Chapter 3: Taken Prisoner
Chu Feng sat in a wooden hut, looking around in helpless frustration, trying to make sense of how he ended up in this situation.
His shirt and pants had been stripped off by the hooded boy who showed up later.
Seriously, Chu Feng thought, such a good-looking guy, and yet he likes to strip people? What kind of hobby is that?
If the kid hadn’t been worried about exposing too much, he probably wouldn’t have spared Chu Feng’s underwear either. The way he had stared at it earlier had made Chu Feng’s face burn with embarrassment.
The hooded boy had even considered tying him up with vines at first, but maybe after realizing how useless Chu Feng was—weak and scrawny—he didn’t bother.
Chu Feng peeked his head out of the hut.
The hut was nearly eight meters off the ground, and the only reason Chu Feng was up here was because that hooded boy had dragged him up. Otherwise, there was no way he could have climbed that high.
He glanced at the large welts on his arms.
The mosquitoes here were vicious—each bite swelled up into a huge bump. Chu Feng felt like he might be eaten alive if he stayed here long. Thankfully, the wood used to build the hut seemed to repel insects.
Looking around, he saw that the hut was made of purple wood. Though a bit crude, it had a rustic charm. This was the first time Chu Feng had seen purple wood.
He recalled hearing about a type of wood called purpleheart back on Earth, which was expensive—just a bracelet made from it could sell for over a thousand yuan.
Peering out from the tall tree, he spotted the little elf brat wearing his clothes.
The elf wore them loose and baggy, repeatedly zipping and unzipping his jacket as if it were some fun new toy.
Chu Feng rolled his eyes. Everyone in this world is the same, huh?
Earlier, the hooded boy had aggressively stripped his clothes off, not understanding what a zipper was and nearly choking him in the process. In the end, Chu Feng had to take off the clothes himself and hand them over.
Although the hooded boy had kept a stern expression the whole time, Chu Feng could tell he was also curious about the zipper—just too proud to show it.
Chu Feng shook his head. His jacket and pants had been dirt-cheap, bought from a wholesale market for under 100 yuan total. Yet here, they’d become hot commodities.
The little elf seemed to notice him staring and glared back, then leapt off the tree.
Chu Feng sighed, feeling like his future was bleak. As the sky began to darken, he figured it was best to just get some sleep.
Staring at the ceiling, Chu Feng felt a little cheerful. Well, being a prisoner does have its perks—at least I’ve got a roof over my head. If I had to sleep out in the wild, that’d be terrifying.
Maybe because he was too exhausted, Chu Feng ended up sleeping quite soundly.
*
While Chu Feng slept in the cabin, Illya, Gray, and Duoduo sat beneath the tree, talking by firelight.
“Big Brother, were you able to trade for saltstone?” Gray asked.
Illya frowned and said, “The price of saltstone went up again. Even with all those beast hides, I could only trade for a small piece.”
Gray said angrily, “It’s not that the price of saltstone went up—it’s because we’re half-elves! They’re just using that as an excuse to raise the price on us!”
Illya furrowed his brow but said nothing.
Of course he knew he’d been ripped off, but he couldn’t reveal his true identity. His options for trading partners were very limited.
Elves and humans were hostile to each other. Half-elves, born of both races, lived in an awkward and difficult position.
“Brother Illya, look at this!” Duoduo came running over, carrying the food Chu Feng had packed.
Duoduo was a half-beastman, a mix of rabbit tribe and human—his identity was just as complicated.
“What is this?” Illya asked.
Duoduo blinked and said, “It’s what that weird guy brought with him.”
Illya opened the plastic bag and saw several boxes of grilled meat.
“Big Brother, can I eat it?”
Illya sniffed it cautiously, then hesitated. “It doesn’t seem poisonous.”
As soon as he heard that, Gray eagerly grabbed a skewer and started gnawing. “Brother, it’s salty!”
Illya nodded. “Yeah.” Saltstone was rare and precious for them. They were always stingy with it when roasting meat. But this barbecue was very salty—something they would never afford to do themselves.
“Brother, is this pepper?” Duoduo asked.
Illya shook his head. “I don’t know.” Pepper was extremely expensive—just a small bottle cost a gold coin, only affordable to nobles.
“It probably isn’t,” Gray said. “If it were, why would anyone use so much of it? That’d be way too extravagant.”
Illya frowned. “Everything that guy had is strange.”
Illya had seen nobles before, but their outfits looked nothing like what Chu Feng wore.
“This barbecue is so good!” Gray beamed as he gnawed on a chicken wing, full of excitement.
“This veggie is so yummy!” Duoduo was happily munching on grilled cabbage, his bunny ears twitching nonstop.
Illya chewed on a piece of grilled corn in silence, though there was a flicker of amazement in his eyes.
Chu Feng had packed quite a lot of barbecue, but even so, it wasn’t enough to satisfy them. Once they’d polished off the big bag, Gray and the others were still left wanting more.
“Big Brother, what should we do with that guy?” Gray asked.
Illya frowned, troubled.
Humans liked to capture and sell elves and half-elves. Beautiful ones were in especially high demand. A few years ago, Illya had awakened special abilities, so he no longer feared humans. But he still worried about Gray and Duoduo.
Illya thought to himself: If we let him go and he reveals our location, that would be a huge problem.
