A masked As divided the cooked fried rice into two portions and placed them on the counter. He took out a croissant from the cupboard.
Yu Xiaoxiao asked, "You don't eat egg fried rice?"
"No, I don't," answered As.
Vivian eagerly picked up a spoon. She scooped up a large spoonful and stuffed it into her mouth. As she chewed, a puzzled look appeared on her face, "Sister, this tastes different from the last time I had it."
Her round eyes were almost squeezed into narrow slits, her features wrinkled into a ball.
"Different?" Yu Xiaoxiao looked at the one in front of her, took a bite, and the strong sourness of the vinegar spread through her mouth.
She drank a big mouthful of water and turned to look at the people eating croissants with their backs to them.
"As, you used the wrong seasoning."
As remained silent.
Vivian held a small spoon and continued to eat. It tasted sour, but she still wanted to finish all the food in front of her, because her brother said that wasting food was shameful.
Yu Xiaoxiao silently put down the spoon in her hand, thinking to herself, did he intentionally add vinegar because of the conversation she and Vivian had just now?
After finishing eating, Vivian didn't forget to say, "Remember, sister, you owe me a hundred tasting coupons!"
"Don't worry, I won't forget."
The green goblin finished all the fried rice on the plate. It happily ran outside and bumped into the slime squatting in front of the flowerbed.
It said, "Marble trees are the hardest to bloom."
"Stupid, marble trees don't bloom. They will grow very tall one day, just like this house."
"Really?" Vivian squatted down next to the slime. The two small creatures stared at the stones in the flowerbed together.
Yu Xiaoxiao prepared Vivian's snack platter. She put it in a takeout box and walked out of the small restaurant, handing the gift bag to Vivian.
"It's late, are you sure it's safe to go back?"
"It's fine," Vivian said as she took the small bag, her round eyes wide open, "It's very bright near my house. Sister, if you have a chance, you must come as a guest. I will prepare lots of snacks."
...
Vivian took the train and left. The slime remained by the flowerbed, sticking to it softly and fell asleep. Yu Xiaoxiao was also very tired. She left the underground city, took a bath after returning to her bedroom, and collapsed on the bed. She had dreamt about the Marble City again, and wondered if it was because she had been to the auction during the day. She dreamed of tall electrical buildings, winding stone steps, and red petals dancing in the wind. She also saw the residents gathered in front of the auction house, with young women passing by with a bamboo basket, their fluffy skirts fluttering in the wind. There was also a distant and unreachable tower. It seemed to have been there for a very long time, as if it had been waiting for something. The dark and mottled surface made everyone nearby shiver. She slept until dawn.
After As came to the hotel, the rule of two meals a day was completely broken. Yu Xiaoxiao spent most of the time on construction, occasionally teaching him how to cook. Yesterday, she had already asked As for leave, stating that she would be taking an exam at school this morning. She had spent most of this semester working.
The classmates around me are not very familiar.
Mother's illness is like a bottomless pit, and relatives and friends have long avoided it. After the exam, she returned home for the first time and went to the underground city.
[The Ine system is starting up]
[The current construction progress of the low-rise buildings is 41/100]
[Areas to be corrected—reception hall, library, lord’s palace]
[Suggest refurbishing the reception hall, which will be helpful for the establishment of the public country]
The voice, usually indistinguishable between male and female, rarely appears. It only gives some advice when Yu Xiaoxiao queries.
Yu Xiaoxiao said softly, "Okay, let's restore these relics first."
She pointed to the construction page and included the "reception hall" and "library" in the project.
The gray dwarfs quickly took on the task.
These two projects are for partial refurbishment, and will be completed in a short time, within a day.
Except for the Third Prince's palace, which cannot be touched, Yu Xiaoxiao can decide on the other places.
The remaining time, she sat in a small restaurant, devouring books.
She also needs to continue her studies, at least to ensure that she doesn't fail any subjects.
Around 8 o'clock in the evening, the Ine reminded her that the reception hall and the library had been renovated.
"Let's go take a look." Yu Xiaoxiao walked out.
She took the train and arrived at the door of the reception hall. She had been here once before and the house was dirty and messy, with no one cleaning it.
This time, she could see the lights on the side.
Pushing the door open, she entered the solemn and solemn hall, with the wall lights shining brightly, with a bright tone mixed with a hint of tranquility.
The reception hall is not large, with a red carpet laid all the way to the end.
The lord's seat can be seen high up, and after the cleaning by the gray dwarfs, the golden throne shone brightly.
Below, there are several carefully carved reception chairs.
Yu Xiaoxiao reached out and touched them, they were of high quality, each chair was wiped clean.
Thinking that this place would also welcome foreign guests in the future, a faint smile appeared on her face. She took a few steps back and looked at the throne high up.
What would it be like to sit on it?
She had never seen it before.
She actually felt a sense of anticipation.
In the empty hall, she was the only one standing. Suddenly, all the wall lights went out.
