Chapter 38: Companions

The dodo bird charged up to Chujiu, stretched its neck and let out a shrill cry as it always did, then settled steadily onto the ground, waiting for Chujiu to climb on.

As Chujiu swung onto its back, he scooped up Little Canned Food, first planting a kiss on its tiny forehead:

"Little Canned Food! Thank goodness you’re okay!"

"Were you terrified just now?"

"I’m fine too, don’t worry..."

As he spoke, Chujiu suddenly noticed: why was the little creature’s normally soft body so unnaturally stiff today?

Moreover, only a few days ago, whenever he kissed it, it would obediently lean in to rub its face against his. Why was it completely unresponsive now?

Could it be that it was still feeling unwell, or was it still recovering from the shock?

Thinking this, Chujiu quickly held the little creature up to his face to observe it closely—

!

He realized, to his shock, that Little Canned Food really had gone "rigid"!

Its tail was standing straight up, completely motionless. The whole cat felt as if it had been plucked from a freezer at minus fifty degrees!

Chujiu’s voice wavered: "Little Canned Food, what’s wrong? Are you, are you cold? Shall we stop right here and build a fire?"

Little Canned Food stared blankly at him, then shivered all over.

Afterward, the little creature’s ice-blue round eyes blinked. It looked away toward nowhere in particular and let out a low "meow": "I’m fine."

Chujiu felt a wave of bewilderment. He couldn't help but feel that the Little Canned Food before him was vastly different from the one that had accompanied him out.

It had never been so... serious.

But Little Canned Food was just a tiny kitten, right? Was it not necessary to keep secrets from it?

At this rate, the apiary should be operational by tomorrow.

Chujiu’s steady breathing blended with the purrs of the Hoho Rabbit, the gurgling sounds of the Gurulu, and the soft huffing of the Kakaba, rising and falling in rhythm.

After he fell asleep, Little Canned Food turned its head back. Its ice-blue eyes fixed steadily upon him, reflecting the sunset, the jungle, and the young man’s sleeping face...

"Everyone is doing just fine."

Because they had made a pact not to mention that title to anyone else.

It was so serious that Chujiu couldn't bring himself to ignore its resistance and scoop it up for a good cuddle as he usually did.

[Regional Exploration Progress increased to 7.5%]

At first, it had run fast, urgently, almost as if sprinting.

Now, the spirit beasts were using these childish squares to play a game unique to children.

The sky was filled with starlight.

"It must have been frightened in the mine."

"We all played this game when we were little; it’s quite interesting."

*

Little Canned Food used its paw to rub its face again: "In any case, don’t go around kissing cats randomly."

The little rabbit hopped over cheering: "Ho-ho-ho, Little Canned Food, you’re back! Ho-ho-ho, that means Chujiu is back too! What are we having for dinner—"

With that, the little kitten crouched atop the blue-grey bird’s head, watching the surroundings with vigilance.

A quarter of an hour later.

Two days ago, Chujiu had picked up many small pebbles from the riverbank, used these shiny stones to embed nine squares into the grass of the courtyard, and placed numbers inside them.

In recent days, Little Canned Food hadn't been as resistant to being scrubbed during baths. When placed in the tub, it would only shake its wet fur from head to tail, perhaps letting out a few unhappy "meows," but it wouldn't run away.

In the glow of the setting sun, they were playing the simplest of games.

At this very moment, Chujiu received a system notification:

Gurulu raised its small arms and gurgled shyly: "Guru, guru, I made a mistake. I’ll go back now."

The kitten paused for a few seconds, then added: "Oh, I remembered something..."

*

The little creature’s gaze darted around: "I really am fine."

But it didn't matter. Soon, he would go to the dwarf orcs to commission more powerful weapons and traps—ones that would give him peace of mind even if he faced a grotesque worm!

Hm? This new skill was actually a rare, combat-related active skill!

"The dodo bird knows the way back; you can hold it and sleep for a while."

Chujiu looked shocked, thinking, what is wrong with Little Canned Food? Could it be angry about something again? Or was it simply in a bad mood?

"He ran into me when he was leaving later."

It was a kind of joy Lu Qingyan had never seen in them before—carefree and unburdened.

He was truly too tired.

"I’ll pro... I’ll keep watch to see if there are any monsters on the road."

It looked at the quilt bundled to the side, and with an expressionless face, gripped the corner of the quilt with its teeth, dragging the warm bedding over the young man’s shoulders to cover him snugly.

The Little Canned Food from before had been just as stubborn, just as protective of others, and just as tsundere, hadn't it?

Chujiu sighed softly and turned over in bed.

Then, the kitten turned its head and said in a tone Chujiu had never heard before, one that was almost authoritative: "I don't need to."

The kitten looked at the spirit beasts playing before it, unable to move a muscle.

*

In places I never expected, in ways no one could have predicted, you... my dear partners with whom I have braved life and death, you are all doing just fine.

For instance, taking a bath.

Little Canned Food’s round eyes narrowed, its tail swept lightly behind it, and it pretended not to hear anything as it continued:

Chujiu: "That is?"

