"I thought I was going to die." They say people will see something like a revolving lantern before they die... Ferocious Fox's son straightened his back against a big tree, recalling the indifferent glance from the person in the picture, his heart still pounding.
"Is that true, Father?" Ferocious Fox's daughter clumsily got up from the ground, swallowed, and cautiously asked as she watched the boy leading a man and a woman up the mountain.
Ferocious Fox Dad and Ferocious Fox Mom exchanged a look but didn't answer.
"If you have time,
"Wife, hurry back and keep an eye on the pot, don't let the curry burn."
Ferocious Fox Mom slapped her forehead, almost forgot, then revealed her true form, kicked with her hind legs, and sped towards the mountain peak in the direction Roy left.
"Whoosh~" A mountain breeze blew, carrying the smell of burning and scorched leaves, swirling around Ferocious Fox Dad....
Ferocious Fox Dad turned around, looking seriously at his son and daughter, and said, "Don't mention anything about that picture to anyone, remember...."
"No matter who asks, don't say a word."
"What about the Hunter Association?" Ferocious Fox's son glanced at the nearly half-burned mountain forest and shrugged, "Those investigators will definitely ask questions when they see this."
Ferocious Fox Dad glared, "Just say I lit it."
"It's cold, I lit it to keep warm, okay?!"
Ferocious Fox's son withdrew his head and closed his mouth.
"Father..." Watching Roy and the others walk into the distance, Ferocious Fox's daughter timidly came over to her father and asked cautiously, "Don't you think the man in the car looks a bit like that candidate?"
Ferocious Fox Dad was silent... It wasn't just a resemblance, he looked just like him....
"Keep those thoughts to yourself, just know them in your heart."
"Swish——" Ferocious Fox Dad said no more, spread his fleshy wings, and followed Ferocious Fox Mom, flying towards the mountain peak.
Ferocious Fox's son and daughter exchanged a look, bewildered, then leapt up to follow... Beneath them was a devastated mountain forest, a dried-up lakebed, and a shocking sight.
Six o'clock in the evening.
Inside the small log cabin under the cedar tree.
A group of people were serving Roy as he ate. He and the Golden Crow each had a plate of curry, the latter pecking at it with a crisp sound.
"Everyone sit." This was the Ferocious Fox family home, even though he was a guest, Roy didn't have the habit of leaving the hosts alone to eat.
Despite the previous unpleasantness.
"Wutong, you sit too."
"And you."
Roy glanced briefly at Wutong and Kurajing, and they responded with a yes, pulled out their chairs, and sat down.
It was only then that the Ferocious Fox family sat properly at the table, taking care of serving and refilling the rice.
Fortunately... Magical beasts inherently eat more than humans, Ferocious Fox Mom made a huge pot of curry, thinking if her family ate a little less, it would be enough. But she overlooked one existence... The Golden Crow!
The golden fat crow doesn't eat bugs, but loves rice, "peck peck peck... peck peck peck..." pecking nonstop, quickly finishing a plate, then another, and then another, and finally... a pot... and two pots... Who knows how many stomachs this little body holds...
Ferocious Fox Mom boiled another two pots of curry before it was finally full, laying belly-up, and burping.
"Your... your impressive appetite." Ferocious Fox Mom, holding a ladle, slumped in her chair, nearly exhausted.
A bird ate a table full of people's food and still wasn't enough, maybe that's why it can drag the sun chariot and soar across the sky.
Ferocious Fox's daughter watched Kurajing ask Roy for permission then began rubbing the Golden Crow's little belly. The crow hummed contentedly and closed its eyes to enjoy, making her also want to touch it, but Ferocious Fox Dad shot her a glare, stopping the thought.
Don't treat it as a mere divine bird... Silly girl!
Ferocious Fox Dad warned his daughter with his eyes, then managed a fawning smile, saying to Roy, "There are two days until the exam, I'll have my wife prepare a bed so you can rest, there's no rush to leave tomorrow morning."
"No need, people will be arriving here soon." Illumi and Kate won't be stopped by Question Town, especially Kate, she's Ging's registered disciple, Mid-Island Sachiko's prepared questions won't halt him.
