The Consequences Of Being A Tyrant Chapter 8
byChapter 8 Cleaning! Danger? Mr. Caretaker?
An Qiao: “Huh?”
What was that?
Did he really not mishear? Their King actually spoke a sentence longer than a single word. An Qiao froze, raising his head in surprise, only to snap back to reality when his gaze met those cold, indifferent eyes. He immediately knelt down, his legs trembling, and pulled out the prepared seal from his pocket.
Although their King had barely concerned himself with any policies or public welfare over the past century, having him stamp something was merely a sign of approval. But now, it seemed their King had changed his mind? Was he preparing to personally govern this vast Empire? Stamping is good, stamping is good.
An Qiao proudly pulled the bright red seal from his pocket and demonstrated the operation method for their King.
Yanyan glanced at it, still finding the mud-like object somewhat distasteful.
However, he was very interested in the Pet medical treatment that this person kept mentioning.
Thinking of the little creature soundly asleep in The Palace, Yanyan curled his tail, lightly touched the mud seal, and then slapped it onto the pristine white paper with a crisp sound.
A scaled pattern was thus prominently displayed on the paper.
An Qiao: “…”
Yanyan: “Anything else?”
An Qiao: “No, no more.”
He automatically translated that as “get lost if there’s nothing else.”
Just as he was celebrating that his life had been spared and preparing to smoothly roll out of their King’s sight, he once again felt those eyes locking onto him from above.
An Qiao: “…”
Wuwuwu, did their King say so much just to let him leave his last words?
“Don’t come to the forest outside. Loud.”
An Qiao: “Huh?”
“Hmm?”
An Qiao’s hair stood on end. “Yes, yes, yes, yes!”
“I’ll tell them right away.”
Only then did Yanyan withdraw his gaze and slowly drift back up to The Palace.
Since the King had spoken, it seemed they couldn’t enter the forest to look for the little Pet. An Qiao sighed, yet still held onto a sliver of hope. On the way back, he constantly bent over and peered around, speaking in a high-pitched voice: “Little darling, where are you?”
“How about I take you to the Research Institute to treat your wounds?”
“And there’s very delicious food there, you know.”
“Guaranteed to make you plump and healthy.”
Just like his Rongrong.
He remembered seeing Rongrong whine and fuss at the sight of the little figure running away on the screen when he checked the Opticomp last night. His heart nearly melted. His little Pet finally found a friend, so why did it run into the Tyrant’s territory?
Darling, this is no place to stay.
He didn’t know whose little Pet ran away. The reward he posted on the Opticomp for finding the Pet hadn’t been claimed, otherwise An Qiao would point at the irresponsible owner and start cursing immediately.
Then he could use the abandonment policy to directly find a new owner for this little Pet. For example, his cold-faced doctor friend Duan Mingyue would be excellent—respectable status, good looks—and then he could visit often.
He constantly grumbled internally about the little Pet’s owner who hadn’t shown up, while simultaneously peering into the gaps between the grass and trees.
“Little darling?”
“Where are you?”
“Little darling! —”
The next second, a violent scream erupted from his mouth, and his body flew out of the forest like a shooting star.
Yanyan opened his eyes and flicked his tail.
Too loud.
This was Lin Yu’s best sleep since arriving here. He didn’t have to wake up in the cold night, had a soft mattress and blanket, and didn’t go to sleep hungry. He slept soundly until dawn.
During the long night, he didn’t even have a single dream, so much so that the moment he woke up, he felt like he had been resurrected.
Lin Yu buried his face in the long, fluffy blanket, rubbing it gently. He decided that today he would go find his unseen owner and properly discuss his care guide.
Anyway, those people would definitely send him to the Research Institute, so here, he could gamble that the mysterious ghost gentleman held no malice towards him.
Heaven and Earth could attest, he was truly a good person.
Do no evil, fear no ghost knocking—this lifelong maxim gave Lin Yu a little more confidence.
He recalled the national flag fluttering on his ID card.
Suddenly, he wasn’t afraid anymore.
At worst, he would just die.
No sooner said than done.
Lin Yu flipped back the blanket and began preparing for a brand new day of activities.
He first glanced at the dining table, which was empty, only the packaging he had used last night remained.
According to the care manual, shouldn’t he see delicious food the moment he opened his eyes?
Lin Yu pondered for a moment. Was this a novice caretaker?
That made sense. If he really was a ghost, he probably wouldn’t have much experience.
No matter how he changed his angle, he couldn’t see a trace of food. Lin Yu reluctantly gave up and decided to implement Plan B: cleaning his body.
First, he needed to find a suitable container to take a bath. He had never gone this long without bathing. Last night’s cake was mostly digested in his stomach, but perhaps his ability to endure hunger had improved. Lin Yu felt he could take a bath before foraging.
He wouldn’t faint from low blood sugar.
He climbed off the mattress full of energy and approached the first door, aggressively preparing to push it open and go find some dew in the forest.
One second, two seconds…
The motionless door seemed to mock his naivety and weakness.
