Chapter 193: Captain Ximu’s Instructions
"We're not rabbits!" Budno retorted, quickly pulling out eggs, oatmeal, bread, and other items from his storage bag. "Amanda's gone to catch some critters. We'll have some delicious barbecue later."
Thinking of the grilled carp at noon, he couldn't help licking the corner of his mouth.
Sim was amused by his earnest expression. "Oh my, young people are so adorable!" Look at that fair face, those clear eyes, that limpid aura, completely untainted by the world. I wonder what kind of family could raise such a beautiful child.
Budno felt uncomfortable with her explicit gaze, so he grabbed an apple, opened his mouth wide, took a bite, and concentrated on eating.
Shu Li knew Ximu's bad temper and liked to tease people, so he asked, "Have you eaten yet?"
The chorus was still eating. Ximu was a particular person. He used to eat slowly, but now he eats so fast?
"No!" Simu pulled Nasha and found a place to sit down, pointing at the fruit on the low table and asking, "Can I have one?"
"Of course." Shu Li nodded generously and took the initiative to hand over a washed red fruit.
Sim took the red fruit, took a bite, and nodded. "It's really good."
In fact, for common people, fruit was a luxury, eaten only a few times a year. Fresh and juicy fruits like this were generally only found on the tables of nobles.
When he met little Amo, Sim was curious about his identity.
Only aristocrats could raise such a unique child. After interacting with him for a while, she overturned this idea.
Even the royal family can't raise one.
Because she herself comes from the royal family.
Queen Dalia had revealed that the brothers Al and Amo were magicians who traveled the continent. Al's magic rank was higher than that of the royal family's magicians, comparable to a mage saint.
With such a capable brother, the younger brother must be no worse than him.
After eight years, we met again and sighed that time flies. The little guy who used to rely on his brother has grown into an independent young man.
Angel saw the girl sitting quietly, head down and not saying a word, so he took an apple and handed it to her. "Here."
Nasha looked up at the silver-haired boy in a daze.
"Here, the apples are delicious!" Angel stuffed the fruit into her hand.
Nasha held the apple, feeling a little lost. She looked at Simu for help. Simu raised his lips and said, "Eat it!"
"...Thank you." Nasha thanked Angel.
"You're welcome." Angel said, "There are still a lot of fruits here."
Nasha held the apple and took a small bite.
Shu Li looked at her dancer's outfit and asked Xi Mu in confusion: "Isn't Senluo Bonke with you?"
Senro Bunker is a great swordsman from the Kingdom of Pedam. He protects Princess Nasha Kailan all the way to the Dalia Empire and hands her over to Queen Helati.
Nasha paused while chewing her apple, anger flashing in her eyes. She said angrily, "Don't mention him in front of me!"
Sim bent his fingers and tapped her forehead. "Come on, it's been five years. Why are you still angry?"
"Who told him to leave without saying goodbye!" Nasha took a bite of the apple hatefully, her face full of resentment.
Ximu tutted his words, glanced at the other curious teenagers, and said to Shu Li, "Five years ago, Sen Luo entrusted Nasha to me and left the Dalia Empire alone. There has been no news since."
Shu Li was even more confused. "Why would he entrust Nasha to you? Shouldn't she be..."
Should it be in the palace?
Hadn't Queen Helati taken good care of her? What had happened in those eight years? And Senluo, surely he wouldn't leave until he was sure the princess was safe?
He had a lot of questions, but considering other people's privacy, he didn't want to ask them directly.
"Haha, I was just about to talk to you about this." Ximu looked at the handsome boys and asked Shu Li with a smile, "Little Amo, are all of you going to the courtyard?"
Shu Li told the truth: "Yes, we are going to St. Virya School of Magic."
"Sure enough, I guessed right." Ximu snapped his fingers, "My destination this time is also the courtyard. I was asked to send Nasha to study at the magic academy."
"Huh? Then we are going the same way!" Shu Li was surprised.
From her words, we can know that Nasha is still under the care of Queen Helati. Due to her special status, in order to conceal her from others, it is safer to be escorted by the dance troupe.
No wonder she was wearing a dancer's outfit, to confuse the audience.
"What a coincidence, isn't it?" Sim said. "From now on, you'll be classmates, learning to look after each other."
Nasha puffed out her cheeks and said vaguely, "I can take care of myself."
She had endured all these years, and she could live well on her own. Although she lived under someone else's roof, she had enough food and clothing, and she had learned everything she needed to. The queen even found a magician to be her first teacher. Alec, the royal family's magician, though he disliked her, still wrote her a letter of recommendation for the magic academy.
Five years ago, seeing that she was living a carefree life, Sen Luo insisted on leaving to do something he thought was worthwhile.
Nasha cried and refused to let him go, but finally gave up.
Because she knew that Sen Luo was a great swordsman loyal to the country of Pedam, and after completing the escort mission, he must return to report.
However, she also knew that after he left, they might never see each other again.
