## Chapter 367: Old Man Snoopy
Night, in the Small Villa.
Clanging sounds rang out, accompanied by indistinct "Ga oh ga oh" noises. No need to guess, the only creature on the entire Sanctuary capable of inventing such a bizarre cry, besides the Dead Dog, is beyond my imagination. At this moment, its Head was buried in a Plate the size of a washbasin, its furry Head constantly bobbing, sending sauce splashing everywhere.
Speaking of which, it's increasingly gaining the Epiphany of being a Dog. I remember when it first arrived, perhaps to show its equal or even superior Status, it insisted on sitting on a Chair and using a knife and fork to eat, just like us. The Result was a Tragedy; as a Dog, it simply couldn't perform human actions. In the end, starving and on the verge of death, its inexplicable Dignity had to yield to Instinct. Little Vellas was also soft-hearted; not only did she give it a specially made exquisite Porcelain Plate, but it also ate whatever we ate. As a Result, it's now completely spoiled.
Tch, I really wish it would also have a little bit of Epiphany about having backup Dry Rations.
The Little Mermaid, who had rarely woken up, was placed on the Table by the Little Ghost. She held an Unknown Fruit heavier than herself with both hands and gnawed on it with great Enjoyment. Looking beside her, a pile of gnawed Fruit Pits had already accumulated in no small Quantity. It was completely unimaginable how her Stomach could accommodate Food with a Size more than ten times larger than herself.
And...
I withdrew my Gaze, pointing at the unidentified Meat on the Plate in front of me, which looked like it was depicted using surrealist techniques. Faint wisps of Green Gas that could cause sensory Paralysis floated from it, forming the shape of a Skull In Front of me...
A few drops of Sweat suddenly appeared on my forehead.
"Little Molly, can you tell me what this is?"
"Shitaibeast... Meat."
"Uh, could you please explain a little more clearly!" My Meaning was, what kind of Meat didn't matter, I was more concerned about the preparation process.
"As expected of Master."
Hearing me say that, the Three-No Princess paused for a moment, her expressionless bright yellow Eyes looking over.
Ah, it seems I was praised. Should I be happy? Speaking of which, I completely didn't understand why she would praise me. What about that question just now was worth praising? Was she trying to say I was becoming more vigilant?
"Did you smell it? There's King Kong Meat in it too."
"No, I mean..."
I already said I wasn't concerned about the Materials, but the preparation process. You know what I mean, right? You're deliberately avoiding it, aren't you? You're trying to hide the preparation process, aren't you? How terrifying must the process be that it has to be hidden? You're afraid I'll lose my Appetite if you tell me, right? That's it, you Bastard!!
"And Godzilla Meat, White Devil Meat..." The Three-No Princess silently counted them off one by one on her fingers.
"..."
Forget it, the Ingredients are already terrifying enough. I feel it's better not to ask about the preparation process. Otherwise, it's highly likely to cause a distortion in my View on Life, Values, and even Character. Alright, I admit I was being foolish, having a sudden whim to buy such strange things for the Three-No Princess to research. Actually, if I had thought about it more carefully at the time, I would have understood. The test subject for the Results of her research, wasn't it me?
The Dead Dog seemed to be eating this too. Its Eyes secretly glanced towards the golden Little Pekingese Dog burying its Head in the Plate on the side. As if sensing my Gaze, it suddenly turned its Head vigilantly, glared at me, its rolling Eyes carrying a hint of superiority. It barked "Ga oh ga oh" a few times, as if saying: What are you looking at? Can't you see this Lord is dining?
Alright, it's time to consider. Should I add another type of Meat to this dish tomorrow—Pekingese Dog Meat?
As far as I know, this Dead Dog is quite picky about Taste, at least more picky than me. Since it can eat it, it means there's no problem with the Taste. Of course, that's just about the Taste. Something delicious isn't necessarily non-Poisonous. What a Dog can eat, I might not be able to eat—how can a Human's precious Stomach be compared to a Dog's?
