Chapter 5: Fire-breather

Even cooking can grant experience points!

Xia Zhou placed two plates of steaming Sweet and Sour Pork on the table, his face bursting into a smile, his eyes gleaming with joy.

The pork in these two plates was cooked together, earning him 0.02 experience points!

The experience he got for the first time he drank poison was about 1 point. So, around 70 times of cooking would be equivalent to testing the poison once.

No need to lose blood, dump the potions secretly, or endure reprimands, just keeping cooking the same way as before could help him gain experience.

Xia Zhou felt that this world was not that full of malice after all.

"Very impressive! Kid, you've got pretty good skills."

Sneck picked up a plate and shoved a large mouthful into his mouth. The green snake held a tiny piece of the pork in its mouth. Its jet black eyes squinted, revealing a satisfied expression, much like a person's.

"I agree, Xia Zhou, you can join us."

Sneck licked the remaining sauce off the plate clean, and went to collect the little green snake's portion, "Quickly prepare the rest of the dishes. The Clown Siblings love greasy roasted meat, Strongman Bo Pai likes nut pancakes and Audrey loves thick Minced Meat Vegetable Soup."

Xia Zhou remembered these members' favourites... it seemed like he forgot one person. What about Farns, the alcoholic thief? Why didn't Sneck mention him?

Sneck saw the boy hesitating and thought he was asking if he wanted another meal, "Just make me another Sweet and Sour Pork."

"Right away. Do you need me to adjust the flavor?" Xia Zhou collected the empty plate.

"A little more sour, less sweet. Burp~" Sneck let out a burp.

...

Xia Zhou was busy in the kitchen.

The first thing he made was the nut pancakes which took the longest time.

It needed to be slowly baked to ensure the texture.

Since he didn't know what flavor Strongman preferred, Xia Zhou didn't add any seasoning to the pancakes, simply spread the crushed nuts on top and increased the size of the dough.

The second thing he put on the stove was a casserole.

As the boss, Audrey deserved a more hearty dinner.

Even though it was just a bowl of Minced Meat Vegetable Soup, Xia Zhou planned to add plenty of ingredients to it.

For the Clown Siblings, the greasy roasted meat is better when it's made fresh, and since they are two siblings, there should be plenty of meat.

Xia Zhou stood in the center of the kitchen, with the glowing orange oven on his left and the simmering stove on his right.

This world didn't have electronics, but alchemy was very advanced. Not only was it related to potions, but there seemed to be a branch specifically designed for making various practical tools.

"Kid, there's some good news."

Sneck's face appeared in the doorway, he gave the boy a wink, "The boss has convinced the others. It's just a formality now."

Xia Zhou grinned broadly, feeling a sense of satisfaction.

He picked up the knife and chopped the green onions, about to add the finishing touch to the Minced Meat Vegetable Soup.

...

First floor of the inn.

The inn wasn't big, with just a large hall and two levels of residents rooms, but it was bustling.

Especially during mealtime, the inn was always packed.

In the crowded hall, two square tables were put together in a corner against the wall. This was the circus troupe's table set up to welcome their new member.

Xia Zhou placed the delicious dishes in front of the respective members, and then placed a large plate of mashed potatoes, which served as the main course, in the middle. What he prepared for himself was a serving of Meat Sauce Noodles.

The Clown Siblings were seated on one side of the table.

They looked very alike, both with small eyes, big mouths and elongated faces.

They had exaggerated expressions and speech, automatically widened their eyes when they talked, and without makeup, they looked just like clowns. Their voices were sharp, their tone was exuberant, it was as if they had an inexhaustible energy.

Within the troupe, they differentiated the siblings by the color of their hair and scarves: a red scarf with short hair was the brother, and a green scarf with pigtails was the sister.

The moment the siblings saw the tender and juicy roast meat, they spontaneously shouted together:

"Welcome, welcome~ Our little guy, welcome to join us, haha, we've heard you've made us some roast meat, we can't wait!"

The Clown Siblings were sitting next to Snake Charmer Sneck, and across from them was the very muscular Strongman Bo Pai.

His butt was wider than the bench, there was only a small tuft of hair wrapped together atop his head, looking just like a dollop of freshly whipped cream.

