Chapter 106: The Race’s Tales Passed Down

Chapter 106

The Race’s Tales Passed Down

A small figure in a full-body cloak dragged the beast’s meat to the city. Even with the cart to help reduce weight, the small body was too weak. As soon as she entered the city, she was exhausted and had to sit and rest in the association’s town for over 10 minutes before she could get up and continue walking.

The several hundred kilograms of wild boar meat dragged in by a lone boy attracted a lot of attention. The merchants authorized by the association watched the boy, who hunted wild boar meat from a rarely attempted hunting mission, with interest. If the boy’s harvest continued to be this good, the merchants might gain a regular supplier of wild boar meat in the future.

Despite its low price, wild boar meat was in high demand, especially among those with limited means. They could afford to buy beast meat with their modest incomes, and only the inexpensive wild boar meat was worth the cost. Other meats were too light and too expensive, barely enough to feed an entire family.

For this reason, many people had pre-ordered wild boar meat, ensuring it would sell immediately upon arrival. Unfortunately, it wasn’t a popular target for hunters, so there was often a shortage.

“Please come this way. We will definitely buy that wild boar meat at the set price,” said a merchant, his face openly friendly. It was clear he wanted to build a future relationship with Ellie.

“We also buy meat. After you sell some of it to the association, we’d like to buy the rest. I’m willing to pay the same price we offer the association,” another merchant chimed in.

His offer was slightly better than the first merchant’s. Normally, they would have to buy the meat from the association at a higher price than what the association paid its members. So, offering the same price wasn’t a loss.

Despite their offers, the merchants knew well that hunters typically sold their materials to the association first because the association awarded points. Selling directly to the merchants would only provide a bit of extra cash, without increasing their rank. High-level hunters who didn’t need points might sell directly to merchants to increase their earnings, but for newbie hunters, this was unlikely.

The merchants made these offers just to get Ellie to remember their faces, hoping for future cooperation with this skilled hunter. Their words were simply a means to buy themselves an opportunity...

Ellie declined their offers directly, which they had anticipated, so none of them seemed disappointed. Disguised as Luke, Ellie passed them to reach the teleportation platform. Her goal was to return to the Hunter’s Association in Erel City, the city she had initially teleported from.

If she were trading with merchants for profit, she could sell in this small town on the 1st floor. The merchants were well-equipped to support the hunters’ work. However, as a newbie as they understood, Ellie wasn’t lacking in money; mission points were far more important to her.

Using the teleportation device, she quickly arrived in front of the association. The reception area had different sections for welcoming members, registration, mission dispatch, and reward collection. Ellie only needed to hand over the wild boar meat to the mission dispatch clerk along with her ID card and then wait.

With a large number of staff members, the Hunter’s Association worked efficiently. Despite the many people using the service, there were only 2 or 3 people ahead of Ellie.

She waited briefly before her turn came. The young woman walked forward with her cart. The mission Ellie had taken offered 2 copper coins per kilogram of wild boar meat and 5 points per 1 wild boar. Since she submitted 2 boars, she earned a total of 10 points. It wasn’t a large amount but still respectable for someone completing their first mission.

"Here are 350 copper coins for selling wild boar meat according to the mission. This was a very profitable hunt. It’s a complete victory for a newbie,"

The female clerk handling the payments and points said. She looked at the novice hunter with admiration. It wasn’t easy for hunters to travel alone like this. In her eyes, he was both brave and respectable.

Maybe it’s because she had encountered various types of hunters, so she had many comparisons to draw. Many hunters didn’t respect the staff, and some even tried to use their money to coerce the female staff into providing additional services. However, the young man before her was different.

He was not only very polite but also respectful while speaking to her. These small gestures made the female clerk, who had been working for over 7 years, appreciate him greatly. She hoped he would have a long and successful career and not fall victim to thieves or beasts.

"Would you like to take on another mission right away? Recently, the points for the Blue-tailed Butterfly mission have increased slightly. I think you’d do well with it," the female clerk suggested kindly.

Blue-tailed Butterflies were currently in demand by apothecaries. Depending on their season, when they were easy to find, their price would drop. The reward collection clerk typically didn’t recommend missions, but small pieces of advice were beneficial to hunters. Therefore, many hunters who behaved well often sought out the clerk for tips on interesting missions.

Lower-level missions were too numerous to sift through one by one to find the most beneficial ones. So, talking with the clerk significantly reduced the time.

Unfortunately, this advice wasn’t useful for Ellie. She needed to return to the institute. She only had half a day left, and if she delayed her trip to take on another mission, she was sure her homeroom teacher, Professor Regan, would target her.

