After eating and drinking their fill, and bidding farewell to the proprietress, Field left the Seafall Tavern with Qiqi and Hilda, heading towards the inner city.
Along the way, Hilda was still quite interested in what had just happened.
There was just no denying how cool Field looked when he effortlessly commanded everyone's attention.
Hilda: "Why did they all listen to you?"
Field: "Because I'm strong."
Hilda: "But they called you boss just now."
Field: "Because I defeated their boss, so they call me boss too."
Hilda: "Then what do they call their own boss?"
Field: "They call him boss."
Hilda: "Then I think they should call you grand boss or big boss, after all, you're their boss's boss."
Field couldn't help but burst into laughter; this girl was sometimes just too cute.
"Oh, by the way, do you have a swimsuit?" Field suddenly asked.
"A swimsuit? No, why do I need a swimsuit?" Hilda asked.
"Because we're going swimming! Do you plan on just staying on the boat? That's no fun at all," Field encouraged. "Trust me, the underwater scenery is absolutely beautiful!"
Sure enough, Hilda couldn't resist the allure of the beautiful scenery, and she immediately felt intrigued.
So she nodded and said, "Then let's go to Brittany's shop. They should sell swimsuits there."
"Great!" Field nodded excitedly.
As they passed by the orphanage, Field noticed that it had already been renovated, even faster than expected. Sains was really efficient.
So Field walked towards the orphanage, saying as he walked, "Do you see that orphanage over there?"
"I see it, it's quite beautiful," Hilda nodded.
"Hehe, I fixed it up!" Field said proudly.
More accurately, he paid for the renovations.
Hilda was momentarily stunned, then showed a surprised expression. "Could this be the story you told me before, the orphanage for the bullied girl?"
"Yep," Field nodded.
Instantly, admiration filled Hilda's eyes.
Especially when she saw the children running out of the orphanage, affectionately calling Field "big guy" and climbing all over him, she thought Field was really, truly amazing.
"Big guy, who is this beautiful lady?" At this moment, Tiana pointed at Hilda and asked.
Hilda smiled and walked over, reaching out to touch the little girl's cheek. "Hello, I'm Hilda, Field's good friend."
With a bit of extra money, the children began to grow more, some of their baby fat making their faces very cute.
Field chuckled, then asked, "Girls, how do you like your new home? Is it comfortable?"
"Comfortable~" the group of little girls chorused.
Tiana even took Field and Hilda's hands and led them inside. "Grandma is cooking, let's eat together."
Hilda suddenly felt a little regretful; she shouldn't have eaten too much at the Seafall Tavern just now.
As they entered the house, Hilda saw the beautiful interior decoration and a kind old lady.
Grandma Lennar was a little surprised when she saw Hilda, but after learning that she was Field's friend, she warmly welcomed her.
"Grandma, there's no need to trouble yourself. We just ate at the tavern," Hilda quickly said as she saw the various fruits and dried fruits Grandma Lennar had brought out.
It was Field who happily showed off the dried fruits. His stomach was like a bottomless pit; his appetite was huge, and his digestion was very strong. He had just finished eating, and now his stomach was empty again, with all the food turning into energy stored in his massive body.
"In that case, take these fruits with you. You can eat them when you're hungry during your mission," Grandma Lennar suggested kindly, bringing out a bag of fruit.
Despite Hilda's repeated refusals, Grandma Lennar insisted, and in the end, Hilda accepted. She even took out the snacks from her storage ring and gave them to the children.
The children cheered, and their fondness for Hilda grew instantly.
Calling her "Sister Hilda" sweetly one after another, it sounded so sweet.
After sitting in the orphanage for a while, Field bid farewell to Grandma Lennar and the children.
Vina would send letters back, and Field didn't need to report Vina's situation too much. Once he confirmed that Grandma Lennar and the children were okay, he could leave.
As they watched the two of them leave, Grandma Lennar's smile gradually turned into a frown, and finally she sighed.
"Grandma Lennar is really nice," Hilda said, carrying a bag of fresh fruit.
She could tell that these fruits were carefully selected and even washed in advance, with sparkling droplets of water on them.
"Yeah, otherwise why would I help them?" Field said, smirking.
"Hilda, you're also very kind. I really admire you," Hilda said, looking at Field with admiration.
"Oh, am I? Don't admire me too much, or I'll get embarrassed," Field chuckled.
"Who said I admire you?" "You did."
"Who said I did? Field, has anyone ever told you that you're narcissistic?"
"Who! Who said that! Lying without blinking, huh! Don't let me catch you!" Field immediately pretended to look for his target, looking around and making Hilda and Qiqi giggle.
Before long, they arrived at the inner city gate.
Field and Qiqi both had passes, but Hilda didn't.
What to do?
So Field got to experience what it means to have good looks. When the city gate guards saw Hilda's pure angelic face, they were all stunned. They didn't even bother with checking her pass or collecting the one thousand gold deposit; they just let her through. But Hilda voluntarily paid the one thousand gold, as she wasn't one to take advantage of such benefits.
"That's strange, I'm so handsome, why don't I get this treatment?" Field pondered, stroking his chin.
"Hehehe, where are you handsome?" Hilda laughed, covering her mouth.
"How am I not handsome?" Field looked at Qiqi. "Qiqi, am I handsome?"
"Handsome, meow!" Qiqi replied.
"Who's the most handsome person in the world?" Field asked.
"Field's meow!" Qiqi said.
"Who's the super-duper handsome guy?" Field asked again.
"Still Field's meow!" Qiqi replied.
Field lifted his chin towards Hilda. "As everyone knows, Qiqi never lies."
