Monster - Chapter 59
Chapter 59: I Can't Spoil Her Too Much
Aztec, Tower World.
Little Fool, who was in the middle of a hunt, suddenly sensed a spiritual fluctuation from the rabbit doll she carried with her. She immediately put down her bow and arrow, took the doll, and held it up to face her. "You stinky rabbit!" she yelled, a mix of anger and annoyance. "You actually slept for over two months this time before waking up! I hate you!"
Despite saying she hated it, she immediately clutched the rabbit doll to her chest, her face beaming with joy. She was almost nine years old now, her skin a healthy light brown. Her delicate features were painted with the blue and white oil paints of the Maple Bud Tribe. Her shoulder-length hair was tied back in a short braid, and she wore a headband woven from brightly colored grass cords. Tucked behind her left ear were two beautiful bird feathers.
Less than a month had passed for Lin Sandie since she entered this Tower World, but the flow of time in Aztec was different from Leviathan. One hour in Leviathan was roughly equivalent to one day here. So, in Little Fool's perception, the Little Rabbit had been by her side for nearly two years.
All of Lin Sandie's memories within Aztec instantly came flooding back. She looked at Little Fool, who to her had only been gone for two days, and couldn't help but smile and pinch her cheek.
"You've grown taller again, Little Fool." In her Spirit Separation state, Lin Sandie extended two hands from the black fog and embraced Little Fool. Although there was no physical sensation, just seeing Little Fool's smiling face was enough for her.
"I have~" Little Fool smiled and hugged the black fog back. Her smile was as warm and brilliant as the sun, instantly dispelling the gloom in Lin Sandie's heart. Lifting Little Fool up with one arm, Lin Sandie used her other hand to ruffle her hair—an easy task for her.
"Have you finished all your homework?" Lin Sandie asked, the same question she posed every time they reunited.
"I finished! I read all the books, and I even did a bunch of side quests. Look, Little Rabbit, I have 4,523 points now, more than you~" Little Fool immediately materialized her light screen, showing off her points to Lin Sandie.
"You're amazing. What do you want?" In her Spirit Separation state, only her hands could move, so Lin Sandie let the entire mass of black fog spread out and gently touch Little Fool's forehead.
"I want to eat food made by Little Rabbit. Auntie Flower Cow's cooking is awful!"
"You can't be so picky about others. It's impolite." Lin Sandie set Little Fool down. "Were you hunting just now? Do you have a target?"
"It's a big peccary, but I don't want to bother with it anymore. Little Rabbit, let's hurry back and eat." Little Fool grabbed the hand extending from the black fog and shook it pleadingly.
The peccary was a pig-like animal in Aztec. Their tusks curved downward, making for powerful weapons when they charged.
"It's rare for you to be tracking something. Let's hunt it down together first, and then I'll make you something delicious, okay?" Lin Sandie, who disliked leaving things half-done, suggested earnestly.
"You just got back and you're already telling me to go hunting…" Little Fool pouted, clearly reluctant.
Lin Sandie chuckled and ruffled her hair again. "But this is the fruit of your labor, isn't it?"
She began to reason with Little Fool in a very gentle tone. "If you give up now, wouldn't all the time you spent before be wasted?"
"It's okay if it's wasted." Little Fool was beginning to form her own opinions now, so she also tried to reason with Lin Sandie. "I want to spend that time preparing food instead."
"I believe that when you put in effort, you should get a reward. I put in the labor, so I must get the return I deserve. Don't you think that's how you avoid letting yourself down, how you show respect for yourself?"
"Is that like what you said before, about loving myself?"
"Something like that."
"Okay, then." Little Fool was persuaded.
Looking at Little Fool's adorable expression, Lin Sandie found herself liking this clever child even more. Although she didn't know what other children were like, this little savage from 500 years ago was truly a quick study. It was the same when she taught her lessons; it never took much effort on Lin Sandie's part.
It was just that her personality had some issues. She didn't know if it was innate or a product of the law of the jungle from her time as a wanderer.
Pinning the now-worn rabbit doll back onto her shoulder, Little Fool sensed the "Line" she had placed on the peccary. Carrying her compound bow, she ran in the direction of the "Line."
Lin Sandie promptly released her "Island" along the "Line." Her field of vision changed, and she saw a large peccary, weighing over a hundred pounds, rubbing against the bark of a large tree. It was covered in coarse, black bristles. Compared to a common domestic pig, its snout was much shorter, looking rough and tough.
Using the cover of the dense trees, the already experienced Little Fool found a good sniping position. She nocked an arrow, drew the bow, and aimed for the weak spot at the base of the peccary's ear. Lin Sandie said nothing, simply expanding her "Island" to its maximum range with their position as the center. She saw two smaller peccaries not far from the large one they were tracking. These animals were, by nature, social creatures.
