Stone -_-|||
"Girls, come out and eat!" Lin Qi's voice reached the tent. Shi Tou glanced at Nana Ke subconsciously, but Nana Ke's eyes lit up and she dashed out without saying a word.
Pulling a dumbfounded Linda along, Stone slowly walked out of the tent. Outside the tent, a makeshift barbecue grill had been set up, with many pieces of meat skewered on iron sticks on it.
"Come on, girls, this barbecue smells so good you'll want to swallow your tongue!" Lin Qi called everyone over, handing out pieces of grilled meat from the grill to each person. "Eat up, my barbecue skills are no joke!"
Shi Tou took the kebab Lin Qi handed him. Sure enough, Lin Qi hadn't been exaggerating. The meat was tender and smooth, and not too greasy. Instead, it had a fresh, plant-like aroma and a hint of spiciness.
Chewing heartily, Stone devoured skewer after skewer, completely disregarding his image, leaving the others dumbfounded. After eating over a dozen skewers, Stone finally felt satisfied. Just then, he turned around and saw a small head peeking out from the tent: "Hey!"
Everyone turned around at once, and Nana ran over in surprise: "Cage, what are you doing?"
Cage Krug emerged from the tent, looking dejected. He stammered, "I...I don't know if I should come out..."
"We're eating barbecue! Of course you have to come out!" Nana stared wide-eyed, looking utterly defeated.
“But Uncle Lynch said, girls come out…” Cage lowered his head, poking his index fingers together, looking pitiful.
This time, not only Lin Qi, but even Huo Xiaoxiao, who has the worst temper, was charmed.
"Young Master Kru, it was my fault. Come and eat quickly! If you're any later, there won't be anything left." Lin Qi said with a smile, glancing at Shi Tou out of the corner of his eye.
The stone remained calm as everyone admired it; after all, it was just for looking, and it wouldn't hurt anyone.
Indeed, just looking at it wouldn't cost her anything. Moreover, in the days that followed, Stone noticed her treatment changed. When Lin Qi was grilling meat, he would specifically grill a few extra-thick skewers, like a hind leg, a slice of rib meat…
Every time Stone received his special portion of roasted meat, he would glare at Lin Qi intently.
Excuse me, do you think I'm a foodie, or a foodie, or a foodie?!
Time flew by. Because they had been wandering around the outer edge of the Crimson Forest and Lynch had taken special care of them, these days were not difficult. Every morning, they would go for a walk in the forest, have some dried meat for lunch, and have roasted meat for dinner. This made Stone, who usually stayed at home, quite happy.
Shi Tou didn't see anything wrong with this kind of life, but Huo Xiaoxiao felt that each day was getting harder and harder to bear.
"Lin Qi, what's going on? Where are the Blood Pearl Fruits? We've been here for almost a month, why haven't I seen a single Blood Pearl Fruit?" Every time they set up camp, Huo Xiaoxiao would get angry, and her temper was getting worse every day.
At times like this, Lin Qi would always feel helpless: "I can't find the Blood Pearl Fruit, what can I do? You know, each Blood Pearl Fruit can sell to you for 1000 gold coins, and I can keep half! Tell me, why shouldn't I help you find it?"
That's true, and it did reassure Huo Xiaoxiao for the first few days. But after saying the same thing more than twenty times, it lost its effectiveness.
So, every day at dinner time, besides enjoying delicious barbecue, Stone had another show to watch. However, this show always had the same old lines, and it got boring after a while.
That evening, the scene was the same again. After eating and drinking her fill, Stone returned to her tent. However, she noticed that Nana's complexion looked rather unwell.
"What's wrong?" Having just finished eating, Shi Tou wouldn't go to sleep right away. Usually, she would chat with the others for a while and then go to sleep after she had digested her food.
Nana pursed her lips, looking preoccupied.
Annie noticed too, and she sat down next to Nana: "Cousin, what happened? Hmm, is it because we haven't found the Blood Pearl Fruit yet? It's okay, even if we're unlucky this time, my brother and I can just come back next year."
