Let go of that monster girl!

The brown-furred fox girl guard trotted up to greet her and asked.

"What else can we do? Give them some medicine and let them tough it out themselves." The fox-woman merchant didn't stop walking, waving her hand impatiently. "Otherwise, do you expect them to let that dragon outside touch them?"

She didn't take what that guy named Moren said to heart at first.

She's seen all sorts of storms and dangers over the years. If she had run away at the drop of a hat, how would she have gotten to where she is now?

But the thought of those cunning foxes making moves behind the scenes makes me uneasy no matter what I look at.

Recently, there have been numerous cases of newly captured slaves being bitten.

If it's just the Chimera Beasts biting, that's fine, but more and more people are being bitten and maimed by the Ant Girls.

The ant girl's claws, mouthparts, and blades were all coated with corrosive formic acid, and her wounds were all horribly rotten.

You should know that the ant nest used to only exist in one area in the northeast, but now it's popping up everywhere.

And that mysterious Holy Dragon in the slums, if she were really that kind, would she be able to live peacefully with those black foxes who would cut off people's heads at the drop of a hat?

Not right.

We have to run away.

Run away quickly.

The bigger the waves, the bigger the fish; but if the waves are too big, their lives may be in danger.

Go outside the darkness before the month of disaster and observe for a while.

"Cathead, you and Stone keep a close eye on things. I'm going out to find some herbs to reduce the fever in those kids."

Without turning her head, the cunning fox-woman merchant instructed, "If anyone asks, just say this."

"Boss, are you going by yourself? Do you want me to come with you...?"

"No need, I know the area well."

The fox-woman merchant quickened her pace, turned the corner, and made sure no one was following her.

She immediately took the cloth bag from between her legs, held it in her hand, and jogged towards the outer merchant camp.

The Snake Girl Caravan's camp was not far to the west, and you could still see the traces left by the airship that had landed on the low mountain.

Several large lizards lay in front of the tent, casually flicking their tongues.

The snake-woman boss was squatting next to an open cargo box, her slender snake tail coiled on the ground.

His fingers gleefully traced the gleaming copper ingots one by one inside the cargo box, counting them over and over with satisfaction.

Upon seeing the fox-woman merchant running over, the snake-woman boss looked up, a hint of surprise in her eyes.

"Oh, isn't this the manager of the 'Old Market'? What brings you here by yourself?"

The snake girl put the copper ingot back into the box, her snake tail slapping the ground.

"Didn't you say you were sending people out? How many? I don't have many seats left this time, these good goods are quite heavy."

The fox-woman merchant, panting, clenched the cloth bag in her hand.

"I'm not seeing anyone else off, I'm seeing myself off. When are you leaving?"

The snake-woman boss looked somewhat surprised as she sized up the brown fox in front of her.

"You yourself? Oh, then that means..."

"Stop talking nonsense, head north, same price, let's go now."

The fox-woman merchant held the bamboo tube in her arms through the cloth bag.

The snake-woman boss shook her head and spread her hands.

"It's not about money, sister, you can't leave now."

"Why can't we leave?"

"The ant women are causing trouble everywhere now, and even the roads to the north are completely blocked."

The snake-woman boss pointed to the dark northern horizon and sighed.

"These guys aren't individually strong, but they're incredibly prolific; their numbers are frightening."

"Moreover, those mutants are particularly troublesome; one soldier ant can be as good as ten ordinary soldiers."

"I heard that even the Kingdom's army has been alerted and is already preparing to set off to clear out the area, but it will still take quite some time."

The fox-woman merchant's tail drooped, and her voice was somewhat urgent.

"How long? How much longer until we can leave?"

"It'll probably take at least two months."

Two months! That's way too long!

The snake-woman boss noticed the fleeting panic on the fox-woman merchant's face, narrowed her eyes with amusement, and looked her up and down at the bulging cloth bag in her hand.

This fox in front of me must have offended someone it shouldn't have.

Shouldn't we take this opportunity to bite her?

"but."

The snake-woman boss drawled out her words, creating suspense, and said:

"If you are in a hurry to leave, there is still a place you can go."

"Where?" the fox-woman merchant immediately pressed.

"Wolfsburg is the place we weren't originally planning to go; you'll have to pay a lot more."

"Tsk, fine." The fox-woman merchant gritted her teeth.

She didn't have much affection for those wolves, but as long as she didn't stay there, those silly dogs wouldn't sell her off.

After thinking for a moment, she added:

"However, I'll have to bring a few men with me."

Chapter 46 Harvest Festival

"Squeak! Harvest Festival!"