His arms bulged with muscles, his brow was prominent, and his eyebrows were wide and long, almost connecting into a thick line.

On the far sides of the table were two figures sitting opposite each other: Audrey and a man with a grim bald head.

In front of Audrey was a fragrant Minced Meat Vegetable Soup, but in front of the bald man was a non-transparent leather wine bottle.

"Farns, this is Xia Zhou."

Audrey pulled the boy to her side, "This is Farns, the Fire-Breather of the circus."

"Nice to meet you, Farns." Xia Zhou looked flatly at the man who wanted to steal his money, the man just subtly nodded in return.

"Boss... What does Farns like to eat... Sneck didn't tell me."

"There's no need to prepare food for him." Audrey told the boy to sit down next to her.

Suppressing his confusion, Xia Zhou sat down amidst the cheers of his fellow members.

Across from him, Strongman Bo Pai picked up the pancake and started to bite, crumbs sprayed across the table. He murmured some unclear words, roughly praising the texture of the pancake, his voice sounding like it was coming out of a water tank.

His teeth were surprisingly strong, the hard and tough pancakes, when put in his mouth, were easily chewed into pieces like biscuits.

When the Clown Siblings ate, they would chew each piece of roast meat carefully in their mouths.

In the beginning, the two of them seemed to be enjoying their meal slowly, but as more pieces of roast meat entered their stomachs, they picked up speed and eventually even began grappling with each other.

"I'm the older brother, you should let me have it!"

"Ah! What nonsense! I'm the younger sister, you should let me have it!"

"Don't mind them, they're always like this." Audrey scooped up a spoonful of the minced meat soup, and let out a satisfied hum, "The meat is cooked well, Xia Zhou. You're very patient."

"Thank you for the compliment, boss."

As Xia Zhou coiled up his noodles with a fork, he discreetly cast the Detection Spell on the members of the circus.

...

[Character Name] Audrey

[Identity] Circus leader, Dagger Thrower

[Health] ??? (healthy)

[Strength] 7

[Agility] 7

[Stamina] 7

[Vitality] 2

[Perception] 8

[Will] 6

[Spirit] 2

[Charisma] 7

[Special Skills] ???

..

The attributes of the circus members are quite similar, with the majority focusing on strength and agility.

Strongman Bo Pai's strength is as high as 9 points, while the Agility of the Clown Siblings is over 8 points. Sneck and the lead woman have the highest senses, which are 7 points and 8 points, respectively.

Their stamina and willpower range from 5 to 7 points.

The attributes of charisma, spirit, and vitality are very low.

Except for the lead woman's charisma which is 7 points, the rest of these three attributes for others are only 1 to 3 points.

Xia Zhou looked across the table at Farns.

The baldheaded Fire-breather doesn't care about anything but his wine bottle. He is drinking and pouring his own drinks, seemingly inattentive to anything else around him.

...

[Character Name] Farns

[Identity] Fire-breather

[Health] ??? (Mildly poisoned, physical damage)

[Strength] 4

[Agility] 4

[Stamina] 4

[Vitality] 1

[Perception] 4

[Willpower] 7+2 (Added effect from drinking alcohol)

[Spirit] 3

[Charisma] 1

[Special Skills] ???

...

Farns's strength and agility combined is only about 10 points. His willpower is his highest attribute. Vitality is only 1 point... He is lacking in total attribute score compared to others.

...

After dinner, Sneck helps Xia Zhou clean up the plates, and they take them to the kitchen together.

"Sneck, why does Farns only drink and not eat anything?"

Xia Zhou finally voiced his doubt.

"That's because he's a Fire-breather, the one who performs fire-breathing stunts. Have you ever seen a circus show? They take a mouthful of a burnable potion, and then spit it onto a torch, and the flame bursts out instantly."

Sneck moves his hands around in front of him, mimicking the Fire Breather's movements.

"This is the most important, and the highest revenue-generating performance, Xia Zhou. The money he earns for the circus is more than any of us."