Lin Yu: “??”
He put his hands on his hips and recalled his actions earlier. It seemed the door only slowly opened when he was about to give up.
Did this door require specific conditions?
But looking through all the fairy tales, he hadn’t heard of such strange conditions.
Lin Yu tried again, this time using much more force. A dull friction sound rang out, and the door opened slowly, just like last time.
Lin Yu didn’t even need to continue exerting force.
Lin Yu: “??”
This was ridiculous.
Above his head, invisible to his naked eye, a pale blue phantom tail slowly dissipated, turning into specks of light that scattered over him.
Yanyan yawned lazily, watching the little person below hopping around, busy with something unknown.
Loud.
And too weak, unable to even push open a door.
He looked like he was about to cry.
He dismissed the idea of sleeping and prepared to honestly observe the other party’s actions, lest the other party accidentally kill himself.
Lin Yu didn’t know he had an accompanying guardian. The sunlight after pushing open the first door was still brilliant, warm, and scorching, enough to sweep away all gloom.
This was a very good day.
Lin Yu routinely made himself a simplified pair of grass shoes and began his exploration.
In the forest, the heat from the sun was much lower. The temperature difference between day and night caused many leaves to still have dew drops clinging to them. He needed a fair amount of water for bathing. Lin Yu first found a large, gnarled tree root, then picked up a broad leaf of suitable hardness. He folded it in half, then folded the sides inward one last time, completing a simplified small spoon.
With a collection tool, he didn’t have to repeatedly use his hands to carry water droplets.
During this time, he also discovered a blue-purple berry on the ground, its roots clinging to rocks. Some had already been pecked clean by birds, and those that were ripe and fell to the ground were shared by ants and other insects, so Lin Yu tentatively judged them to be edible.
He made a mark, planning to see if he should pick some to take back after collecting the water droplets.
One berry was about half the size of his fist.
He would taste a little first. Even if he died, he wanted to die clean.
He woke up relatively early. By the time Lin Yu filled the tree root pit, the dew on the grass blades had disappeared in the increasingly scorching temperature.
A few rays of sunlight scattered down, making the water pit shimmer, and the scattered leaves looked exceptionally tranquil.
This kind of bathing environment was a first for Lin Yu.
It felt a bit like soaking in an outdoor hot spring.
Lin Yu distastefully took off his clothes, then leaned against the tree trunk and slowly immersed his body.
“Hiss—”
So cold.
The morning dew was still too cool. Even though the temperature had risen significantly now, Lin Yu still felt a bone-chilling coldness.
Quickly!
He picked up some softer leaves he had found, processed them, and began wiping his body.
After the initial coldness, as his body temperature slowly adapted, Lin Yu gradually lost track of time while washing, completely deviating from his initial plan of just a simple wipe-down.
He washed himself absorbedly, thoroughly scrubbing every corner of his body that held dirt.
The sun grew stronger, and Lin Yu also craved the warmth of the sunlight, so his body was completely exposed to the bright light, fair and warm, like a piece of melting cream cake.
Just like the one he ate last night.
Yanyan narrowed his eyes and observed for a moment.
So small.
Everything was small and pink.
Were Pets outside this smooth too?
He vaguely remembered that those people had long or short fur on their bodies. From what he understood on the Opticomp, Pets did not have a second form; they would only maintain their initial size and slowly age to death. There was no change in form.
Unless Genetic Disorder occurred.
The other party didn’t look like a Pet, but neither did he look like a Beastman.
A very strange little person.
His arrival made Yanyan feel both unfamiliar and familiar.
He watched the little person begin cleaning the upper garment that had many holes, his brow slightly furrowed.
Why did he insist on wearing clothes?
He had seen many Pets that were naked.
And Yanyan also disliked wearing clothes that restricted him; he lived here almost savagely.
Moreover, that piece of clothing was truly too worn out. Just looking at it, one could imagine what the little person had suffered before.
Yanyan recalled the scene he had witnessed: the little person constantly running towards his territory, as if he was the other party’s only choice. His eyes were full of anxiety and fear. Those sharp iron objects, those slender grass blades, brushed past him.
And he was completely unaware, like a devout believer rushing towards his deity.
Yanyan had seen similar looks before. The ancestors of the Beastfolk surrounding the forest perimeter had once looked at him with trusting, fervent gazes, but Yanyan could clearly see the undisguised fear within them.
This subtle fear made him feel like an anomaly.
The moment he was born, the moment he understood emotion, the first things he perceived were rejection and dread.
He was set high up on a shelf, and no one was willing to let him down.
But now, a creature as strange as him had appeared.
He stayed in his territory and didn’t have soft fur on his body.
And he was pitifully weak, so much so that he couldn’t sense his gaze at all. Under his watch, in the sunlight, he smiled very happily.
Yanyan twitched his tail, his eyes instantly turning into vertical slits, watching the little person emerge from the water with almost greed.
He wanted to feed him.
But the other party had just eaten last night.