Stone nodded in agreement, seemingly indicating that apart from Huo Xiaoxiao next door, the others weren't too worried.
"Silly girl, that's not why." Nana chuckled and scolded Annie, but then sighed, "Do you guys think I'd be gloating over Huo Xiaoxiao's situation?"
Everyone else quickly shook their heads, but Stone continued to nod.
Nana was amused and annoyed by the stone: "You... never mind, you wouldn't know anyway." After a pause, Nana finally couldn't help but complain: "I don't know what Lin Qi was thinking. He's not saying he can't find the Blood Pearl Fruit. He's clearly leading us around the outer edge on purpose. This... it seems that the rumors about the six major families in the East being at odds are true."
☆, Chapter 112 Huo Xiaoxiao's Blood Pearl Fruit
"Nana, are you saying Lin Qi did this on purpose?" Shi Tou involuntarily raised his voice, but then suddenly remembered that Huo Xiaoxiao was still next door, and immediately covered his mouth.
Nana also gestured for Shi Tou to lower his voice: "I'm not sure, but I guess so, after all, Blood Pearl Fruit isn't anything rare."
"Why do you say that? Blood Pearl Fruit can sell for 1,000 gold coins each, isn't that rare?" Stone frowned. Could it be that gold coins are worthless in the human kingdom?
“The reason Blood Pearl Fruit can sell for 1000 gold coins each is because it doesn’t possess the characteristics of the Crimson Forest, and also because it withers away in spring. Think about it, Huo Xiaoxiao came to the Crimson Forest three times and ate a total of seven Blood Pearl Fruits, while I only came once and ate two. This means Blood Pearl Fruits aren’t rare at all.” Nana’s tone carried a hint of worry: “I don’t know why Lin Qi would do this, but…”
"We can't be sure right now, can we? At least a month has passed, and there are still two whole months to go!" Actually, Stone also had some thoughts in her mind, but she still comforted her, "Besides, even if Lin Qi really wants to deal with Huo Xiaoxiao, it's none of our business. Although Annie and Cage may be disappointed this time, they are still young, so there's no rush."
Nana gave Annie a wry smile: "I'm not worried about them. They both have quite good talent. They could become magicians even without the Blood Pearl Fruit. I'm worried that Huo Xiaoxiao might cause trouble."
“Even if it’s a huge problem, Lin Qi is still there. Besides, the Huo family isn’t just Huo Xiaoxiao. Even if Huo Yi doesn’t come from a high social class, she’s still a young lady of the Huo family, right?” Shi Tou wasn’t too worried. “Moreover, maybe Lin Qi doesn’t even have that intention. There are still two months left. Maybe we can find the Blood Pearl Fruit tomorrow.”
“Another characteristic of the Blood Pearl Fruit is that people under the age of ten can eat one per month. Exceeding that amount could be fatal,” Nana explained. “If we only find the Blood Pearl Fruit in the third month, then Huo Xiaoxiao can only eat one. Given her talent… one Blood Pearl Fruit…”
"So that's how it is." Stone suddenly understood. No wonder Lin Qi brought seven people into the Crimson Forest; he was afraid there would be too many Blood Pearl Fruits and he wouldn't be able to sell them. After all, Blood Pearl Fruits can't leave the Crimson Forest. They wither every spring. In that sense, it's a bit like taking your boss on a dungeon run when you're playing games in your past life.
“Even if the Huo family still has Huo Yi, Huo Xiaoxiao is completely different from Huo Yi. Ancient families like ours still value direct and collateral lines, let alone those Eastern families. I heard my grandmother say that there was once a genius from an Eastern family. He became an eight-star mage at a young age, but he still couldn't become the family head, simply because he was the second son.” Nana's face showed a hint of confusion and worry: “Even those born of the same parents still have to consider birth order, Huo Yi's background…”
Shi Tou understood; she probably now grasped the traditions of those Eastern families in this world. She didn't know why, but those Eastern families were remarkably similar to those in her previous life.
