American comics farmer: start by adopting the villain savior.

Chapter 260 Salafir: Sigh, then I guess I'll just have to suffer.

The weather was fine and sunny at Kent Farm.

Martha stood under the porch.

He was carrying a basket full of food and water, and he stood on tiptoe to look toward the barn.

Soon, she spotted an elegant, golden-gray figure perched not far away, preening its feathers.

A gentle smile spread across Martha's face as she raised her hand and waved softly.

"Darling, here—!"

She called out, her voice gentle.

The female griffin that was called stopped moving, turned her head, and looked at Martha.

After a while, it spread its wings and glided lightly to land on the open ground not far from Martha, but its posture still carried a hint of scrutiny.

Martha was already used to this and didn't mind its reserved demeanor.

She simply stepped forward and carefully placed the basket in front of Hera.

He pointed to the warm meat pie wrapped in cloth and a water jug ​​inside, and then pointed in the direction of the fields in the distance.

"Could you please take this to Jonathan and Locke for me? They've been working in the fields all morning, they must be starving."

Her tone was as gentle as if she were instructing a family member, and her eyes were filled with unwavering trust.

Lowering its majestic head, the griffin first looked down at the basket, then at Martha's gentle smiling face.

She was silent for a moment.

But in the end, it stretched out its huge beak and picked up the basket handle with extreme precision and gentleness, nodding slightly to Martha, thus accepting the task.

"Thank you dear."

Martha's smile grew even warmer as she watched it spread its wings again, steadily gripping the basket, and fly towards the direction where Locke and Jonathan were working.

The sun shone generously on the vast fields of Kent Farm.

Locke was squatting by the field, examining the condition of the soil.

Behind him, a gust of wind approached from afar and landed steadily beside him.

The airflow generated by the enormous wings even bent the surrounding corn stalks.

And what it was carefully holding in its mouth was the heavy hoe that Locke was about to use.

"Zeus, my good friend."

Locke stood up with a smile and reached out to expertly scratch the junction of Zeus's chin and neck, which were covered in fine feathers.

Zeus squinted comfortably, and a resonance mixed with gurgling and crisp clattering sounds immediately came from deep in his throat. His huge head even rubbed against Locke's palm, thoroughly enjoying himself.

Obviously
As time has passed, the two griffins have become indispensable members of the farm.

They possess names personally bestowed upon them by Salafir, who had read the complete children's version of Greek mythology and was deeply moved by it.

The male griffin is named 'Zeus', while the female griffin is called 'Hera'.

During their time living on the farm, the griffins were clearly having a good time.

Zeus not only grew stronger and more powerful, but his golden eagle eyes also shone with ever-growing loyalty.

It almost seamlessly integrated into the rhythm of farm life, and even learned on its own how to become Locke's right-hand man.

Locke settled their home at the deepest part of the farm, where there was an underground lake that had sprung up due to tectonic shifts caused by the Doomsday War.

He built an artificial island in the middle of the lake, and then casually manipulated the water vapor to shroud the area in a thin mist all year round, creating an undisturbed and peaceful home for them.

However, even so, when Locke was working in the fields, Zeus would still fly in from nowhere and follow behind him with steady steps, carefully picking up the hoe, bucket, or rope that Locke needed with his huge beak that could tear steel.

He precisely handed these items to Locke.

It looked just like a well-trained golden retriever.

Occasionally, due to not controlling the force properly, I would leave a few deep teeth marks on the handles of wooden tools.

What's even more remarkable is that it shows an almost tolerant gentleness towards the other members of the farm, including the ordinary cattle and sheep.

Its diet has so far been limited to pumpkin, corn, and frozen meat that Jonathan regularly buys, or fish that it catches in the river when it feels like it.

"Coo coo... Caw!"

After enjoying Locke's caresses, Zeus straightened his chest, raised his head, and his golden eagle eyes gleamed with an obvious desire for praise.

It began to emit a series of melodious chirps, as if it were urgently reporting something.

Locke listened intently, and thanks to the tacit understanding he had built up over this period and a certain superhuman perception, he quickly understood what the big guy meant and couldn't help but chuckle.

"You said... you were very busy today, teaming up with the brown bear 'Big Guy' and the gray wolf 'Big Gray' to chase away the raccoon family that was stealing food from the cornfield to the west?"

Zeus immediately tapped his mighty eagle head with a proud expression, as if he had just commanded an epic war of national defense.

