Chapter 38
"Nothing, I'm just perplexed by all the information you've given me," the Red Bear replied.
The brown bear looked slightly stunned by the response.
"Alright, let's take care of things here first, then we can head towards that fellow's village," the Red Bear declared.
"Okay, Big Brother Red Bear," the brown bear acknowledged.
…
After Alex arrived home, he found himself with some free time and nothing specific to do. On Earth, during such idle moments, he would usually read novels. However, now his time was limited, and reading novels had become inconvenient. Instead, Alex's mind kept returning to the mysterious box that he still couldn't open.
Seated in the living room, Alex carefully examined the box, attempting different approaches to unlock its hidden storage. He even searched the internet for clues or guides on how to open it, but no matter how hard he tried, the box's mystery remained unsolved. Alex couldn't help but let out a helpless sigh.
Amid his frustration, he suddenly heard the sounds of a little girl giggling and a dog barking from outside. Curious, Alex quickly stowed away the mysterious box in his space ring.
As he stepped outside, he spotted Lilith and Rose playing joyfully with a friendly yellow sheepdog.
"Come on, little Jamu, catch us!" Lilith called out with excitement.
"Hahahah, come catch us, Jamu!" Rose chimed in, equally enthusiastic.
The teenage sheepdog, whom they affectionately called Jamu, chased after the two girls with boundless energy. Intrigued, Alex approached them and asked, "Hey, what are you two up to?"
Lilith, in her usual impatience, replied, "Can't you see we're playing with Jamu, Father?"
"Jamu?" Alex was puzzled.
"Yeah, Jamu is the name we've given this dog," Lilith clarified.
"Wang! Wang!" The sheepdog, seemingly understanding his name being mentioned, barked twice at Alex as if to greet him.
Alex, feeling amused yet helpless, inquired about the name they chose for the sheepdog, Jamu.
"Why did you guys call him Jamu?" he asked curiously.
"Because he is yellow! Just like the herbal medicine my brother made," Rose replied enthusiastically.
Shaking his head, Alex couldn't help but explain, "You know, Jamu is not always yellow. They can be red, white, and even clear."
Lilith, full of complaints, exclaimed, "Ahh? Then they must be the most unpleasant things in the world!"
Rose also recalled the day she first tasted the bitter herbs and couldn't help but agree with her sister.
Seeing the girls' displeased expressions, Alex sighed, realizing he might have unintentionally given them a negative impression of herbs. "Okay, now it's getting late, you two should take a shower. Give little Jamu to me."
Lilith, alarmed by her father's words, rushed to protect the yellow sheepdog as if Alex were a criminal. "Dad, what do you want Jamu for? Are you going to turn Jamu into Jamu?" she asked with horror.
Perplexed by his daughter's strange thoughts, Alex reassured them, "Hey, where did you get that fantasy? Dad doesn't eat dog meat. Just hand him over, and you both can take your shower. I want to take Jamu for a walk."
Lilith, who heard her father's teasing, didn't move and stared at Alex with disbelief in her eyes. She seemed unsure if her father was serious or just playing around.
"Come on, hurry up, or do you want to drink a few more glasses of 'Jamu'? I remember how much you liked the 'Jamu' that I made," Alex continued with a mischievous grin.
The mention of 'Jamu,' which means herbal medicine, made the two girls shudder with fear. They quickly rushed into the house, trying to escape from Alex's playful teasing.
Watching their frightened reactions, Alex nodded to himself, amused by the outcome of his little joke. He then decided to take the yellow sheepdog to the top of Mary's farming mountain.
Alex doesn't keep dogs at home on Earth, but in the garden, he keeps one to look after the place. Apart from guarding the garden, sometimes during hunting festivals, he ventures into the forest to hunt wild boars.
The dogs that Alex keeps are naturally ferocious and agile, far superior to domestic dogs. He took this yellow dog running around just to assess its strength. After all, who wouldn't want to have a strong dog?
Apart from that, Alex possesses recipes from animal nature books, containing several useful formulas for taming potions, nutritional potions, spiritual potions, and more.
In the future, he might use this yellow dog to observe the effects of these potions, so he needed to gather data about the dog's performance before applying these concoctions.
With this intention, Alex continued his assessment formally, following some examples he found on the internet, as well as relying on Russell's bodily memory of the value of a dog by military standards.
…
"Hey, look! Why are there so many nice cars coming to our village? Do you know what's going on?"
