Tang Dynasty: Starting with Dimo, he was targeted by Li Shimin.

Chapter 3 Sleeping Owl Girl

The Magical Artifact Shop, backyard.

A delicate wooden table sits in the center of the backyard, next to a small water vat. Shui Lanlan is perched on the rim of the vat, half her body submerged in the water, occasionally blowing bubbles.

Dimo squatted on the corner of the table, munching on a cocoa pod. He would take a couple of bites, then stop to look at the sky, then take another couple of bites and look at the sky again. He looked just like Lin Luo himself, slacking off.

Lin Luo went to the backyard and sat down comfortably in a chair, waiting for dinner to be served.

Although Lin Luo has been lazy these past few months in the Tang Dynasty, he has always eaten and slept on time!

Let alone the two dukes, even if His Majesty himself came down, it wouldn't make a difference!

This is the only bottom line he has held firm to since he transmigrated—

In his past life, when he was a beast of burden, he couldn't even eat on time. Now that he's finally transmigrated, he's determined to eat on time, even if it kills him.

(´ཀ`」∠) This is the last stubbornness of the salted fish.

A moment later,

A young girl strode out of the next room, carrying a plate of steaming hot steamed fish.

Lin Luo turned his head to look.

Her short, gray-white hair was slightly tousled, adorned with two feather-shaped hair ornaments, their color a blend of silver-gray and moon-white, shimmering softly in the sunlight.

What's most striking are her eyes—amber pupils, round and large, blinking half a beat slower than normal, always giving the illusion that she's about to doze off at any moment.

She was wearing a simple light blue short-sleeved shirt, with a white apron tied around her waist, and half a wooden spoon sticking out of the apron pocket.

This girl was certainly not an ordinary human.

Her name is Xiao Xiao, and she is the guardian spirit of the Sleeping Owl Sanctuary, which was activated by the system at the beginning of Lin Luo's transmigration.

In the Kingdom of Rock, the Sleeping Owl is a spirit beast that guards the habitat of elves, responsible for watching over the fruits and guiding the elf tribes to gather. However, in order for Lin Luo to live a normal life in the Tang Dynasty, the system specially gave the guardian spirit of the sanctuary a human-like form.

To put it simply, she is the "humanoid management interface" of the Sleeping Owl Sanctuary.

But Lin Luo would never call her that.

Under his "teachers' guidance," Xiao Xiao transformed from a naive system spirit who could only stand still and say "Please put in the fruit" into an all-around housekeeper who could handle both social and domestic affairs.

There's one problem I can't get rid of—sleepyness.

No matter when, she always seemed half-asleep, even the end of her sentences had a lazy, drawn-out tone.

But don't be fooled by her appearance; when it comes to spirits and fruits, this girl is more energetic than anyone else.

"Boss... the food's ready."

Xiao Xiao placed the steamed fish on the table, then turned around to fetch a plate of stir-fried beef and a bowl of millet porridge. He moved very nimbly, but his eyes were still half-closed, as if he could fall asleep on the spot at any moment.

Lin Luo glanced at the table full of dishes, smiled faintly, and said...

"Little Owl, your cooking skills have improved a lot lately."

When Xiao Xiao heard the praise, his amber eyes widened for a rare moment.

He then resumed his usual half-closed state, but the corners of his mouth turned up slightly.

He naturally sat down next to Lin Luo and said:

"It's all thanks to your excellent teaching, boss... But this fish was caught by Shui Lanlan; she used a water cannon to launch it from the river onto the bank."

She paused, her amber pupils turning to the blue water in the tank:

"Well... I flicked it too hard, and three fish flew into Butcher Wang's yard next door."

"Blue!" Water Blue popped its head out of the water tank, blowing a bubble with an innocent look on its face, as if to say, "That's none of my business."

Although Lin Luo hasn't sold a single Pokémon in the past three months, he certainly hasn't been idle.

