Keep attacking girls and try not to be killed by them

"Let me help you light the fire!"

Because he often hunts, Woodall always carries a flint with him. When the other villagers saw that the village chief was helping, they temporarily stopped questioning him. A villager who happened to be nearby even took the initiative to bring some dry firewood. This was the good result of the good relationships that Jiang Ran had built up by helping others today.

Jiang Ran picked up some stones and made a circle, then piled charcoal inside and put dry firewood on top and lit it. The fire soon burned fiercely, and the billowing smoke made everyone step back a few steps. But everyone knew that what was burning now was dry firewood, and they had to wait until the dry firewood was burned out to know whether what Banning said was true or false. If the so-called "charcoal" did not burn in the end, then Banning would be ruined and become a clown who sought attention.

But Jiang Ran was not nervous at all. He thought that the reason why the villagers had not discovered the function of charcoal was, firstly, because charcoal was black and unpleasant, and secondly, because charcoal was not as easy to ignite as dry firewood. Thirdly, this village was not only backward but also isolated from information, so it was normal that they did not know.

Soon, all the dry wood was burned, the flames were gone, the smoke was gone, and it looked like the fire was out.

"Hey, isn't this burning?"

"Yeah! There's not even a flame!"

"Banning, just admit it, you're just lying!"

The villagers who had previously questioned Jiang Ran started clamoring again, but Jiang Ran remained calm. He waved for everyone to come forward and feel it. The villagers approached and saw that although the flames were gone, the once pitch-black charcoal was now glowing faintly red, and a wave of heat seemed to be emanating from it. A few brave villagers placed their hands on the charcoal to test it, and immediately cried out in pain from the burns!

"Listen to me, everyone. When charcoal is lit, it won't produce flames like dry wood. However, this kind of combustion without fire can still produce a sustained high temperature. It can also burn longer than the same weight of wood, and it doesn't produce smoke or choke. It's very convenient whether you use it for heating or grilling food."

After hearing Jiang Ran's explanation, the villagers were all amazed. From time to time, some naughty children would reach out to feel the heat of the charcoal from a distance, only to be caught and beaten by their parents. After witnessing and experiencing the magic of charcoal firsthand, the villagers changed their tune and praised Banning, saying that it was fortunate that Banning had taught them this, otherwise this precious charcoal would have been thrown away as garbage. Even the few villagers who had initially questioned Jiang Ran sincerely apologized to him, and everyone shook hands and said goodbye.

Afterwards, under the guidance of the village chief and Jiang Ran, everyone enthusiastically demolished the damaged buildings and gathered the charcoal they could use. The village chief asked Jiang Ran, "What kind of cooking method are you talking about? I've grilled rabbit over firewood while hunting in the mountains. Is that a similar method?"

So Jiang Ran briefly told the village chief the method of charcoal barbecue. The village chief nodded frequently after listening, and immediately called the villagers to the open space and told everyone that they would hold a barbecue party together tonight!

Nothing can motivate everyone better than eating. At the call of the village chief Woodall, the entire village of Ella went out to learn barbecue!

Jiang Ran first taught a few smart young men, and then they dispersed to teach more villagers. Before long, the whole village was busy grilling and eating.

Generally speaking, barbecue is primarily meat-based, but the productivity of Ella Village was far from that level. Jiang Ran improvised and taught everyone how to grill vegetables. Vegetables like eggplant, potatoes, bell peppers, and corn were also quite delicious when grilled. It was a pity that the village was short on seasonings, so they couldn't prepare classic sauces like barbecue sauce and garlic sauce. Otherwise, the food would have been even more delicious.

As the barbecue atmosphere became more and more heated, the village chief Woodall moved a table, stood on it and cheered to everyone.

"Everyone, listen to me! Today, we're having a barbecue party in Ella Village. There are three reasons for that!"

“First! Commemorate our compatriots who died in the fire! May they rest in peace!”

"Second! Celebrate that all of us here survived the fire!"

"Third! Welcome to our village's new boy! Banning!!"

The villagers applauded and cheered, especially enthusiastically when they heard Banning's welcome speech. Afterward, at the village chief's cordial invitation, Jiang Ran, "very embarrassed," stepped up to the stage (table) to greet everyone. After stepping down, Jiang Ran instantly became the focus of the entire village, with everyone flocking to him, eager to speak to him and get to know him, fearing they wouldn't be able to become friends with Banning in the future.

Among this crowded crowd, there is also Wei'er.

