I Will Never Submit to Miss Grim Reaper - Chapter 403

Chapter 403: A Taste of Sweet and Sticky Little Happiness

 

After a simple tidy-up in the village, Nida’s father selected more than ten strong warriors.

 

After having breakfast together, these warriors, armed with spears and great swords, surrounded Nida and me in the center of the group, and we started walking along the slightly muddy forest path towards the seaside.

 

Although the village appeared very poor and backward, with most useful tools being either made by Nida or brought back from human cities, the food here was quite abundant.

 

The situation here felt somewhat similar to certain regions on Earth, with a subtle difference. Due to the good environment, most of the lizardmen seemed not to face food scarcity. The surrounding forest provided plenty of resources, and they also grew some fruits and vegetables, so they wouldn’t starve.

 

However, unlike humans, the lizardmen didn’t seem to be as proficient in using “battle energy” since they couldn’t use magic. As a result, the lizardmen here seemed to have adopted a more laid-back lifestyle.

 

It wasn’t that they were completely idle. Rather, they just took things as they came. They lived comfortably, reproduced at their own pace, and weren’t worried about starving. Nida had mentioned to me yesterday that the lizardmen here often channeled their energy into peculiar hobbies.

 

For instance, one lizardman liked to collect shells and would go to the beach every day after hunting to gather them. Another liked to collect various weapons and would spend time either whittling bamboo or searching for sticks in the forest.

 

Their interests and hobbies were more important to them than reproduction. Moreover, since lizardmen couldn’t lay many eggs at a time, their population on the island hadn’t changed much over thousands of years, despite living in a resource-rich environment with few external threats.

 

“These pirates we’re encountering are very likely the notorious ‘Cote’ pirates who have been rampant recently. I heard the nobles discussing them in a human city last month. These pirates even dared to rob the royal family and are currently wanted across the entire continent. They have nowhere to go and are just drifting at sea,” Nida’s father said as we walked on the muddy path after leaving the village.

 

“The Cote pirates are very powerful. According to the information I have, they have at least two mages, seven or eight great magicians, and eight ships with very advanced equipment. They are considered one of the top pirate groups around here. If we encounter them, and if it’s really them, it’s best not to engage in any conflict.”

 

After saying this to me in Elvish, Nida’s father repeated it in the lizardmen’s language for the lizardmen around us.

 

Then, two lizardmen holding spears spoke to Nida’s father.

 

“They said that if it really is the Cote pirates, they won’t have small demands. If they ask us to hand over all our food, what should we do?”

 

Nida translated this for me.

 

“Father said that if it comes to that, we can only try to negotiate for them to leave us with enough to survive. With Tam not on the island, we have no one to rely on, and we’re no match for pirates of this scale.”

 

One of the lizardmen pointed at me and said something.

 

“He said, isn’t this little girl a noble from the city? Can’t she help us negotiate? He suspects that the Cote pirates came here because of her.”

 

“My father said that’s not the case. The Cote pirates probably have nothing to do with Diwu, she ended up here by accident.”

 

“……”

 

The area where Nida’s village is located is said to be nearly five kilometers from the coast. Early this morning, just at dawn, the ever-alert Nida and her father heard the distress signal and saw the flares in the sky.

 

The forest, soaked by rain all night, was very difficult to traverse. The ground was wet and slippery with many small puddles and mud pits, and the branches were covered in dew. Many lizardmen were already drenched shortly after setting out, their big feet covered in mud, looking weary.

 

At this moment, the magical effect of the clothes prepared for me by Xiao Mo became apparent. Whether it was because the splashing droplets were being recognized as water elements or not, the clothes’ protective layer repelled all the water droplets, whether splashing from the side or falling from the branches above.

 

Even the muddy water and dirt around my shoes were repelled. Coupled with my occasional use of the water magic “Wave Walking,” I walked over the puddles effortlessly. As a result, not only did my clothes remain dry, but even the small-heeled shoes on my feet stayed as clean as new.

 

This naturally piqued the curiosity of many lizardmen.

 

“Diwu, they’re asking you if this is a magical item.”

