Mythical Creatures Strategy Guide

Chapter 10 Eating

Ella was ruthlessly locked out of the kitchen by Chu Sheng, but she did not leave.

Looking through the gap at the bottom of the door, one could vaguely see a shadowy figure slowly wriggling on the ground. That indescribable shadow clung tightly to the crack, making some kind of eerie inhalation motion at an extremely high frequency.

She was smelling it.

"Knock knock knock".

"Ella, go open the door!" Chu Sheng was busy in the kitchen, sweating profusely, tossing the wok with one hand and grabbing the spatula with the other. He couldn't leave the kitchen at all and could only shout to the outside.

"Okay!"

The sound of Ella's bare feet running gradually faded into the distance.

Not long after, the sounds of a door opening, a few mumbled greetings, and a door closing followed in quick succession. Immediately afterward, the sound of footsteps rushing back.

The indescribable shadow reappeared under the door, sniffing intently.

Stir-fried white pheasant, scallion omelet, and wild vegetables boiled with beans—this is about enough for two and a half people.

Chu Sheng finally unlocked the kitchen door, and with a "Ouch!" sound, a furry thing pounced in, its rear end sticking out.

Ella's entire center of gravity was already pressed against the door. As soon as the door opened, she couldn't stop herself and tumbled and crawled into the kitchen.

Not far behind Ella, Arthur saw Chu Sheng come out carrying a plate of food, quickly tucked his stray hair behind his ear, and stood up.

Her movements were slightly reserved, yet they revealed the refined manners of someone raised in a large family, unlike Ella who was impulsive and carefree.

Today, Arthur wore a slightly formal casual outfit, with a small leather handbag slung over his shoulder. A string of pearls encircled his slender and elegant neck, making the skin around his collarbone appear even whiter.

The sharply tailored black jumpsuit accentuated her curves perfectly, every arc just right. She wore a linen shawl over her upper body, which was pushed up high at the chest, creating a full, rounded silhouette.

"You're here." Chu Sheng hadn't expected Arthur to be dressed so formally for a casually mentioned get-together. Holding a plate of food, he greeted him casually, "You're here, why did you bring a gift?"

"A gift?" Arthur was slightly taken aback. Following his gaze, he looked at the leather handbag in his hand, and his ahoge (cowlick) instantly stood up.

She quickly hid her small bag behind her back and took a half step back.

"This is mine!"

……

Chu Sheng set out wine in the courtyard and invited Arthur to drink with him. As dusk fell, the clouds dispersed, the fragrance of osmanthus filled the air, and local delicacies were laid out on the stone table, while freshly brewed wine floated in the porcelain bowl. Arthur clapped his hands and exclaimed, "I never expected that Windmill Village would hide such a tranquil place!" He then drew his sword and took his seat.

Ella rolled up her sleeves, revealing her elbows, grabbed a piece of chicken, and ate it, the fat spilling from her fingers and dripping down her lapel. Arthur advised, "Wait a moment."

Ella glared and puffed out her cheeks, mumbling, "I've been starving for so long, why would I be treated with such courtesy?" Before she finished speaking, she reached for a fried egg, crumbs falling like snow. The birds on the steps, seeing this, fluttered their wings and flew away in fright.

Chu Sheng raised his cup to his guest, saying, "Tonight we shall emulate the elegant gathering at the Orchid Pavilion, and not be bound by formalities." Arthur emptied his glass cup, smiled, and pointed to the shadow of a bird before the steps, saying, "Back in the empire, I never saw celestial birds dancing in the courtyard under the moon." The two clapped their hands, startling the roosting birds, which then flew away through the woods.

As the water clock ticked away, the jade rope turned low. Arthur, already tipsy, tapped his knife and fork to keep time as he sang a section of the "Imperial Knights' March," which Chu Sheng joined in. The neighboring old woman, Aunt Ram, opened the window as if to scold him, but seeing the stars and moon shining brightly at the table, she leaned against the wall and listened until the song ended.