Wei'er tried to go up to Banning and say something, but was pushed away by the crowd. After several failures, Wei'er looked at the crowd surrounding Banning, sighed helplessly, turned around and walked away silently.

Banning had been lying on the ground, dying at noon, yet now he had become the hottest rising star in Ella Village. Wei'er couldn't accept the disparity for a moment. It felt like a good friend had suddenly become a powerful figure she couldn't reach... But her relationship with Banning was far from close; they had only known each other for half a day.

(Why am I so concerned about him… He’s a newcomer who just arrived in the village today… Ugh…)

But what Wei'er didn't know was that Jiang Ran had actually noticed her presence in the crowd early in the morning, and was deliberately not giving her the chance to approach him and talk.

2.6 - Girl's Heart

Wei'er was a little frustrated that she couldn't talk to Banning.

Actually, she didn't have anything special to say to Banning, but for some reason she always wanted to be closer to him.

(I… maybe I want to confirm the 'rumor' with him…?)

(No, no, no! How could I possibly say something so embarrassing to her face?)

(If this is a misunderstanding, I might as well die right there! I’ll never be able to see anyone again in my life!)

(Ugh…)

Wei'er was struggling with herself in her heart. Now this itchy feeling in her heart really made her uncomfortable.

"Forget it, let's eat something."

"Wow... these baked potato chips... are so good..."

The delicious food comforted Wei'er somewhat. She sat with her back to the bustling crowd, eating grilled potato chips, grilled eggplant, grilled corn, and grilled green peppers. As she ate, Wei'er's mind unconsciously flashed back to the time she'd given Banning water to drink. She also vividly remembered the time she'd been rescued by Banning from the dilapidated building. As Wei'er ate, she gradually fell into a daze.

At this moment, someone patted Wei'er's shoulder from behind. Wei'er turned around, but strangely, there was no one behind her. So she turned around and prepared to continue eating the grilled king oyster mushrooms, but suddenly she found Banning standing in front of her, smiling at her.

"Bam bam bam bam bam bam! W-why are you here?!"

Wei'er was so scared that she almost screamed.

Fortunately, she managed to hold back, but unfortunately, in her excitement, she flung the grilled king oyster mushroom out of her hand. It spun in the air, hitting Banning's head with pinpoint accuracy, then gave a resilient "duang~" sound before finally falling to the ground and lying flat, peacefully.

Wei'er: "..."

Banning: "..."

Grilled King Oyster Mushrooms: “…?”

The barbecue party was so hot that it made people sweat, but now Wei'er felt that the atmosphere between her and Banning was so awkward that it was about to freeze...

"Haha, it's okay. This can be eaten after washing it with water. I'll take it."

The considerate Banning broke the silence first. He first picked up the grilled king oyster mushrooms, and then handed another skewer of grilled bird meat to Wei'er.

"I'm sorry I scared you just now. This is to make amends."

Wei'er had just come back to her senses from the sudden accident when a skewer of barbecue suddenly appeared in front of her without any warning, and her eyes widened.

(Wow, it’s actually skewers! Smells so good!)

Wei'er hesitated, a little embarrassed to accept it, but she still swallowed her saliva, because after all, it was meat! Meat that she could only eat once a week!

"The village chief said, one skewer per person, to celebrate everyone's survival today."

Banning seemed to see that Wei'er was embarrassed, and after he explained it, Wei'er "reluctantly" accepted the kebabs.

After the kebabs were handed over, the two looked at each other. Wei'er had a lot to say, but she didn't know where to start.

"That, that..."

"Banning, the village chief is calling you!"

Wei'er finally mustered up the courage, but her voice was drowned out by some blind guy's loud voice.

"Ah, sorry, the village chief seems to be calling me. Can we talk about it next time?"

"Hmm...hmm."

Wei'er could only nod blankly, then watched Banning leave, standing there in a daze.

(I haven’t told him my name is Wei’er yet…)

(Ugh…)

Wei'er looked at the shiny grilled skewers and was about to take a big bite to comfort herself, but she suddenly realized something, stopped and looked around, and then she found that what Banning had just said was actually a white lie, and not every villager had skewers to eat.

(Yeah, how could our village possibly have so much raw meat in stock...)

(So... he brought the kebabs specifically for me...?)

(But... why?)

(Could it be...could it be that the rumors are true, and he really does...like me?)

Just thinking about this made Wei'er feel extremely shy, but no matter how she thought about it, she felt that this was impossible. She thought that Banning should just come to repay the kindness of the bowl of water at noon, and she was thinking too much.

