I was an apprentice in Ferren

Chapter 118 Preparation
The Divine Berry spell is renowned and is the reason why many adventure teams bring Rangers and Druids. It only requires one spell slot to conjure 10 magical fruits. Eating them not only meets the nutritional needs for a day but also slightly heals injuries. It can be said to be the most important first-level divine spell for these two professions that advocate the way of nature.

However, upon hearing Deva's request, the Ranger's expression turned somewhat awkward: "I'm sorry, I learned Hunter's Mark and Great Leap, but I didn't learn Divine Berry."

Deva was greatly disappointed. She had heard of this spell for a long time, but she had never tasted it: "Isn't this divine spell a must-learn?"

"Mainly because I've never participated in an adventure team. My mentor said I don't have much talent, and that it would be good enough if I could become a professional hunter and make a living. Going to an adventure team would be suicide." The half-elf scratched his head awkwardly. "I always bring my own food and drink. I'll consider learning this spell when I'm more skilled."

"Swift Steps" allows me to run faster in forest terrain, and "Hunter's Mark" adds magical damage, which is a common spell used by rangers. Deva gave a slightly disappointed "Oh," while Dupont glanced at the ranger and shook his head: "Alright, we're not on a picnic. We'll have a chance to eat later."

The carriage retreated to set up camp, while DuPont and his companion followed the wandering knight to begin their ascent.

Harua is surrounded by mountains, with the Talas Mountains being the general name for the northwestern region. The highest peak here is over 4000 meters high, and snow-capped mountains can be seen in summer. However, most of the mountains are between 1000 and 2000 meters high, making it a natural sanctuary for wild animals and monsters.

Mushrooms, wild fruits, and cheap herbs are not uncommon here, but the wanderer showed little interest: "If you walk a little slower, I can pick some, but it seems better to go down the mountain and do these things. As the client, I must prioritize your requests."

"Are there any valuable herbs or wild game here?" Deva asked, her steps brisk and fast, even though she wasn't sweating. "I remember that many wild game dishes are quite delicious, and many are considered expensive ingredients."

"Wild beasts are actually hard to eat. They haven't been castrated and have a strong gamey smell. It takes a skilled chef and expensive spices to bring out their good flavor." The ranger became more talkative when this was mentioned: "Many monsters, on the other hand, taste quite good. For example, the owl bear is one of them. Their meat and milk are luxury items that can be sold at high prices. It's just that they are too dangerous. Some people also say that magical beasts taste good, but I'm not skilled enough to have tried them."

The paladin couldn't help but lick his lips after hearing this, while the ranger looked at DuPont: "My lord mage, I've heard that the owlbow beast was created by a mad mage through magical experiments using owls and bears. Is that true?"

"It's just a rumor. These kinds of magical experiments cost a lot of money. Who would be so reluctant to waste it on these lowly beasts?" DuPont refuted this claim: "This is probably just a stereotype about mages. In fact, the fairies have already seen these intelligent and fierce monsters in the Fairy Wilderness. They may have come to Faerûn by some accident and gradually settled down and multiplied."

“I remember the owl bears at the Yarakh Zoo were pretty cute, chubby and furry, but their calls were a bit unpleasant.” Deva looked at DuPont, her eyes sparkling: “If we come across one, could we catch it and keep it as a pet?”

“Wild adult owl-bears are very difficult to tame. They have long adapted to the bloody wilderness life and their ferocity remains. Basically, only adult owl-bears living around druids or elven tribes will not attack humanoid creatures as their first reaction.”

DuPont looked at Deva as he spoke: "If we capture owl cubs and train them, they can still recognize their owners. After all, their intelligence is as high as 3, which is half again as high as that of ordinary wild animals. But that means we have to make a mother owl lose her cub. Should we do that?"

“I see. Then forget it.” The paladin shook his head. “How heartbroken she must be if she can’t find her children. It’s better to let them live here.”

“It’s alright, owl bears are quite prolific,” DuPont quietly added fuel to the fire. “An owl bear can have one to six cubs in a litter. Because these little guys eat so much, it can even exhaust their parents. If we find one with many cubs and steal one, they might even thank us.”