Two years later, she received news that the Kingdom of Pedam had been conquered by the Black Knights of Cecilia. Her father, the king, and her mother, the queen, had both passed away.
She curled up in her room and cried until she had no more tears. When the sun rose, all that was left in her heart was hatred.
As long as she and her brother are alive, the Kingdom of Pedam will not be truly destroyed.
She asked the queen to go to the courtyard to learn magic.
Senluo said that she was not suitable for learning swordsmanship, so she should learn magic like Amo, whom she had met before, and become a powerful magician.
The queen agreed to her request.
Fortunately, she has a talent for magic and has awakened fire magic.
For three years, she studied hard and finally passed the junior magic apprentice badge, qualifying to go to the magic academy.
She originally thought that the queen would send guards to escort her to the courtyard, but unexpectedly she invited the famous song and dance troupe of the royal city.
Captain Simu and she are old acquaintances.
Nasha did not refuse and agreed to be escorted by the troupe. But unexpectedly, they met Amo and his companions halfway.
She was angry before because she thought she was being deceived.
For so many years, she always thought that the Al-Amo brothers were very powerful, and even the princess praised them highly, but she didn't know that they had another name.
What's the big name or small name? Do you think she is an ignorant child?
She and Senluo both told their real names frankly, but Amo did not give his real name.
She sulked for a while back in the carriage, but after Captain Ximu's words of advice, she stopped caring. After all, they were not related at all, so why did he have to tell her his real name?
Captain Ximu insisted on pulling her over to get close to him. She was unwilling in every way, but she had no choice but to come over awkwardly because of the captain's dominance.
She knew what Sim was thinking and hoped that Amo and his friends would take better care of her.
However, she didn't want to trouble others.
She is already eighteen years old and has the ability to be unique. She no longer wants to be a burden to others.
She wants to find her brother on her own, and she wants to avenge the national hatred and family feud on her own.
As for Amo and others, they should not be involved in her revenge plan.
Shu Li didn't think as much as Nasha. Since Captain Ximu had spoken, of course she had to show her love for her classmates.
"My brother said, 'At home, you rely on your family; outside, you rely on your friends.' Since we are old friends, we must take care of each other."
"Sperian's friends are our friends," said Desio.
"Desio is right!" Budno nodded.
"Don't feel embarrassed, caring is mutual." Angel smiled.
"If you have any questions about your studies, you can come to me." The top student Kumandi said coolly.
Ace looked at the man's bewildered expression and said gently, "Don't put too much pressure on yourself. As long as you work hard, you will succeed."
Nasha looked at him subconsciously, and when she met his emerald green eyes like gemstones, she suddenly calmed down.
It was so strange, as if I was comforted and the depression in my heart disappeared.
"Pa pa pa—" Sim clapped and praised, "You are all good children."
"Hehehe, thank you for the compliment." The little fairies were not modest at all and accepted her praise very frankly.
Sim laughed, and the look in his eyes when he looked at them became even more intense.
"I'm back—"
Amanda carried four rabbits and three pheasants in her hands, running and jumping as nimble as a monkey. She rushed back to the camp, threw the prey on the ground, and said excitedly, "Sperian, come on, I want to eat barbecue!"
Shu Li looked at the rabbits and pheasants still kicking and struggling on the ground, and gained a new understanding of the dragon clan's hunting ability.
"Wow, so much! So much meat!" Budno's eyes widened.
Amanda puffed out her chest proudly. "If I hadn't worried you'd have to wait too long, I could have caught more!"
Disio rubbed his hands together and said, "That's enough for us to share!"
Angel smiled and said, "There are too many. I'm afraid Sperian can't roast them all."
Shu Li looked at Angel gratefully. Isn't that right? While barbecue is delicious, grilling so much at once makes his hands sore.
"Wow, that's amazing!" Sim gave Amanda a thumbs-up. "It looks like Nasha and I are in for a treat."
This is a blatant attempt to freeload.
Amanda blinked blankly. "How about... I go hunt a couple more rabbits?"
Shu Li quickly stopped him: "No, this much is enough."
He quickly directed everyone to help. The advantage of magic was that it could condense clean water at any time to cleanse the prey.
After processing the rabbit and pheasant, Shu Li took out a bunch of spices and seasonings to season them.
Simu watched with great interest and called Bart over to learn barbecue techniques.
Bart looks big and strong, but he is very meticulous. When he saw Shu Li's pickling techniques, he was eager to learn and wrote down the key points one by one.
"Hey, so this is how spices are used in the East?" he asked in surprise.
"Yes!" Shu Li said as a matter of course, "Spices are used to enhance the taste of food."
Bart said: "...Many nobles use spices to fumigate their clothes."
Shu Li was shocked. She couldn't imagine how pungent clothes smelled like five-spice.
It took some time to finally marinate the rabbit and pheasant, and the next step was to grill them.
As the food was cooked, the aroma filled the air. Not only did Team Light's appetites grow whetted, but even the members of the song and dance troupe came over.
