Rein gladly agreed.
He didn't want any major changes to the life he had just gotten used to in Frost Leaf Town.
The other hunter chose his daughter, Alya.
Alya was skilled at concealment, and happened to scout ahead for Luo De, anticipating danger in advance.
"But I hope we can postpone leaving by a week; the Lord's leather armor still has a piece to be completed."
Rein's suggestion was gladly accepted by Luo De.
He was not in a hurry and patiently stayed in the blacksmith shop forging, occasionally checking the results in the fields.
Not even a week had passed when, on the fifth day, Rein delivered a piece of leather chest armor to Luo De.
"The time was rushed, and there are no decorations, I hope you forgive me."
"No need for decorations, it's already very beautiful."
The ink-blue dragon scales layered and seamless, shimmering with a metallic sheen.
Luo De stroked his hand over it, clearly feeling the icy coldness and metallic toughness of the surface.
The inside of the leather armor was lined with deer hide, which was breathable, very soft, and elastic, feeling extremely smooth to the touch.
With the help of maids Leia and Shanni, Luo De took off his coat and put on the leather armor.
"There's no unusual smell at all, just a light fragrance,"
During the process, Luo De lowered his head to sniff and asked, "What is this fragrance?"
"The scent of lavender."
Rein replied: "Lavender naturally repels insects and prevents decay, and there's also a little bit of rosemary inside."
Lavender was very common in the Northern Territory, and it was the main ingredient used to remove the leather's odor.
Luo De nodded.
The leather armor fit perfectly, and the maids tightened the straps, making the armor tightly fit Luo De's form.
"Rein's craftsmanship is indeed impressive."
Luo De picked up his fine steel great sword and tried it out, finding that it didn't impede his movements at all.
It's just that this two-legged flying dragon leather armor is heavier than ordinary leather armor, probably weighing eighteen pounds.
Of course, it is much lighter than plate armor.
For Luo De, who had the "strength of forging" enhancement, it was nothing.
After trying it on, Luo De took off the leather armor and cut it with the guard's sword twice for testing.
Just like on the two-legged flying dragon, an ordinary sword could only leave a shallow dent, unable to cut through the leather armor at all.
As for the sword forged by Luo De, there was no need to test it.
The anticipated leather armor was already worn, and the next day Luo De led the team to set off.
The land of Black Pine Ridge was vast, with mountains, river bays, gorges, and a large area of lowlands.
A day's time was certainly not enough to explore it all, so Durant had Martha prepare everyone with three days' worth of dry food and water.
This amount was enough for them to stay in the desert for five or six days — with Rein, the hunter, they obviously wouldn't only eat dry food.
Everyone rode horses through Black Pine Ridge, except for Alya.
She traveled alone in the desert and only joined the team when on the move.
The Black Stone Mountain Range lay to the northwest, so this time Luo De chose to explore eastwards.
The team first arrived at the Blue River.
It was less than six miles from Luo De's territory, an important water source, but the map's description was not detailed.
It was said that one depended on the mountains for sustenance, the sea for resources, and likewise, one could rely on the river.
Of course, rivers weren't like seas, teeming with marine produce everywhere.
Only in the reservoirs and slow-moving deep-water areas of the rivers could one catch enough fish.
The river also harbored clams and crabs, but those could only be deemed embellishments, with fish being the main resource.
Proceeding along the river bay, Luo De recorded all potential fish habitats.
However, these natural river channels were too narrow; the width of the rivers was generally only thirty to forty meters, no more than sixty at the widest points.
Luo De didn't explore the center of the river, but the deepest part by the riverside was no more than two meters.
Luo De concluded that he needed to dig his own fish ponds.
Of course, there was some good news during this process.
Near the hills upstream of the river bay, Luo De quickly discovered a natural stone quarry, primarily granite.
This stone material was hard, suitable for constructing castle cores, with high load-bearing capacity and resistance to weathering.
But mining it was somewhat challenging.
It was about fifteen miles from Frost Leaf Town.
Luo De also carefully marked it on the map.
If he wanted to exploit and use it, it involved transportation, so Luo De naturally had to consider road planning.
"Perhaps the castle could be built here in the future."
Luo De thought to himself.
The reason Frost Leaf Town wasn't directly built by the river bay was mainly fear of large beasts roaming nearby.
And if Luo De established a castle afterward, there would be no need to worry about beasts.
If beasts came, they would merely serve as Luo De's extra meal.
Of course, Luo De was just fantasizing for now, not even planning, so he didn't waste much time.
After a brief pause, he continued along the river bay until both sides were obstructed by cliffs. The team adjusted their direction and crossed the river at the front bay of the Blue River, continuing eastward.
Near dusk, the team reached a forest, and Luo De decided to enter the mountains the next day.
So, the team set up camp at a wind-sheltered place at the foot of the mountain.
Durant started a fire, and the guards collected dry grass and wood.
Alya roamed nearby and soon returned with two wild rabbits.
She even brought them back already skinned.
"Coming out with you guys, there's certainly no chance of starvation."
