Shallow Shallow gawked at the little black cat in front of her. She asked another question in disbelief, "How much is ten thousand plus ten thousand?"
"Twenty thousand." The black cat glared at her in annoyance, but the voice that came out of its mouth was that of a young girl. Then, it ignored us and focused on licking its paws, washing its face.
Shallow Shallow gawked for a few seconds before she finally reacted. She pointed at the black cat and exclaimed, "You can count! That's right! "
At that moment, we looked at Shallow Shallow with more shock than when we looked at the talking cat. Lin Xue almost bit her tongue, "Hey, why do you always look at things from such a weird angle! Shouldn't you be curious about the talking cat first?! "
"Oh, right," Shallow Shallow came to a realization. She looked at the black cat and exclaimed again, "You can talk!"
This time, even the cat looked a little dumbfounded. Don't ask me how I could see a 'dumbfounded' expression on a cat's face. Anyway, it looked like it was surprised by Shallow Shallow's thought process. The black cat licked its lips, "Is there a need to be so surprised? Although there aren't many Mozambique cats that can talk, they are still more common than Juniper cats, right? The people of the Imperial City shouldn't be so surprised. Besides, there's a scholar among you … "
The few of us quickly adjusted our expressions and tried our best to act as though we were used to it. I cursed in my heart, "Oh no, the troublesome situation still happened. We didn't understand the situation in this world, so we subconsciously brought the common sense from Earth here." Now, it seemed that in this world, cats being able to talk was actually an insignificant thing! Actually, we should be calmer, because it wasn't like we hadn't seen talking animals before. In the Shadow City, let alone a cat or a dog, even a mouse on the street would greet you, "Excuse me, how do I get to the Cat Mansion?" You had to maintain your composure, because it could be a strange creature created by Jingle. Also, in a situation where the lice on my fox's body could turn into spirits, I should learn to be more calm.
The main reason why we were surprised was that we didn't expect to see such a ridiculous thing outside of the capital of the Empire!
Lin Xue thought about it and explained to the black cat, "Oh, we've seen talking cats before, but we didn't expect to see one here. After all, this place is quite remote. We wouldn't be surprised if you appeared in a big city …"
The explanation given by the witty young lady seemed to be quite reliable. The black cat nodded in understanding, and then became slightly dissatisfied. "I didn't expect the scholar to be so biased. Why can't the poor people in the countryside have a talking Mozambique cat? Good luck should fall on everyone fairly — that's what the goddess says."
The few of us nodded. At this time, no matter what the cat said, we had to nod. We couldn't show that we didn't belong in this world anymore. After all, Sandora wasn't by our side, so we couldn't enjoy the easy task of playing games in front of the natives while discussing the issue of slavery with them and wearing strange clothes without being suspected.
After sighing, the black cat yawned and stretched like a human. It walked away while wagging its tail, muttering, "You guys are quite interesting. I'm just a cat, why do you have to explain so much to me? Cats don't care about this …"
With the exception of Pandora, we all looked at each other in dismay. "…" This cat was even bigger than a human!
Through the provocation of this talking cat, I thought of another point that I had miscalculated. I shouldn't have introduced myself as a "scholar", because a scholar in itself represents knowledge and experience. He's the kind of person that, no matter what situation you throw him in, he would be able to rub his chin and say "I know a little, I know a little." Looking at the Martians' spaceship and the excavation site of Emperor Qin Shi Huang's mausoleum, one would need to be able to say a few words to be a scholar — at least in the eyes of the uncivilized working people of the lower class (such as the blockhead). What's more, we used the term "traveling scholar", which made it seem like we knew everything about astronomy and geography. A true scholar wouldn't be like an old charlatan who "knew a little" about everything, but the blockhead and the people of this village definitely didn't think that way. They probably thought that scholars could even solve the problem of the Zhang family's sows not giving birth. What if they asked me about the goddess's teachings? What if they asked about how many public toilets there were in the Hassard Principality? What if they asked about the Introduction to Magic? Even if they didn't ask about the above, what if someone asked about the Imperial Capital's customs? You were able to cover up the first few questions, but what about the last one? Aren't you a traveling scholar from the Imperial Capital?
