Fairy tale: Little Red Riding Hood's wolf mentor

Sunlight streamed through the window, illuminating the room.

Lake lay in bed, two fair and slender arms holding a book as thick as a dictionary, its cover inscribed with 'Annotations on the Bo Ren Star Pattern Array,' which she was leafing through.

This was a book of collected works from the Bo Ren court.

It contained the Bo Ren royal family's secret knowledge passed down through the years—understanding and annotations by countless magic artisans on the array pattern inheritance left by the founding swordsman of the Bo Ren Kingdom.

It was much more detailed and complete than the Queen's 'Diagrams of Forbidden Magic Arrays'.

Corroborating the two, Lake could learn a great deal of relevant knowledge.

The sunlight shifted slightly, causing Lake's bright, water-blue eyes to narrow slightly; her slender eyebrows twitched, and she closed the book, placing it aside.

Then, her two tender, white feet, which had been resting by the window, pushed off, and she stood up nimbly.

"Poro, it's almost time to go!"

She nudged Poro, who was on the other side of the bed, equally engrossed in the Queen's magic notes, reminding him in a clear, crisp voice, "Stop studying, or Uncle Invi and Miss Dans will be anxious waiting!"

"Huh? Has time passed so quickly?"

Poro's expression faltered, and he began to gradually detach himself from the mind-construct array engraved in the magic notes.

"Poro, what magic are you learning today?"

Lake curiously approached, looking with interest at the fading magical light in the depths of Poro's eyes.

"Just a levitation spell that many magicians know; the average time to master it is about one or two years?"

Poro stroked his chin, explaining to Lake.

"And you?"

Lake keenly caught the implication in Poro's words.

"Originally, I might have needed that too, but now—with the Sage's effect, I've integrated yesterday's practice, and now, I've completely mastered the basics!"

Poro smiled triumphantly.

In this world, magic that can be learned is mostly divided into two parts.

One part is the spellcasting formula, involving spellcasting tools, array pattern inscription, incantations, gestures, and even the magical pathways within the body.

Thought and wisdom are the thresholds for mastering this part of magic.

It's called the—Rationality Index.

The other part is psychic resonance, which is improving the degree of adaptation to a certain type of magic through emotions, memories, and so on.

Experience, disposition, and soul are related to the last part of magic.

It's called the—Emotional Index.

Psychic resonance is the mind-construct array that Poro used to learn the Queen's magic earlier.

In fact, most magic has a matching mind-construct array.

When casting magic that is not compatible with oneself, using this set of mind-construct arrays can quickly reach the threshold for casting.

And the books that record these mind-construct arrays are called 'Magic Books'.

Of course, the prerequisite for using these magic books is to first learn the theoretical knowledge, which is to meet the requirements of the Rationality Index.

And now, with the help of [Spiral Beacon: Sage], these magic knowledge, which are several times more difficult than advanced mathematics, become as simple as kindergarten... uh, elementary school mathematics.

"So Poro, you can fly now? And without wings!?"

Lake's eyes lit up, and she looked at Poro curiously, "Can you show me?"

"Of course, watch closely!"

Poro nodded with a smile, and once again looked down at the mind-construct array in the center of the page, which was glowing with a faint magical light.

The scene before his eyes twisted, turning into a cliff.

Mountain peaks swept past, and countless birds flew from behind, towards the distant sea of clouds—an unspeakable feeling of joy, a desire to ride the wind, surged from the bottom of his heart.

At the same time, Poro heard a male voice, different from the Queen's, coming from his mouth:

"There is nothing more wonderful in the world than flying; I will dance with the wind and the sky—above the sea of clouds is true and ultimate freedom!"

The next moment, Poro opened his eyes, firmly remembering the mood in the illusion.

He uttered a few incantations, and then, magic power followed the guidance of his spirit, circulating within his body in a specific shape; immediately, Poro's body gradually became light...

His body floated up.

Unlike birds flapping their wings, this kind of levitation was more like swimming in the air, as if in an ocean where one could not drown.

Poro moved nimbly in the air, as if gravity had disappeared from him out of thin air.

"Cool, Poro, like a little elf from a storybook."

The girl giggled.

Just as the two were about to say something, the door of the room was gently knocked.