With the Epiphany of certain death, I scooped a spoonful of dark green Minced Meat with a spoon, closed my Eyes, and put it into my mouth. Then, as if struck by a high-voltage current, I trembled violently a few times before stiffening on the spot.
The Taste was unexpectedly good.
Actually, if you think about it carefully, the quality of Food Taste is essentially the Three-No Princess's Mood Indicator. As long as you don't make her unhappy, she will absolutely not make anything unpalatable. In a sense, she's also a Little Loli who's quite easy to raise.
The Little Ghost tilted her Head to the side, looking at me with her beautiful silver Eyes, holding a Flawed Grade Diamond in her two small Jade-like hands, gnawing on it as usual like a squirrel eating a pine nut. Seeing that I had successfully "tested the Poison," she quickly and impatiently stuffed the remaining small half of the Diamond into her small mouth. Although it was only a small half, it was still too big for her small Height. Her small mouth was instantly stuffed full, and then she covered her mouth with her two small hands, her cheeks puffing out adorably. From between her fingers came a horrifying "shasha" sound, like Metal being forcibly crushed, which lasted for dozens of seconds before she swallowed with a gulp.
After gulping down the Diamond, the Little Ghost quickly swept away the Food in front of her, but this tiny bit of stuff was still too little for her bottomless Stomach. So, she set her Gaze on me.
Not good, I immediately sped up my chewing Speed. But it was too late. A gust of Wind blew past, and the Little Ghost let out a "Hey." Her small, white-robed Body actually emitted a Presence like a fierce tiger, and then accurately crashed into my arms. Hey, hey, are you trying to murder me?
In the end, I could only Helplessly let the Little Ghost lean in my arms, enjoying the Food that originally belonged to me. How Sad. It seems I'll have to fill my stomach with Jerky again tonight.
This scene before my Eyes is part of our daily Life at Home. Tonight will probably be the same as usual, a Calm night.
It seems unlikely...
Gently caressing the Little Ghost's moon-colored Long Hair that fell straight down like a waterfall before my Eyes, I raised my Head and glanced at the Three-No Princess.
"Little Molly, it seems we have a Guest. Go open the door."
Is it that Little Fox? No. The Footsteps are wrong. They are heavy and mixed with the sound of hard objects hitting the ground. I've heard sounds similar to this many times; isn't Akara, who walks with a Cane, like this? Therefore, the other party should also be walking with a Cane like Akara. Judging by the unrhythmic Footsteps, it shouldn't be an Adventurer. There's no Hostility, otherwise, they wouldn't be able to pass the Poison Creeper.
Uh. Damn it, my bad habit is acting up again. This isn't the Wilderness, where would an Enemy come to Damage me? I frustratingly scratched my Hair, feeling depressed about this subconscious analysis and judgment behavior.
"Alright, Little Guy, you eat slowly here. I'm going out to greet the Guest. Remember to hide the Little Mermaid well."
Kissing her fair and soft Cheek, I picked up the Little Ghost who was sitting on my lap, moved aside, and placed her on the Chair. With a smile, I left amidst her mumbling "Mm-hmm" reply.
In the Great Hall. The Three-No Princess had already invited the Guest in. As I imagined, the other party was an Aged person, with Wrinkles on his face like an Old Man over seventy years old. Of course, this is according to the Statement from the Original World. In the Diablo World, a seventy-year-old Commoner is only equivalent to someone forty or fifty years old in the Original World. This means that even if this Old Man is a Commoner, he is at least over a hundred years old. If he were an Adventurer, his Age would be even older.
He was absent-mindedly fiddling with his Cane, his aged but spirited Gaze occasionally looking outside the door, as if he had something urgent. The moment I appeared at the Entrance, he immediately stood up, his Gaze extremely excited.
"You are Wu Fan? Is the Golden Bird in your hands?"
Hey, hey, Old Man, who are you? Is that how you ask someone?
"Yes. I am Wu Fan. May I ask who you are, Old Man..."
