Chapter 36: Friend of the Spirits

Chu Jiu lost consciousness for a brief moment.

When he gradually opened his eyes, he found himself leaning against a rock wall, half-sitting.

The air here was damp and cold, and the light was dim. If it weren't for someone gathering scattered fluorescent grass to build a cold-light bonfire, the place would have been pitch black.

Chu Jiu looked toward the cold-light bonfire, his gaze eventually drifting to the side. Beside the fire sat a young man dressed in black, his eyes slightly closed.

Chu Jiu remained stunned for a few seconds, finally recalling what had just happened. His eyes widened instantly, and he sat up abruptly, blurting out urgently, "Little Can!"

The man by the fire twitched his brow, slowly opened his eyes, and looked at Chu Jiu. They were a pair of strikingly beautiful, icy-blue eyes, resembling a lake at the foot of a snow-capped mountain.

But Chu Jiu didn't dwell on those eyes for even a second. He gestured wildly, trying his best to control his panic while his voice trembled uncontrollably: "Little Can, Little Can is my cat. A tiny, black thing. It just jumped out..."

The young man stared directly at Chu Jiu, silent for a second, then two. Finally, he spoke: "A little black cat? I saw it."

Chu Jiu’s eyes lit up instantly: "You saw it?"

The man said: "I saw it outside the cave. It ran toward a very strange, large bird."

So, it seems there was more to what Douglas meant when he said, "The esper sealed the monsters deep within."

The man: "Correct."

Speaking of which, one must mention an interesting story, "The Adventures of Caliph." This story tells of a human boy born in a candy shop and how he became friends with a Dwarf Orc...

But what surprised Chu Jiu most was not that there was a "cave within a cave," but that on the stone walls, there were three brown, half-human-sized... cocoons?

Lu Qingyan replied: "That is fine."

"Then you should get some good rest."

Looking closely at these cocoons now, one could tell by the texture and luster that they were genuine "sticky slime."

Chu Jiu's words provided no comfort at all.

The man: "My surname is Lu. Lu Qingyan."

Additionally, Chu Jiu was very concerned about another question: What kind of commissions could they accept? Could they forge metal strong enough to block a Grotesque Worm?

For example, they were twice the size of normal squirrels.

After staring for two seconds, the little squirrel squeaked: "Human! It's a human!"

Let a high-attack-power esper take the lead?

As long as this layer of "cocoon" could be peeled away...

Chu Jiu exhaled softly, feeling a lingering fear mixed with relief: Thank goodness, it was lucky to have run into this person.

After speaking, Chu Jiu, fearing Lu Qingyan didn't know what sticky slime was, was about to explain when he heard Lu Qingyan say: "I see."

Before he could finish, Lu Qingyan actually crouched down beside Chu Jiu, helping him organize the hay and wood on the ground.

In his desperation, Chu Jiu remembered his "Title."

In fact, there was not a total lack of interaction between humans and Dwarf Orcs.

Chu Jiu quickly said: "Yes, I have! Roasted meat jerky, roasted mushrooms, roasted chicken wings, roasted lamb chops... um, I also brought several kinds of seasonings. I can make them honey-glazed or sauce-roasted. Which flavor would you like?"

Lu Qingyan paused for a second and said: "When you see enough, you naturally learn."

Chu Jiu only felt his ears aching. Subconsciously, he reached out and pressed down, making a gesture that meant, "Don't argue," while trying his best to explain: "Don't panic, we also fell here after being attacked by a monster..."

If my little cat back home knew that its grilled fish had been shared with someone else, it would probably be very, very angry—the kind that's impossible to soothe.

Lu Qingyan murmured an "en" and took a bite of the chicken wing.

Thinking this, his body, which had been as stiff as an iron plate, softened. He leaned back against the rock wall again and let out a long breath.

Lu Qingyan looked back at the cocoons: "The creatures inside these 'cocoons' are still alive."

If I could also create throwing weapons out of this material, if I ever encountered these bugs again, I wouldn't be in such a sorry state as I was today.

"I am Chu Jiu, a pioneer from Bean Village! My title is 'Friend of Mystical Creatures'!"

After his spiritual power recovered, he immediately sensed something unusual.

Lu Qingyan had indeed discovered something.

Chu Jiu didn't argue and obediently stepped back.

"Stop running!"

Unfortunately, the cave was currently filled with noise, and the sound of normal speech was completely drowned out by the commotion of the stone walls being excavated.

To find better ore and fuel, they often carried excavation tools into caves everywhere.

If the other party hadn't come here to check the seal, I would have likely been buried alive.