"I have no idea. Could some big shots be visiting our village?"
"Impossible! Our village is home to only elderly people, abandoned women, and children."
"You're right."
With this, about five luxury cars drove down the narrow and slightly damaged country road.
"Are you sure this is the place?"
"Yes, big brother. I've done extensive research on the other party's information recently."
"Alright," the red bear nodded in agreement.
The convoy of luxury cars continued down the country road, unconcerned about the villagers' curious gazes. Finally, after a tiring journey, they arrived at a slightly old house.
Several burly individuals stepped out of the cars and started inquiring about the location, while the red bear and the brown bear remained seated in their vehicle.
The burly individuals then called out to someone from outside the house.
After a while, two girls emerged from the house. Upon seeing the scene in front of them, the girls couldn't help but be shocked.
The burly men didn't beat around the bush and immediately asked, "Is this Mr. Russell's house?"
"Y-yes," Lilith replied nervously. Just a few days ago, they had been warned about what gangsters looked like, and their family had advised them to stay away and not get involved if they encountered any. Hearing the description of gangsters had naturally horrified them, and now, seeing them in person, they were afraid they would faint at any moment.
"Then can you call him out?"
Lilith hesitated to answer, afraid that the man would be angry if he found out her father was not at home.
"My brother is not home; he is outside," Rose replied.
The burly man frowned upon hearing this. The two girls became even more frightened about what might happen next.
"Then can you tell me where he is now?"
Both Lilith and Rose were reluctant to disclose Alex's whereabouts, but considering that the men were numerous and appeared strong, they reluctantly revealed where Alex had said he went.
The burly men confirmed the information several times before finally leaving, leaving the two girls still in shock.
Upon seeing the oncoming cars, Lilith couldn't help but become worried. "Is Dad going to be okay?" she asked anxiously.
"I don't know either," Rose replied in a low voice, sharing her sister's concern.
Alex, after finishing the collection of the dog's data, felt a sense of satisfaction. "Jamu" was in excellent health, showing no signs of past injuries. Alex attributed this improvement to the dew of life. Although he had only given the dog a few drinks initially, remarkable physical development was evident.
With this discovery, Alex felt more confident in his plans. He knew he had various avenues to explore.
As he was about to descend the mountain, he noticed several cars rushing toward him. Alex scanned his surroundings but found nothing unusual.
"Why are these people coming?" Alex wondered curiously. He was the only one interested in this remote mountain area, so their arrival seemed peculiar.
Thoughts raced through Alex's mind. Could these people be from the dog group? Were they here to take back the farm? Confusion filled his thoughts, trying to make sense of the situation. If his assumption was correct, their actions were baffling. Why take the farm they intentionally left behind?
Alex considered the possibility of being framed. It was the only logical explanation that came to mind.
While Alex was lost in thought, the luxury cars eventually came to a stop, and several burly men stepped out of the vehicles, making their way toward him. Observing this, both the brown bear and the red bear also approached Alex.
As Alex saw the brown bear among the group, he began to piece things together; it seemed these individuals were not from the dog group but rather from the bear group.
"Hello, gentlemen. Is there anything I can help you with?" asked Alex, maintaining a neutral tone.
"Hello, Master Russell. We didn't expect the war king to settle in such a remote village," said the red bear enthusiastically.
Alex frowned slightly, as it appeared that the other party was aware of his identity. This implied that they were not ordinary people. Moreover, their massive, muscular frames exuded vitality and strength.
"Excuse me, sir. Who is this?" Alex inquired, wanting to know more about the red bear.
The red bear chuckled heartily and replied, "Hahaha, forgive me for my previous impoliteness. Master Russell, allow me to introduce myself. I am Red Bear, one of the three bear kings."
Extending his hand towards Alex, Red Bear offered a handshake. Alex hesitated for a moment but then reciprocated the gesture.
"Hahaha, it's alright, Mister Red Bear," Alex responded casually, though he remained cautious of the situation.
As their hands touched, Alex immediately sensed the powerful grip of the red bear, who seemed to be exerting immense force. A surge of energy, akin to a raging tsunami, coursed through his body from the other party's hand. Feeling the intensity of the moment, Alex instinctively tensed up and regarded the red bear with caution.
Alex who felt this then tensed up and looked at the other party warily.
Meanwhile, the red bear didn't change its expression at all and continued to smile warmly in front of Alex.