Chapter 26: Wally Can Discharge Electricity?

Chapter 26: Chapter 26: Wally Can Discharge Electricity?

Bole Forest was north of Diamond Town. Not only was it sparsely populated, but it also lacked any rich resources, making it incomparable to Morse Forest. So, logically speaking, if Baron Kels truly wanted to enjoy the thrill of the hunt, he should have chosen Morse Forest, not Bole Forest.

Furthermore, the reward of five Gold Rums per person was far too generous. Aside from a few exceptionally skilled veteran hunters, few could earn that much from a single hunt.

’There seems to be some hidden information here...’

Vili watched the chattering crowd, lost in thought.

The official remained on his tall horse, explaining the contents of the notice three times with an arrogant expression. This wasn’t out of consideration for the crowd, in case they couldn’t hear clearly. It was because this notice represented Baron Kels’s will, and he had to see the Baron’s will carried out to the letter.

After he finished, the official cleared his throat and left the crowd, surrounded by several Guards.

"By the way, registration is at the Town Hall. It’s in three days."

The official suddenly reined in his horse, turned back to add this last piece of information, and then rode off into the distance.

Vili watched the official’s receding figure, paused for a moment, and then slipped out of the crowded throng.

「Two hours later.」

Vili finally reached his village.

As soon as he walked through the door, he saw an excited Vilia running toward him.

"Vili! I have some exciting news for you!"

Vili glanced at her and pursed his lips. The girl was always making a fuss; in her telling, any little thing became world-shaking news.

Vilia paid no mind to Vili’s reaction, simply grabbing his arm and pulling him toward Wally’s little den.

As they neared the den, Vili saw a little white ball of fluff wiggling about very slowly. It wriggled its tiny bottom, its short tail swaying with its body. When it heard their footsteps, it glanced back at them.

Vili’s eyes lit up. Wally could walk now.

"It’s all thanks to me!"

Vilia quickly seized the chance to claim credit.

"Next time I go to town, I’ll buy you some candy."

Vili gave Vilia a perfunctory reply, then walked over and picked Wally up.

Wally loved the feeling of being close to Vili. It let out a few soft whimpers, nuzzling its furry head into Vili’s chest, which seemed to give it an inexplicable sense of security.

"From now on, we can’t just feed Wally milk. We need to start giving him some white porridge with bits of meat in it."

Vili explained the next step of the feeding plan to Vilia.

Meat porridge might be a rare sight on other people’s tables, but for the Ferren Family now, it was just ordinary food.

"Are Father and Mother not home?"

Vili noticed there was no sign of Lake or Mrs. Shaven in the house. By this time, the wheat had been harvested, and there was no more work to be done in the fields.

"They took the family’s wheat to the mill to have it ground into flour."

Vilia explained to Vili, "Mother said that after we pay the taxes, we’re storing all the grain from this harvest at home. We’re not going to sell it in Diamond Town anymore."

In previous years, after paying their taxes to Baron Kels, Lake and Mrs. Shaven would go to Diamond Town together. They would sell most of the flour, keeping only a small portion to mix with ground bran for their own food. The black bread and sour flatbreads they ate were baked from this coarse grain.

Now that the family’s circumstances had improved, Mrs. Shaven had decided to keep all the flour left after taxes. This meant that the hard-to-swallow staple foods would no longer appear on their dinner table.

Vili nodded. He had wanted to discuss signing up for the Bole Forest hunt with Lake, but since he wasn’t home, he decided he would bring it up at dinner.

On his way back, Vili had already decided to sign up for the Baron’s hunt in Bole Forest. Although the mystery of the unusually high reward was still unsolved, Vili had a few theories. The high reward certainly corresponded to a higher level of difficulty. According to his theory, Baron Kels was probably looking for some kind of extremely cunning animal, one whose tracks only a professional Hunter could find. Otherwise, if the Baron simply wanted a target killed, he could have just sent his own Guards—their combat strength was far greater than any Hunter’s.

After ruling out the possibility of a direct confrontation with a dangerous animal, Vili felt the risks of the Bole Forest hunt were manageable for him. That being the case, Vili certainly wasn’t going to pass up this opportunity. For one, there were the five Gold Rums. For another, there was Baron Kels himself. This might be his chance to meet a real noble.

Getting close to the nobility, becoming a noble, and rising to the rank of Lord—this was Vili’s goal. It was also the best way to maximize the value of his Title Attribute Panel.

When Lake and Mrs. Shaven returned home that evening, Vili told Lake about his plan.

Lake listened, agreed, and encouraged Vili. In his mind, the most perfect thing would be for both of his sons to serve the nobility.

「Nightfall.」

Vili was lying on his small bed and had just closed his eyes when he suddenly heard his door shaking slightly, as if something was bumping against it.

Vili sat up instinctively and asked tentatively, "Who’s there? Vilia, is that you playing a prank?"

Lake and Mrs. Shaven had gone to bed early after a long day; they wouldn’t be disturbing him at this hour.

There was no response from outside, but the door continued to be bumped and shaken gently.

’Could a beast from Morse Forest have wandered out?’

A hundred possibilities flashed through Vili’s mind. Just as he grabbed a stool and prepared to open the door, he heard a tiny, quavering cry.

"Wally!"

Vili instantly recognized the sound of the white bear cub.

He put down the stool, lit a candle, and quickly opened the door.

A little white ball of fluff was curled up in front of the door. It tilted its head up, staring at Vili, who had just opened the door, its dark eyes exceptionally bright in the moonlight.

"How did you get here?"

He and Vilia had built Wally’s den together. There was a latch on the outside of the little wooden shelter, and every night, Vilia would slide it shut to keep Wally from escaping.

’Vilia probably forgot. That careless kid.’

Vili quickly bent down to pick Wally up.

However, the instant he touched Wally, a tingling, numbing sensation shot from his fingertips through his entire body.

Vili shivered instinctively and stood frozen for a long moment before he processed what had happened.

’Was that... an electric current?’