Ch.21Birth of the Wildcat Adventurer

After eating a late breakfast that doubled as lunch, we headed to the Frontier Development Office where Seti successfully obtained her Frontier License.

After completing the identity registration and receiving her license card, Seti could barely contain her excitement while waiting for her initial support funds. Even after leaving the office building, she continued humming and wagging her tail as we walked through the shopping district.

“She seems to be in quite a good mood.”

“For humans, it’s like getting an ID card when you become an adult, but for Seti, it’s a dream come true.”

“Will! Jessica! Let’s hurry to the next store!”

“Alright, but calm down a bit. You might trip if you rush too much.”

Since Seti had officially become an adventurer, she needed to purchase various items necessary for travel. We decided to spend the afternoon shopping together in the commercial district. Though Seti was thrilled about her first shopping experience in a human city, the process wasn’t entirely smooth.

“Welcome… Ack! A beastfolk?!”

“She’s an adventurer who officially obtained her Frontier License today, so there’s nothing to worry about. Seti, why don’t you show them your card?”

“Sure, here it is.”

“It’s real… I guess that’s fine then. Shopping baskets are over there, feel free to look around.”

Not only did we attract attention while walking through the streets, but we also startled shopkeepers at every store we entered. We’ve already had to explain the situation and show Seti’s license card five times. The one fortunate thing is that beastfolk are rarely seen in Oxville, so people generally just wonder, “Why is a beastfolk, something I’ve only heard about, in Oxville?” and leave it at that.

“…Jessica, about the Cat Tribe.”

“Hmm?”

“How serious is their hostile relationship with the pioneers exactly?”

I asked Jessica in a quiet voice while Seti was trying on indoor clothes in the fitting room. According to what I’d heard from Jessica and Jonathan, some beastfolk tribes in Grantis are hostile or exclusive toward pioneers, and among them, a tribe called the “Beast Kings” is particularly antagonistic, attacking and trying to kill pioneers on sight.

I wanted to understand the situation with the Cat Tribe—how they became enemies with the pioneers, how deep their animosity runs currently, and whether we might need to purchase something like a hooded coat to hide Seti’s ears and tail if necessary.

“Hmm~ To explain it simply, about 20 years ago, after the Fourth Western City was built, the Cat Tribe fought against the pioneers just once as allies of the Beast Kings when they became hostile.”

“They were allies but fought only once?”

“Apparently, powerful monsters inhabited the area where the Cat Tribe lived. The Beast Kings, with their superior physical abilities, hunted these monsters and essentially subjugated other beastfolk tribes under the pretext of protection.”

“So the Cat Tribe didn’t really want to be hostile toward the pioneers, but were forced to participate by the Beast Kings?”

“That’s right. But when the Beast Kings, who claimed to be defending their territory, started attacking cities and looting supplies, the Cat Tribe condemned them for fighting without justification. They broke their alliance and declared a policy of isolation. In the next battle, the Beast Kings were badly defeated and moved far west, but the Cat Tribe’s isolation policy continues, leaving them with the ‘hostile tribe’ label.”

So from the Cat Tribe’s perspective, they were already dissatisfied with the Beast Kings’ oppressive attitude and completely turned their backs after the conflict with the pioneers. However, they themselves don’t particularly want to be friendly with the pioneers either. It’s as if they’re saying, “Fight or make peace, just handle it among yourselves.”

“If that’s the case, I wonder if Seti won’t face outright rejection when we visit the western cities?”

“Probably not? Because of their isolation policy, if pioneers accidentally enter Cat Tribe territory, they get arrested but not killed or tortured. They’re safely returned through prisoner negotiations.”

“You don’t need to worry so much.”

Startled by Seti’s voice right beside me, I turned to see her already finished trying on her indoor clothes and putting her selection in the shopping basket.

“Since there are Cat Tribe people who dislike pioneers, there must be pioneers who dislike the Cat Tribe. I’m prepared for that much.”

“Well, that’s true… but now that you’ve finally become an adventurer, I’d hate for something like this to upset you.”

“I won’t be upset about such things. I know there are people like Will and Jessica who like me.”

Seti occasionally throws these pure expressions of affection like a fastball when you least expect it. Jessica and I pat her head, hoping that her adventures will bring more joy and happiness than sorrow and hardship.

It took about two hours to purchase all the travel supplies Seti needed.

In Mothertown, I had bought everything necessary because it was before I decided to travel with Jessica. Now that our three-member party was confirmed, we skipped items like pots and soap that didn’t need to be carried by each person. We also sold the tents Jessica and I had been using and bought a single 3-4 person tent instead. Since it’s not structurally different from smaller tents, it reduces the effort needed for camping preparation and weighs less than carrying three small tents.

However, we didn’t visit the gun shop because Seti herself was against owning firearms. The reason white magic bullets and spells developed in Grantis is because most monsters have a kind of physical damage resistance derived from black magical energy. Beastfolk warriors can ignore this characteristic by imbuing their melee weapons with magical power, so there’s no merit in using unfamiliar guns.

“Looks like we’re mostly done with shopping, but the timing is a bit awkward. It’s too late to head to the next city, right?”

“We have about 3-4 hours until sunset, so it’s not impossible, but our next destination, Ambers Ranch, is a place we can reach by evening if we leave in the morning, so I’d prefer to depart tomorrow morning.”

“Ambers Ranch?”

“I thought it was strange. Jessica said this city is famous for beef, but there are hardly any places raising cattle.”

“…Ah, I see.”

I understand now. If beef and related industries are developed enough to give the city its name, then animal husbandry must be the main industry. But while we can see slaughterhouses, butcher shops, and leather goods stores, we haven’t seen any places raising large numbers of cattle. This means Oxville is where beef products are made, while the cattle are raised elsewhere.

Livestock farming requires a lot of space and can cause problems with animal noises and waste. It makes more sense to operate such facilities as independent large-scale ranches rather than placing them within the city.

“So they transport cattle raised at Ambers Ranch to Oxville. Does that ranch also have a Grand Barrier?”

“No. The safe zones secured by Grand Barriers are primarily allocated for human habitation as a principle. Regular animals and plants don’t weaken and die from black magical energy.”

“Then what about the people living at the ranch?”

“Resource supply facilities like ranches and mining villages are typically built within a day’s journey from western cities and operated on a three-day rotation system. Then, if they find leftover barrier materials of lower quality during their search for Grand Barrier materials, they create a ‘Minor Barrier’ that can establish a safe zone in a small area. Ambers Ranch is one of those places with a Minor Barrier installed.”

“So until they secure materials for a Minor Barrier, they work three-day shifts risking their lives… Grantis people are tough.”

Working for three days at a resource facility a day’s journey from the city means being exposed to black magical energy for 4-5 days, including travel time. Since the safe period for humans to survive within the influence of black magical energy is also about 5 days, if something happens during travel or if they can’t move due to injury, the probability of weakening and dying from black magical energy increases dramatically.

Not just adventurers, but ranchers, cowboys, miners, and lumberjacks endure these dangerous conditions until a “Minor Barrier” is installed. From my perspective as an outsider, I can only describe this as incredible perseverance.

“So we leave Oxville in the morning, arrive at Ambers Ranch by evening, spend the night inside their Minor Barrier, then head to the Second Western City?”

“That’s right. That way, we can spend tomorrow night without using magic stones.”

“Then we can spend the remaining time leisurely sightseeing in Oxville and resting.”

“That’s good too, but since we’re in Oxville, how about taking on the city’s specialty quest, ‘Black Ox Hunting’?”

“Black Ox Hunting quest?”

Seti and I asked in perfect harmony.