“Generally speaking, there are many ways. A skilled person can even release their aura at any time, but for the current little fox you, the simplest method is to get aroused.”
“Aroused! Mm—!”
Serveyia didn’t give Liuli any time to react.
She directly pulled Liuli into her arms, then planted a domineering and forceful kiss right onto Liuli’s lips.
Though Liuli was shocked, this wasn’t her first kiss after all, and she had some experience kissing Serveyia.
So after a brief moment of surprise, Liuli began to respond to the kiss.
However, just as Liuli felt she was getting into it, Serveyia forcibly pulled away.
Looking at the slightly unhappy Liuli in her arms, Serveyia could only helplessly pat her head.
“Serious business first. You wouldn’t want the foxes to come over later and see you with your face all flushed, right, little fox?”
“Wuu….”
Liuli felt that Serveyia really was still that mischievous maid—stirring up the fire in her heart and then leaving it unattended.
Not okay here because the foxes might see, but would it be okay once they got back?
The motorhome wasn’t just occupied by her and Serveyia.
Liuli didn’t believe Serveyia would continue in front of Fina and Aili, so in the end, she might still have to take care of it herself.
But before Liuli could righteously accuse Serveyia, she felt something near her feet.
Looking down, she saw that sure enough, a fox was circling around her ankles.
“Ah, the foxes are here.”
Though Serveyia had a mischievous streak, there was no denying that her suggestions were actually feasible.
She casually picked up the fox and held it in front of her eyes, observing it.
“Serveyia, what’s the difference between this one and the foxes in Qingli Hall?”
Although Liuli liked cute little animals, she actually didn’t know much about them.
Knowing their habits was already pretty good; she was clueless about everything else.
“There’s no difference. At their core, they’re still untamed wild animals. Do you want to keep one, little fox?”
“Never mind. There are already plenty of foxes in the courtyard of Qingli Hall.”
In Liuli’s mind, if she were really going to keep one, it should at least be something less common.
“By the way, Serveyia, if I want them to leave, what should I do?”
In just a few short minutes, several foxes had gathered at Liuli’s feet, rubbing against her calves, making her feel a little itchy.
“You can just tell them directly, little fox.”
“Tell them? With words?”
Liuli had always thought pets couldn’t understand human language.
At best, they could associate their owner’s voice or certain words with specific actions after special training.
Wild animals would be even less likely to understand, right?
“Little fox, don’t forget—you’re a nine-tailed celestial fox. At your core, you can also be considered a fox. Your aura alone can attract these foxes, and words can influence them to a certain extent. At the very least, getting them to leave shouldn’t be a problem.”
“Really?”
Liuli found it a bit hard to believe, but she decided to give it a try anyway.
After all, she couldn’t just take these little guys along with her, could she?
“Okay, good boys, I have to go now. You guys leave too, alright?”
Liuli tried softening her voice to make the little animals leave.
Though she felt softening her tone probably wouldn’t do much, when facing cute little creatures, she couldn’t help doing it anyway.
She wasn’t sure if her softened voice had any effect, but the foxes obediently left.
While Liuli felt it was a bit unfair that these little guys had to come over just because she wanted to see them and admire them, since they had approached her on their own, it should—probably—be no big deal, right?
“Serveyia, to train the students, the academy usually releases what kinds of magic beasts into the forest?”
“All sorts of magic beasts get released. Since the goal is to develop the students’ real combat abilities, naturally they release whatever is needed for training.”
“Are all these magic beasts supposed to be subjugated in the end?”
For Liuli, although she had played plenty of combat games, she had never taken a life in real life.
This made her curious about subjugating magic beasts.
“Yes. However many are released, that’s how many have to be subjugated in the end. If any magic beasts escape and hurt people, that would result in a major demerit.”
“So the students also have to master tracking magic beasts, right?”
If it were regular hunting, Liuli might know how to capture prey, but magic beasts should be different from ordinary creatures, right?
“Yes, it’s one of the required courses.”
“So, Serveyia, could you teach me?”
Liuli genuinely thought it sounded kind of cool—or at least very practical.
Logically, there should be a category of detection magic within auxiliary magic, but Teacher Lin Ya had never taught her anything like that.
