Chapter 120 - 116: The Witty Bai Ya

Chapter 120: Chapter 116: The Witty Bai Ya

Faced with the humble request of a pitiful young girl who had lost both her parents, Lu Wei had no reason to refuse.

And so, a minute later, the Soul Pendant worth 37 gold coins was temporarily back in Bai Ya’s hands.

"..."

A gentle night breeze stirred a loose strand of hair across her forehead under the bright, clear moonlight.

Clutching the Pendant, Bai Ya closed her eyes. Her eyelashes trembled slightly, as if she were communing with her deceased mother across the void.

Lu Wei wasn’t worried.

While he might have worried about retaliation from the "Lady of the Undead" half a month ago, now his conscience was completely clear.

’If it weren’t for me, your daughter would’ve been reunited with you long ago.’

’Reunited twice, even.’

’It would make no sense for you to come after me for revenge.’

Muttering to himself, Lu Wei tossed a few more logs onto the campfire. When he turned back, he found Bai Ya’s eyes were open.

"...So, your mother never told you about this Pendant’s origin?"

He hesitated, then asked tentatively, "Like, was it passed down from your ancestors or something?"

"She did. My grandmother left it to her."

"Then your grandm—"

"It was a thank-you gift someone gave to my grandmother."

Bai Ya answered in a small voice, "When my grandmother was young, she saved an Adventurer. Before that Adventurer left, he gave this Pendant to her."

’What a cliché plot.’

’If I’m not mistaken, that Adventurer was probably some big shot, like a "Necromancer" or something.’

"I see."

Lu Wei had no interest in such a cliché story. He muttered the words and fell silent.

Bai Ya looked at him, then held the Pendant out.

"Here, take it back. I’m going to sleep."

"Alright."

Lu Wei took it back at once, then put on a show of generosity. "Just let me know anytime you want to see it again."

Bai Ya nodded obediently. "Okay... Well, good night then."

"Good night."

Watching from the corner of his eye as Bai Ya closed hers, Lu Wei breathed a long sigh of relief, privately celebrating how naive she was.

’She didn’t even mention buying the Pendant back.’

’After all, according to their original agreement, this Pendant was only collateral for that IOU.’

’And the IOU was only for three Silver Coins.’

’With Bai Ya’s current financial situation... uh, well, she doesn’t have a single cent right now, and even owes Furen money, but 3 Silver Coins isn’t a large sum anymore.’

’So, if Bai Ya ever brought up buying the Pendant back, he’d be in a very awkward position.’

’Fortunately, it seemed like she’d forgotten all about it...’

Lu Wei tore his gaze from Bai Ya’s face, put the Pendant back on, and went back to "counting his money" to pass the long hours until his watch was over.

Little did he know, he had forgotten one thing.

Bai Ya might be "silly," but her base [Intelligence] of 12 meant she wasn’t "stupid" at all.

In fact, she was extremely smart.

And this meant that, given enough time, she could figure many things out.

For example, why her mother said the Pendant was very valuable, but Lu Wei said it was only worth 3 Silver Coins.

For example, why she felt her reactions had gotten slower after losing the Pendant.

For example, why Lu Wei had never mentioned giving the Pendant back to her.

In truth, Bai Ya had figured out the Pendant’s real Value a long time ago.

But she had never brought it up in front of Lu Wei.

Even just now, she hadn’t mentioned a single word about it.

As if she had truly forgotten.

But for someone with a photographic memory, how could she forget something so important?

So...

’This is much better. I can still see the Pendant whenever I want.’

’Besides, if my Perception increases, I won’t be able to Imitate Skills anymore.’

’And most importantly...’

In the night sky, the crescent moon was like an exquisite silver hook, hanging the forest amidst a river of stars.

Bai Ya closed her eyes, listening to the faint sound of coins clinking, and let out a sigh of blissful relief.

’As long as I don’t ask, the Captain won’t lie to me again.’

...

...

Soon, as Bai Ya drifted off to sleep while hypnotizing herself with thoughts of "The Captain is so nice," and "The Captain didn’t lie to me," the campsite sank into tranquility.

Only the occasional crackle of burning firewood and the distant chirping of insects from deep within the woods intertwined to form a nocturne unique to Adventurers.

"PRRRU..."

A sneaky, spherical object hid behind a large tree, quietly observing the distant campfire. Its large, exposed eyes were filled with turmoil.

Without a doubt, this was the very same "Fur Ball" that had been trailing Lu Wei’s group of four since noon, or perhaps even earlier.

The strange thing was, its color had somehow changed from green to black.

It seemed to possess some kind of chameleon-like camouflage ability.

"PRRRURU..."

Staring at the stew pot left carelessly on the ground by the campfire, the Fur Ball let out another soft, anxious hum, as if it were making a difficult decision.

After all, based on its previous experience, if it didn’t make a move tonight, the delicious food in the pot would most likely be eaten by those four humans tomorrow morning!

Only if it got really lucky would there be a tiny bit left over.

Unlike lunch, where there were always plenty of leftovers.

"PRRRU PRRRU..."

Its little stubby legs paced back and forth, and as time ticked by, the look in its eyes grew more and more urgent.

In truth, it wouldn’t have been this conflicted before.

After all, it was very timid; it would never have dared to do something like "stealing human food."

Otherwise, it wouldn’t have resorted to following at Lu Wei’s group’s heels, eating their leftovers.

But things were different now.

It was hard to say whether it was because of the creek crabs or because Bai Ya had added a bit of a pitcher plant’s "trapper nectar" to the soup, but for whatever reason, the Fur Ball was now filled with an intense craving for the stew pot.

The problem was, there were four whole humans right next to it.

’Are they... asleep...?’

’I really want to eat it...’

’But if they find me, I’ll die, won’t I...?’

If there were a "Fur Ball language expert" present, they would probably translate the creature’s "prrru" sounds as something to that effect.

It was clear the creature was pretty self-aware.

Unfortunately, the saying "men die for wealth as birds die for food" applied not only to men and birds, but to Fur Balls as well.

And so, after agonizing for who knows how long, it finally squirmed out from behind the tree and began to move, inch by inch, toward the campfire.

All the while, it cautiously kept its eyes on Lu Wei’s group of four, ready to flee at the slightest sign of trouble.

RUSTLE RUSTLE RUSTLE...

The wind blew through the forest, and the rustling of leaves perfectly concealed its footsteps.

Thanks to the downy fur covering its entire body, the Fur Ball could always approach food in complete silence.

And now, that delicious pot of "nutrient solution" was within arm’s reach.

’Just one more meter, and I can jump in silently, absorb all the deliciousness, and then sneak away...’

As it thought this, a trace of excitement appeared in its big, dark eyes.

But in the very next second, the sound of rustling clothes suddenly came from the other side of the pot.

Immediately after, it saw a black-haired human stand up and look in its direction with a confused expression...

"..."

The creature and the human stared at each other, both frozen for a second.

Then, both of their eyes widened in horror.

Fur Ball: ’I’m done for! The human found me!!’

Lu Wei: ’Holy shit! What the fuck is this thing???’