I, Guinevere, am going to crush you, you curry stick, today!

“I’ll keep an eye on this place for you for now. Keep an eye on that spot tonight—” The red-haired woman pointed to the door. Dreem realized what she meant, his expression darkening slightly: “Something’s happened with Avank?”

To avoid being overheard, the two kept their voices down. Fire Crow nodded, and without hesitation, he turned around, leaving the questions from the other guests behind, and strode out the door.

……

The night was deep, the moon was cold, and the frost was thick. In the center of the calm lake, a giant beast that looked like a beaver was still asleep. From its belly came muffled, thunderous barks that echoed and rippled across the lake. The moonlight shone brightly.

By the lake, a campfire burned, and several people stood or sat, though fewer than before—Henwas had a large hole in his body, his wounds still healing. It was alright during the day, but as the weather grew colder at night, it became unsuitable for him to remain outdoors.

In addition, his sense of smell was exceptionally keen. What others could detect as little as one odor was at least seven or eight odors on him. It was fine when they were far away, but now that the Water-Seeking Beast was right next to him, the smell was so strong that he could hardly think. He had no choice but to apologize to Perinoa and then return to the caravan with Humberts to rest. Sjuti, who was skilled in leaping, stayed behind. If anything happened, he could use his ability to traverse mountains and valleys as if they were flat ground to send a message back, which would not take much time.

The young man sat on the ground beside the campfire, his gaze fixed on the flickering flames. After a moment, he looked up at the giant beast in the middle of the lake: "I wonder how things are over there..."

“The girls only went there during the day, and it’s not certain whether they’ve seen Elaine yet. There’s no way we can get results so quickly.” Perinoa sat on a large rock by the lake, seemingly oblivious to the loud barking of dogs right beside him. As he spoke casually, he pulled two charred fish out of the fire with his bare hands, tossed one into his mouth, and crunched away, swallowing it skin, flesh, and bones.

Just as she was about to eat the next one, she suddenly remembered something and turned to look at the person next to her: "By the way, little one... your name is Nimiao, right?"

“Yes…yes.”

The little girl was sitting with Percival, and the two seemed to be talking about something. Hearing the sound, she looked up and saw the old man handing her another completely charred grilled fish: "At your age, you should be growing. I see you haven't eaten much. Eat this fish."

Nimiao blinked, her tone hesitant: "Is this... a fish?"

Perinoa, however, failed to grasp the underlying meaning and retorted, "Isn't it obvious? You helped me catch fish in the lake earlier... what else could it be?"

"Do not……"

The girl's face scrunched up, and she stammered, "I just... didn't know there were such black fish in the world."

"Oh." Perinoa finally understood and nodded in realization. "You think the fish is a little overcooked. It's alright, it's just a little bitter, but it's still edible, and it's especially good with wine. Here, take it."

After much hesitation, Nimiao finally reached out her hands and nervously accepted the pitch-black grilled fish—she simply didn't have the guts to disobey this seemingly fierce old man.

Putting aside the days in the forest, during this time with Guinevere, although the food and drink were not expensive delicacies, as a transmigrator from a country of great foodies, he was very particular about his appetite. Even with ordinary ingredients, he would rack his brains to make them as delicious as possible.

As the saying goes, "One is influenced by one's company," and over time, not only Nimue but also Artoria unknowingly developed a more discerning palate. The latter, who used to enjoy even half-cooked roasted meat, now habitually cuts wild boar meat into pieces along the grain before cooking it.

For this petite gourmet, the charred grilled fish in front of her was a real dilemma. Perinoa kept looking over, wanting to steel herself and take a bite, but she couldn't get past her mental hurdle. Her face fell, and she didn't know what to do.

"Otherwise, I..."

The boy beside him hesitated for a moment, about to speak.

Suddenly, a night breeze abruptly blew in their direction, and Percival felt, perhaps mistakenly, that the wind carried a faint, salty smell of the sea. But when the boy looked up, he was startled.

At the other end of the mountain path, several people could be faintly seen walking towards them. Under the moonlight, they could be identified as a man and two women. The two girls were Guinevere and Lily, who had gone to town not long ago to negotiate with Elaine, and the man was walking in front.

He was shirtless, with long, flowing blue hair, and had the air of a fisherman. In his right hand, he held a scepter topped with a sparkling gem.

"what."

Perinoa chuckled, "I underestimated the two of them—" He pushed himself up from the large rock and went to meet them.

……

P.S.: 242 daily recommendations, 27 intermittent posts – a perfect example of one-sided enthusiasm. Since it seems everyone isn't interested in extra chapters, let's leave it at that: one chapter a day. I'm happy to have an easier time!

Chapter 102 The Trident of Poseidon (Part 2)

"I knew you'd mostly be fine, but I didn't expect you to bring them back so quickly. Hmm, hmm, looks like my letter really worked, hahaha—"

Under the frosty moonlight, the old man clapped his hands suddenly and burst into laughter, the echo even momentarily drowning out the thunderous barking of dogs on the lake. Fisher turned his head slightly and lowered his voice: "That letter?"