Seeing that the time was right, Chu Sheng abruptly changed the subject: "Arthur, how much do you know about the [Hero]?"

Arthur sobered up instantly, the rosy blush on his face vanished in an instant, and he showed no signs of drunkenness whatsoever.

"You knew all along?" Her gaze was complicated, and the tuft of hair on her head suddenly stood up.

"I know everything." Chu Sheng rested his chin on his hands. "I just want to know, in your oath you promised me you would always be honest. Was that a lie?"

Arthur stared directly into Chu Sheng's eyes. After a long while, she finally sighed and leaned back in her chair.

As she leaned forward, the waves of her chest, encased in her long black dress, trembled and swayed in layers. Chu Sheng's gaze was involuntarily drawn to those waves for a moment, almost causing him to lose his composure.

"Although I don't know how you know, since you asked so sincerely..." Arthur's ahoge (cowlick) slowly drooped down, and his fingers drew circles on the table, as if he was considering something.

"Then I'll tell you everything I can."

She looked up, her expression serious.

"Chu Sheng, as the new generation of [Hero], you will form a new [Hero] team and embark on your own journey."

Chu Sheng was taken aback and blurted out, "Hasn't the Demon King already been defeated? What's the point of forming a [Hero] team?"

Arthur extended a slender, jade-like finger and drew a vertical line in mid-air: "Find the Sword of the Hero."

It's the Sword of the Hero again!

"As you probably know, the Sword of the Hero will suddenly appear on the Hero's journey," Arthur continued. "Your predecessor, the Hero Veronica, also embarked on a journey to find the Sword of the Hero, but she disappeared for some reason. Now that you have appeared in the world, she is probably dead."

Chu Sheng fell silent for a moment. He wasn't against embarking on an adventure; on the contrary, ever since he got his hands on the strategy guide, he had secretly harbored a certain expectation of collecting more mythical creatures.

But now even the "strongest in modern times" has died on his way to find the Sword of the Hero, let alone him?

Arthur noticed his resistance and softened his tone to reassure him, "Don't be too nervous. The journey to find the Sword of the Warrior is not as dangerous as you imagine."

"【Hero】Veronica is an anomaly. She is too powerful. Even without the Hero's Sword, she is invincible. So she only searched for a little over a year before giving up."

"Can I not go?" After hesitating for a moment, Chu Sheng still asked with a sliver of hope.

The entire story of the hero's slaying of the Demon King is too bizarre. The hero and the sword seem to have existed from the very beginning solely for the purpose of defeating the Demon King. Even though the Demon King is dead, the new hero still suffers a curse of fate.

Is this reasonable?

"cannot."

Arthur tilted his head back and drank the wine in his cup, then put the cup down: "The search for the Sword of the Warrior is the will of the Empire, and even I cannot defy it."

"You?" Chu Sheng understood the implication. "You're coming with me too?"

"That's right." Arthur nodded, his expression calm. "I will serve as a knight in the [Hero] squad, fulfilling my duty of protection until the end of our journey."

"You're not lying to me, are you?" Chu Sheng glanced at her suspiciously. "Are you going to be transferred back to the Empire and making up an excuse to lure me, your squire knight, back?"

Arthur slammed his hand on the table in embarrassment and anger: "Do I need to do that? With your small frame, I could just kidnap you. Why would I need to lie?"

So you really did have the idea of ​​kidnapping me!

Chu Sheng was speechless. The oath of the contract was inviolable for knights who believed in the Empire and the Holy Temple, and it was indeed unlikely that Arthur would lie to him about this matter.

"I have a condition." He hesitated for a moment, then held up one finger. "Ella has to come with me too."

Ella, who was engrossed in her meal, twitched her fluffy dog ​​ears and raised her greasy face: "Is there anything else I need to do?"

"No problem!" Arthur readily agreed. "We'll set off in three days and report to the Empire first."