 

“Yes,” I nodded. “This is a gift from Momo, a magical item she made herself.”

 

“I told them it was created by Lord Momo, the greatest lightning mage and magical item maker in history, and one of the ‘Twelve Heroes of the Demon King War.’ They all said it was amazing and that it was the first time they had seen such an item.”

 

Nida whispered in my ear, “No wonder I felt your clothes were mysterious last night. It turns out they were made by Lord Momo. The records say she designed many similar magical items, all of them classics!”

 

“Momo was also an inventor?” I asked curiously. “What kinds of magical items did she design?”

 

“The most classic ones are clothes like these. During the frontline battles with the magical beasts, the allied forces suffered heavy casualties. Lord Momo designed armor that could resist dark magic, which turned the tide of the battle and saved countless lives.”

 

Nida looked a bit envious. “Lord Momo hasn’t designed magical items personally for many years. The fact that she gave you something so valuable shows that your relationship must be very close.”

 

Ah… it is indeed very close, just… a bit too close.

 

I recalled the days after confirming my relationship with Xiao Mo. It was… even a water mage couldn’t endure it.

 

“Is that pirate group called Cote very powerful?”

 

After a moment of silence, I decided to steer the conversation back.

 

“Do they have many people?”

 

“According to my father’s information, this pirate group has a total of eight ships, all equipped with cannons. However, we don’t know if they will bring all eight ships here. They have about two hundred people in total.”

 

Talking about this, Nida suddenly became much more serious.

 

“The most important thing is those two mages. Diwu, do you know what mages mean? Even though they are just junior mages, they are still much stronger than most magicians.”

 

Yes, I know.

I quietly thought to myself.

 

Here, the levels of magicians can be roughly divided into magic apprentices, magicians, great magicians, mages, and forbidden curse masters. If further subdivided, there are also “junior magic apprentices,” “intermediate magic apprentices,” and “senior magic apprentices,” and so on up the hierarchy.

 

Junior mages are indeed on the higher end of these levels, and there are two of them.

 

Previously, while training in magic, Xiao Mo mentioned that my magical power level was at the mage level.

 

However, my skill level, skill proficiency, and combat proficiency were still only at the junior magic apprentice level. I was a typical case of “high magical power but low technique.” Yet, I grasped new skills very quickly and even comprehended magic akin to forbidden curses, like the “Water Element Domain.” I was self-taught in many things, so overall, I was probably at the level of a junior magician.

 

Junior mages are dangerous for me, but if I had to escape, they might not be able to catch me, unless there was an elemental counter.

 

“What attributes do those two junior mages have?”

 

Nida turned to her father.

 

“One is fire, and the other is unclear.”

 

Nida’s father sighed, “The fire mage actually has quite a background. He used to be the servant of a noble in the human world I often visited. Later, for some reason, he betrayed his employer and became a pirate.”

 

Is that so… Is being a pirate that profitable in this world?

 

Speaking of which, I remember that even in the 21st century, pirates on Earth hadn’t completely disappeared. They were secretly used by various countries to weaken enemy naval forces. So, here, are pirates also a tool used covertly by neighboring countries?

 

Ah… I don’t want to think about it anymore.

I shook my head, pushing aside the various speculations in my mind.

 

“By the way,” I said, opening my little bag and taking out some Crunchy Sharks. “Can you eat sweets?”

 

Given that many of the lizardfolk in this village are vegetarians and like eating fruits and sweet things, they would need the sugars from the fruits. Crunchy Sharks are snacks rich in sugar, so they should help these lizardmen warriors perk up.

 

Originally, I intended to save these Crunchy Sharks for emergencies, but since I’ve already contacted Xiao Mo, sharing some with everyone to try would be nice.

 

The best feature of Crunchy Sharks is that they’re easy to cut. I had a small pair of scissors in my bag, perfect for cutting them into small pieces to share.

 

“What is this?” Nida curiously leaned in as I worked. “Black… is this some kind of syrup?”

 

I was surprised. “You know about it?”

 

“If it’s syrup, it’s super expensive. I’ve seen it a few times in human cities. Just a little bit costs nearly half a year of my father’s savings.”