Also, you can't always say that you don't know anything. Since you said you were a scholar, you should have the mental awareness of being surrounded by working people to study or visit. You can take a look at those city dwellers who went to the mountains to visit their relatives and were surrounded by villagers. But how would I know the knowledge of this world? When the time comes, people will definitely say: As a scholar, why don't you know anything? At the very least, you should have at least one type of knowledge, right? If that's the case, I would probably only be able to show off how to shatter a boulder on my chest or how to feed four or five naughty children at the same time. I don't know if this counts as knowledge, but in any case, other than these two, the only thing I'm good at is fighting with my bare arms. This world probably doesn't need martial arts champions …
In the end, I relied too much on Sandora's convenient ability and got used to making up my identity. In the past, Her Majesty the Queen would always use her spiritual interference to help me clean up the mess. In the end, I unknowingly dug so many holes for myself. I finally understand why intelligence work isn't easy. Some things require a special talent. Even if you have the strength to break the heavens and the earth, it's useless. No matter how fierce Pandora's firepower is, she still hasn't grown up, right?
However, there is also a reason why I said I was a scholar. This is the most effective way to cover up my abnormal behavior, strange clothes, and lack of understanding of the local culture. We all know that in many cases, a senior scholar is no different from a transmigrator …
At this time, Blockhead temporarily finished his work. He was cooking in the kitchen, wiping his hands and walking over like a brown bear. He casually picked up a boulder and sat in front of us. With a humble face, he said, "Master Scholar, can you tell me what the capital looks like?"
I: "…"
You guys see, you guys see, what did I just say! Here it comes!
I thought about it and felt that I can't really show him how to shatter a boulder on my chest, so I just casually said a few words, "Actually, there's nothing to see in the capital. It's just that it's very big, there are a lot of people, and there are a lot of houses …"
Blockhead's face was full of interest, "Yeah, I know that the capital is very big! The priest went to the capital to be baptized. He said that people like me, if I find an alley in the capital, I won't be able to come out for the rest of my life. I'll get lost! "
I racked my brain, thinking about how to describe the capital to this simple and honest big guy. Most importantly, I could make up a story about the capital. In the end, I finally came up with an idea, "Yeah, the capital is like this. There are a lot of big houses, and the city is old. There are dozens of years old streets and alleys everywhere. It's easy for outsiders to get lost in there. The rich people's houses are all in the city center, so the houses in the city center are expensive. The further out you go, the cheaper the houses are. However, it's not convenient to buy things and go to school. The environment in the capital isn't as good as here. There are mountains and water. In some places in the capital, even drinking water has to be transported from other cities. Also, it's very expensive to buy groceries in the capital. It's not easy for outsiders to … Yeah, it's not easy to settle down. "
Blockhead happily slapped his thigh, "That's right! The priest also said that, but he didn't explain it as clearly as you did. So that's how the capital is? "
I chuckled and turned to high-five Lin Xue and Qian Qian in celebration. Of course, what I just said would work on any major city with a few decades of history. Unless the country moved its capital from the capital to a place like Gaolaozhuang or Kaoshan Village, it wouldn't be able to break my "Encyclopedia of Similarities between Capital Cities" that I summarized from the entire macro world …
Seeing that Blockhead had the intention to continue asking, I quickly diverted his attention, "Actually, we've been away from the capital for quite some time now. I'm not really sure what it's like there. I'm a researcher … on the ecology of the wild. Usually, I only run around in the wilderness. If you're interested in big cities, then I'm afraid that I don't know much more than you do. "
"Oh," Blockhead didn't suspect anything. He looked at us with admiration, "You guys are really amazing. You dare to run around in the mainland, and you even brought a child with you. You must be really capable. You should be a scholar, right? If not, you must be a warrior. "
Now, whenever I heard someone say something, I would analyze how many secrets it could reveal about this world, and what the blockhead had just said was obviously very informative. First of all, we could confirm that this was a world that had taken the path of magic.
Of course, the only thing we could confirm was the word 'magic'. As for whether or not this word represented what we guessed, we would have to verify it. Every civilization's understanding of magic, technology, and power system would be different. It was possible that the magic that Blockhead said was not much different from the technology on Earth. It was also possible that the people of a certain world would treat alchemy as a natural science. It all depended on the different worldviews. In the end, we would have to translate it according to the common worldview of the Empire. Only then would we be able to determine the power system of a civilization. As for now, we would temporarily classify this planet as a magical civilization. At least, that was what the locals thought.