Behind the door, the voice of the old soldier Invi came:

"Are you two still in the room? If you're really tired, you can rest for a few more days."

Lake and Poro were stunned, exchanged a glance, hurriedly packed up their books, and replied at the same time:

"Ah, sorry, Mr. Invi, we kept you waiting; we'll be out right away."

"We were just engrossed in reading and forgot we were going shopping..."

...

The room they chose was in an area away from the giants' route into the city and had not suffered much damage.

Although the owner didn't have much intention of opening for business in the early days after the disaster.

But Lake and the others gave too much, and coupled with Lake's own beauty and the effect given by [Circular Return: Little Red Riding Hood · Cute Girl], it was an offer that was hard to refuse.

It was even possible for them to buy the tavern if they wanted to.

The market, which was held every few days after the disaster, was in the city square not far from the tavern.

The crowds gathering for the market were growing.

There were already many vendors along the road, mostly Bo Ren people, and some foreign merchants who were staying in the capital.

Although the Bo Ren Kingdom's commerce was not developed due to the influence of the giants, the capital was still the choice of many merchant groups.

After all, risk always coexists with opportunity.

At this time, to hide her identity, Lake's cloak was hidden away, and the inner armor modified from the Bo Ren prince's armor was also placed in her backpack.

She was now wearing a white dress, like a frail and beautiful girl.

"By the way, Lake, how well have you mastered that Hunter Beacon of yours?"

Poro looked at a weapon shop by the roadside and thought of something, "Do you have the feeling you had when you used the Starstrike Sword before?"

"Um... it's not quite the same."

Lake thought for a moment, and she spread out her hand; only the two of them could see the golden pages slowly forming in mid-air,

"The Starstrike Sword gave me stronger physical qualities and the blessing of those starlight energies, but the beacon... it's more like changing me internally, giving me some special abilities."

As Lake spoke, the page had already taken shape.

[Spiral Beacon: Hunter]

[Ascension Ritual: Hunting Ground]

[Hunting Giants 12/12]

[The giants' massive bodies fall one after another; in the dust-filled sky, only your figure stands upright; you are a giant hunter, and those outwardly strong but inwardly weak will fear your sharpness!]

[Ascension Rank: 1-\u003e2]

[Soul Anchoring: After the Spiral Beacon reaches rank two, it will be completely bound to the soul and cannot be卸载]

[Fairy Tale Authority · First Tier: Considered to possess all the experience of the slain in the way of hunting!]

[Fairy Tale Authority · Second Tier: Your mastery of hunting skills is transcendent, and every weakness of the prey is clearly visible in your eyes]

[Description: The spoils of the hunt pile up into hills at your feet; step onto the hills, and all you see is a hunting ground]

As Lake spoke, she drew a silver dagger and spun it rapidly between her slender, fair fingertips; the silver light flowed like liquid mercury, but the girl's skin was not damaged in the slightest!

"I seem to have acquired all of the witch hunter's hunting experience; well, in terms of experience alone, I may be richer than him now—"

Lake said with some pride, and she inserted the silver dagger back into its sheath.

She pointed to a merchant walking on the ground not far away, who looked no different from the other passersby.

"The second tier ability is like I have a new sense; I can see the weaknesses of most creatures.

For example, that person looks the same as everyone else, right?"

Poro narrowed his eyes and looked at the merchant, a middle-aged man, but even with a close look, he couldn't see anything special:

"Yes, what weaknesses do you see?"

"His leg is injured, at the joint below the thigh bone; it's not obvious when walking, but it will be very noticeable during strenuous exercise."

Lake thought for a moment and then explained, "If I were to kill him, stabbing upwards at an angle, no matter how he dodged or blocked, he would have flaws because of his limp."

"Is that deduced?"

"It's much more direct than that; it's like a instinctual reaction."

Lake smiled, and she unconsciously touched the Starstrike Sword at her waist again; after killing all the giants, the starlight of the Starstrike Sword had faded again, and it looked like just a beautiful ordinary sword,

"Moreover, my understanding of swordsmanship has deepened a lot; if I could use the Starstrike Sword, maybe even the previous witch hunter wouldn't be able to beat me!"

"Haha, in that case, the journey ahead looks like it will be a lot easier!"

Poro laughed.

"Yes."

Lake nodded, pressing her hand against her chest.

