Chapter 21

First Update Thank you, 761747015, for pointing out the bug, which has been fixed. Also, one of the characters in the character building has been requisitioned, but the name has been slightly changed.

"Your boots, what happened to them?" Miki looked at Cook's brand new boots, which had a large tear, and the clumsy patch revealed who had sewn it.

"I accidentally got them cut by a rock while fetching water. Here, I also have a bag of nuts," Cook explained with a smile. In fact, the boots contained the gold coins Cook had hidden, but he had replaced the insole, making his feet feel a bit hard.

"Be careful, nuts are delicious," Miki took the nuts and, as Cook was about to leave, whispered.

"Hehe!" Cook walked back, constantly looking at Miki and smiling foolishly.

"Ha! This country bumpkin still has a heart. Miki, see what kind of nuts these are. The last time the pine nuts were quite tasty." But then an unexpected visitor grabbed the bag of nuts Cook had given Miki, opened it skillfully, and said while opening it.

"Acorns, and they are pure wild ones. Hmm, they have a milk flavor. Not bad, come on, Miki, let's split them." Loli opened the bag and found acorns, which were pure wild by their size and color. Knowing that this season almost had no acorns, Loli didn't wait for Miki's agreement and took half of them.

"Hmm, this Cook isn't completely useless. Last time it was pine nuts, this time acorns, and they are different flavors. Last time it was honey-flavored, and this time it's milk-flavored," Loli said while eating, praising Cook a bit.

"Teacher, they have all left. Why aren't we following them?" Miki was referring to the mage corps speeding away, while Loli and some magic apprentices were slowly following the logistics personnel.

"Sigh, the situation ahead is urgent. Our mounts can't keep up with theirs, and we newbies would just be a burden on the battlefield," Loli sighed and answered.

After Cook returned to his position, Little Rascal extended its furry paw: "Buddy, I worked hard for your acorns. What about the reward you promised?"

"I will definitely give it to you. How about this, I'll make you a pure gold collar when we get back. How does that sound?" Cook, who had no intention of giving any reward, tried to deceive him.

"I want the gold coins first," the squirrel answered shrewdly.

"Where will you put the gold coins?" Cook looked at the squirrel with a mischievous smile and asked.

"Then write me a receipt," the squirrel answered after a while.

"Ha ha ha, do you even recognize my writing? Aren't you afraid it might be a magic contract or something?" Cook laughed, remembering what Loli had said, and asked accordingly.

"Uh!" The squirrel was stunned and didn't say anything for a while.

"Buddy, buddy, we meet again." Cook, seeing the squirrel's depressed look, laughed until his stomach hurt. At that moment, a figure darted to Cook's side and greeted him familiarly.

"Uh, how did you get here? Are you a noble's guard?" Cook, recognizing the young thief who had sold him the water rabbit, asked in surprise.

"Guard? I'm just a temporary substitute. No time to explain, buddy, the situation looks bad," the thief said, making Cook understand that this was a method some nobles used to preserve their strength by temporarily hiring guards to replace their original ones.

"Cook Hilton, professional hunter. Friends call me Cook."

"Mike Jakes. You can call me Mike. I'm a bard," Mike lifted his head proudly and introduced himself.

"Aren't you a thief?" Cook looked at the guy with several throwing knives, the typical attire of a thief.

"Hehe, I think this outfit is very impressive and intimidating!" Mike spun around dramatically and answered.

"Phew! A bard, are you the ones who make up stories in town?" Cook immediately asked.

"Make... up stories?" Mike's face turned green, and he stared at Cook with wide eyes.

"Isn't that what you do?" Cook asked weakly.

"How can bards make up stories? Bards need a lot of knowledge, including etiquette and language..." Mike burst out, speaking non-stop.

"Uh! I see," Cook finally showed a look of realization after listening for a while.

"So, isn't a bard a unique profession?" Mike asked excitedly.

"Um, is it a profession that relies on talking to make a living?" Cook nodded and answered.

"Rely on talking to make a living? You, bards can't just be about making a living. Didn't you see me sell the water rabbit? That's a magical beast, a magical beast!" Mike asked, almost in a rage.

"Um, a level 0 magical beast," Cook added.

"You, I...!" Mike, hearing this, immediately turned and walked away.

"Leaving already?" Cook asked in surprise.

"I will challenge you to a duel, a duel, boy, let's go...!" But then Mike took a few steps back and immediately threw a glove at Cook, shouting loudly.

"Uh. A duel?" Cook held the glove and muttered.

"It means you have to hit him. If you don't hit him, it's a sign of disrespect," the squirrel explained clearly.

"Damn, what a stupid rule," Cook muttered, looking at Mike.

"Draw your sword, let the blood prove... Bang!" Mike was striking a pose he thought was very cool, but a black shadow hit his prominent nose.

"Bang! Bang! Bang!" Mike felt his nose sting, his eyes sparkled with stars, and before he could react, he felt two hard blows to his eyes, followed by a hit to his third leg. Mike only felt a piercing pain and then fainted in a grand manner.

"Does this count as my victory?" Cook asked the squirrel beside him.

"Yes!" the squirrel nodded.

"Then he can't make any demands on me anymore?" Cook immediately asked, as the squirrel had said that the winner of a duel could demand any ransom from the loser, which could include a wife, money, or equipment. So Cook immediately burst out, first taking off his helmet and hitting Mike's nose hard, as he always did in fights, followed by a punch to the eyes and a kick to the groin. No one who had suffered these three moves could stand up.

Cook's reasoning was simple: "I'm already poor and can't afford to lose."

"You can ask him to do something for you," the squirrel, though a bit confused, said to Cook.

"Ha ha, ha ha, I was just worried about not finding a scapegoat, and now one has come to me. It looks like someone will fetch water tonight. But this guy is so handsome, he should keep a safe distance from Miki," Cook laughed, thinking about what conditions to impose.

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