Was it because she thought Liuli wouldn’t need it?
“Although I’d love to teach you, honestly, it’s not easy to learn. Different magic beasts require different tracking methods, and you also have to account for the effects of various environments. In short, it’s a skill that demands experience and a ton of practice. Are you really sure you have the patience to learn it, little fox?”
“Probably… not, huh?”
After all, she knew her own limits.
She was well aware whether she was cut out for studying this.
Even just learning some theoretical basics from Teacher Lin Ya usually gave her a headache.
If she had to spend all day with her head buried in the forest searching for magic beasts, she probably wouldn’t last more than a few days.
“So, little fox, don’t question my judgment. I know exactly where your ability ceiling is, so don’t try to challenge your limits.”
Serveyia’s tongue was still as sharp as ever.
What did she mean by “don’t try to challenge your limits”? Just what did Serveyia see as her limit, anyway?
Though a bit unhappy, when Liuli thought about how everything Serveyia said seemed to be true, the urge to get angry faded.
She could only sulk a little and follow behind Serveyia.
“Little fox, are you upset?”
“No.”
Liuli knew she was being stubborn, but there was no helping it.
If she admitted she was upset right now, who knew where Serveyia would find another chance to jab at her.
“Does little fox think I went too far with what I said?”
“If I say yes, will you change in the future, Serveyia?”
“Hm, depends on the situation. But don’t you think it’s simpler to just say it directly like this, little fox?”
From the looks of it, even though Serveyia said it depended, she probably wouldn’t change.
But then again, that was just Serveyia’s personality.
If one day she suddenly became gentle and soft, that would be the truly strange thing.
“So are we going to look for magic beasts now?”
“Yes….”
“Since you’re not willing to teach me, at least showing me in action should be fine, right?”
“Well, tracking can be demonstrated, but you’d better not blindly try to learn it, little fox. Tracking magic beasts relies on experience. Even for the same type of beast, the methods change depending on the environment. Just memorizing it by rote will only end up hurting you.”
Fine.
Since Serveyia had reminded her so earnestly, she would just obediently listen.
Honestly, she wasn’t even sure if her desire to learn this skill was just a passing whim.
Maybe she’d lose interest after experiencing it once.
Seeing Liuli nod, Serveyia finally relaxed and shifted her gaze, surveying the surroundings.
“What kind of magic beast would you like to see, little fox?”
“Is there even a choice?”
“Of course there is. Do you want to see a sleeping magic beast, or one that’s active?”
“An active one. It won’t attack us, right?”
“Hmph hmph, with me here, what magic beast would dare attack us? Though the students coming after might be out of luck—they may never find that last beast.”
“Then let’s go find an active one.”
Who’d want to watch a sleeping magic beast when they could see one moving around?
It was like at the zoo—people wanted to see lively, energetic animals.
“As for the missing beast, we can just tell Principal Kaili when we get back. As long as she knows the real situation, it should be fine, right?”
“With little fox here, of course it’s no problem.”
As she spoke, Serveyia continued scanning the area, occasionally using some magic as if probing for something.
“We’re in luck. There’s a shadow wolf hunting nearby. If we go now, we might even catch it eating.”
“A shadow wolf—does that mean it can turn invisible?”
“Not exactly. To ordinary people, a shadow wolf’s fur is hard to spot at night, and combined with their incredible speed and hit-and-run tactics, they give the impression of appearing and disappearing like ghosts.”
“But to hunters with some combat experience, shadow wolves are actually relatively easy to handle. The academy chooses them so students can learn to deal with agile opponents.”
“But from what you’re saying, shouldn’t shadow wolves hunt in packs? Why is there only one hunting alone?”
Normally, hit-and-run types without support from other roles often ended up just being annoyances like flies, or they relied on numbers to overwhelm.
“Huh? You actually thought of that, little fox?”
Serveyia looked at Liuli in surprise, clearly not expecting those words to come from her.
“Pack hunting is for dealing with tougher prey, but in Moonlight Forest, there really aren’t any animals that pose a real threat. In such conditions, for the sake of reproduction instincts, the optimal survival strategy is actually living in small family units.”