The low hill square was crowded with tiny figures. The rat girls, carrying various woven baskets on their heads, filled with dried mushrooms and meat strips, poured out of the various mine entrances in a rather disorderly line.

Some baskets were so big that they covered the little head completely, leaving only two round mouse ears sticking out and dangling from the edge of the basket.

More than a dozen iron pots were set up along the edge of the square, with the fires burning brightly.

The rat girls stood on small stools to reach the edge of the pot, then poured in all the chopped dried meat and nutritious mushrooms and stir-fried them.

The oil sizzled at the bottom of the pot. One of the rat girls stirred the ingredients in the pot with a wooden spatula that was longer than her arm, while the other girl raised her hand high and sprinkled salt into the pot.

On those warm, sunny days, there was a large berry orchard in the village outside the hills.

When the season comes, the hamsters will pick the bright red berries from the bushes, wash them, and put them into a juicer to extract the juice.

Then the berry juice is poured into oak barrels to make berry wine. On the day the wine is ready, everyone fills the square with delicious food, sings and dances, and celebrates the harvest.

As everything fell into darkness, the low hills had not held a harvest festival for two years.

But Morren had promised the cook that he would go to the mushroom forest and bring back mushrooms to make wine.

And today is the day to make those promises!

The long table was laden with steaming dishes: stir-fried mushroom slices were incredibly springy, mushroom and meat patties were golden brown on both sides, and meatballs were drizzled with syrup.

It looks quite appealing.

Molen, as the undisputed leader of the dwarf mountain, was the instigator of the bountiful harvest of nutrient mushrooms and the mastermind behind filling the warehouse with chimeric jerky.

Naturally, it is my duty to be the first to enjoy it.

Wow.

It tastes awful.

"Add sugar, add more sugar."

Hold it in, don't spit it out, don't waste food.

What you eat isn't important.

"Everyone has the day off today and tomorrow, drink as much as you want!"

"Long live the Baron!"

One barrel after another of sweet wine was pushed out by the mouse girls, the wine emitting a fragrant aroma that made the entire mouse swarm cheer with joy.

"So sweet, so sweet."

"Squeak, another cup, please."

The rat girls gulped down wine from large wooden cups, stuffed sugar cubes into their mouths, and forced the unpalatable dishes down their throats with the sweet wine.

He wrinkles his face when he takes a bite of food, and happily shakes his ears when he takes a sip of sweet wine.

Before long, the mouse girls' cheeks turned red, their round ears drooped limply, and they huddled together.

I feel dizzy.

"That feels so good, can I have another drink?"

A bonfire was lit in the center of the square. The rat girls held hands and formed circles around the bonfire, dancing around it with chaotic but joyful steps, singing off-key songs as they danced.

"How wonderful!" The cook stood in a corner of the square, took off her glasses, and wiped the lenses with her sleeve.

As I was wiping, I couldn't help but wipe the corner of my eye.

so good.

"Your Excellency, come and dance, dance."

Two rat girls rushed up, each grabbing one of Morren's fingers and pulling him forcefully toward the campfire.

Molen was pulled to her feet and joined the laughing circle.

They jumped around and around, and the laughing mice came in waves.

Finally, panting, he sat down and leaned against the table.

Lime picked up a glass of water that had been poured earlier and handed it to his master.

"Thanks, Lyme."

Molen took it, drank a sip, and caught his breath.

"Lime, do you know why the Mouse Girl used to hold a harvest festival every autumn?"

Lem shook his head, thought for a moment, and then nodded.

"Because of winter."

“That’s right, my clever Lem.” Morren put down his cup and looked at the little figures laughing and playing around the campfire.

"Because winter is just around the corner, we should dance even more joyfully today."

As he spoke, Morren stood up, bowed slightly with great aristocratic courtesy, and extended a hand to Lyme.

"So, lovely Miss Lime, would you like to dance with me?"

“Master.” Lym reached out his little hand and placed it in Moren’s palm. “But I won’t.”

"No problem, leave it to me, I can handle everything."

Molen took Lem's hand, and gently raised his other hand, causing the cross mark on Lem's chest to emit a faint red glow.

Molen led Lyme back a step, gently grasped her fingertips with his right hand and raised them to shoulder height, while his left hand rested lightly on her waist.

The opening gesture of a noble dance is solemn and restrained.

Lyme's movements were initially stiff, but Morren's pull through her palms gradually made her body feel lighter.

First step, second step, rotate.

The pace gradually quickened, the solemnity turned into enthusiasm, and Morren's strides widened, drawing ever larger arcs across the open space with Lyme.

Lyme felt everything spinning around him: the light of the campfire, the laughter of the mouse girls, the dark night sky above—all blending into a flowing circle of color.