates.
She forced out an awkward laugh, then nudged the silver-haired boy still seated on the sofa and said:
“Well, well, we haven’t had him introduce himself yet. Jiaxia, hurry up, stand up and introduce yourself to these two ladies.”
“Mm…”
The silver-haired boy’s lips curled into a faint smile that quickly vanished. Then he stood and showed an innocent, sweet expression as he softly said:
“Hello, Sister Layla, Sister Sylvia~ My name is Jiaxia, I’m eighteen years old, a fully registered adventurer with the Adventurers’ Guild, profession alchemist, A-Rank Talent in magic, and my family lives in the Imperial Capital. My parents are both merchants~ Hehe, please take good care of me, beautiful ladies~”
Jiaxia’s crimson eyes met the gaze of the purple-haired jellyfish-headed older sister, and in an instant—
“Uh…”
For some reason, after the boy finished speaking, the initially tense and wary Layla inexplicably felt at ease, even blushing slightly.
Her gaze involuntarily drawn to his handsome face—fair and tender, with skin as delicate as a girl’s—especially when he smiled, he looked so… so adorable, like a little prince.
An instinctive affection arose within her, even a desire to grow closer to him, so much so that the priestess who had been frowning moments ago suddenly couldn’t find it in her to be harsh.
“Ah… I see now. That’s pretty good—an A-Rank Talent alchemist, quite rare. Only eighteen, and both parents from the Imperial Capital, a very talented good kid.”
The priestess couldn’t help but give this evaluation. Jiaxia then showed a proud smile and nodded:
“Mm! Sister Layla is also very beautiful~ I’d heard long ago that the Hero Squad’s three girls are the most beautiful among adventurers. Now that I’ve met you, it’s true. Sister Layla has a very sexy figure, and Sister Sylvia is the prettiest elf I’ve ever seen~ So ethereal~”
“Um… Th-thank you for the compliment.”
Strange… Something felt a bit off…