Zhu Pa was responsible for keeping watch, while Gordon single-handedly completed the carving of the King Yian Kut-Ku.
By this time, the sun was already setting in the west.
He looked around and saw that Oshura had not yet returned from her bath. He worried that if he went to find her rashly, he might see something he shouldn't and get beaten, but he also felt it was foolish to just wait there.
After some thought, he finally broke off a branch and left a message on the ground next to the King Yian Kut-Ku's corpse that read, "Zhu Pa and I are heading back to the Hunting Camp first." Then, he took Zhu Pa and returned to the Hunter Camp.
It wasn't until dusk that Oshura, with her hair damp and her armor and weapons clearly cleaned, returned to the Hunter Camp by the lake.
The first thing she did upon entering the Hunting Camp and seeing Gordon was not to inquire about the material carving, but to anxiously ask, "How is it? Does it still smell?"
Zhu Pa, with her sensitive sense of smell, turned away and secretly covered her little nose.
Gordon, however, kept a straight face and handed over his share of the Deodorant Ball.
Oshura: "..."
After a brief silence, Oshura snatched the Deodorant Ball from Gordon's hand and walked grumbling towards the lake outside the Hunting Camp's gate.
She decided that if she couldn't get rid of the smell, she wouldn't sleep tonight.
Gordon didn't know how late Oshura bathed; anyway, she hadn't returned to the Hunting Camp when he fell asleep.
By the next morning, when the two boarded the Herbivore Dragon Car back to Minagarde City, Oshura was mostly free of any strange odor.
—Provided one didn't get too close and sniff carefully. Zhu Pa, who did so, had already been beaten by Oshura.
As a result, Oshura's normally healthy, wheat-colored skin was now pale from being soaked and washed, and her entire body seemed to have swollen a bit.
The monster bird's wrath and that set of King Yian Kut-Ku armor had also been temporarily disassembled and put away by her; she would likely need to spend more effort cleaning them thoroughly after returning.
"You are not to tell anyone about this, especially those bastards in the Gathering Hall, do you hear me?!" Oshura, who was hugging and tormenting Zhu Pa, who was trying to get away from her, said fiercely to Gordon.
"Alright, alright, I won't say anything," Gordon said, raising his hands in surrender.
"Ah, right, what about the materials carved yesterday?" It was only now that Oshura, almost driven to a breakdown by the stench, finally remembered the purpose of her hunt.
Gordon's expression suddenly darkened. He took a package and took out the items one by one, placing them in front of Oshura.
"King Yian Kut-Ku Claw, King Yian Kut-Ku Tooth, King Yian Kut-Ku Hide, King Yian Kut-Ku Claw, King Yian Kut-Ku Hide...
Is that all? There's nothing else?"
Oshura's face was filled with undisguised disappointment.
Gordon turned the empty package upside down and shrugged helplessly.
"Alas, perhaps this is fate," Oshura said, covering her face, looking utterly dejected.
After enjoying Oshura's existential crisis for a moment, Gordon suddenly pulled out a handful of green, shiny objects from behind him, feigning surprise with a mischievous grin:
"Eh? What's this? Why is it in my bag?"
"Ahhh!!!"
Oshura, who subconsciously looked up, let out a piercing shriek that even startled the Herbivore Dragon pulling the cart. Gordon frantically struggled for quite a while to calm it down.
"Holy crap, holy crap! This is it! This is the 'Colorful Fur'! Hahahaha! I finally got it!"
The extremely excited Oshura jumped directly off the cart, running wildly back and forth, waving her arms, until she calmed down a little. Then, she ran back to Gordon, who was driving, and glared at him, saying:
"Were you messing with me just now, kid?"
Gordon, who hadn't expected such a strong reaction from her, chuckled twice and offered a nonsensical excuse, "Isn't the joy multiplied when you go from great despair to great elation?"
Oshura suddenly pounced on Gordon, pinning him down on the Herbivore Dragon Car's plank.
'Is she going to kiss me? Or is she going to strangle me?'
Gordon, pinned down by Oshura, was terrified, and this strange thought popped into his mind.
However, he was wrong about both.
Oshura, like a Qimian Tribe digging for Mushrooms, rummaged through his chest, finally pulling out the exotic gold coin Hayata had given him, holding it in her hand and kissing it fiercely.
"I knew it! I knew this lucky gold coin would work!"
Gordon: "..."
I overthought it, I'm sorry!!
Two days had passed since they returned to Minagarde City.
As long as it wasn't during the hunting season, the Hunter's Gathering Hall here was always bustling.
In the Hunting Field, Hunters needed to remain vigilant at all times, so when they returned to the base town, they would let loose to relax.
Drinking, bragging, and feasting, or even breaking into a full-blown brawl at the slightest disagreement, were common occurrences.
For example, right now, Gordon was arm-wrestling with a giant man nearly two meters tall, surrounded by boisterous and noisy brothers and sisters.
The giant man, Ted, was a Gunlance User. His bald head, combined with a hideous scar that almost split his entire face in two, made his appearance seem unfriendly.
Well, perhaps that's an understatement.
This was a guy who could make children cry just by glaring at them...
At this moment, he looked even more terrifying. Veins as thick as little fingers bulged on his forehead, and the large scar running across his face turned crimson as his face became engorged with blood, looking like an ugly centipede.
He had used all his strength.
Gordon, sitting opposite him, was the same, clenching his jaw, breathing heavily through his nostrils, his already thick biceps bulging like a small mountain as he went all out.
The sturdy long table, made of solid wood, groaned and creaked under the full exertion of these two heavyweight contenders, seeming as if it could collapse at any moment.
The spectators seemed even more excited than the two of them; their shouts of encouragement, mixed with curses, could almost lift the roof off the Gathering Hall.
"Heigh-ho! Go, Gordon, kid! I f***ing bet five hundred gold on you!"
"F***ing Ted, didn't you eat?! How can you not even beat a young lad! F***ing push harder!"
"Go! Hahaha! This bald guy is almost done for!"
"Zhu Pa is so cute! Come here and let big sister pet you~."
The two large hands, which had remained in the middle, were slowly tilting towards Gordon's side.
"Hoo-ahhh!"
Imagining his opponent as a monster he was wrestling with, Gordon roared, just like he would when swinging his Great Sword with all his might during a hunt.
With a burst of effort, Gordon finally slammed Ted's arm heavily onto the table, causing the plates and wine glasses nearby to jump with the impact.
"Waaagh!"
Gordon, having achieved ultimate victory, suddenly stood up, raising his arms and cheering towards the sky. The surrounding clamor and laughter immediately rose another notch.
Ted, who lost, wasn't particularly annoyed. He shook his hand, let out a strange cry, and jumped up, punching Gordon firmly on his thick chest. Then, he raised Gordon's right arm, and they cheered together.
Hunters are such a pure group; regardless of age or gender, as long as you are strong enough, you will earn respect.
--+--
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!
patreon.com/Kazenova223
If you guys wanna check it out.