The morning light gently spread across the land like silk. Feld opened his eyes in the dawn, greeted by Chi-Chi's delicate face nestled in his arms. She had fallen asleep in his embrace, her head resting lightly on his arm.
Chi-Chi had gotten used to falling asleep in his arms, so Feld simply used her as a pillow, enjoying the softness and comfort it brought. She, too, relished the embrace for its warmth and tranquility.
Despite Feld's imposing figure, his movements were incredibly gentle when he held her, never exerting any pressure on her.
In Feld's embrace, every dream was sweet and profound. "Wake up, Chi-Chi," he gently stroked her cheek, waking her up. Chi-Chi emitted a soft sigh and opened her eyes, squinting them affectionately as she nuzzled his palm.
"Big guy, where are we going on our adventure today?" Chi-Chi lazily stretched her body, like a cat just waking up. Then, she sat up energetically on the edge of the bed, wearing a tank top that showcased her slender waist and hinted at her adorable navel and faintly visible abdominal muscles.
Feld responded, "You go to the boss lady first and pick up a few advanced missions, preferably gathering ones. Then, we'll head to the Norforkla Forest to complete them. You should be able to advance to the gold level."
He continued, "After that, we'll deliver the mission to the Wild Wolf Gang, find Raymond to take on an important task, and then spend the afternoon at the Hades Academy with Hilda."
Chi-Chi eagerly put on her heavy-duty gear and quickly went downstairs to pick up the missions from Evelyn. Soon after, Feld finished preparing, and Chi-Chi had already completed the tasks successfully. It was evident that with her increasing reputation, the resources for missions at Evelyn's were also growing.
"Do you want breakfast?" Evelyn asked.
"Let's have a loving breakfast," Feld suggested with a smile.
Evelyn responded with a coquettish look, "That's not on the menu, you know."
He then playfully leaned on the counter, "Then I'll just starve here."
Evelyn couldn't help but chuckle at Feld's antics, finding them endearing. However, in less than three seconds, he looked up at her with a pitiful expression, "Boss lady, are you going to let me starve?"
This statement struck a chord in Evelyn's heart. Although he wasn't extraordinarily handsome, with a rugged charm and strong muscles, theoretically not enough to touch her heart, she couldn't resist. Feld had a perfect understanding of her psyche. As a strong warrior, Feld no longer needed Evelyn's care, but this made Evelyn feel a slight unease, even though she wasn't aware of it. Whenever she didn't see him for a day, her heart felt empty, as if neglected. And now, he was creating an atmosphere of dependency, even if it was just a joke, his display of reliance made Evelyn feel a strong contrast and also made her realize that even a powerful man like Feld was willing to act spoiled towards her, filling her heart with a sense of accomplishment.
So, she bit her lip, swiftly tied on her apron, and firmly said, "Wait a moment!" She then headed straight to the kitchen to cook.
It's worth noting that Evelyn was primarily responsible for mission issuance and management, and the opportunity to cook personally was extremely rare, only bestowed upon Feld.
This was also a kind of satisfaction that Feld gained from Evelyn.
Giving and receiving, needing each other, satisfying each other.
Feld proudly looked at the mercenaries beside him, who cast both disdainful and envious glances at him. Soon, the fragrant loving breakfast was served. The steak was cut into heart shapes, as were the fried eggs, and even the hash browns were shaped like hearts.
"How's that, filled with love, right?" Evelyn asked, slightly expectant and proud.
Feld didn't answer, as his mouth was already full of food. He gave a thumbs up while wolfing down his food, his silent praise more satisfying to Evelyn than words.
After a hearty meal, he burped satisfactorily and smiled, "Indeed, a loving breakfast fills you with energy. Today's work efficiency will be off the charts!"
Evelyn chuckled lightly.
"I'm off." He waved goodbye and left with Chi-Chi. Watching his retreating figure, Evelyn's smile remained on her face until he disappeared from sight. The conversation among the mercenaries then reached her ears.
"Boss lady, stop staring, you might lose your eyeballs."
Amidst a burst of laughter, Evelyn's cheeks reddened slightly. She picked up a wine glass and pretended to smash it, scaring the mercenaries into scrambling away. The tavern was filled with a joyful atmosphere.
After arriving in the inner city, Feld first entered the territory of the Wild Wolf Gang. The members of the gang immediately let him pass without questioning. Along the way, everyone looked at him with admiration and reverence, making him feel extremely content.
When Rog greeted him, he had a smile on his face. "You made quite a stir at Baron Zakari's estate yesterday."
Clearly, news of yesterday's events had already spread.
"Heh, that was just the beginning," Feld replied casually, displaying Okot's damaged twin blades, still connected to half of a limb, which he deliberately left behind as evidence of Okot's tragic fate.
In fact, with numerous eyewitnesses present at the scene, Rog naturally knew about Okot's fate, but professional ethics required certain formalities.
Rog took the twin blades and inspected them before tossing them into the sea. Then, a few of his men brought in five bags of gold coins, totaling fifty thousand in commission, not a penny less.
Feld accepted it readily and responded, "But aren't you worried about Baron Zakari's retaliation? His influence is not to be underestimated."