"It's nothing," Guinevere said without changing her expression.

"Never mind, I probably already know what Uncle Perinoa's letter will contain." Perhaps because he had experienced something similar before, his face was tense, but the corner of his mouth twitched involuntarily, and his eyes revealed a hint of vicissitude.

Guinevere looked at him sympathetically. If they weren't still relatively unfamiliar with each other, she might have patted him on the shoulder to comfort him.

Nimiao came running over, looking very well-behaved, and handed something to him with both hands: "Daddy, this is a gift for you!"

"Thank you..." Her words trailed off, and the hand that was about to pat the girl's head froze in mid-air. She stared, conflicted, at the fish, its body jet black as ink, as if blurred with a mosaic. A faint, acrid smell of burning flesh wafted through the air. All her thoughts boiled down to a sigh: "It's clear this fish didn't die peacefully..."

"Hmm?" Nemia tilted her head.

"I said, thank you." Guinevere sighed softly, and finally placed her hand on the girl's head, gently rubbing the crown of her head a couple of times, feeling a slight tickle.

Nimiao always enjoyed this kind of physical contact, so he immediately tilted his head up and rubbed his face against her palm like a kitten.

Taking advantage of the girl's attention being drawn to her, Guinevere seized the opportunity to swipe her hand and put the "tragic" grilled fish into her sleeve—this was a simple magic trick. In her previous life, in order to make her younger sister happy, she had consulted a teacher who was skilled in this art. In this life, she had practiced swordsmanship since childhood, and her hearing and eyesight were sharp. The related techniques were as easy as eating and drinking, requiring no effort at all.

When Nimiao came to her senses and realized that what she was holding was gone, she was first surprised, then her eyes lit up and she cheered, "Amazing!"

Lily, who was behind her, saw her movements clearly and asked quietly, "Do you want to eat this fish?"

“How could that be?” Guinevere replied softly.

“This is a gift from Nimiao.” He paused. “…Maybe she baked it herself.”

"No." Her tone was resolute: "Although I haven't taught Nimue how to grill fish, I think no normal person, even one who has never cooked before, could possibly grill a good fish so horribly… It's most likely King Perinoa's handiwork; look, there's still some black residue around his mouth that he hasn't wiped off…"

“That makes sense,” Lily nodded.

"So once we've finished the important business, find a way to distract Nimiao so I can take the opportunity to throw this fish away..."

"it is good."

"……Wait."

"what happened?"

"Just in case... Of course, I don't think Nimiao's cooking skills are that bad, but as the saying goes, there's always a chance of something going wrong. Otherwise, should we confirm it first?"

“It’s possible, but there’s a problem.” Lily paused. “What if it turns out this fish was really grilled by Nimue… would you still want to eat it?”

Guinevere closed her eyes, then gritted her teeth: "Eat!"

"What to eat?"

To emphasize her determination, she spoke a little louder at the end, drawing the attention of Perinoa, Fisher, and the others who were talking nearby. She quickly smiled and said a few words to smooth things over, then breathed a sigh of relief, only to hear Lily whisper, "Then...we'll eat together."

"Lily——"

She turned abruptly and grasped the hands of the girl in the white dress. Lily was taken aback, only to see Guinevere's gaze sincere and serious: "Tell me, you didn't say that because you were hungry."

"..."

"Hey, Lily, why is your strength suddenly so much stronger...? It doesn't seem like my imagination, it looks like you've secretly used some kind of enhancement magic, right..."

"No."

"But……"

“I didn’t use it secretly,” she said earnestly, while gripping Guinevere’s hand even tighter.

"Wait, wait, I was wrong, I was wrong, I was wrong..."

The mournful cry, audible only to the two of them, faded away on the wind. A few steps away, Nimiao tilted her head and looked at the two, suddenly feeling uneasy. She had played a trick on them like this, even using food as a toy—although she felt the fish could no longer be considered food—and might get scolded later. Thinking of this, she felt very uneasy and her heart was pounding.

But then she thought that her father and sister Lily were both very gentle people and probably wouldn't be really angry.

Hmm, it should be fine!

The little girl bit her thumb and nodded vigorously.

……

Leaving aside the individual thoughts of the three of them, on the other side, after hearing the gist of the matter from Fisher, Perinoa couldn't help but click his tongue: "No wonder. I was wondering how that little girl managed to persuade you all so quickly. Elaine was easy to deal with, but you're such a stubborn rock, not even giving me, your uncle, any face. Humph—"

Towards the end, a hint of genuine annoyance crept in. He looked up and smacked Fisher on the head—not with much force, but the sound was extremely loud. Fisher wanted to dodge but dared not, looking troubled. "It concerns Elaine. I really can't bear to see her like that. Please understand, Uncle… Also, Uncle Perinoa, could you please stop hitting my head like that? I'm not a child anymore…"

“You’re not a child. Even if you’re seventy or eighty years old, I’ll still be your father’s brother!”

boom!boom!

"No... there are other people here."

