“A Felyne?”
Felynes were a race of bipedal cat-like beastmen in the hunter’s world.
They could choose to follow hunters they admired, becoming their most reliable, all-purpose sidekicks.
“A cat companion delivered right to my door?”
Lin Ke blinked, looking down at the cat-like creature standing on two legs before him.
It was barely eighty centimeters tall.
Lines of text floated in the corner of his vision.
[Cloud] Forest Bugtrapper Age: 14 Identity: Forest Patroller Description: A young, brave, and fearless forest patroller, meow!
“Aren’t the Bugtrappers a wild Grimalkyne tribe that lives in the Ancient Tree?
Why would one show up here?” Lin Ke wondered after reading the information.
Just then, the Bugtrapper Grimalkyne named Cloud spoke to Lin Ke anxiously in the beastman tongue.
“Meow meow~ meow~…
Human, it’s very dangerous here!
Quick, follow me, meow.”
As if worried Lin Ke wouldn’t understand her language, Cloud frantically gestured an escape route with her front paws.
She was incredibly cute.
Lin Ke smiled and nodded at Cloud, indicating that he understood.
Cloud’s ears twitched, and a look of delight spread across her round, furry face.
She dropped to all fours, turned around, and waved a single paw at Lin Ke, gesturing for him to follow.
Watching the agile figure bounding through the snow, Lin Ke lifted his feet and strode forward, following the shallow, flower-like pawprints Cloud left behind.
He could put off going to Astera for now.
Right now, he was extremely interested in this Grimalkyne.
In the game, the Bugtrappers living in the Ancient Tree were always highly wary of hunters.
Why was the one he encountered so incredibly friendly?
Was there something the anonymous notebook hadn’t recorded?
Curious, Lin Ke decided to gather some information and called out to the little guide ahead.
“Hello, what’s your name?
You look like you’re from the Bugtrapper tribe.
Where are you taking me?”
Under the influence of his Civilization talent, Lin Ke’s words were translated into the beastman language that the Bugtrapper could understand.
“My name is Cloud, and I’m a patroller for the Bugtrappers.
As for where we’re going, I’m taking you home, of course, meow!”
Hearing the human speak behind her, Cloud answered automatically.
But after speaking, she froze.
She spun around, her round eyes wide with shock, and cried out in astonishment, “Human, you speak our language!”
Lin Ke nodded.
Since his system talent was difficult to explain, he made up a reasonable excuse.
“I learned the language of the Bugtrappers from a very old beastman scholar.”
“That’s wonderful, meow!
What’s your name?
I have so many questions for you!
Did all of you finally come back after being gone for so long?
Why are you alone in the forest without any weapons?
That’s so dangerous, meow!”
Delighted that Lin Ke could understand her, Cloud’s pointed ears twitched rapidly as she rattled off a string of questions.
“It’s a pleasure to meet you, Cloud.
My name is Lin Ke.
But I wasn’t part of the group that left this continent.
I ended up on this New World all by myself because of an accident.”
Lin Ke briefly explained his situation before asking his own question.
“Don’t you Bugtrappers usually live in the Ancient Tree?
Why are you out here?
Can you tell me what happened?”
The moment Lin Ke spoke, the pointed ears of the little guide drooped flat against her round head, and her mood visibly plummeted.
“It was Velkhana, the Lord of Frost, the dragon that freezes all things.
It built its nest on the Ancient Tree, driving away and killing the other tribes living there.”
*Velkhana…
That Elder Dragon’s habits do involve clearing out any small creatures that annoy it,* Lin Ke thought.
“We Bugtrappers were forced to leave the Ancient Tree.
Fortunately, your human chief took us in and taught us how to fish and plant crops.
But nine hundred and ninety-eight sunsets ago, they all boarded giant ships and left.”
“So, the Bugtrappers live in Astera now?” Lin Ke asked, thoroughly intrigued.
The human chief she mentioned was likely either the Commander or the Field Team Leader.
So the Bugtrappers had made Astera their home.
Following Cloud “home” meant they were heading straight to Astera.
“Yes.
Our chief promised your chief that after you left, we would maintain the buildings of Astera and keep small creatures from breaking things, meow.”
