Chapter 79: Chapter 79

“She will need to stay with us from now on; I can’t leave her out of my sight.”

Sokram then looked at Lucille, his gaze earnest, “Do you have any favors to call in with the Commander of the Hunter’s Hall? Can you ask him to spare my team for another two weeks?”

But instead of Lucille, Ayame answered, her voice sweet and laced with tenderness, “Don’t worry, the old man owes me a few favors. Just take care of my mother, please.”

She then bowed deeply toward him, a gesture of profound gratitude. Turning to the other foxes, she spoke with an authority Sokram hadn’t known she possessed, “You heard my mother’s orders. Let us return to the Pavilion. She’s in the most capable hands.”

“Mother? But… wasn’t Lucille? What?” Sokram scratched the back of his head, truly confused as the knowledge of his previous timeline and this one intertwined in his mind.

He had no recollection of Ayame in his past life, only the coldness of the Matron and the disappointment she always held in her gaze for Lucille. Ayame must have died when Eversnow fell in that other timeline. 'Had Ayame’s death been the crack that shattered Sayuri back then?'

A bitter knot tightened in his chest.

It made sense now, the coldness, the bitterness.

The Matron he once knew had been a mother grieving in silence.

Seeing his confusion, Lucille offered a soft smile, explaining, “I’m adopted.”

“I see…” Sokram nodded, finally understanding many things, yet a thought lingered: ‘And she never told me this before.’

But as if reading his very thoughts, Sayuri clarified, “She is my daughter. Adopted or not. Just as Lucy is my granddaughter.”

Hearing that, Sokram pieced it together: perhaps after losing her firstborn in the incident with the Steelhearts, Sayuri adopted Lucille as a way to cope with grief.

Then, his gaze sharpened, patronizing as he scolded Sayuri.

“You’re still on time out. Go meditate. Or do you want to lose your cultivation, or even worse, your life? Go!”

His finger pointed to the place they were used to cultivating before, where her blood still tainted the snowy grass, his voice leaving no room for argument.

But Sokram had sent her a voice transmission: “We need to talk about what you’ve sensed.”

Sayuri, expertly feigning meekness, flattened her ears against her head and complied, responding to him with a Sound Transmission of her own. “Don’t worry, your secrets are my secrets. I owe you my life, even if I almost threw it away by being stupid.”

Watching Sayuri act so submissively, Ayame’s shoulders shook with silent laughter, and Lucille bit her lip hard enough to draw blood.

The other foxes fared no better; muffled snickers and stifled coughs rippled through the group with a mix of amazement and surprise.

At the same time, they all looked at Sokram with a newfound respect.

As Brunhild ushered the other foxes out and Hilda moved to prepare a room for Sayuri, the rest of his family gathered in the living room.

Sokram sank into a meditative posture beside her, his breath deepening, pulling his focus inward.

Yet, even through his disciplined calm, he felt the weight of Sayuri's curious, lingering glances, a silent question in the air.

Throughout the long night, the only sounds were the soft hum of the wind and the subtle rustling of Sokram's robes.

He occasionally checked on her condition, truly worried about the fragility of her newly restored Core.

Two days later, Sokram and his teammates received a letter granting them a month-long leave.

Ayame had fulfilled her promise.

The justification provided by the Hunter’s Hall caused Kazzah considerable anxiety:

The letter stated they were investigating the incident in which one of their teammates died and another became crippled before Sokram joined the team.

Kiana, on the other hand, celebrated the news.

But when she went to tell Karoz, the one who became crippled, a chill snaked up her spine even before she saw the open door.

Inside, a hushed terror met her and his family.

Karoz lay there, his wrist brutally cut, the coppery scent of blood heavy in the air.

On a nightstand near his bed lay a letter containing a confession.

Karoz’s last words admitted that what happened to him and Milly was his fault.

Although Kazzah’s poor leadership initiated the incident, Karoz confessed that he had failed to save Milly.

He also apologized to Kiana and confessed his love for Milly, stating he couldn’t live without her.

Kiana was inconsolable and spent the next two weeks mourning him.

She wore Karoz’s scarf like a shroud, its frayed edges stained with salt from tears she refused to shed in front of her family and friends.

Sokram learned all of this through Lucy and Savannah, who kept him updated while he focused on helping the Matron restore her cracked Core.

By the end of that second week, Sokram had recovered his lost cultivation and was just a step from reaching Tier 3.

