Watching the lonehorn bull staggering away in retreat, Feld weighed the massive bull horn in his hand and nodded satisfactorily. Though the blow had stung a bit, at least it hadn't taken the lonehorn barbarian bull's life. It wasn't out of any great mercy on Feld's part, but rather because the struggle had allowed his magical energy to settle once again. With his magical reservoir now almost ninety-eight percent full and the task completed, he was in high spirits and decided to let the bull go.
"Next, let's find some Hops Blossom," Feld said.
"We found it," suddenly, Keke said.
"What?" Feld blinked.
"Just now, that big bull was eating Hops Blossom, over there, I saw it," Keke pointed to a nearby thicket.
"Damn, am I lucky or what?" Feld laughed heartily.
Arriving at the spot where the lonehorn bull had been grazing, Feld indeed found the Hops Blossom. There was a large bunch of it, half-eaten by the bull, but what remained was enough to fulfill the task and then some.
Feld harvested all of it, checked the time—it had been less than an hour since they started.
"Let's go, back to the city," Feld hoisted the heavy hammer and signaled to Keke.
Keke agilely leaped onto Feld's shoulder.
Feld suddenly sucked in a breath. "Ouch... little kitty, sit on the other side, this one's a bit scratched."
He had used his right shoulder against the bull horn, which was anything but smooth, resulting in many scratches on his shoulder.
Keke, seeing this, quickly moved to the other shoulder and took out a bottle of intermediate healing potion to pour on Feld's shoulder wounds.
"No need for that," Feld waved his hand. "These scratches will be fine after a good night's sleep."
Keke looked at the large patches of scratches on Feld's shoulder and twitched her ears.
Were these considered minor injuries?
They looked quite terrifying...
But by the time Feld finished speaking, the wounds had already started scabbing over, so Keke nodded and put away the healing potion.
On the way, Feld hummed a tune, seeming in a good mood. Keke looked at his lower body and couldn't help but speak up.
"Big guy."
"Hmm?"
"I think you need to buy some new pants," Keke said.
Feld looked down. Alright, his pants hadn't held up in the end, torn apart by his bulging muscles. Now he was practically wearing shorts tied together with strips of cloth.
"Alright, you're right."
Back in Grilah City, Feld went shopping at the market, bought a new pair of pants, and also stocked up on some supplies.
When Hollan was ready to leave the academy, she saw Feld waiting with a carriage.
"You... changed your pants?" Hollan looked at Feld's pants and couldn't help but comment.
It wasn't that she enjoyed paying attention to this, but... Feld's new pants were just too eye-catching.
Hollan swore, Feld's original pants were definitely not like this.
The pants were covered in maple leaf patterns—yellow leaves, red leaves, and orange leaves, all arranged to highlight the beauty of autumn leaves turning red. Especially with these eye-catching shorts matched with Feld's honest and slightly rascally demeanor, it was hard not to attract attention.
"Yeah, how do I look?" Feld's face was full of confidence. "Isn't it handsome? The shopkeeper said it's the trend this season!"
Hollan couldn't help but laugh.
Such a self-loving big guy.
The pants topic didn't last long, and soon the group set off.
"I thought you had a special carriage?" Looking at Hollan sitting next to him, Feld said.
"I did, but I sold it," Hollan shrugged.
"You sold it?" Feld was surprised. "Are you short on money?"
"Mm-hmm~" Hollan nodded without denying it. "Magic research is expensive, otherwise, I wouldn't have had to haggle with you over the price of a wolf monster corpse."
"How about it, want to sponsor our research team, esteemed mercenary?" Hollan's eyes curved with mischief and cunning.
This mentor had a cute side too.
Feld immediately said, "Of course, I'm willing to donate one million gold!"
"Are you serious?" Hollan was taken aback.
Feld grinned, "But I have to earn enough first."
Hollan couldn't help but smile wryly.
She had wanted to tease Feld a bit, but ended up being teased by him instead. He really wasn't straightforward.
The journey was long, so Hollan and Feld chatted along the way.
"When did you come to Seadot?"
"A few days ago."
"What are you doing in Seadot?"