Eating too frequently was not good for the body.
Lin Yu had already stood up. The sunlight and the breeze in the forest quickly carried away the water droplets and heat from his body. His clothes were also just washed. Lin Yu didn’t plan to go commando, nor did he plan to return wearing wet clothes.
He poked two holes in the cleaned and somewhat sun-warmed leaves to serve as makeshift shorts.
He broke two small branches to use as pins, thus reverting to the appearance of a primitive savage, ready to go pick berries.
“The gift of nature.”
Lin Yu even named these shorts.
And just in case, he prepared more than one leaf.
The berries were located deep in the forest. Lin Yu successfully found the food collection spot by following the scratches he had left behind.
In this short time, a few more berries on the bush had been eaten by something. A few strands of gray fur were scattered on the ground. Where there is food, there is a food chain. Lin Yu’s heart suddenly tightened. Herbivores easily become food for carnivores.
His current size was a hearty meal in the eyes of some animals.
Lin Yu didn’t want to waste time thinking further. He quickly bent down to pick the berries. Under the withered grass blades, a pair of yellow eyes stared intently at Lin Yu. The little person’s movements slowed down in its eyes, approaching stillness. Just as Lin Yu exerted force to pick the berry, a large, fleshy white mouth lunged at him!
The next moment, Lin Yu blinked. He held his breakfast, his brow slightly furrowed.
Just now, he seemed to feel a gust of wind, like the seaside, carrying a hint of saltiness.
But when he turned to look, the pile of dead branches and leaves in the distance had been overturned by something, leaving only traces.
In Lin Yu’s memory, he had already observed that spot when he first arrived here.
Nothing.
The pile of dead leaves was clearly intact when he arrived.
Maybe a creature appeared just as he bent down.
And in that instant, the other party vanished without a trace.
This conjecture, indistinguishable from a ghost story, caused Lin Yu’s heart to plummet. His hair stood up in a second, and even the scattered sunlight seemed particularly illusory.
He quickly picked another berry, then turned and left.
He didn’t even look back.
Behind him, a long snake with a black and white pattern and its head raised high was twisting its body, seemingly being pulled apart and split by something, yet utterly unable to escape. It couldn’t even use its venomous fangs.
An extremely faint popping sound rang out. The next moment, countless scales and flesh scattered.
Other predatory carnivores rushed over upon hearing the commotion.
And devoured it completely.
Lin Yu dared not stop until he returned to the bathing spot. Only then did he slowly let out a sigh of relief and look down at the berries he had picked.
Plump and round, they looked very juicy. Lin Yu observed them repeatedly, then gently bit through the outer skin. Sweet, sticky juice instantly flowed out, giving Lin Yu no chance to regret it.
Although he didn’t like the texture, the juice was very sweet and could effectively provide the necessary sugar and energy.
It shouldn’t be poisonous, right?
Lin Yu spat out some and planned to observe the situation for a few hours before deciding whether to eat it.
He was afraid that if he rashly finished these three berries, there would be no room for rescue.
It wasn’t until the sun hung directly overhead, baking the earth like a roasting lamp, and his clothes spread out on the tree root were completely dry, that Lin Yu finished the remaining berry he hadn’t eaten.
He saved the last one for dessert, just in case.
Lin Yu changed into his clothes and returned to his soft mattress.
He consciously moved to a different spot, farther away from where he had slept before.
A clean person sleeps in a clean bed. Anyway, this bed was large enough to accommodate dozens of him.
But why hadn’t his caretaker prepared food for him yet?
Although Lin Yu really didn’t want to admit that he might be a little useless now, clinging to a powerful figure was his most correct choice.
Where was his caretaker?
Lin Yu covered his head, deciding he should just rely on himself. He bent at the waist and suddenly sat up from the bed, planning to find some dry branches to practice the basic skill of fire by friction.
As a modern savage looking up to his ancestors, how could he not know how to make fire by friction?
In fact, Lin Yu just missed fragrant, hot roasted meat.
But he also felt a little cold. Perhaps it was because the berries were too raw and cold; his stomach wasn’t feeling well either.
Lin Yu clenched his fist. “Don’t be delicate.”
“No savage doesn’t work.”
“Just need some sun.”
Lin Yu had just climbed off the mattress when countless black, patchy, and green fragments appeared before his eyes, like a malfunctioning old television. He fell downward powerlessly, originally thinking he was about to fall flat on his face.
However, the expected pain in his ankle didn’t appear. Instead, his neck suddenly felt gripped, followed by a sharp, sinking sensation of suffocation.
Lin Yu opened his eyes with difficulty. The shaking vision made it hard for his eyes to focus, but even so, Lin Yu could still discern one piece of information from the color blocks.
There was no one in front of him.
But he already had a guess.
He whispered, “Mr. Caretaker?”
“Is that you?”
Yanyan looked down at the pale-faced little person, saying nothing.
He gently placed the little person on the ground.
In his heart, however, he thought the title “Caretaker” wasn’t bad.