Talent Awakening: I, the Weakest Awakened, Start with Dragonfire Spell-Chapter 462 463-City of Innocence

?The intelligence of the white wolf king far exceeded his expectations.

"Can you understand what I'm saying?" Howard asked.

If it wasn't just a fluke, then the white wolf king must be capable of understanding human language.

The white wolf king nodded.

Howard fell silent.

He didn't recall the white wolf king demonstrating such a level of intelligence during their confrontation in the Silverwind Prairie.

Back then, although the white wolf king knew to employ strategies and tactics, those were still confined within the realm of combat instincts and didn't showcase anything more complex.

Was it concealing its intelligence?

Or had it experienced something during this time?

With a mind full of questions, Howard stood up.

Even if White's behavior was peculiar, he wasn't in a position to delve into the secrets behind it right now.

Filling his stomach was the more pressing matter.

Returning to the kitchen, Howard quickly sorted through the ingredients and familiarized himself with the various kitchen utensils.

"I hope I won't end up making some sort of glowing, dark cuisine."

Holding an ingredient carefully in his hand, Howard chuckled self-deprecatingly and got to work.

...

When Nula awoke, the sky had already turned completely dark.

The room was filled with a thick darkness, like a completely isolated space. fre(e)novelkiss.com

This inexplicably gave Nula a sense of security, as if she were in a secret corner unknown to anyone else.

It took her back to a time long, long ago, when she was still naive and unaware.

Back then, her greatest happiness was simply having a full belly.

It was much later that she realized the world wasn't as simple as she had thought.

Why can't people live simpler lives? The low rumble of her stomach pulled her back to reality.

Looking outside, she saw a faint light emanating from the kitchen, and the vague scent of food wafted in, spreading curiosity within her like wild grass.

Howard is cooking? Does he know how to cook?

Getting out of bed, she walked into the courtyard, guided by the dim moonlight.

White was lying on the ground, ears perked up, resting.

Bending down, Nula rubbed its ears and smiled at the suddenly alert White.

"Are you hungry?"

White opened its mouth, curled its tongue, yawned, and nodded.

"Alright, wait here, I'll go see how Howard's doing."

Nula straightened up and walked briskly towards the kitchen.

The kitchen door was ajar, and Nula paused outside.

From within came the small sounds of cooking, the clink of a spatula against the pot ringing clear.

"Sounds like things are going well?"

Gently pushing the door open, Nula peeked inside.

Howard, wearing an apron, stood at the stove, his movements light and swift as if dancing to a silent rhythm.

Two steaming dishes were already set aside on the stove, and it looked like a third was about to be served soon.

Nula pushed the door open, tiptoed inside, and walked up to the stove.

"Didn't know you could cook?"

Howard glanced at Nula but remained silent.

Rolling her eyes at Howard, Nula turned and said, "I'm taking the bread."

"Uh-huh, and grab another dish on your way, I can't carry them all by myself."

With a nod, Nula left with the dishes and bowls.

...

The table was set in the courtyard, and Howard followed Nula out of the kitchen with the food, arranging everything neatly.

"Want some wine?"

Nula sat firmly at the table, watching Howard take his seat opposite her.

"No, thanks."

"This is delicious; how can pork taste this good!"

Nula swallowed her bite of food, then took a soppy bite of bread soaked in soup.

The meal didn't last long.

Despite the generous portions of the three dishes, Nula's appetite was large, not to mention White waiting on the side.

Towards the end, White also came over.

Perhaps other wolves couldn't understand human tastes, but White seemed to enjoy the meal thoroughly.

Maybe it was because of its domestication.

Howard was very curious about what kind of person White's current owner was.

After the meal, Howard cleaned up, then noticed Nula sitting under the eaves, seemingly trying to tease White.

White didn't react, just lying on the ground playing dead.

Passing by White, Howard felt an impulse, bent down, and rubbed its ears.

Indeed, it felt good.

Watching the wolf king suddenly get up, alertly watching him, Howard rubbed his fingers together, a childlike smile on his face.

"This guy's pretty smart, huh?"