The arrow flew from Little Fool's bow, sinking straight into the base of the large peccary's ear and piercing its brain.
The wounded peccary let out a harsh squeal and kicked its three-toed hind legs wildly, sending dust and debris flying from the forest floor covered in dead branches and rotten leaves. The two nearby peccaries were also startled. Snorting heavily, they charged in unison toward where Little Fool and Lin Sandie were.
Scampering up a tree like a little monkey, Little Fool remained calm. She drew another arrow, preparing to shoot the other peccary, but the frenzied animals were charging ferociously. Just as she had her arrow nocked, their hard, downward-pointing tusks slammed into the trunk of their tree.
The tree trunk shook a few times. Unable to keep her balance, Little Fool grabbed a thinner branch with one hand. With a flick and a twist, she put away her compound bow. She extended her other hand, and an invisible spear materialized within it.
"A little higher on the angle," Lin Sandie reminded her.
"Okay!" Little Fool hurled the invisible spear at the peccary that had backed up a few steps to charge again. The spear plunged straight into its neck. Soon, the other, uninjured peccary was grievously wounded in the same manner.
There was no need to do anything else. They just had to wait in the tree for the animals to die from blood loss and exhaustion.
"Little Rabbit, what are we having for lunch?" Little Fool asked excitedly, sitting on a tree branch and swinging her legs.
"You can have whatever you want." Lin Sandie surveyed their surroundings. "This seems far from the Maple Bud Tribe. Are you all alone?"
It was already autumn in Aztec, and the tribes had begun large-scale hunts to store food for the winter.
"The others just get in the way. I'm faster hunting by myself." Little Fool was quite disdainful of ordinary people who couldn't keep up with her.
Lin Sandie paused, feeling like she was facing another educational crisis. How was she supposed to teach a child who felt superior and was unwilling to socialize with others?
It was as if Little Fool were a rich person who looked down on the poor and refused to associate with them… Lin Sandie made a mental analogy. The best way to handle this situation would be to have her meet a child who was even "richer" than her, one who was also humble and low-key. A harsh reality check like that might make her behave.
But where could she find a "rich person" like that…
"Little Rabbit, you want to slap my face?" Little Fool, who had accidentally overheard Lin Sandie's thoughts, stared with wide, incredulous eyes.
"Not that kind of slap," Lin Sandie explained calmly, her mind still racing.
By normal standards, Little Fool was old enough for elementary school. But there were obviously no suitable schools here. It would be great if they could go to China or Europe. She would be more likely to meet "rich people" there, and Little Fool could get a better education.
During her "two years" here, Lin Sandie had learned a great deal about this Tower World through materials purchased from the online mall. It was a vast planet completely different from Leviathan, composed of many continents and numerous countries with different cultures and languages. In this era, most of the world's nations were feudal states, ruled by an emperor. China was currently in the mid-to-late Ming Dynasty, a period of transition from prosperity to decline, while Europe was embroiled in fierce religious wars, and colonialism was booming.
The more she learned, the more Lin Sandie felt that Leviathan was an irrational, distorted world. Leviathan seemed like a monster haphazardly pieced together, full of unreasonable rules, far less logical than the Tower World Little Fool was in now.
Of course, according to Pie, the Aztec Tower World also had many differences from the Main World, but Leviathan was truly like a bizarre, cobbled-together "monster."
In short, Lin Sandie had developed a strong desire to explore the Tower World she was currently in.
Lin Sandie wanted to see the sights of this world. She had even confirmed from the vast sea of information that her ethnicity likely belonged to the Huaxia of Central Asia in the Northern Hemisphere, and the pronunciation of her name was also one that a Huaxia person would use. Over these two years, Lin Sandie had read a great deal of information about China and had tirelessly studied the Chinese language and common European languages.
Normally, since she was burdened with missions from Pie, her actions should be dictated by those missions. But Lin Sandie discovered that most of Pie's missions had no deadline, which gave her other ideas.
First, Little Fool needed a more mature education. Second, she also wanted to go on an adventure, to meet different people and see different cultures. She didn't want to stay in Aztec forever.
"Little Fool, we've been here for a long time. Should we continue the main quest? Shall we go to the White Bear Tribe first?" Lin Sandie asked. Once the main quest was complete, she would see if there was a chance to take her away from Aztec to see the wider world.
"Okay! I want to go! I've wanted to leave for a long time!" Little Fool raised both her hands and feet in agreement.
"But I'll still fall into a deep sleep for long periods of time. Will you be okay on your own?"
