Chapter 15

"Alright, there's only one more wild boar carcass left. Try to follow what I did before, and this time, remember to avoid damaging the boar's bones as much as possible. Meow!" Wenlong pointed to the last unskinned wild boar carcass.

"Okay, I'll do my best this time..."

Catherine picked up the hunting knife again, but this time she didn't start immediately. Instead, she paused as if deep in thought.

After a few seconds, Catherine began to insert the skinning knife into the wild boar's body.

It was clear that Catherine's movements were the result of careful consideration, as she did not damage the boar's bones this time but instead cut along the gaps between them.

"It seems this woman can do a decent job when she really tries. Although she's a bit slow, she's making rapid progress when she focuses..." Wenlong watched from the side, offering some guidance to Catherine at appropriate times to help her avoid unnecessary mistakes.

Before long, Catherine's skinning began to improve, and Wenlong stopped giving advice, content to watch.

In fact, one of the main reasons Wenlong had Catherine learn to skin the wild boar was to help her master the precise use of her strength.

In terms of raw strength, Catherine had indeed reached a formidable level. This was why Wenlong wanted to test her control over precision.

From the current situation, Wenlong was generally satisfied. After his reminders, Catherine managed to complete the skinning of the last wild boar, albeit at the cost of speed.

"Hmm, not bad. Although there are some scratches on the bones, overall they haven't been damaged. It's a pass. Meow!"

When Catherine finished the skinning, even Wenlong nodded in approval. Regardless, he knew that for a first attempt, Catherine had done well.

"Alright, woman, since we've finished skinning, gather all the materials. Also, take a few pieces of the best wild boar ham and loin meat to bring back. This should be enough to last us a few days."

As he spoke, Wenlong helped Catherine clean up the debris on the ground. The necessary materials and meat were placed in a special blue leather bag, which Catherine then carried on her back.

From the material of these bags, Wenlong knew they were made from the hides of high-level prey, making them highly elastic.

When they first took the bag out, it was only about the size of two adult palms, but when they started to pack it, the bag could expand to a size large enough for several adults to fit inside without any issues. More surprisingly, even when expanded to many times its original size, the bag's strength remained unaffected, allowing it to carry a large amount of heavy items without breaking.

This piqued Wenlong's curiosity, and he carefully examined the blue leather bag, feeling its exterior and rubbing it in his hands to understand its material.

"This highly elastic material is likely made from the hide of a Poisonous Bird, a Bird Wyvern monster. It's a very precious item. This woman must have received it from her brother."

Wenlong knew that according to the Hunter's Guild's monster danger classification, the Poisonous Bird was rated three stars, making it much stronger than the large bird that Bai Mao and his partner Levi hunted. This meant that to hunt a Poisonous Bird, one needed to be at least a three-star hunter. In contrast, Catherine couldn't even defeat a low-level wild boar, indicating that her strength was far below that of a one-star hunter, at best a novice hunter.

"The path of a hunter is indeed a long and arduous one... Meow!" Wenlong couldn't help but sigh at this thought.

However, despite his sigh, Wenlong, with his determined character, would not easily give up on training Catherine to become an excellent hunter.

Before long, with the efforts of Wenlong and Catherine, all the materials from the four wild boars were packed into the highly elastic bag. Wenlong then had Catherine carry the bag and they hurriedly made their way back along the mountain path.

...

When they returned to Mirador Village, it was already late at night, but the village, which was not particularly bustling, was still brightly lit.

This somewhat surprised Wenlong, as he hadn't expected the night life in the remote village to be so vibrant. In particular, the Silver Dragon Inn in the center of the village was filled with villagers drinking and enjoying themselves, their cheerful laughter echoing far and wide.

"After a day of hunting and a hurried return, I'm hungry. We don't have to cook tonight. Let's go to the Silver Dragon Inn and indulge a bit! Meow!"

Seeing the lively Silver Dragon Inn, Wenlong couldn't resist his hunger and rushed in ahead of Catherine.

"Mr. Cat, wait a moment..." Seeing Wenlong dash ahead, Catherine hurried to follow, but she was slowed down by the heavy Kirin sword and the day's hunting spoils on her back.

"Welcome! What would you like to order?"

A black-haired girl in a maid's uniform greeted Wenlong. She was Lida, the waitress at the Silver Dragon Inn.

"Your boss can help me process some fresh ingredients, right?" Wenlong asked.

"Of course! What kind of ingredients do you have?" Lida asked with a smile.

"Here, the best wild boar ham! Have it grilled and served to me!" Saying this, Wenlong took a wild boar's hind leg from his small bag and handed it to Lida. He then walked to the counter, took out a small bag, and shook it, causing thirty copper coins to fall onto the counter.

"These are for the processing fee. Make sure to grill it well! And bring me a good bottle of wine if there's any left!"

"Sure thing! Mora! Help the guest with the grilling! The best wild boar ham, and Lida, bring a bottle of the best Clear Spring Wine for this guest!" The innkeeper, Chiro, shouted to the kitchen while collecting the thirty copper coins from the counter.

Soon, a somewhat plump middle-aged woman emerged from the kitchen, took the wild boar's hind leg from Lida, and returned to the kitchen. The rich aroma of grilled meat soon filled the air.

At this moment, Catherine, burdened with a large load, hurried into the Silver Dragon Inn and couldn't help but exclaim when she saw the thirty copper coins Wenlong had just spent.

"Mr. Cat, Mr. Cat... That's all the money we have left! If we spend it all, we won't have a place to stay tonight."

"Don't worry," Wenlong waved his paw confidently, "we'll have more money soon."