novelraw Chapter 222: The Tranquil Forest and the Hunting Competition
Chapter 222: The Tranquil Forest and the Hunting Competition
The carriage moved at a very fast speed.
The horses pulling the carriage were two Gale Steeds, a type of equine magical creature even faster than Wind Steeds.
Magical creatures at this level already possessed considerable intelligence.
Even without human guidance, they could run toward designated directions on their own.
Of course, the prerequisite was that your strength had to surpass theirs, and you also needed to provide enough food...
But as long as these two conditions were met, these magical creatures were quite hassle-free to use.
Inside the carriage compartment, the decorations were extremely luxurious.
The compartment was lined with red velvet cloth, the curtains were embroidered with golden thread patterns, and it even came equipped with a soft couch for resting.
This carriage actually didn't belong to Silverstream City, but rather to the Oxivis Family. When the family sent people over to deliver items, they rode in this carriage.
The items were delivered successfully, but the carriage was detained and requisitioned by Lady Behira.The family members naturally didn't dare say anything to this former young mistress and could only accept the loss, returning to the empire in ordinary carriages.
A small table stood in the center of the compartment, set with fine tea and snacks.
Flora snapped her fingers, igniting a flame to boil water, and Sherfilia used this hot water to brew tea, pouring cups for everyone.
She delivered each teacup directly to their hands, with Lin Mo's cup being the last. Sherfilia carried the tea to his side, knelt down, but instead of handing him the cup, she held it out, presenting it directly to him.
"...Quite the luxurious lifestyle, huh?"
Flora teased with a laugh.
"Ahem—"
Lin Mo coughed lightly twice, taking the teacup from Sherfilia's hands.
One could only say Sherfilia was extremely dedicated, her service too thorough.
Her various attentions during this period had almost turned Lin Mo into a useless person. And Lin Mo had gradually grown accustomed to this life where clothes were handed to him and meals were served to his mouth—of course, only when no outsiders were present.
Doing this in front of familiar people like Flora still felt somewhat awkward.
"After we arrive at Fargard City, do you have any plans?"
Flora asked while sipping her tea.
"Nothing concrete for now..."
Lin Mo thought briefly: "I might ask the adventurer group members to show us around the city, then take on a few missions first."
Since the situation in Silverstream City became unstable, Lin Mo hadn't properly completed missions for quite some time.
"That's not bad either, first adapt to the new environment."
Flora nodded, then continued: "As one of only four major cities in the Doria Kingdom, Fargard City is vast, with many areas suitable for adventurer activities nearby. The Adventurers' Association there receives at least hundreds of commissions of different levels daily, offering a much wider selection of missions."
"And there are many interesting things outside Fargard City too... like the annual hunting competition."
Shaya added from the side.
"Hunting competition?"
Lin Mo asked curiously: "What's that?"
"Near Fargard City there's a relatively large magical creature forest called the Silent Forest. This forest can be classified as medium-to-large sized across the entire continent, covering an area equivalent to nearly twenty Roland Forests!"
"Within this enormous forest, different areas are divided according to magical creature tribe territories, totaling over a hundred large and small zones... Each tribe's magical creatures basically only live within their own territory. Of course, besides these hundred-plus relatively numerous magical creatures, there are many other creatures in the forest that often live in buffer zones—the gaps between various magical creature territories."
"This situation in the Silent Forest where magical creatures form tribes and divide territories increases the forest's stability on one hand. For adventurers, the possibility of encountering unexpected situations during adventures is relatively lower, and the process of finding mission targets is usually smoother. But on the other hand, the survival rate and reproduction efficiency of magical creatures greatly improve. Therefore, every year, the City Lord of Fargard City organizes a hunting competition, inviting adventurers from inside and outside the city to participate in hunting magical creatures in the Silent Forest."
"I see."
After hearing Flora's explanation, Lin Mo nodded: "That City Lord uses this method to control the magical creature population while organizing a famous activity that boosts the city's reputation—definitely a good approach."
