Chapter 31: The Forced Adventuring Party

Chapter 31: Chapter 31: The Forced Adventuring Party

One hour later.

The sky had grown completely dark, but the small wooden cabin was brightly lit.

Furen had chopped a huge amount of firewood in one go, so the long-unused fireplace was blazing once again. The crimson flames leaped and crackled, stretching their three shadows long against the wall.

The large stew pot had been moved to the log table. The aroma of the stew—a result of potatoes, asparagus lettuce, and wild boar meat simmering for the better part of the day—filled the small space.

In addition, Bai Ya had also made a "vegetable salad" with cabbage, salt, and pepper powder.

With meat and vegetables, plus soft sourdough bread, it was considered a lavish dinner in this culinary desert of an Otherworld.

"Miss Bai Ya, your cooking is amazing! This smells incredible!"

"You’re too kind... Thank you for helping me bring the stew pot in."

"Think nothing of it. I haven’t even thanked you for all your work on this dinner."

"No, no, you don’t need to thank me. I’m actually quite embarrassed, since you and Mr. Lu Wei bought all the ingredients."

"But without a skilled chef, all these ingredients would have gone to waste..."

At the table, the endless, back-and-forth pleasantries between Furen and Bai Ya were giving Lu Wei a headache.

’Seriously, are you two ever going to stop?’

’One a Magic Dullard who can’t sense the Magic Net.’

’The other a "Slow-witted" whose Perception is far below that of an Ordinary person.’

’I suggest you two stop thanking each other and just compare medical notes instead.’

Glancing at the two "talents"—each one in ten thousand, and now somehow brought together—Lu Wei, seated between them, couldn’t help but interrupt.

"So, can we eat now?"

"Ah, yes! Let’s eat!"

Bai Ya froze for a second before nodding quickly. Her reply, as if she were the host, once again demonstrated her low EQ, a case of "her brain not keeping up with her mouth."

’Compared to her, even Furen seems normal.’

’What kind of party composition is this...?’

Complaining internally, Lu Wei served himself a bowl of stew.

He casually speared a piece of potato with his fork and popped it into his mouth, not expecting much from this kind of hotchpotch stew, no matter how good it might be.

But the next second, he froze.

The soft, sticky texture, the rich flavor... both the seasoning and the cooking time were controlled to perfection.

He had to admit, it was delicious.

"Not bad."

Turning to Bai Ya, who was staring at him nervously, Lu Wei nodded and gave his honest assessment.

’If Furen spent all his talent points on "Background"...’

’...then this woman must have put all of hers into "Cooking."’

...

...

Thanks to the truly "delicious" food, the atmosphere during dinner was very relaxed.

This was especially true for Furen. The joy of recovering his money pouch, the anticipation of another adventure, and the pleasure of a fine meal all combined to put him in an excellent mood. He talked nonstop throughout the entire dinner.

He even managed to spin an inspirational tale about a "Potato Knight" from the potatoes on his plate—

A Knight, nicknamed the "Potato Knight" because he was so fat, didn’t get angry. Instead, he calmly accepted the moniker, single-handedly defeated a powerful enemy, and saved a city. From then on, whenever people mentioned the "Potato Knight," it was with the utmost respect...

Perhaps because he had his own "physical defect," Furen’s face was full of yearning and admiration as he told the story.

But honestly, Lu Wei thought he was telling a joke.

After all, in his previous life, you could find a hundred stories of that caliber in any given "Chicken Soup for the Soul" book.

Bai Ya, however, listened with rapt attention.

It seemed like even the way she looked at the potato chunks in her bowl had become more respectful.

In any case, both of them had made an indelible contribution to the dinner.

One provided wonderful cooking, the other enlivened the atmosphere.

And once they had finished eating, Lu Wei finally brought up the purpose of Bai Ya’s visit again.

"Miss Bai Ya, you can tell us what this is about now, right?"

"Rest assured, as long as it’s within our power, Furen and I are more than willing to help you."

Certain that Bai Ya was going to ask for money, Lu Wei laid the groundwork and made the promise on Furen’s behalf.

But who would have thought that after a long hesitation, Bai Ya would timidly ask—

"Mr. Lu Wei, could you take me in...?"

"..."

’Take you in?’

’What does that mean?’

’What *kind* of "take you in"?’

Lu Wei was taken aback, his mind instantly flooded with various interpretations.

Letting her stay for a few days, wanting to mooch off them for food and drink, or even offering herself to him...

Given Bai Ya’s current penniless state and her shy, reserved demeanor, all of the above were possible.

However, Lu Wei wasn’t too keen on agreeing to any of them, except for the last one.

While the woman was indeed a good cook, that was the extent of her merits.

So, out of guilt for having "hacked" the Pendant, the most help he could offer was "three days of free room and board."

