Chapter 2: Food Spirits_1

The next morning, Owen Bertram was woken up by crying sounds. The houses of two families in the village had been crushed.

The siblings had grown accustomed to such incidents, but little did Verna know that they had nearly turned into ghosts under the monster's feet last night!

Faced with such terrifying power, Owen deeply felt his own helplessness and weakness.

Ava cooked breakfast with drool on her face. After eating, Owen prepared to go out and reminded his sister before leaving, "Don't bump into me when I come back."

"Okay!" Verna bit her finger, and nodded vigorously to show that she remembered.

Owen strapped on his small knife, hung the Gourd, and went out to collect Pearls.

In Extinct Village and its surrounding area, the people made their living by collecting Pearls.

Extinct Village was somewhat weird, with a severe Cold Poison prevailing. Ordinary people who came here would die of illness within three years. It was for this reason that the Life Saving Tax here was the lowest in the area.

Only those who were truly struggling to survive would come here to extend their lives a bit longer.

Owen's parents had passed away three years ago on the night he found Little Loach. It was then that the siblings began to depend on each other for survival.

Arriving at the river where he was yesterday, Owen opened the Gourd and released Little Loach.

"It seems to have grown a bit since yesterday?" Owen thought he was seeing things.

He hid himself and attached his soul to Little Loach's body.

"The swimming seems stronger." Owen finally confirmed that Little Loach had indeed changed.

All day long, Owen came up empty-handed.

He didn't know how many times this river had been searched by the villagers. The small Pearl he found yesterday might be the last one in the river.

Moreover, Little Loach was not cooperating today. When they encountered a Fierce Fish, he wanted to burrow into the mud, but Little Loach instinctively wanted to rush forward and eat the Fierce Fish!

Please don't cause trouble, the Fierce Fish is dozens of times larger than you. Are you going to be its food delivery?

In the afternoon, they even ran into a Strange Snake. Owen almost lost control and let Little Loach rush over.

Owen felt helpless and controlled Little Loach to come back. He couldn't work properly today.

He put away Little Loach, sat by the river with one foot in the water, and stared intently at the water with a small knife in one hand.

Soon, a Fierce Fish quietly swam over, circled around, and bared its teeth toward Owen.

Splash-

The small knife pierced through the water and stabbed the Fierce Fish straight through.

Owen was stunned for a moment, feeling that his speed had also increased.

He caught the Fierce Fish, cut it into thin strips, and fed it to Little Loach. Just like yesterday, Little Loach swallowed the entire fish, including the skin and bones.

This one was even bigger than yesterday's catch.

But Little Loach still wasn't full and refused to go back into the Gourd.

Owen had no choice but to resort to his old tactic and prepare to catch another one.

This time, instead of waiting for a Fierce Fish, the Strange Snake appeared!

Using the old tactic, Owen stabbed the snake to death and caught it.

Before Owen could cut the meat, Little Loach forcefully twisted itself and dashed towards the snake, biting into its flesh, tearing it off, and swallowing it.

Owen watched and thought, "Buddy, you look a bit... ferocious like this."

Yet your tiny body is kind of adorable.

The snake was several times larger than the Fierce Fish, but the loach managed to eat it all up!

Owen grabbed its tail and caught it, wanting to study where all the stuff it ate went.

An even thicker and warmer current flowed from Little Loach into Owen's body, circling around, giving him a warm and comfortable sensation.

The warm current settled down in Owen's lower abdomen, appearing to be faintly marked with a symbol of which Owen had no understanding.

The sun was about to set, and Owen put Little Loach back into the Gourd. There were still more than ten days before the next Life Saving Tax was due. He planned to try another river tomorrow.

At the doorway of their small broken house, Verna cheered, "Brother!"

She ran at full speed, leaped into the air-

Smack!

"Wow..."

Owen burst into laughter. Pranking his sister was always fun.

...

700 miles west of Extinct Village, in the city of Waves Prefecture, there was a unique government office—Horizon Bureau, which even during the busiest hours of the day, had no one within ten feet of it. It was an institution that was feared by the people of the Wood Dynasty.

Capturing demons and strange creatures from around the world.

They could arrest anyone under suspicion; they operated independently, and they even conducted interrogations without needing permission from the three departments.

The Horizon Bureau was heavily guarded. At the back was their infamous black prison.

However, in the black prison of Waves Prefecture Horizon Office, there was a spotless, clean cell. In the cell sat a young scholar dressed in green. He held an ancient book in his left hand and carefully read it in the dim light of the oil lamp.

What was strange, though, was his other arm—his right arm—which was incredibly thick, as long as six feet nine inches and covered with coarse scales. His fingers had turned into sharp, sickle-like claws.

It stood out in stark contrast to the rest of his body.

Four large buckles and ten faint golden chains firmly locked his right arm to the stone wall.

The prison door suddenly opened, and a stunning girl entered the cell. Even in such a confined space, she radiated an air of grace and beauty that made her feel incredibly dear to the heavens.

Yet she did not possess an intimidating coldness but rather a stubbornness that made people respect her and itch to get closer.

Wearing the uniform of the Horizon Bureau, she looked incredibly fit. Her narrow waist accentuated her heroic nature amidst her soft and gentle demeanor.

Seeing his right arm, the girl's eyes filled with pity, "Senior Sister..."

It turned out that the young scholar was actually a woman in disguise. Upon closer inspection, she did not have an Adam's apple. Most people didn't notice her disguise at first glance, probably because she was too... ordinary.

The senior sister put down her book, and said with a faint smile, "Don't be sad. I asked Lord Algernon to lock me here so that I won't hurt any innocent people if I lose control of my cursed Witch God Arm."

Junior sister asked, "How long will it be?"

"I don't know," the senior sister shook her head. "It could be three days, three years, or even... a lifetime." She smiled and continued, "Enough about me. Do you have something to tell me, Junior Sister?"

Junior sister nodded, "I am here to say goodbye to you. My spiritual energy has never been able to condense Heterotext. Lord Algernon has allowed me to travel and gain experience. Unless I gather Heterotext, I am not coming back."

Looking at her with affection, Senior Sister said, "You are still as proud and ambitious as ever. The number one genius fairy in Waves Prefecture. In the past few years, our peers have successively gathered Heterotext, and I always knew you wouldn't be able to stand it."

Junior sister pursed her pretty lips but didn't refute her senior sister's statement. She was indeed not willing to give in.

"Alright, you go. Be careful out there. The world isn't as peaceful as you think..."