Chapter 003: Preparations Before the Hunt

"Ah?" Lucy was puzzled.

Richard explained, "Normally, when people recall a real event, their eyes subconsciously drift upward to the right. But when they fabricate or make up something, their eyes tend to look downward to the left."

"Why is that?" Lucy was even more confused.

Richard paused on the stairs leading to the attic, pointed to his head, and further explained, "Let me put it this way. The human brain can be simply divided into the left and right hemispheres. The left brain is responsible for memory, while the right brain is responsible for imagination. When using these respective functions, the eyes will subconsciously move in the direction of the functional area."

"But isn't that the opposite of what you said earlier?" Lucy asked.

"That's true," Richard didn't deny it. Seeing the little maid more bewildered, he sighed and continued, "The reason the theory and the result differ is because the human brain has a characteristic called cross-dominance. Simply put, the left brain controls the right side of the body, and the right brain controls the left side of the body. So, while the eyes do move towards the functional area, the final result is the opposite."

"Oh," Lucy nodded in semi-understanding, not really grasping the concept.

"Additionally, the reason why one eye looks up and the other looks down on this basis is due to the subconscious desire to reduce information in the field of vision. The cross-dominance of the brain relates to evolutionary biology and neuroscience. It's a bit early to explain all this to you, but I'll go into more detail later."

"Oh," Lucy nodded again, obediently refraining from asking further questions. She was completely baffled. Terms like "cross-dominance," "evolutionary biology," and "neuroscience" were all new to her. Although such situations had happened many times before, she still felt like a little fool compared to her master, unable to fulfill her duties of lightening his burdens.

Thus, she could only try to memorize these terms and attempt to understand them over time. Hopefully, they would be useful in future tasks or in providing answers that would make Richard smile with satisfaction.

Recalling events makes one look upward to the right, and fabricating makes one look downward to the left. So, does that mean looking upward to the right indicates truthfulness, and looking downward to the left indicates lying? Is that really the case? Does the master always look downward to the left when thinking?

Is it true? Is it not?

Lucy pondered, and suddenly Richard, walking ahead, stopped and turned back to remind her, "By the way, remember one more thing about this eye movement lie detection method. It only works on people who haven't heard of this theory before. Anyone who knows about it can easily give the opposite reaction with a bit of training—like me. So, use it occasionally, but don't rely on it too much, and definitely don't try it on me."

Seeing Richard's half-smiling expression, Lucy couldn't help but shrink her neck, really thinking her master had mind-reading abilities. She shook her head quickly, feeling guilty, "I won't, I... definitely won't."

"Good," Richard didn't pay much attention, and with a nod, he pushed open the door to the attic at the top of the side tower—the so-called "laboratory." Although simple, the room contained technology that was centuries ahead of this world's current state.

"If we're going to capture the Fire Bear, we need to prepare properly. It won't be as easy as dealing with the werewolves. The Fire Bear's size and combat power far exceed that of a werewolf. So, we'll need to distill more alcohol, and also..." Richard began speaking while his hands were already busy.

Lucy, following into the "laboratory," quickly assumed her role as a maid. Though she couldn't perform the experiments, she could assist by handing over instruments, washing used vessels, and relieving Richard of trivial tasks. This was the initial reason Richard chose to personally train a maid.

Richard's busy voice continued.

"The crucible, the largest one, bring it to me."

"The glass bottle, the one labeled number 3."

"Go over there and hold that constantly vibrating bamboo tube for me."

"And clean these pottery jars, but use the water from the jar labeled number 8 for the final rinse."

"..."

...

Days passed in a blur.

The sun hung high in the sky like a massive fireball, scorching the earth. Not a breath of wind stirred the air, and the tree branches stood still.

The small river on the plain flowed quietly, and the dust on the road in front of the baron's castle lay still, as if waiting for something.

Suddenly!

"Clack, clack, clack!"

The drawbridge of the baron's castle lowered, the gates opened, and the thunderous sound of hooves echoed as a cavalry unit galloped out.

Dust on the road flew up instantly!

At the front of the group was Tuku, towering over others on his horse. In the middle of the group rode Richard, expressionless, surrounded and protected by the cavalry.

The last person was an unfortunate hunter, freshly pulled from the dungeon. He hadn't yet adjusted to the bright light before his hands were tied. The other end of the rope was tied to a horse, dragging him out of the baron's castle.

This was Tuku's idea. In his view, a commoner who dared to spread rumors and deceive the baron's second heir was lucky not to be flogged. Riding a horse was out of the question.

Richard's thought was—whatever—as long as the man didn't die and could lead them to the legendary Fire Bear.

Thus, the group sped northwest towards the barony.

...

An hour later, a lush forest appeared before them.

First to catch their eyes were rows of black pines, their trunks gray-black like charred wood and their needles dark green like smoke-stained leaves—hence the name "Black Forest."

The group halted at the forest's edge, and the hunter, who had been running behind the horses, finally had a chance to catch his breath, panting heavily.

With a thud, Tuku, clad in heavy armor, jumped down from his horse, leaving a slight dent in the ground, and looked up at Richard.

Richard knew Tuku was asking if the hunter should lead the way. Without hesitation, he nodded slightly, giving his approval.

Upon receiving Richard's signal, Tuku's expression immediately turned cold. He strode to the back of the group, untied the rope from the horse, yanked the hunter forward, and barked without a hint of sympathy, "Stop panting like a dying dog. Lead the way! If you don't find the Fire Bear today, I'll kill you!"

The hunter shuddered, not daring to utter a word of protest. He quickly nodded and ran ahead, leading the group onward.

The cavalry dismounted and led their horses into the forest.