"I'm super strong! No problem at all," Little Fool said eagerly, anxious to leave the tribe she had long grown tired of.
"Uh…" Lin Sandie subconsciously pulled her into an embrace to prevent her from falling out of the tree in her excitement. Little Fool's attitude worried her. "Little Fool, besides doing the missions Pie gave us, I want to go see other places."
"Where? I want to go!!"
"Listen to me first. Do you remember the book I showed you, The Sapphire?"
"I remember. Are we going on an adventure, Little Rabbit?" Little Fool's cleverness always surprised Lin Sandie.
"Yes, which means we'll encounter a lot of danger. We could die." Lin Sandie tried to make Little Fool take the idea of adventure seriously.
"I don't like death."
"I don't like it either," Lin Sandie's tone grew more solemn and serious. "So our attitude should be more proper and serious…"
"But I want to go on an adventure with Little Rabbit!" Before Lin Sandie could finish, Little Fool had already thrown herself onto the black fog, laughing heartily.
It seemed she understood perfectly what Lin Sandie was trying to say, what she was trying to emphasize, yet she didn't have the slightest bit of fear.
Lin Sandie was utterly defeated.
"…I'll just have to teach her slowly. I can't spoil her too much," Lin Sandie consoled herself. She felt that perhaps Little Fool had become too reliant on her since they'd been together and hadn't suffered any real setbacks, which fostered her fearless personality.
"Although I think Little Fool would be better suited for China—after all, many countries in this era have severe racial discrimination, and the skin tone of the Chinese is closer to hers—crossing the Pacific to get there is too risky. So if we really are to leave Aztec, we'll have to go east. The route to Europe is relatively safer, but even so, we'd still have to spend two to three months at sea…"
"Or maybe bring a couple of adults along?" Lin Sandie considered a different approach. She thought that if she asked around the Maple Bud Tribe, she might not necessarily be turned down by everyone.
"Little Rabbit~~" Seeing that Lin Sandie was ignoring her, Little Fool shook the arm that was holding her.
"Have you decided what you want to eat?" After experiencing so much in reality, her time in Aztec was a rare chance to relax, so Lin Sandie was in a very good mood.
Just seeing Little Fool's innocent, brilliant smile made the whole world feel full of sunshine and hope.
"Sweet and spicy roasted meat!"
"Did you eat your vegetables properly while I was asleep?"
"Yes, I did," Little Fool answered, though not with complete conviction.
"Forget it. I'll make sure you eat them from now on. For today, I'll make you your favorite." Without needing to look, her "Island" told her that the three peccaries below the tree had lost too much blood and were too weak to charge the tree again. Lin Sandie wrapped an arm around Little Fool and lifted her down from the tree.
The moment her feet touched the ground, Little Fool deftly drew a knife and began processing the peccaries. Lin Sandie watched as the young girl performed these tasks without batting an eye. She thought about the many things Lou had told her about Sentinels and Guides and felt that many of the related regulations didn't apply to her and Little Fool.
Although she was reluctant to think too much about the future in Aztec, Lin Sandie had always had a premonition that she couldn't stay by Little Fool's side forever, nor could she always be her Guide. Not to mention, in Aztec, she was just a rabbit doll; it was impossible to establish a normal Sentinel-Guide relationship with Little Fool.
"It's a pity I lose my memories of this place as soon as I wake up. Otherwise, I could ask Lou what to do in a situation like this, what happens to the Sentinel in the end…"
"Little Rabbit! Come help!" Little Fool's shout interrupted Lin Sandie's thoughts. She took a small knife from her Space Bag and began to skin one of the smaller peccaries with Little Fool.
"This meat is probably quite tough. It might not be suitable for roasting," Lin Sandie commented as she worked, now completely accustomed to dissecting wild animals.
"I can eat it. I brush my teeth every day!" Little Fool opened her mouth, revealing a set of pearly white teeth, with two very cute little canine teeth on the top row.
Lin Sandie was amused by her and praised her in a gentle voice, "Well, aren't you impressive."
Whenever Little Fool behaved well, Lin Sandie never hesitated with her praise. This had nurtured the girl's confident, cheerful, and lively personality. And Lin Sandie did indeed prefer children like this. Compared to quiet, well-behaved children, she preferred this free-spirited, unrestrained type, like a little sun.
This was probably a case of liking what you lack… but that didn't apply to adults. Lin Sandie thought of Lou, who always managed to infuriate her.
After all, Little Fool was the way she was because she had raised her. That annoying Lou's personality problems were innate.
"That's right, I am impressive," Little Fool replied smugly to Lin Sandie's praise.
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