It could only be considered a brief rest, right?
The moment the old uncle stepped out of the small cabin, he could see the little stream right there.
He closed his eyes and sensed the movements in the surrounding forest…
Tanuki, Crystalflies, foxes… and even… cats?
His mood had lightened considerably…
Before, to feel this kind of connection to life, he'd had to aim Anemo energy at his own temple to awaken a sense of fear.
"Old uncle, how about eel rice for lunch today?"
Little Eula still looked full of energy.
"I think that sounds good."
The old uncle sat leisurely in his chair, feeling that lately, more and more traveling merchants seemed to be passing through Chinju Forest.
At first, he had chosen this place to calm his mind precisely because hardly anyone came here. Yet unexpectedly, people now occasionally showed up at his cabin door to sell their wares.
When the old uncle had first arrived in Inazuma, he hadn't brought many ingredients with him.
Now he was trying out Inazuma cuisine.
Day after day, he adjusted his thoughts, kept up his exercise, and also served as the guinea pig for little Eula's cooking.
The old uncle was actually quite satisfied with this kind of life.
But an adventurer can never stay in one place forever!
Unless that place has something worth lingering for!
That's right! What was the thing that had captured the old uncle's attention!?
Inazuma's foxes!
Can you understand how wonderful the foxes that casually wander around Inazuma are?
These little ones are usually regarded as embodiments of the divine! That's why the people of Inazuma take such good care of them—they're sleek and glossy!
With such fluffy, heart-melting fur, they stroll about so carefree!
How could this old uncle Cid possibly let them go!
He had to give them a good petting! How else could he do justice to such wonderful foxes!
At this moment, the old uncle was writing down some data on paper.
A treatise on how foxes should be petted?
When do foxes not want to be petted?
Is there a way to make a fox call you "great king"?
Is there a method to make a little fox that doesn't want to be petted suddenly desire it?
Which spots on a fox are the most sensitive?
How should you pet a fox to make it grow fond of humans?
Some foxes like being stroked with the grain of their fur, while others prefer against it—so how do you determine which with a single touch?
You'd need to use Anemo energy to analyze the small animal's pheromones…
Little Eula watched, slightly speechless, as the old uncle recorded how to pet foxes like some kind of pervert.
This was supposed to be time alone with just the two of them…
She had gotten here first…
The old uncle's heart had been troubled—this should have been a perfect opportunity…
Yet why had the foxes stolen the show?
Little Eula now truly understood, firsthand, the meaning of "fox spirit."
"Little Eula! I've completed the strategy on this fox! Listen—this one only took about three days of feeding it a mix of raspberries and fish meat! Quick, the old uncle has succeeded! Come pet it!"
That's not what I wanted at all…
Little Eula helplessly took the small fox that the old uncle had already fully tamed.
So soft…
Wait, let me check if it's male or female.
Female!
A naturally wicked fox spirit!
At that thought, little Eula couldn't help but burst into laughter first.
In the past, she never would have entertained such random, silly ideas. Had she really been infected by the old uncle's self-amusement?
"Little Eula, do we still have any blank experiment notebooks? The ones from the Sumeru Akademiya—they have a more detailed format and are easier to use."
"Yes~"
Little Eula went into the cabin and dug out one of the old uncle's blank experiment notebooks.
Then she glanced at the small mountain of notebooks the old uncle had already filled.
Would this stay end up lasting too long?
Whatever. As long as she was by the old uncle's side, she would always come to see certain things clearly.