I hesitated, looking the Old Man up and down. He wore a simple cloth robe, exposing half a Shoulder. If his Clothes weren't relatively clean, it wouldn't be surprising for him to be mistaken for a Beggar in such attire.
"What, you don't recognize me..." The Old Man's face froze, looking a little Incredulous, then he had a Realization.
"Oh, you must be an Adventurer who just arrived in Kurast not long ago, right?"
Who are you? You act so impressive. I looked at the Old Man, who seemed to have excessive Confidence, and nodded.
"My Name is Ako, Alchemist and part-time Merchant, and also one of the Representatives of the Alliance. I think you must have heard of me," the Old Man said, his Tone carrying a hint of urgency.
So it's him. Isn't this the wretched Old Man who is a Merchant and also gambles, whom I suspected of Blasphemy against my Beloved Daughter Ai Ke Lu's Name and whom I renamed Snoopy? No wonder he's so confident. As an Alchemist, his Knowledge in certain aspects is even more extensive than Thorn's. Adventurers always pick up strange things during their Trials, and they bring these things to Ako to ask about. Besides, he also sells some Potions necessary for Adventurers, and gambles on Equipment. Therefore, in the entire Kurast, the only people who probably don't know him are newcomers who have just arrived.
However, looking at him, he probably doesn't know my Status as an Elder yet.
"I see. The Golden Bird is indeed in my hands. Is there something you need?"
He seemed a little surprised by my indifferent Attitude, but Ako didn't take it to heart. Hearing that the Golden Bird was indeed in my hands, he nodded excitedly repeatedly, then took out an ancient and heavy Beast Skin Book from somewhere, turned to one of the pages, and said urgently.
"Then I'll get straight to the point. The Golden Bird is of no use in your hands. I hope you can transfer it to me. I believe the Reward I offer is something you absolutely cannot Refuse."
What a boastful Tone. You should know that I am known as a Parvenu. Things that are precious in the Eyes of ordinary Adventurers are nothing to me. I looked at Old Man Snoopy with suspicious Gaze.
Seeing that I sensed his distrust, Old Man Snoopy didn't get angry. Instead, he smiled confidently and slowly began to tell me the Origin of the Golden Bird.
It turns out that a thousand years ago, there was a Sage named Kuya. He dedicated his Life's effort to researching the Mystery of Life. Just as he was about to succeed, his own Life came to an End. With endless regret, he sealed the Results of his research and the prepared Materials inside a Statue, and this Statue is the Golden Bird in my hands. Old Man Snoopy also accidentally obtained Kuya's Notes and only then knew about this matter.
Speaking of his Experience searching for the Golden Bird, this Old Man Snoopy is quite pitiful. First, he followed the records in the Notes to the Hiding place of the Golden Bird, only to find that it had already been taken by someone. After several twists and turns, he finally re-inquired about the Whereabouts of the Golden Bird. As a Result, the Golden Bird was transferred by its original Owner, changing hands two, three, or who knows how many times. The last time he heard about it, it was obtained by Captain Meshif. Going around and around, the Result was that it still returned to Kurast. Old Man Snoopy, who didn't know whether to laugh or cry, finally rushed back overnight to inquire with Meshif, and in the end, chased it all the way to me.
He's truly a pitiful Old Man, having to rush about everywhere at such an Age. Thinking of this, I didn't want to make things difficult for him. Anyway, the Golden Bird was of no use to me. So I straightforwardly took it out and Handed it to Old Man Snoopy.
Seeing that the Treasure he had long sought after was finally obtained, Old Man Snoopy's Excitement was imaginable. He started dancing with joy right In Front of me. It took him a while to Calm down.
"What exactly did that Sage named Kuya research and produce?" Seeing Old Man Snoopy so excited, I couldn't help but feel a trace of Curiosity.
While carefully stroking the exquisite Pattern on the Golden Bird with his rough old hands, Old Man Snoopy turned his Head, gave me a deep look, and spoke out eight large characters that made me extremely shocked.