n

n

n

n

n?Howard cast a final glance at the valley where the wolfrats resided, uncertain of what it would look like upon his next visit.

nIf the Rodel military were to intervene, there would be no chance for these wolfrats to survive.

nThe army operates differently from adventurers; the former acts upon orders, while the latter is driven by profit.

nShould the command be to eradicate the wolfrats, the army would not cease until not a single one remained in the area.

nWith a firm pull on the sled, Howard left without looking back.

nIt was getting late, and if he didn’t make it back before the gates of Rodel closed, he’d have to spend the night in the wilderness—a prospect far from appealing.

nFortunately, the valley wasn’t too far from Rodel, and it was near the smooth, well-traveled royal road.

nOtherwise, the adventurer’s guild wouldn’t have posted a quest to hunt wolfrats.

nOnce back on the road, Howard’s pace more than doubled.

nPulling the sled on the even ground of the road proved much easier than navigating through the mountains, not only saving effort but also speeding up his journey.

nAbout twenty minutes later, Howard could see the walls of Rodel in the distance.

n…

nAfter successfully turning in the quest and the corresponding number of wolfrat carcasses, Howard received the reward deposited by the client at the adventurer guild.

nHe then posted a trade to sell the wolfrat carcasses.

nThough merely a subspecies of spellbeast, the carcasses of wolfrats actually held significant value.

nTheir flesh was an excellent alchemical agent for fusing magic potions, their fur smooth and waterproof, making for high-quality fabric, and their teeth and claws were sharp and durable, becoming premium materials in the hands of skilled craftsmen capable of piercing through most spellbeast subspecies’ hides, far sharper than the average steel sword.

nIf sold piece by piece, a single adult wolfrat carcass could fetch as high as seven gold coins!

nEven selling them as a whole could yield a market price of around five gold coins each.

nHaving completed the quest, Howard had nearly ten wolfrat carcasses left, which could constitute a considerable sum if all were sold.

nAfter posting the trade quest, Howard shared his speculation about the monster tide and the unusual behavior of the wolfrats.

nThe guild attendant’s expression turned serious upon hearing this.

nThe Rodel branch guild regularly monitored the beast populations around the city and had observed various anomalies among the wildlife, with a monster tide seemingly gathering to the north.

nHowever, due to the lack of definitive evidence, no public announcement had been made.

n“I will report this to the higher-ups. Could you leave an address so we can contact you more efficiently?”

nHoward gave the room number and name of the inn where he was staying: “I’m currently here, but I’ll be leaving in five days.”

nThe attendant noted down the room number and inn’s name: “Someone might reach out to you soon for more details on the situation. We hope you can provide a thorough account of what you observed.”

nHoward agreed on the spot, took his reward, and left the Rodel branch guild.

n…

nReturning to the inn, Howard had barely used his key to unlock his room door when he was suddenly called upon.

n“Howard!”

nTurning around, Howard saw Nula leaning against the door frame in her thin cloth dress, with White poking his head out from behind her.

n“Still awake?” Howard inquired.

n“Did you finish your quest?” Nula sized up Howard.

nOrdinary people might not notice, but a magus’s senses are far beyond those of a normal person.

nAlthough the scent of blood on Howard had mostly dissipated, it was still quite pronounced to Nula’s perception.

n“Just a simple hunting quest, didn’t take much time,” Howard responded.

n“Then, if you have nothing else, maybe you should head to bed early.”

nNula rolled her eyes.

n“Has no one ever told you you’re terrible at reading the room?”

n“It seems people say that often, but I don’t see an issue with it. It’s late; shouldn’t we be sleeping? Unless you’re suggesting coming to my room.”

nHoward’s eyes shifted slyly upwards.

n“By the way, there might be a monster tide approaching soon. It’s probably best to minimize going out unless necessary.”

n“Monster tide?” Nula paused, surprised.

n“Here?”

n“Yes,” Howard nodded.

n“Beasts are beginning to gather to the north. Though the reason is unclear, it’s a confirmed fact.”

nAfter a few seconds of silence, Nula nodded in acknowledgment.

n“By the way, was it you who ordered dinner?”

n“How touching. I wouldn’t mind a more… personal thank you.”

nHoward’s teasing smirk was met with Nula’s eye roll.

n“What are you thinking? I don’t like lamb. Remember to exclude it if you’re ordering for me in the future!”

nWith that, Nula stepped back and disappeared behind the door, leaving White staring at Howard with wide eyes.

