Feeling heavy-hearted, the two of them said their goodbyes. Freyen left the Hunter's Association, intending to return home. Light rain had started to fall on the street, splashing the gray-black soil on the ground and splattering onto Freyen's pants. Small puddles formed at intervals along the way. Passersby, wearing simple rough clothing, hurried through the rain, carrying their belongings. The town of Wiltshire was always rainy, and the locals were used to it.
As Freyen stepped into a muddy puddle, the sound of water was interrupted by the chatter of a bargaining conversation.
"Hurry up, give me a price, my child is waiting for snake soup!" said an elderly woman in rough clothing, her hair wrapped with a cloth.
In front of her stood a young man with his pants rolled up, holding a white snake in his hands.
"Three copper coins, no less. This snake looks really delicious."
"I don't have enough on me, I only have two coins. Please, give it to me. If we drag this on any longer, the snake will die," the woman continued to haggle.
Freyen immediately recognized the white snake. Its red eyes emitted a faint magical aura. This was the same snake, the little white one that Cynthia had mentioned. How did it end up caught?
According to the woman, she wanted to make snake soup out of it. Soup made from magical creatures could be highly toxic.
Freyen quickly walked up to them, his Vampire Hunter uniform distinctive in the medieval world, with black heavy metal attire. The two haggling individuals immediately changed their tone upon seeing him, with a somewhat ingratiating attitude.
"Sir, is there anything I can help you with?" the elderly woman spoke first, but Freyen ignored her and turned to the young man.
"Where did this snake come from?" His voice was stern and cold, making the young man gulp nervously.
"I-I found it by the roadside," the young man said, hesitating.
"This is a magical creature," Freyen stated.
Hearing the word "magical creature," the elderly woman immediately jumped up in shock. "A magical creature! Didn't you tell me it was just an ordinary snake?"
The young man, stunned, could only stammer, trying to explain. "I-I didn't know. It looked just like an ordinary snake to me."
"My God, you foolish child! Don't you know this could kill our entire family? Damn it!" The old woman cursed as she angrily walked away. The young man, full of guilt, hadn't expected this ordinary-looking snake to be a magical one.
"I'll give you a silver coin," Freyen said.
The young man, still unsure of what to do with the creature, was thrilled by the offer. Vampire Hunters were known for being generous. He quickly thanked Freyen, exchanged the snake for the silver coin, and left the street.
Freyen glanced at the weak, almost dying white snake in his hands. Its red eyes were fading, clearly badly injured.
Freyen pinched the snake's jaws together. The creature seemed to recognize him and began wriggling, coiling around his arm. He carried it back home.
"Brother, you're back?" A sweet voice came from the kitchen. A silver-haired girl slowly walked out, her appearance gentle and serene.
Freyen's stiff expression finally softened, and he responded as he sat down on a chair, examining the white snake. It had several small bloodstains on its body.
"Is this a magical creature?" the silver-haired girl asked as she approached to take a look. She could sense that it was a magical creature, indicating that she wasn't an ordinary person either.
"Yes."
"Are you going to exchange it tomorrow? It looks like it's badly hurt. I could treat it, maybe it would be worth more money then."
"Alright." Freyen stood up. The white snake twisted in the bowl, and the silver-haired girl quickly held its jaws in place.
They entered the alchemy room, where the girl took out a bottle of transparent ointment, identical to the one Cynthia had made in the alchemy furnace. She mixed the ointment with water, then placed the white snake in a small wooden basin to heal it with a mild healing potion.
The white snake curled up in the basin, slowly healing.
"Poor little thing," the silver-haired girl murmured, squatting next to the basin and watching the snake.
"Oh, by the way, I made mashed potatoes. I think they taste good. Brother, would you like to try some?"
"Of course."
The two sat down and tasted the mashed potatoes while the girl, Alice, talked about the funny things that happened when she went to sell her magic potions today.
Alice was a magician who spent her time at home refining potions to sell.
"Brother, you're now a Gold Rank Hunter, and your clothes are torn. You should change out of them, and I'll sew them for you," Alice said, sipping some beet soup.
"Yes, and Charles has also come back. He successfully promoted to Gold Rank too."
Upon hearing Charles' name, Alice's face showed a hint of shyness. It was no secret that Freyen's sister, Alice, had a crush on Charles. However, she quickly became self-conscious, worried her brother would tease her, and asked, "By the way, did you go to the dungeon? I heard from Julie next door that it's very luxurious."
Alice was curious about the rumors of the dungeon and whether it was as magnificent as her friend Julie had described.
Freyen suddenly remembered the research institute but didn't intend to tell his innocent sister about the ugly things he had seen there.
"It's true."
"Too bad. Witches can't enter the dungeon, or I would really like to see it," Alice said with some expectation and regret in her eyes.
Freyen saw the curiosity in her eyes and replied, "Actually, it's nothing special."
But Alice was clearly intrigued, setting down her spoon and listening attentively. "What's inside?"
Freyen hesitated and gave a vague description, "There are goblins, and the dungeon is very large. If you can't find your way, you can always ask for directions. Of course, it costs gold coins."
"Goblins? I remember they look kind of scary."
"Actually, there are exceptions," Freyen added, thinking of Theodore, the very gentlemanly goblin.
As they continued chatting, there was a knock at the door.
Alice stood up. "Someone's knocking. I'll go see."
When she opened the door, however, there was no one there. Freyen looked puzzled and asked, "Who is it?"
"No one. But there's an envelope on the ground with five silver coins inside." Alice picked up the silver coins and showed them to Freyen.
"Silver coins?" Freyen was confused. Why would someone send silver coins?
"Yes, wait, let me see what the letter says."
"Dear Freyen, I am your employer. I'm glad you've completed the task. This is your reward. Signed, Cynthia."
Five silver coins. Back in the Dark Forest, Freyen had told Cynthia she could hire him for a night for five silver coins. But ultimately, it was Cynthia who had saved him that night.
"It's from your employer, brother," Alice said, waving the letter in her hand before closing the door and walking back to the table.
"I see. Just keep the five silver coins," Freyen replied, glancing at the white snake in the basin. The healing potion had been absorbed, and the snake seemed eager to crawl out of the basin.
"Mm."
After Alice cleaned up the table, her keen eyes noticed the bloodstains on Freyen's clothes. She asked with concern, and upon learning that he had been injured, she looked at him with a touch of sympathy. However, she didn't say anything further. After Freyen changed into fresh clothes, he began to prepare his equipment. He planned to take a low-level task tomorrow. While the silver coins from the task wouldn't be much, it would help with household expenses.
As for the white snake, Freyen felt that if he released it, it might be caught again. So, he planned to take it to North Mountain Town and leave it with Cynthia for safekeeping. He also wondered whether he should tell Cynthia about the current plight of Ahnriyeh.