Chapter 20 Rice, rice, won't you protect me? ...
Blake looked bewildered. He heard an unfamiliar language, which ended with a hissing sound.
"I'm asking you a question!" the quack said impatiently, raising its short arm in a threatening manner.
"I'll do anything you want, just don't lay a hand on me, please don't lay a hand on me." Blake secretly tried to break free of the ropes binding him. These were just ordinary ropes; could they really bind a swordsman apprentice?
"What are you doing? What are you doing? Do you think we're blind?" Yun Mu hit Blake with a stick, then moved closer to him, making a fierce expression.
"I won't do it again, I won't do it again, please don't kill me!" Blake backed away in terror.
"Haha, we seem like villains," Liang Jingjing teased, then leaned closer and asked playfully, "So, what are you guys here for?"
"Don't kill me, don't kill me..." Blake kept muttering these three words.
"Huh?" Quack Quack was confused. "What's wrong? Were you scared?"
"Haven't you noticed yet?" Meimei said. "He can't understand what we're saying."
"Then what should we do?" Guagua asked. "But the little king..." He swallowed his words before he could finish. "So, his specialness is manifested in every aspect."
"Take the person back first, and ask the king to translate for us," Meimei said.
“Look what I found,” said Junno, who had always been rather low-key.
"Dude, that's awesome!" Guagua praised sincerely. "Can this be our mount?"
Chunye was holding two horses in each hand; these were the four horses that had run off to who-knows-where during the earlier chaos.
"As expected, those who keep quiet can accomplish great things. I thought we'd never find them again." Yunmu ran over, and Doudou's eyes were full of curiosity. She even reached out and patted one of the horses, and the unicorn rubbed against Yunmu gently.
"What a fruitful day!" Meimei exclaimed.
...
The players here weren't the only ones who reaped a bountiful harvest; Cai Cai and Song Shangxue, who went out to find food, also did so. Following the route they had taken yesterday, they checked each of the traps set by the butterflies. Each of them carried a full load of loot: three rabbits and two pheasants. But that wasn't all. The biggest surprise was that Cai Cai discovered a plant that tasted a lot like chili peppers. Apart from being bitten twice by snakes, the journey was perfect.
The two returned to the village earlier than the other team of players. Instead of starting a fire and cooking immediately, they tied up the two rabbits and three chickens with ropes and went back into the village to rummage through everything.
Before Ist were two light screens: one showing the little fireman in battle, and the other showing Nana and Matsukami Yuki in the village.
If you look at Cai Cai for a couple more minutes, the two of them's main search target is... "kitchen". The village's dilapidated state shows how poor it is. Calling it "kitchen" is an exaggeration, but it is undoubtedly where the villagers cook. At this point, Easter had a guess in his mind.
Cai Cai rummaged through some hidden corner and found a small earthenware jar, no bigger than the palm of her hand. She dipped a little into it and tasted it, and the young man was visibly happy.
Cai Cai carefully carried the small jar and ran towards East, saying, "Little King, there's salt now." Only after saying that did she realize her words were inappropriate, and she seemed uneasy.
Easter's eyes curved into a beautiful smile as she said gently, "Thank you for your trouble."
"What's the big deal? Your Majesty, you must be hungry. I'll go cook right away." As a cook, Cai Cai has her own principles and can't stand seeing a malnourished child like the King.
Matsukami Yuki returned shortly after, shaking her head at Nana, "No."
“It’s okay, I found it,” Cai Cai said. “You help me dig a hole, and I’ll go prepare the ingredients.”
There's no shortage of firewood near the mountains; I gathered a bunch yesterday. If all else fails, I can even demolish the house.
The two little firemen busied themselves. Easter wasn't one to just sit and wait to be fed, but as soon as he stepped forward, Cai Cai politely declined, "Your Majesty, the two of us are enough. It's inconvenient if there are more people."
East patted Cai Cai's little pigtails. "Thank you for your help."
If Cai Cai weren't in this state, you could definitely see his face turning bright red. The little king is just too gentle; he must raise the little one to be chubby and healthy.
Easter sat back down and, after observing the situation on both sides, couldn't help but sigh. The players were incredibly capable in every way, making him look like a useless good-for-nothing. He shook his head and chuckled, realizing that was indeed the case.
I somehow found a book and started reading it; the players should find it useful.
“King…” Cai Cai hesitated as she approached Ister.
Easter looked up and asked softly, "What's wrong?"
Cai Cai scratched her head and asked, "Your Majesty, can you eat spicy food? Spicy food is..."
"Yes, you can."
Cai Cai was still racking her brains for a description when she heard Esther's reply. She said in a light voice, "That's good. If the little king likes it, I'll make it for you today."
Easter smiled at Cai Cai, "Thank you."