During the day, he sketches the elves—those paintings hanging on the wall are his work—he teases the water and blue-eyed creatures, and feeds the fish.

In the evening, I taught Xiaoxiao how to cook, and then discussed with her how to make something useful from the existing materials without an alchemy table.

Well, although the result of the discussion is usually "cannot be done", the process is still very enjoyable.

(´∀｀) His life was incredibly comfortable; he truly mastered the art of living in ancient times.

"Let me taste how your stir-fried beef is!" Lin Luo said, picking up his chopsticks and tasting a piece.

There were no iron pots in the Tang Dynasty, so Lin Luo really couldn't stand eating everything stewed in earthenware pots.

So two months ago, I had someone make an iron pot.

The beef was from a sick cow that he bought from a local vendor; he didn't want to get arrested for being greedy.

Although chili peppers did not exist in the Tang Dynasty, many spices could still be bought in the market.

After tasting a piece of beef, Lin Luo nodded happily.

The beef tastes pretty good.

Lin Luo put down his chopsticks, looked into the distance, and called out with a doting expression:

"Alright! Dimo, Shui Lanlan, stop playing around, there's your favorite food here!"

The voice just fell,

Dimo leaped from the corner of the table into Lin Luo's arms, his eyes sparkling as he stared at the plate of beef.

"Mmm-mmm!"

Shui Lanlan also tumbled out of the water tank and ran over with a splash, her bow on her head tilted even more crooked.

"Blue, blue, blue!"

Strangely enough, Lin Luo usually fed them cocoa fruits and magic fruits.

But one day, Dimo ​​accidentally tasted Lin Luo's stir-fried beef.

After that, it got out of control; he refused to eat cocoa fruit anymore and just waited to eat beef.

Shui Lanlan followed suit, and now these two are more enthusiastic than anything else whenever they smell the aroma of stir-fried dishes.

Little Owl watched the scene of the two elves fighting over vegetables and yawned slightly.

Then he quietly went to the kitchen and brought out another plate.

"I cooked an extra portion... because it's never enough to eat."

A moment later, the one person and two elves, having eaten their fill, comfortably leaned back in their deck chairs, basking in the sun.

Little Owl leaned against the door frame, hugging a soft pillow, and started to doze off while standing.

Dimo nestled against Lin Luo's chest, his ears twitching.

Shui Lanlan huddled in the basin next to her, only her two eyes and a crooked bow showing.

Lin Luo closed his eyes to rest, a slight smile playing on his lips:

"Sigh... another plain and boring day."

He genuinely felt that way.

He had dreamed of this kind of life in his past life. Now his dream had come true—although the way it was achieved was rather absurd—and he cherished it all the more.

Do not compete or fight, do not get entangled or waste resources.

There are elves to keep me company, owls to cook for me, and sunshine to bask in the sun.

This is enough.

...But he also knew that these days were probably coming to an end.

He could tell from the looks in the eyes of those two dukes yesterday—they weren't the looks of someone who had been scared away; they were the looks of someone who was calculating.

Those who have long held positions in the imperial court are unlikely to give up easily.

But that's all for tomorrow.

(´ཀ`」∠) We'll talk about tomorrow's problems tomorrow.

·

The next morning.

Outside the Taiji Palace, Yuchi Gong and Cheng Yaojin emerged side by side after the morning court session.

"Cheng Banfu, what's wrong with you today? His Majesty is speaking up there, and you're sleeping down there?" Yuchi Gong said with a mocking smile.

Cheng Yaojin had done this before, but it was never anything serious in the past.

Now that the Gyeonggi Province is suffering from a severe drought, Li Shimin is extremely worried. Cheng Yaojin is not only fast asleep down there, but his snoring is getting louder and louder!

The result was predictable: Li Shimin was furious.

Cheng Yaojin, rubbing his still-spanking backside, said listlessly:

"Sigh, it's all because of what happened yesterday."

"I didn't sleep a wink last night."

