My monster cards can evolve infinitely.

At the bend in the dirt road ahead, three crooked figures appeared.

The leader was a bald, burly man with a face full of scars, wearing a worn-out scale armor and a broad-bladed short axe at his waist.

He was followed by a man and a woman.

One was a tall, thin man carrying a longbow and with a scar on his face; the other was a woman wearing tight-fitting leather armor with two daggers tucked into her belt.

All three of them looked travel-worn, as if they had just returned from a mission.

The bald, burly man at the front immediately noticed the mountain of orange-red fruit piled on the table, and his eyes lit up.

"Hey, old lady, selling fruit?"

He strode forward, and before the old woman could answer, he grabbed two of the largest summer fruits, wiped them on his rough clothes, and took a bite.

Juice dripped down the corner of his mouth.

"Hmm...not bad." He mumbled a review, swallowing the fruit in a few bites. He casually tossed the pit on the ground, then grabbed two more, tossing one to the tall, thin man behind him and the other to the female adventurer. "Try some, quench your thirst."

The tall, thin man and the female adventurer also started eating without any hesitation.

The old woman stood up, her face still bearing a courteous but slightly nervous smile: "Guests, summer fruit is one copper coin a pound, buy three pounds and get one pound free. The three of you just tasted... it's on me."

"A treat?" The bald, burly man wiped his mouth, grinned, revealing yellowed teeth, "The old woman's quite the businesswoman."

"However, the fruit tastes just so-so, not very sweet."

The old woman's smile froze for a moment: "These... are all ripe fruits picked this morning. Now is the sweetest time for summer fruits."

"I said it's not sweet, and that's final!" The bald, burly man glared. "What, do I need you to teach me how to taste your fruit?"

The tall, thin man behind him chimed in sarcastically, "That's right, we've walked all this way, what's wrong with eating a few of your worthless fruits? You want money back?"

The old woman's lips moved, but in the end she simply lowered her head and said softly, "Then... take care, guest."

"Leave?" The bald, burly man didn't move. His gaze swept over the wooden shed, then glanced at the cannibal behind the old woman—

Ado was staring intently at him with his small yellow eyes, making a threatening, low growl in his throat.

A hint of apprehension flashed in the big man's eyes. After all, an adult ogre was a level 2 challenge, which was not something the three of them could handle.

But seeing the old woman's timid appearance, his courage returned.

He didn't leave immediately, but lingered around, seemingly having accidentally bumped into the table piled high with fruit.

Whoosh!

The top layer of round summer fruits rolled off and fell to the ground, covered in dust.

"Oops, that was an accident," the bald, burly man said insincerely.

The old woman gasped in surprise and reached out to pick it up, but was stopped by the burly man's strong arm.

The cannibal Ado suddenly stood up!

The three-meter-tall body rose abruptly like a small mountain, its enormous shadow instantly enveloping the entire wooden shed.

Its fangs protruded outwards, it exhaled heavy breaths from its nostrils, and its hands were clenched into fist-sized hammers as it stared intently at the bald man.

The three adventurers' expressions changed instantly, and they all took a step back.

Under the oppressive aura of the adult cannibal, the first to succumb was the tall, thin adventurer. He was now covered in sweat, and his trembling hands instinctively reached for his longbow.

The three of them unconsciously took a few steps back.

"Ado! Sit down!" the old woman shouted sternly, her voice carrying an unquestionable command.

The ogre's massive body froze. It looked down at the old woman, its small eyes filled with confusion and grievance, and it made a "woofing" sound in its throat, like a large dog being scolded by its owner.

"Sit down! Don't move!" the old woman commanded again, patting its thick calves.

Ado reluctantly sat back down on the stone stool, but his angry little eyes remained fixed on the three adventurers.

Seeing that the cannibal had been stopped, the bald man's fear faded, and his thoughtful gaze lingered on the old woman.

His expression shifted several times before finally settling into a sneer.

"Old woman, your 'pet' is quite obedient!" He walked forward and stood at a safe distance, constantly examining the huge ogre.

"Keep this monster to guard the orchard? Who are you trying to scare!"

Ado's body trembled, its muscles tensed, and its fangs clattered together, but it endured the pain by looking at the old woman's stern eyes.

"Alright, alright, a few worthless fruits, no fun at all." The bald, burly man seemed to have lost interest. He kicked over an empty wooden barrel beside him, turned to his companion, and said, "Let's go, let's go to town for a couple of drinks!"

The three were laughing and about to leave when the female adventurer pulled the bald man aside, pointed at the ogre squatting on the ground, and muttered something under her breath.

After exchanging only a few words, the bald man's expression instantly turned to astonishment, and his eyes, which were scrutinizing the cannibal, became extremely bright.

His gaze swept back and forth between the old woman and the cannibal.

"Old woman, is this monster your pet?"

"Ado is not a monster," the old woman said calmly. "He is my child."

"A child?" the bald, burly man sneered. "Old woman, are you senile? This monster eats people!"

Ado seemed to understand the word "cannibalism." Its massive body shifted uneasily, its small, yellow eyes looking at the old woman, then at the group of menacing strangers, and it made a confused and aggrieved gurgling sound in its throat.

"Ado doesn't eat people," the old woman repeated, her tone unwavering. "It only eats fruit and the porridge I make."

"Dear guests, if you are just passing by, please buy some fruit to quench your thirst. If not, please continue on your way."

The bald, burly man's eyes flickered uncertainly.

He had long heard about the value of a tamed ogre.

Especially such a robust adult individual, whether sold to a gladiatorial arena or to certain nobles with special fetishes, would be worth a lot of money.

The most primal greed slithered out of his eyes like a venomous snake.

He licked his lips, grinned, revealing his yellowed teeth: "Old woman, your 'child' is quite robust; it's a waste for him to stay in such a small orchard."

"Here's what I'll do: I'll give you ten gold coins in exchange for this beast. How about that?"

The old woman shook her head: "Ado won't sell."

"Twenty gold coins!" the bald giant raised the price, while giving a wink to his companion behind him.

The tall, thin man and the female adventurer moved silently, approaching the wooden shed in a semi-encircling formation.

Xiuqi remained seated in his chair, as if he were a detached passerby.

He didn't meddle in other people's business. In this fantastical world, things like this happen every day; the law of the jungle prevails.

Xiuqi silently packed his bags, intending to leave before the conflict broke out.

The old woman seemed to sense the other person's intentions. She silently put down her needlework and pulled out a rusty wood-chopping knife from under the table.

This action startled the adventurers for a moment, then they burst into even more exaggerated laughter.

"Hahahaha! Old woman, you want to use this piece of junk to protect your monster?" The bald man laughed so hard he almost fell over.

Just as his laughter was at its loudest—

Woohoo!

Ado, who had been squatting quietly, suddenly stood up!

The enormous ogre let out a furious roar, its massive hand grabbing the stone stool it had just been sitting on—

The stone block must have weighed at least two or three hundred pounds, but in its hand it felt like a light piece of wood.

The adventurer's laughter abruptly stopped.