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

Chapter 10 The First Day of Being a Salted Fish Dad

After Cheng Yaojin and Yuchi Gong left, the backyard finally returned to peace.

Abu curled up next to Dimo, still clutching the pebble the little otter had given him, and slept soundly.

The little head bobbed up and down, and occasionally its mouth would move; I wonder what it was munching on in its dream.

Lin Luo leaned back in her recliner, watching the scene, and suddenly realized a serious problem—

What does this little guy eat?

He scrolled through the system panel and found Abu's feeding guide:

[Recommended foods for young Abu: cocoa fruit (main course), magic fruit (snack), and... any warm food with a meaty aroma.]

[Note: Young Abu is extremely sensitive to food temperature. Food that is too cold will cause him to become depressed, while food that is too hot will trigger his fire-breathing reflex. It is recommended to keep the temperature between 37-42 degrees Celsius.]

37 to 42 degrees Celsius?

The precision is like that of feeding a baby.

Lin Luo looked at his hands, which were only good for stir-frying beef and making paomo (a type of flatbread soup).

"Little Owl."

"...Hmm?" Xiao Xiao leaned against the door frame, responding half-asleep.

"Do you know how to make warm meat porridge? Not too hot, not too cold."

"...Probably." Little Owl yawned. "Who's it for?"

Lin Luo pointed to the sleeping Abu.

Little Owl glanced at the small white dumpling with his half-closed eyes.

There was a two-second silence.

"Boss, are we getting more and more sprites?"

"……Um."

"Food expenses are also increasing."

"……Um."

"The money I earned yesterday—"

"It's all yours, it's all yours."

(ノ_<。) Raising an elf is really more expensive than raising a child.

Half an hour later, Xiao Xiao carried a small bowl of beef porridge into the backyard.

The porridge was cooked until thick, and it contained finely chopped beef and a few crushed cocoa beans.

Two drops of sesame oil floated on the surface, and the aroma slowly spread in the backyard.

Abu's little nose woke up before his brain did.

Its eyes were closed, and its nostrils flared.

Then, my body moved uncontrollably toward the scent—

She moved from next to Timo to Lin Luo's knees.

She moved from Lin Luo's lap to the edge of the chair.

Finally, the entire sprite slid down to Little Owl's feet like a white, moving cushion.

"Ooh...?"

It finally opened its eyes and looked up to see the steaming bowl of beef porridge in front of it.

Then I saw the little owl holding a bowl.

Abu was stunned for a moment.

Last night, this gray-haired girl helped it put out the fire and made a new nest for it.

But it was still a little afraid of her—

The main thing is Xiao Xiao's perpetually half-closed amber eyes, which always seem to be plotting something.

But at this moment, the aroma of the meat congee was just too wonderful.

Abu's tail began to wag slightly, much to his dismay.

Xiao Xiao put the bowl on the ground, then took two steps back.

He looked at Abu with his eyes half-closed, his tone extremely languid:

"Eat...don't be afraid of me...I'm just sleepy...I'm not glaring at you..."

Abu hesitated for three seconds.

Then, with a quick paw, it pulled the bowl to its front.

He lowered his head and started slurping his food.

After taking two bites—

"Awoo!!"

Its tail started wagging wildly.

The small, white body was swaying, its short legs pushing against the ground.

While eating, it made satisfied "mmm" sounds.

Delicious! So delicious!!

(๑°o°๑)！

Dimo floated over from the side, tilting his head to look at Abu, whose mouth was full of porridge.

His expression carried a hint of older brother's helplessness and doting affection.

"Mmm."

Eat slowly, no one's going to take it from you.

Shui Lanlan also came over and curiously sniffed the bowl of porridge—

Then he quietly withdrew.

It doesn't eat meat porridge. It only eats cocoa beans and the occasional stolen fish.

But it couldn't help glancing at how happily Abu was eating.

My heart aches.

"Blue," it muttered softly.

Lin Luo sensed Shui Lanlan's dissatisfaction and took out a cocoa fruit from his pocket and handed it over.

"Here you go, don't be jealous."

"Blue!" Shui Lanlan snatched the cocoa fruit, snorted, and turned away.

The bow was swung incredibly high.

ヽ(`Д´)ノ is not rare!

After eating his fill, Abu's personality underwent a subtle change.

It no longer stayed snuggled in Dimo's arms the whole time.

Although he still occasionally looked back to check if Timo was there,

But it started moving around cautiously in the backyard.

It first circled the water tank once.

I curiously looked inside at the water-blue color—

Shui Lanlan poked its head out of the water and stared at it warily.

Abu took a step back.

Shui Lanlan also took a step back.

The two elves stared at each other for a long time, separated by the edge of the water tank.

Then Abu sneezed—

"Achoo!"

A small flame shot out.

Shui Lanlan sank to the bottom of the water tank at a speed visible to the naked eye.

"blue!!!"

Get away from me, you sneezing guy!

Then Abu ran to the clothesline where Little Owl had hung his clothes.

I looked up at the cloth robes fluttering above.

It found the strips of cloth fluttering in the wind quite amusing.

So it jumped up and bit one of them.

"Sizzle—"

The strip of cloth was torn in half.

