A few days later.
A tourist city in the Kakin Empire.
This city is located on the outskirts of a large natural area in the Kakin Empire, and it has vigorously developed tourism based on the beautiful surrounding natural environment.
At the airport, Kevin, Menchi, and Buhara stepped off the airship.
They took a car and soon arrived at the edge of the forest wilderness.
Further inside was an uninhabited area, and in this wilderness, they could only proceed on foot.
The three prepared the necessary items and headed towards the jungle.
The three were not unfamiliar with this kind of wilderness environment, so they advanced relatively quickly.
To be honest, Kevin was a bit nostalgic for the Ground Birds at this moment; he now understood why the Kurta Clan would raise this kind of rideable bird.
In such a wilderness, having such a means of transportation was simply perfect, much easier than walking on foot.
They kept walking until dusk.
Menchi seemed to sense something and slowly stopped.
"What's wrong?" Kevin asked.
Although he had also lived in the jungle and was not unfamiliar with it, compared to Menchi and the others who frequently hunted ingredients in the jungle, his experience was still slightly inferior.
He would also occasionally release his Ren and scan the surroundings a couple of times.
However, under normal circumstances, if his intuition didn't issue subtle warnings, he would not use it frequently.
"There are traces of people passing by, but it should have been some time ago," Menchi said, having found some signs.
Since the traces were not left recently, there was nothing to be wary of.
They followed the traces for a while and saw a temporary camp set up below a small hillside.
However, this temporary camp looked like it had been abandoned for a long time, it was dilapidated and covered in dust and leaves.
"Someone stayed here? It looks like there were quite a few people," Kevin concluded after examining it.
Buhara inspected carefully and said, "This is definitely not an ordinary hiking group or hunting party; it's more like a military squad, or perhaps a poaching group or something similar."
As Gourmet Hunters, the two had traversed many areas with protected zones, and in those protected zones, there were quite a few poachers; they often found camps left behind by poachers.
However, the camp in front of them looked relatively more intact, indicating that this group of poachers was more fully prepared.
Regarding Buhara's view, Menchi shook her head and offered her own opinion: "Not likely, there's no nature reserve around here, just ordinary mountains and hills."
If they wanted to poach, there would be no need to go to such great lengths to come here."
In places without nature reserves, even if there are some protected animals, they are relatively easier to sell after hunting, and there's no need to hide everywhere, so there's no need to be so cautious.
Moreover, Menchi clearly had some understanding of this area and was aware of the surrounding situation.
Kevin nodded, agreeing with Menchi's point of view.
After all, this was once the Kurta Clan's secluded dwelling place; if there was a nature reserve, it would likely be discovered by forest rangers, and then it would be less likely to become a settlement for the Kurta Clan.
"Never mind, it looks like a long time has passed, let's just clear a small area and rest here tonight," Menchi said indifferently.
Indeed, some time had passed since the events, and there was no point in dwelling on them; even if it was a poaching group, they had probably already achieved their goal and left.
Kevin unfolded the map to check, estimating the distance they had walked, the time taken, and the marked destination.
"We should be able to reach the destination tomorrow morning, and if we move a bit faster, we can start our return trip around noon and should be back in the city by evening."
Hearing Kevin's words, Menchi and Buhara nodded.
"Since there's a decent camp already set up, why don't we go hunt some animals? I don't want to eat canned food," Menchi suggested.
Although the canned food they made themselves tasted good, even comparable to dishes from some high-end restaurants.
But as Gourmet Hunters, they preferred to enjoy fresh, newly prepared food.
With such conditions, they naturally didn't want to miss the opportunity.
Kevin raised both hands in agreement with this suggestion; following Gourmet Hunters, there was definitely no need to worry about food, no need to think too much.
Whatever they made, you just ate it, and it was guaranteed to be delicious.
Soon, the three divided the work; Menchi and Buhara set off separately, leaving only Kevin behind to clean up the surrounding area and wait for their return.
It wasn't until the sun was about to set and night was falling that the two hurried back.
Menchi held some wild vegetables and some edible, flavorful small berries that she had gathered.
However, Buhara's harvest seemed less than ideal; after all, he had a large appetite and had intended to hunt more prey to fill his stomach.
But now he only had two wild birds and two rabbits in his hands; for a professional Hunter with such a large appetite, this kind of harvest could only be described as meager.
"Why is the harvest so small?" Menchi, who understood her partner's situation, asked in confusion.
