Noctis silently watched for a few moments as Village Chief Talon was almost near him, but looked away because the burly man's imposing aura had unexpectedly pressed onto him while simultaneously locking on to his position. He slightly knitted his eyebrows together because he didn't expect this from Mika's father at all, and this is before he had yet to even officially meet him!
The next thing that happened caused Noctis to be greatly surprised because he felt that Village Chief Talon's aura had changed almost instantly!
It went from a grand and fierce aura that was similar to that of a powerful beast king, to a benign and tranquil aura like the summer breeze that causes the leaves to naturally drift from one place to another…
Noctis was inherently sensitive to the use of the natural energy of the world and insight knowledge, so he couldn't help but think that Village Chief Talon had changed his aura this way to fit the current mood, and to appear as amiable and friendly to him.
The only thing is that Noctis didn't know which specific insight that Village Chief Talon was specialized in, but if he could guess, then it was most likely the Body Transformation insight! This is because when one reaches a certain stage in that prime insight, then one could have a better grasp and control of the overall state of energies within the body, to a point that it could even change the aura of the user!
It was also quite rare for a human to comprehend the Body Transformation insight unless their body could accommodate for it, but Village Chief Talon's body clearly can due to his massively built size.
This made Noctis be more slightly interested in this man and wondered if there were others like him in the village…
Noctis carefully contemplated about this all in a very brief period of time, until Village Chief Talon finally arrived right in front of him.
This man was as tall as Hakan, therefore Noctis had to raise his head in order to directly look into his hawk-like eyes. He was still an adolescent and was regularly growing, but in front of Mika's father who was about 2 or 3 heads taller than him, he had to admit that he looked no different than Mika herself, and was practically like a pitiful child that had suffered grievances.
Village Chief Talon revealed a faint smile on his face, as he began to speak to the savior of his son and daughter,
"I formally welcome you to our home, the Taniko Village. My brother had briefly told me about you, Noctis, so I give you my utmost heartfelt gratitude for saving my son and daughter… Mika and Moki are very precious to me, and I wouldn't know what to do if anything terrible were to happen to them… at least, I wouldn't have the courage to be able to look into their mother's eyes ever again."
Noctis grew quiet and didn't know what to say since Village Chief Talon had mentioned Mika's mother, whom he already knew had passed away. He thought to himself that the village chief was most likely referring to a statue or a grave of her.
The atmosphere grew quiet due to Noctis, which caused Village Chief Talon to be momentarily put into a weird situation. It seemed like the tall man in front of him was lost in his own thoughts within his mind, but was finally able to snap back to reality after hearing the bustling noises that came from within Taniko Village.
Village Chief Talon drew his eyes forward, and noticed that Noctis had a somewhat indifferent expression on his face and was coldly staring at him, which caused him to give out an unusual subtle laugh. He took a step aside next to Noctis and brought his arms towards the direction of the village before casually saying,
"Well, enough of that for now… How about I take you to the guest residence? I will give you a short tour of the village along the way, and perhaps you will find some things worth your time. There will also be a feast later on in the night to celebrate my son and daughter's safe return thanks to you, so I hope you will attend hahaha…"
"I will think about it but... we should indeed start walking."
The both of them began to walk alongside each other and soon went past the iron gate before arriving at the front section of Taniko Village, where they could both see the ground-level houses nearby and the row of plateaus off in the distance.
They continued walking towards the village center, which Noctis couldn't help but widen his eyes in surprise because he didn't expect that Taniko Village would be similar to that of a small town!
There was a solid pavement that he was walking on, and it seemed like it extended to all parts of the village, including the plateau grounds. The houses could be described as not small nor primitive at all; they were about 5-6 meters tall and were constructed in a way that they were connected and spread, so one could easily navigate and move wherever one needed to go. They were built out of stone and brick materials with proper roofs, windows, and chimneys.
Village Chief Talon noticed Noctis's change in expression, so he began to speak proudly about his home,
"Hahaha… you are surprised, right? Although it is still called Taniko 'Village,' it is vastly different to those regular villages that could be found outside the boundaries of any kingdom. This change didn't happen until the generation of my grandfather, who was also the village chief at that time. He was incredibly wise and sought the best for his people, so he began to improve the standard living conditions and the overall strength of our home. He took advantage of the resources found within Mount Trinity, and led together a group of people to start on this ambitious project. This carried on to this day, in which it is still in the process, but if my grandfather was alive to see how much the village had changed over the years, then he would be extremely happy."
Noctis grew a little bit interested since he never expected that this 'village' would be unlike anything he imagined. He closely listened to Village Chief Talon's words and then said,
"I see… I am indeed very surprised, and I certainly do think that your grandfather was a great man. Although, I feel like it's a little wrong to still call it a village don't you think?"
"There are a few reasons for it, but one of the main reasons is that the redesigning and the expansion of the village has not been completed yet. Another reason would be that we rely on hunting and that we are still agriculture based, therefore you would often find crops in the fields and herds of animals wherever you go here. In the end, it doesn't really matter as long as my people are content and at peace, so whether it is a 'village' or a 'town' is basically irrelevant to me."