Dwarf Orcs, although not mystical creatures, certainly belong to non-human intelligent species.

Chu Jiu hurriedly said: "Yes, yes!"

Chu Jiu leaned closer to the firelight, but other than noticing the rock in front reflecting a bit of light, he couldn't see anything different.

The man in black: "I am an esper. A monster is sealed deep within this mine, and I have come to check the status of the seal."

To find the answers to these questions, I suppose I'll have to wait for these little squirrels... no, these Dwarf Orcs to wake up.

There was a rumor that in the settlements of Dwarf Orcs, there was a "Core-Earth Furnace" capable of smelting "Refined Steel." Weapons made of "Refined Steel" could probably kill any monster with ease, right?

...Wait, why am I comparing a human to a little cat?

But then he thought, since Douglas gave him the book, it was normal for Lu Qingyan, also an esper, to have read it and known these stories.

Chu Jiu was startled by his own voice and realized: Wait, why am I rambling on to a stranger about my own affairs? The other person saved me, and now I'm actually pouring out my grievances and expecting him to comfort me. That’s just not right.

"Roasted meat! Fragrant roasted meat!"

Chu Jiu shook his head, telling himself not to stare at others anymore, and silently gnawed on his chicken wing.

Perhaps it was because this person’s eyes and Little Can’s eyes were both a beautiful icy blue.

After about a quarter of an hour, the little squirrel carrying an axe shook its triangular ears, lifted its claws to rub its eyes, then slowly raised its head, looking at Chu Jiu and Lu Qingyan with bewilderment.

The man kept an eye on the timing, adding firewood to the small flame that had just emerged while saying: "You didn't 'coward out,' you performed quite well."

Thinking of this, Chu Jiu quickly stated his discovery: "The material of this cocoon, or rather, the 'saliva' of that monster, should have the same composition as [Sticky Slime]!"

"You... you wait for me."

Chu Jiu: "This—"

Strangely, after eating the food prepared by the boy, the recovery speed of his spiritual power was at least three times faster than usual.

"Even ordinary swords and blades would be stuck by this outer shell; they couldn't cut through this cocoon at all."

As the dust settled, behind the original stone wall, another narrow cave was revealed!

Chu Jiu couldn't help but steal a few more glances at the other person.

"The structure here is stable, and there is ample space, so there is no need to worry about a collapse."

The three of them, while shouting, actually turned around, took off the iron shovels and pickaxes from their backs, and began to dig!

Chu Jiu, no longer caring about the embarrassment, shouted urgently at the squirrels: "Everyone, I am Chu Jiu, a pioneer from Bean Village and 'Friend of Mystical Creatures'."

Oh right, the description of that title is: "When you loudly announce your title to a non-human intelligent creature for the first time, their favorability toward you will automatically increase by 10%."

"It is indeed the best choice for controlling prey."

It is said that Dwarf Orcs accept commissions from humans to forge or upgrade equipment for human adventurers.

He felt a chill, then suddenly remembered something, so he simply took a few steps forward and stood shoulder-to-shoulder with Lu Qingyan, observing the "cocoon-like objects" in front of them together.

Chu Jiu gritted his teeth, took a deep breath, and yelled at the little squirrels:

After he threw the [Sticky Slime Trap] at the Grotesque Worm, it didn't dodge or go around it, but simply rolled over the trap as if it weren't there, without suffering any hindrance.

It was actually... three squirrels?

But Lu Qingyan ate very elegantly and neatly.

"They should regain consciousness very soon."

Chu Jiu felt a chill in his heart and blurted out: "Careful! They might be insect eggs!"

At this moment, Lu Qingyan, standing nearby, said: "So they are Dwarf Orcs."

Chu Jiu paused and added: "The monster sealed here... is it that strange bug from just now?"

After shouting, Chu Jiu kept muttering to himself: So embarrassing, so embarrassing...

When Lu Qingyan heard the end, he asked casually, as if by accident: "Do you have any grilled fish?"

However, Dwarf Orcs are very guarded and only accept commissions from "humans they favor." If it's a human they don't trust, even if they stumble into a Dwarf Orc settlement, they would never be able to see them, let alone commission them for forging.

If that happened, Little Can and the Howling Rabbits would have no one to take care of them...

Chu Jiu immediately thought of the pile of sticky slime the Grotesque Worm was about to spray at him earlier.

These really aren't squirrels. In the "Folklore" book that Douglas gave him, a sentient race was once mentioned:

Lu Qingyan didn't answer, only saying: "Step back, five meters back."