"And another thing. With Huo Xiaoxiao's personality, what if she really can't become a magician? I seriously doubt she'll get so angry that she'll smash her head against the wall and die right here." Nana smiled wryly.
Shi Tou reached out and patted her shoulder, comforting her, "What you can think of, I believe Lin Qi can also think of. If Huo Xiaoxiao really gets into trouble, I don't think he'll come out unscathed either. He... should know what to do."
"Forget it, let's just go to sleep. You're right. Anyway, the Lin family is in charge here. Even if Huo Xiaoxiao really gets into trouble, what does it have to do with me?" Nana suddenly gave a mischievous smile and winked at Shi Tou.
Stone nodded: "Okay, let's go to sleep first!"
Lying in her sleeping bag, Stone didn't fall asleep immediately. Her conversation with Nana Ke earlier was less casual chatter and more an act. From the first day she entered the Crimson Forest, she had noticed that this tent was incredibly soundproof; even if she made a lot of noise here, the neighbors wouldn't hear a thing.
However, Shi Tou remembered clearly that she was sitting right here that day, yet Lin Qi's voice could still be heard clearly. This meant that Lin Qi had likely tampered with the tent, allowing the sound to travel through. That's why she participated so readily when Nana winked at her to cooperate.
Hopefully, their words tonight will reach Lynch's ears...
Huo Xiaoxiao is indeed despicable, but she's just acting like a spoiled child. While she's repulsive, she doesn't deserve to die. Moreover, as one of the six great families of the East, if Lin Qi really did something shady on purpose, then his actions are shameful to Shi Tou.
In his past life, there was a sentence that made the stone very angry, but there was nothing he could do about it.
One Chinese person is a dragon, a group of Chinese people are worms.
Now that it's a different world, Shi Tou hopes that the same Eastern family will no longer engage in those pointless internal strife. And she still remembers Baozi's words: the sole heir of the ancient Eastern clan…
"Look! Blood Pearl Fruit!"
The next day, after breakfast and packing up the tents, the group began another busy day. But today, as if blessed by Lady Luck, they discovered the Blood Pearl Fruit around noon.
Moreover, it was two in a row.
Huo Xiaoxiao's face flushed with excitement. Judging from her excited expression, it seemed as if she couldn't wait to rush up and swallow the Blood Pearl Fruit whole.
Fortunately, everyone understood her feelings, and even Nana, who also loved to oppose her, didn't make things difficult for her.
“According to the contract signed between the Starshine Mercenary Group and the Huo family, the Huo family has the right of first refusal.” Having finally found the Blood Pearl Fruit, Lin Qi didn’t seem surprised at all: “So, Miss Huo, would you like to buy them first? How many?”
"Yes!" Huo Xiaoxiao nodded firmly, and just as she was about to step forward, she suddenly stopped and turned back in confusion, asking, "How many?"
Lin Qi smiled slightly: "According to the contract signed between the Starry Night Mercenary Group and the Huo family, the Blood Pearl Fruit can only be sold to others when the Huo family relinquishes its right to purchase it. In other words, Miss Huo, you can buy two at once."
Huo Xiaoxiao was taken aback at first, but an angry expression immediately appeared on her face. She turned her head and glared fiercely at Huo Yi, gritting her teeth as she said, "One! I only want one!"
“Okay, 1000 gold coins.” Lin Qi remained as calm and collected as ever.
Huo Xiaoxiao flicked her right wrist, and a black silk pouch appeared in her hand: "Here you go!"
The silk pouch was thrown into Lin Qi's hand. Lin Qi opened the pouch, glanced at it, and then put it away.
Shi Tou frowned slightly. The silk pouch that Huo Xiaoxiao took out was very exquisite and small. It didn't look like it could hold 1,000 gold coins at all.
