Chapter 17: Slime Jelly
Chu Jiu frowned, brought the mirror closer, and observed it carefully for a while.
He didn’t see anything unusual, nor did he see any strange reflections.
“Maybe I’m just too tired today and hallucinating?”
But this time the system was really generous, giving 50 Pioneer Points in one go!
Chu Jiu counted the Pioneer Points, contentedly put away the mirror, and, using the dim light of the [Fluorescent Grass], groped his way to the wooden bed and lay down.
He closed his eyes and casually pulled the curled-up Little Can into his arms.
“So soft and warm, so comfortable.”
*
Arsa Star.
He Fang had never imagined that he would one day listen to someone’s live broadcast on “how to make soy sauce” with such relish.
He had to admit that listening to the boy’s detailed explanation of “the chemical changes of a soybean” and his slow narration of what he had harvested today gave him an indescribable sense of peace.
Coupled with the boy’s delicate face and the occasional clean smile…
It was as if he was standing in a warm spring breeze, very comfortable.
When the boy mentioned “braised chicken drumsticks” and his stomach growled, He Fang couldn’t help but laugh.
“This is too cute!”
“Could this cute child really be an insectoid in disguise?”
That thought flashed through his mind, and Adjutant He immediately became alert: No! This might also be a special kind of mental attack! It’s making us lower our guard and gradually become careless!
Realizing this, Adjutant He quickly glanced at Marshal Lu, who was also watching the live stream:
Sure enough, His Excellency the Marshal’s expression was as usual, just picking up his cup to drink water.
His Excellency the Marshal has such self-control!
Adjutant He secretly withdrew his gaze again.
Therefore, Adjutant He didn’t see the slight curve that lingered on Marshal Lu’s lips after he put down his water glass.
*
Dawn broke.
After reminding Rawr Rawr Rabbit again to be careful and not run into the village and be mistaken for a wild rabbit and stewed, Chu Jiu set off with Little Can in his pocket.
As before, Little Can placed its two paws on the edge of the pocket, intently staring ahead.
It hadn’t forgotten that its most important goal was to “eliminate the insects.”
But where exactly were the insects?
Little Can looked solemn, its ice-blue eyes wide open.
Chu Jiu had no idea what the little guy in his pocket was thinking.
He only knew that this was the fourth time he had taken Little Can on a long trip, and the little cat was still very nervous, neither sleeping nor meowing.
“Sigh, this little cat is just too sensitive to its environment.”
And this little guy refused to stay at home and insisted on coming along.
But… precisely because of this, his chest was always warm.
Thinking of this, Chu Jiu couldn’t help but want to be even nicer to this clingy and sensitive little cat.
Just then, a [Bloodthirsty Bee Hive] appeared ahead.
Bloodthirsty bees, covered in dark brown fluff, with stingers up to two meters long on their tails, often stained with reddish-brown “bloodstains,” were enough to make anyone’s heart palpitate at a glance.
In fact, bloodthirsty bees don’t suck blood.
Their food is the nectar of the “Giant Canna.” Because the color and texture of this nectar are very similar to animal blood, bloodthirsty bees look like they’ve drunk fresh blood after collecting it.
Chu Jiu climbed the tree clumsily and collected 20 portions of [High-Quality Beeswax] and 30 portions of [High-Quality Honey] from the hive.
The beeswax was light brown and could be made into handmade candles.
The honey had a unique rose-red color, a rich fragrance, and it was said that just a little bit could make food exceptionally sweet.
More importantly, the encyclopedia card for this honey said: [Adding it to desserts can make the eater feel physically and mentally happy, and effectively relieve tension. Perhaps a special “honey pudding” before an exam would be good.]
Making desserts with this honey should help the always tense Little Can relax and sleep soundly during the day?
But what kind of dessert should he make…
Should he find [black and white spotted giant aphids] to squeeze some milk from, or find a [crackling bread tree] and pick a breadfruit?
Chu Jiu looked around.
“Hmm? What are those two translucent jellyfish-like things, one light pink and one light blue…?”
Slimes!
Chu Jiu was excited. He took out a newly sharpened special wooden stick from his bag, tiptoed towards the two half-meter-tall slimes, and then struck them hard! Crushed them with the big stick!
“Squeak…”
The slimes quickly deflated like punctured water balloons, spreading into two slippery soft skins on the ground.
Chu Jiu squatted down contentedly, placed a wooden cup on the ground, cut the slime skins into large pieces with a machete, picked them up, and squeezed them like a rag—
“Drip, drip…”
The sticky gray liquid flowed into the wooden bowl.
“…Meow?” Little Can was stunned.
It tilted its head, asking in confusion, “What are you doing? Why are you collecting this?”
Chu Jiu smiled, “Making jelly, very delicious jelly!”
Little Can’s whiskers stood up, “This is food?!”
Who would eat food the color of bugs!
Chu Jiu smiled without answering, capped the cup filled with the sticky liquid, and shook it vigorously.
After half a minute, Chu Jiu opened the lid, and the gray non-Newtonian fluid inside had turned into transparent, small lumps of gel.
Chu Jiu added the honey he had just collected and stirred it gently…
The transparent gel turned into a light amber color, emitting a pleasant and refreshing sweet fragrance.
The fragrance wafted out, and Little Can subconsciously twitched its little nose.
Chu Jiu sniffed the sweet fragrance and said loudly, “Wow, this ‘Slime Jelly’ must be delicious!”
Little Can turned its little round face away, “Meow!”—”Jelly is for kids, I won’t eat it!”
