Chapter 127

Chapter 127: Astute Adan

Upon arriving at the testing area, Ji Huan was surprised to find that the board with the skull drawing was still there.

Many monsters were wandering nearby, each appearing ferocious. However, after loitering for a while, not a single one dared to enter.

A place that could leave its door unlocked without fear of being burglarized would likely only be Adan's home in this kind of environment.

One monster immediately recognized Ji Huan, "Hey! Are you all back? Can we have our tests today?"

Ji Huan turned around, "Yes, we're resuming business from today. But due to new testing equipment arriving, the opening hours will be delayed by two hours. Please form a line first."

"Oh, okay!" A few monsters promptly responded. They immediately lined up. Surprisingly, monsters had a habit of queuing up – but—

The monsters who were already in line exchanged glances, and then the order of the queue was instantly rearranged. A tall and slender monster joined the back of the line, even though he arrived later. However, after his arrival, the other monsters immediately allowed him to take the first spot.

Well, it seemed that the monsters' notion of order boiled down to one principle: the strong should be prioritized.

To some extent, this was a reasonable choice.

Allowing stronger creatures to queue up earlier meant they could part ways sooner, thereby increasing safety in a way.

Ji Huan did not hinder their cutting in line.

Untying the rope at the entrance, Ji Huan stepped inside.

The testing area, having been left unoccupied for several days, was covered with a layer of sand and litter from unknown directions, making it resemble a garbage dump. Adan stood calmly amidst the trash, brushing his teeth.

"Good morning," Ji Huan greeted his boss.

"…" Adan waved in response.

"I made egg and hoof noodle soup, just like my grandpa used to." Knowing Adan had yet to eat, Ji Huan first cleared a table and fetched a chair. He then found a small pot in Adan's room before swiftly boiling the hand-made noodles his grandpa had prepared. Adding the sauce and generous slices of hoof meat along with two boiled eggs, he created a delightful, aromatic bowl of noodles.

The old demon promptly spat out his mouthwash and sat down to devour the hooves.

Though he didn't say anything, his expression conveyed satisfaction—well, Adan's usual expressionless face was what others saw. But Ji Huan could now read emotions on it.

While the old demon ate, Ji Huan called Abu, Naji, and Little Grey, informing them that they were welcome to visit the testing area for a meal whenever convenient. He then picked up his homemade broom to tidy the courtyard.

Adan had no cleaning tools at all; that single broom was something Ji Huan had assembled from materials himself.

By the time Adan finished his breakfast, Ji Huan had just picked up the last bit of trash in the yard and thrown it behind them.

"It was a great breakfast. The trotter was tender, the stewed egg was flavorful, and what's this long white thing? It has an unusual texture." With his hands clasped behind his back, Adan began to inquire about their meal.

"That's noodles. Grandfather found a grain in a rat's den and ground it into flour to make them. That kind of grain is quite rare; he had to search through hundreds of dens to get just one bag of flour," Ji Huan divulged honestly. "These are the last of them."

"Bring me some of that grain later. I'll give you a number. Call that number and ask them to send enough... that grain every month so I can have noodles," Adan said immediately. "Get some for your grandfather too. We old folks love something soft to chew on."

"Old... thing..." Ji Huan couldn't help but recall the black scales that were about to cover every inch of his grandfather's body.

He had once inquired of Ajin that Karas, whose scales were still capable of turning black, was actually not that old; it was merely that his premature aging had been due to a state of weakness. As long as his scales could still darken, Lord Father could continue to live healthily.

And moreover, -

Grandfather has excellent teeth.

Aside from his affection for buttock meat, Grandfather was genuinely fond of gnawing on bones - real bone-chewing. He would take the leftovers from Ji Huan and Hei Dan's meals, toss them into his mouth, and crunch them down with a satisfying sound. Now that his monster identity was revealed, Grandfather openly indulged in all his hobbies. Previously, his grandson had always prepared him bone soup, but if you asked the old man what was so delicious about it, he would say it was the bones themselves that were truly delectable!

Grandfather would even occasionally nibble on rocks, which startled Ji Huan the first time he witnessed it. However, Grandfather seemed completely unfazed! Recalling how chickens at home also ate stones to help grind their food, Ji Huan reluctantly allowed him this behavior.

