Chapter 25: A Familiar Place

(Damn, this Nata arc in the wilderness plot makes my blood pressure spike... I'll have to give it a good physical correction when I get to this part of the story ==)

Walking down the street toward the Gathering Hall Tavern, Aolang glanced casually at the sand thorn following beside him.

The sand thorn's senses were incredibly sharp; the instant Aolang's gaze landed on it, it looked up and back.

"Meow?"

"Nothing." Aolang masked the embarrassment of being caught peeking with a blank expression. "Just wondering if you've grown a bit taller?"

Hearing this, the sand thorn immediately became happy.

It straightened its body with force, puffing out its little belly, "Can you tell, meow? Is it obvious, meow? We've grown nearly a centimeter taller than last month, meow!"

Actually, it wasn't that obvious; he was just saying that on purpose because he knew it was still in its growth phase, Aolang thought silently.

Of course, he absolutely couldn't say that out loud.

Although he had been rejected once, it was impossible to say he had no thoughts about the sand thorn at all.

Over these few months, they had eaten and slept in the same dormitory, and almost every mission they acted together, clearly becoming a fixed partner in the eyes of others.

Regarding this, Miss Hot Sand was quite jealous—since Aolang joined the Citadel Guerrillas, the little one hadn't accompanied her on patrols for a long time.

To be honest, the sand thorn was not an excellent Hunting Cat, at least not yet.

Its body was not strong enough, and there were obvious deficiencies in hunting skills and combat abilities, but in Aolang's eyes, these problems were only temporary.

After all, the sand thorn had not yet reached adulthood, and after being taken in by the Citadel Guerrillas, it served more as logistics rather than combat personnel; it had only truly begun the cultivation of a Hunting Cat in the last few months, so lack of experience was normal.

The body can be strengthened through exercise, experience can be accumulated slowly, and skills can be honed step by step, but some innate traits are very difficult to change.

Loyalty and deep emotion, emotional stability without suddenly exploding and acting recklessly, and never being vague when it's time to act—these were the traits Aolang truly valued.

He believed the sand thorn could grow with him, eventually becoming an excellent Hunting Cat sooner or later.

But all of this had one prerequisite: that the sand thorn was willing to follow him...

The grace of being taken in back then made the sand thorn single-mindedly devoted to the Citadel Guerrillas; Aolang could completely understand this.

Putting himself in its shoes, if someone told him, "Stop treating Hua Li as your teacher, become his Disciple instead," even if that person was a famous Upper Hunter, he would decisively refuse.

If that person continued to pester him, he would feel repelled and actively distance himself; this was why, over these few months, he had never asked the sand thorn again about becoming his partner.

The answer would certainly be negative.

One person and one cat walked slowly down the bustling streets of Luokelake; due to the Guerrilla Squad Armor they wore, people occasionally greeted them, and Aolang smiled in response.

He realized he had already grown accustomed to the identity of a Citadel Guerrilla member.

Perhaps, living a peaceful and stable life like this for the rest of his days would be quite nice? This thought appeared in his mind for only an instant before being snuffed out.

No, I will not stop my steps here.

Aolang looked up and realized he had already arrived at the door of the Gathering Hall Tavern.

Pushing the door open, behind the magnificent counter, the brown-skinned, red-haired hostess kicked away a drunkard who tried to flirt with her, then turned to look at him.

"Eh? It's actually Ahlun's Little Brother, haven't seen you in a while. I heard you're in the Guerrilla Squad now? Is there something you need from the Guild this time?"

"I want to apply for the key mission to promote to Two-Star. If possible, having a Yellow Velocidrome King as the mission target would be even better."

"Preparing to promote to Two-Star already? That's fast!" The hostess looked at him with a beaming smile, her hand movements not slow at all as she quickly flipped through the organized mission sheets.

"Yo-ho~! Good luck, there happens to be a suitable mission right now. The hunting ground isn't far either, take a look?" The hostess handed the mission sheet to Aolang.

"Thank you." Aolang politely took the sheet, but after just one glance, he froze.

