An Unorthodox Guide to Conquering Another World

"understood!"

Ilsa had already put the book away and changed into casual clothes, a black dress that was both appropriate and not flashy. The Hikaria family was just an ordinary family, and if she dressed too formally, it would make people uncomfortable.

After tying the laces of his ankle boots and putting the gifts he had prepared for Hikaria and Mrs. Elena into his small handbag, he went downstairs and got into Ya Feng's car.

"Ya Feng, where are the flowers you ordered?" she asked, hugging Ya Feng's waist.

"Here it is."

Ya Feng patted the storage box on the side of the electric car, opened it, and carefully placed a bunch of blooming pink carnations inside.

"Who told you to buy carnations...? Who would bring carnations when visiting someone's house?" Ilsa said helplessly.

"After all, I thought if I was going to give a gift, I should give something that shows my feelings," Ya Feng said.

"And, Ilsa, have you heard? There are roses in the trash can, but no carnations. The carnations will just stay on the windowsill in Mom's bedroom until they wither completely."

He sighed deeply, then said to Ilsa:

"Don't worry, I'll give you a bouquet next Mother's Day too."

"I don't want to..."

"Never mind... carnations it is then..." Ilsa sighed.

It's a flower, after all.

They drove into the city.

Hikaria's residence is also in the outer city, in an old apartment building. Although the location is a bit out of the way, the environment is quite nice, and the surrounding community is very safe.

After parking the car, Ya Feng and Ilsa stood downstairs at the apartment building.

"Sigh, I'm going to see Mother Elina soon. Mother Ilsa, could you check me to make sure there's nothing wrong with me?" Ya Feng said.

"As long as you're here, that's fine," Ilsa said casually, too exhausted to even complain.

Holding a bouquet of carnations, Ya Feng and Ilsa walked upstairs together.

"Let me see, it's talking about number 501..."

They went up to the fifth floor and found their room number.

He knocked on the door and took a deep breath.

"I'll be able to see Mrs. Elena cooking in an apron soon, and I'm honestly quite excited," Ya Feng said.

Ilsa rolled her eyes at him, even though she wore an apron and cooked for him every day.

The door opened, and Ya Feng, holding up a carnation, smiled and said, "Mrs. Elena, I—"

But instead of the gentle and virtuous Mrs. Elena in her apron, he was greeted by a fat, large flying fish with wings, which slapped him across the face with its tail.

"What is that?!"

Ya Feng quickly grabbed it, watching the pink, winged flying fish struggle wildly in his hand.

"I'm so sorry! I hope you weren't hurt!" Elina rushed over, clutching a small net bag in her hand, her face full of apology.

"I'm so sorry! That fish was too fast, I couldn't catch it right away. Are you alright, Teacher Ya Feng?"

"Uh, so this fish opened the door for me just now?" Ya Feng said blankly.

Just then, the fish in his hand jerked up, spraying water all over his face.

"Mr. Ya Feng!"

Elena quickly used her small net to catch the fish, preventing it from escaping again.

"I'm so sorry, I'm just a guest and this has happened to me. Please kneel down, let me wipe it for you..."

Elena pulled Ya Feng down to squat down and used a handkerchief to wipe the water from his cheeks, her face full of apology.

"I..." Ya Feng looked at the girl wiping his cheek so close to him, opened his mouth, then covered his eyes:

"My eyes seem a little swollen from being hit... Ouch, it hurts..."

"Oh? Well, shall I blow on it for you?" Elena said.

"That would be too much trouble for you..."

“Alright, Mrs. Elena, don’t worry about him,” Ilsa had already seen through Ya Feng’s thoughts, pulled him aside, and took out the gifts she had prepared for them from her pocket.

"These are some Senhe brand aromatherapy diffusers and some cookies I baked myself. It's just a small token of my appreciation. I wonder if you and Hikaria will like them."

Ilsa chose a very popular fragrance, and Senhe is a perfume brand under the Fairy brand, so this gift should be quite thoughtful.

"Thank you! Linda, did you bake these cookies yourself?" Elena said in surprise.