The misty green light of the Heart of the Forest still carried that trace of vibrant aura.

The girl closed her eyes slightly, remembering that day, the vines extending into the clouds within the magic mirror, and... the girl kneeling in the withered garden.

Just then, the neighing of horses came from ahead.

The others stopped chatting and looked towards the source of the sound—

"Huh? Finally, someone is selling horses!"

The stall owner was a woman whose eyes were filled with sorrow; her eye bags were red and swollen from crying, and her cheeks were pale from malnutrition.

"Madam, are you selling these two horses?"

Lake asked politely; the woman's red eyes looked at Lake's pure and lovely face, and the sorrow in her eyes instantly diminished a lot, "Yes, I want to sell these two horses."

"Madam, how much do you want to sell these two horses for?"

Lake's eyes lit up; she carefully looked at the two horses; their limbs were intact, there were no wounds, and they were young, looking very strong.

"Money, you can give whatever you want, but you must promise to treat them well."

The woman shook her head, saying with a mournful expression.

"Why?"

Lake looked at the two horses again; through the ability provided by the second rank of [Spiral Beacon: Hunter], she was completely sure that there were no special hidden ailments with these two horses.

On the contrary, they were of excellent breed, with shiny coats, obviously having been maintained for a long time.

"Your two horses should be first-class good horses, and they are well-raised; there is no need to sell them cheaply at all.

If you wait a few more days, there will be more people at the market, and many people will be vying for them!"

"I know, they are all good children."

The woman replied, and for some reason, looking at Lake's clear blue eyes, she felt a desire to confide in her heart, which surged uncontrollably.

Before Lake could speak again, she sighed and said in a sorrowful voice:

"They were originally raised by my husband; he was a horse lover and liked to ride horses; in his spare time, he liked to ride them outside the city.

Until some time ago, he no longer had the chance to ride horses.

Because he was a soldier."

Speaking of this, the sadness in the woman's eyes deepened; she looked at Lake, perhaps only some beautiful things could slightly reduce the sorrow in her heart.

"My condolences, madam."

A trace of concern appeared in Lake's clear eyes.

"Thank you, little girl; I am proud of my husband because it is because of people like him that ordinary people like me can now stand here properly, without being killed by giants."

A somewhat forced smile appeared on the woman's pale face; she patted the heads of the two horses beside her, and the two horses neighed at the same time.

"I originally wanted to take care of them instead of my husband, but I can't ride a horse."

The woman looked somewhat dim, "And my husband said that horses will get depressed if they are always tied in the stable; they also yearn to run.

So, I want them to be like my husband once dreamed of, to be travelers, able to run to farther places..."

Lake was silent for a while, and after a long time, she looked at the woman and said:

"We will travel to very far places, and with our current strength, we should be able to protect them from most dangers."

"That's enough."

The woman looked at Lake's eyes, the blue in her pupils, like a clear spring, which made her unable to raise any doubts, "I believe you, little girl."

"Thank you, madam."

As Lake spoke, she took out a bag of coins and placed it in the woman's hand, then took the reins.

When the two horses were led by Lake, they were like meeting old friends of many years, without the slightest resistance, lowering their heads and nuzzling the girl's hand affectionately.

Watching the two horses being led away, the woman picked up the money bag on the table, preparing to leave the market in another direction.

She casually opened the money bag and was stunned.

She originally thought it was copper coins, but the glittering reflections revealed a fact—

They were gold coins.

The value of this bag of money far exceeded the two precious horses!

"Thank you, thank you..."

Tears welled up in the woman's eyes again, gently dripping on the ground.

...

Poro and the others prepared to lead their horses back to the tavern.

Just then, from the direction of the capital, a long, drawn-out horn sounded. Many Bo Ren people with sorrowful faces began to gather in that direction.

At the same time, many soldiers also rode off hurriedly.

"What's going on?"

Leike was stunned for a moment, and Poro beside her was equally puzzled.

"The Queen is ascending the throne. As the saying goes... a country cannot be without a ruler for a day, and now, after the disaster, people's hearts are even darker, it is even more so."

The old soldier Yinwei walked over, sighed, and said, "You have been resting in your rooms these past few days, reading books and such, so you may not know.

This Queen is the only remaining member of the Bo Ren royal family.

That is... the former Bo Ren Princess."