Roy patted the Golden Crow's little head: "Jinx, can you fly?"
The Golden Crow was enjoying Kurajing's massage with closed eyes and, hearing this, reluctantly propped itself up with its wings... you think this bird can't fly?
It waddled shakily to the table's edge, spread its wings, made a leap... "Plop~" and landed on the ground.
Roy: "...."
The Fox Family: "...."
Wutong: "...."
He looked up at the sky,
While Kurajing couldn't hold back her laughter beside him, covering her mouth desperately, but finally let out a snort.
The girl noticed everyone looking at her, quickly lowered her head, reached out to pick up the Golden Crow from the ground, and placed it back on the table.
The Golden Crow, however, seemed like a different bird, stupidly staring at the air, then looked at its own round belly, spread its legs, and sat on the table like a human.
"Never mind." Treat it as raising a useless pet... Roy caught the Golden Crow, placed it on top of his head, cleared his throat lightly, then turned to the Fox Father and said, "No need to rest, please take us on our way."
Jinx couldn't be counted on anymore, so they could only rely on the Fox Family.
Besides, only they knew the way to the official venue.
"You jest, sir," the Fox Father said humbly, gave his son a look, instructed the Fox Mother and daughter to guard the house, and walked out of the wooden house.
Spreading their fleshy wings, the Fox Father and son carried Roy, Wutong, and Kurajing flying towards the official venue.
In the middle of the night.
The night wind howled....
On the airship bearing the giant "Hunter Association" logo, docked on a platform.
The gangway lowered, and Mamen Beans walked down holding a box of film, crossed a straight street, found a steakhouse, pushed the door open and went in, casually exchanged a glance with the owner, and then took the elevator downstairs to a spacious basement.
Upon close examination....
Two people had already been waiting for a long time...
With black hair and eyes, curvaceous figure, smoother than a slithering snake, engrossed in reading a book on potions under the lamp.
The other was a man wearing a Peking Opera mask, naturally imposing, tall and muscular, practicing an unknown form of martial art meticulously. He heard the elevator and glanced at Mamen Beans, causing him to pause in his breath and slow his steps.
"You here?"
"Yes...."
Mamen Beans first greeted the woman: "Good evening, Gail."
Then cautiously said to the man: "Giant, the Chairman said to thoroughly test these little guys."
The man threw a straight punch, with a "poof" sound, breaking the air at supersonic speed, speaking in a deep voice: "Understood."
Without questioning the reason, simply carrying out the task, not even looking at Mamen Beans again, only pausing at the film reel in his hand for a moment and said: "Is this the recording the Chairman mentioned... capable of rivaling Elite Hunters' Pig-headed Man?"
The C-level creature Pig-headed Man... the woman named Gail perked up her ears, closed the book, and became interested, "Pity it's just a memory, not a live one, otherwise I'd really like to extract its poison and see what properties it has."
The woman took the film reel from Mamen Beans and pressed it onto the glowing "Illusion" character embossed on the book cover...
The "Deity" character activated!
An expansive, endless forest full of towering giant trees slowly unfolded....
Instantly enveloping her and the man!
Soon, there were faint sounds of fighting and the fierce howls of the Pig-headed Man coming from within... rising and falling, continuous...
After a while, the "illusion" broke....
Revealing a panting woman and a man whose face could not be clearly seen.
Gail glanced at Botobai, somewhat disheveled, and said, "Even with you guarding, the Chairman still sent those guys to fight..."
"Seems he really doesn't want anyone to pass this phase."
The Pig-headed Man's innate "Enhancement" is simply not something the candidates can handle, just now one axe nearly chopped Gail's "Snake Hand" off.
Yet the exam requires all candidates to survive within for ten seconds... undoubtedly a fantasy.
"What else did the Chairman say?" Botobai asked silently, looking at Mamen Beans.
Mamen Beans took a breath, honestly said: "The Chairman told you, if you encounter a young man named Roy Zoldyck, do not hold back!"
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