Loviki opened her mouth to argue, but ultimately handed the spoon over with a red face. “You’re the one who wanted to try it, okay? I didn’t ask you to eat it.”
“Yeah, you’re so fussy,” Chen Mian said with a nod.
“I-I am not fussy! I was just warning you!” Loviki argued, her face flushing.
Chen Mian took the wooden spoon, scooped up a small mouthful of porridge, and put it in his mouth.
The temperature of the porridge was just right, and the rice grains were cooked soft. The texture and taste were surprisingly decent, just a bit too salty. Overall, it wasn't to the point of being inedible.
“Other than being a little salty, it’s actually not bad. It’s not as terrible as you said.”
“Really?” Loviki’s eyes lit up, but she quickly averted her gaze. “You’re definitely just comforting me...”
“If you add some water, let it simmer for a bit, and toss in some green vegetables, it definitely won't taste bad.”
“Green vegetables...” Loviki looked down at the carrots and meat chunks on the counter, a flash of embarrassment crossing her face. “I-I didn’t prepare any green vegetables.”
“I’ll go pick some,” Chen Mian said, turning toward the door. “There are plenty in the garden.”
“Eh? Wait—”
Before she could finish, Chen Mian had already pushed open the door and walked out.
Loviki watched his figure disappear behind the door, then looked down at the bubbling porridge in the pot, a smile playing on her lips.
She turned to rummage through the cabinets, looking for any other ingredients she could add.
Louise had walked up to the kitchen doorway at some point. Holding a teacup, she said leisurely, “Flora wrote down your entire conversation in the logbook just now.”
“What?! Flora!” Loviki whipped her head around, her ears flushing a deep crimson.
Flora’s laughter drifted in from the living room. “Loviki is just too cute. It would be a shame not to write it down.”
“You guys—!”
Blushing, Loviki wanted to rush out and argue, but the porridge in the pot started bubbling up again. She had no choice but to hurriedly turn back to watch the stove, muttering, “Every single one of you is like this...”
The Forest of Death was very quiet at night, but that didn't affect the lively atmosphere inside the apartment at all.
With Chen Mian's help, Loviki's pot of porridge was ultimately saved. After adding green vegetables and minced meat, it tasted quite good.
Since it was Loviki's first time cooking, everyone was very enthusiastic, and the pot of porridge was quickly finished as they passed bowls around.
Miya even had two bowls. Her little face was flushed pink as she patted her belly and leaned against Luolin.
After dinner, Louise sat at the edge of the dining table with her hair draped over her shoulders. Her teacup was already empty, but she just quietly watched everyone in the living room.
Her gaze drifted from the stuffed Miya to Loviki, who was humming while washing dishes, then to Flora and Luolin, who were smiling and helping out, before finally landing on Chen Mian, who was standing by the window.
Louise set her teacup down and walked over to the window, standing side-by-side with Chen Mian.
“What do you want to say?”
Louise tilted her head and asked, “How did you know I had something to say?”
“After dinner, you were staring blankly with an empty cup for quite a while.”
Louise looked down at her empty cup, the corners of her mouth curving up slightly. “You're quite observant.”
“I think I'm starting to recall some memories.”
Chen Mian turned his head to look at her.
“They aren't complete scenes.”
Louise gently traced the rim of her cup. “Just now, while eating with everyone, a scene flashed in my mind—you were sitting by a campfire cooking, and I was nearby brewing potions.”
“Though you weren't bad at cooking, you always liked to add strange potions to the food, so I ended up taking over all the cooking duties later on,” Chen Mian said with a smile.
“But there seemed to be someone else next to us.”
“It was Betts.”
“Betts?”
“A teammate who joined us later. A very loud warrior.”
Louise blinked her violet-gold eyes and tried hard to recall, but she ultimately shook her head. “I can't remember.”
“No rush,” Chen Mian said. “Being able to remember some things means your memory is recovering.”
Louise placed the empty cup on the windowsill and suddenly said, “Chen Mian.”
“Hmm?”
“What kind of person was I before?”
Chen Mian glanced sideways at Louise. There was clear curiosity in her violet-gold eyes.
“Very noisy.”
“Just that?”
“You loved coming up with bad ideas, and you often dragged me to do all sorts of bizarre things.” Chen Mian paused, then continued with a smile, “But you were very reliable when it mattered.”
Hearing this, Louise leaned back against the windowsill. “That sounds pretty nice.”
“Yeah, it was nice.”
Loviki's voice drifted from the kitchen doorway. “What are you two whispering about so secretly?”
“We're talking about how you came up with the idea of cutting carrots into perfect cubes,” Chen Mian said, turning his head.
“That was... that was a creative cutting technique!”
Flora also poked her head out from the kitchen. “Loviki's carrots were indeed cut very neatly. But the fact that every piece looks exactly the same makes them look like standard blocks in magic runes.”
“Flora, are you praising me or teasing me?”
“I'm praising you, of course.”
Loviki stared at her for a long while. Ultimately, she couldn't find any trace of mischief on Flora's gentle face, so she turned around to tease the rabbit in Miya's arms.
Watching this scene, the smile on Louise's face grew even wider.
This apartment truly felt like a home.
...
Night fell.
While everyone else in the apartment was asleep, Chen Mian walked downstairs, gently pushed open the door, and walked toward the forest.
His steps seemed slow, but each step covered a vast distance, and he quickly entered the forest.
He continued deep into the forest, heading in a specific direction. Ever since he returned, he had sensed a very faint aura there, and it didn't seem to have moved.
After walking for an unknown amount of time, deep ruts appeared on the ground, stretching forward as if caused by some sort of impact.
Chen Mian crouched in front of the ruts. He lightly touched the dirt at the edge; a trace of magic power remained in the soil, a chaotic yet powerful mixture of multiple elements.
He brushed the dirt off his hands, stood up, and continued walking along the path of the ruts.
After passing through a patch of flattened shrubs, he stopped.
At the end of the ruts was a collapsed clearing, with the trees at the edges snapped by a shockwave.
Right in the center of the crater curled a young girl with dragon horns.
Her long golden hair was scattered across her face, which was covered in dirt and bloodstains. Her eyes were tightly shut, and her breathing was extremely faint.
She looked to be only eighteen or nineteen years old. Her white clothes were torn in multiple places, her shoulder and chest soaked in blood. Her left arm hung at an unnatural angle, and the golden wings and tail behind her were covered in wounds that emitted an unsettling aura.
Chen Mian fell silent for a few seconds. He bent down to lift her from the bottom of the crater. The girl's head rested against his shoulder, her eyelashes fluttering slightly, but she did not open her eyes.
He looked down at the unconscious dragon girl in his arms. “Another trouble.”
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