CHAPTER 104: THE INVESTIGATION TEAM

Gara’s reaction to the four people in the room wasn’t much different from theirs. These three newcomers were clearly unusual.

Madha stepped forward first, introducing himself before introducing Gara and Fian. Gara followed up with a polite, friendly introduction of his own. Fian, however, only stared back with a blank expression.

Seeing an elf after only seeing humans for a few months was like a new breeze and felt delightful.

The truth—that Bota Village carried a red-code classification and what that actually meant—was something only a few higher-ups knew.

In this team, only the leader was aware of it. He’d also been informed beforehand that Fian was registered as Gara’s slave. The other three knew nothing. So nothing felt weird to see an elf here.

After months of seeing nothing but shabby villagers and average-looking Liners, the sudden appearance of handsome men was like a flower blooming in the middle of a barren field.

"Welcome. I’m Mohan, the Liner team leader in this village. These are my teammates: Loka, Kian, and Narin."

The man behind the wooden desk introduced himself, then gestured in order toward the young man standing beside the desk, the man on the sofa, and finally the girl seated near the window.

"Gara, you’re a healer, aren’t you? You can visit the village clinic on Tuesdays and Thursdays. That’s when the clinic opens. There aren’t any resident healers working there, so only Liners with healing skills are handling patients right now," Mohan explained, his gaze settling on Gara’s delicate features.

Gara gave a short nod, polite and professional as always.

"Kian, help them get familiar with the village and our duties here," Mohan added, turning to the young man on the sofa with a gentle look.

The bespectacled youth nodded in reply.

Before they could leave, Madha spoke up. "Liner Mohan, there’s something I’d like to discuss. A message from Captain Tristan."

Mohan raised a brow. He’d already felt that this new group was different from the usual rookies. A Liner who owned a slave, purchasing a house in the village, a healer, and now apparently a connection to Captain Tristan, who wasn’t just any noble.

"You two, step outside for now," Mohan said, glancing at Loka and Narin.

The five of them filed out of the room.

Gara, Kian, and Loka walked side by side down the corridor, with Fian trailing a step behind Gara as he usually did. Unexpectedly, Narin glided forward with graceful steps and fell in beside Fian, her sweet smile in place.

"Your name is Fian, right?" she started, oblivious to how his brows slowly furrowed the longer she spoke. "As you heard earlier, my name’s Narin. I’m a water-based Liner. My water can neutralize poison. I usually work as a healer."

Most men would have lit up in admiration at the word healer. Narin was expecting that very reaction.

But the man she’d chosen as her target gave her nothing. No response, no expression at all.

It was Gara who looked curious, slowing his steps a little to catch more of their conversation. That in turn made Loka adjust his pace to match. Fian, noticing, also slowed down.

Thud.

Too busy talking about herself, Narin didn’t notice she was getting too close until she bumped straight into the broad back of Loka in front of her.

She stumbled and fell to the floor. Loka, on the other hand, stood as firm as a wall, the impact hardly more than a light tap against him.

In an instant, all five men turned their eyes on her.

Being stared at by five strikingly handsome faces made Narin’s cheeks flush red. Not from anything romantic or cliché like falling in love, but from sheer, overwhelming embarrassment.

Another outrageous thing was that none of them offered her a hand.

Her image as the beautiful woman admired by countless men would shatter if she had to stand up without help from even one of them.

Her shocked expression shifted into sorrow. Her eyes grew misty, and the pale tip of her nose turned pink, making it hard for anyone to bear watching her like that.

Well, anyone but Gara. He could clearly see the negative numbers hovering over the heart icon above her head.

If she were truly pure, graceful inside and out, she wouldn’t carry that kind of prejudice against him—unlike Zana, who really had a pure heart.

Fian wasn’t the type to care about others either.

Strangely enough, Kian looked unaffected, as if nothing had happened.

Only Loka’s guilt got the better of him, and he quickly moved to help Narin back to her feet with the gentlest of motions.

"Sorry, for making you fall," he said softly.

"It’s fine, Loka. I wasn’t hurt anyway, only a little scratch." She replied with a sweet smile, as if she were Mother Teresa blessing a child.

But Gara knew it sounded wrong. It was Narin who had bumped into Loka and fallen on her own. Yet here she was, making it sound like she was graciously forgiving his mistake.

So this is it? Am I finally meeting a green tea b*tch in real life? At least I’m not as handsome as the others, and I’m not even a woman, so she should have no business with me, right? Hopefully.

Kian, uninterested in Narin’s little act, simply continued walking. Gara followed, with Fian right behind him.

None of them noticed the sharp glare Narin threw their way before quickly slipping her mask back on, all innocent again, as she walked side by side with Loka.

Meanwhile, Kian—tasked by Mohan—began his explanation.

"Every day, you’ll have to complete your assignments and report to one of the four of us. We’ll be the ones to mark your Liner ID."

"Your main task here is to provide water. There’s a daily quota you must reach. Once that quota is met, you’re free to spend the rest of your day however you like."

The mission was quite simple. Perhaps living in this village will be more enjoyable than Gara imagines.

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