"Hmm…"
Noctis uttered this sound under his breath, which was the equivalent of expressing a shrug of his shoulders. The both of them started to get near the center of Taniko Village, which made Noctis look at his surroundings and see the increase in the inhabitants around this area.
One could not forget about the people that makes a community in a certain environment, especially in a village. These villagers were constantly moving around and minding their own businesses, as they fetched water from the wells or picked fruits from the grown trees. There were even several carriages being pulled by large horses, and small children running close by as if they were playing games.
Overall, it seemed like all these villagers were hustling in activities due to the approaching night, and the return of the large group of hunters that were with Noctis.
It wasn't until Village Chief Talon's arrival that caught all the villager's attention, which caused them to temporarily stop what they were doing and curiously look on. This is due to the fact that the village chief who they were very familiar with, was walking alongside a strange youth!
Noctis was obviously the strange youth, and he could understand why these villagers were looking at him as if he was from an entirely different race. This is mainly because of the combined sight of his ripped and dirty clothes, along with openly walking right next to Village Chief Talon.
Noctis expected this reaction, but he still couldn't help but feel somewhat embarrassed due to the number of eyes glued onto his body. He still remained a cool expression and tried his best to ignore this unfortunate situation, as he didn't slow down nor increase his pace while walking right beside the village chief.
Village Chief Talon raised one of his arms to wave back at the neighboring children before taking a small glance at Noctis. He now just realized why the young man had become so silent, and this was all because of his people, who had their complete focus on Noctis alone!
The village chief immediately began to speak to Noctis about this weird predicament,
"Please excuse the rude stares from my people… it has been quite a while since the last guest has visited our home. After I bring you to the guest residence, I will make an announcement to everyone that addresses you as a formal guest, and your involvement in saving Mika and Moki, so hopefully it should resolve this issue."
Village Chief Talon not only took the initiative to explain Noctis's current circumstance, but had also brought up a solution for it. He didn't want to make Noctis feel uncomfortable since it was his first time visiting the village, and that he was after all, the savior of his son and daughter.
On the other hand, Noctis wasn't too concerned about it, but he did appreciate the village chief for informing him, and that the man was even willing to make his experience more pleasant during his stay in the village. He now understood why Mika had revealed her father's true behavior… it was all really due to his naturally kind personality, which is shown through his efforts.
Noctis displayed a light smile on his face and thought about another matter, which made him speak and become more direct to Village Chief Talon,
"I don't really mind the stares from your people, but I can take you up on that offer either way… I will be quite grateful for it. Although, I don't really see myself staying here longer than I need to, but is there anything else I should know more about this village?"
Village Chief Talon's impression on Noctis improved and looked at him in a more favorable light. It was clear to him that this young man was of the reserved and straightforward type, but when it came to showing appreciation and gratitude, then he wouldn't shy away from it. The village chief gave a small laugh and replied,
"Hahaha… you can stay as long as you want in the guest residence. Do whatever you need to do until you decide to leave since it's already quite strange for someone like you to be in Mount Trinity. Anyways, there's not much you need to know about Taniko Village aside from it having a small marketplace near the village center. Regarding the plateaus, they are all pretty much used for residences where most of my people live, including my Brother Hakan and I."
"Does that mean the guest residences are also in one of the plateaus?"
Noctis realized that they were considerably past the village center and was heading into a section that consisted of a higher concentration of plateaus, so he replied back with this in mind.
The both of them arrived at a certain plateau and stopped right in front of it before Village Chief Talon said,
"Yes, you are right and this plateau happens to be where the guest residences are at! Come… it's just right above."
Village Chief Talon led the way and Noctis followed right behind him. Very soon, they arrived at the base of the plateau, where Noctis saw one of the houses that seemed to be a guest residence.
Noctis was about to take a step forward with the intent to stand in front of the house, but then Village Chief Talon said,
"This is where you will be staying at… I will send someone over to take care of your needs, so please make yourself feel comfortable. It's best if you see what's inside the guest residence yourself because there has actually been a lot of thought put into it, so let me know if it's to your liking or not later on. I will return to my own residence now, but don't forget that there's a feast later on, so please do come hahaha…"
Village Chief Talon was about to leave the plateau, but Noctis quickly stopped him and said,
"Wait a minute… you don't need to send someone over. I'll just help myself and figure things out on my own."
Noctis didn't put much thought into his own words because he actually just wanted to spend some time alone, and to not be disturbed since he wanted to stabilize his cultivation!
This was one reason, but another reason was that he didn't want to be put into another awkward situation regarding his clothes to anymore people…
Village Chief Talon didn't understand why Noctis had rejected his offer, but instead of complying to Noctis's request, he actually brushed it off aside and became more direct about it!
"Nonsense hahaha… Don't worry, I already have someone in mind that you wouldn't be troubled with at all."
"?"
Noctis had a confused look on his face, as he watched Village Chief Talon walk away…