 

Nida was even more curious. “Is it really syrup?”

 

“It can be considered as such,” I said, cutting a small piece of Crunchy Shark with my scissors and handing it to Nida. “Try it.”

 

“For me?”

 

Nida took the Crunchy Shark, curiously sniffed it, and then put it in her mouth—

 

“Mmm!”

 

The next second, the little lizard girl’s face lit up with surprise, joy, and excitement.

 

“It really is syrup! It’s sweet! Oh my… Diwu, you… you, I…”

 

She was so excited that she couldn’t even form a complete sentence while eating.

 

“This is too precious, this gift you gave me… Oh my, so sweet, I… sob sob…”

 

“It’s not that exaggerated,” I laughed, continuing to cut the Crunchy Shark into small pieces. “Why don’t you share these with the uncles and aunts who came with us?”

 

“Mmm—”

 

Nida quickly extended her hands. “No, it’s too precious.”

 

“What’s so precious about it…”

 

“I know the price of syrup,” Nida said seriously. “Just a little bit is worth the surplus grain of our whole family’s storage. And you… you’re giving so much to us, this…”

 

“It’s okay,” I smiled.

 

“Everyone took such good care of me yesterday. Consider this a token of gratitude. Besides, these aren’t that valuable in my hometown.”

 

Crunchy Sharks should retail for about two yuan each now. Some places might sell them for one yuan, and buying a whole box online would be even cheaper.

 

I understood the situation Nida described. In this world, industry is underdeveloped, and extracting and producing sugar is a challenge. It’s somewhat similar to Europe long ago, when only royalty and nobles could afford white sugar, and its price was astonishingly high—a small piece of sugar could equal several years of income for an ordinary person.

 

“You…”

 

Seeing that I wasn’t joking, Nida clearly hesitated. “Are you sure you want to do this?”

 

“Yes, everyone has worked hard, and we might have to negotiate with those pirates soon. We need to stay energized.”

 

I handed the cut pieces of Crunchy Shark to Nida. “Share these with everyone.”

 

“Sugar?”

 

Nida’s father, who understood Elvish, was also a bit surprised. “Child, you…”

 

Our actions drew the curiosity of the surrounding lizardmen, but since they didn’t understand Elvish, they waited for Nida and her father to translate.

 

“It’s okay.” I quickly cut another piece of Crunchy Shark and gave it to Nida’s father. “Consider it a thank you for yesterday.”

 

Nida’s father waved his hand. “It’s too precious, we can’t accept it.”

 

“If you don’t take it, it’ll all melt when it rains later.” I directly placed it in the strong lizard warrior’s hand. “Share it with everyone.”

 

“This…”

 

Nida’s father hesitated for a while longer. “Alright, on behalf of my villagers, I thank you.”

 

Taking the Crunchy Shark pieces, Nida and her father distributed them to the surrounding lizardmen.

 

“Mmm!”

 

“Ah?!”

“Wow!”

 

These lizardmen had likely already caught a whiff of the aroma. After receiving the Crunchy Sharks and listening to Nida’s father and Nida’s explanations, they gave me grateful looks before eating the small pieces of syrup, chocolate, wafer, and cream mixture.

 

Instantly, almost all the lizardmen’s faces showed expressions of happiness and satisfaction.

 

Some lizardmen even hesitated to swallow the treat, savoring it fully and continuously saying things to me in their language.

 

“He says it’s the best food he’s ever tasted in his life.”

“This sister says she’s very grateful that you shared such delicious food.”

“This big brother says he knows about syrup and how expensive it is, and feels bad that you had to spend so much.”

 

All this praise actually made me feel a bit embarrassed.

 

Maybe… I should consider bringing some things from Earth to sell here? This world should have gold and silver, right? Does Xiao Mo’s teleportation array allow carrying items across?

 

“We’re here.”

 

Amidst the various lizardmen’s compliments, accompanied by the clear sound of waves, Nida’s father walked to the front of the group, gesturing towards a small coastal village ahead and a few wooden boats docked by the shore.

 

“That’s the Cote pirate group. Be careful.”

 

“……”

 

……