Since not everyone has barbecue skewers, Wei Er couldn't eat them with a clear conscience. She found two villagers who were seriously injured in the fire and were bedridden and unable to attend the barbecue party. Wei Er shared the skewers with them and told them that a new boy named Banning had come to the village and that it was Banning who wanted to give them the barbecue skewers.

"Thank you, Wei'er."

"Please tell Banning that we should thank him."

The wounded were extremely grateful to Wei'er, but her attention was not here.

"Hmm? Sorry, I didn't hear clearly..."

To Wei'er, the voices of the two villagers seemed to come from far away, and she felt as if her soul was a little out of her body.

Wei'er could feel that something was wrong with her. She had never felt this way before. Now she would be dazed from time to time, and sometimes she would feel a tightness in her chest, as if someone was holding her heart.

(So ​​strange, what’s wrong with me…)

The girl didn't know that her heartstrings had been plucked by the boy.

·

"Mr. Village Chief, when winter comes, everyone will definitely want to burn charcoal to keep warm. When that happens, we must warn everyone to keep the rooms well ventilated. If not, the toxins produced by the charcoal will be fatal."

"Ah? So charcoal is so dangerous. I guess we can't just let everyone use it casually."

Jiang Ran knew that the villagers would not understand the concepts of carbon monoxide and carbon dioxide poisoning, so he simplified the concepts and explained them to the village chief. After spending half a day together and communicating with him, Jiang Ran felt that the village chief, Woodall, was a reliable person.

"Yes, I suggest that it would be more appropriate for the village chief to be in charge."

Following the topic of charcoal, Jiang Ran chatted a lot with the village chief, and they didn't stop talking until the barbecue party was over.

As night fell, the village chief arranged an empty house for Jiang Ran to spend the night. The previous owner of the house was an elderly man who lived alone. He passed away a few years ago, and the furniture in the house was still well preserved.

Jiang Ran checked what was in the house, picked out a rusty kitchen knife, a bundle of still strong hemp rope and two flints, and then quietly slipped out of the house with these things.

(Benni: It's dangerous in every sense for you to take these things out at night without getting enough sleep, Jiang Yan.)

(Jiang Ran: What do you think I'm going to do?)

(Benni: You...you're not going to kidnap Wei'er, are you?)

(Jiang Ran: You're crazy! I'm going to Ella Forest.)

(Benni: Huh? Are you crazy? Going to the forest to do something stupid in the middle of the night?)

2.7 - Night Forest Exploration

Jiang Ran used to think that with Prigok Nissen's intelligence, it was really difficult for her to associate him with the concept of God. Even if he was just the "right eye of God", he shouldn't be so stupid.

Now, Jiang Ran thinks so even more.

Ignoring the silly loli's question, Jiang Ran quickly slipped out of Ella Village under the cover of night.

Ella Forest is located next to Ella Village. Jiang Ran landed in Ella Forest when he entered the Prison Star World during the day.

Jiang Ran's main reason for sneaking into the forest at night was to observe firsthand how Village Chief Woodall hunted. This evening, during a barbecue, Jiang Ran learned a lot of information from Village Chief Woodall. First, regarding geographic location and administrative divisions, Ella Village was part of Gude Town, and above Gude Town was Cuilin City. Cuilin City belonged to Lord Green Lizard, and everyone in Ella, including the villagers, was his subject.

The Green Lizard Lords are loyal to King Damodardas III, who leads five other lords in governing the nation of Wildforest, known simply as the Kingdom of Wester. The Kingdom of Wester is relatively peaceful among the nations of the Alliance of Light, as the war between the Alliance of Light and the Hell Empire is far from the Kingdom, and demons and monsters are generally not present.

The second thing is about "profession". In Ella Village, everyone has some skills to make a living. For example, the village chief Woodall is good at hunting, and Wei'er is good at managing orchards and sewing. Jiang Ran asked indirectly about the "production profession" and "manufacturing profession". Woodall told Jiang Ran that "profession" is a gift from the "good god" to believers. If you believe in the "good god" and persevere in practicing the same profession, when your ability matures, you will be able to see the "holy light" recognized by the good god - this is also the proof of "profession". However, what specific profession you have cultivated needs to be identified. In the territory of the Green Lizard Lord, "production profession" and "manufacturing profession" can only be identified in Cuilin City. Generally, no one will go to Cuilin City specifically unless there is a special situation. Even if you ride a horse, it takes half a month to get there one way.