Seeing its 'praise me' look, Locke's smile froze, then twitched uncontrollably a few times.

A not-so-pleasant memory suddenly flooded my mind.

It was this guy's extraordinary wisdom.

Not long ago, the farm was facing the same problem of small animals stealing crops because the ecological environment of most of the farm had not yet recovered.

At the time, Locke merely made a casual complaint:
How can we prevent these little guys from damaging our crops?

As a result, Zeus, who was dozing off beside him, suddenly raised his head, his eyes flashing with a wise light that seemed to say, "I understand now."

When Locke realized something was wrong, he was almost driven to the brink of death by the logic of this genius griffin.

This genius griffin's wisdom is so simple and brutal that it's outrageous.

How can we prevent small animals from stealing crops?
Why doesn't he just eat all the crops first?

This solved the potential theft problem and also filled their stomachs.

It even stated with righteous indignation:

Since feeding me takes up a lot of food every day anyway, isn't this killing two birds with one stone and maximizing efficiency?! Especially those round, sweet pumpkins!
When it was discovered, it was excitedly 'explaining' its grand plan while actually bending down to gnaw on the biggest pumpkin in the field next to it.

Fortunately, after Locke's excellent lecture, the gluttonous griffin temporarily abandoned its dangerous idea of ​​solving the problem at its source.

Thinking of this, Locke patted Zeus's sturdy wings, his tone complex:
“Well done…not bad. But remember, protecting the crops doesn’t mean eating them.”

Zeus tilted his head, his golden eyes darting around, as if he understood, yet also as if he still felt a little aggrieved that his efficient strategy had failed to be implemented.

Locke patted it again, as if suddenly remembering some everyday trivia, and asked in a casual, conversational tone, "By the way, Zeus, how was your 'that' today?"

Is the quantity sufficient?

"quack!"

A series of gurgling sounds came from Zeus's throat, and his enormous head shook triumphantly.

Locke understood what it meant, a satisfied look appearing on his face. He nodded, "That's good. I must say, your fertilizer is quite potent..."

He turned to look at the newly opened orchard in the distance, his eyes filled with the joy of a bountiful harvest.

The fertilizer from mythical creatures is truly unique.

Only a month or two.
The newly planted fruit trees grew lush and verdant.

Upon hearing this, Zeus raised his head even higher.

The golden eagle's eyes were filled with an arrogant "this is my duty, nothing to brag about."

It was as if its contribution to the farm's fertile soil was a self-evident truth of the universe.

"Wow!"

Just then, a golden-gray figure glided in.

It is the female griffin, Hera.

It landed precisely beside Locke, its movements so light and nimble that it made almost no sound.

She first glanced indifferently at Zeus, who looked a bit silly, before turning to Locke and placing a water jug ​​and some food that she had been carefully holding in her mouth next to Locke.

Locke took the items, a gentle smile on his face: "Thank you, Hera. And please thank Martha for me too."

Hera nodded slightly in response, then took flight without hesitation.

The golden-gray figure quickly disappeared on the horizon.

"."

This caused Zeus, who had been completely ignored, to exhale a stream of hot air from his nose, his head drooping, without uttering a sound.

Locke sighed.

Alas, arranged marriages are a nightmare for mythical creatures...

Aside from her love for Zeus in mythology, Hera the Griffin perfectly embodies the arrogance and unapproachability befitting a queen of the gods.

She spends most of her time alone in the middle of the lake, her golden-grey feathers shimmering with a metallic sheen in the sunlight, her eyes distant.

During this period, she only showed extremely limited procedural approval to Locke, Martha, Jonathan, and Salafell.

They wouldn't even spare a glance for anyone else.

Especially Dior.
Whenever Dior appeared in her sight.

Hera would then emit a threatening growl from deep within her throat, the feathers on her neck ruffling slightly, as if silently declaring that this man, exuding an aura of coldness and dominance, was her number one target of vigilance.

The matter was not resolved until Dior walked away with a cold snort.

“Jonathan!” Locke waved the still-warm pie in his hand and smiled at Jonathan, who had just come from the fields. “Martha had Hera deliver this.”

Jonathan took off his straw hat, fanned himself, wiped the sweat from his brow, and laughed: "It seems Martha has figured out that 'Queen's' temper perfectly."