Xiao Xiao stood at the doorway, silently watching everything unfold.

Then he took out the bill and added another line to it.

"...Boss, two feet of fabric."

"Never mind, never mind." Lin Luo had given up struggling.

However, what truly surprised Lin Luo happened in the afternoon.

After circling the entire backyard, Abu finally stood before Lin Luo.

It's not heading towards Dimo.

He walked towards Lin Luo alone.

It tilted its head back, its large amber eyes staring straight at him.

Its tail wagged gently and tentatively twice.

Then--

It stretched out a small paw and gently placed it on the back of Lin Luo's hand.

Lin Luo was taken aback.

Abu didn't speak—it couldn't speak human language anyway.

But the little paw resting on his hand tightened slightly.

It's as if it's saying:

You're not going to send me away, are you?

Lin Luo looked into those big eyes,

I saw the anticipation, the anxiety, and a little bit of cautious dependence inside.

He reached out his other hand and gently rubbed Abu's head.

"rest assured."

"I'm not taking you anywhere."

"You can just stay here then."

Abu's eyes lit up.

The tail finally stopped wagging tentatively—

Instead, they swung it around vigorously and happily.

Its entire small white body was shaking violently.

"Awoo!!"

It buried its head in Lin Luo's arms.

She buried her head in his chest and rubbed against him repeatedly, smearing white downy fur all over him.

Dimo flew over from the side and snuggled into Lin Luo's arms.

The two elves huddled together, rubbing against each other.

"Mmm-mmm!"

"Awoo awoo!"

Lin Luo was trapped between the two elves and unable to move.

But he smiled.

It wasn't a bitter smile, nor a helpless smile.

It is a kind of—

A genuine laugh from the bottom of my heart that I haven't had in a very, very long time.

(˘³˘)

evening.

Xiao Xiao has returned from shopping, and as usual, Shui Lanlan has gone with him to act as his bodyguard.

This time, the fish wasn't bounced into the next pond, which is commendable.

Taking advantage of the quietness in the courtyard, Lin Luo opened the system panel.

Daily check-in.

[Daily Check-in Rewards: Magic Dust x3, Cocoa Fruit x1.]

Then there's the daily lottery.

He nodded.

[Daily Lottery - Congratulations on winning: Water-type Spirit Fruit Fragment x1]

It's 6/10 now.

Collect four more fragments to synthesize a Water-type Spirit Fruit.

Once placed in the Sleeping Owl Sanctuary, it will continuously attract water-type Pokémon to gather around the sanctuary.

At that time, the idea proposed by Cheng Yaojin and Yuchi Gong to "use water-based spirits to alleviate the drought" was no longer a pipe dream.

Lin Luo glanced at the interface of Sleeping Owl Sanctuary on the panel—

Little Owl's virtual avatar is dozing off in the shelter, next to a row of empty fruit slots.

Twenty columns.

Currently, only one is being used – a regular Pokémon Fruit is placed there, attracting only low-level Pokémon.

If you put water-type fruits in there...

Lin Luo closed the panel.

Not urgent.

That's all for today.

He looked at his chest—

Abu is asleep again, his little paws clutching Lin Luo's clothes, a slight smile playing on his lips.

He's obviously having a sweet dream.

Dimo lay down next to Abu, one of his little paws resting on Abu's back, like a dutiful older brother.

Shui Lanlan was blowing bubbles in the water tank, and the newly tied bow looked beautiful in the sunset.

Xiao Xiao leaned against the door frame, sorting through the things she had bought.

While yawning, he muttered, "The boss should pay for the rice tomorrow."

Lin Luo leaned back in the recliner, the setting sun casting a warm glow over the backyard.

Three spirits: a dozing guardian spirit and a salted fish forced to work.

There is also the city of Chang'an, a drought, and two dukes who could cause trouble at any moment.

And... the possibility that just four more fragments are needed to change things.

Lin Luo watched the sun slowly sinking on the horizon.

The corners of her mouth curved into a smile.

Ok.

Continue collecting fragments tomorrow.

I'll save up for the day after tomorrow too.

I'll save up the day after tomorrow too.

Anyway, the awakening of salted fish... can't be rushed.

σ(´∀｀)

However, what he didn't know was that...

Just this afternoon,

Inside the Taiji Palace,

Li Shimin is reviewing memorials—

One of the reports came from the head of the West Market, and it stated:

"A strange shop has recently appeared in the West Market, named 'Magic Wonders Shop.' It sells unidentified magical beasts that can spray water, grow to enormous sizes, and retrieve objects from a distance. Duke Lu of Lu, Cheng Yaojin, and Duke E of E, Yuchi Jingde, have been frequently visiting this shop and have each purchased one of these beasts. Rumors are circulating, and crowds of onlookers are forming large throngs. This report is submitted for Your Majesty's careful investigation."

Li Shimin put down the memorial.

He raised his head, his gaze deep and thoughtful.

"A spirit beast?"

He glanced at the mountain of drought reports piled on the table.

I looked at the report about the "Magic Curiosities Shop" again.

Then he said something to the eunuch beside him:

"Go, bring Cheng Yaojin to me."

……