Buhara also scratched his head with a confused look: "The prey around here is astonishingly scarce, it's as if some guy who destroys the food chain came here and ruined the biological food chain ecosystem."
After speaking, he put down the prey and recounted his findings.
"Judging from the traces, a magical beast should have been here not long ago, preying heavily on these creatures.
Its appetite was enormous; I even found a large number of animal skeletons in its abandoned lair, including human ones.
However, judging from the traces and the environment, it has already left here, but the ecological environment here will likely take a long time to recover. This gluttonous magical beast was truly terrifying, it almost hunted all the prey in the vicinity, and the animals that luckily survived also felt the threat of the predator and fled from here one after another.
Hearing Buhara's words, both Menchi and Kevin thought of something and looked at the camp they were in at the same time.
Kevin said thoughtfully, "It seems this isn't a coincidence. I was just wondering why this abandoned camp was so big, and now it seems,
This team likely came specifically for this magical beast."
"If that's the case, then it makes sense," Menchi nodded in agreement.
After all, judging from Buhara's description, the timing and the remaining traces could corroborate each other.
However, never mind.
The matter had clearly passed some time ago, and it had nothing to do with them, so there was no need to pay too much attention.
After processing the prey around the camp, Menchi began to roast the food using the spices she carried with her.
After a simple barbecue feast ended, Kevin sighed comfortably and leaned to the side.
Hanging out with Gourmet Hunters felt truly amazing.
He sighed like this in his heart once again.
"Let's take turns keeping watch tonight."
After arranging the watch order, the three rested.
The night passed peacefully until the next morning.
After tidying up simply, they left the camp.
A few hours after they left.
A special squad wearing Kakin Empire military uniforms arrived here.
They followed the traces all the way and tracked them to this abandoned camp.
The leading officer frowned and made a gesture.
Two soldiers quietly infiltrated the camp to check, and after confirming it was safe, gave the all-clear signal.
Only then did this squad enter the camp.
"Someone rested here last night, it was three people - it looks like they ate quite a bit."
"Captain, this camp should be the one left by that group."
"Did these guys come back?"
Hearing the team member's report, the captain shook his head: "No, it's likely just a coincidence. For ready-made camps like this that are set up reasonably well in the wilderness, passing Hunters or hikers will choose to rest here temporarily for a night.
Slightly experienced wilderness travelers generally choose similar areas for camps; if there are existing camp remnants, they will naturally continue to use them.
However, we can't relax our vigilance; maybe they came back to check on the situation. If that's the case, we'll have caught important targets."
After collecting the relevant information, this squad immediately continued to advance along the traces.
Meanwhile, Kevin and the others had already reached their destination.
"It should be up ahead, there's a small valley passage leading inside from that side. This place is really hidden."
Kevin searched according to the previously recorded information and quickly found the passage, entering a small valley.
"Oh, this place is really nice."
Menchi looked at this small valley, her eyes full of affection.
Kevin couldn't help but sigh as well; this place truly deserved to be called beautiful.
It was hidden among the mountains and forests, like a secluded paradise isolated from the world.
This valley was not large, you could see the end at a glance, and the ground was covered with colorful plants, as if it were a beautiful scene that would only appear in dreams.
There was a small waterfall cascading down the nearby cliff face, forming a small pool, and a winding stream passed through this place, flowing towards the distance through an underground river nearby.
Moreover, the unique natural structure of the valley allowed sunlight to shine in perfectly, and no large trees were blocking the sky around.
There was a small hillside in the middle of the valley.
Pink flowers gathered at the top of the hillside, fully absorbing the most brilliant sunlight.
Kevin thought to himself, at night, this place must also be where moonlight gathers.
"This is the place yououou were looking for? It's amazing you were able to find information about this place."
Menchi was somewhat amazed; being able to come to such a hidden and beautiful place on this trip was already well worth it.
She even started to regret why she hadn't brought a camera or something similar; she really wanted to take photos of a place like this to preserve them.
The three passed through the valley floor and came to the top of the hillside, looking at the patch of pink flowers growing in the middle.
Kevin knelt down and gently touched the flowers with his hand.
Perfect, every flower made him feel a strong craving.
Every petal met the standard requirements.
Only the outermost patch didn't have every petal completely compliant, but every flower at least had petals that could be used for medicine.
And right in the middle, surrounded by these flowers, were over a dozen flowers clustered together; their golden color, which originally only existed at the bottom inside the petals, had now spread to the surface of the petals.
These golden patterns were like special decorations, growing on the pink petals, making these dozen or so flowers look particularly unique.