"With other people around, you still have to call me uncle! What, after being the king of Dai for over twenty years, you think you're so important and powerful? Don't forget, in terms of seniority, I've lived more than half a lifetime longer than you!"

boom!boom!boom!boom!

Fisher finally gave up, slumped his shoulders, and let the old man keep hitting his head. He looked around with empty eyes and saw that everyone else had tacitly looked away. Only the little girl named Nimiao was biting her finger and staring at him without blinking.

It's fine to just look at it.

He even saw a sense of empathy in the girl's eyes.

"I get hit on the head like that all the time, so don't worry about it!"

Although he didn't speak, Fisher seemed to read a sentence in the girl's eyes, and for a moment he was both annoyed and amused. Since he didn't resist, Perinoa knocked a few times, then, finding it pointless, lowered her hand and pointed to the center of the lake not far away: "See that? A water-seeking beast that's about to come of age. You're probably seeing it for the first time too."

When the conversation turned to serious matters, Fisher's expression immediately became serious: "This is indeed the first time I've seen this."

"how do you feel?"

"...It's very noisy." He said with a serious expression.

“Yes, that’s what I think too.” Perinoa crossed his arms and nodded in agreement.

"I still think they're joking," Guinevere whispered to Lily.

The girl in the white dress pondered for a moment: "This might be some kind of innate talent."

"...I never knew you could be so sharp-tongued."

“I didn’t say that,” Lily explained, realizing there might have been a misunderstanding.

"Oh--"

Guinevere immediately understood.

But Lily looked at her, and the girl, who thought she had concealed her identity very well, couldn't understand what Guinevere had figured out. However, this companion's strange behavior wasn't a new thing, so she shook her head and dismissed the question.

Meanwhile, Perinoa gradually got to the point: "...So, did you bring the other two things besides the scepter as well?"

"Here I am."

Guinevere stepped forward, extending her hand. A hazy mist suddenly appeared in her palm. The old man nodded: "So real yet so illusory, it truly is the Pearl of the Illusionary Sea. It seems Elaine did indeed agree. Hmm, what about the Ring of Solomon?"

“The Magic King’s ring is needed to maintain the Illusionary Sea. To prevent that monster from escaping, we must retrieve it the instant the three treasures are combined,” Fisher replied. The Illusionary Sea is the name of the castle that exists in the rift between the mortal and underworld realms.

“Okay.” Perinoa didn’t ask any more questions. He turned around and punched the big rock he had been sitting on. The campfire roared, and the whole rock shook violently a few times, sending sand and dust flying down.

"Now that everything is ready, there's no need to waste time. Let's just wait for this guy to wake up on his own after he's had enough sleep."

"Uncle Perinoa?"

A sudden, ominous premonition welled up from the bottom of his heart, but Fisher only managed to call out one name before he and the others stared in disbelief as the old man roared, using the strength of one arm to lift the massive rock, weighing at least eighty or ninety pounds, above his head: "Here you go, your grandpa—"

Before he could finish the sentence, Percival suddenly felt someone tug at his sleeve. He turned around and saw Nemia, who smiled and said, "Congratulations."

"What?" he asked, looking puzzled.

Nimiao said very seriously, "Congratulations on becoming a father!"

"Forehead……"

The awkward boy didn't know how to respond for a moment.

At that moment, Perinoa exerted a sudden force, and the entire boulder flew up with a "whoosh," tracing a high parabola before crashing into the lake with the force of a meteorite falling from the sky. With a splash, the lake water splattered everywhere, like a waterfall cascading back, and thousands upon thousands of bright pearls shot out!

But what was even more astonishing was that after a moment of silence in the center of the lake, a deafening and eerie barking suddenly erupted!

……

Chapter 103 The Halberd of Poseidon (Part 2)

"Get out here and die, you grandpa!"

Perinoa exerted all his strength, and the boulder in his hand whooshed forward like a small meteorite. It was nearly midnight, and the crescent moon shone brightly, casting a white frost over the ground. All that could be seen was the boulder flying out and crashing into the lake, creating towering waves. Amidst the splashing water, the beaver-like beast vanished in an instant, as if it had been forcefully sunk by the boulder.

But as the boulder sank, the water trembled violently without ceasing, followed by a chilling and austere atmosphere that sent shivers down one's spine.

The temperature seemed to drop several degrees suddenly, and the originally cool night breeze felt like sharp blades, stinging the skin. Fisher's fingers tightened around the scepter; thanks to the effects of the Sea Treasure, he sensed the approaching storm before the others.

“There is a force at the bottom of the lake that is growing rapidly,” he succinctly reminded him.

"Let it come!"

Perinoa crossed his arms and snorted. Despite having just lifted and thrown that massive boulder weighing tens or even hundreds of pounds with one hand, the old man was still neither red-faced nor out of breath. Only his right arm trembled slightly, and the bulging veins had not yet subsided, making him look rather frightening.

But he seemed completely unconcerned: "A mere beaver has wasted so much of my time... It's time to teach this guy a lesson."

“Father, the Water-Seeking Beast only looks like a beaver, but it’s not a real beaver,” Percival corrected him earnestly from the side.