If Hayata were to learn hunting from Amos, she at least wouldn't develop a strength-based fighting style, right?
With that thought in mind, Paine discussed it with his niece, and Hayata didn't object.
Regardless of factors like Courage or conviction, even the most free-spirited girl still cares about her appearance.
Moreover, as her uncle's good friend, Uncle Amos was someone she had known since childhood, and compared to group training, being taught by such a powerful and familiar master was clearly more suitable.
Amidst their lively chatter, the uncle and niece arrived at the doorstep of Amos's house.
"Sigh, you're just as stubborn as your father, refusing to listen no matter how much I persuade you. Hunter training is very tough, you know. If you ever find it too difficult...
I'm telling you, Hayata, are you really not going to reconsider? How about we learn painting instead, and become an artist?"
Standing in front of Amos's residence, Paine turned around again, babbling on.
Hayata rolled her eyes, walked past Paine, stepped forward, and knocked on the large door.
The direct distance between Minagarde City and Kokoto Village isn't too far, only about four to five hundred kilometers.
However, the Schrade Region is a mountainous, hilly area, so direct distance and actual distance are two completely different concepts.
Gordon and Zhu Pa hitched a ride with traveling merchants heading to Minagarde City to sell mountain goods. After nearly ten days on the road, the tall city walls of Minagarde finally appeared on the horizon.
As the distance gradually shortened, the city walls became more prominent, and Gordon's mouth opened wider and wider.
The city walls, over ten meters high, were constructed from dark gray, colossal dressed stones. A hundred years of wind and rain couldn't shake them in the slightest; instead, it added a sense of enduring grandeur to them.
The wall tops, wide enough for two carriages to pass side-by-side, were lined with defensive structures and watchtowers.
As one of humanity's most important coastal cities, Minagarde City possessed sufficiently powerful defenses, whether the opponent was a human army or monsters.
Large ballistas fixed to the city walls, requiring at least three people to operate smoothly, could, with the aid of eccentric and capstan wheels, launch heavy bolts as thick as an arm over two hundred meters into the sky.
Clearly, these terrifying weapons were not designed with human enemies in mind from their inception; their targets were monsters.
Within their optimal killing range of one hundred meters, even a wyvern would be severely wounded, and this was only the most basic weapon in Minagarde City's defense system.
Whether it was the mobile cannons that launched massive shells with gunpowder, or the mysterious devices hidden within the city walls, powered by giant steam engines, known as "Dragonator."
All of this was the foundation that generations of Minagarde pioneers had diligently accumulated so that their descendants could live in peace in the perilous Schrade Region.
Unfortunately, Gordon couldn't notice so many details at this moment.
His and Zhu Pa's attention had long been captivated by the endless stream of merchant caravans in and out of the massive city gate, as well as the bustling crowd around them, practically pushing them forward.
Gordon could swear that all the people he had ever seen in his life combined weren't as many as the people at Minagarde City's gate at that moment.
After finally squeezing through the city gate, Gordon's head, turning in all directions, never stopped.
Anyway, he was just a country bumpkin entering the city for the first time, so what was there to be ashamed of? Without deliberately hiding his surprise and novelty, Gordon looked around, satisfying his curiosity.
As they gradually approached the bustling trade circulation area, Gordon clearly felt that more Hunters were passing by.
After all, Minagarde Hunter's Gathering Hall was in the nearby area.
For young Hunters, compared to the dazzling array of goods on market stalls and the diverse shops along the street, it was indeed those "colleagues," or more precisely, their equipment, that was more interesting.
"Wow! Zhu Pa, look! That red armor is so cool! The shoulder pads are super high and flamboyant! It must be made from some kind of shelled monster material, right?"
"Ah ha, that armor looks like a barrel, but its defense seems very high!"
"Huh? Zhu Pa, look at that big sister's equipment. There doesn't seem to be much fabric; her belly is exposed. Doesn't she feel cold?"
Zhu Pa carefully shrunk its head, praying that Gordon's rather impolite comments wouldn't attract the attention of the equipment's owner.
It was also fortunate that this guy remembered to lower his voice, otherwise, he might have provoked a scolding from a certain "belly-baring big sister."
This is light Archer equipment, damn it!
After wandering around for a long time, until the sun began to set, Gordon finally remembered that Instructor Ernest had repeatedly reminded him before they set off.
The first thing to do upon arriving in Minagarde should be to report to the Hunter's Gathering Hall.
Fortunately, the Hunter's Gathering Hall wasn't hard to find. He asked a random passerby for directions and quickly arrived in front of the massive building located in the center of the trade circulation area.
Looking at the wooden saloon doors, made smooth and shiny by countless hands, Gordon felt both excited and uneasy, momentarily frozen in place.
"What are you standing at the door for? Get in!"
A hearty female voice with a hint of dissatisfaction came from behind him. Gordon felt a hand push his back, and he instinctively took a few steps forward, entering the Gathering Hall's main door.
Loud laughter, the thudding of oak barrels on tables, the Receptionist's loud order calls—all rushed towards him at once.
It was an overwhelming liveliness.
The strong, slightly choking scent of ale, rows of solid wood long tables, waiters moving back and forth, men and women drinking and bragging before dark...
Minagarde Hunter's Gathering Hall's first impression on Gordon was more like a tavern than a place for Hunters to pick up quests.
"Hey, a new face I've never seen before! Silly boy, where are you from?" The female Hunter who had pushed him at the Gathering Hall entrance walked around in front of him, looking him up and down with a hint of curiosity.
Only then did Gordon notice that this female Hunter, dressed in pink leather armor, was the "belly-baring big sister" he had seen on the street earlier.
She looked to be in her twenties, with healthy, tanned skin, and very distinct muscle lines outlining her exposed abdomen. Her black wavy hair and the proud, hands-on-hips stance gave her a bold feeling.
Gordon, who had little experience interacting with young women, seemed a bit shy at this moment. He scratched the back of his head and said, "Hello, Big Sister, I am Gordon from Kokoto Village."
The female Hunter's mouth twitched fiercely at his words.
The address "Big Sister" gave off a feeling of being five years older than "Sister" and ten years older than "Miss."
Damn, I'm annoyed.
"What 'Big Sister'? How old are you, kid? Are you much younger than me?" The female Hunter crossed her ample chest, her chin held high, looking as if she was spoiling for a fight.
Zhu Pa huddled into a ball in fright, and Gordon was also a bit flustered, instinctively replying, "I... I'm seventeen this year?"
"Hahahahahahaha!"
A long-haired male Hunter, whose attention was drawn by the female Hunter's loud voice, laughed and teased, "This young man is almost ten years younger than you, Oshura! He's being very polite by not calling you 'Auntie'! Hahahahaha!"
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T/N: While I am an inexperienced Translator, I have a Patreon! While it may seem empty as of now, webnovel will get 2 Chapters Every Day, and advanced chapters will be uploaded on Patreon.
It may not seem worth it now, but maybe in the future. Who knows!
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If you guys wanna check it out.