n…

nHoward’s gaze drifted to the window, where the pale moonlight slanted in from outside.

nAlthough it was the same moonlight, it evoked different feelings in different environments.

nIn the wilderness, the cold, white light of the moon held no warmth, yet it had a calming effect on one’s emotions.

nThe dim room, however, was different.

nThe soft touch of the bed, the gradually familiar furnishings, and the scent of someone having lived there before—all these differences constructed a cage named loneliness.

nLoneliness does not stem from being alone; on the contrary, it arises precisely because one is aware of the existence of another.

nSighing deeply, Howard removed the straight sword from his back and leaned it against the bed, hanging up his coat.

nObserving the faint bloodstains on the hem of his coat, Howard frowned.

nHe had been careful to avoid getting blood on himself, yet somehow, he had overlooked this.

nBloodstains, once acquired, are notoriously difficult to remove.

nTurning his gaze away, he settled back into bed.

nWould he dream tonight?

n…

nWhen Ali awoke, the sky was fully lit.

nBrushing off the dew from her clothes, she stood up to stretch her legs, which had gone numb from lack of movement overnight.

nShe stoked the remains of the fire on the ground to get it burning again and took out some prepared dry food from her backpack.

nShe wasn’t without spatial storage items, but she understood the wisdom of not flaunting wealth.

nAn adventurer without a backpack is an anomaly, a clear signal to any observant onlooker that there might be something worth exploiting, potentially turning them into an easy target.

nAlthough Ali was confident in handling any trouble, trouble was something no one wished for more of.

nThis was the exact opposite of gold coins.

nWaking up Jelia, who was dozing off against a tree trunk wrapped in thick clothing, Ali stuffed some softened dried food into the little orc’s hands.

n“This is…

noutside, huh?” Jelia rubbed her sleepy eyes, gradually becoming more alert.

n“How much longer until we reach Sorona?”

n“You’ve asked that question three times yesterday,” Ali responded without looking up.

n“Why didn’t we stop in Rodel?” Jelia continued to inquire.

n“You also asked that five times yesterday, and now again today. Are you planning to hit double digits with that question?”

nAli fiddled with the fire, which seemed to struggle against extinguishing, perhaps due to the damp air; initially, there had been no such issue when she started roasting the dried food.

nJelia watched Ali clumsily manage the fire and yawned softly.

n“I’m still sleepy.”

nThe sudden early risings over the past two days were somewhat unfamiliar to Jelia.

nBut it was just a discomfort, not unbearable or worth complaining about.

nOn her own, she clearly understood that finding Howard would be impossible.

nObserving the fire now producing thick smoke, Jelia shifted back a bit and commented, “Maybe the wood you added was wet?”

nAli’s movements stiffened.

nHe hadn’t paid attention when adding the wood.

nCould dew be that severe?

nSeeing Ali halt, Jelia sighed softly, put down her dried food, found a stick to stir the fire, and added a few dryer pieces of wood on top.

n“This way, the wood will dry out after a while.” .

nJelia’s voice carried a world-weary sigh, her precocious demeanor almost comical, yet Ali found no humor in it at the moment.

nShe didn’t mind being taught by Jelia, but how did Jelia come to possess such knowledge?

nNo one would specifically teach a little orc how to camp; it’s most likely that Jelia had gleaned her expertise from repeated failures.

nThe harsh reality behind this silenced Ali.

n“This damned weather,” Ali muttered under her breath, catching Jelia’s gaze for a few long seconds.

nIt was rare to see an elf, usually so graceful and gentle, swearing.

n“When will we get to Sorona?” Jelia suddenly asked, her dried food half-eaten.

nAli looked at her curiously, replying, “Do you want to see Howard that badly? I know he’s a good person and took you in, but you could have stayed comfortably at the Gold Coin Inn until I brought him back.”

n“Howard once said something,” Jelia paused, her expression still serene, yet something flickered in her eyes.

n“If a treasure goes missing, and you search for it, there’s a chance you might find it again. But if you give up and don’t search, then it’s truly gone.”

n“Howard is my treasure.”

nAfter hearing Jelia’s words, Ali was stunned for a few seconds before sighing, “You do see things clearly.”

nEvery person who loves you is your most precious treasure.

nIt’s not that people don’t know this; they just choose to forget actively.

nAfter all, the ignorant are always the most blissful.

nNew novel chapters are published on .

n