Chapter 11: Troll
It was already evening when Chu Jiu returned to the Pioneer’s Hut from the village chief’s house.
Chu Jiu made some chicken liver paste for Little Can. After watching the little guy curl up in his canned food cat bed and fall asleep, he took out a small mirror from his backpack.
Recording videos wasn’t necessary during gathering trips. Last night, he was too tired, and the system considerately suggested he postpone recording, so he didn’t record a log.
It wasn’t until this evening that the system prompted Chu Jiu: [Please record a video diary and showcase your latest achievements]
*
Arsa Star.
“Your Excellency! The live stream has appeared again!” He Fang reported excitedly.
The unknown live stream had disappeared without warning a few days ago.
He Fang was quite worried: Had their observation disturbed the insects, causing them to stop broadcasting? They hadn’t analyzed any crucial information yet, not even the origin of the spiritual power.
Fortunately, they had captured the video signal again.
Lu Qingyan, who was in a meeting with his adjutant, nodded slightly, “Project it.”
The video still featured the young man.
The young man, with his soft voice and a smile, talked about what he had done and where he had gone these past few days.
Towards the end, a hint of pride appeared on the young man’s face, “After this gathering trip, we made ‘tofu’!”
As he spoke, he brought out the remaining small bowl of chicken soup tofu, first sniffing the rich aroma, then using a small spoon to scoop out a corner of the white, soft tofu and put it in his mouth, his eyes half-closing unconsciously:
“It’s really delicious.”
“And it’s warm, making you feel warm all over with just one bite.”
Adjutant He swallowed several mouthfuls of saliva at the screen, wondering what kind of food this was.
Why did he feel hungry watching this seemingly insectoid broadcaster eat?
No, that’s not right. He was losing his composure!
This might be a new form of mental attack! He had to be extra vigilant!
The hungry adjutant He secretly glanced at Marshal Lu beside him:
The marshal remained calm, completely unaffected by the food displayed on the screen.
Indeed. For many years, to achieve the best absorption and optimal nutritional balance, the marshal had only consumed nutritional supplements.
No matter how tempting the food was, it wouldn’t cause any ripples in the marshal’s composure.
No, not just food.
Everything that aroused desire in ordinary people, whether it was delicious food, beautiful scenery, or even beautiful people, was just a code or a name to Marshal Lu.
Filled with admiration for the marshal, Adjutant He sat up straighter, inwardly despising his own lack of composure.
Staring intently at the projection, Adjutant He didn’t notice the slight downward movement of Marshal Lu’s Adam’s apple.
*
The next day.
Chu Jiu, carrying Little Can and the map given by the village chief, set off for the town early in the morning.
There were no carriages in the village, so they had to walk.
There were many magical creatures along the way.
Besides hornless beasts and black and white spiders that roamed around and actively attacked people, there were also creatures that disguised themselves as rocks or trees, waiting for travelers to rest on the rocks or under the canopy before starting their “meal.”
Fortunately, Chu Jiu had the [Concealment] skill.
After walking for almost six hours, the magical creatures on both sides of the road gradually decreased, and Chu Jiu saw the large sign that read “Emerald Town” in the distance.
According to the village chief and others, the magical creatures would avoid towns and villages beyond the sign, not actively entering the area.
Perhaps there was some magical power on the sign.
Near the sign, a few people were bending over, searching for something. Chu Jiu guessed that they were adventurers who had left the town to gather resources, but were afraid to go too far, so they tried their luck around the sign, hoping to find herbs, wood, or something similar.
As Chu Jiu approached, two people straightened up, looking at him curiously.
Chu Jiu was about to greet them and inquire about merchants when he heard a thunderous rumbling sound from the nearby forest.
The herb gatherers straightened up, looking towards the source of the sound with suspicion.
The rumbling stopped for a few seconds, then resumed.
The forest began to shake violently, and the leaves rustled.
After a moment, two young men with baskets on their backs emerged from the forest, shouting in panic, “Run! Run! There’s a troll!”
Troll!
Chu Jiu knew that “troll” here didn’t refer to a specific magical creature, but to various giant magical creatures.
The herb gatherers screamed and turned to run towards the town.
An older woman shouted at Chu Jiu, “Run! You’ll be safe inside the town!”
Although Chu Jiu had the concealment skill, he also started running, not intending to stay and stare at the troll.
However, at that moment, Little Can, who had been quietly staying in his chest pocket, stuck out his head and paws, meowing and growling at the forest.
He seemed ready to challenge the troll.
Chu Jiu was both angry and amused, saying, “Stop fooling around, stay put, we’ll be in town soon…”
Before he could finish speaking, Little Can jumped out of his pocket, performed a few agile flips in the air, landed steadily on the ground, and then dashed towards the forest!
Chu Jiu gasped and immediately turned to run into the forest.
While running, terrifying images flashed through his mind:
Little Can was completely gone, leaving only a few floating cat hairs…
Little Can screamed as it was sent into the giant monster’s bloody maw…
Chu Jiu’s heart pounded, trying his best to stop his wild thoughts, and he ran even faster.
He still had a few [Exploding Pine Cones] in his bag, which he could throw at the troll in one go, to at least make it release Little Can!
As he ran, a clearing appeared ahead.
The rumbling grew closer.
Just as he was about to break through the last circle of obstructing branches, the roar suddenly lowered and faded, as if it was about to disappear.
Chu Jiu was covered in cold sweat, thinking that the troll had grabbed Little Can and was running towards its lair.
Thinking of this, he pulled out his big chopper from his bag with his right hand, took out the exploding pine cones with his left, gritted his teeth, and rushed into the clearing—
Huh?
He saw a soft branch in front of him swaying up and down, as if something was weighing down the treetop.
Looking closely, he saw Little Can standing lightly on the treetop, calmly looking down.
And in the clearing below, there was a…
A ball of white fluff?
The fluff had two long ears trying to cover its body, two short front limbs hugging its head, and its small body was trembling and shaking.
This… long ears, white fur, and a short tail… could it be a rabbit?
Wait, where’s the troll?
Chu Jiu stopped, holding the big knife, panting, looking at the fluff on the ground, his mind filled with a series of question marks.
Just then, Little Can let out a powerful “meow” at the fluff below.
The fluff on the ground trembled again after hearing Little Can’s voice, raised its head, and looked at Chu Jiu with its three-lobed mouth opening and closing: “Roar? Roar roar?”
Chu Jiu: …?