The foxes of the Pavilion achieved a complete conversion, also mastering the technique well enough to teach the other members of the Pavilion in the regions they managed.

Only then did Sokram learn that the ten foxes visiting his house daily were the famous Ten Great Elders of the Purple Pavilion, who answered solely to the Matron.

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Each managed a region of the Pavilion in the Northern Continent.

What threw him off was Sayuri calling them her disciples, but then it made sense.

Most of them wanted to stay with Sayuri.

But she dismissed them, leaving no room for argument, adamant that her mistake shouldn’t delay the Pavilion’s progress.

Besides, they had all been away from their regions for too long, and now that they had what they needed to strengthen the Pavilion, they shouldn’t waste time.

Her ten disciples reluctantly agreed, motivated primarily by the knowledge that she was in the best hands, especially seeing how close Sokram and Sayuri had become after he saved her life, and because Sokram announced she was no longer at risk of dying.

Thanks to Hannah concocting some very pricey pills at Sokram’s request and his sacrifice for her, Sayuri managed to recover her Core up to the middle of Tier 1 Semi-Perfect.

This finally gave Sokram some room to breathe.

During the last two weeks of their leave, Sokram finally managed to gather his team for training exercises to increase their teamwork, also offering individual tips on how and what to improve. Thıs text ıs hosted at novelꜰire.net

He also had time to check on Kiana, who seemed to be using work to cope with her grief.

Kan assured him that his family was taking good care of her.

Sokram also finally began learning from Hannah what she called Arcane Draconian Alchemy, which essentially was the usage of Magi to process alchemical formulas to create pills and potions.

This time, she wasn’t surprised to see how fast Sokram could learn; it was something she had grown accustomed to, yet it still amazed her.

After finishing Hannah’s lesson one day, Sokram went straight to the backyard to cultivate and finally advanced into Tier 3.

This time, his family wasn’t around; only Hannah appeared beside him, giving him an approving nod.

Two weeks later, when it was time for his next mission, the team was informed that the investigation into Milly’s death had concluded and was deemed an accident due to team mismanagement.

Kazzah lost all his contribution points and had six months added to his obligatory service.

But because of Karoz’s confession, no one complained, not even Kiana.

Savannah also announced that their team's next mission was to hunt for ten Taurinos.

A Taurino was a monster primarily found at Tiers 3 to 7 of the Uncommon level.

Their appearance was that of the upper body of a minotaur, with their lower half being the body of a bull or a cow, depending on their gender.

They reached between 2.5 and 3 meters in height and 2 to 3 meters long. They weighed between 800 kilos and a ton, with pure ivory bones.

Their meat was one of the highest-priced in the market due to its nutritional value and its ability to aid cultivation.

Besides the mission, Mr. Figos requested at least forty bulls and cows, meaning they would have to camp outside for a few days.

The challenge lay in the fact that there was only one bull in every group, and they always traveled in groups of three.

However, Mr. Oliver also had a demand for ten tamed bulls and twenty cows.

This could have had the potential to become a very profitable venture if Sokram could bring in more, as farmers were constantly looking to start breeding them and use the cows to produce milk and other products.

All in all, this would bring an immense profit for Sokram’s team members and himself should they succeed.

The only real problem would be safely transporting the cattle.

The hunt itself wasn’t expected to be troublesome, as Sokram could easily track them, and Taurinos were generally easy to either tame or kill. Yet, a subtle sense of unease still crept into Sokram’s heart.

On the day of their departure, Sokram noticed Kazzah and Timothy behaving strangely, sticking to the rear of the group as they rode.

Sokram led the party riding Periklis, with Savannah, Lucy, and Amber also riding their Thunder Pekos close by, their talons thudding rhythmically on the frozen ground.

Sokram also noticed Kan and Kiana were riding different wolves, wind-element oriented ones, and their fur rippled in the cold air.

Meanwhile, Nora and Lara rode War Bears that were fire-element oriented, their powerful forms exuding warmth.

Only Kazzah and Timothy rode normal Great-Wolves, provided by the Northern Gates Stables.

They rode northeast for half a day, the vast, white landscape stretching before them.

But something caught Sokram’s eyes.

Kazzah broke branches and tapped his sword against rocks, pretending to joke with Timothy, subtle, deliberate marks left behind.

To others, it might have seemed innocent.

Yet Sokram knew they had visited the Steelhearts’ estate, so he was observing them closely, every seemingly careless action noted.