——

Hunting Mission: Stealthy Approach · Mantis-like Swift Shadow (★★★★★★)

Mission Content: Hunt a Swift Dragon Subspecies (Green Swift Dragon)

Mission Location: Shuimo Forest

Mission Time: 30 Days

Reward Gold: 14500z

Possible Monsters: Lamp Fish Dragon, Aquatic Beast

Young and Beautiful Village Chief: A terrible monster has appeared deep in Shuimo Forest, a dark green figure with dual blades, just like... a mantis! Hmm, is this metaphor a bit lacking in momentum?

Do not be careless, its speed is very fast, its moss-covered fur acts like camouflage in the dense forest, but if it's you, you will surely solve it smoothly!

Go for it, Little Hua Li~! (●'◡'●)

——

Looking at the cute smiley face hand-drawn on the mission sheet, Hua Li's eye twitched twice.

So many years have passed, and Miss Village Chief is still the same as before.

"Hey, I'm saying, did you get the Signal Flare ready?" came the worried voice of a friend nearby. "I'll just stay at the camp, not going anywhere.

There's no need to rush the promotion to Six-Star, don't force it. Once you feel it's too much, fire the distress signal immediately, and I'll rush over right away."

Hua Li clipped the mission sheet into her Hunter's Notes and stored it, glancing sideways at Haifa. "What's with that tone of yours? Did I leave such a delicate impression on you that you think I need someone to support me just to walk?

If I recall correctly, back in the early years, I was always suppressing you, right?"

Haifa scratched his head, chuckling. "But you've had nearly a ten-year gap, after all. Even after a few months of rehabilitation, it's hard to say you've already returned to your peak.

Besides, even the you of back then wouldn't have been sure about dealing with this Green Swift Dragon, right?"

"Hehe, I don't think my current self is more fragile than ten years ago." Hua Li checked her Cold Slash (Deformed Ice Shark Dual Blades). "Raising children unexpectedly trains the will."

"Oh oh! Luokelake has an old saying: 'When one becomes a mother, one becomes as strong as a Locke Platform.'"

My mom was like that; my dad often said that after I was born, mom became scarily strong."

"......"

Hua Li didn't really want to talk to this guy for a moment; after a final check of her Equipment and personal items, she walked alone toward the outside of the camp.

"I'm setting off."

Arriving at this unremarkable camp, Aolang sat quietly for a long time before finally standing up.

"Let's set out."

One person and one cat walked out of the camp.

Sha Ji, following close behind Aolang, kept scratching and stroking his whiskers, every now and then lifting his head to stare at the former's back for a couple of glances, his expression somewhat uneasy.

What he was worried about was not the Monster they were about to face, but Aolang's state.

For some reason, ever since receiving that mission slip to hunt the Yellow Velocidrome King, he had become extremely silent.

Although he didn't talk much even on a normal day, it shouldn't be like now—on the way to the hunting grounds he had barely opened his mouth, no response when spoken to, a distracted feeling.

This can't keep going on, meow—at this rate, forget completing the mission and getting the Promotion Mission done smoothly, something will go wrong in battle, meow!

Sha Ji stretched out a paw and yanked hard at the hem of Aolang's clothes.

Aolang's reaction was a bit slow; he dragged Sha Ji forward several steps before he realized, turning his head with a somewhat bewildered look to ask: "What's wrong?"

"You're the one who's wrong, meow!" Sha Ji said, a little angry. "Ever since you took the mission you've been acting all weird, meow!"

"I'm fine..." Aolang brushed him off casually.

Sha Ji stared at him, pulled a Signal Flare from his pack, and even rested a paw on the Signal Flare's fuse.

"If you don't explain clearly, I'm pulling the fuse, meow."

Aolang's face stiffened. If Sha Ji fired the distress signal, then this Promotion Mission would undoubtedly fail, and subsequent promotions would be affected as well.

He could not accept such an outcome—even if it weren't for the promotion, he had to complete this mission.

The reason behind it he had not originally intended to share with anyone, but if it was Sha Ji, who had similar experiences, perhaps...

Aolang covered his face with both hands and rubbed hard, forcing himself to perk up a little.

"There wasn't this much wasteland around here originally—it was an Oasis of no small scale. That patch up ahead used to be a great big lake, with plenty of fish in it too; now only a few puddles are left."

Sha Ji was taken aback on hearing this. "You're very familiar with this area, meow?"

Aolang smiled with some difficulty. "This place... used to be my home."