"Could you be more specific?"

A moment later, Lu Wei pressed for clarification. "Are you asking to stay here for a few days?"

"Yes... And it would be even better if you’d let me be your assistant."

Bai Ya raised her head and quietly pitched herself, "I can cook for you, clean the rooms, do laundry, and even help you organize your goods. I can do anything, really."

’Tch, so after all that, she’s just looking for a job.’

Realizing she wasn’t offering herself to him, Lu Wei instantly lost interest.

"An assistant is out of the question. I don’t need one right now."

"However, Furen and I are heading into the forest tomorrow and will probably be gone for two or three days."

"You can stay here during that time. I’ll leave you some money for food."

"Is that acceptable?"

Looking at Bai Ya, Lu Wei gave her his "maximum possible assistance."

And this outcome was indeed much better than the worst-case scenario Bai Ya had anticipated.

After all, she had initially thought Lu Wei might throw her out without a second thought.

She had even shamelessly scrounged a meal just now to ensure she wouldn’t be starving on the streets tonight and would have the energy to look for a job tomorrow.

So, by all rights, she should have quickly accepted and expressed her gratitude.

But after a moment’s hesitation, Bai Ya suddenly puffed out her chest, mustered her courage, and tried again.

"Then can I go into the forest with you and Mr. Furen?"

"You?"

This time, it wasn’t just Lu Wei; even Furen was stunned.

Bai Ya knew what they were surprised about and immediately added:

"Mr. Lu Wei, Mr. Furen, I won’t hold you back."

"I’m a fast runner, I have a good memory, and I’ve even killed a goblin before."

"And I don’t want any of the spoils! If we run into danger, I can even stay behind to draw the monster’s attention and buy you time to escape..."

Her cheeks were flushed. Seemingly terrified that Lu Wei and Furen would refuse, Bai Ya’s pitch grew more and more exaggerated until she was even offering to be "cannon fodder."

’Seriously? Have you already forgotten the lesson from a few days ago?’

’Or do you just get a kick out of being cannon fodder?’

Across from them, Lu Wei and Furen grew more and more bewildered as they listened. They even started to wonder if something was mentally wrong with Bai Ya.

’Like some kind of stress disorder.’

Otherwise, it was hard to imagine someone willingly offering to be cannon fodder for a job.

’Even a slave wouldn’t be this subservient.’

’Zovir and that group of kids at least knew to run away...’

"Miss Bai Ya, why are you so insistent on coming with us?"

Finally, seizing the moment when Bai Ya paused to catch her breath, Furen couldn’t hold back any longer and asked with a look of utter confusion:

"If your requirements are this low, you could easily find a job anywhere in town."

"I..."

She faltered, as if she herself had only just realized the question, and was suddenly at a loss for words.

’That’s right, why am I acting like this?’

’At first, I only planned to ask to stay at Mr. Lu Wei’s for a few days, or maybe become his assistant.’

Under Lu Wei and Furen’s gazes, Bai Ya thought for a long time before finally lifting her head and answering with great seriousness:

"Because you are good people."

"Huh?"

Lu Wei and Furen were both dumbfounded. "Good people?"

"Yes."

Bai Ya’s tone was Firm, her eyes sincere as she said:

"Mr. Lu Wei, Mr. Furen, Aryan must have told you about my situation. My parents passed away in an accident a few months ago, and I was forced to leave my hometown to make a living in Heitai Town."

"In these past few months, I’ve been tricked many times."

"Maybe I’m just too stupid, but I always have a hard time telling when people are lying."

"Not only was all my money tricked out of me, but I nearly lost my life a few days ago."

"Thankfully, Mr. Lu Wei saved me, which is why I’m still alive."

"That’s why I want to follow you. Because I believe you’re good people and won’t trick me."

Perhaps because she had held in her grievances for so long and could finally let them out, Bai Ya didn’t stutter this time. She said everything in one long rush, her voice growing louder and the rims of her eyes redder as she spoke.

But by the end, she seemed to realize she was being a little too self-righteous, so she quickly held back her tears and added:

"Of course, it’s okay if you don’t agree. I’ll still do my best to survive."

"..."

’I see!’

’She called me a good person. What else is there to say!’

"Miss Bai Ya, we accept!"

Across the table, Furen’s inner Hero had already burst forth. He immediately made a loud promise:

"As long as your wound is okay, we’ll go into the forest together tomorrow!"

"Don’t you worry! My friend Lu Wei and I would never abandon a teammate, and we would never trick you!"

"Isn’t that right, Lu Wei?"

"..."

Their two excited gazes immediately fell on him. Caught off guard, it took Lu Wei a good while before he gave an awkward nod.

"Ah..."

"Right..."