Chu Jiu scooped out some jelly with a spoon and ate several mouthfuls himself.
It was indeed cool and refreshing. The texture was a bit like frozen grass jelly, but even smoother, with a lingering sweet fragrance.
Chu Jiu ate with relish, shaking his head, “I knew you wouldn’t eat it. You definitely wouldn’t dare to eat something made from slime.”
Little Can was shocked and angry, “Huh?!”—”What? Dare not eat?!”
It stretched out its little paw and scratched Chu Jiu, “Give it to me! How could I ‘dare not eat’!”
Chu Jiu suppressed a smile and fed Little Can a spoonful of jelly.
“Meooww!”
The spoon was clean.
Little Can moved its mouth, but before it could speak, Chu Jiu silently fed it another spoonful of jelly.
Little Can quickly swallowed another mouthful, then refused to eat any more.
It licked its paws, meowing softly, “For you and Rawr Rawr Rabbit.”
This fragrant and sweet thing should be shared with hardworking friends.
Chu Jiu said, “I’ll take the slime skins back and make more later.”
The slime juice, when squeezed out and made into jelly, and the remaining slime skin, after being dried and ground with water, can turn into a high-quality adhesive.
Slime is truly a treasure trove! Nothing can be wasted!
Hearing Chu Jiu’s explanation, Little Can swallowed the rest of the jelly.
Chu Jiu gently pressed Little Can’s forehead and praised, “Very good, still thinking about sharing with Rawr Rawr Rabbit.”
“Such a polite and loving kitty.”
Little Can licked its paw: “I’ll share anything except dried fish.”
Chu Jiu thought the little guy was wrong; it had shared dried fish with him before.
But it’s said that little cats don’t have large brain capacity, so it’s normal to say a wrong word or two.
As an adult human, he shouldn’t nitpick with this palm-sized little cat.
*
Perhaps the honey really had a “soothing and calming” effect, Little Can relaxed a little and wasn’t as tense as a rock anymore.
But Little Can still put its paws on the pocket edge, intently looking ahead, as if it was curious about all kinds of creatures.
Chu Jiu let it be.
*
Three days passed, and they were halfway through the journey marked on the map. Chu Jiu’s backpack was filled with [sweet grapes that look like eyes], [sweet potato fruits that look like rotten fat but are white and glutinous inside], [small oranges with rough, thorny skin], [black peanuts with rock-like shells]… and so on.
Chu Jiu sometimes felt like he wasn’t on an adventure, but had walked into a giant self-service supermarket, going on a crazy free shopping spree.
That afternoon, the human and cat reached the center of the forest.
The trees here were denser than before, with intertwined branches and leaves, sometimes blocking out the sunlight completely. Chu Jiu had to use fluorescent grass for lighting.
The monsters on the road had also changed from harmless bloodthirsty bees and slimes to lurking two-headed snakes and drooling corrosive lizards…
Even though these monsters could provide useful materials like [poisonous teeth] and [hard skin], Chu Jiu, after assessing his own strength, didn’t dare to provoke them.
Except for occasional conversations with Little Can, Chu Jiu mostly silently pushed aside the branches blocking the way, walking forward quietly.
The only sounds around were the intermittent chirping of insects and birds, and the rustling of leaves.
As he walked, Chu Jiu suddenly stopped—
The shape of the black shadow in the bushes directly ahead, the protruding fangs, and the grunting sound…
It was a jungle boar!
[Jungle Boar: A ferocious beast that habitually roams and forages in the jungle. It has thick skin and high health, strong attack power, fast running speed, and teeth that can inflict fatal piercing wounds on prey. It can also skillfully use its charging force with its canine teeth to attack.
Its sense of smell is very developed, and it’s also quite intelligent, so it can easily detect camouflaged prey.
Although jungle boars are very dangerous, their skin, teeth, meat, and bones are all rare high-quality materials.
If your combat power is sufficient to subdue a boar, it’s like hitting a small treasure chest.
Habitat: Deep in various forest areas]
Chu Jiu was very clear about his combat power.
He carefully took a step back, trying to hide behind a tall fern.
However, the boar had already turned around.
Its pair of sinister triangular eyes had locked onto Chu Jiu.
Not only that, the boar’s two hooves began to dig into the ground, and its body slowly arched forward, ready to unleash a big move.
Chu Jiu sighed inwardly, knowing it was bad, and whispered to Little Can:
“It’s a boar, we can’t beat it.”
“Stay in the pocket and get ready to run.”
Hopefully, the “greased soles” skill wouldn’t fail again this time.
Unexpectedly, Little Can meowed, “Boar? Is that the animal you mentioned before that can be made into braised pig trotters?”
Chu Jiu subconsciously said, “Ah, not just braised pig trotters, but also stewed ribs, mixed pig ears, minced garlic pork… no, no, that’s not important, let’s just…”
Before he could finish speaking, Little Can had raised its head and made a “purring” sound towards the boar.
“What are you doing?!”
Chu Jiu’s back chilled, and he was about to use the skill to escape, but he saw the boar digging the ground in front of him stop moving, its triangular eyes flashing, looking hesitant.
The boar shook its head, its gaze fixed on Chu Jiu—or rather, on Chu Jiu’s chest, for a second, two seconds…
“Boom!”
The beast suddenly turned its body, charging straight into the deeper part of the jungle like a cannonball!
Before Chu Jiu could react, Little Can shouted, “Your pig trotters ran away! Chase it!!”
Thanks so much for the translation, I love this story so much!
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