Dendrobium Village is situated about two kilometers from Dendrobium Ridge; it's safe to say it's at the foot of the mountain, hence the name.
The ridge comprises five peaks, spanning several dozen kilometers. Due to its relatively gentle slope, it provides a conducive growth environment for many plants and serves as a good habitat for animals.
Relying on the mountain and water for sustenance, during poor harvests, villagers often go up the mountain to gather and hunt, while also guarding against the occasional beasts that come down to forage.
As a result, the villagers employed timber to build a tall wooden wall outside the village.
They even set up a watchtower on each side of the gate within the wall.
Two members of Orion Team are standing guard on the watchtowers.
Earlier, they saw a strange large crab that showed up nearby and then suddenly disappeared. Thinking it was due to fatigue-induced hallucinations, they are now complaining about why their companions haven't come to change shifts yet.
At this moment, they see six strange beasts slowly approaching the gate.
"Bit! Some strange beasts are coming!"
"I see them, Mastiff! This time it shouldn't be a mirage." The young man called Bit picked up his bow and arrow,
"Ring the bell, call everyone... wait! There are people, there are people on the beasts' backs.
As the six figures approached, the two guards noticed two strange beasts carrying a black-haired young man and a pink-haired young man, there seems to be a cat too.
That's not all; the beasts were walking backward because they were dragging something, upon closer inspection, it looked like a wild boar?
Rhode noticed someone on the watchtower aiming at them with a bow and quickly signaled the Stone Beetles to stop.
Natsu shouted cautiously at the bowmen, "We're Mages from Fairy Tail, we've accepted a commission to hunt down wild beasts!"
Upon hearing they were mages, the two guards relaxed a bit, but Mastiff still held the bell rope, asking, "What's with those beasts?"
"It's my magic, used for transporting the wild boars defeated on the way." Rhode waved his hand, making three Stone Beetles vanish, leaving the wild boars they were dragging on the ground.
Bit finally put away his bow but then said, "Please come closer, we need to verify your emblems before we can open the gate."
Natsu and Hapi jumped off the Stone Beetles, approaching the gate to display their emblems, one on the right arm, the other on the back.
Rhode remained seated on the Stone Beetle, moving forward; he worried that if the need arose, he could pull Natsu and Hapi and escape underground.
Fortunately, no such situation arose.
The two guards confirmed they all had the Fairy Tail emblems and immediately turned the winch to raise the gate.
This way of opening the gate made Rhode uneasy, as he was worried that the rope might suddenly snap and the gate would fall and crush him as he went through.
"I'm very sorry for the previous rudeness." Mastiff watched as the Stone Beetles dragged the wild boars inside, asking, "Excuse me, about these wild boars..."
"En route, we encountered these wild boars destroying wheat fields, so we took care of them." Rhode said, "However, in the battle we damaged a large patch of wheat; I wonder if they can compensate for it."
Mastiff quickly replied, "I see, please don't blame yourselves; if you hadn't stopped them, they would have destroyed the fields anyway."
Natsu smiled at Rhode, "See, I told you there's no problem, right?"
Rhode glanced at him; no problem, huh? If he hadn't come today, this fellow would end up regretting his words.
Rhode asked Natsu to take out the Delegation Letter, inquiring:
"May I ask where Mr. Panser Leoparude lives? We need to confirm the task details with the delegator."
"That's the name of our village chief, I'll take you there," Mastiff said, "Bit, I'll leave this place to you."
Bit nodded, "Remember to call someone to handle the wild boars."
Mastiff waved as he led Rhode, Natsu, and Hapi.
The village chief's residence is located on the most central street of the village, the main structure being a two-story building with a large courtyard.
"Village chief, the Fairy Tail mages have arrived!"
With the courtyard gate open, Mastiff shouted from outside before bringing Rhode and the others into the gate, waiting in the yard.
Rhode took the opportunity to observe their surroundings.
The village chief's courtyard was spacious; near the entrance, on the left side, was a cow shed with a cow standing there chewing on something.
On the right was the chicken coop; with dusk settling, there were no chickens running around outside, only occasional clucking sounds from within.
Farther inside, there were two slightly rudimentary rooms on each side, possibly storage rooms and barns.
'In case of emergencies, the Stone Beetles can retreat underground; the wall is not too high, and Beaked Birds might carry one over it, even crashing through like River Crabs is possible.'
'If there's no time to summon beasts, one could step on the chicken coop or climb the cow shed to vault the wall.'
Rhode mapped out several escape routes, feeling much more at ease.
At this moment, a roughly fifty-year-old man leaned on a cane as he entered, accompanied by a less than thirty-year-old woman.
The man's eyes were deeply set, face full of worries, likely troubled by village matters.
The woman's lips were somewhat pale, a look of sorrow on her face, seemingly having just cried.
"Are you the mages who accepted the commission?" The village chief's voice was old and fatigued.
"There are three of us; I'm called Hapi, also a Fairy Tail mage!"
Hapi grew wings from his back, flew up and turned to show his emblem.
Natsu and Rhode introduced themselves.
"Apologies for my rudeness; I am Panser Leoparude, the village chief here, and this is my daughter-in-law, Sino." After the introductions, he gestured for them, "Please, come in and have a seat."
"Village chief, there's one more thing..." Mastiff relayed the issue with the wild boars.
"Don't worry about that; after the mages handle business, we'll check who's wheat it was,"
Panser said, pressing both hands on his cane, "When the time comes, do as the mages say; if needed, I'm willing to make up the damages."
"No, village chief grandpa," Natsu protested first, "Anything damaged by us Fairy Tail mages must be compensated by us! Right, Hapi, Rhode?"
Now you're proud of it! Rhode sighed, nodding reluctantly.
"Let's settle it this way; Mastiff, you may attend to your duties."
"Yes, village chief."
Mastiff departed, leaving Rhode frowning, feeling that the village chief seemed somewhat rushed; could there be an issue?
They followed Panser and Sino into the living room. After Sino poured tea for them, she stood quietly behind Panser.
With the tea cup raised to his mouth, just pretending to drink, Rhode scanned the living room's arrangement until he finally discovered the issue.
On the living room wall hung a photo of an adult man—black and white.
Upon closer inspection, he noticed both Panser and Sino wore black bands on their sleeves.
Were they relatives who recently met their demise due to beasts?