At this moment, Hilvia was pulling Sairi briskly forward, while Sairi followed along, munching on the roasted flatbread in her hand.
They were moving quickly, leaving Sairi little time to properly observe the shops on either side.
“Mmm… delicious, so good…”
Sairi was truly lost in the enjoyment of the snacks, often taking a bite and puffing out her round cheeks, letting out sounds of delight and admiration.
“But, Hilvia sister, why are we walking so fast? I don’t even have time to figure out what the shops around us are selling.”
“Is that even a question? It’s to make you eat less. It’s not even noon yet, and you’ve already eaten all the silver coins I gave you on those snacks. If you keep eating like this, we won’t have any money left to spend.”
“Eh, alright, I won’t eat anymore… hmm…” Hearing Hilvia’s words, Sairi realized she had indeed eaten too much, only taking in without output.
If she kept going, it really could affect their daily life. Still, she couldn’t help but feel a little downhearted.
“Alright, don’t be sad. I find you really act like a little kid—so innocent and pure. I’m not saying you can’t eat, it’s just that we don’t have much money on us right now. We need to go take on a commission to earn some money, then we’ll come back and continue eating. Come here, let me pat your head~”
“Okay, okay!”
Sairi smiled and leaned in to accept Hilvia’s affection.
To be honest, in such a short time, Hilvia had patted Sairi’s head so many times that she was almost desensitized. Hilvia really liked stroking her head.
Well, since she liked it, more head pats wouldn’t hurt. After all, it made them both happy. Maybe Hilvia would even give her some extra pocket money for snacks.
“Alright, enough. Let go here.” Hilvia gently released her grip and slowed her pace.
“Eh? Weren’t we supposed to hurry and leave just now?”
“Look ahead.”
Sairi peeked from behind Hilvia and immediately understood.
The snack street had come to an end. Ahead there were no more food stalls, only branching paths and scattered shops selling other goods.
But Sairi wasn’t too disappointed, since they had already decided not to eat anymore. Even if there were snacks, she would only look.
“Let’s go, we’ll just wander around a bit more.”
***
However, the rest of their shopping trip was not very interesting.
They mostly chose directions at intersections, passing by shops selling miscellaneous goods. Even when they walked past a clothing store, the clothes were coarse and none were suitable.
“Hilvia sister, do we really have to keep wandering? I’m starting to feel a bit bored.”
Clearly, Sairi was no longer excited as she had been in the snack street. She was feeling listless and uninterested now.
“Alright, let’s head to the Adventurers’ Guild. We’ll exchange your pile of Lantern Grass Petals for money, then have lunch. After eating, we’ll take on the commission and go hunt outside the town. You brought the petals, right?”
“I brought them, I brought them!”
“Let’s go.”
About fifteen minutes later, the two arrived on the main road, standing before the building of the Adventurers’ Guild.
Looking at the structure, Sairi couldn’t help but feel it was just like those from other worlds—many Adventurers’ Guilds, lots of Adventurer Squads.
It made her feel like she could register as an Adventurer too, so she could accept commissions and earn money.
“Alright, stop daydreaming. Let’s go in and hand over the goods.”
Hilvia reminded Sairi as they together carried the bag of petals into one of the trade rooms inside the guild.
The petals had been released from Sairi’s Five-pointed Star Hairclip at a concealed spot on the way here.
Carrying such a large bag of petals into the hall drew many curious glances.
At the service counter, they sighed in relief as Hilvia spoke first.
“Miss at the counter, how much can we get for these fresh Lantern Grass Petals?”
“Okay, let me take a look.” The clerk replied calmly and warmly.
She reached out to touch a petal, checking its freshness, then examined the whole bag.
“Hmm, so many Lantern Grass Petals, and all fresh. You can exchange quite a bit for these.”
“Are Lantern Grass Petals valuable?” Sairi suddenly blurted out upon hearing this.
“It depends. If they’re fresh, they’re worth a lot. But if they’ve been left to wither for days, they’re worthless.” The clerk explained to Sairi while instructing someone to take the petals in.
“These petals deteriorate quickly—after just a few days, they rot and fall apart. Most Adventurers only carry a small amount with them. Even if someone has a bag, it’s usually not this big, and if it is, it’s likely shared by the whole team for hunting other prey.”
“I see. So, miss at the counter, how much can we get for these?”
“Hmm, about 3 silver coins.”
“Wow, great!” Sairi’s face lit up with a smile as she shook Hilvia excitedly.
“Alright, alright, don’t get so excited.”
“Hehe (^^)”
Who wouldn’t be excited with money in hand?
With the petals collected, Hilvia continued to inquire.
“Are there any high-value commissions recently? Also, what gathering materials are needed right now?”
“As for high-value commissions, a group of high-level Magical Creatures has appeared near the town, causing trouble for residents and other Adventurers trying to complete tasks.”