"It smells so good, so good, so good!"
"What kind of barbecue is this? Why does it smell so good?"
"Wow, the surface is golden brown, the skin must be very crispy!"
"Bart, learn this grilling method quickly, so we can grill meat next time."
Bart stroked his beard and said awkwardly, "It's a bit complicated. Spices are not cheap."
Kumandi took out his notebook, opened a page, and asked, "I've written down the detailed method here. Do you want to copy it?"
Bart was stunned, looking at the black-haired, black-eyed boy. "If it's convenient..."
Kumandi said, "Wait a moment. I'll copy it in the common language of the continent. Or maybe in Orcish?"
The other party is a half-orc and should be more familiar with Orcish.
"Oh, just use the common language of the continent," Bart said. He left the Orc Country at a young age and could only speak and understand Orcish, not write it.
However, this young man could even speak Orcish, which showed his talent for languages.
Kumandi held the quill pen, quickly wrote on a piece of paper, tore off the page and handed it to Bart.
"Thank you." Bart took the paper, glanced through it, and carefully put it in his pocket. He would roast a rabbit for the captain later if he had the chance. As for the others... he didn't consider them.
These spices are so expensive that they could buy a hundred loaves of bread.
Shu Li spent more than an hour and finally roasted the rabbit and pheasant, sweating profusely.
"Wipe it." Ace handed him a clean handkerchief.
"Oh, okay." Shu Li took the handkerchief and wiped the sweat off her face. When she wiped her nose, she smelled the fragrance of the handkerchief.
What a fresh scent, I seem to have smelled it somewhere before.
After wiping the sweat off his face, he looked at the wrinkled handkerchief and said embarrassedly, "I'll return it to you after I wash it."
Ace said, "Okay."
Shu Li folded the handkerchief into a square and stuffed it into the storage bag, intending to wash it after eating the barbecue.
The grilled meat sprinkled with cumin and chili powder is mouth-watering.
At Shu Li's command, the meal was ready. Amanda couldn't wait to twist a rabbit leg and take a bite.
“Mmm, it’s so delicious!”
The roasted rabbit meat has a golden and crispy skin and tender and juicy meat inside. It makes your mouth full of grease and you can't stop eating it.
Budno also pulled off a rabbit leg and ate it without hesitation, with countless bright stars in his eyes. It was so delicious that he almost bit his tongue.
He finally realized the uniqueness of meat and never got tired of eating it every day.
Ximu successfully got a large piece of rabbit meat, ate it with relish, and gave Shu Li a thumbs up.
Nasha was gnawing on a pheasant leg and felt that Amo's cooking skills far surpassed those of the chefs in the palace.
Amanda is a big eater. She killed two rabbits by herself and was still not satisfied. She regretted not hunting more rabbits.
The driver Harding was lucky enough to get the chicken neck and chicken feet, and he ate them all, including the skin and bones.
The other people in the chorus could only smell it but not eat it, which was really frustrating.
After dinner, the clean little elves cleaned up the leftovers quickly and buried the spitted bones in the soil.
Sim wiped the corner of his mouth with satisfaction and took Nasha back to the troupe's camp.
It was late at night and time to go to bed, so everyone returned to their tents.
Team Light set up two tents, each of which could sleep four people.
Amanda, Angel, Discio, and Budno slept in one tent, Shuli, Kumandi, and Ace slept in another tent, and the groom slept in the carriage.
Originally, Discio, Angel, and Budno wanted to sleep with Shu Li, but Shu Li was afraid that Amanda was unreliable and worried that he would reveal his dragon tail in the middle of his sleep, so he refused and chose Jingjing, the academic master.
After lying down in the tent, Shu Li slept in the middle, with Kumandi on the left and Ace on the right. They couldn't fall asleep for a while, so they chatted for a while.
"How did you and Captain Simu know each other?" Ace asked curiously.
Kumandi frowned slightly and touched Shu Li's hand from under the quilt.
Shu Li got the hint and pinched his fingers back, indicating that she knew what to say and what not to say.
"Eight years ago, my brother and I were traveling and we met Captain Ximu's song and dance troupe, so we took a ride with them for a while."
He skipped over the important information, picked up some things that could be said, and ended the story when he reached Otto City.
He cleverly concealed what happened behind the royal city.
Ace listened carefully and asked, "You said Nasha and a guard named Sen Luo are wanted by the Hermon Knights?"
"Uh, yes." Shu Li replied.
Ace turned sideways, looked at the boy's pretty face and whispered, "I've heard of the Knights of Hermon."
"Hmm? Are they famous?" Shu Li asked.
"They were once knights of the Hodhe Temple," Ace pondered. "After the Hodhe Temple was attacked, the Hermon Knights claimed to be free, but in reality, they still secretly obeyed the orders of the Hodhe Temple."
Shuli and Kumandi couldn't help but sit up and look at their blond human classmate in surprise.
"You mean... the Knights of Hermon believe in the God of Darkness!"
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