“Ah, I see.”
Lin Ke walked behind Cloud, trudging through the deep forest.
At that moment, his eyes fell upon the shallow, flower-like pawprints Cloud left in the snow.
How was that possible?
Even though Cloud was much lighter than him, she shouldn’t be leaving such faint tracks in snow this soft.
So, Lin Ke asked, “Cloud, how come you aren’t sinking into the snow?”
Hearing this, Cloud slowed her pace, pulled a necklace glowing with a faint blue light from her collar, and waved it at Lin Ke.
“It’s because of this, meow!
It was a gift from your chief before they left.”
Lin Ke stared at the glowing blue necklace.
[Mire Charm II] Accessory Quality: Rare Description: An alchemical accessory imbued with a mysterious energy.
Wearing it grants the skill [Aquatic/Polar Mobility].
It really was that.
A second-level Mire Charm of Rare quality—a fine treasure indeed.
“Can I take a look?” Lin Ke asked tentatively.
“Sure, meow.”
Cloud unclasped the necklace and handed it to Lin Ke without a shred of suspicion, despite having met this human less than an hour ago.
She was terribly innocent.
The moment Lin Ke took the necklace, Cloud suddenly sank, half her body plunging into the snow.
He quickly reached down, scooped up her tens of pounds of weight, and set her on his shoulder, giving her round, fluffy head a gentle pat.
Holding the charm, Lin Ke took a step onto the snow.
The moment his sole touched the surface, he felt an upward buoyant force supporting his weight, preventing him from sinking into the snow.
He took a few steps; his speed was completely unaffected by the deep drifts.
In this snowy environment, the utility of this charm was incredible.
“Cloud, let me use this necklace for now.
You just sit on my shoulder and point the way.”
“Okay, meow.”
With Cloud’s guidance, Lin Ke quickly made his way out of the woods.
Once they cleared the forest, he felt the temperature rise significantly.
After another ten minutes of walking, the white snow vanished, replaced by patches of green vegetation on the ground.
It seemed Velkhana’s ecological influence only radiated up to this point.
Following Cloud’s directions, Lin Ke walked down a narrow, rocky path and arrived at a beach.
Before him lay a beach littered with black reefs, and in the distance was the endless, vast ocean.
The morning sun was rising, casting golden waves that rolled with thousands of shimmering rays—a truly spectacular sight.
Stepping onto a reef, Lin Ke returned the Mire Charm to Cloud and asked, “Do we have to travel by sea to get back to Astera?”
Cloud took the charm, put it on, and hopped down from Lin Ke’s shoulder.
“Yes, meow.
An Anjanath recently moved into the land route leading to Astera.
Going that way is far too dangerous, meow.”
The snow-white Cloud leaped nimbly across the black rocks.
Eventually, she led Lin Ke to a small rocky cove where a wooden boat about two meters long was moored.
Cloud hopped onto the boat and untied the rope securing it to the rocks.
She waved her paw at Lin Ke.
“Quick, get in, meow.”
The moment Lin Ke stepped onto the two-meter boat, it rocked violently.
Once his entire weight was settled, the craft sank so low that seawater nearly poured over the gunwales.
Cloud gripped the two oars with her paws and began to row, steering the severely overloaded wooden boat along the coastline toward Astera.
Seeing how much effort Cloud was putting into it, Lin Ke took the oars from her.
“Let me do it, Cloud.
Why don’t you tell me about how things are in Astera?”
“Thank you, meow!
Okay, meow!”
Through Cloud’s narration, Lin Ke gained a clear understanding of the Bugtrappers living in Astera.
They were a large tribe of over a hundred and twenty members.
They survived and thrived by fishing, farming, gathering, and hunting.
However, an Anjanath had recently appeared out of nowhere and claimed the territory surrounding Astera.
Any Bugtrappers who went out to hunt or gather were attacked.
With over ten tribesmen injured or killed, they no longer dared to venture inland.
They were forced to survive solely on coastal fish and the crops they grew.
But the reduction in food sources was starting to take a toll on the tribe’s livelihood.
As the bravest and youngest patroller in the tribe, Cloud had ventured out this time to find a route that bypassed the Anjanath.