Chapter 14

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"Hehe, we live right over there! Mrs. Hill, hello!" Naris greeted as he entered, putting down the gift in his hand.

"Please sit, please sit!" Cook hurriedly brought a stool for Naris.

"Lord Rock and Lady Rock have gone to the Earl's place; there's a banquet there tonight." Naris said as he sat down.

"I was thinking of sending some of this monster meat to Lord Rock." Cook said in surprise, of course, he could guess why Lord Rock went to the banquet, it must be because of the mobilization order.

"No need, that monster meat is no longer useful to us, and we've already eaten more advanced monster meat." Naris waved his hand and said.

"Really, then why did you come, Brother Naris?" Cook asked directly.

"Nothing much, just came to visit. Once we set out, the two families can look out for each other." Naris said and was about to leave.

"Brother Naris, aren't you staying for dinner?" Cook asked in surprise.

"No, I need to go back and have dinner with Lady. After all, we're leaving tomorrow." Naris said as he walked away.

As soon as Naris left, Mrs. Hill asked in a puzzled tone, "Cook, what happened?"

"Mother, the Mulan Empire has invaded, the Muny Kingdom has already been breached, and the empire's army is currently in the midst of a rare rotation, so they have to send the magic corps. Our main task is to escort these mages. Don't worry, the empire's Mammoth Corps has already set out." Cook could only answer based on what he knew.

"Heavens, may the gods protect us!" Mrs. Hill was stunned, then she tightly hugged Cook and said with a sob.

"It's fine, it's fine, Mother. We new recruits will only be in the back, we won't be on the front lines." Although Cook was unsure, he had to comfort her. For Cook, everything was unknown, both exciting and terrifying, a fear of the unknown.

"Cook, be careful." Old Hill returned, looking hurried, clearly he had also heard about the matter.

"Father, I know!" Cook saw not only Old Hill but also four others behind him: a middle-aged couple, a girl around fifteen, and a boy about two years old, younger than Lily.

"Come, Cook, this is Uncle Puen." Old Hill introduced to Cook.

"Uncle Puen, Lady." Cook quickly greeted.

"Mrs. Hill, you don't need to worry. First, mages have powerful followers, and second, new recruits like Cook won't be sent to the front lines." Puen was a middle-aged man, neither fat nor thin, with a dark complexion, short hair, and a neat and tidy appearance, giving off a sense of shrewdness and strength.

"Thank you!" Mrs. Hill said gratefully.

"But Cook, you don't need to call me Uncle. Just call me Big Brother. I haven't been to the battlefield either, but I do have some experience with hunting." Puen then said to Cook.

"This...!" Cook and Old Hill were stunned.

"This is my daughter, Mitchi. Mitchi, call Uncle!" Puen then introduced the girl. The girl was shy, her clothes were full of patches but very clean, her skin was dark, and her hair was a rare light red color. However, she had bright, large eyes. Cook noticed that Mitchi's hands were full of cracks, and her boots, made of unknown animal skin, were also worn out, clearly homemade.

"Uncle Cook!" Mitchi said softly, her voice barely audible.

"This is Boai. Boai, call Uncle!" Puen pointed to the little boy and called him, but the boy hid behind his sister, peeking at Cook with one eye out of curiosity.

"Please come in! Please come in!" Old Hill quickly interjected.

"Hehe, please come in!" Cook also quickly stepped aside.

Cook then prepared the food himself, slicing the monster meat and frying it in a pan until it was golden. It wasn't the palm-sized pieces of this world but more like stir-fried slices. A water rabbit was stewed with some green beans, which were round and slightly larger than peas. He also bought some golden bread and a large bottle of barley wine from Old Jim, making a feast they had never had before.

"What a feast!" Mrs. Puen exclaimed, looking at Cook with a strange expression.

"Please, everyone!" Old Hill gestured for them to start, and he began eating first. Here, they ate with their hands; forks and knives were luxuries for the nobility.

During dinner, no one spoke much, but after dinner, when they were drinking, the conversation began. Cook, Puen, and Old Hill talked together, while Lily and Boai played with the women, who were clearing the dishes, which were just a few wooden plates.

"Cook, remember one thing, and you can become a good hunter." Puen, already a bit tipsy, gave Cook many examples, which Cook listened to attentively. But in the end, Puen summarized.

"Don't underestimate any prey, no matter how weak it is. Even if it's dead, give it one more stab!" Puen said.

"Um! I remember!" Cook nodded, knowing that many animals can feign death.

"Ah!!!" But just then, a woman's scream came from the kitchen.

"What's happening!" Cook jumped up and rushed into the kitchen.

"Boom!" But at that moment, the living room door shattered, and a massive shockwave surged into the living room. Cook, standing at the junction of the living room and kitchen, watched as splinters of wood flew toward him.

"It's over!" Cook thought.

"Boy, get out of the way!" But a cold voice snapped him out of it.

"Uh!" Cook opened his eyes and saw a tall figure in front of him, at least two meters tall. Cook himself was also quite tall, as people in this world generally were.

"Boy, don't try to block a mage's path!" The figure was dressed in a black robe and held an ancient wooden staff, with a bright red gem at the top.

"Uh, bad!" Cook was startled and tried to rush into the kitchen.

"Get out of the way, boy!" Then Cook felt an invisible force throw him away, and the figure rushed into the kitchen.

"Who is it?" Cook, thrown to the ground, immediately got up and rushed into the kitchen, ignoring the cuts on his arm.

"Bang!" But just as Cook looked, he was thrown out again by an invisible force, this time landing even harder.

"Clang! Clang! Clang!" What surprised Cook even more was that the small living room was suddenly filled with fully armed people, their swords gleaming, watching Cook, who was on the ground, and the mostly sobered Old Hill and Puen.

The speed at which these people arrived was astonishing; in an instant, the living room had changed. Faced with the gleaming swords, Cook wisely shut his mouth, clearly aware that a force that could storm a noble's castle was beyond his ability to provoke.

"Fire magic talent!" But then a voice from outside exclaimed, and a middle-aged man in a fiery red robe walked in.