Shaya added: "The hunting competition rewards are very generous. If you're interested, you could try participating... But because this event is quite famous, it's not just Fargard City—many adventurers from surrounding cities and regions, even some nobles, participate, including many talents from the royal capital."
"Exactly... Since the hunting competition announced a few years ago that it only accepts participants under 25 years old, this competition has in a sense become a stage for young people to showcase their talent and strength. If you can rank in the top ten or even win first place in the hunting competition, you'll immediately become famous throughout the entire kingdom. Many nobles with strong backgrounds and exceptional talent hope to use this to boost their reputation and open up advancement channels. Including those students from the Doria Kingdom's Royal National Academy—many participate in the hunting competition and use the rankings to compete with each other."
As Flora spoke, she showed a somewhat nostalgic expression.
"Last year, it was precisely because Flora won first place in the hunting competition that she completely made her name, hailed as the kingdom's once-in-a-century magical genius... Soon after that, she became an instructor at Saint Antonius Academy."
Shaya quickly revealed the reason for her nostalgia: "By the way, I was last year's runner-up."
Actually, her strength was somewhat greater than Flora's, with high chances of winning in direct confrontation. But being an assassin while Flora was a mage—comparing monster-clearing efficiency between assassins and mages was just too difficult.
They happened to meet and become acquainted during this event through competition, becoming friends ever since.
"Sounds interesting..."
Lin Mo showed keen interest. In a competition of this scale, besides fame, the rewards for winning first place would likely be quite substantial.
"However, the hunting competition usually takes place in autumn, specifically some time after autumn begins. During this period, because magical creatures need to stockpile winter food, they become more aggressive, hence the need for timely clearing to prevent them from encroaching on human territories."
"And during this time, magical creatures are also easier to find."
"Autumn and winter seasons... So that's still about over a month away from now?"
It was currently around August. According to Flora's explanation, this event should be held around October.
"Roughly, anyway there's still some time. Comparatively, actually... never mind."
Flora shook her head, suddenly cutting off her words.
Ellie immediately pouted: "Actually what... At least finish what you were saying."
Or just don't say anything at all—this kind of saying only half and leaving people hanging was the most annoying.
"Really nothing..."
Flora waved her hand: "It's just some personal matters of mine, unrelated to you. Just pretend I never said it."
Ellie rolled her eyes, too lazy to bother with her anymore.
Lying back in the recliner, without even needing to speak, just as the thought occurred, Sherfilia immediately stood behind him, massaging his shoulders.
The pressure was neither too light nor too heavy—just perfect.
"Ah~"
Lin Mo let out a comfortable sigh, half-closing his eyes as he enjoyed it.
Meanwhile, Finnie was seriously studying books brought from the church.
The Priest was a relatively special profession. Besides personal practice and effort, the deeper their understanding of Holy Light, the closer their connection with Holy Light, and the more recognition they received from Holy Light, the faster their growth would be.
Therefore, Priests often read various church texts to enrich their knowledge and enhance their understanding of Holy Light and doctrine.
Lena also held a book in her hands—one about planting content—studying seriously, occasionally taking notes.
Although the Gale Steeds were fast, the carriage interior had specialized magic arrays for stabilization, so there was no bumpiness at all. Even reading books didn't risk dizziness.
Flora and Shaya chatted intermittently, Lin Mo enjoyed Sherfilia's massage, while only Ellie had nothing to do, somewhat bored and spacing out.
After a while, she finally couldn't stand it anymore and moved closer to Lin Mo.
"Lin Mo, play with me~"
Her voice was melodious and coquettish, nothing like when they first met.
Lin Mo glanced at Flora's teasing look and said somewhat helplessly: "What fun can we have in this carriage?"
"Hmm..."
Ellie couldn't come up with anything immediately, so she simply clung to Lin Mo's side, wrapping her arms around his neck, resting her head on his shoulder.
Lin Mo casually grabbed her big tail, playing with it for a while, then took out a comb and began grooming the fur on her tail.