The door behind the girl closed instantly.
Her black long hair was blown by the wind, covering her eyes.
It was very strange.
When she returned to the darkness, she didn't panic. In fact, she was calmer than at any other time.
"Ine," she spoke, "tell me, what is it?"
"Master, behind the throne, there is a life form sealed in the reception hall," Ine's voice was cold, but reliable, "they can't hurt you."
The reception hall was very dark.
There was no light, and Yu Xiaoxiao couldn't see anything.
She was silent for a few seconds, and asked, "So why did they summon me?"
The girl could hear the call from the depths of the darkness.
A call with no sound.
But she chose to stand still. It's strange that she could just stand there, unaffected.
Something flew from behind.
She turned her head and saw red phosphorescence, shiny and crystal clear.
A red fairy appeared in her sight.
Unlike the two she had encountered before, this red fairy was very friendly.
It fluttered its wings and landed on Yu Xiaoxiao's shoulder.
"Is it you, the steward, who refurbished the reception hall?"
"Yes, it's me."
"Let's be the guardian spirits of the reception hall! We will clean it diligently every day, leaving no corner neglected—"
The wall lights in the reception hall lit up again.
The call in the darkness also disappeared.
Yu Xiaoxiao stared blankly at the empty throne, behind which, there were actually other sealed lives?
However, the red sprite in front of her did surprise her.
When Yu Xiaoxiao looked at it, her eyes softened.
"How many people?" she asked.
"Five!" the red sprite sat on her shoulder, earnestly counting on her fingers, "Dad, Mom, big brother, little brother, and me."
Yu Xiaoxiao called up the hiring page of the Enneng System.
It is divided into three main sections: "Legion Employment", "Temporary Assistance", and "Long-term Labor".
Both the red sprite and the gray dwarf belong to long-term labor.
She called up the contract page and signed an agreement with the red sprite in front of her.
It happily circled around Yu Xiaoxiao three times, saying, "Thank you, Chief Minister."
"Thank you for letting us stay in the dungeon."
"Do you know..." Yu Xiaoxiao thought for a moment, saying, "Lolo?"
The red sprite tilted its head and replied:
"Know him. We all live beneath the lighthouse,"
"Recently it doesn't know where it went, and brought back a small piece of custard cake every day."
"Weird, the restaurants in the capital clearly don't accept red sprites."
"Why not?"
"Probably, those guys up there think we are evil creatures," the red sprite shrugged.
It was much livelier than the two elves, and before leaving, it blew a flying kiss to Yu Xiaoxiao: "Chief Minister, I'm leaving, I have to tell my family about this."
"If you meet Lolo and its companions, please persuade them for me."
"Huh?"
"How can a small restaurant open without a guardian spirit?" Yu Xiaoxiao smiled.
After the red sprite left, the reception room became quiet again.
Yu Xiaoxiao walked back.
She came to the side of the door, and looked back at the throne high up once more.
She closed the door.
"Victor."
On the way back to the restaurant, she met a slime pushing a small cart to the dwarf house area.
Yu Xiaoxiao stopped it: "Do you know about the sealed life in the reception room?"
The green, soft, and sticky slime shook its head, sitting on the small cart, holding a flowerpot made of clay.
"Miss Xiaoxiao, I've only been in the dungeon for five years, and I haven't heard of such a thing."
It suggested, "Why don't you ask the owner, he might know something."
Yu Xiaoxiao returned to the restaurant, and As was eating.
His mask lay on the side of the table, and the black runes on his face had faded a bit. Looking up, his crimson eyes stared at the approaching girl. He picked up the plate in front of him and turned his body to the side.
"..."
Yu Xiaoxiao stopped three steps away from the table.
She looked at the person eating in front of her and asked, "In the dungeon, are there still other sealed lives?"
As remained silent.
Yu Xiaoxiao asked again, "Do you usually hear a calling? Especially when passing through the reception room?"
As focused on his meal.
Still not saying a word.
He leaned his body, legs crossed on the sofa, and Yu Xiaoxiao couldn't see his face directly.
She could only see the smooth lines of his chin from the side, his pale face, and the forbidden black runes that made his whole body exude a touch of gloom.
But he sat there, possibly because Yu Xiaoxiao had been watching him, As simply pulled on his hood to cover his short white hair, and turned his body even further back.
Almost turning his back to her.
His tail, bound with bandages, hung there, unmoving.
His current appearance, seemed to be sulking?
Yu Xiaoxiao slowly recalled. She went to school this morning and reviewed her homework at the small restaurant in the afternoon, without seeing As.
The last interaction was still last night...
Could it be because of the matter with Vivian?
She spoke: "Vivian is just a child, don't take its words to heart. And I think, you're not ugly at all."
That's the truth.
When she first saw him, Yuxiaoxiao did feel fear in her heart.
But now, she feels more and more that As is actually...
not ugly at all.