Looking at the wild rabbits sizzling with oil on the spit, Luo De said to Rein: "Perhaps you could teach me archery?"
"If you're willing, of course," Rein replied cheerfully.
Luo De stood up, "Then let's start."
Traveling during the day wasn't tiring, so with some leisure time, Luo De seized the opportunity to learn and improve his skills.
Not aiming to hunt down five hundred fierce beasts to unlock "Fierce Beast Hunter," but unlocking some normal hunting terms would suffice.
The two of them moved to nearby open ground, and Rein borrowed a bow from the guard and handed it to Luo De while instructing,
"If you don't have much foundation, you can start by learning the standard standing and shooting posture."
Rein demonstrated and explained: "Stand with feet shoulder-width apart, body facing your target, with your spine straight and head naturally upright."
"Rest the arrow on the bow stand, notch the arrow onto the string."
"Ensure your center of gravity is stable, no swaying, and pull the bow with your arm parallel to the ground."
"Of course, this is the initial familiarization; once you're familiar, you don't need to adhere to these rules. You just need one principle,"
"Steady, that's all."
As soon as he finished speaking, Rein nocked an arrow, drew his bow, and shot an arrow that precisely hit the tree trunk a hundred meters away.
"Impressive."
Luo De was witnessing true marksmanship.
Luo De was confident, immediately posing himself, nocking the arrow on the string, and pulling the bowstring tight with force!
Hiss—
Rein quickly grabbed Luo De's bowstring-pulling hand and drew it back a bit.
"No need for such strength, my lord, the bow might break."
Rein had never imagined that the seemingly unassuming lord, Luo De, would have such strength.
At this moment, Rein suddenly remembered Luo De's hefty fine steel great sword.
Rein was grateful that the bow he gave the lord was the guard's longbow; had it been his own hunting bow and arrow, with a maximum draw weight of only sixty pounds, it might have already snapped.
"Hmm, okay."
Luo De realized this and quickly restrained his strength, aiming at the tree trunk and shooting an arrow.
The power was substantial, but the accuracy was lacking; the arrow only barely hit the trunk.
As a bastard, all Luo De ever did was work, so he took in his reaction quickly.
Rein reassured him, "If you're willing, of course you can."
Luo De stood up, "Then let's begin."
Traveling during the day was not too tiring, so in the spare time, Luo De took the opportunity to learn and improve his own skills.
Not to say hunt five hundred fierce beasts to unlock the [Fierce Beast Hunter], unlocking some ordinary hunting terms will also work.
The two of them walked over to a nearby clearing, where Rein borrowed a bow from the guard and handed it to Luo De.
As he handed the bow, Rein said: "Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart and face your target, body positioned straight."
"Keep your balance steady, and pull the bowstring with your arm parallel to the ground."
"The bow will break with such strength, my lord."
He remembered Luo De's great steel sword.
Relieved that he had lent his longbow to the lord, he followed Luo De into the forest to collect arrows.
After some time in the forest, Luo De was finally able to hit the trunk on several occasions.
Luo De felt that it was a good sign.
Coming out with the group assured that they wouldn't go hungry.
Skewered rabbits were sizzling and dripping oil on the rack, turning to look at Rein, Luo De said: "Maybe you could teach me archery?"
Rein replied naturally: "If you'd like, of course."
Luo De immediately got up and said, "Then let's start."
After a long day of traveling, he didn't feel very tired. In their spare time, Luo De felt it was just right to learn something and improve his own strength.
No need to hunt five hundred fierce beasts to unlock the [Fierce Beast Hunter]; unlocking some basic hunting techniques would do.
The two walked to a nearby open space, and Rein borrowed a bow from the guard and handed it to Luo De.
Rein demonstrated again and said: "Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart, face your target straight, pull the bow and keep your arm parallel to the ground."
The moment he finished speaking, Rein drew the arrow and string, shooting an arrow with precision.
Luo De imitated the stance, set an arrow on the string, and placed his arm horizontal to the ground. "It turned out to be quite hard," he said with a smile.
After they gathered more arrows, Luo De entered the forest and started launching his arrows.
Though still not fully accurate, he was gradually getting better, his body feeling more coordinated.
"Seems like I won't go hungry with you guys here," Luo De said to Rein, seeing the roasting rabbit begin to sizzle and smell delicious.
Rein replied confidently: "No, you can join us."
They soon arrived at a creek fork, and the group took a break to camp there.
Durant lit a fire, and the guards gathered dry grass and wood.
Meanwhile, Alya wandered nearby and soon brought back two rabbits already skinned.
"With you all here, I definitely won't go hungry," Luo De commented to Rein as the skewered rabbit sizzled and oozed with fat over the flames.
"Perhaps you can teach me archery?"
Rein, immediately caught up, responded cheerfully: "If you'd like, of course, I can,"
Luo De stood up, "Then let's start."
They stepped to an open space nearby, and Rein borrowed a bow from the guard and handed it to Luo De, saying:
"Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart, body facing your target."