"I don't know if he realized I could communicate with you, but he urged me to tell you a few things—"

It had to be said, the efficiency of Douglas and his group was astonishing. In just two days, five frame hives had been set up in the apiary.

"Eh?" The little rabbit stopped abruptly, staring blankly at the tears on Little Canned Food’s face, "Little Canned Food, what’s wrong?"

Very good, very good.

The evening breeze blew past, and a strange, cool sensation touched his cheek.

Chujiu: "Mm-hmm?"

Night had fallen.

It went to the back mountain.

With that, he reached out to tuck Little Canned Food into his pocket.

The only consolation was that at dinner, Little Canned Food was still very fond of its dried grilled fish, even eating more than usual.

*

Perhaps I should ask it properly tomorrow.

But the three little "spirit beasts" were playing with immense joy.

He thought for a moment, deciding not to reason with a kitten that had been over-frightened, and said softly: "Alright, I won't kiss you randomly in the future. You... get some sleep now."

Only Little Canned Food left more than half of its dried fish unfinished.

Was it because of this most mundane scene?

Hadn't it said before, "I can wash myself!"

Little Canned Food ran toward the small courtyard alone.

"Did someone steal your dried fish? Don't cry!"

Chujiu lay on the bed, staring blankly at the ceiling.

Amidst the rising and falling chirps of autumn insects and the rustling, cooling autumn wind, Little Canned Food stood in silence, deep in thought for a long time.

Having restored his energy with a nap on the road, Chujiu jumped off the dodo bird and busied himself preparing dinner.

*

Just then, the Hoho Rabbit, who was tumbling about with Kakaba, finally noticed Little Canned Food’s presence.

The little creature grabbed the towel and soap ahead of him, then said with an almost cold tone, "Meow": "I’ll wash myself."

After Little Canned Food finished rattling off the details, Chujiu listened with a blank expression, only vaguely understanding something afterward.

Little Canned Food curled its tail and tried moving its ears, likely proving it was truly fine.

Gurulu, who had been hovering nearby, spun its leaves and flew up. The Hoho Rabbit hurried to say: "Ho-ho-ho, you can’t fly! You must jump! Gurulu, go back to the start!"

Yes, serious.

But what exactly was different?

It all made sense, though...

Little Canned Food knew what they were jumping for.

Halfway through his sentence, Chujiu swallowed his words.

It ran into Bean Village.

"I’ll rest for another two days, and I’ll naturally be better."

Kakaba lifted its small paw, looking somewhat clumsy, and wobbled into the square, whispering the numbers written inside.

Leaping over the roof of the old village chief’s house, one could hear the weary administrator calculating what the village should plant next year and how to go about it.

[Congratulations to the Host for leveling up. You are now a Level 7 Pioneer.]

Little Canned Food: "It means, don’t just suddenly kiss me."

It wasn't just the bathing that was unusual; its sleeping habits were strange too.

"Did some big bug bully you? Shall we go beat it up for you?"

So, at least the little one’s appetite was still good?

Little Canned Food looked up at Chujiu, its ice-blue eyes clear: "Of course."

But today...

Little Canned Food: "Yesterday, a human wearing black, the esper who ran into the cave..."

It was dusk by the time they returned to the pioneer cabin; the setting sun hung low, bathing the wooden house in a faint gold.

The Hoho Rabbit tilted its ears in confusion, Gurulu moved its leaves in a daze, and Kakaba sniffed the air, bewildered.

The little kitten, which usually slept on his pillow and would roll into his arms and onto his chest, had curled up in its own cat bed today.

Little Canned Food shook its head gently and let out a low "meow": "There wasn't."

...Hmm, of course, his current combat power was poor, and his weapons and tools hadn't kept up.

Little Canned Food had been far too abnormal since they emerged from the underground mine.

Kakaba and Gurulu also hurried over:

Did I... shed tears?

Then what exactly is wrong with it...

Slower and slower, until it stopped in its tracks.

[Enemy Scouting: When encountering a monster not recorded in the Bestiary, you may consume a certain amount of Spirit Value to scout the monster’s habits, preferences, and weaknesses. The success rate of scouting will be affected by the Host’s status, the monster’s state, and environmental factors.]

Chujiu: "Ah, that 'beautiful and powerful...'"

Their survival this time was entirely due to happening upon Lu Qingyan, who had come to inspect the seal. Otherwise, he would have had to become neighbors with the three squirrels, hanging on the cliff wall with them.

Little Canned Food, however, leaped forward and jumped onto the dodo bird’s head of its own accord.

Leaping past Grandpa Du’s window, one could hear the illiterate old man "reciting" the "Beekeeping Instructions" over and over in his own way.

He was already very sleepy, but the doubts in his mind prevented him from drifting off:

Finally, the three little ones looked at each other and said in unison: "We’re all doing just fine."

Little Canned Food lifted its head, hugged the other three little ones in turn, and whispered: "Yes, it’s wonderful."