Cai Cai belatedly realized that he had called out the name he had been using for East again, and he was embarrassed and at a loss for words. "I'll go cook."
“Call me whatever you like, whatever you feel comfortable with,” Easter said.
Cai Cai slowed her hurried steps, turned around and said, "Little King, you have too soft a temper, you're easily bullied." She seemed quite worried.
East was speechless, looking at those beady eyes, he seemed unable to laugh anymore, sighed, and suddenly winked playfully, "Isn't it because you guys are here?"
Nana and Matsushita Yuki, who stepped forward, were both stunned.
"What, aren't you going to protect me?" Easter asked pitifully, looking dejected.
"How could that be? With us here, no one will bully you." Matsushita Yuki was unusually straightforward. She knew perfectly well that she had acted impulsively. She had never been so obsessed with a game character before. She thought that if a pay-to-win system were introduced in the future, she might spend money without thinking.
“Yes, yes, we’re here,” Cai Cai agreed.
"The first step in discussing protection is to ensure the king has enough to eat," Matsuue Yuki advised.
"Fortunately, we still have you all." East seemed to be talking about this topic, but also about something else entirely.
Matsushita Yuki stepped forward, and under Esther's confused gaze, reached out and patted Esther's head. "Sweetie, you'll get everything you want." Her tone was firm and solemn.
East was completely speechless; the better the players performed, the more it highlighted his incompetence.
“Don’t overthink it, we’re just getting what we need,” Matsushita Yuki said, then distanced herself from the two of them. “We’re going to cook, you stay put.”
Easter lowered his eyes as he read, but the words he had clearly mastered seemed to disappear as if he had never studied them at all; he couldn't understand a single one.
His feelings were complicated and hard to describe. He couldn't figure out whether Matsushita Yuki said those words from her own heart or was bewitched and influenced by the strange magic emanating from him.
[Host, why can't you be good to begin with?]
Easter turned a page of the book without responding to the system's message.
[Host, you...]
“Alright, stop dwelling on this pointless question,” East interrupted. “Let’s think about the next step. With the first wave of people arriving, there will be no shortage of trouble to follow.”
[Don't worry, host, I'll be monitoring it.] The system then changed the subject. [By the way, host, should we let the new players log in?] Judging from today's situation, unless it's a sneak attack, the players are at a disadvantage in terms of both strength and numbers.
“Okay, let’s make it the next day on Blue Star.” East was thinking about something else. They couldn’t just sit and wait for their fate. He tapped his fingertips lightly on the book. “System…” He shook his head. “Let’s wait for the results of the inquiry.”
The system has expanded its monitoring range to ensure that any potential danger can be detected earlier. Then, it opens a special background data panel, where golden data fluctuates and undulates, creating an unstable and winding pattern.
The system shut down the background data and plunged into the vast ocean of data on Earth. Faster and faster, how could this be enough? Start the charity campaign, generate public opinion, and hype it up... He refused to believe that the data couldn't be improved.
...
As I ate the food prepared by Cai Cai and Matsushita Yuki, my slightly depressed mood lifted. The crispy roast chicken with tender meat paired with a pot of refreshing and delicious mushroom soup was simply wonderful.
Easter smiled at the two little firemen, "It's delicious, you should eat some too, I can't finish it all by myself."
Cai Cai and Song Shangxue did not refuse. Each of them sat in a small circle with two little fire figures, eating and chatting.
“Your Majesty,” Cai Cai said, swallowing the food that was a little rough for him, “don’t worry, when things get better, I’ll treat you to a Manchu Han Imperial Feast.”
"Isn't this just making empty promises to the king?" Matsushita Yuki asked, slowly sipping her soup.
“How can this be considered empty promises?” Cai Cai retorted. “This is what a king’s son should have.”
Easter smiled and asked, "What is the Manchu Han Imperial Feast? Is it a dish name?"
Cai Cai, something feels off. She looked at East with suspicion, met his blank expression, and, setting aside her unwarranted doubts, replied, "It's 108 different dishes, the highest level of etiquette for entertaining guests."
Easter nodded knowingly. "Shouldn't I be the one to prepare it for you?"
As soon as Easter asked the question, the two little fire men fell silent. Just then, the other eight little fire men returned with a group of prisoners and four horses.
"It smells so good! What are you eating?" Guagua ran over, abandoning its captive. "I'm exhausted today, hurry up and get me something."
The quiet atmosphere was broken. "You were so busy eating, did you forget about the mission?" Liang Jingjing said.
"We've already caught them, what's the rush?" Guagua hissed as it was burned, but kept stuffing it into its mouth, saying, "So delicious, so delicious." Its words were mumbled.
Easter and the other players laughed; having a good character was nice.
A note from the author:
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