Anyone could see that Mina was deep in a stage of overflowing maternal instinct.
Out of sight, out of mind: I Don’t Eat Eggplant had already run off to mine ore.
Their construction quest called for mountains of materials.
Hugo had already handed out the tasks, but staring down the endless quest list, the orc still couldn’t help taking his complaints to the forum.
Naturally, the complaints drew complaints in return.
For some, not a drop of rain; for others, drowning in the flood.
Back when everyone begged for quests, none were to be had however hard they pleaded. Now that they’d come, it was like a burst dam, and they were grinding themselves ragged with no end in sight.
But what could players do, not grind?!
The thrill of paying to win was long gone; if they couldn’t even have the joy of the grind, what kind of players would they be?!
Mina’s tasks had all been taken over by the others; Hugo urgently assigned her a new one: keep a close eye on Wusu.
Wusu was a treasure beyond price.
The tremendous commotion at the Divine Temple had left them shaken; if they lost the NPC Wusu, they’d be well and truly finished.
“What are you doing, hm?”
After talking with Wusu so much, Mina knew he was the shy, well-behaved sort, and she especially loved talking with him.
“Building,” Wusu answered obediently.
He had completed quests before, and his points had reached 5,500; the semi-transparent notice window had already laid out the next step of construction.
[The long night stretches on. Beneath the swaying Bell-Chime Tree, the ruined Secluded Forest lies shrouded in stillness. Stripped of divine protection, the Divine Temple can no longer deter the eyes lurking in the darkness. Please build houses to live in!]
[Don’t neglect defense against outside enemies!]
[You may as well, reluctantly, build for that noisy pack of adventurers too.]
[(P.S. The Divine Temple’s awakening requires popularity)]
[Build] [Cancel]
Wusu pressed his lips together. This was the second time he’d heard about needing “people.”
The number of “people” mattered a great deal.
Wusu’s little head bobbed with thought.
The Secluded Forest’s desolate air seeped into the ruins on the cold wind. Wusu had never once approached the deeper woods, but he’d heard Mina say it wasn’t very safe. There were only five of them, and without knowing where their Resurrection Point was, they weren’t planning to push into uncharted ground for now.
Wusu counted on his little fingers: five people, plus one Wusu, made six in all.
So few.
Wusu liked travelers.
Back in Asimi Village, that brimming vitality had made Wusu very happy.
Even if the Wusu of that time had had no idea what “happy” meant.
His little finger poked [Build].
Okay.
Wusu liked lots and lots of people.
Without a sound.
Two little houses popped up across from the Adventurers’ Guild, their red and yellow mushroom-cap roofs rubbing against each other. First they squeezed together snugly, and then one of the little houses, as if tickled, abruptly jumped away and landed diagonally opposite, farther off.
Wusu pattered over.
[Wusu’s House (￣︶￣)]
Outside the Yellow Mushroom House stood a signboard, ornate lettering adorned with a cute little face.
Mina followed over and saw that the Red Mushroom House that had jumped away had a sign too.
[House of the Annoying, Detestable Adventurers ╰_╯]
Mina: …
He really did dislike them!
Wusu had spent five hundred points building the two houses; one was for travelers to live in, and the other was for Wusu himself.
Mina accompanied Wusu inside for a look: the first floor held a living room and dining room, plus a washroom, kitchen, and basement; the second floor was one especially spacious great room with a balcony; the third floor had a sunroom and study, plus a half-story attic.
“It’s so warm in here,” Mina said, beaming.
The lazy pale-yellow tones lent the mushroom house an extra coziness. Before the hearth, soft, comfortable wool carpeting covered the floor; a pleasant rocking chair sat beside a beechwood table, and the bookcase against the wall held many books whose titles could not be made out. The windows bore exquisite frames, the curtain tassels swaying gently; only the crackle of charcoal burning in the fireplace could be heard, the dancing flames reflected in the crystal-clear windows.
Wusu pushed the window open.
Within the gleaming white radiance, faint points of light glittered here and there in the dark.
The clown flowers’ glow was faint, but unchanging through the ages.
Having finished her inspection of the Yellow Mushroom House, Mina went back to the Red Mushroom House.
Wusu sat obediently in the rocking chair, thinking it over at his own slow pace: what was this “lurking in the darkness,” hm?
[Sweet little Wusu has thought and thought for ever so long without understanding. He wishes to spend 100 Points to purchase the Illustrated Codex, which will let Wusu better understand the Divine Temple’s surroundings!]
[Purchase] [Cancel]
Wusu knitted his little brows.
Mean!
Wusu wasn’t thinking just now!
Then Wusu twisted his fingers.
A tiny voice spoke in his heart.
But he wanted to buy it.
Buy!
[Illustrated Codex x1]
In the semi-transparent window, the words “Illustrated Codex” appeared beside the map.
Wusu poked the Illustrated Codex.
[Illustrated Codex]
[Monster Codex] [Material Codex] [Quest Diary]
[Monster Codex]
[☆ Star Rainbow Light]
[An elusive, ethereal creature.]
[It descends as the harbinger of impending doom, phosphorescence condensed within “The Well” from the moment of its birth. When “The Unnamed One” granted it a chance to escape “The Well,” it gained the power to change form.]
[(Its appearance portends calamity)]
[Remember well: color and vitality are the only bait that can lure them.]
Wusu pressed his lips together.
This monster with such a lovely name was, unfortunately, very ugly.
Wusu closed the Illustrated Codex; hugging the big codex, he leaned back in the rocking chair and couldn’t help swinging his little legs.
He suddenly found himself envying the star rainbow light.
It was ugly.
But it was so tall!
Wusu looked down at himself.
My legs are so short.
Hugo and the orc were on tree-felling duty.
They had already ground away for a full day and night without rest, exhaustion on par with hauling bricks on a construction job.
The orc muttered as he swung his axe, “Good thing there are no mobs around here. If something respawns, we’re in trouble.”
Hugo: …
Alesu had a talent.
He raised death flags.
Dead accurate.
In short: a walking jinx.
