Mythical Creatures Strategy Guide

Chapter 32 Solomon's Seal for Nesting

The next morning, Chu Sheng was awakened by a lash from a tail.

Ella rolled over in her sleep, her tail slapping against his face with a "smack." Chu Sheng sat up abruptly, a clear red mark visible on his left cheek.

Ella was still asleep. She had rolled from the campfire to the haystack at some point, curled up into a ball, her tail draped over her nose, and mumbling something like "Don't run away, King of Grilled Fish".

Chu Sheng touched his face; it didn't hurt much, but he felt a little frustrated.

He looked around; the campfire had completely died down, leaving only a pile of grayish-white ash. Silverleaf wasn't in the haystack; her blanket was neatly folded and placed to the side. Arthur wasn't under the tree either; only the greatsword was stuck in the ground, a linen smock hanging from its hilt.

A faint sound of water could be heard in the distance.

Chu Sheng got up, stretched his shoulders that had been sore all night, and followed the sound of water.

On the other side of the low hill is a shallow stream, its waters flowing from the foot of the distant mountains, shimmering like scattered silver in the morning light.

Two people were squatting by the stream.

Yinye rolled up her trousers to her knees, stepped barefoot into the stream, and held a sharpened branch in her hand, staring intently at the water.

Her pointed ears curved forward, and her emerald green braids hung down in front of her, the ends of her hair swaying in the water like a wisp of waterweed.

Wow, the Solomon's Seal has formed a nest.

Arthur sat on a rock by the stream, the hem of his robe lifted to his knees, his two smooth, slender legs soaking in the water.

She braced herself with her hands behind her back, tilted her head back, and closed her eyes. The morning light made her profile appear pale and translucent, even revealing the veins faintly.

Chu Sheng's gaze lingered on her calves for a moment.

There's nothing special about it; I just think the lines of those legs are really beautiful. The curve of the calves is so perfect, as if the most skilled painter used all their skills to create it in one stroke. The skin has a warm, jade-like glow, the ankles are slender, the toes are rounded, and the nails are neatly trimmed.

Arthur opened his eyes.

However, before Chu Sheng could look away, the two stared at each other for a second.

"Good morning." Chu Sheng greeted him without changing his expression, walked over, squatted by the stream, and scooped up water to wash his face.

It's not like I used their foot-washing water on purpose. Didn't you see there's only a stream here?

"Good morning." Arthur's tone was unreadable. "Is it good?"

Chu Sheng almost choked on the water used to wash his feet—no, his face.

"I was watching the fish." He looked up, his face full of righteousness. "Isn't Yinye spearing fish? I was helping her see where the fish were."

Upon hearing this, Yinye turned around, looking bewildered: "Huh? I wasn't spearing fish, I was catching this."

She held up the branch, the tip poking at a dark, indistinct object. Chu Sheng squinted and examined it closely; it was a snail.

"You got up so early just to collect snails?"

"This is a conch! It's delicious when cooked, and you can even use the shell as a whistle." Silverleaf said confidently, "Our Grey Elf conch soup is exceptional. When cooked with wild vegetable leaves, the soup turns milky white and tastes both fresh and sweet."

God the hell is young.

Chu Sheng remained silent for a moment, then began to take off his shoes.

"What are you doing?" Yinye looked at him warily.

"I'll help you scoop it out. You said it tastes so good, I have to try it too."

Arthur felt a sense of absurdity watching a human boy and a 160-year-old grey elf girl barefoot in the stream, searching for snails.

She didn't go into the water, not out of modesty, but mainly because the material of her robe would become see-through when wet, and she was wearing rather revealing clothing underneath.

We must not let anyone benefit from this.

Chu Sheng and Yin Ye spent half an hour in the stream, collecting about half a bucket of conch shells.

Ella woke up midway and followed the scent to find the three people by the stream. Thinking they were playing in the water, she excitedly dove into the stream.

Water splashed all over Yinye, and she angrily wiped her face, raising a branch to hit the dog.

Ella emerged from the water, a lively little fish still in her mouth. Her tail swayed like a propeller underwater, propelling her into a whirl on the surface, and no matter how hard Silver Leaf tried, he couldn't hit her.