Ellie then stopped fussing, quietly closing her eyes to enjoy it.
After finishing the tail, he combed her hair, then switched to Lena.
The cat-eared girl was too shy to ask herself, but her good friend Ellie was considerate enough to mention her after Lin Mo finished grooming her.
Lin Mo thought it made sense, so he simply pulled the shy cat-eared girl onto his lap and helped groom her fur too.
Lena was initially completely tense, her body very stiff, but eventually the comfortable sensation gradually made her soften bit by bit into Lin Mo's embrace, her mouth slightly open, twitching with pleasure.
The atmosphere inside the carriage became somewhat subtle for a moment.
Finnie couldn't focus on her book anymore, watching this side with eager eyes.
So nice...
She didn't have as much fur to groom, and Sherfilia had arranged her hair perfectly this morning.
But if she'd known this would happen, she might as well not have had it done.
Flora and Shaya maintained their spectator mentality, but Sherfilia grew anxious.
She watched as Finnie just kept staring without ever speaking up, feeling a sense of frustration.
Young Mistress Finnie, why are you just watching?
Lena was almost asleep in Lin Mo's embrace, her head resting on his thighs, curled up in a ball, her petite body truly looking like an adorable kitten.
Lin Mo had finished the grooming work, gently stroking the cat's head, feeling the comfortable fluffy texture.
"Young Mistress Finnie."
Sherfilia finally couldn't help speaking up, "I remember you mentioned before that you wanted to try a new hairstyle."
"Huh? Me... Yes, that's right."
Finnie reacted quickly, briefly confused before immediately nodding in agreement, looking at Lin Mo: "Mr. Lin Mo, could you help me?"
"Me?"
Lin Mo pointed at himself, completely bewildered.
Combing hair or something he could manage, but hairstyling—that high-difficulty operation—was really pushing it.
"Master, I believe that as a considerate man, you should try learning about this aspect..."
Lin Mo glanced at Sherfilia who had suddenly spoken. If he remembered correctly, just a few days ago, this little maid had said such matters should all be left to her.
He wasn't exactly stupid. Looking at Finnie twisting her clothes corner with a shy expression, and Sherfilia's seemingly calm but actually almost smoking-with-anxiety expression, he suddenly understood something.
Maintaining a harem was really skilled work.
Sighing inwardly with some emotion, Lin Mo then beckoned to Finnie: "Then... I'll do my best."
"Mhm!"
Finnie's face lit up with joy, walking over with light steps.
She turned around, slowly sitting with her back to Lin Mo, her soft body gradually leaning into his embrace. That increasingly real tactile sensation felt like a scene from a dream stepping into reality.
The lovely girl carried a faint fragrance about her, not strong but subtle and fleeting, refreshing and delightful.
That beautiful golden hair was like premium silk, smooth to the touch.
Lin Mo undid the hair tie Sherfilia had fastened, carefully combing through it once, then somewhat clumsily holding her hair, attempting to braid it.
Honestly, he wasn't very skilled, but fortunately Sherfilia was guiding from the side, so he managed to complete it barely.
It wasn't much different from her original hairstyle, just with two thin braids added on the sides. Honestly, the technique was quite rough and the effect wasn't great, but Finnie's natural beauty was too resilient, so she looked good regardless.
Although the result wasn't impressive, Finnie clearly loved it very much, happily stroking the hair Lin Mo had personally braided.
"Thank you, Mr. Lin Mo~"
Her voice was soft and pleasant, that perfect shyness like a gentle scratch on the heart, making one's heart itch.
Although there were no more intimate advances, since this was in front of so many people, being too intimate wasn't appropriate anyway. Having this much progress was already quite good.
Sherfilia achieved her goal, nodding with satisfaction.
Young Mistress Finnie's status and personality destined her impossible to advance as directly as she had.
Anyway, there would be plenty of time later—progressing bit by bit, letting the young mistress fully experience this feeling of romance was also good. As long as it was faster than that clueless cat-eared half-orc over there, it counted as success.