“Mino, how does Xiao Xuanwu compare to the mutant beasts you’ve seen before?”
Mu Liang asked as he turned to look at her.
He needed a reference point to better understand the
strength of a Level 2 Rock Armor Turtle
.
“Xiao Xuanwu?”
Mino blinked in confusion before realizing he was referring to the turtle.
She bit her lip, thought for a moment, then said uncertainly,
“If we’re just comparing size… then Xiao Xuanwu is probably stronger.”
Mu Liang nodded. The turtle’s
main advantage was its massive size
.
But that was also its
biggest weakness
—being
big
meant
slow movement
and
lack of agility
.
Fortunately, its
Earth Rock Spike
ability helped
compensate for that flaw
.
“Mu Liang, can I climb onto its back and take a look?”
Mino’s blue eyes sparkled as she asked eagerly.
“Of course.”
Mu Liang chuckled.
He sent a mental command to the
Rock Armor Turtle
, letting it know they wanted to get onto its back.
“Hooowoo~~”
The turtle let out a low rumble. The
sharp rock spikes along its shell
suddenly retracted, and the ground around it began to shift.
Large slabs of stone
rose from the earth
, forming a
staircase leading up to its back
.
“Wow! Xiao Xuanwu can understand us?!”
Mino’s eyes glowed with excitement as she gazed at the
two-meter-tall
rock steps.
“It understands me.”
Mu Liang took the lead, climbing up the stone staircase and stepping onto the turtle’s back.
The rock spikes on its shell had all retracted, leaving a
flat, seven-to-eight-square-meter
area in the center.
Meanwhile, the
remaining spikes around the edges
slanted slightly outward, forming a
natural barrier
like a fence.
“Smart.”
Mu Liang mentally
praised
the Rock Armor Turtle.
“Hooowoo~~”
The turtle
happily rumbled
in response.
“Xiao Xuanwu is amazing!”
Mino climbed up after him and turned to watch as the
stone staircase slowly sank back into the ground
.
She looked around, inspecting the flat turtle shell, then suddenly
grinned mischievously
.
“Mu Liang, do you think we could build a house on its back?”
Mu Liang
froze for a moment
.
“Wait… that might actually work.”
His
eyes lit up
as he considered the idea seriously.
After all, the
more tamed beasts he had, the harder it would be to live in human settlements
.
And he
couldn’t just sleep out in the open all the time
.
Especially since the Rock Armor Turtle
would only grow bigger
with further evolution.
With such a
large back
, it could
definitely serve as a mobile base
.
Mino noticed him
deep in thought
and hesitantly asked,
“Wait… are you actually considering it?”
“Not yet. It’s still too small for that.”
Mu Liang snapped out of his thoughts and chuckled.
“But for now, we could build a simple wooden shelter.”
“Are we really going to live on its back?”
Mino’s
excitement grew
as she confirmed.
“How does having a moving house sound?”
Mu Liang crossed his arms and
raised an eyebrow
.
“And we wouldn’t even have to walk!”
“That sounds… amazing!”
Mino
jumped in joy
, eyes filled with longing.
“It’d be like being an explorer, traveling the world!”
Or… she could
travel while searching for her sister.
“Mu Liang, if we set up a fire pit on its back, would it burn Xiao Xuanwu?”
“No, the stone will protect it.”
“If we load too much stuff onto its back, won’t it feel too heavy?”
“Even if we added a hundred of you, it wouldn’t even notice.”
Mu Liang leaned against one of the
rock spikes
, watching Mino excitedly
plan their future home
.
For the first time, he thought—
having such a cheerful girl around wasn’t too bad.
“Mu Liang, let’s hurry back to the camp! I want to take down my wooden shelter and move it here!”
“Don’t rush.”
Mu Liang shook his head, amused, before reminding her,
“Don’t forget about the bandits attacking the camp.”
“Ah… I got too excited and almost forgot.”
Mino
stuck out her tongue
, embarrassed.
She walked closer to him,
tugging at his sleeve
and whispering hesitantly,
“If it’s too dangerous… should we just leave tomorrow?”
She was kind, but also
selfish
—her concern was only for the
people close to her
.
Now that she had
a new dream
, she didn’t want Mu Liang to risk his life for others.
“There’s no danger.”
Mu Liang
gazed at the gray sky
, where a single
beam of sunlight
broke through the clouds.
Moments later, the clouds swallowed it up again.
He would
warn the camp
, but if they didn’t believe him…
Then in two days, he’d
just leave with Mino
.
In this kind of world,
even kindness had to be given wisely.
“By the way, how’s your relationship with the people in the camp? Any friends?”
Mu Liang still wasn’t sure about her
social circle
.
“I get along with a few people I used to catch lizards with.”
Mino looked into the distance and shrugged.
“But mostly, I just avoid people.”
“So… childhood friends?”
Mu Liang asked softly.
“Mmm… maybe? I guess?”
Mino scratched her cheek awkwardly, her gaze
shifting slightly
.
She suddenly remembered those
few kids
she used to hunt lizards with.
At first, they got along… but when she started
catching more lizards than them
, they tried to
steal her prey
.
But as a
mutant
, the outcome was obvious—
she beat them up and took some of their lizards instead.
After that, they started
avoiding her.
“Doesn’t sound like they’re really your friends.”
Seeing her expression, Mu Liang immediately understood the situation.
It also told him something else—
Mino’s life hadn’t been easy.
And that meant… he was her first real friend.
Translator’s Note:
Xiao Xuanwu (
小玄武
)
– A reference to
Xuanwu (
玄武
)
, a mythical black tortoise from Chinese mythology.
Earth Rock Spike (
地岩突刺
)
– The turtle’s ability, likely an offensive earth-elemental attack.
Mimetic Camouflage (
拟态变色
)
– Mu Liang’s and the Three-Colored Lizard’s stealth ability.