When they finally reached their destination, the frozen woods were starkly different from the open plains where they had hunted boars.

Tall, frosty grass, brittle and white, poked through twenty centimeters of deep snow that made walking difficult and obscured the ground beneath.

Sokram’s breath fogged in the air as he squinted into the blackness.

The snow muffled every footstep.

Above, the moonlight, usually a guiding beacon, was blocked by the dense canopy of trees, casting the woods in an eerie, impenetrable darkness.

Only the ethereal glow of Sokram, Amber, and Savannah’s conjured magi lights guided them through the silent, shadowed expanse.

Yet, for the team, being from the north, this type of environment offered a strange sense of peace and comfort.

Once they picked a location to camp, a small, plane clearing in the middle of the frozen woods, Savannah instructed the team to set up camp, explaining that they would discuss the strategy after dinner.

Once camp was established and they had eaten, they all sat around the crackling fire, its warmth a welcome contrast to the biting cold.

The crackle of their fire felt fickle beneath the heavy hush of the forest.

Sitting with the team, Sokram began his inquiry before explaining the strategy for this hunt.

“So… did you guys do your research this time?”

Sokram started with a light-hearted joke, one that became common among them as Sokram played the good teacher, and the team chuckled softly at his antics.

The sound of their giggles was quickly swallowed by the vast silence of the woods.

Annoyance etched itself onto Kazzah and Timothy's faces; the team's mood and cohesion had never been this strong before.

Kazzah looked at his teammates with disgust, blind to the fact that their respect stemmed from Sokram's inherent ability, not the paltry trinkets he offered.

As for Timothy, he didn't only have hatred for losing his girl, but also for losing Savannah’s friendship and the respect of his teammates.

Even Amber, who shared his slum origins, now met his gaze with a cold indifference.

A silent judgment that stung more than any open scorn.

Kan, surprisingly, answered promptly, spotting a sheepish grin, “Taurinos are not overly territorial, but the males are quite protective of their cows; they are one of the few species that can form life-long bonds despite not having high intellect.”

“Good. And what will happen once we get in the Taurios line of sight?” Sokram raised an eyebrow, his expression clearly showing approval for Kan’s thorough research as he continued to play the role of a teacher.

To his surprise, Kiana answered with a more cheerful voice than the last time they spoke, her words precise, “The bulls will make the cows hide, taking on the attacker by themselves. Which creates an opportunity for us to kill one of the cows and tame the other.”

“Yes,” Amber pitched in, her eyes glued to a scroll she held in her hands, “I’ve already learned the taming spell and have the blank runic contracts ready too.”

Savannah nodded, her voice steady, “Sokram and I finished enough runestones to last for a week of hunting. Let’s remember the training exercises of these last few weeks and make the most of them.”

But then Nora interjected, a note of caution in her tone, “But whoever gets to fight the bull must remember, just like the boars, they also use Charge attacks, but can also use Earth-Element attacks, creating giant boulders out of plain earth and throwing them. It’s an attack strong enough to harm and even kill a Tier 8 Uncommon person.”

“The cows also have earth-element attacks,” Lara explained, her gaze scanning the faces around the fire, “if you see them preparing to stomp the ground, dash away from them immediately. They will be using Earthquake Spikes, which will shake the ground and throw you off balance, so don’t be stupid trying to endure it, because while the ground is still quaking, several Rock Spikes will surge from the ground, aiming for those who staggered.”

Lastly, Lucy added, her voice practical, “When attacking them..." She dragged a stick through the frost, sketching a Taurino’s hulking form. "Hit here", she jabbed at the knees," and they’ll drop like a felled tree. But miss?..." She cracked her knuckles meaningfully. "... and that’s your ribcage under their hooves."

She glanced toward Kan and Kazzah, a stern warning in her gaze, "Don’t try to jump attack their upper bodies. They truly pack a punch that you don’t want to get hit by; both males and females are super strong. But if they lose their ability to run, they become easy targets.”

Sokram’s eyebrows lifted slightly, his lips parting in surprise before curling into a slow smile.

“Clap! Clap! Clap!” He gave a sharp clap, then another, genuine admiration lighting his eyes.

Sokram applauded sincerely, the sound echoing lightly in the still woods, and some of his teammates even blushed a little, pleased by his genuine praise.

“Impressive preparation, guys. So, with all this information, does anyone have a plan?”

This gained him a disapproving glare from Savannah.