Reflecting on the starkly different attitudes of the two griffins, Locke shook his head helplessly, reached out and ruffled Zeus's huge, furry head that drooped in frustration, asking half-teasingly and half-seriously, "You and her are always so estranged... when will our farm be able to breed the next generation of guardian beasts?"

Zeus let out a low groan that was almost a sob.

Its enormous body seemed to have shrunk a size, and it looked at Locke with pitiful eyes, as if accusing Hera of being aloof and unromantic.

Seeing the giant creature display such a human-like expression, Locke was both amused and exasperated, and could only comfort it, "Alright, alright, I know you did your best."

"You can't rush things when it comes to relationships; there's always a way."

Reassured by Locke, Zeus shook his head.

The grievances from before vanished instantly, and she regained her energy.

It made cheerful gurgling sounds in its throat and nuzzled Locke affectionately with its head, as if the dejected fellow from a moment ago was not it at all.

It even excitedly flapped its wings a few times, creating a small whirlwind mixed with the scent of crops, and strode forward with an undeniable enthusiasm, rushing towards the figure that was silently approaching like a ghost.

However.
The expected warm embrace did not occur.

Just as Zeus's forepaw was about to touch Shendu, Shendu didn't even lift an eyelid; only the invisible power around him fluctuated slightly.

The next second, Zeus, who was pouncing in mid-air, suddenly stopped, like an oversized cat being grabbed by the scruff of its neck by an invisible hand, and slowly floated up with its limbs suspended in the air, half a meter off the ground.

"tsk"

God irritably brushed off non-existent dust from his shoulder and complained to Locke, "Keep an eye on your pet, Dad. Its enthusiasm is as worrying as its intelligence."

Locke looked at Zeus, who was frozen in mid-air, flailing his limbs in a daze, and couldn't help but chuckle: "Isn't it because you secretly throw Oreos to it every now and then?"

"It sees you as if you were Ron now."

The gods pursed their lips and reluctantly lifted the levitation effect applied to Zeus.

Zeus landed lightly, shook his slightly dizzy head, and instead of being annoyed, he moved closer to the god and gently rubbed his arm with his huge eagle beak.

The look of disgust on Shen Du's face seemed to soften slightly.

Then, with lightning speed and almost imperceptibly, he raised his hand and quickly touched the stiff feathers on the side of Zeus's neck.

He then withdrew his hand, resumed his arrogant demeanor, and turned to leave.

"Huh?" Locke called out to him, a little confused. "You came over just to touch it?"

"correct."

The god stopped and turned around, answering in a calm, matter-of-fact tone, his golden eyes revealing no emotion, as if it were just a trivial matter.

After saying that, he turned around again, as if to leave.

"Yeah--?"

Locke drew out his words, the smile in his eyes already clear.

He moved with lightning speed, stepping forward and precisely grabbing Shen Du by the back of his collar. With his other hand, he swiftly pulled an Oreo cookie box with a prominent logo from Shen Du's seemingly smooth inner lining.

"..."

Shendu's body stiffened.

Locke brandished the 'stolen goods' in his hand and said irritably, "You bastard! You actually hid this on Zeus?! No wonder it's been hiding its wings under its armpits lately!"

The plot was exposed, and a look of embarrassment flashed across Shen Du's face, but he still refused to back down and muttered under his breath, "...We can't just bury him in the field, can we?"

"My brother's pets won't show any mercy to my inventory..."

Seeing his expression, Locke simply waved the Oreo in his hand: "Confiscate it!"

He then turned his head to look at Zeus, who was wagging his tail again after hearing the word "Oreo," and said sternly, "And you! You knew but didn't report it, you aided and abetted the evildoer!"

"I'm skipping one pumpkin tonight!"

"Coo coo coo coo."

Zeus's cheerful gurgling stopped abruptly. His huge head drooped, and he let out a pitiful whimper, looking longingly at Locke, then at the god.

Seeing Zeus's even more aggrieved expression than his own, the god snorted coldly and, taking advantage of Locke's inattention, turned and left.

The dragon people have their own ingenious plan.

however.

Locke clearly understood the principle that "the devil is always one step ahead of the saint."

He held the confiscated box of Oreos in his hand, his gaze deep, and after a moment, he found Salafir telling stories to the animals under the oak tree.

“Sarafil.”

Locke crouched down, placed the Oreo box aside, and said in a serious tone, "There's something concerning the family's 'major security' and 'image project,' and I need your help."

