Kolo looked around.
Decayed carriages lay scattered across the mud, their broken wheels half-buried in the rotting leaves. Cargo chests were stacked on top of one another, some already cracked open by constricting roots to reveal the dull gold coins and ores inside.
She stared for a long time before murmuring, “I didn't expect this treant to have swallowed so many things.”
Yu Lingye's voice was calm. “The more it swallows, the more it spits back out when it dies. It's only natural.”
Kolo turned to glance at her.
For some reason, hearing these words from this woman didn't sound like a casual observation. Instead, it felt like a cold, indifferent judgment.
Yu Lingye didn't notice her look and simply pointed at the cargo chests.
“The treant is dead. You can choose a few of the remaining things to take with you.”
Kolo's gaze swept over the gold coins, ores, and medicinal herbs.
She looked at them very seriously and was indeed tempted, especially by the gold coins.
Several chests overflowing with gold coins were piled there. Just one look was enough to make her think of roasted carrots, honey-glazed carrots, thick carrot soup, and carrot pies that could cover an entire table.
But in the end, she shook her head and said, “I only want the chest of gold coins we agreed on earlier.”
Yu Lingye looked at her with some surprise.
“There are so many things here, and you only want one chest of gold?” She paused, her tone carrying a hint of genuine confusion. “I really don't know whether to call you naive or just stubborn.”
Kolo slung her double-bitted axe back over her shoulder and replied naturally, “Didn't you just say so yourself? The more you swallow, the more you spit back out when you die.”
Yu Lingye's eyes paused slightly, and a faint flicker of amusement crossed them.
“I was talking about the treant.”
She looked at the cargo chests scattered all over the ground, her tone leisurely. “It plundered and stole, so it got what it deserved. These things have no master now, so taking them wouldn't count as greed.”
Kolo raised her chin, pointing toward the skeletal remains that had been dragged out by the roots.
“Who says you can just take them because they have no master?”
Yu Lingye raised an eyebrow. Kolo was still as blunt as ever.
“Whoever kills the prey gets the loot. You killed the treant, so I have no objection to you taking the final spoils of war.”
“But I didn't kill anything for these cargo chests. I will only take the portion I deserve.”
Looking at her, Yu Lingye suddenly felt that this rabbit's logic was surprisingly clear-headed.
Kolo continued, “I like gold coins, and I like carrots, but taking things that don't belong to me will only burn my hands in the end.”
She glanced at the massive tree stump, her voice softening slightly. “So many people died on this road. Isn't it exactly because someone thought it was fine to pocket a little extra on the side?”
The words were spoken very softly.
Yet Yu Lingye's fingertips twitched almost imperceptibly.
For a brief moment, she thought of Grey Dove Monastery.
Strictly speaking, none of the things she had taken from the Holy Court truly belonged to her either.
And indeed, they had brought her some trouble now.
Yu Lingye's gaze fell on a gold cup half-buried in the decaying mud near her feet.
She fell into a brief silence.
She took those things because she needed to survive, to grow stronger, and to carve out a path for herself between the Holy Court, the players, and this man-eating continent.
If she didn't take them, she would only be waiting for others to take her life.
This world had never laid clean choices before her.
Since that was the case, she would naturally choose the one that allowed her to survive.
Even if it meant being a little greedy, there was nothing wrong with that.
Yu Lingye looked back up at Kolo. “You have a point.”
Kolo looked at her with some surprise, as if she hadn't expected this stubborn person to actually agree with her.
But in the next instant, Yu Lingye added unhurriedly, “However, I am different from you.”
Kolo's ears twitched slightly. “How are you different?”
Yu Lingye raised her foot and kicked one of the chests, producing a dull thud.
“You're afraid that if you take too much, you'll have to spit it back out later. I, on the other hand, will only find a way to fully digest everything I swallow. That way, I won't have to worry about spitting it out.”
Kolo: “...”
She stared at Yu Lingye for a long while before finally squeezing out, “You are really bad at taking advice.”
Yu Lingye was noncommittal. “I didn't survive this long by taking advice, either.”
Kolo didn't know how to respond to that. After a long silence, she could only mumble, “Anyway, I'm only taking this chest.”
“Suit yourself.” Yu Lingye looked at the cargo chests scattered all over the ground and said bluntly, “The rest are mine.”
Kolo pulled down her hood, which had been messed up during the battle, and put her mask back on.
Then, she walked over to the chest of gold coins and bent down to pick it up.
An entire chest of gold coins was quite heavy, but she held it steadily. She even gave it a gentle shake, looking somewhat pleased.
“This is enough to buy me a lot of carrots.”
Looking at how easily satisfied she was, a thought suddenly crossed Yu Lingye's mind.
Could she have refused the other items simply because she was starving, and her head was completely filled with carrots?
Kolo walked a few steps, then suddenly stopped.
She turned back to look at Yu Lingye. The mask covered most of her face, leaving only a pair of dark red eyes visible.
“Even though I still don't like you very much...”
Yu Lingye looked at her calmly, waiting for her to continue.
Kolo paused for a moment, looking as if she wasn't used to saying such things.
“But you did save my life.” She hoisted the chest of gold coins a bit higher in her arms and said stiffly, “I owe you a favor.”
Yu Lingye had expected her to say something grand and righteous, but she hadn't expected this.
Yu Lingye chuckled softly. Suddenly, she felt like teasing the rabbit.
“Just one?”
Kolo's ears twitched under her hood, and she said crossly, “Then how many do you want?”
“Clearing the path, chopping down the tree, and saving your life.” Yu Lingye counted them seriously. “No matter how you look at it, that's more than one.”
Looking at her self-righteous expression, Kolo suddenly felt that her earlier gratitude had come far too early.
She took a deep breath and gritted her teeth. “One and a half, at most!”
Yu Lingye raised an eyebrow. “And where does the half come from?”
“The half is for that unicorn.” Kolo shot her a quick glance. “It's much more pleasant to look at than you are.”
The smile on Yu Lingye's face stiffened slightly.
She had thought she had hidden it well. Moon had only appeared for a brief moment, and the instant the Treant King collapsed, she had recalled it back into the Corona Band.
Moreover, Kolo had been trapped inside the wooden cocoon at the time. Logically speaking, she shouldn't have been able to see what was happening outside at all.
Yu Lingye hesitated before asking, “You... saw it?”
“I didn't see it,” Kolo answered quickly, then tapped her mask right over her nose.
“But I could smell it. That holy power smelled exactly like the unicorn that appeared in the forest last night.”
She turned her head, her dark red eyes fixed on Yu Lingye.
“I don't know what your relationship with it is, or why it appeared by your side, but it definitely has something to do with you.”
Yu Lingye didn't speak immediately.
This rabbit, Kolo, might look simple and easy to trick, but she hadn't missed a single detail she was supposed to remember.
Yu Lingye glanced down at the now-quiet Corona Band and teased, “Then should I thank you on its behalf?”
Kolo snorted and turned to leave.
After taking a few steps, she seemed to remember something and added without turning back, “The next time we meet, don't wear someone else's face.”
Yu Lingye watched her retreating figure and replied casually, “Well, that depends on the situation.”
Kolo's footsteps faltered, clearly even more annoyed now.
But this time, she simply clutched her chest of gold coins, angrily stomping over the rotting leaves and mud, and left without looking back.
Rate on N.U.
