While Kane and Burton were chatting idly, the tavern's door swung open.
A new guest?
The sound of hooves echoed, accompanied by heavy footsteps and the clattering of armor.
Such a loud noise compelled Kane to turn and look.
A race like this? What kind of structure is this?
That was the thought that popped into Kane's mind upon seeing the newcomer.
The visitor was, indeed, a centaur.
A mythical race with a human upper body and a horse lower body.
Having never seen such a race, Kane couldn't help but start observing.
The horse part resembled horses from the original world, about 2.7 meters in size.
Adding the human part to the horse part, this made him considerably taller than Kane, about 2 meters.
He wore light knight armor, with horse armor on the lower half, and a helmet atop his head.
This centaur could be said to be fully armored.
This also indirectly showcased the centaur's outstanding strength and endurance.
However, the skin exposed on the horse body didn't have the leathery feel of a horse but was closer to the skin on the human body.
The centaur walked toward the bar, and Kane discreetly observed him in an instant.
This is the observation skill of a hunter.
"Need anything?" Burton, upon seeing the centaur approach, simply stepped onto the bar.
The dwarf disliked being looked down upon; with ordinary people, standing on a stool sufficed, but with such a giant, standing on the table was necessary.
The centaur removed his helmet.
Flowing red hair cascaded down.
She was a centaur maiden.
Red hair paired with a refined face gave a big sister vibe.
Her red lips slightly parted, her voice mature.
"Is there a room here prepared for half-bodies?" she asked, tucking her helmet under her arm, adjusting her hair.
Upon hearing her question, Burton's tone couldn't help but be somewhat proud, "Of course, this is Big Gold Teeth; all sorts of races can find a place to rest here. I've got 2 rooms on the first floor specially prepared for half-bodies."
Kane recalled that half-bodies referred to races with a human upper body and beast lower body.
And this race, regardless of what their lower body was, called themselves half-bodies, who rarely fought internally and just divided into tribes based on their lower halves.
Upon hearing Burton's reply, she finally let out a breath of relief, her tone revealing delight, "Finding a suitable room for a centaur is really difficult."
"Hahaha, don't worry, there's more than just rooms here; I've got a menu with centaur-flavored dishes. Would you like to try some? It's definitely authentic."
"Of course," the centaur maiden revealed a charming smile, "But before that, I wanted to ask if there's an Explorer named Kane Lafray here?"
Looking for me? I don't know you.
Seeing Burton's gaze drifting over.
The centaur maiden, seeing Burton's eyes on Kane, couldn't help but turn her head to look at him.
"Are you Kane?"
Though puzzled, Kane replied, "Yes, I'm Kane. Do you need anything from me?"
The centaur maiden seemed surprised and responded, "Didn't expect my luck to be so good, solving two troublesome matters at once."
She extended a hand towards Kane, "Let's introduce ourselves, I'm Kreya, Kreya Perec, and I just became an Explorer not long ago."
Even though she didn't say what she needed, Kane still shook her hand, "I believe you've already learned my name, but I'm sure this is our first meeting. If I'd seen a beauty like you before, I definitely wouldn't forget."
"Mr. Kane is quite a smooth talker, I've just become an Explorer and don't have a team yet; coincidentally, someone from the council recommended you to me, so I came to see if you were suitable as a teammate."
Didn't expect the form I filled out yesterday to attract someone today.
Kreya then smiled, "However, the first impression of Mr. Kane is indeed good, so are you willing to team up with me?"
"Of course, no problem." Kane indeed had a good first impression of her, let's team up and see how it goes, "But you don't need to call me Mr., just Kane is fine."
"Alright, Kane, you can just call me Kreya."
Kane nodded and pointed to his shoulder, "But Kreya, as you can see, I'm currently injured and need about 2 more days before I can continue exploring."
"That's alright, I'm not in a hurry. In the meantime, we can learn about each other's combat habits," she waved her hand, "By the way, have you been to the [Crystalline Arena] yet?"
"Yes, I cleared the first level just yesterday, but it came at a cost."
"Clearing the first level alone? Looks like Kane is quite impressive."
Seeing Kane find a teammate, Burton couldn't help but happily say, "Congratulations, it's wonderful to see two capable young people form a team in front of me. You chat, I'll go make you a meal to celebrate."
After saying that, Burton didn't disrupt them further and jumped off the bar.
"The dwarf uncle is quite enthusiastic."
"Burton is a good person."
Kreya pondered and said, "Then, Kane, would you help me with a small favor? Could you lead me to find my room?"
She handed the key to Kane.
"No problem, follow me." The number on the key was 1-13, right diagonally across from Kane's room.
He led Kreya to room 113, opened the door, and entered.
The moment they entered, the feeling was one of space and spaciousness.
It was about three times larger than Kane's room, but considering Kreya's size, there wasn't really a problem; in fact, if it weren't large, that would be the problem.
Kane realized Kreya hadn't entered but was standing at the door.
What's wrong?
Peeking out
He just saw Kreya's eyes fixed on Youyou on the ground, her gaze sparkling, her face slightly red.
Earlier, Youyou had been hiding behind Kane, and because Kreya was tall, she hadn't noticed.
But following Kane's steps, she noticed Youyou.
Completely captivated.
Youyou, seeing Kreya staring at her, scratched her own head. Antenna—?
"Do you want Youyou to give you a full inspection?" a child's voice full of confusion asked.
The stars in Kreya's eyes were turning into shooting stars.
It can talk, it's too cute.
"Can I hug you?" she asked cautiously.
Antenna—? Youyou turned to look at Kane.
Kane shrugged helplessly, nodding to Youyou.
"Alright then."
Upon hearing Youyou's response, Kreya instantly scooped it up.
Pressing her face against Youyou's head, rubbing, with a look of happiness.
"Master, it's so hard." The armor on Kreya's chest had made Youyou uncomfortable.
Upon hearing Youyou's voice, Kreya immediately put it back on the ground, apologizing, "Sorry, I forgot I'm still wearing armor."
"It's okay because Youyou is hard too," Kane said, doing a spin for Kreya.
"You're really cute."
"Thank you for the compliment, you're pretty too."
Hearing Youyou's praise, Kreya held her face, immersed in happiness.
Youyou's conquest.
A great success.
Kane just watched as Kreya transformed from a knowledgeable big sister into a lovestruck young woman.
Women are truly changeable.