He rubbed his buttocks and continued muttering:

"And now His Majesty is trying to find a solution to the drought. Don't you think drought is something that civil officials should be thinking about?"

"I'm just a military officer, what help can I possibly offer? At most, I can only donate some grain. Why take it out on me..."

"Ouch! That really hurts!"

Cheng Yaojin rubbed his bottom again and continued to complain:

"The water jet that shot out of the basketball yesterday was really..."

"etc!"

Cheng Yaojingang was complaining for a moment when he suddenly remembered something, and his depressed expression disappeared.

Instead, there was a sudden, exhilarating realization—

"Blackie! You thought of that too?"

Meanwhile, Yuchi Gong, who was standing to the side, seemed to have thought of something as well.

The two looked at each other and smiled at the same time.

"You mean...that basketball...drought?" Yuchi Gong smiled and asked uncertainly.

"That's right!" Cheng Yaojin slapped his thigh, wincing in pain as he gritted his teeth.

"Just think about it, the water jet from that little blue ball blasted me more than ten meters away!"

"What if we got dozens, hundreds..."

As Cheng Yaojin recounted this, he rubbed his hands together excitedly:

"Then you can water wherever you want, right? That's much more reliable than praying for rain!"

Yuchi Gong stroked his chin, his expression much more composed than Cheng Yaojin's.

"That's true, but the shopkeeper said that thing is called a spirit beast. A spirit beast isn't something you can just buy on a whim."

"Besides, our attitude yesterday... probably makes it difficult to go there."

"This is a major event that could solve the drought! I'll go and inform His Majesty right away!" Cheng Yaojin said, turning around excitedly.

At this moment, Yuchi Gong quickly blocked his way.

"Wait, this drought is a serious matter! It could be a crime of deceiving the emperor. Let's find out which shop it is before we discuss this."

Cheng Yaojin realized that what he said made sense, so he calmed down and went to the West Market together.

This severe drought in Gyeonggi Province can be considered the first major natural disaster since the Zhenguan era.

The situation was naturally very serious, the people were suffering terribly, and Li Shimin was also in a state of great distress, even to the point of writing an edict of self-reproach!

When the officials below encountered this momentous event, they would rather have no merit than dare to make a mistake.

If Cheng Yaojin rashly ran up and said, "Your Majesty! I've found a basketball that can spray water and solve the drought!"

That would probably mean getting an even worse beating on the buttocks.

·

Magical Object Shop.

Cheng Yaojin and his companion arrived at the entrance early, just as the West Market opened.

After a short wait, the door opened wide, and the two went to greet them.

It was Xiao Xiao who opened the door. She half-closed her amber eyes and looked at the two of them.

He gave a small yawn, then stepped aside to make way.

"Boss, those two customers from yesterday are here again."

His voice was so languid, as if he had just been pulled out of bed.

Cheng Yaojin and Yuchi Gong exchanged a glance—

Was she the one who called for dinner yesterday?

He looks presentable, but his eyes... why do they always look like he hasn't woken up yet?

"Shopkeeper! We want to buy that blue spirit beast from yesterday!" Cheng Yaojin went straight to the point and wanted to buy Shui Lanlan.

Lin Luo had just stepped out of the backyard when he heard Cheng Yaojin's words. He frowned and pondered for a moment before realizing who they were talking about.

With a gentle smile, she said, "Please come in."

Lin Luo knew from the moment he saw the two yesterday that he probably couldn't completely give up now. Whether he sold or not, the trouble was inescapable from the moment the two came in, so he might as well let nature take its course.

Upon entering the store, Lin Luo turned around and took something out of the counter—

It wasn't a tablet computer, but a palm-sized bronze mirror.

But this bronze mirror was clearly no ordinary object.

The mirror's surface was as smooth as water, yet it did not reflect any image.

Instead, a thin layer of golden mist slowly swirls across the mirror's surface.