Salafir blinked her clear, dark eyes, looking at her father's serious expression, and couldn't help but feel nervous: "What's wrong, Dad?"

"It's about the capital city."

Locke sighed and began to recount with great distress, "Since he gained his own body, he has completely lost control of his intake of snacks, especially sweets."

“According to my incomplete statistics, he consumes an average of two sundaes, more than three packs of Oreos, plus a whole bunch of miscellaneous candies and chips every day… If this continues…” Locke paused, then delivered the fatal blow, pointing to Salafir’s small face, which was almost identical to that of the gods, “he will soon turn into a ‘fat dragon’.”

"Saraphiel, you...you don't want the gods to have your face and turn into a round, chubby little ball, do you?"

"hiss--!"

Following Locke's train of thought, Salafir imagined God with a round, chubby face and a double chin, still mocking people with that arrogant and sarcastic expression.

He shivered violently, his little face filled with terror!
"I...I know!"

Clenching her little fists, Salafir's eyes became incredibly determined, as if she had accepted some sacred mission. "I will definitely urge him to eat less junk food!"

Locke smiled with satisfaction, patted his eldest son on the shoulder, and handed him the imperial sword: "Then, the important task of taking good care of the refrigerator and food storage cabinets at home is entrusted to you!"

"Yes, Dad!"

Salafir nodded vigorously, brimming with a sense of mission.

After Locke turned and left to busy himself with farm work, Salafir immediately ran home, rushed straight to the kitchen, took a deep breath, and abruptly opened the double-door refrigerator that was too big for him.

Sure enough, there were several boxes of sundaes of different flavors neatly arranged in the refrigerator, and there were even spares in the freezer compartment.

In addition, there is a dazzling array of snack cabinets next to it.
Salafir looked at these temptations, and a struggle appeared on her little face.

But remembering his father's words and the terrifying future of Shendu possibly turning into a fat ball, his eyes gradually hardened.

After hesitating for a moment, Salafir finally seemed to have made up his mind, muttering to himself, "So that even the gods won't turn into fat dragons... then I guess I'll just have to suffer a bit!"

Thus, driven by this spirit of selflessness.

Sarafiel began her cleaning operation.

He happily moved a small stool over, took out sundaes from the refrigerator one after another, sat on the kitchen floor, and ate them all spoonful by spoonful with a serious expression.

Next came the Oreos, chocolate bars, potato chips... from the snack cabinet.

"Hiccup~"

As he let out a satisfied burp, he was still holding the last box of strawberry sundaes in his hand.

So he strolled out of his house, intending to go for a walk.

They even happened to bump into Shen Du, who was deep in thought with his arms crossed, right next to the shadows of the barn.

……

On a dark and windy night
In the dead of night, a small figure silently drifted into the kitchen.

Shen Du's eyes lit up as he skillfully made his way to the refrigerator and carefully pulled open the freezer drawer.
There will be piles of the sundaes he's been longing for.

Ugh.
His brother had tempted him at the barn door that afternoon.
I didn't want to eat it.
Ok? !

Completely empty?!
God was stunned, rubbed his eyes in disbelief, and pulled it open again.

There is still nothing.
Only a chilling cold air rushed towards me.

"This...how is this possible?!"

He gasped softly, a sense of foreboding washing over him.

Undeterred, he suddenly flung open the refrigerator door and tiptoed inside, rummaging through it.

Milk, eggs, vegetables, and tuna that Dior somehow got its hands on...

But the sundae he had hidden wasn't there!

Then, he rushed to the snack cabinet like a gust of wind, swiftly opened the door, and inside…

It was completely empty, except for a few packets of whole-wheat biscuits that he didn't like, lying forlornly in the corner.

God stood frozen in place, staring at the empty refrigerator and cabinets.

It felt like the end of the world.

"How...how could this be?!"

He muttered to himself, his voice trembling slightly, "My sundae... my Oreos... the chocolate I hid in the compartment... all... all gone?!"

The night breeze blew through the empty kitchen.

Only one god-like figure remained, having suffered utter destruction and questioning the origins of dragons.
Disordered in the dark.

After a while.
“Sarafil.”

He shouted that name through gritted teeth.

Thinking of his brother who ate a sundae that afternoon, Shen Du already had a plan in mind—
P.S.: This might be one of the few everyday moments I've had recently?

After all, we're about to enter Gotham's 'gang war'.

(End of this chapter)