"Being a mercenary," Feld said. "I heard Seadot is also known as the 'City of Mercenaries,' so I came here to develop."
"Indeed, Seadot has the most mercenaries in this region, but if you talk about the Mercenary City, it's Normanwath. That's the real Mercenary City." Hollan said.
Feld was curious, "Where is that?"
Hollan looked at him somewhat surprised, "As a mercenary, don't you know about Normanwath?"
"Should I?" Feld asked.
"Of course, seven legendary mercenaries were born there!"
"Wow, then I have to go and see!" Feld smirked. "When I go there, the eighth legendary mercenary will be born!"
Hollan laughed.
She admired Feld's confidence.
"But you'll have to step up your game. Golden-tier mercenaries don't rank highly there, and that place isn't easy to get to," Hollan said.
"Normanwath is on another continent, an independent city-state. To get there, you have to pass through three empires and over a dozen small countries. Just passing through the checkpoints along the way is a problem because the Sea Pose Empire is currently at war with the Ironblood Empire."
"To get to Normanwath, you have to pass through the Ironblood Empire."
Feld pondered. The Sea Pose Empire was the ruling empire in the area where Feld was currently located. The empires on this continent were like blackheads on a nose; remove one and another would appear.
And as for the small kingdoms, they were like chives, cut one and another one would grow.
"Besides going through the Ironblood Empire, are there any other routes?" Feld asked.
"Sure," Hollan looked into the distance and said, "By sea. Normanwath, like Seadot, is backed by the sea."
"But while this route is faster, it's also more dangerous. Sea monsters are more powerful than those on land, and there are countless pirates waiting for prey along the route. So if you want to go, I'd still recommend the land route."
"Of course, if you enjoy challenges and adventures, then the sea route is also a good choice," Hollan said.
"Then I choose the sea route!" Feld grinned.
Hollan glanced at him and continued, "But I've heard that the Queen of the Iron Blood Empire is exceptionally beautiful..."
"Feld: "Overland, it must be overland!""
Hollan: "But the pirate queen at sea is equally formidable..."
Feld: "Professor Hollan."
"Hmm?" Hollan looked at Feld with a smile in her eyes, thinking she had just teased him successfully.
But the next moment, she heard Feld say, "Do you know how to do clone magic? If you do, please teach me!""
Hollan: "..."
The question of whether to take the land route or the sea route was not pursued further, as it was just a joke, and in the short term, Feld had no plans to leave Haedo. Feld cherished the present moment very much; thinking about the future could wait, as who knew what tomorrow might bring?
As night fell and the temperature dropped, Feld had bought two blankets when he went to the market - one for Qiqi and one for Hollan. Taking the blankets, Hollan smiled and said, "I didn't expect you to be so thoughtful."
"Come on, I'm a gentleman," Feld replied.
"A gentleman? But aren't you a mercenary?" Hollan raised an eyebrow with a smile.
"Can't a mercenary be a gentleman? I call it 'mercenary gentleman,'" Feld quipped.
"Hired-hand gentleman?" Hollan chuckled.
"It's 'mercenary gentleman'!" Feld insisted.
"Haha," Hollan laughed.
At that moment, the distant howls of wolves echoed through the vast fields, lingering for a long time. Feld looked towards the distance, where several emerald eyes seemed to flicker like ghostly fires from the distant forest.
"Wolf pack," Feld remarked.
"Is it dangerous?" Hollan asked, though she didn't seem very nervous.
"No, just an ordinary pack of wolves. They know the power of humans and won't get too close to the trade route," Feld explained before recalling something.
"By the way, Professor Hollan, I've always had a question."
"Go ahead," Hollan nodded slightly.
"With the appearance of a wolf demon near Haedo, what do you think it means?" Feld asked, his gaze fixed ahead.
For a moment, the atmosphere became somewhat ominous, as if the words "wolf demon" represented terror itself. And indeed, it was the case.
"Are you suggesting that a blood land has appeared nearby?" Hollan inquired.
"I've considered that possibility," Feld nodded. "That's why I asked you about the bloody land earlier."
"It's likely that the wolf demon appeared nearby after wandering from a distant blood land," Hollan said.