The edge is engraved with a fine star pattern, exactly the same as the one on the shop sign.

This is the lottery item the system gave Lin Luo—the Star Mirror.

"That aquamarine isn't something you can just buy whenever you want," Lin Luo said, placing the Star Mirror on the counter.

"According to the rules of this shop, you need to draw the spirit that is destined for you through this mirror."

"Extract?" Cheng Yaojin leaned closer with a curious look, reaching out to touch it.

"How do I draw it?"

"Simple," Lin Luo said, pointing to the center of the mirror with his finger.

The golden mist immediately rippled outwards.

Then a slowly rotating golden star symbol appeared on the mirror.

"Place your hand on it, silently say what you want, and then wait for it to finish spinning."

What you get depends on your fate.

Cheng Yaojin's eyes lit up, and without saying a word, he slapped his large, fan-like hand on top of it—

"Bang!"

The mirror trembled, and the golden mist exploded violently.

Immediately afterwards, countless phantom images of elves began to spin rapidly in the mirror.

One shadow after another swept past—

Some run on four legs, some fly with flapping wings, and some roll around on the ground, round and chubby—

The speed increased rapidly, becoming so fast that it was almost indistinguishable to the naked eye.

Yuchi Gong stared in stunned silence at the rapidly changing light and shadow in the bronze mirror.

Cheng Yaojin's eyes widened, his mouth was half-open, and saliva was almost dripping down his throat.

"This...this place is full of spirit beasts?!"

Lin Luo leaned against the counter and yawned listlessly.

He knew the true nature of this lottery system—

They deliberately withhold what you want and give you what you don't want.

The water pump is blue?

Ha, dream on.

After a moment, the rotating light and shadow began to slow down.

One by one, the illusory figures gradually became clearer—

Finally, the golden mist on the mirror surface slowly condensed.

The silhouette of an elf emerged from the light...

……

Just as Cheng Yaojin held his breath and waited for the lottery results,

In the backyard, Little Owl was dozing off against the door frame.

Taking advantage of this moment, Lin Luo quietly opened the system panel that only he could see.

According to the task requirements of the encyclopedia system, it's time to record a piece of historical popular science.

He opened the short video function in the encyclopedia and spoke softly into the panel:

"...A brief introduction to official history, Part 1."

In the third year of the Zhenguan era, a severe drought struck Guanzhong.

"The historical record of this drought is very brief, but it had a profound impact on the course of the Zhenguan era. That year, the Guanzhong region suffered a complete crop failure, people were displaced, and even the tragic situation of selling children arose. Li Shimin issued an edict of self-reproach—a document in which the emperor publicly acknowledged his guilt and apologized to Heaven and the people."

"This was extremely rare in ancient times. An emperor's willingness to take responsibility for natural disasters upon himself was one of the key reasons for the success of the Zhenguan era."

"However, what many people don't know is that this severe drought was actually a turning point in the policy adjustments made in the early years of the Zhenguan era. It was precisely because of this drought that Li Shimin began to vigorously promote reduced taxes and corvée labor, encouraged agriculture and sericulture, significantly reduced taxes, and opened government granaries to provide relief to the people. Later historians believe that without this disaster and its response in the third year of the Zhenguan era, there would have been no comprehensive prosperity from the fourth to the eighth year of the Zhenguan era."

"In other words—the reason the Tang Dynasty became the Tang Dynasty was precisely because it did the right thing during its most difficult time."

"Of course, if they had had a Water-type Pokémon back then, they probably wouldn't have had to go through so much trouble."

Lin Luo smiled slightly at the end of his sentence, then clicked "save".

[The historical background information has been recorded. Reward: 1 Magic Fruit.]

Wow, this time they actually gave me a magic fruit, which is more valuable than a cocoa fruit.

Lin Luo closed the panel with satisfaction and turned his attention back to what was in front of him.

The light on the Star Mirror is gathering; Cheng Yaojin's result will be out soon.

……