"If he dares to act, he'll meet the same fate as the Hades Gang," he replied nonchalantly.
Rog admired his confidence, nodded in agreement, and promised, "Come to me anytime you need help. The Wild Wolf Gang only shows loyalty to friends."
After saying that, he extended his right hand.
Feld shook his hand and laughed heartily, "Friends!"
After dealing with the Wild Wolf Gang's affairs, Feld had a brief leisure time, but he didn't want to waste any time. After bidding farewell to Rog, he went to the Steel Tavern to find Raymond and accept new tasks.
Raymond also highly praised yesterday's events and unhesitatingly handed Feld three gold-level tasks: one was to hunt down a low-threat platinum-level beast, with a reward of twenty thousand gold coins; another was to collect ores, with the commission calculated based on quality and quantity, with a minimum guarantee of ten thousand; and the last was a special investigation task of unknown level.
What is an unknown level?
It means the danger level cannot be estimated; it could be harmless or extremely dangerous.
This task was issued by the Haidu authorities through the mercenaries' tavern. The goal was to investigate and hunt down bloodthirsty creatures in the Norforkla Forest, searching for the potential Bloodland!
Indeed, the crisis was looming.
"Indeed, the Bloodlands..." Raymond nodded in agreement, furrowing his brow. "News of the abundance of bloody creatures in the Norfakla Forest has been spreading like wildfire recently."
"Several cities, including Gorilla City and a dozen others nearby, have issued warnings. Once the existence of the Bloodlands is confirmed, it will be a difficult battle."
Feld chuckled lightly, "Isn't that good news for mercenaries?"
Raymond shrugged, replying, "True, there's money to be made, but if one's strength is insufficient, it's the mercenaries who will suffer the most."
Feld nodded without further discussion, stating, "Alright, I'll take on these tasks. I was planning on heading to the Norfakla Forest anyway."
The tasks included exploring and confirming the location of the Bloodlands, as well as hunting the bloody creatures. Their corpses would be bought at market prices, regardless of quantity. After leaving the Iron Tavern, Feld first went to the Orne Blacksmith's Shop. He planned to spend half a day crafting a dagger for Chichi.
Compared to a short sword, he believed a dagger would be more suitable for Chichi due to her petite and agile stature. While a short sword had length, it limited Chichi's speed and agility. Upon learning that Feld was going to make her a dagger, Chichi was ecstatic and insisted on staying in the smithy to watch the forging process. Seeing her so invested, Feld allowed her to stay.
During the forging process, heat resistance and hardness were crucial for the dagger. Feld chose a high-grade material called "Tenfold Forge Iron," which required over ten thousand forgeings to deform into an ultra-hard metal. He intended to refine it into "Tenfold Refined Steel" to further enhance its hardness. It was a physically demanding task, with Feld needing to concentrate and wield the hammer nearly thirty thousand times, akin to refining Nebula Iron. But once completed, Tenfold Refined Steel would surpass Nebula Steel in hardness, albeit slightly inferior in toughness.
Accompanied by the sound of hammer blows, the smithy was bustling. After over two hours of hard work, sweat-drenched Feld finally forged the Tenfold Refined Steel and shaped it into a blade. The subsequent steps included quenching, tempering, fine grinding, and honing the edge. He also selected a piece of black high-grade wood for the handle.
From 8 a.m. in the morning until 1 p.m. in the afternoon, a full five hours, thanks to the well-equipped facilities of the Orne Blacksmith's Shop, Feld finally completed the dagger. The dagger was grey-black, with a matte texture on the surface, understated and reserved. After all, an assassin should not flaunt a dagger that could reflect light like a mirror; that would be asking for trouble.
Under the matte finish, intricate patterns could be seen, with over ten thousand layers visible on the blade. This was the result of countless foldings and alloy reinforcements. The blade width was moderate, the tip sharp, and the back grooved for piercing. For stability and aesthetics, Feld also added two blood grooves on the blade. The handle was specially designed, with added finger grooves to enhance Chichi's grip.
Feld crafted a sheath from the same wood, snugly fitting the blade, resembling feline teeth. When drawn, the blade was as sharp as a razor. A cute cat face pattern was engraved on the back of the blade, with the letter "F" beside it. Only a true master blacksmith would leave their signature on their work. Feld's forging skills had earned the recognition of the older generation, giving him the right to do so.
"Here, this is your exclusive weapon, 'Cat's Sting,'" Feld handed the dagger to Chichi. She took it carefully, admiring it fondly.
"It feels so comfortable to hold, meow..."
"It's so sharp, meow..."
"It's so pretty, meow..."
"Do you like it?" Feld asked with a smile.
"I love it! I super love it, meow!" Chichi jumped up excitedly, throwing herself into Feld's arms and planting a kiss on his cheek.
"Thank you, big guy, meow!"
Seeing Chichi's sweet smile in front of him, Feld chuckled softly and ruffled her hair.
"Alright, let's go find Hilda. We'll set off for the Norfakla Forest today, giving you a chance to practice as well."
"Okay, meow!" Chichi looked forward to it, but then became puzzled. "But weren't we supposed to leave tomorrow?"
"Plans have changed. It's always better to leave early," Feld said with.