I Forged the Myth of the Ancient Overlords-Chapter 67 - 066. I didnt threaten them (Vote for more s
Chapter 67: 066. I didn’t threaten them (Vote for more chapters at dawn!)_1
Chapter 67: 066. I didn’t threaten them (Vote for more chapters at dawn!)_1
Once he had pried open the door, Lu Ban saw two people standing inside, a man and a woman, both dressed in simple cloth garments, their expressions numb. From the moment Lu Ban entered, their gaze had been warily fixed on him.
“Hello, I’d like to ask how to get to Dried Water Town?”
Lu Ban quickly scanned the room. Despite it being the largest house in the village, it still seemed cramped. Other than a wooden plank bed, a table, two chairs, a kitchen counter, and a cabinet, there wasn’t much else of note.
“Dried Water Town… that way, just follow the road straight ahead.”
The man’s face was overcast as he replied, a mix of fear and anger in his demeanor as he pointed out the road.
“I get the feeling you’re not too welcoming to us. Is it because we want to go to Dried Water Town?”
Lu Ban pressed on with another question as he moved closer to the kitchen counter to inspect the items on top.
Dried fish, flour, rice, and the like.
“Dried Water Town is not… auspicious…”
The man hesitated before speaking, noticing Lu Ban picking up a salted fish hanging in front of the kitchen counter.
“I’m a bit hungry now. Could I have some of your salted fish? I see you’ve got quite a lot hanging here. This kind of fish doesn’t keep well for too long. If I don’t eat it now, it might spoil later and cause stomach troubles. How about this: since I’ve come here, we could say we have a certain fate. Why don’t I help you out by taking some of it off your hands? It can count as a good deed.”
Saying that, Lu Ban took three strips of the salted fish and effortlessly stuffed them into his bag.
“…”
The man glanced at the crowbar in Lu Ban’s hand and held back his words.
“These garlic bulbs are sprouting because they haven’t been eaten, and the green onions won’t last long either. And the salt, with all the fog lately, it’s gotten damp. For your health’s sake, let me solve these issues for you.”
Lu Ban casually helped himself to some garlic and green onions, seaweed, grabbed a handful of salt, and finally scooped up some rice.
“By the way, do you know about the Black Queen Mother?”
As he skillfully packed the food items into his bag, he casually dropped the question.
Hearing this term, the faces of both the man and the woman finally showed a change, from their numb apathy to sudden panic, fear, and reverence.
“Dare not know, dare not know…”
The man muttered under his breath, taking a few steps back.
“Dare not know? So you do know then?”
Lu Ban took two steps forward.
“Don’t know, don’t know…”
The woman covered her ears as if the mere mention of the word could cause her harm.
“Do you know about the Hai Family? I heard that strange noises come from their yard at night?”
Lu Ban closed in step by step.
“The Hai Family, the Hai Family are messengers of the gods, dare not know, dare not know…”
The man spoke with veneration.
“It looks like it does have a deep impact.”
Lu Ban murmured to himself.
Since he had already taken the salted fish, he didn’t make things any harder for the man. He left the house and thoughtfully closed the door behind them.
“Did you find anything?”
Cui Siter was unaware of what had happened inside the house and asked.
“The salted fish is pretty good.”
Lu Ban placed the three pieces of salted fish onto the wagon before climbing aboard.
“Did you steal those from somebody’s home?”
Cui Siter glanced at the three pieces of salted fish.
“No, I took them. I didn’t threaten them. If you don’t believe me, you can ask them yourself.”
Lu Ban explained.
“… You really plan to eat that?”
As he set the carriage in motion, Cui Siter asked in bewilderment.
In the Silent Lands, he generally tried his best to avoid eating the local food. On one hand, to prevent any indigestible substances in the food, and on the other, the taste of most local food was hard to describe in words.
“Right, what else would I be doing with these if not, your questions are really strange.”
Lu Ban answered as if it was the most natural thing to do, then glanced back at the village that was receding behind them.
“The people here definitely know about the Black Queen Mother, and there must indeed be something odd about the Hai Family, but they dare not speak of it, probably because the Hai Family controls this area.”
“That makes the task a bit difficult,”
Cui Siter thought.
The task was to survive until the wedding was over and to witness it, which meant that hiding outside of Dried Water Town until the deadline was not an option. Being in the midst of the wedding, surrounded by the townspeople, could be trouble if something went awry, as he’d be outnumbered.
“Are you not going to eat?”
Lu Ban pointed to the dried salted fish beside him.
“I will not eat…”
Cui Siter was embarrassed.
“Then I’ll eat it myself.”
He took out a camping grill, some charcoal, a pot, and mineral water from his bag.
The grill was designed to be suspended, so it could be placed directly on the wagon. After lighting the Fire, Lu Ban heated the pot and poured oil into it.
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He threw the diced dried salted fish into the hot oil to fry, and soon, a fragrant aroma began to spread.
The villagers’ dried fish was not completely dried out, retaining a bit of its fresh taste which, when heated at high temperatures, immediately released a distinct seafood aroma.
He then added scallions and garlic to sauté, followed by water.
Finally, he added rice and sliced kelp, covered the pot, and waited.
“…You seem pretty skilled at this?”
Cui Siter watched Lu Ban with a curious look.
If it were his first time in the Silent Lands, that would be one thing, but to arrive in the [Corrosion] level of the Foreign Domain, one must be a veteran with at least two missions under their belt. So why did Lu Ban not bring various survival tools but instead had a complete set of cooking utensils?
“Just so-so.”
As Lu Ban waited, he noticed the trees around them thinning out, the night breeze began to pick up in bursts, the air’s humidity increased, and the scent of the sea grew more intense.
He could even faintly hear the sound of the waves.
The sea breeze rustled the leaves, making a rustling noise that seemed eerily out of place on the open, quiet road.
Gurgle gurgle—
Lu Ban’s pot started to bubble, and he lifted the lid.
The rice had cooked into porridge, mingling with the salted fish and kelp, it looked like primitive food with no aesthetics but had a rich aroma. The salty and fresh scent penetrated the nose, making even Cui Siter involuntarily swallow.
Lu Ban scooped up a bit of the porridge with some salted fish and kelp and took a bite.
The dried-out flavor, locked in by the dehydration, was released by the heat and mixed with the rice, resulting in an extraordinary texture. The fish was tender, the kelp was crisp, and the rice was soft and mushy; all enhanced with the spicy flavor of scallions and garlic, they melded into a warm bowl of porridge.
“This is actually pretty good.”
As long as the ingredients are good, even a haphazard stew can be delicious.
Lu Ban slurped the porridge heartily and gnawed on the salted fish. Watching this scene, Cui Siter was somewhat torn.
“Are you sure you don’t want some?”
Noticing his indecision, Lu Ban pulled out a spare bowl.
“I’ll just have a little bit, just a little,”
Cui Siter felt like he was being led astray by this man.
However, when he picked up the bowl and took a sip of the salted fish porridge, letting the taste of the sea infuse his taste buds, Cui Siter thought it wasn’t so bad to indulge in some food.
Just after he had devoured the salted fish porridge and set down his bowl, he saw the scene in front of him suddenly clear, the trees vanished, and the shadows of buildings stretched across under the veil of night.
They had arrived at Dried Water Town.
*
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