Thus, Grandfather now not only stealthily stole insects from the five chickens but also snatched pebbles.

Ji Huan: =-=

"Alright." His thoughts wandered a bit, but it didn't hinder Ji Huan's nod in response to Adan's instructions.

From the initial call to reserve a table at a restaurant to the stationery store owner and then today's... grain store owner (?!), Adan had intentionally or unintentionally revealed many of his hidden connections to Ji Huan.

In Ye Falar, where contact with the outside world was severely limited, these were invaluable resources.

More importantly, Grandfather could now make noodles anytime, and Hei Dan could have noodles too.

Though his expression remained unchanged, Ji Huan was inwardly delighted.

The old monster, sitting beside him, couldn't help but feel a surge of joy seeing Ji Huan like this.

Just as Ji Huan could now roughly guess the old monster's emotions, the old monster found Ji Huan's thoughts equally transparent.

To be content with the simplest of pleasures, this child is quite... unique.

Well, in this world, there was no such word as filial piety, and the old monster momentarily struggled to find an appropriate adjective.

Five more minutes passed when Ji Huan's phone suddenly rang:

"Is this Mr. Adan? You have a delivery arriving soon. The item is very heavy and large, so the vehicle cannot enter. Please send someone to the intersection for pickup."

It was a very standard service phrase that Ji Huan hadn't heard in a long time since arriving here.

However, this wasn't the reason for his sudden pause. Ji Huan was startled because of the voice on the other end of the line—

"Mr. Aximu?" Ji Huan hesitantly called out the owner's name.

"Oh! Is this Mr. Ji Huan? Why did you change your address? Have you moved?" Aximu's tone immediately became more familiar. As someone who frequently delivered packages between Ji Huan and Ajin, Aximu could be considered one of Ji Huan's acquaintances in Ye Falar.

"No, this is my workplace address." When Adan had sent the package, he had used Ji Huan's phone number. Currently, Ji Huan handled almost everything at the testing site except for the actual tests; it was only right to give it to him.

"Oh dear~ carrying something so heavy won't be easy. Let me deliver it straight to your door." Familiarity did make a difference; the service promptly upgraded.

"See you soon." After bidding farewell, Aximu promptly hung up the phone.

Five minutes after the call ended, an astonished exclamation suddenly echoed from the entrance of the testing area.

The ground rumbled persistently, as if with each beat, Ji Huan initially mistook it for an earthquake. However, the rhythmic pulsation soon reminded him of the ponderous footsteps of a colossal beast.

Rushing out of the courtyard in a hurry, Ji Huan was astounded by the scene before him.

He knew that the cargo for today was stone, and that it was heavy, so he assumed Aximu would drive over to transport it, or perhaps send it in separate trips.

Never in his wildest dreams could he have imagined that Aximu actually bound all the stones together and carried them over!

Before Ji Huan, there was none other than the deliveryman Aximu, straining forward under the weight of a massive bundle of stones.

Indeed, a large sack of stones.

Within the package were the cracked stones from the golden arena, as well as the ones Adan had purchased at that shop. There were a total of sixteen hefty stones, each tied haphazardly with a rope, forming a small mountain-like bundle!

At this very moment, Aximu was pressing beneath this small hill, leaving a trail of deep footprints behind him.

In a place that was usually bustling with activity and thronged with creatures all day long, a path, cleared solely for his arrival, had astonishingly emerged amidst the crowd!

The monsters stood silently on either side of this "path," their curious gazes fixated on the "small mountain," with most of their attention resting on Aximu, who stood beneath it.

Under the watchful, reverent eyes of the creatures, Aximu made his way to the entrance of the testing area. His gaze landed immediately on Ji Huan.

"Mr. Ji Huan, your delivery has arrived. Hehe, the road here is rather narrow, so I initially intended to leave it at the entrance," Aximu said with a smile, despite carrying a small mountain on his back.

A genuine smile, indeed.

"Would you like me to bring it in?" he asked considerately. "Our company's standard service is to deliver light goods right to the doorstep and heavy goods up to the entrance. Since this delivery has already been brought to you free of charge, an additional fee of 2,000 bone coins would be required if you want it taken inside."

Aximu looked at the old monster with a warm smile.

"No need, I'll sign for it here," the old monster replied expressionlessly, producing a pen from somewhere.

