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Chapter 7: The catgirl swallowed her shame and was willing to have her ears touched.

Before heading to Dawn Forest, Reiner bought Nora another set of throwing knives in town.

Because on the road he learned that bandits had recently been rampant on the route to the forest, and a group of goblins had inexplicably appeared inside, so the area was said to be rather chaotic.

There was a chance they would encounter danger this time.

But the two of them were lucky, and after traveling for a whole day they still had not run into the rumored bandits.

Moreover, they often saw fresh hoof-prints along the way, suggesting that people used this road frequently.

Nora walked at the very front by herself, occasionally sneaking shifty glances at Reiner, her eyes looking at him as if he were some kind of pervert.

(He wants to touch my ears… I must be extra cautious from now on.)

Reiner was momentarily tongue-tied and could not help saying, “Come over here; I won’t touch your ears anymore.”

Nora hurried to his side and argued, “I’m just scouting ahead; my senses are sharp, so I’m suited to lead the way for you.”

Reiner replied solemnly, “There are only two of us, so scouting is meaningless; we’re about to enter the forest, just stay beside me.”

Nora answered in a low voice and obediently remained at Reiner’s side.

The trees ahead grew ever denser, the dirt road beneath their feet ended, and all they could see ahead were stretches of pine trees.

They were probably already inside Dawn Forest.

Perhaps because it was dusk, Reiner did not feel that the scenery here was any different from that of an ordinary forest.

[Quest: Head to Dawn Forest north of Melod

Current status: Completed

Reward delivered]

The system could not wait to confirm Reiner’s thought.

At the same time, five cold, hard silver coins appeared out of thin air in his palm.

After adding the scattered earnings of the past few days and subtracting the money spent on Nora’s throwing knives and adding the quest reward, he now had eight silver coins in his pouch.

If he saved a bit more, he could go to the slave market and buy another slave.

[Quest update: Conduct a preliminary exploration of Dawn Forest.

Quest reward: 5 silver coins]

Reiner looked at the updated quest and sighed; he hated these tasks with no clear criteria.

The instructions did not say how long he had to explore before the quest would count as complete.

When he came back to himself, he found Nora poking his shoulder, “Master… Master!”

“What is it?”

Nora blinked in surprise and then said, “Nothing, I just wanted to ask whether we should keep going; it’s already dark.”

Because of the dim light, her pupils had become huge and round, making her look especially cute.

“Let’s find a place to spend the night.”

Reiner lit a campfire behind a large boulder.

After the two of them finished dinner they began to take turns resting.

Only in the morning did Reiner truly feel why this place was called Dawn Forest.

When golden sunlight shone through the mist onto his body, he felt as if the whole world had warmed up.

Every deep breath carried the fresh scent of flowers, grass, and earth, clearing his mind and lifting his spirits.

He looked around; the sunlit forest resembled a tranquil, beautiful painting, and they were standing right inside that painting.

No wonder Nora had said the place was good.

When he grew old he also wanted to settle in Dawn Forest.

“The rumors weren’t false; this place really is beautiful.” Reiner uncapped his waterskin and took a drink.

Nora was still standing there in a daze.

All of her inner thoughts drifted into Reiner’s mind.

(So beautiful… truly beautiful; if Mom and Dad were still alive, they would definitely love this place too.)

As she kept thinking, Nora’s ears suddenly drooped.

After a while she finally came back to herself and asked, “Master, where are we going next?”

“Let’s just wander around the forest for a bit.”

Reiner planned to finish the quest first.

“Okay.” Nora responded and then obediently followed behind him.

Just then Reiner heard a horse whinny.

He followed the sound and hid in the bushes to observe.

They were slave traders, more than a dozen of them, and five demi-human slaves were tied behind the wagon, apparently about to be taken back to the city.

“Who is it?”

Hearing the rustle in the bushes, two guards drew their swords and stepped forward, blocking the slave traders.

Reiner walked out of the bushes.

“Hey, relax, I’m just passing by.” Reiner smiled, trying his best to appear friendly.

The two guards breathed a sigh of relief and sheathed their swords.

The slave trader frowned and said, “Don’t hide in the bushes and scare people; there are lots of goblins in this area, we’re all on edge, so watch yourself or you might get hurt by accident.”

Reiner nodded, glanced at the demi-human slaves tied to the wagon, and then asked, “There are demi-humans in this forest?”

“Hmph, you didn’t know? I thought the news had already gotten around.” The slave trader chuckled and continued, “But you’re late; we’ve captured nearly all the demi-humans in this forest. If there’s nothing else, don’t block the road, we’re leaving.”

Reiner stepped aside and watched them depart.

At that moment Nora’s thoughts floated into his mind.

(Beasts! Damn scum!)

Nora clenched her fists and glared at the slave traders’ backs, gnashing her teeth.

It was clear that if she could have beaten them, she would already have attacked.

“Let’s go and take a casual look inside.”

Nora quickly walked up to Reiner and asked cautiously, “Master… are you also going to capture us demi-humans to sell?”

Reiner spread his hands. “No.”

Nora let out a long sigh of relief and then took his hand. “Losing freedom is already terrible, but if a cruel person buys you, there’s no hope at all…”

Nora spoke with deep emotion, her eyes shimmering with tears.

“I already said I won’t.” Reiner narrowed his eyes, thought for a moment, and then said, “If I promise, will you let me touch your ears?”

Nora froze, apparently not understanding what he meant.

Seeing this, Reiner repeated his request.

Nora felt embarrassed, thought for a moment, and then shut her eyes tightly. “Go ahead!”

(Just let him touch them; they’re only ears… I can handle it!)

Reiner chuckled, “No rush for now; I’ll enjoy them properly after we get home.”

Nora opened her eyes and looked away, her face written with the word shame.

After they had wandered in Dawn Forest for a while, Reiner’s system quest suddenly updated.

[Quest: Conduct a preliminary exploration of Dawn Forest

Current status: Completed

Reward delivered]

Another five silver coins appeared in Reiner’s purse.

Ever since he bought Nora, he felt that everything had been going smoothly.

Just as he was sighing with emotion, the system voice sounded again.

[Quest update: Trigger the hidden Dawn Forest quest and complete it]

Reiner went crazy.

Another incomprehensible quest.

The trigger conditions were not even written; this was sheer torture.

While Reiner was distracted, Nora gently tapped his shoulder.

“Master, it sounds like someone is in danger.”

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