"Hmm...maybe my skills are still a bit lacking, I hope you won't mind," Ilsa said apologetically.

“Yes, Hikaria and I will enjoy it,” Elina said.

“These are flowers for you, Mrs. Elena,” Ya Feng then handed over the flowers as well.

"Thank you, it's so beautiful... Huh? Carnations?" Elena paused slightly, but quickly replied:

“Oh, well, Hikaria gave me carnations for Mother’s Day before, I really like this flower,” she said with a smile.

"Then, please come in. Please don't be shy."

"Sorry to bother you."

Ilsa and Yafeng entered the living room.

The home is small, probably no more than fifty square meters, but it's decorated very warmly. The air conditioner and crystal projector look old, but they've been used all along. The tablecloth on the dining table has little animals drawn on it by myself. There are lush lilies of the valley on the windowsill, and wind chimes made from old spice bottles. They're colorful after being painted, and they tinkle in the wind.

A rug was laid out in front of the sofa, along with cute cushions. The teacups on the coffee table were shaped like little animals, and the wall cabinet was decorated with various handmade items made from glass bottles, old newspapers, and old fabrics—playful and girlish crafts that looked very cozy.

In addition, there are rows of photos on the wall, all of which are photos of the mother and daughter together, showing Hikaria's changes from childhood to adulthood.

It's clear that although they live in very modest conditions, they are full of love for life.

“Where is Hikaria?” Ilsa asked.

"Because we were short of some ingredients, I sent her out to run errands. She should be back soon. Please wait a moment while I make some tea." Elina took the fish back to the kitchen and then busied herself making tea.

Ilsa and Ya Feng both looked at the display cabinet on the living room wall.

"Did Mrs. Elena make all of these?"

Ilsa looked at the small handicrafts on the display case. Some of them were so exquisite that you couldn't tell they were made from recycled bottles.

"Well, since I couldn't buy Hikaria any good toys, I made these myself, but she likes them quite a bit," Elina said shyly.

"Ilsa, you should learn from other mothers," Ya Feng said to Ilsa in a low voice.

Ilsa ignored him and continued looking at the photos.

"This is Hikaria when she was little."

Ilsa looked at one of the photos, a picture of Erina and Hikaria as a baby. Hikaria was very small in the photo, looking like she had just been born. Her hair was sparse, and her eyes were squinting. She was being held in Erina's arms and fed with a bottle.

Elina looks much the same as she does now, and her expression is still tense and unfamiliar when she holds Hikaria. It seems that she has only recently taken in this little life and has not yet gotten used to the role of mother.

However, it's also clear that she wants to take good care of this little life as much as possible, holding the bottle in her little hands with a serious expression.

"How heartwarming..." Ilsa exclaimed as she looked at the scene.

Then she looked at Ya Feng and couldn't help but say:

"Can you please stop looking at me with that longing expression..."

“Ilsa…” Ya Feng looked at her expectantly.

“I would never breastfeed you like that,” Ilsa predicted.

“Oh…” Ya Feng lowered his head in disappointment.

Chapter 68 Mrs. Elena

"When I first found Xixi, I heard that a child had been abandoned. The whole village came and suggested sending her to an orphanage. It was only because I insisted that Xixi stay."

Elena brought over some tea and, seeing that they were looking at the paintings over there, came over to explain.

“After all, I was just a little girl who needed everyone to take care of me back then. Sometimes when I encountered some trouble, I needed the help of everyone in the village to solve it. So... no one thought I could raise a child. Everyone thought it would be better to send me to an orphanage.”

Elena stroked her cheek, as if lost in deep memories: "However, I still beg everyone to let me keep this child, and I promise I will ensure she grows up healthy and strong."

This is probably because I'm too lonely. I've lived alone since I was very young, and I've always been alone. That's why when I saw Xixi, I thought I had to keep her here, hoping that someone would be with me... I wanted to experience what it's like to be a mother...