"The wolf demons are different from the blood fish and blood-eyed creatures. The latter cannot stray too far from the blood land because they need the blood energy to sustain themselves and reproduce. But the wolf demons are more advanced. They can roam far from the blood land to hunt."
"This area is under the jurisdiction of the Imperial Patrol, which patrols regularly. If there were a blood land, surrounding cities would be warned immediately. But so far, there's been no news. I think that the wolf demon probably wandered here from a distant blood land."
"Does this kind of thing happen often?" Feld asked.
"Not really. Bloody creatures don't belong to this world in the first place, so their numbers are scarce," Hollan explained.
"But now, with the invasion of the blood lands into our world, there will definitely be more blood lands and more bloody creatures in the future. Only by cutting off the source of blood can we stop the invasion of blood."
Feld nodded, fell silent for a moment, then asked, "What would happen if a blood land really appeared nearby?"
"That would be a disaster," Hollan said solemnly.
"Every appearance of a blood land heralds terror and death."
"In history, there have been several massive blood surges, each bringing unimaginable disasters to the continent."
"If a blood land were to appear nearby, we would have to combine the forces of all surrounding cities to clean it up; otherwise, once the blood land develops, even a stronghold like Grela City would be consumed by the blood."
"What is the strongest person in Grela City?" Feld suddenly asked.
"Grela City's lord, the Wind Song Master - Mel Astrea," Hollan replied.
Feld nodded.
Having the exclusive title of "Wind Song Master" meant that Lord Mel was a titled-level powerhouse.
Below five tiers: Brass, Silver, Gold, Platinum, Mythril.
Above five tiers: Legendary, Titled, Epic, Mythical, Divine.
A titled-level powerhouse was already quite formidable.
"And what about you?" Feld asked again.
"Me?" Hollan said. "I'm just a minor Platinum-level mage."
"Platinum level? That's really impressive. I'm only a Silver Five Star," Feld said enviously.
But what he envied wasn't the "Platinum level," but the "mage."
"Silver?" Now it was Hollan's turn to be shocked.
"You're only Silver?" Hollan looked incredulous.
She had previously obtained Feld's registration information from the gatekeeper's mages, which only stated that Feld was a Brass-level mercenary without specifying his exact tier.
Being a Brass-level mercenary didn't indicate a person's true strength, as even if you were a Mythril-level powerhouse, registering as a mercenary would still classify you as Brass level.
Considering that Feld was able to kill a wolf demon, Hollan had always assumed that he was at least a high-tier Gold-level warrior. She had never thought that he was only Silver level.
"Hmm, Silver Five Star," Feld said, activating his bloodline marks
"Unless she's younger than you boast," Hollan quipped.
"Eighteen years old, Silver Five Star, not much different from my students, but they can't single-handedly hunt down wolf demons," Hollan remarked afterwards, seemingly nostalgic.
This remark made Feld quite comfortable, and he chuckled, "Of course, I'm the best!"
"You're bragging now," Hollan giggled, covering her mouth, then continued, "So, with your talent, there's really no problem for you to enter Haidis. Why did you choose to become a mercenary?"
This was the second time she had asked this question. The last time, Feld had brushed it off with a witty compliment, but Hollan still wanted to know. As they spent more time together, she was becoming increasingly curious about this big guy.
"Because I love this profession, just like you love magical research," Feld replied with a faint smile.
"Perhaps in the eyes of outsiders, mercenaries are just a bunch of people forced by circumstances to live a blood-soaked life, but in this world, some people are different."
"Such as me."
"Money, fame, or even becoming a legend, none of these are the real reasons why I enjoy being a mercenary."
"What is the real reason?" Hollan became more curious.
Feld looked at her, then pulled out a cigarette, gesturing, "Mind if I smoke?"
"Go ahead," Hollan nodded.
Feld lit the cigarette, leaning against the carriage. With one hand driving the cart and the other holding the cigarette, he exhaled smoke into the night air, which dissipated with the cold wind.
"What I love is freedom."
"Not the carefree kind."
"That's what canaries in castles seek."
"What I want... is the freedom beyond rules!"