"Thank you for the information, but I have other matters to attend to and can’t take on a mission right now."

"I see. In that case, I wish you a safe journey," the female clerk, about 24-25 years old, responded with an endearing smile. Ellie nodded and left. She had a bit of time left in the city, so she didn’t want to waste it.

Ellie’s first goal in the city was to find a "Beast Storage Ring."

It must not be forgotten that she had the little one with her. While having a beast wasn’t an issue before, the identity of the Nocturnal Rabbit mustn’t be revealed as Ellie’s.

She hadn’t had any opportunity or occasion to meet with this little one. If Ellie suddenly brought a Nocturnal Rabbit to the institute, wouldn’t it be suspicious? And if Ellie had a rabbit and Luke also had one, it would be too obvious that they were the same person.

Therefore, a dimensional ring was essential. She had to get one before returning to the institute! Besides the dimensional ring, she also needed other important items like various herb seeds that the Setter family wouldn’t recognize. If possible...she also wanted to buy a “Magic Scroll” that would help her connect with the Botanic Spirit again.

Previously, she had formed a bond with the Purple Mushroom through that scroll, and now her power had increased from level 2 to level 3. There was a chance she could gain even stronger abilities, wasn’t there?

Of course, her hopes weren’t high in this regard. Magic scrolls didn’t appear often and if they did appear, they were expensive and highly sought after. Even the botanic-based magical scripts that seemed to be in low demand, but for major families, supporting a botanic magician or two was no problem. At the very least, the quality of the crops they cultivated would be slightly better than average.

Ellie just wanted to try her luck. It didn’t take long for her to find a pet ring, which came in 2 types and 2 different prices. The first type was a low-level beast ring. When a beast was placed inside, it would enter a state of hibernation. The drawback was that the beast had to be taken out twice a month, or it would fall into a permanent sleep—essentially dying. The advantage of this ring was its relatively low cost, at only 3,000 gold coins.

The second type, however, was much more expensive at 10,000 gold coins. The high price meant it wasn’t very popular. Those who bought it weren’t concerned about the limitations of summoning the beast, as they would frequently summon their beasts for work or training. But this second type was the one Ellie was most interested in.

This type had no limitations. The beast could stay inside as long as needed, choosing whether to hibernate or remain aware. If the beast chose to stay aware, it could see outside the ring and share the owner’s experiences, which significantly strengthened their bond even while inside the ring.

Moreover, because the beasts could remain aware, they could continue to train their movements. For higher-level beasts with some intelligence, owners would buy this expensive ring. When these beasts were released, their enhanced strength could be a devastating force against enemies.

Though 10,000 gold coins seemed like a lot, Ellie didn’t care. She handed over the money without hesitation and hung the ring around her neck because the pet ring wasn’t something she could have in possession. She doubted anyone would dare to search her chest for it.

The Nocturnal Rabbit, which had been hidden in a cloth wrap for a long time, was placed inside the dimensional ring. It stretched and shook off its stiffness, grateful that its master was still considerate of its needs.

Ellie tossed in some wheat sprouts and a carrot, its goal of eating. Besides those, she also threw in several permanent magic-enhancing crystals, hoping it would train and become a stronger Nocturnal Rabbit. Though she wasn’t sure what its abilities were...if it could summon roots during a fight as it had before, it would be a great advantage in the crisis.

Raising this little one, she could only hope to benefit from it in that aspect...

After feeding the Nocturnal Rabbit, Ellie didn’t pay attention to its grateful gestures. The little rabbit had never seen such dense magic crystals before, but it understood their immense value.

It had heard the elder rabbits talk about seeking out these energy crystals to enhance the power of the Nocturnal Rabbit clan. Many times, the elder rabbits lamented that ever since the departure of the mages, their power and that of their descendants had diminished so much that they couldn’t use the original magic power of their lineage anymore.

Some elders also recounted how, in the past, when they were close to the mages, no other beast dared to challenge the Nocturnal Rabbits. Of course, the little rabbit had always thought those stories were mere fabrications, until now, when it saw a mound of densely packed magic crystals towering over it!

“Ki Kee!!” (Translation: It’s a shame that Father and Mother aren’t here to see this power source. But I will strive to become stronger, and then I will become the strongest Nocturnal Rabbit. Those vile dogs will certainly face my revenge! I believe I can do it because now I’ve met a mage just as the clan leader foretold!)

The little rabbit gazed at the small mountain of crystals with determined eyes. However, before it could start its training, the aroma of the wheat sprouts made its stomach growl again.

“K-Kee...” (Translation: I-I’ll train later. My growling stomach would reduce my efficiency. I need to take care of it first for the sake of future strength...)