Chapter 358: Hunting God Scadia and the Princess Arrive

Chapter 358: Chapter 358: Hunting God Scadia and the Princess Arrive

GRRRRUMBLE...

A loud stomach growl suddenly echoed through the room.

Ella clutched her stomach.

After a delay of a whole night, she still hadn’t eaten.

She glanced at the two who were still preparing to talk, then turned to Rein and said,

"Rein, we’ve heard the story. I’m going to go make some food now."

Hearing this,

Lance turned his head suspiciously, watching Ella’s back as she walked toward the kitchen.

"Her? She can cook?"

Lance lowered his voice, voicing his doubt to Rein.

In his memory,

his memory of the Wolf Girl was still stuck on the image of her fighting with two puppies over scraps.

Rein looked at Lance’s skeptical expression and was reminded of his own initial reaction.

He sighed wistfully.

"You’ll see in a bit."

"Her skills will definitely blow you away."

With that, Rein turned his head and took a moment to choose his words.

"Lance, after everything that happened in the Underground City, what are your plans now?"

Lance sat next to Rein and thought for a moment.

"I plan to leave White River Province, travel the continent, and broaden my horizons."

Lance said, looking at Rein.

"I’ve realized that staying in Gray Rock Town all this time has left my experience and perspective far too narrow."

He was speaking from the heart.

Especially after the Lantern Carrier’s warning in the Soul Space.

He was becoming more and more aware of his own shortcomings.

After hearing Lance’s plan,

"Then..."

Rein hesitated.

He turned his head and took a long look at Ella’s back in the kitchen. She was happily chopping vegetables while humming a strange, unidentifiable tune.

A complex emotion flickered in Rein’s eyes.

"Uncle Rein, are you asking me to take Ella home in your place?"

Before Rein could get the difficult words out, Lance finished his thought for him quite naturally.

"How did you guess?"

Rein thought he had hidden his expression quite well.

’Of course, I didn’t just guess. First, Ella’s return home was clearly planned long ago, and Uncle Rein can’t just let that silly mutt go home by herself. So the answer was obvious.’

’And in that vision, I saw that I was also part of this prophecy. If I choose to stand by and watch, to not follow the path laid out by the prophecy, then fate will create all sorts of ’accidents’ to force me closer to the center of that vortex.’

’If an ’accident’ were to happen under the current circumstances, the key figure closest to the intersection of my and Ella’s lines of fate is, without a doubt, Rein right here in front of me.’

’This means that if I don’t voluntarily take on this escort mission, then as a ’correction’ from fate, it’s highly likely Rein will suffer some kind of fatal ’accident’ in the next few days, forcing me to take on this burden anyway.’

’Since I’ve already foreseen this terrible possibility, I can only choose to move in the direction of the prophecy. Only by constantly interfering with events can a Jhin, the Virtuoso, cut the threads of destiny and destroy the opponent’s prediction.’

"It was simple. I guessed."

Lance shrugged and casually made up an excuse.

Rein didn’t seem suspicious. He just gave a wry smile.

"I can’t suppress the old injuries in my body anymore. I have to go find a doctor. In my current state, I really don’t think I can fulfill my promise to her."

As for why Rein had Lance leave Yasa behind, it was because he could tell Yasa had been injected with the Mad Doctor’s Magic Potion. This meant Rein had a way to control Yasa and use him as a bodyguard for a while, until his own treatment was complete.

"Since you’ve already decided to become a true Adventurer, kid, and travel the continent having adventures..."

"...why not take on this private commission from me while you’re at it?"

"Escort her north. Not only can you take the opportunity to see the bustling commercial city-states of the East Coast Province, but you can also experience the splendor of the Northern Territory. What do you think?"

When Rein made this request, he wasn’t the least bit worried about whether Lance had the ability to protect Ella.

After all, Lance was a monster who could single-handedly slay a Heroic Spirit Species!

That kind of combat prowess was far, far more reliable than a half-crippled old man like himself.

"Of course, no problem."

