Chapter 13

The wandering knight has a small house deep in the dense forest. It is not a building made of wooden planks and stones, but rather one that has been slowly shaped by altering the direction of tree growth.

Tracing back, this house has existed for two hundred years, though at that time it was just a tree hollow. Now, the original tree hollow, with the growth of the tree, has been pushed up to a height of about twenty meters, seriously affecting the stability of the tree. A few decades ago, the tree hollow was broken open and removed, turning into the open observation platform that Zhao Mai now sees.

There are still three usable houses, each belonging to three generations of forest wanderers, built in their respective eras. Below these three is an unfinished tree hollow, which is probably prepared for the next generation of wanderers. Some purple-red vines climb over the tree hollow, occasionally emitting a faint glow. Unlike the vines that draw nutrients from the tree, the purple vines have their roots in the soil, showing no signs of weakness or dependence, but rather expanding the size of the tree hollow like a stretching chain.

The wanderer's large tree, shaped like a gourd, is surrounded by a grassy field. Only grass can survive under the vast shadow of the huge tree canopy; other trees simply cannot grow. A group of rabbits were playing and frolicking here, but they ran away as soon as they saw Zhao Mai, quickly hiding under the complex roots of the wanderer's tree. A large white goose stretched its neck, flapped its wings vigorously, and quacked loudly, charging at Zhao Mai.

Karl raised his foot and kicked the goose to the side. The goose blinked, realizing it had completed its task, then propped up its fat belly with its wings, gave a couple of warning quacks, and waddled off to the feeding trough, like an obese official of ancient times, to find something to eat.

Geese have a strong territorial awareness, similar to dogs in guarding the home. Hearing the goose's call, a gray-green head poked out from the highest tree hollow.

This was a half-orc, the offspring of orcs and other humanoid races. Whether with humans, elves, halflings, or gnomes, orcs always produce half-orcs, which to some extent demonstrates the strength of their bloodline. Currently, only dragonborn can suppress orc blood, producing half-dragons. Dwarves... there has never been a half-dwarf, which also shows that their bloodline, like their temperament, is as hard as rock.

This inevitably leads to another race: elves. The offspring of elves and humans are half-elves, but what about orcs? This is a taboo topic, and even the most gentle and refined elves will fly into a rage when they hear it. Zhao Mai and his imaginative friends have discussed this, believing that the result would be a half-orc, not a half-elf.

It is said that orcs have always used this to prove that their bloodline is nobler than that of elves, which is one of the roots of the eternal enmity between elves and orcs. Orcs have also been trying to taint the bloodline of dwarves, which is why dwarves and orcs are mortal enemies.

More gossipy still, why do other races treat half-elves well, but elves do not? This... everyone can understand. Even the most "noble" races have moments when they think with their lower halves.

"Teacher, you're back!" the half-orc called out happily, then jumped directly from the tree house, which was nearly ten meters high. He adjusted his posture in mid-air and landed steadily on the ground like a nimble cat.

With a small head, a thick neck, and a body that hasn't yet fully developed, this was still a young orc. He was bare-chested, wearing only a leather skirt around his waist. During the jump, something below his waist swung into Zhao Mai's line of sight, causing him to feel nauseous.

"Zorul," the old wanderer pointed to the half-orc and introduced him to Zhao Mai. "This is Mike, whom I found by the lake. He was lost."

The half-orc opened his arms and hugged Zhao Mai, his chest muscles and biceps contracting, squeezing the air out of Zhao Mai's lungs. Zhao Mai's eyes rolled back, and he let out a series of choked gasps, "Uh... uh..."

Fortunately, Zorul only hugged for a moment before letting go and immediately turned to rummage through Karl's backpack, pulling out a wild boar leg and happily jumping around.

Zhao Mai took several deep breaths to adjust his breathing. He had vaguely seen a flash of cunning in the half-orc's gray eyes, unsure if it was a simple joke or something else.

Karl put down his backpack, placed his index and middle fingers in his mouth, and blew a loud whistle. The wanderer's house immediately came to life, and dozens of various animals emerged from their hiding places. Zhao Mai saw a python as thick as a barrel push through the soil and silently slither behind a rabbit, opening its massive jaws.

Before he could cry out in alarm, the rabbit was thrown into the air and then struck by the python's tail, bouncing like a tennis ball on the grass and rolling away.

The python bared its fangs, pushing and squeezing its way to the front. Its eyes were full of gentleness and flattery, and it brought its head to within a foot of Karl's hand, like a child waiting for praise.

The old wanderer did not move but continued to wait. Soon, a yellow old dog with missing fur emerged from the tree hollow. One of its legs was lame, and one eye was blind. A diagonal scar from its forehead to its mouth had been there for many years, clearly the cause of its blindness.

Behind it followed a round, small puppy, struggling to keep up with its short legs. The old dog looked like a golden retriever, but the puppy's breed was indistinguishable, resembling an Akita or a Shiba Inu. It always opened its small mouth, trying to bite the remaining fur on the old dog's bald tail.

Zorul put down the pig leg, took a few quick steps, and scooped up the puppy, rubbing it affectionately against his face. The old dog licked its lips, spat at the python, and then placed its chin in Karl's palm.

It first enjoyed its owner's petting, then satisfied, crawled into the sun to nap. The python hoped for a full-body massage, but after the old wanderer grabbed its neck and shook it a few times, it was content and "generously" gave up its spot.

Karl pointed to the second tree hollow, indicating that Zhao Mai could stay there, then led a group of chickens, ducks, geese, and rabbits to check the yard. Zorul threw the puppy to the ground and followed, shouting loudly.

The python tilted its head, looking at Zhao Mai, and extended its nose to sniff him carefully, as if deciding where to bite. Zhao Mai knew that animals trained by the wanderer would not easily harm people, so he faced it calmly, without being scared stiff. This performance clearly pleased the python, which gently rubbed against Zhao Mai and then walked away on its own.

The puppy rolled over and fell at Zhao Mai's feet. Seeing its little red tongue, Zhao Mai picked it up with pity.

The python hissed twice and looked back.