After a while, realizing it couldn't best Howard at the moment, White bared its teeth and lay back down.

"I wonder how Lilia taught it; its intelligence really seems to have improved a lot."

After teasing for a while and getting no reaction from White, Nula found it boring and stopped, turning to Howard, "We're leaving tomorrow?"

Howard asked, "Where to?"

He was only familiar with Breeze City and its immediate surroundings; beyond that was unknown territory to him.

Setting off on his own without a precise map could lead to endless delays.

"Considering you made me such a delicious meal, I'll give you something nice!"

With a mysterious smile, Nula pulled a small crystal from her space ring.

"This is a guiding crystal, a type of simple magical device. Its function is straightforward: it records maps and terrain of a certain area and then projects them. It's activated with mana," Nula explained, demonstrating as she spoke.

With mana input, the crystal lit up, and a blurry hologram unfolded.

"At the adventurer branch guild, you can update the maps inside for just ten gold coins. Through the crystal, you can select your destination, and then an arrow will appear on the crystal, always pointing towards the target city."

Nula tapped on the hologram a few times, and as it retracted, a solid arrow appeared in the center of the crystal, gently rotating.

"One thing to note is that the arrow will only appear for locations where there's an adventurer branch guild; otherwise, it can only be used as a simple map."

"Here you go."

With a flick of her hand, Howard watched the trajectory of the crystal and caught it, responding, "Thanks."

Although the device's function was not particularly outstanding, its utility was undoubtedly significant.

After trying out the crystal and getting familiar with its operation, he stored it in his ring.

"To answer your earlier question," Nula said with a smile, "Sorona. It's the place in the northwest province of Silverwind Kingdom where all novice adventurers inevitably go. There, you can get anything you want, as long as you have the money and strength."

Sorona, Howard had heard the name before, from Antalya.

A lawless land, City of Innocence, a sanctuary of freedom.

"It doesn't sound like a very nice place."

"Of course, it's a city that doesn't appear on the map of Silverwind Kingdom. The king knows of its existence but has no power over it. In its slave market, you can see people of any race, even juvenile dragons!"

"It is backed by an eternal shadow."

Although Nula didn't elaborate, Howard could somewhat grasp her meaning.

"It sounds like an interesting place."

Howard stroked his chin, a smile appearing on his face.

"Don't underestimate it. Everyone who has underestimated its level of chaos is already dead."

With that, Nula waved her hand, advised him to rest early, and turned to leave.

Howard watched Nula's retreating figure, then looked at White lying on the ground, and found a place to sit.

He wondered how Ali and the others were doing.

...

Left Ridge Street, Gold Coin Inn, backyard.

"Are you really sure about this?"

Antalya stood at the doorway of Ali's room, observing the elf silently packing her gear with a calm gaze, as if she was merely setting off on a long journey rather than a voyage towards death.

But the truth was that this was indeed a journey towards death.

"I know what I'm doing."

Ali's movements didn't stop, nor did her voice, "If Howard and I could stand together against Red Eye, why can't I join him in stealing a dragon egg? Having one more person is always one more solution."

Antalya remained silent.

She had read the letter Ali mentioned, so she knew what burdens this young elf carried.

Being a survivor herself made her all the more sensitive to death.

"Then all I can say is take care on your journey." Antalya sighed.

She had no position to stop Ali, all she could do was persuade or choose to help her.

If Ali was determined to go, then persuasion would be futile.

It would be better to think of ways to help her.

"I will." Ali stopped packing, turning to look at Antalya.

No, behind her.

Antalya turned around to see Jelia standing silently behind her, her eyes coldly reflecting light.

Since waking up from her unconscious state and learning that Howard had left on his own, she had been like this.

"I'm going too."

Her voice was not loud but carried an undeniable determination.

"The journey is dangerous, you should stay at the inn. We'll protect you well!"

Antalya reached out to touch Jelia's hair, but the little orc stepped back, her gaze unflinching.

"I want to go."

Ali looked at Jelia, paused, then nodded: "We leave tomorrow morning."

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