Breakfast consisted of dry rations and conch soup. Yinye wasn't exaggerating; the soup was indeed milky white and tasted incredibly delicious.

Chu Sheng drank three bowls, and Ella drank five bowls. Then they watched longingly as Yin Ye took away the remaining soup from the pot.

"This is from noon!"

The carriage was back on the road.

The further south they went, the flatter the terrain became. Wheat fields were gradually replaced by pastures, with herds of cattle and sheep scattered across vast grasslands. Occasionally, a shepherd could be seen riding on horseback, waving at the wagon from afar, and Arthur would raise his hand in response.

Ella lay on the cart watching the cattle, her tail swaying slowly.

"Chu Sheng, what's that black and white thing?"

"Cows," Chu Sheng replied casually without even looking at the cows.

"Isn't the cow Arthur?" Ella remembered very clearly how Silver Leaf called Arthur that day.

"A cow is a cow that can produce milk." Seeing the veins bulging on Arthur's forehead, Yinye chuckled in the carriage, and Chu Sheng quickly explained.

"What does milk taste like?" Ella licked her lips, her gaze drifting towards Arthur's bulging shirt.

Chu Sheng thought for a moment and realized that he hadn't drunk any milk since coming to this world. Windmill Village didn't raise dairy cows, and he hadn't encountered any milk vendors on the road.

"I'll find a ranch and buy you a bucket to try."

Silver Leaf sat in the corner, holding the banjo in a daze.

"Never mind." She put the banjo back in her bag. "I probably won't be able to play the banjo in my life."

Chu Sheng glanced at her: "Don't you still have your lute?"

"That's different." Silver Leaf's voice was muffled. "The banjo was the first instrument I learned. I started playing it when I was in my sixties and have been playing it for over ninety years."

Chu Sheng fell silent, unsure where to begin his rant.

Ninety-odd years, longer than most human lifespans. He couldn't quite imagine what it felt like to persist in doing something for over ninety years, but he knew that suddenly losing it would be very painful.

"Is there no way to restore that extraordinary ability?" Chu Sheng asked.

Yinye shook her head: "This is my first time using it too. I've always been reluctant to give it up before. But the price of the [Solo Band] is irreversible. Once it's gone, it's gone."

"But it's okay, I still have a lute, a harp, a recorder, and a hand drum. If I have to learn something new, I can always learn something new. I have plenty of time."

In the afternoon, the sky suddenly darkened.

Chu Sheng leaned out of the car window and saw large patches of gray clouds rising on the northern horizon. The clouds were low, almost touching the ground, and were being pushed in this direction by the strong wind.

"It's going to rain." Arthur glanced at the sky, shook the reins, and said, "There should be an abandoned farmhouse ahead. Let's hurry."

The farmhouse was a half-collapsed stone building, with most of the roof collapsed and two of the four walls broken, leaving only a corner that could barely keep out the wind and rain.

Arthur parked the carriage next to the wall and covered the winged horses with an oilcloth. The four horses huddled together, and the lead horse nudged Arthur's shoulder with its nose, probably in gratitude.

Four people, carrying their luggage, rushed into a corner of the farmhouse in the rain.

"We'll spend the night here," Arthur said helplessly. "The rain is too heavy to leave."

Chu Sheng had no objections; it didn't matter to him where he slept anyway, as it was always more comfortable than the bed in Windmill Village that Ella had peed on several times.

The rain intensified, and darkness fell. Nothing could be seen outside the farmhouse except the sound of the pouring rain and the occasional rumble of thunder.

Silverleaf curled up in the blanket, having fallen asleep sometime earlier. Ella was asleep too, sprawled out like a lump of mud, her tail draped over her belly, snoring louder than thunder.

Chu Sheng added a few more pieces of firewood to the fire, and Arthur sat opposite him. She wasn't wearing the linen blouse anymore; she had changed into a crisp white shirt.

Her collar was unbuttoned, revealing her elegant collarbone and the gradually rising slope.

Ella's snoring and the sound of rain blended together, creating a soothing white noise that made one's eyelids grow heavier and heavier.

Chu Sheng didn't know when he fell asleep.

In a daze, he felt something warm approaching, carrying a faint fragrance, like a cotton quilt that had been sun-dried.

He instinctively reached out and hugged her.

It's very soft.