"They're really beautiful. If they could be transplanted, they would definitely sell for an extremely high price outside."
"Obviously not very likely. The environmental requirements here are very strict, you can tell from the plants."
"Even as specimens, their value wouldn't be low."
Menchi and Buhara discussed.
The fact that Kevin made a special trip here was enough to show the preciousness of this material, and its appearance was also so beautiful and distinctive.
For people who like flowers, grass, and plants, this is a very perfect collectible.
Kevin didn't pay attention to the two of them, but reached out and gently touched the dozen or so obviously different flowers in the very center.
Craving, an even stronger craving surged into his mind.
Seeing Kevin's focused expression, the two of them tacitly retreated down the hillside, no longer disturbing him.
At this moment, Kevin was indeed fully focused.
He could feel that the petals of these flowers in the middle, their material grade, were infinitely close to the limit of C-rank.
Moreover, careful observation would reveal that although the golden patterns appeared on the petals, these patterns seemed relatively scattered and not very obvious.
This indicated that these petals had not yet grown to their most perfect state, and they still had room for improvement.
From this, it could be inferred that if these flowers could grow in a completely suitable environment and receive careful nurturing, their material grade would definitely have a chance to reach B-rank.
What a pity, it was truly a pity.
In Kevin's opinion, the environment here was already considered relatively harsh, let alone that these flowers only grew at the top of the hillside, the best location.
Even under such superior conditions, the dozen or so flowers clustered in the very center, absorbing the most nutrients and sunlight, had only just grown into higher quality material.
To obtain perfect materials, it was truly as difficult as ascending to the heavens.
Alas.
Kevin sighed helplessly.
Growing flowers and such, he was indeed not very good at it.
He wondered if there were any relevant professional Hunters he could consult; if not, he would have Kite come examine the ecological environment here later and provide a detailed standard.
At this moment, Kevin was already thinking about how to Train these flowers.
The reason he valued these flowers so much was largely because these petals were extremely ideal 『Fusion Agents』.
Refining potions requires 『Main Ingredient』, 『Secondary Ingredient』, and 『Fusion Agent』.
Among these three, high-quality 『Fusion Agents』 are the most difficult to obtain; they not only need to be compatible with the characteristics of the main and secondary ingredients but also need to enhance the medicinal effect.
In the past, every time Kevin searched for suitable 『Fusion Agent』 materials, it would take a lot of time and effort, but he had previously discovered that these pink petals could be used for almost most potions; although not a panacea, this point alone was already outstanding enough.
And now, such petals even had room for growth; the materials he obtained before were merely underdeveloped substandard goods.
Their ultimate grade could even reach B-rank, and these flowers had seeds, could be planted, and could achieve sustainable acquisition.
How could such a discovery not make Kevin so excited?
Kevin first collected some seeds, and then selected some ordinary qualified petal materials.
After much deliberation, he selected one flower from the dozen or so in the middle that had a relatively better appearance and only three petals with golden patterns, and plucked it.
The rest of the flowers were left untouched.
After all, what he pursued was sustainable development.
This harvest could be called perfect; after confirming this area, the next step was to consider how to get control of this area.
The best way was to buy this plot of land along with the surrounding area, and then carry out protective construction here.
This kind of precious material was completely worth Kevin investing a large amount of money and effort to manage.
However, this matter had to be postponed for the time being.
"Are you done?" Menchi asked.
Kevin nodded: "Yes, I'm done. As long as I confirmed that these flowers are indeed here, I've achieved my goal."
"Are these flowers very important materials for your Nen abilities?" Menchi asked curiously.
"Sort of. Because using this material can save a lot of trouble and reduce many problems."
Hearing this answer, Menchi nodded understandingly.
She reminded him: "Then you'd best find a way to acquire this area. If you have a Hunter license, some procedural issues are relatively easy to resolve."
"I have that intention, but I need to wait for the right time."
The three quickly left here and returned along the way they came.
As they walked, they subtly adjusted their positions and acted with tacit understanding.
"That bird above us is watching us."
They realized they were being followed.
Kevin said in a low voice, "Wait for my command, I'm going to scan the surroundings with my Nen ability."
Saying that, Kevin suddenly released his Nen and quickly performed a scan of the surrounding environment.
"There's a Nen user!"
Kevin called out a warning, and the three immediately hid behind the cover they had chosen beforehand.
And that Nen user instantly sensed that they had been scanned by Nen and knew they had been exposed.
"Wait, we have no ill intentions, I am the captain of the Kakin Empire Special Operations Unit."