“No one has eliminated them yet. You two can also go clear out some nearby Magical Creature nests—that’s a contribution to the town as well.”
“For gathering materials, we currently need wolf pelts and certain herbs. You can check this catalog and decide yourselves.”
The clerk slid a herb list toward Hilvia and Sairi, showing various herbs and other items.
“Alright, we’ll take the commission. But do you know anything about those high-level Magical Creatures?”
“Yes. They are social creatures, resembling wild horses, very aggressive, fast movers, unpredictable in location, and have ranged attacks.” The clerk answered Hilvia’s question and handed her three silver coins.
“Alright, understood, thank you.”
“You’re welcome. It’s our duty.”
The two then left the Adventurers’ Guild.
On the way to lunch, Sairi broke the silence.
“Um… Hilvia sister, do we really have to go exterminate those high-level Magical Creatures?”
“What’s wrong? Are you scared now, Sairi?”
“Of course not. With you here, I’m at ease. I’m just worried if we’ll actually run into those creatures.”
“That’s hard to say—depends on luck. I think with you around, we’re bound to encounter them.”
“What, you’re just using me as your lucky charm!”
“Alright, alright, stop sulking. How about meat sauce noodles for lunch? Extra meat patty.” Hilvia pointed to a nearby shop.
“Sure, sure, let’s start now!”
“Okay.” Sairi pulled Hilvia into the shop, ready to begin their lunchtime routine.
At lunch, Hilvia still couldn’t say no to Sairi, giving her extra meat patties eight times in a row. Sairi ate happily.
After lunch, the two officially left, preparing to head out of town.
But Sairi was distracted by one thing—more flatbread. The shop also sold roasted flatbread filled with meat and vegetables.
Sairi acted cute and coquettish, coaxing Hilvia until she agreed to buy a big bag to eat on the go.
Thinking back, this was quite nice. She could eat a lot of delicious food without getting full, and as a cute young girl, everyone loved her.
A little sweet talk and charm easily got her what she wanted. Hilvia was doing a great job as her goddess.
However, on the way to the city gate, Hilvia led Sairi along a relatively hidden, less crowded path, only walking on the main road briefly at the gate.
By the time they left town, it was already afternoon. Hilvia and Sairi started focusing on handling the commission.
They delved deep into the surrounding forest, hoping for some luck. But after hours of searching, they hadn’t encountered anything. Instead, they collected quite a few herbs and materials along the way.
“Sister Hilvia, we’ve been walking for almost four hours and haven’t met those high-level Magical Creatures. How about we change plans and just call it a day? We can honestly just hunt and gather materials.”
“:-( Fine. Those creatures won’t run away anyway; we’ll have chances to meet them later.”
The two then focused on collecting various materials—some fruits growing on trees, some tender roots, some mushrooms in rock crevices…
They couldn’t help but admire how handy Sairi’s hairclip was. Other Adventurer Squads had to carry many bags, but Sairi only needed to tap her hairclip and the gathered materials would be stored inside.
Just as Sairi parted a patch of grass, preparing to search for more valuable items, she noticed something move behind the grass.
Curious, she sneaked over, hiding behind a large tree trunk, peeking out to observe.
It turned out to be a lone Black Wolf, gnawing on a wild rabbit—seemingly freshly caught.
Hehe, the mantis stalks the cicada but is watched by the oriole. You’ve succeeded in hunting, now it’s our turn.
Sairi turned and signaled Hilvia, who quietly came beside her, raising her sword, ready to strike.
But the Black Wolf seemed to have caught their scent and immediately grabbed the rabbit, starting to run away.
“It’s running! Let’s chase it!”
“Got it!” In the heat of the moment, Sairi instinctively grabbed Hilvia’s hand and took off, which made Hilvia realize Sairi wasn’t ordinary—she ran much faster than average people, though still not as fast as Hilvia herself.
After a short distance, Hilvia overtook her and took the lead.
The Black Wolf initially thought it could escape by speed, but upon realizing they were catching up, it grew fearful, running aimlessly in the forest.
Because of its desperation, the wolf didn’t know where to run to shake them off.
After more than ten minutes of pursuit, the wolf reached a small clearing and could no longer run.
Its body was covered with wounds—most inflicted by Sairi.
Resigned, the lone Black Wolf spat out blood and collapsed on the grass, dead.
“Phew, finally caught up. That wolf can really run.”
“But Sairi, you’ll have to train your aim with me. When you threw your Rainbow Sword at the Black Wolf, you never hit a vital spot—at best, you only grazed it.”
“Hehe, I’ll practice with you, Hilvia sister. But for now, let’s clean up our prey.”
Suddenly, an unexpected sound arose—the surrounding forest rustled with a swarm of footsteps.
“Something’s happening!”
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