Lance smiled without hesitation and agreed readily.

"I accept this mission."

In truth, even if Rein hadn’t actively pleaded with him, Lance would have found a way to go with Ella regardless. Although they hadn’t known each other for long, Lance considered Ella a friend. He couldn’t be so heartless as to stand by and watch the Wolf Girl follow the prophecy’s script and die all alone on her way home.

’Now that I’ve successfully obtained the Power of Jhin, the Virtuoso, it’s only natural that I should try to change these pre-arranged destinies. If I can’t even change the fate of a friend beside me, what business do I have talking about overthrowing the grandmasters? Let this be my first skirmish with Molok.’

’Besides, there are still the generous rewards from the commission quest panel to collect.’

’As for the "Extremely Difficult" rating in the quest description... what kind of hellish start in this world could possibly be harder than transmigrating only to find out your entire life’s path has been manipulated by others? That a god has even put a curse on you?’

’When you’re covered in lice, you stop itching. When you’re drowning in debt, you stop worrying.’

’Just do it!’

"It’s ready!"

Just as the two of them were finalizing their plans,

Ella’s clear voice called out.

She walked briskly to the table, carrying a wooden tray.

On the tray sat several enticing-looking fish dishes, perfectly steady.

There was a large, steaming bowl of savory, creamy-white fish soup.

Next to it was a plate of sashimi, the texture of the fish clear and translucent, carefully garnished with some unknown, finely-chopped emerald-green wild vegetables.

In addition, there were two grilled fish, giving off the rich aroma of their rendered oils.

Because White River City is a hub for waterway transportation, aquatic resources are abundant here, and fish isn’t expensive.

Lance, still a bit skeptical, picked up the wooden spoon on the table, ladled up some of the creamy white soup, blew on it lightly, and brought it to his lips.

The moment the soup touched his tongue,

Lance’s eyes flew wide open.

So savory!

The sweet, savory flavor of the fish and the fresh fragrance of the wild vegetables blended together perfectly, without the slightest hint of a fishy smell.

"Holy shit!"

Lance whipped his head around, his eyes shining as he looked at Rein.

"Uncle Rein, please, you must, you absolutely have to let me escort her home!"

’Is she using a cheat code or something?’

Watching Lance, Rein burst out laughing.

"Don’t just say it’s outrageous; when I first tasted it, I found it hard to believe too."

Rein explained with a laugh.

"Back in Gray Rock City, just so she could get a few more mouthfuls of broth, she specifically offered to take over all the cooking. That’s when I found out she was hiding this talent."

Hearing Rein’s praise,

Ella lifted her chin smugly, her fluffy tail held high and proud behind her.

"I was personally blessed by the great Hunting God Scadia, you know!"

After hearing that, the corner of Lance’s mouth twitched slightly.

’That’s the Hunt God? That’s obviously the fucking God of Cooking!’

Seeing Lance cast aside all decorum and begin to wolf down the food straight from the wooden bowl,

Rein just smiled and shook his head.

"If you don’t have anywhere else to stay here in White River City, you can live with us for the next few days. But during this time, whatever you do, don’t go wandering around outside."

"Why?"

Lance asked, his words muffled by the piece of grilled fish he was chewing, the bowl still in his hands.

"Because..."

"Tomorrow is your funeral."

"Huh???"

Hearing this sentence,

two giant question marks instantly appeared over Lance’s head.

...

Meanwhile.

High above the clouds of White River City,

a colossal Alchemy Steamship was breaking through the thick cloud cover, slowly approaching the city.

Intricate Technique Circuits were carved into its massive metal hull.

The enormous propellers at its stern didn’t spew acrid black smoke.

Instead, they relied on compressed "Elemental Bottles" within the ship’s hold to provide pure Ether Energy, pushing the behemoth smoothly through the sky.

As the Floating Ship slowly descended upon White River City’s largest official military port,

Princess Elvira, holder of the title [Crimson Crown Dragon],

had finally arrived at her loyal White River City.