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墨書 Inktalez
The road into the mountains was very difficult to traverse. The so-called narrow path mentioned by the shopkeeper was actually a faint muddy trail hidden among the weeds, surrounded by dense jungle and towering trees, with vines entwined and thorny bushes growing everywhere, making walking quite challenging.
The Kairuot's wristband navigation seemed to have lost its effectiveness here, which dampened his hopes of finding a shortcut. He could only honestly follow the footprints left by others, taking one step at a time. Sometimes when he encountered a spot where the footprints disappeared, Kairuot had to push aside the dense branches blocking his way, carefully confirming before daring to move forward. This short journey took Kairuot nearly half a day.
After passing through a thick forest, Kairuot's eyes brightened as an open space appeared before him. It was much brighter here than in the jungle, and he could see the sunlight in the sky again. On one side of this clearing, he discovered a gently flowing stream. Kairuot felt excited; after walking for so long in the dim and damp forest, he really needed to rest by the stream.
Kairuot stepped into the icy water of the stream and sat on a smooth stone slab, humming a tune that no one could understand. His mood was much more relaxed than it had been in the jungle.
Soon, rustling sounds came from the forest. Before Kairuot could react, a massive creature appeared before him, startling him. He instinctively stood up and warily locked eyes with the creature.
The monster was as strong as an ox, covered in thick black fur, with a horn on its forehead and eyes as big as coins, bright and spirited. Kairuot felt a surge of joy and couldn't help but shout, "Unicorn!"
Kairuot's shout immediately startled and angered the creature. It snorted loudly through its nose and began pawing at the ground with a hoof that resembled a horse's. Lowering its head, it charged straight at Kairuot. Kairuot had no choice but to activate his Lightness Skill and leaped aside to avoid the unicorn's charge. Just as he landed, the unicorn leaped up again in an attempt to ram him. He dodged to one side, causing the unicorn to miss him completely. Enraged by its failure, the unicorn chased after Kairuot relentlessly, determined not to stop until it knocked him down. However, Kairuot remained increasingly calm, skillfully evading the unicorn like a bullfighter leading it in circles. After several rounds, the unicorn was already panting heavily.
Kairuot looked at the unicorn glaring at him with blood-red eyes from across the clearing; its mooing sounded almost pleading. Kairuot bent down and teased the unicorn: "Come on! ... Don't stop! ... Keep going!"
The unicorn could not withstand such provocation and charged at Kairuot without hesitation. When it reached him, Kairuot executed a Kai Ruo Grappling Technique, wrapping both arms around its horn. Instead of continuing with another move that might break its neck, he simply held it firmly in place. The two remained frozen in this standoff for quite some time. Gradually regaining its breath, the unicorn lifted its head forcefully. Taking advantage of this movement, Kairuot jumped up and instantly mounted its back. This was unacceptable for the unicorn; it would not allow strangers to ride on it. Its front legs quickly left the ground as it raised its head high and stood upright, trying to throw Kairuot off its back. When this tactic failed, it began jumping wildly in frustration; however, Kairuot still did not fall off. In desperation, the unicorn suddenly took flight into the air before diving back down to roll on the ground. Sensing danger, Kairuot quickly escaped. Just when the unicorn thought it had shaken off Kairuot, he was back on its back again, leaving it no choice but to surrender completely and emit its characteristic mooing sound. The unicorn had been fully subdued by Kairuot and stood quietly in the clearing without resisting his presence any longer.
"Impressive! Impressive!! This is my first time seeing my Laka being subdued by someone," an elderly man with gray hair approached Kairuot with lively energy. He stroked the unicorn's head and said, "My Laka has finally met its match."
Kairuot hurriedly dismounted from the unicorn's back and knelt halfway before the old man to pay his respects, saying, "I apologize, elder! I have offended your Laka; I offer my apologies!"
"Get up, get up." The old man quickly helped Kairuot to his feet. "Ha, ha, ha, I haven't been this happy in a long time. Young and promising, young and promising!" As he spoke, the old man joyfully held Kairuot's hand and said, "Come! Let's go to my humble abode for a visit!"
Kairuot nodded in agreement, and they chatted as they walked, soon arriving at the old man's small cabin in the mountains.
The cabin was quite unique; it was made of wood and completely enveloped by green vines from the outside, blending seamlessly with nature. If you didn't look closely, you wouldn't be able to find where the door or windows were. Today, Kairuot had not encountered a unicorn; he thought finding the old man might take some effort. Upon entering the old man's home, he saw many flowers and plants arranged inside.
Curiously, Kairuot asked, "Old man, there are enough trees outside for you to enjoy; why do you still want to transplant them indoors?"
The old man replied, "All the flowers and plants in my home have their uses." He pointed to a bonsai in the center of the room. "Look at this pot of green fruits; although they may not look impressive, they are my treasures."
"Treasures?" Kairuot approached to take a closer look at the three fruits in the pot. "These fruits seem to be everywhere."
The old man looked at Kairuot and said, "Young brother, you're an outsider. These fruits are called Kiwi. When they ripen, they shine with a golden light. It is said that eating them grants immortality and greatly enhances one's abilities. I've even heard more miraculous legends that say after eating them, you can walk in space without a spacesuit; you can become one with the universe."
Kairuot was skeptical of the old man's legends and said, "If they are so miraculous, why keep them hidden in the mountains? We could cultivate them widely so that everyone could achieve immortality."
The old man shook his head and said, "You speak lightly... Cultivating these Kiwis is incredibly difficult. Finding an environment suitable for their growth is hard enough; maintaining it requires strict conditions for temperature and humidity indoors. Just considering soil, moisture, and fertilizer can be a headache. If you're not careful, they will die; their survival rate is quite low. I have spent decades experimenting before finally creating suitable fertilizer for them. It took me years to keep this one pot alive—this pot of Kiwi has been growing here for over ten years but has never matured. Perhaps there are still aspects of my environment that do not meet their growth requirements."
"Oh, maybe that's true," Kairuot agreed.
The old man patted Kairuot on the shoulder and said, "Let's not talk about that anymore; let's sit over there on the chairs. I want you to try my homemade Fruit Wine."
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