Although the cabin was already quite conspicuous on the ice field, Xia Ning still climbed onto the roof just in case and erected a long pole with a red cloth tied to it.

Along the way, Xia Ning would also use a dagger to carve marks on the tree trunks.

This was Xia Ning's first time hunting, and she was a little nervous and excited.

With her younger sister leading the way, Xia Ning's journey wasn't as difficult as she had imagined, although the occasional strong winds still posed a significant obstacle.

Moreover, the wind and snow will cover the footprints on the snow, making it difficult for Xia Ning to find prey.

Before setting off, Xia Ning crammed on some hunting tips, which said to try to stay downwind to avoid being detected by prey.

Xia Ning shielded her face with her arm and took a difficult step forward, thinking that with such a strong headwind, it must be downwind.

Sister: "Woof!"

Its nose twitched, and suddenly it turned its head.

Xia Ning, as an unlicensed animal trainer, focuses on letting her pets grow freely, and she has great trust in the abilities of the system's pets.

My sister changes the species with each map; it must have some purpose, right?

Therefore, Xia Ning followed her sister around the corner without suspicion and soon discovered a series of shallow footprints.

It looks like they didn't just walk by, but rather some time has passed, as the footprints have been partially covered by snow.

Xia Ning squatted down, wiped the snowflakes off her goggles with her thick gloves, and tried hard to recall the animal cards she had memorized the night before, looking at the footprints.

Based on the size of the footprints and the surrounding environment, it is likely the largest deer species in the world—a moose.

Moose are generally solitary or live in small groups. Their large bodies resemble those of camels, and males have palm-shaped antlers. An adult moose can provide about 300 kilograms of red meat and can weigh up to 700 kilograms.

To adapt to the harsh, cold environment, moose have very sensitive hearing and smell.

Xia Ning huddled up, hiding behind her younger sister to block the wind.

Moose mainly roam in willow thickets or marshes during the winter. Xia Ning pondered, "There's nothing but snow here, where can I see any thickets or marshes?"

After a moment's thought, she decided to take her sister to explore an area with denser trees.

Moose are so large that they should be easy to spot on the flat ice fields.

Xia Ning patted her younger sister, pointing her in the right direction so that her sister could continue tackling the snow track.

There were no roads in the world to begin with, but as more dogs ran around, roads were created.

Xia Ning and her sister explored forward for half an hour before finally spotting another set of hoof prints.

She found a sturdy tree, huddled behind it with her sister, and sprinkled some salt in front of them.

Deer like to lick salt.

Waiting for deer to run into a tree stump in the freezing cold is not a pleasant thing.

Fortunately, her younger sister was well-behaved and was nestled next to Xia Ning, providing her with some warmth.

Xia Ning didn't dress her younger sister in warm clothes. As a pet assigned by the system, it was obviously much sturdier than ordinary animals.

Xia Ning even speculated that her younger sister would gain experience points every time she cleared a dungeon.

Unfortunately, she was an unlicensed animal trainer and couldn't see any more information about her sister, so they could only explore and move forward together.

My younger sister can sometimes carry out her instructions precisely.

Sometimes all they do is eat, and they seem a bit silly.

Hunting and fishing both require patience.

Xia Ning isn't actually a patient person. If she has to wait in line for more than half an hour at a restaurant, she won't want to eat there, no matter how famous it is.

Moreover, time is limited now, and it looks like it's about to get dark.

To be honest, as time went on, Xia Ning began to doubt her decision.

Wouldn't it be better to let my younger sister go out and hunt on her own?

She lacks experience; her theoretical knowledge is just something she hastily put together.

However, Xia Ning was also worried about her younger sister going out alone.

My sister was allowed to come home late a few days ago, but not anymore. Who knows what kind of monsters might appear at night?

Moreover, even if the younger sister encounters large prey, she may not be able to catch it, and even if she does, she may not be able to drag it back.

Xia Ning stood stiffly, looking at the snowflakes falling on her clothes, and comforted herself. At least she had already handed over two prey today. Hunting a moose would be an overachievement. Even if she didn't, it was okay. She could just treat it as practice.

Even the most experienced hunters cannot always be successful.

The long wait can only be passed by daydreaming.

After an unknown amount of time, Xia Ning raised her binoculars and observed her surroundings.

Sister: "Woof!"

Xia Ning: "Shh!"

She saw it! She saw that brown figure she had been dreaming of!

It is a solitary moose.

Xia Ning held her breath. It was an adult moose with antlers that were a full meter long when spread out.

The moment it licked the salt and alkali on the tree trunk, Xia Ning fired two crossbow bolts that pierced the air.

The enormous object collapsed with a thud, stirring up countless snowflakes and even crushing a dead tree.

The younger sister, who had been quiet for a long time, suddenly became excited, barking as she rushed toward the moose carcass, but as Xia Ning had predicted—she couldn't drag it at all.

No system notification sounded on the snowfield, and Xia Ning didn't hear any kill reports, indicating that this instance no longer provided convenient data.

Not only did they have to build houses, but they also had to handle their own prey.

Xia Ning remained remarkably calm as she fired the crossbow bolt, but her blood boiled the moment the moose fell.

She suddenly understood why some people were so fascinated by fishing, which seemed so boring.

The long search and ambush were all for a single moment of killing.

Xia Ning walked over and patted her sister's head: "You can just hunt rabbits and pheasants. These large prey are best left to your owner."

Sister: "Woof!"

It reluctantly bit the antlers and dragged them forward a little further.

It remained completely still.

Xia Ning sighed: "Do you know the difference between humans and animals?"

The younger sister buried her head and started pawing forward, completely ignoring Xia Ning's words.

Xia Ning continued, seemingly oblivious to the fact that people know how to use tools.

After saying that, she pointed and put the frozen moose into her spatial storage.

Because forces act in pairs.

Suddenly free of resistance, the younger sister rolled forward due to inertia.

Xia Ning happened to be standing diagonally in front of her younger sister.

As a result of Xia Ning's act of pretending, she and her sister ended up rolling into a snowdrift.

Xia Ning: "..."

The younger sister, feeling dizzy, clung to Xia Ning: "Woof?"

Xia Ning suffered internal injuries.

A man and his dog, panting and groaning, struggled to climb out of the half-meter-high snowdrift.

In any case, today's hunt was still a great success.

Before it got completely dark, Xia Ning and her sister hurried home.

They hadn't gone far; they could see the red cloth fluttering as soon as they looked up.

Xia Ning handed in the moose to the mailbox in front of the cabin, and received 100 survival points.

After a long day, Xia Ning boiled a kettle of water when she got home.

With her feet submerged in the hot water tub and a neck and shoulder massager around her neck, Xia Ning let out a satisfied sigh.

The sky grew completely dark.