There was a hint of regret in Sneck's voice, "This is also the most dangerous act. Farns burned his throat and mouth during a fire-breathing practice. Although it doesn't affect the performance, he can't eat anything apart from liquid food anymore. Sometimes the pain torments him and he needs medication and low-strength alcohol to relief it. "

So it was like this, no wonder Farns had not spoken a word the whole time, it might probably hurt his throat every time he speaks, or perhaps his vocal cords have been burned as well.

"By the way, Xia Zhou. Let's do some work tonight. I'll teach you your tasks."

Sneck led the boy to the back courtyard of the inn.

Several carriages were parked on the empty ground here, and not far away is the stable where horses were kept with a dedicated pack horse looking after the place.

Among all the carriages, the circus's three connected carriages are the biggest and most conspicuous.

The carriage at the forefront is the residence of Audrey and the clown sister. They are responsible for controlling the pack horses, guiding the carriage forward, and also in charge of food and fresh water supplies.

The carriage at the back is Xia Zhou's future residence. He will live there with Strongman Bo Pai. It's where they keep the performance props and other miscellaneous items.

The carriage in the middle is very tall. There are several bundled up pointed-top tents on the roof of the carriage, and inside are wooden stakes and ropes.

This carriage is both the residence of the Clown brother, Sneck and Farns, and also the mobile box office of the circus, where they sell tickets to performances and some small gifts and toys.

"Xia Zhou, go into the carriage and open this shield from the inside."

Sneck patted the window of the middle carriage. It was covered with a whole piece of wood, unlike the other carriages that had a push-pull window board with a small lock.

"Is this right, Sneck?"

Xia Zhou lowered the wooden board from the inside out to a horizontal position, transforming the window into a ticket window. It felt like the ones from a mobile snack cart.

"That's right. Your height is just right. You can show your face perfectly. Now I don't have to half squat to sell the tickets. Ha ha ha."

Sneck lifted his beard and chuckled, pulling out a few copper coins and placing them on the ticket window.

"Two copper coins, and you can watch a dagger throwing performance, led by the lead woman. My snake dance performance also costs the same price. Five copper coins, you can watch the acrobatic performance by the Strongman and the Clown Siblings. Eight copper coins and you can watch Farns' fire-breathing performance."

Sneck tapped on the wooden board, "Now get me a ticket for each performance."

"Alright, alright, I'll get it for you."

Xia Zhou fumbled for a handful of small wooden pieces in the hanging bag on the carriage's wall. On them, corresponding performances were engraved.

"Very good, lad, you learn fast."

Sneck checked the tickets, the boy didn't get them wrong," Next, I'm going to teach you how to identify the performance props and some special tools."

The two came to the third carriage. It was packed with seesaws, a single bar, soft mats, and stilts.

In the farthest end there was a locked leather box.

After getting on the carriage, Sneck shut the carriage door, leaving only a small crack for light to shine into the interior of the carriage.

"This is the box where Farns prepares his fire-breathing potion. Be careful not to tip it over when you go to bed."

Sneck carefully pushed the box a little bit further, and lifted the carriage's floorboard. Underneath were the performance costumes. Just by looking at the size and colour, you could tell who they belonged to.

He pushed the pile of clothes to the sides and lifted the second floorboard. Underneath were several sets of leather armor and weapons wrapped in oilcloth.

Xia Zhou's eyes lit up! This circus definitely had something more to them.

"Shh, don't get too excited, lad."

Sneck lowered his voice, "I'm just telling you where you can find weapons for self-defense. You still can't handle these blades."

He picked up a scimitar, "This is my weapon. If there's anyone with bad intentions, you need to bring it to me immediately."

"Okay, I'll remember."

Xia Zhou stared at the sharp edge of the knife. He could feel a chill on his neck, and small hairs stood up on end.

"This broadsword and leather shield belong to Strongman Bo Pai. He has great strength and has killed many wild wolves with it."

"These two rapiers belonged to the Clown Siblings. The lead woman's throwing dagger is strapped to her leg." Sneck then closed the floorboard.

"What about Farns?" Xia Zhou blinked.

"He? Apart from fire-breathing, he can't do anything else. We'll handle the fighting. After you bring us the weapons and armor, you must hide yourself in this compartment in the floor."

Xia Zhou laid down in the layer of performance clothes, easily hiding himself inside there. He closed the floorboard but didn't feel suffocated.