"Who's that?"
Zhou Qing glanced at the portly, richly dressed man accompanied by four soul masters, each radiating soul power above level twenty. He turned to Romantina and asked.
Those people were clearly nobles, and as the daughter of the deputy city lord, Romantina should know them.
"Baron Daries," Romantina replied, her expression suddenly turning extremely formal. She gave Zhou Qing, Tang San, and Xiao Wu an impression of the noble grace one would expect from aristocracy — a stark contrast to her previously erratic, overly flirtatious behavior.
So that's it! Zhou Qing thought.
Romantina only lets loose like that around us kids — but with other nobles, she's perfectly composed.
Zhou Qing remained calm, mentally enriching his impression of Romantina.
"But he's not a noble of Notting City," she continued. "He's the baron and city lord of Falling Star City, a border town near the Starfall Empire."
"Isn't this within the Tiandou Empire? Why would people from Falling Star City be here?" Xiao Wu, still new to the human world, knew there were two major empires. She pictured them like two rival soul beast clans, territories that shouldn't be casually crossed.
"The two empires have clear boundaries, but except for key cities, smaller towns near the border often trade and communicate freely. Neither side interferes much," Romantina explained patiently, noticing how innocent Xiao Wu seemed, like a noble daughter from a large sect or family unfamiliar with these details.
"Of course, if trouble arises, commoners without identity have no one to defend them. But if I come across problems, I'll step in."
"So it's not unusual for people from Falling Star City to hunt soul beasts in the Notting City's Hunting Forest, just as soul masters from Notting can hunt in Falling Star's forests."
"The knights of the Martial Soul Hall guard the Hunting Forests, and as long as you have proper permits, entry is allowed."
Tang San nodded. "The grain from Saint Soul Village can be sold in both Notting City and Falling Star City."
Zhou Qing analyzed why hunters from Falling Star City came here: "Different hunting forests host different types of soul beasts. Perhaps they come to Notting because the soul beasts here differ from those near Falling Star."
That made sense.
Saint Soul Village was quite far from Notting City — half a day by ox cart. It was easy to imagine that hunters from Falling Star traveling here would spend significant time, even if their transport was better.
They must be seeking a soul ring that best suits their martial soul.
"What's their martial soul?" Zhou Qing asked Romantina.
"The Tusker Boar, a beast martial soul known for its sharp tusks," Romantina replied. "They're likely here to hunt Mou Chun Cows, which suit the Tusker Boar's abilities."
"Isn't the Mou Chun Cow found in most Hunting Forests?" Tang San doubted their target was just Mou Chun Cows.
"Mou Chun Cows are seasonal migratory soul beasts. Although the Hunting Forest is fenced, during migration seasons they open passages for the cows to leave. Otherwise, the cows would break through the fences."
Zhou Qing explained their habits: "Mou Chun Cows are mild-tempered and avoid contact with other creatures during migration, so they generally don't enter human villages. That's why such special rules exist for them in Hunting Forests."
"Right now it's autumn, and winter is approaching. If the herd is fewer than twenty, they won't migrate far, only looking for a warmer nearby forest. Winters here in Notting City are slightly milder than in Falling Star City."
Romantina confirmed Zhou Qing's observations: "I once visited Falling Star City's lord during New Year's with my father. That place is much colder than Notting City. Ice on water there can be five centimeters thick, sometimes over ten, while here it's only about two centimeters, despite only being around 200 li apart."
"200... li?" Zhou Qing was speechless.
But from her words, he realized that although soul beasts are rare near the imperial border, the territory was quite vast.
"Isn't that Romantina?"
At that moment, Baron Daries and his four companions approached Zhou Qing and the others. His gaze barely glanced at Zhou Qing's group before settling on Romantina's chest. A sly, exaggerated grin spread across his face, and combined with his rotund figure, gave off an extremely lecherous vibe.
"Unexpected to meet you here, Baron Daries," Romantina greeted with a formal bow, expression blank and utterly unfazed by his blatantly lewd stare, as if she had entered a "sage mode."
"Haha, I just broke through to level thirty. I need a soul ring from a Mou Chun Cow, so here I am. You're hunting them too?"
Baron Daries glanced at the roasted cow meat with an authoritative tone. "I want to hunt the leader of this herd. Its soul ring should be nearly 500 years old — perfect for my third ring. Miss Romantina, could you point me to the herd's location?"
"Over there." Romantina pointed toward the gap in the woods where the herd was pressing through.
Though the herd leader was already dead and Zhou Qing had claimed its soul ring, with the meat roasted and eaten, Romantina wanted nothing more to do with the lecherous baron.
She didn't mind being "pervy" around commoners like them — it was a way to relax — but in front of nobles, she had to maintain her family's dignity.
Interacting with nobles like this was exhausting and pointless, which was why she had joined the Notting Guild and become an adventurer.
"Thanks for the info, Miss Romantina. Looks like you're helping these three kids hunt soul beasts? Have they gotten suitable soul rings? If not, join us. I brought four great soul masters even against a millennium soul beast, we have a chance."
Daries clearly had ulterior motives, hoping to spend more time with Romantina.
But she refused without hesitation: "Thank you, Baron Daries, but my three friends have already gotten their soul rings. No need for your help."
"Such a pity..."