One man and one dog, wandering in the world of Monster Hunter

Link slowly opened his eyes. The moonlight shone into the house through the terrace, leaving mottled light and shadows.

He yawned, the corners of his mouth slightly raised, revealing a satisfied smile.

That afternoon, Link didn't go anywhere. He just stayed in the bed in the guest room and took a nap until the evening.

There is no way, the beds in this hotel in Jieyun Village are of such good quality that people don’t want to leave.

Their quilts are made of the fur of the snow mountain deer. This elk living in cold areas has evolved fur that is extremely good at keeping warm. It is one of the three essential bedding sets in many hotels.

The pillow is made of Maru bird feathers and is light and soft.

Link lay on it and felt like he was lying on a ball of cotton. The mattress was made of the hair of cloud sheep deer, which are herbivores living on the plateau. Their fur has a unique elasticity.

The combination of the three pieces gives people a dreamy feeling of sleeping in the clouds.

As soon as Link lies down, he will feel as if he is floating in the air.

"Ah, as expected, no matter which world's quilt is from, it will seal people inside."

Link, with the quilt wrapped around him like a maggot, twisted his body, somewhat reluctant to get up. He turned over and buried his face in the soft pillow.

He stayed in bed like this for an unknown amount of time. Just when Link was about to fall asleep again, he was awakened by a knock on the door.

"Who?"

Link sat up drowsily, rubbed his eyes, tidied his hair that was messed up in the quilt, and went to open the door.

"Little Link, it's time to eat."

Outside the door, Huoya's voice floated in through the crack in the door, clear and pleasant, with a hint of playful teasing.

When I opened the door, as expected, the two sisters Huoya and Shuiyun were outside.

Both of them were wearing the hotel's loose yukatas, looking casual and lazy. Through the gaps in the collars, one could see two snow-white rabbits.

She was wearing wooden shoes, and her toes, like crystal grapes, were blushing with health.

"Oh, what's for dinner?"

Link said as he yawned, trying to make himself look more energetic.

"I don't know. Let's go to the market outside and take a look. The market in Jieyun Village is quite lively at night. There should be a lot of delicious food."

Huoya put her finger to her lips, looked up and thought for a moment, then made up her mind.

"Ah."

Shuiyun nodded, completely agreeing with her sister's opinion.

Seeing that the two had already made their decision, Link had no choice but to follow them.

Before leaving, Link threw a purse to Honey and Milu, and asked them to take Matsutake and Hanabi Hinata out for dinner.

It’s good to bring a cat, so that they can help take care of the dog.

The three of them chatted and laughed as they walked out of the hotel.

The hotel is decorated very warmly, with several pots of green plants in the corners and a faint fragrance in the air.

Along the way, several travelers in yukatas passed by the three of them from time to time. When their eyes swept over the two beautiful sisters Huoya and Shuiyun, they couldn't help but slow down their pace, just to appreciate these beauties for a few more seconds.

Walking out of the hotel, Link stood at the door of the Jieyun Inn and took a deep breath of the night air.

The hotel is built on the highest point of the mountain. Looking down, you can have a panoramic view of the entire Jieyun Village.

The night was as dark as ink, the lights in the village were twinkling, and the red lanterns were like pearls falling on black cloth, flashing soft light.

Jieyun Village is much more lively at night than during the day. During the day, most of the villagers go out to cut wood or collect materials, and the village seems deserted.

At night, when everyone came back, the village became lively.

Many tourists also walked out of the hotel and headed towards the night market where stalls were set up.

Link and the dragon sisters followed their steps and merged into the crowd. The night market was bustling with people, and there were a wide variety of snacks. There were people selling food, handicrafts, herbs, and even acrobatics.

People were walking between the stalls, with laughter and conversations everywhere.

The three of them walked through the crowded crowd and came to a barbecue stall. Many tourists stopped here and it seemed that the business was good.

The stall owner was a middle-aged man with dark skin and a shrewd gleam in his eyes.

He had a long fork in his hand and was flipping a whole meat bird over the charcoal fire.

The bird meat balls were roasted over the charcoal fire, the skin was roasted to a golden and crispy color, the fat oozed out from the skin and flesh, dripping onto the charcoal, making crackling sounds.

"Want to eat?"

Link asked. He was tall, sunny and handsome, and when he smiled, his neat and white teeth were exposed.

Several young female tourists nearby were attracted by his smile and were stunned by it.

However, Huoya and Shuiyun looked at each other and shook their heads slightly as they watched the stall owner flipping the bird meat neatly and listened to the crackling sound of the oil under the high temperature.

"Never mind, that looks a bit greasy."

Although they did not buy any barbecue, the three were still attracted by the stall owner's barbecue skills. Rather than eating, the act of grilling a whole round bird over charcoal was more of a performance, which was why many people stopped.

The same is true for modern people roasting a whole lamb. A large group of people can gather around to watch, waiting to be given two bone-in steaks after the lamb is roasted.

"Boss, is it ready? Give me a piece of meatball bird leg."

At this moment, a clear and pleasant female voice sounded, which made Link feel somewhat familiar.

"Emily, can you eat a whole bird leg?"

Then, a deep male voice shouted, causing Link to turn around.

Sure enough, it was the two young hunters I met this morning, Emily and Barrus.

The two of them were carrying backpacks, and their Jieyun suits were stained with mud and blood. In the backpacks were fresh green bamboo shoots and several brown-gray monster tails. It seemed that they had just returned from outside.

"Ah, it's Mr. Link, good evening."

Emily's eyes were fixed on the barbecue and she didn't notice Link at all. However, Barus saw Link, raised his hand and greeted him with a smile.

"Good evening. It looks like you guys are in a lot of trouble."

Link nodded in response, his eyes swept across the gray-purple strip in the backpack, and recognized it as the dog dragon's tail.

Compared to the sickle-tailed dragon that uses its sharp sickle tail as a weapon, the dog dragon hunts with its sturdy body and sharp teeth, and also uses its thick and powerful tail to whip its enemies, which makes the meat of their tails very tough and is considered a good food ingredient.

"Haha, there's nothing we can do. There has been an overabundance of dog dragons in the stream recently. We just happened to run into one today. It's said to be the cause of the dog dragon king. But the village chief has already issued a commission in the guild. I'm sure a hunter will come and get rid of them in the next two days."

Barus smiled and explained.

"..."

Link touched his nose a little embarrassedly. He was the hunter who accepted the commission but did not go hunting, but instead came to soak in the hot springs first.

"Wow... Wow, it's Mr. Link, why didn't you bring the matsutake? I want to touch its smooth fur."

Emily desperately stuffed a large piece of roasted bird meat into her mouth while looking around for matsutake mushrooms.

"..."

Link glanced at Emily's greasy hands, the corners of his mouth twitched, and he was glad that he had the foresight to not bring the dog with him, otherwise giving the dog a bath would not be an easy task.