"I still don't want it." The paladin gave DuPont a disdainful look: "Only bad guys would steal other people's children!"

Before DuPont could speak, the ranger beside him said somewhat awkwardly, "Sir, actually many hunters do this. A small owlbow can sell for about 100 gold. If they can tame it, it will change the local ecology and prevent too many owlbows from damaging the local environment and causing fewer prey. If they can't get enough to eat, they will come down the mountain to eat people."

Deva shook her head firmly: "Then let them do it. If the owlbows harm people, just kill them. Adventurers do that anyway." "Alright," DuPont interrupted, fearing an argument might break out: "How about we talk about that goblin camp?"

"Actually, there are more goblins in that camp, but most of them are servants of bear goblins." The ranger wiped the sweat from his neck, clearly exhausted. "We're about four or five miles from there. Let's rest for 20 minutes, and I'll tell you about it."

Deva was about to refuse, but seeing that DuPont was also sweating, she could only nod and say, "Okay, I'll have some water and rest for a while."

The wandering swordsman took out the water pouch from his waist and took a big gulp before letting out a sigh of relief: "I really didn't expect you guys to have such good stamina. If you don't know the techniques for walking mountain paths, it will take a lot more effort."

"According to the tavern's information, that goblin camp has about fifty or sixty goblins and a dozen or so bear goblins, making it a relatively strong tribe." The ranger swept the sand away with his boots, picked up a twig, and drew a simple map. "As for the trolls, there are supposedly two. They're not exactly unintelligent, but they're rather lazy. They usually have a taming relationship with the goblins. Goblin tribes with trolls usually see a significant increase in combat power. Over time, they'll annex other goblin tribes, and once they've grown strong enough, they'll enslave creatures like gnolls and kobolds, making them rob and hunt while they reap the rewards."

After hearing this, DuPont couldn't help but glance at the guy again: "I didn't expect you to know so much."

“That’s right, after all, this mountain wilderness is our territory.” The half-elf touched his ear, a hint of pride in his eyes: “Of course, some things were taught to me by my mentor. In reality, I only know where that camp is and I don’t know the specifics. Maybe when you go there, they have already been defeated, or maybe the trolls have gone mad and wiped out all those monsters.”

Deva took out an exquisite silver water jug ​​and sipped slowly: "I hope nothing like that happened. By the way, do the goblins in these mountains use underground cities or caves as their camps? What kind of traps do they set?"

“Unless there’s an ancient tomb or they’ve raided a dwarven fortress, these lazy guys usually live in caves, which is much simpler than digging down into the mountains.” The ranger said, drawing an X. “As for traps, they’re not very sophisticated. They’re basically just stolen bear traps from hunters and put them in their own caves. After all, most of them don’t know magic, and if they make them too complicated, these idiots will just step on them. Just be careful.”

"I see." DuPont took out 20 gold coins. "Actually, we're in need of a scout to help us scout and dismantle traps. How about you help us out?"

Looking at the gleaming little cutie in DuPont's hand, the Ranger couldn't help but swallow hard, but still firmly waved his hand: "Forget it, I don't have that kind of strength. Not to mention bear goblins, even a few goblins could kill me. If I'm in danger, I might alert those monsters. If I get captured, it'll be troublesome. I won't delay your mission."

Deva expressed her understanding after hearing this, and DuPont then took out a handful of gold coins: "50 gold coins, just for scouting and dismantling traps. You don't need to do anything else. Just retreat as soon as a battle occurs."

The wandering swordsman refused even faster this time: "Sir, please don't joke with me. I'm really not cut out for this."

DuPont was about to raise the price again when Paladin interrupted him somewhat disgruntledly, saying, "Why are you taking the money if they don't want to go? If something really happens, they won't be alive to spend the money."

DuPont glanced at Deva, but when their eyes met, he lost all confidence and blinked, whispering, "Why are you looking at me? Is my face dirty?"

"..." Putting away the water bag, DuPont took out his staff to use as a walking stick: "No. Have you rested enough? Let's set off and try to get there before sunset and back before dark."

The three set off again, and just as the two turned around, a gray owl appeared out of thin air and silently circled above them.

　5000 words, please vote for me next month!
　　
　
(End of this chapter)