Hilda laughed until tears almost came out; this Field was really so quirky. But she enjoyed it. Whenever she was with him, her smile always stayed on her face.
As they walked, Field suddenly pointed to a shop and said, "Look, that's Ornn's Blacksmith Shop, run by a dwarf."
"That's where I forged the Blade of the Exalted," Field said.
"Really? Can we go in and take a look?" Hilda asked.
"Of course, I have a task from old Ornn that I need to complete, so we'll go in now," Field replied.
"Then let's go in quickly!"
Pushing open the door, Ornn was still working diligently at the forge.
"Old man Ornn, I've brought you the octagonal crystal ore you wanted," Field shouted loudly.
"Get lost, you brat! I'm only one hundred and eighty-nine years old. Compared to a dwarf's lifespan, I'm still a young adult!" Ornn replied without turning around. But when he saw Hilda, he couldn't help but pause. He noticed the slender sword at Hilda's waist, the Blade of the Exalted. Immediately, his gaze towards Field became a bit more meaningful. He remembered that Field had said this sword was meant for his future wife.
Hilda also said, "A dwarf's lifespan is much longer than a human's. One hundred and eighty-nine years old is indeed considered a young adult."
Field asked, "Is that so?"
"You only just realized?" Ornn looked puzzled.
"Yeah," Field nodded.
Ornn fell silent, not saying anything. After a moment, he turned around and continued forging, saying, "Put the stuff on the table. If you don't have anything else, then get lost. I still have to work overtime!"
Field chuckled awkwardly and walked out of the blacksmith shop with Hilda and Qiqi.
"As you can see, dwarves aren't very friendly," Field shrugged. "Of course, it might be because I used his forge to forge the Blade of the Exalted, causing him to have to work overtime now."
Hilda couldn't help but laugh. "No wonder."
"You're laughing, but it's all because of you. Otherwise, old man Ornn usually calls me 'little treasure,'" Field huffed.
As soon as he finished speaking, a roar came from the blacksmith shop.
"You're damn disgusting! You stand there, watch me beat you with a hammer, and see if I don't beat your damn 'little treasure'!" Ornn yelled.
Field laughed heartily and ran off with Qiqi, and Hilda followed suit, laughing.
"There's the Iron Tavern, owned by Raymond. You've seen it before. I need to find him to complete a task," Field said.
"Let's go then. I didn't get a good look last time. Let me see it properly this time," Hilda said.
Then the two of them, plus Qiqi, entered the tavern.
And just like that, the scene from the Haven Tavern replayed itself. The once bustling tavern quickly fell silent, with everyone staring at Hilda in astonishment. Hilda felt a bit helpless; this happened to her wherever she went, instantly becoming the center of attention.
At that moment, a burly man even larger than Field approached, his face stern and filled with muscles. Hilda instinctively became alert, but then she remembered that she had met this man before; he had even brought medical supplies for Field.
Sure enough, the next moment, she saw the man wrap his arm around Field's shoulder and smile, "Long time no see, Field. Where have you been up to now?"
"What big things can I do? It's all just completing tasks," Field chuckled.
Hearing this, John leaned in close to Field's face and whispered, "You were with her last time too. I'm curious, is she your..."
"Friend," Field smiled.
"Really just a friend?" John looked incredulous.
"A very good friend," Hilda interjected, smiling openly.
John was surprised and looked at Field, who blinked. John blinked too. They locked eyes for a moment, then suddenly shook hands.
"Awesome," John said.
"Too kind," Field replied.
"Huh?" Hilda looked confused.
Soon, the Iron Tavern became lively again. Field led Qiqi and Hilda upstairs. Hilda followed Field, curious, "Why did you shake hands just now?"
"Maybe because I'm awesome and he admires me," Field replied vaguely.
After a moment, they saw Raymond. Raymond greeted Hilda with a smile.
Compared to John, Raymond obviously knew more. He knew that this person was a prominent figure in Heidi's, even the little princess of Grela City, with a high status. As for why she could go with Field, he didn't intend to ask too much, just sighed inwardly at Field's capabilities.
This time, Field received four tasks from Raymond. Field completed three of them, leaving one material collection task. Evelyn also had a hunting task that hadn't been done yet. Both tasks required going out to sea.
"Is there still work at sea? I'm going out to sea. Let's see if we can do it together," Field handed Raymond a cigarette and said.
Raymond lit the cigarette and said, "There's one, but this task is a bit dangerous. You need to hunt the Blade Fin Shark, and there are requirements. Are you sure you want to take it?"
Field knew about the Blade Fin Shark, a shark beast similar to the Great White Shark but larger and more ferocious, with fins and a head like razor blades, extremely sharp. One charge could split a small boat in two. The Blade Fin Shark reached platinum level when it reached adulthood, and some even reached mythril level, but they were generally found in deeper waters.
"Tell me the requirements," Field raised his chin.
Raymond nodded and snapped his fingers. A beautiful waitress walked in with a task list.
"It requires at least a platinum seven-star or higher adult specimen, and the body must be intact by at least eighty percent after the kill."
"If you capture it alive, the task will be upgraded to mythril level, with the bounty tripled."
"Wow, that's quite a challenge," Field nodded, then said, "Okay, I'll take it. I'll make sure to bring it back alive."
"Good lad!" Raymond slapped his thigh and said, "This task has been on my hands for a long time, and over a dozen people have died."
"Since you're taking it, I'll provide you with task conveniences in my personal capacity."
"I have a crabbing boat in the Wolf Gang shipyard undergoing maintenance. It's ready to launch now."
"Take it."
With that, he threw over a diamond-shaped magic device. "This is the key."
"Thanks!" Field caught it and grinned.
With that, the boat problem was solved.