"Although there were indeed a lot of problems at the beginning, because I lacked experience in taking care of children, I didn't know how hot the milk should be, or what the bath water temperature should be, and sometimes I would forget to change diapers. Sometimes Xixi would wake up crying in the middle of the night, and I couldn't soothe her no matter what I did. It's a little embarrassing to admit, but at that time I could only cry and try to comfort her at the same time. There was also a time when I didn't notice that she had a fever, and I waited a whole day before taking her to the town's pharmacy in the middle of the night... So some people say that it's because Xixi is lucky that I was able to raise her."

As Elina spoke, she laughed shyly at herself. Seeing the looks from Ilsa and Ayaka, she became a little embarrassed, scratching her head.

"I'm sorry, I couldn't help but say so much."

“No, it’s wonderful, please tell me more,” Ya Feng said immediately.

"Sigh... well... it's not really something worth talking about," Elina said somewhat awkwardly.

"Well, Mrs. Elena, I'm actually a writer too. What you just said has given me a lot of inspiration, and I can hardly contain my creative urge now," Ya Feng said earnestly as he approached Elena.

"Really? Mr. Ya Feng, you're a novelist?" Elina seemed very surprised.

"Of course, if possible, I would like to hear more about your story of raising Hikaria, in detail, from the beginning, and if possible, let me experience it firsthand..."

"Hey, Ya Feng..."

Ilsa's gaze was already fixed on him from behind.

"Ah, well..." Elina scratched her head, "Actually, there's not much to say, but if Mr. Ya Feng is willing to hear it, we can arrange a time later and I'll tell you slowly."

"Okay." Ya Feng clenched his fist.

"Really..." Ilsa sighed helplessly when she saw him like that.

...

"I specially bought a rainbow bream today. It's a particularly delicious fish, you all must try it," said Elina, squatting on the ground as she processed the pink flying fish she had just seen.

“I’ve heard of this fish; it’s ranked seventh on the kingdom’s list of edible fish,” Ilsa said.

“Yes, because Xixi especially loves to eat fish, I’ve also learned a lot of ways to cook fish,” Elena said.

“Then, Mrs. Elena, let me help you?” Ilsa walked into the kitchen.

"No need, Linda, you're a guest, I can't let you do this."

“It’s alright, and besides, I’d like to ask Mrs. Elena for some cooking advice,” Ilsa said.

"Huh? So at home, Linda, you're the one who does all the cooking?" Elena asked in surprise.

“Well…yes, Ya Feng…uh, Dad’s very busy with work, so I’m the one who cooks and does the housework,” Ilsa said.

"What a good girl, helping her father with the work." Elina smiled, instinctively patting Ilsa's head, but quickly realized her mistake and said awkwardly:

"...Well, I'm sorry, we're used to doing this at home with Xixi. Linda, you're about the same age as her, so..."

“This…no, it’s alright,” Ilsa said with a smile.

Sure enough, this girl's maternal instincts are too strong... I was even a little dazed when she touched my head just now...

"Then, Linda, could you please prepare some side dishes for me?" Elena said.

"okay."

...

Ya Feng borrowed Elina's bathroom for a bit. It was very small, only three or four square meters, but it did have a small bathtub, just big enough for two people to sit close together, and a shower area.

When Ya Feng walked in, he felt that the space was a bit cramped, but it should be enough for petite girls like Elina and Hikaria.

The air was filled with the fragrance of soap and perfume. Two toothbrush cups and toothbrushes sat side-by-side on the washstand, along with body lotion and children's face cream. Towels belonging to the mother and daughter hung against the wall...

However, Ya Feng didn't come in to do anything. He closed his eyes and placed his hands on the white-tiled wall.

A complete view of the one-bedroom apartment appeared in his mind, and every trace of magic within it was observed.

This is, after all, an opportunity to uncover Hikaria's secrets. Her usual place of residence is bound to reveal some clues, so we need to observe this house carefully.

There was only one bedroom, but there weren't any strong traces of magic in it; it was probably just left behind by Hikaria during her spell practice at school.

It seems that Hikaria wouldn't use spells like Holy Light at home.

Furthermore, Ya Feng discovered that the windows and doors of his house were protected by holy-attribute protective spells, all of which were at the fourth rank. This would be considered quite good security even in wealthy households.