Glancing at the diminutive old creature, Aximu smiled again.

"Very well." As he spoke, he placed the load on his shoulder down.

Upon the cargo's impact, the ground beneath everyone's feet trembled once more.

With the stone removed, Aximu's figure was finally revealed beneath it. Many creatures around were eager to get a clear look at him, but unfortunately for them, he was wearing a locally common cloak that day. Apart from his slender and tall stature, they couldn't discern anything else about him.

"Please hold on a moment," Aximu said after brushing off the dust from his hands. Suddenly, his figure vanished, drawing Ji Huan's gaze upward to the 'hill.' He then noticed a piece of paper haphazardly attached to its slope, resembling the delivery receipts that Ji Huan often signed.

Aximu reappeared momentarily, and the paper vanished. A few moments later, he reappeared before Ji Huan and the others with the paper in hand.

"Please sign for the delivery," he handed the receipt to Adan. After the old creature signed his name, Aximu pulled down the hood of his cloak with a smile. "It was my pleasure to serve you. If you have any future shipping needs, feel free to call me. Mr. Ji Huan has my contact."

With that, he left, swiftly making his way along the path that the other creatures had cleared for him. Only ten minutes after his departure did the pathway become congested with creatures once again.

Left behind, Ji Huan gazed at the pile of stones with a slight frown. So many stones... How was he supposed to get them inside? He knew his own strength well; even the smallest stone would likely be too heavy for him to lift. Would the boss have to carry them himself? Probably... he'd still need to call Naji...

Unlike Ji Huan, who wore a worried expression despite his internal turmoil, Adan appeared calm both externally and internally. He glanced at the entrance and

A growing crowd of monsters gathered, and for these creatures, anything that originated from outside their domain was a source of great curiosity, especially considering the large package Adan had received from beyond today.

"At the center, do you see that golden stone? That's a fragment of the Golden Battle Arena," the elderly monster boasted, standing by the testing area entrance.

"And that green one? It's fossilized dung from a magical beast hunted in the renowned Aputuo hunting grounds."

"Then there's the red one, a stone from the Crimson Lands, something you rarely get to see!"

"Was your recent business trip all about finding these stones, Boss?" a nearby monster inquired promptly.

Then, with a refined nod, Adan said, "We'll be using these stones for the next test. Did you see the creature that delivered the stones? He's a courier, and their salaries are quite substantial—around two thousand bone coins a month."

"Woah!" The inexperienced creatures around them were immediately astounded by this "high salary."

"In fact, many courier companies are hiring right now. See that small hill? If anyone can carry it a hundred meters – about the distance from the entrance to the courtyard – they can apply for a courier job!"

Upon hearing this, quite a few creatures eagerly lined up, all vying to give it a try.

The majority of monsters couldn't even budge this small mountain, let alone lift it over the door! However, there were some strong ones capable of moving it. The allure of a high-paying job was immense, and more and more monsters flocked from all directions to try their hand at lifting the mountain, making the testing area busier than ever before. Ji Huan realized that these monsters weren't inherently mute; they simply had no need or opportunity to speak. Now, the old monster, Adan, was giving them that chance.

Through word of mouth, the story of the stone's origin spread among the increasing number of monsters. Many came not for the job but merely to touch these foreign stones.

With the enthusiastic participation of the monsters, the mountain-like cargo gradually approached the entrance. After two hours, a particularly powerful monster managed to heave the small mountain over the threshold, and another one carried it another ten meters...

In short, by the end of the day, Ji Huan was astonished to discover that the stone had actually been moved from the entrance into the testing area itself.

Although the freshly cleaned courtyard became a bit disordered again, the old monster said with a shrewd smile, "Hm, didn't cost a single coin."

Author's Note: When Ji Huan arrived at the testing area, he was surprised to find the skull-marked board still there.

Ji Huan: How did you get past? Did you jump like a martial arts master?

Adan: I'm an old man. How could I possibly bound around like a young person every day? Of course, I crawled under the rope.

Ji Huan (imagining it): You're quite flexible...

Well, in translating the line "Upon arriving at the testing area, Ji Huan was surprised to find the skull-marked board still in its place," the meticulous author couldn't help but ponder: How exactly did Adan manage to pass that point?