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Chapter 68: The Dendrobium Village
Chapter 68: The Dendrobium Village
The Dendrobium Village is situated about two kilometers from the Dendrobium Ridge. It's not wrong to say it's at the foot of the mountains, hence its name.
The Dendrobium Ridge boasts five peaks, stretching for dozens of kilometers. The relatively gentle slopes provide an excellent environment for plants to grow and a suitable habitat for animals.
As the saying goes, "Those who live by the mountain eat from the mountain, and those who live by the water eat from the water." In the past, when the harvest was poor, the villagers of Dendrobium Village would often go up the mountain to gather and hunt, while also being cautious of wild beasts that occasionally came down to forage.
Because of this, the villagers cut down trees to use as building materials, constructing a tall wooden wall around the village using thick logs.
They even built two watchtowers, one on each side of the main gate.
Two members of the Hunter's Team were currently on duty in the watchtowers.
Earlier, they had seen a strange, large crab appear and then suddenly vanish, thinking it was just their eyes playing tricks on them due to fatigue. Now, they were complaining about how their comrades hadn't come to relieve them yet.
Just then, they spotted six strange beasts slowly approaching the main gate.
"Bit! There are some strange beasts coming this way!"
"I see them, Mastiff! This time it's not just my eyes playing tricks on me." The young man called Bit picked up his bow and arrow.
"Ring the bell and call everyone... Wait! There are people on the backs of the beasts."
As the six figures drew closer, the two guards saw that two of the strange beasts were carrying a black-haired boy and a cherry-haired boy, along with what looked like a cat.
Not only that, but the beasts were walking backward, dragging something behind them. Upon closer inspection, it appeared to be a wild boar.
Rod noticed someone in the watchtower aiming a bow and arrow at them and quickly raised his hand to signal the stone beetles to stop.
Natsu, who was watching the bow-wielding guard warily, shouted, "We're mages from the Fairy Tail guild, and we've taken a job to exterminate wild beasts!"
Hearing that they were mages, the two guards relaxed slightly, but Mastiff still held onto the rope for the bell, asking, "What about those strange beasts?"
"They're my magic, used to carry the wild boars we defeated on our way here." Rod waved his hand, and three of the stone beetles disappeared, leaving the wild boars on the ground.
Bit finally lowered his bow but added, "Please come closer so we can verify your guild marks before opening the gate."
Natsu and Happy jumped off the stone beetles and approached the gate to show their marks, one on Natsu's right arm and one on Happy's back.
Rod, still seated on a stone beetle, moved forward cautiously. He was worried about the guards getting spooked and was ready to pull Natsu and Happy underground if necessary.
Fortunately, nothing of the sort happened.
The two guards confirmed the Fairy Tail guild marks and immediately turned the winch to raise the gate.
This method of opening the gate made Rod uneasy. He couldn't shake the feeling that the rope might suddenly snap, causing the gate to fall and crush him.
"Apologies for the rudeness earlier," Mastiff said as the stone beetles dragged the wild boars through the gate. "What about these wild boars?"
"On our way here, we encountered these wild boars destroying the wheat fields, so we took care of them," Rod explained. "But the battle also destroyed a large portion of the fields. I hope we can use the boars as compensation."
Mastiff quickly replied, "I understand. Please don't feel guilty. If you hadn't stopped them, they would have caused even more damage."
Natsu grinned at Rod, "See? I told you it wouldn't be a problem."
Rod shot him a look, thinking, _No problem, my foot. If I hadn't come today, this guy would be regretting his words._
Rod asked Natsu to take out the mission brief and inquired, "Where does Mr. Panser Leopold live? We need to confirm the mission details with the client."
"That's the village chief's name. I'll take you to him," Mastiff said. "Bit, take over here."
Bit nodded, "Make sure someone deals with the wild boars."
Mastiff waved and led the way, guiding Rod, Natsu, and Happy through the village.
The mayor’s house was located in the center of the village, on a prominent street. It was a two-story building with a large yard.
"Mayor, the mages from Fairy Tail have arrived!"
Since the gate to the yard was open, Mastiff called out and led Rod and the others inside, where they waited in the yard.
Rod took the opportunity to observe the surroundings.
The mayor’s yard was quite spacious. Near the entrance on the left was a cowshed, where a cow stood, chewing on something continuously.
On the right was a chicken coop. Due to the approaching evening, the chickens were no longer running around outside, and the occasional clucking could be heard from inside the coop.
Further in, there were two slightly shabby houses on either side, likely used as a woodshed and a storage room.
‘If the situation gets urgent, I can call the Stone Beetle to burrow us out. The wall isn’t too high, so I could also have the Razorbeak carry us over. Or, I could use the Crab to crash through the wall.’
‘If there’s no time to summon any monsters, I can use the chicken coop for leverage to jump over the wall, or even climb the cowshed.’
Rod planned several escape routes, feeling much more at ease.
At that moment, an elderly man of about fifty, leaning on a cane, emerged, accompanied by a beautiful woman in her late twenties.
The old man had deep-set eyes and a worried expression, likely due to the village’s troubles.
The woman had slightly pale lips and a sorrowful look, as if she had just been crying.
"Are you the mages who accepted the request?" The mayor’s voice was aged and weary.
"We are three, actually. I’m Happy, also a mage from Fairy Tail!"
Happy sprouted wings and flew, showing off his guild mark on his back.
Natsu and Rod introduced themselves as well.
"Apologies for the oversight. I am the mayor, Panser Leopold, and this is my daughter-in-law, Sino." The mayor gestured for them to enter. "Please, come inside and take a seat."
"Mayor, there’s one more thing…" Mastiff mentioned the incident with the wild boar.
"That’s not a problem. Once the mages have resolved the issue, we can check whose wheat was damaged."
Panser leaned on his cane. "We’ll handle it according to your judgment. If the compensation is insufficient, I’ll cover the difference."
"No, Grandpa Mayor." Natsu was the first to protest. "We, the mages of Fairy Tail, will take responsibility for any damage we cause! Right, Happy, Rod?"
You’re actually proud of that!
The rule was indeed clear, and Rod nodded reluctantly.
"Then it’s settled. Mastiff, you can go about your business now."
"Yes, Mayor."
Mastiff left, and Rod frowned, sensing an urgency in the mayor’s demeanor. Could there be something wrong?
They followed Panser and Sino into the living room, where Sino quietly served tea and stood behind Panser.
Rod lifted his teacup to his lips, pretending to drink while observing the room. That’s when he noticed something odd.
On the living room wall hung a black-and-white photograph of an adult man.
Upon closer inspection, he saw that both Panser and Sino had black armbands tied around their sleeves.
Was this their relative, who recently fell victim to the beasts?
The process of accepting a mission actually had another step, which I had skipped.
The guild usually notifies the client that the mission has been accepted after the mages set out, often using a communication magic crystal or a messenger bird. Sometimes, they provide a brief description of the mages to help the client verify their identities and prevent impersonation.
Clients can also use similar methods to post their requests, so they don’t necessarily have to visit the guild in person.
(End of Chapter)
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