"Move quickly and pack your things!"
"Don't bother with the useless stuff—just take your food, your clothes… everything essential."
Before dawn, the hunting team urged everyone to get moving.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
The wooden shed door was banged on, and the hunting team shouted as they entered without asking.
"The Bloodbeard thieves are about to attack! We're heading to the Moon Lake Tribe for safety!"
With that single warning, they left in a hurry.
Mino awoke, clutching the wolf skin around her shoulders, and felt a warm sense of comfort.
"They're really early," she murmured, grinning sleepily.
"Get up for breakfast," Mu Liang said, already awake.
"When did you even sleep last night?" Mino asked curiously.
She had seen him the night before, awake by the fire, writing and drawing with charcoal. She had hesitated for a long time, wondering whether she should let him sleep beside her.
"Around midnight," Mu Liang replied softly, stirring the broth in the steel pot.
Today's breakfast was a simple stew with meat.
"It smells amazing," Mino said, wrinkling her nose and sniffing the rich aroma.
She came closer to the fire, her blue eyes gleaming as the bubbling broth filled the pot.
After a moment, she frowned slightly. "Let me cook breakfast next time."
"Why?" Mu Liang asked, surprised.
"If we cook too much, we should save some for later," Mino said, hands on her hips, wagging a finger.
"Don't worry. The remaining jerky will last us twenty days," Mu Liang said, handing her an iron lunchbox full of food.
Last night, Mino had insisted on eating small lizard jerky and had barely reached 30% fullness. Judging by her usual appetite, this meal would fill her about 30%.
"This is too much. We should save it for later," Mino muttered, but still took the lunchbox.
"Eat the jerky at night," Mu Liang said with a smile.
Ahhh~~
Mino blew gently on a spoonful of hot soup before taking a bite.
"Careful, it's hot," Mu Liang reminded her.
She slowly savored the rare, decent meal.
"It's delicious," Mino murmured, swallowing the warm soup as her blue eyes narrowed in pleasure.
The rich, meaty flavor filled her senses, and the warmth of the broth soothed her throat. Each bite satisfied the emptiness in her stomach.
"It's been so long… I haven't had broth in ages," Mino said softly, eyes misty.
In the past, when her older sister was alive, they only boiled broth occasionally.
"Drink as much as you want," Mu Liang said, gently brushing away the tears at the corner of her eyes.
Mino shook her head, pouting. "It's too extravagant to drink this much broth."
"We usually just drink water, right?" Mu Liang asked softly.
"Yeah," Mino replied, wrinkling her nose.
"If we make broth, we have both water to drink and soup to enjoy," he said with a small smile.
"Yeah… I guess it's more worthwhile this way," Mino said, tilting her head thoughtfully. She always had a nagging feeling that something was amiss.
Mu Liang smiled and waved his hand. "The broth should be hot—it won't taste good if it gets cold."
"Right," Mino said, smiling and slurping the soup with each bite.
Inside the wooden shed felt like one world, while the outside world moved frenetically. The two of them ate leisurely, enjoying a rare moment of peace.
"It's full," Mino said finally, having eaten all the broth. She pouted slightly, feeling a bit guilty holding the iron lunchbox.
She had meant to save half for later, but the more she ate, the more she wanted to continue. Bite after bite, she kept going until the food was gone.
"How does it feel to be full?" Mu Liang asked gently.
"Very comfortable… but… too extravagant," Mino admitted, cheeks tinged pink.
The meal she just ate was equivalent to ten small lizards' worth of food.
"Don't worry, I'll take care of what you eat," Mu Liang said, ruffling her hair. She had saved his life—he couldn't let her go hungry.
Mino blushed slightly, opening her mouth but unsure what to say.
Mu Liang held his empty palm up, pretending to be annoyed. "Take off the turban—the rabbit ears won't be touched."
"What? I'm not a pet!" Mino pouted indignantly.
She hesitated, then carefully unwrapped the cloth strips covering her rabbit ears. Mu Liang's lips twitched into a small smile at the sight.
Mino saw his expression and turned her head, tsundere as ever, tilting her chin. "I just let the ears breathe, not for you to touch."
"Of course," Mu Liang said, suppressing his smile.
"Humph!" Mino snorted softly, changing the subject. "Are we going to live on the back of Little Black Tortoise today?"
The girl had been looking forward to a new home, a moving house.
"Not yet. We haven't even built it," Mu Liang said. He needed to upgrade the rock tortoise to level 3 first, giving it a larger back to support a proper house. He had to see how big the tortoise could grow before planning the construction.
"Then… shall we build the house now?" Mino's blue eyes sparkled.
"Let's go," Mu Liang said, leading the way outside the wooden shed.
"Wait… what about the stuff in the house?" Mino asked, thinking of the items moved back last night. With the camp emptying today, someone might steal something.
"I left Xiao Cai at home," Mu Liang said, pointing to the corner of the shed.
Mino turned her head and saw the tricolor lizard, two meters long, emerging from invisibility. She nodded, relieved. "Then I can relax."
The two slipped out of the shed and left the camp quietly, heading into the desolate wilderness.
Nearby, the rock tortoise searched for food, and the mouse hiding in a cave peeked out, dragging a small 'ground rock burr'.