The villagers of Ella Village haven't yet identified their "production" or "manufacturing" professions, but this doesn't affect their ability to perform. The presence of a "holy aura" is proof of this. Woodall explained that he was recognized as a hunter by the Good God over twenty years ago, and now, while hunting, he can occasionally see a "holy aura" emanating from him.

During his conversation with the village chief, Banning skillfully used guidance and mind-reading to elicit information. Woodall, the village chief, did not become suspicious of Banning due to his lack of common sense. Woodall's words offered much for Jiang Ran to ponder. However, since Woodall had mentioned that he would be hunting in Ella Forest tonight to provide the village with some raw meat, Jiang Ran made observing Woodall his top priority.

According to Woodall, both Production and Manufacturing occupations can be acquired through continuous experience accumulation, without the need for guild qualification or church baptism. This is good news for Jiang Ran. Given the current lack of information on Combat Occupations, it is crucial for Jiang Ran to quickly master a Production or Manufacturing occupation with sufficient combat attributes. The Village Chief's "Production Occupation: Hunter" perfectly suits Jiang Ran's needs.

As for why he didn't just ask the village chief to teach him, it was because Jiang Ran saw through the village chief's inner thoughts. Woodell had some insight. He thought that while Banning was a good guy, he didn't seem like someone who would stay in a small place like Ella for long. To attract Banning to stay in Ella for a long time, if he wanted to learn about his profession, he would teach him as slowly as possible, not letting him learn real skills all at once... Woodell planned to quietly explain this to the other villagers.

Since the village chief had such a plan, Jiang Ran could only remain calm on the surface, and then secretly look for opportunities to find out what "secret" the village chief's hunting posture was.

After entering the Ella Forest, Jiang Ran lowered his posture. He had to be extremely careful, otherwise he would easily be discovered by a seasoned hunter like Woodall. While sneaking around and searching for Woodall's traces, Jiang Ran's super-dimensional divine eye unexpectedly played a huge role.

Originally, with Jiang Ran's ability to explore the wild, it would be difficult for him to find footprints in the forest at night. But now, with the help of the super-dimensional divine eye, he can not only see the identified footprints on the ground, but also see the "information" of the footprints - on a human footprint, Jiang Ran saw the description "Woodell's footprint" floating.

Relying on his identification skills, Jiang Ran gradually tracked Woodell's path. As a hunter, Woodell was removing his footprints, but only occasionally to prevent predators from following him. This gave Jiang Ran an opportunity to track him. About half an hour later, Jiang Ran spotted Woodell crouching in the distance. He had just set a trap and was quickly moving on to the next location.

Jiang Ran didn't dare to follow too closely, relying entirely on the identification information from the Super-Dimensional Divine Eye to track from a distance. Some time later, sharp animal calls were heard nearby, as if a carnivore was chasing its prey. Jiang Ran noticed that Woodall had climbed up a tree at some point, so he quickly hid in the bushes to avoid being discovered.

Under the moonlight, Woodell raised his hunting bow, pulled the bowstring to its full extent, and took aim with bated breath, concentrating as if only he and his prey were left in the world. At this moment, Jiang Ran saw a silver-white flash on Woodell's fingers as he drew the bow.

(So ​​that's what's called divine light.)

Then, Woodall shot an arrow, which flew fast and steady. The trajectory of the arrow was almost unaffected by gravity and crosswind. Then he heard a dull sound and the howl of an animal. That was the sound of the arrow hitting the prey.

Obviously, "Holy Light" increases the power of arrows, which is exactly what Jiang Ran wants to learn.

Afterwards, Jiang Ran continued to follow Woodall for two hours without being discovered, and learned a lot of hunting knowledge along the way, but he was still full of doubts about his "profession".

Woodall finally harvested a fox, a rabbit, and three large guinea pigs, and returned home with a full load. Jiang Ran followed Woodall back to the village from a distance. As they walked, Jiang Ran suddenly stopped.

Jiang Ran discovered a new footprint, and the identification name of the footprint was written as "Fox's Footprint".

Jiang Ran had seen the names of all 50 people in Ella Village, but he had no impression of the name "Fox".

Jiang Ran leaned over and felt the footprints, which felt fresh. To be safe, he began to track them. However, the owner of the footprints moved incredibly fast, and Jiang Ran couldn't catch up after chasing them for almost an hour. Finally, he barely saw a figure leaving from the other side of Ella Forest.

Fortunately, this is enough.