Chapter 177: Wendy in Danger

Chapter 177: Chapter 177: Wendy in Danger

The conspicuous Golden Dragon left a sour taste in his mouth, but there was nothing he could do about it.

Just then, hurried footsteps approached. Seeing someone nearing the shooting range, Tyler’s eyes narrowed. He immediately blocked Lam, who was trying to enter. "Outsiders aren’t allowed in here."

Seeing the solemn expression on Tyler’s face, Lam dropped his playful grin. "Tyler, I have something very important to discuss with Ophelia."

"What is it?" Ophelia lifted the beast skin curtain and stepped out.

Lam’s eyes lit up. Like presenting a rare treasure, he pulled a piece of yellow fabric from his woven basket. When Ophelia saw the fabric, her eyes instantly went wide. She stepped forward and gently brushed it with her fingers. "Is this woven from silk?"

The soft silk felt much more comfortable to the touch than coarse linen.

"Yes."

"I found this over in Water Town. They have a kind of bug there that spins white silk.

"Someone discovered that the silk could actually be made into clothes. It’s exceptionally comfortable and breathable to wear, so it’s very popular over there.

"Just this single piece of fabric costs a Cyan Crystal Stone," Lam said, playing his own little angle as he made sure to state the fabric’s value.

Ophelia naturally saw through him and shot him a mild glance. "Don’t worry, I won’t let you lose out.

"Did you happen to see the bugs themselves?"

Lam blinked. "I secretly brought back a bag of eggs. I’m not sure if we can raise them, though." He solemnly pulled out a small Beast Skin Bag tucked inside his shirt.

Ophelia opened the bag. Seeing the sesame-sized eggs inside, she was thrilled.

"Yes, these are silkworm eggs!

"Lam, you’ve really done me a massive favor," Ophelia said, so overjoyed that she threw her arms around him in a hug.

Beside them, Tyler and Klein both coughed loudly in warning. Meeting their chilling glares, Lam quickly backed out of Ophelia’s embrace.

"I didn’t do much, really, but about that reward..."

Ophelia waved her hand dismissively. "You don’t have to hand over the medicinal herbs you traded for on this trip. Keep them as your reward."

Lam beamed with joy. "You should’ve said so earlier! From now on, whenever I run into anything rare, I’ll bring it right back to you." He hadn’t expected a simple bag of bug eggs to net him such a massive reward. He was beyond thrilled.

Eggs in hand, Ophelia happily returned to her stone house. Left behind, Tyler and Klein exchanged an amused smile.

Back inside, she entered her spatial dimension and searched the livestock page of the System Mall. However, she couldn’t find silkworm eggs anywhere—which meant the system simply didn’t sell them. This puzzled Ophelia a bit, but she didn’t have time to dwell on it.

Once she calmed down, she began flipping through her Skill Book to learn how to raise silkworms and weave silk. Raising silkworms was actually quite simple; they just needed to be fed fresh, clean mulberry leaves every day. However, silkworms were rather delicate. Every single leaf had to be wiped perfectly clean, or the bugs would just drop dead on the spot.

As for weaving the silk itself, the technique was largely the same as weaving linen. The only difference was that the cocoons had to be softened in boiling water first to extract the silk threads, making the preparation process far more tedious and meticulous. Wasting no time, Ophelia summoned Tyler to help her weave rattan trays to serve as hatching beds and nests for the silkworms.

Lam truly had a clever head on his shoulders. Not only had he brought back the eggs, but he’d also snagged a few of the mulberry leaves they fed on. Ophelia gathered the elderly males of the tribe and had them memorize the scent of the leaves before sending them into the mountains to forage for more. Fortunately, the forest surrounding Ten Thousand Beasts City was vast enough that they actually managed to locate dozens of mulberry trees.

Back in the stone house, Ophelia began incubating the eggs. Looking at the small clump of eggs, she hadn’t expected a single batch to hatch nearly two hundred silkworms. Watching the tiny creatures wriggling and squirming in the rattan trays, Ophelia shuddered, feeling her trypophobia acting up.

Seeing her distress, little Lobak volunteered to take over the job of raising them. Having settled in over the recent period, Lobak was gradually growing bolder. He wanted to do whatever he could to repay Ophelia and the others for their kindness. Seeing him act so cautious and timid only made Ophelia’s heart ache for him more. She constantly reminded Wendy to include Lobak in her playtime. After all, he was still just a child and didn’t need to act like a little adult all the time.

One day, Lobak was using a clean beast skin cloth to carefully wipe the dust off some mulberry leaves when Wendy blew in from outside like a little whirlwind.

"Lobak, come out and play with me!" Wendy pleaded, gazing at him with big, watery eyes. Her beautiful eyes were so expressive they practically spoke. After spending so much time together, Lobak could generally read what those eyes were saying.

He gently pushed her away. "Princess, I still have to feed the baby silkworms. I can’t go out and play right now."

Rejected, Wendy’s eyes immediately welled up with tears. She pressed her lips tightly together, looking the very picture of pitiful innocence. Lobak’s heart instantly melted. Lately, whenever he turned her down, she would deploy this exact tactic, practically forcing his compliance.

He sighed, walked over to the nearby water vat to wash his hands, and scooped Wendy up in his arms. Pointing with her chubby little finger and babbling happily, Wendy directed Lobak all the way to the stream.

She was right at the age where children loved playing in the water. The moment they reached the bank, Wendy kicked off her shoes and splashed right in. Acting like a diligent nanny, Lobak neatly arranged her little straw sandals under a tree and kept his eyes glued to her.

She hadn’t been playing long before she let out a sneeze.

"Princess, you’re catching a chill. Let’s head back quickly."

Lobak waded into the water to scoop her up, but she stubbornly refused. Deploying her pitiful look once again, she forced him to yield. He rubbed the top of her fluffy head and said softly, "Okay, then wait here by the stream. I’ll go grab you some extra clothes."

Her eyes bright and shiny, Wendy nodded and obediently sat down on the bank.

Lobak kept looking back over his shoulder as he jogged toward the stone house. Seeing her sitting there so well-behaved, his anxious heart gradually settled. But Wendy wasn’t the type to sit still. The moment Lobak was out of sight, she toddled on her short legs right back into the stream. She happily scooped up handfuls of water, splashing them playfully into the air. The cool water washed away the day’s heat, and she let out a series of delighted giggles.

From behind a nearby tree, Hu Ya watched this scene play out, his eyes practically dripping with hatred.

"Wendy, you killed my father and mother. I’m going to make you pay with your life," he thought viciously.

While Wendy was busy splashing about, she suddenly heard the tender voice of a young male beastman. She turned around and saw a gaunt, nearly unrecognizable Hu Ya standing on the bank, glaring intently at her.

"What? Are you scared now too?"

Hu Ya began wading into the stream. Wendy tried to scramble up onto the bank, but he ruthlessly blocked her path. Forced backward, she had no choice but to retreat toward the center of the stream. The water grew deeper and deeper until it submerged her stomach. Losing her footing, she plunged beneath the surface. She didn’t know how to swim. Thrashing her arms wildly, she let out frantic, bubbling cries for help.

Watching her sinking body, a twisted sense of satisfaction blossomed in Hu Ya’s chest. He watched for a moment longer, and once Wendy stopped moving entirely, he turned and left.

As he left, he crossed paths with Lobak, who was hurrying back with a set of clothes. Hu Ya shot him a vicious glare and quickly walked away.