Sigh, having not grown up in a human kingdom, there are some things that are really hard to find out. Stone made up his mind that once he arrived in the capital, he would definitely find out some basic facts about human kingdoms. Otherwise, losing face would be a small matter; being suspected would be even worse!
Lin Qi put away the silk pouch and watched as Huo Xiaoxiao picked one of the Blood Pearl Fruits from it: "There's one more. Since the Huo family has given up, you can buy it."
etc!
Shi Tou suddenly awoke, looking up at Lin Qi in utter astonishment. She finally realized that Lin Qi had been referring to the Huo family from beginning to end! In other words, Huo Xiaoxiao represented not only herself, but the entire Huo family. Now that Lin Qi had announced the Huo family's abandonment of the Blood Pearl Fruit, it meant that Huo Yi…
Huo Yi didn't even have the chance to buy anything!
Shi Tou bit his lip, startled by his own thought. It seemed Huo Xiaoxiao was determined to make Huo Yi's life miserable. There's a saying: "If I can't have it, you won't have it either." This Huo Xiaoxiao…
"I want it!" It was Nana who spoke. She had already anticipated Huo Xiaoxiao's choice when she saw there were two Blood Pearl Fruits. Actually, she could understand Huo Xiaoxiao's thinking quite well. Half-sisters, sometimes, are not even as close as ordinary friends.
"Does anyone else want it?" Lin Qi looked at the stone, but when he realized that the stone didn't react at all, he nodded: "Miss Kuruvis, 1000 gold coins."
Nana turned to Anne and said, "Anne, this Blood Pearl Fruit is yours."
Anne happily agreed, and then flipped her right hand. However, unlike Huo Xiaoxiao, Anne did not act so gracefully. Instead, she took out 10 silver coins that shone with a purple-gold light from a slightly larger silk pouch: "Uncle Lin Qi, 10 purple-gold coins."
After paying, Annie quickly walked to the Blood Pearl Fruit and carefully picked the fruit.
“Alright, according to the rules, we won’t search for any more Blood Pearl Fruits on the day they are harvested. Now come with me, we’ll find a place to set up camp.” Lin Qi glanced around before slowly speaking.
Nana walked over to the stone and gently touched the back of its hand. When the stone turned around, she gave it a bright smile and whispered, "Thank you."
Stone was slightly taken aback, but quickly realized what he meant: "No need to thank me, I never wanted this Blood Pearl Fruit in the first place."
Nana smiled and seemed to be in a good mood. She was very happy that Shi Tou hadn't participated in the bidding, and she naively thought that Shi Tou's words were just polite.
“Thank you. Although I am already an apprentice mage, I have lost my family. If I can help Annie and Cage awaken their powers this time, I will be able to truly establish myself in the Kru family.”
Shi Tou looked at Nana Ke with surprise. On that pretty face, besides the smile, there was clearly a heartbreaking strength.
Losing family...
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It's the weekend tomorrow, so I'll be posting two chapters a day!
☆, Chapter 113 Listening to Baozi's words brings bad luck
Seeing the obvious stunned expression on Stone's face, Nana immediately understood: "Serena, you were left in the Crimson Forest last year? So, you don't know what happened to our Kuruvis family?"
Stone nodded awkwardly, glancing around. Huo Xiaoxiao was completely immersed in the joy of obtaining the Blood Pearl Fruit, while Huo Yi cowered to the side, silent. The Klu siblings were overjoyed, but somewhat saddened. Lin Qi surveyed the surrounding area for a suitable place to camp, while Linda gazed expectantly in one direction.
Seeing that no one was paying attention to him and Nana, Shi Tou finally breathed a sigh of relief: "I didn't actually live in the capital before. I only went there once last year. I don't know much about the noble families in the capital."
Is that alright? We've already voluntarily pretended to be country bumpkins.
"Sigh, Serena, so many things have happened this year." Nana sighed. "Our Kuruvis family is considered a minor noble family in the capital. We don't have many members; there are only a few dozen true members. My grandmother passed away this year. She was actually quite old and had always been in poor health, as we all knew. But..."