Volume One, Chapter 16: Making Noodles

Lin Yi stood by the edge of the farmland, his spirits high as he began to tally the items he had obtained from the twenty treasure chests. Fifteen cards worth 500 gold coins each, some fruits and vegetables, twenty pounds of wheat flour, and a few farming tools and cooking pots.

Finally, his gaze settled on two weapons lying nearby—a bronze-level longbow and a spear made of the same material.

“Hehe, who says ordinary treasure chests can’t have good loot? My luck is simply unbelievable; it’s like I’m blessed by fortune itself!” Lin Yi grinned from ear to ear, never expecting to find anything remarkable in common chests.

He began to calculate. So far, he owned three weapons. The most formidable was the silver-grade great machete, razor-sharp and powerfully destructive, currently in Zhang Guoxing’s hands.

The newly acquired longbow was no slouch either. According to its detailed description, it was a “Piercing Bow” with an attack power of 30. Even more astonishingly, it had a 20% chance to completely ignore the enemy’s defense and double the inflicted damage.

As for the spear named “Breeze Spear,” it boasted an attack power of 50 and granted its wielder enhanced evasion capabilities.

The only downside was: “Weapons cannot be upgraded according to the system guide; higher-level ones can only be obtained through forging, treasure chests, or plundering.”

After finishing the inventory, Lin Yi placed the pond he had acquired earlier beside the farmland for convenient watering in the future.

With his tasks completed, Lin Yi’s gaze casually drifted to a group of ten people sitting around a roaring campfire not far away. Each face radiated joy, accompanied by bursts of laughter and lively chatter. The scene stirred a strong curiosity within him.

He thought to himself, “Those eight girls were just rescued this morning, having endured such harrowing ordeals. I didn’t expect them to recover so quickly and be in such a relaxed, cheerful mood.”

Driven by curiosity, Lin Yi strode toward the group.

As he drew nearer, the first sound to greet his ears was Zhang Xin’s clear, bell-like laughter. Focusing his eyes, he saw her darting around the eight girls like a lively little rabbit.

At each girl’s side, she wore a mischievous and adorable smile, sweetly asking in a charming voice, “Sister, do you think I’m cute?” She would then put on a pitiful, endearing expression, her big, sparkling eyes fluttering as if they could speak.

Zhang Xin’s innocent and playful antics made the girls chuckle and cover their mouths to hide their smiles. It was a pity that none of them had any delicious treats to enjoy at that moment; otherwise, the joyful scene would have been even more perfect.

Watching the group interact so warmly and intimately, Lin Yi couldn’t help but smile with a sense of relief.

Though they were in an utterly unfamiliar world, and to others might seem like insignificant NPCs, to Lin Yi they were vivid, flesh-and-blood people filled with laughter and life.

He approached steadily, and the first to rush forward was that lively Zhang Xin. Like a happy little deer, she ran up to Lin Yi, grabbed his hand tightly, and led him to the center of the group.

Her rosy cheeks were alight with joy as she excitedly introduced him to everyone. “Everyone, come see! This handsome big brother is Lin Yi, our king here! He’s super amazing! Not only did he rescue me and my dad from danger, but he also has a mighty Italian cannon!”

Lin Yi was momentarily stunned, inwardly cursing his luck. He never expected the little girl to say such things and felt somewhat at a loss. He could only smile awkwardly at the others and mutter, “Ah, please don’t listen to this little brat! I’m nowhere near as impressive as she says.”

But Zhang Xin seemed determined to expose him. She vividly recounted the morning’s events: “This morning, those nasty goblins suddenly attacked. Just when we were all scared and helpless, our brave and fearless big brother Lin Yi shouted loudly, ‘Little brats, watch my Italian cannon!’”

“With thunderous bangs—bang, bang, bang!—those arrogant goblins were instantly crushed and fell to the ground, unable to rise!” Excited, Zhang Xin even mimicked the goblins falling by lying stiffly on the ground, causing everyone around to burst into laughter.

Hearing this, the eight girls quickly focused their gaze on Lin Yi, their eyes exchanging a silent question: “Is he really that powerful?” For a moment, the air seemed to freeze, with only the sound of their breathing audible.

Then, a burst of laughter shattered the silence. Zhang Guoxing was laughing so hard he could barely keep his mouth closed, wiping tears from his eyes as he said to Zhang Xin, “Xiao Xin, that’s enough now, don’t embarrass His Majesty.”

Seizing the moment to ease the awkwardness, Lin Yi cleared his throat and smiled. “I think just sitting around like this is a bit dull. I happen to have some fruits and vegetables, plus quite a bit of wheat flour. How about we make some noodles together tonight?”

The moment she heard “eat,” Zhang Xin, who had been sprawled on the ground, suddenly bounced up like she’d had a shot of adrenaline. Her big sparkling eyes gleamed as she stared eagerly at Lin Yi and asked, “Big brother, where’s the delicious food? I can’t wait to try it!”

Seeing her greedy little expression, Lin Yi teased, “Oh, I thought you were going to stay lying there pretending to sleep!”

He then bent down, carefully laying out the food he had just obtained on a flat wooden board.

Everyone began to bustle about busily. Lin Yi wanted to help but was stopped by the others, who said simply, “You’re the king; no need to trouble yourself with such small matters.”

Seeing this, Lin Yi had no choice but to let it be.