Another piece of information that Blockhead revealed was that the travelers who dared to roam the mainland weren't ordinary people. They needed 'real skills'. Moreover, they needed to be skilled in magic and martial arts to protect themselves.
This second point … there was more to it than meets the eye.
Icetis smiled, "You always need to have some skills. However … the world isn't peaceful enough now? Why don't we feel it? "
"Look at what you said." Blockhead smiled honestly, "Of course it's peaceful for capable people like you, but it's different for ordinary people like us. Not to mention the bandits and demonic beasts, even the demons and monsters of the Dim Moon would appear on the surface every few days in the past two years. Who would dare to run around? I heard from the priest in the village that this is called the Great Cataclysm. Sooner or later, the Dim Moon and the people on the surface will have a war. If they don't fight, the peaceful days won't come. This was what the Goddess told the people on the surface a long time ago. "
Bandits, demonic beasts, Dim Moon, demons, monsters, and it sounded like a 'Great Cataclysm' was about to happen. A series of unfamiliar words popped up. I suddenly realized that I had a wrong first impression of this place. It was my first time coming into contact with a simple and honest villager like Blockhead. Then, I came to a peaceful village like Pinewood Village. As a result, I had a 'peaceful and stable' impression of this place before I even had the chance to explore the world. Now that I heard Blockhead's words, I finally understood that this was not a peaceful world at all!
It's just that we happened to land in a corner of a peaceful place …
I wanted to find a chance to ask what the so-called "Dark Moon" and "Great Cataclysm" were about, because they obviously sounded like part of the local myths. But as a "knowledgeable scholar", I obviously couldn't ask such questions directly, so I just sat there and thought about it. At this time, Blockhead seemed to suddenly remember the dinner that was still cooking on the stove. He waved at the black cat that was dozing off on the wall not far away. "Blackie! Go see if the meat soup is ready! If it's almost done, sprinkle some salt on it and wash the fruits … "
Under our dumbfounded gazes, Blacky the Psychic Cat lightly jumped off the ground and walked elegantly to the kitchen …
Then, the black cat ran back and bit Blockhead's ankle, making a purring sound. Finally, it raised its head and glared at its master fiercely. "I'm a cat! I only need to watch the fire and pour the salt. How am I supposed to wash the food? "
Blockhead slapped the back of his head and laughed. "Aha, I forgot. You go cook, I'll wash the fruits. Our guests, wait here. Dinner will be ready soon. People in the countryside eat early. You must be hungry after such a long journey."
We walked toward the main house. The kitchen was on the first floor of the main house. The black cat complained as it walked, "Do you think there's a cat like me? I have to help cook, sweep the floor and do housework. I can't even lift my head when I meet Blondie in the village. I'm just a cat …"
In the end, the black cat repeated in an aria, "I'm just a cat …"
The rest of us looked at each other and then gathered our heads together. I was the first to ask, "What do you think of this world? It seems like it's controlled by God. This place doesn't look peaceful either. "
"What do you mean divine control? How much divine power can a flash drive left behind by the elder have?" Bryndis snorted. "Moreover, the battles between the mortal races are their private affairs. What I want to say is, the Dark Moon Demon that Blockhead just mentioned … Dingdang didn't notice it."
With Icetis's reminder, I immediately reacted. I patted the pocket in front of my chest and Jingle sneakily popped her head out. Because there are no creatures of her size in this world, we don't know if the term 'artificial elves' is valid here. So, we might as well hide her. Even if she comes out to fly a few rounds, it would be best if she was invisible. Jingle's green eyes looked around cleverly. Then, she reported through the spiritual connection, "When we scanned the planet for life, we didn't find any demon-like creatures. We also didn't find any demon-like species. However, there were demonic beasts, and quite a few of them. "
"The demons that Blockhead mentioned might not necessarily be named according to the Protoss Species Naming Dictionary," Icetis pondered. "They may have seen some demonic beasts that obstruct the city's appearance and called them demons … But I always feel that there is something wrong with such a simple and hasty explanation. According to the general rules, the gods in the mortal's belief will have an opposing 'God of Rebellion', or what the earthlings often call the 'Antichrist'. They are either a clear evil god or a group that is regarded as a scourge. I guess those bandits and demonic beasts are not considered 'God of Rebellion'. Only the demons and monsters from the Dark Moon, which are regarded as' catastrophes', may be related to the God of Rebellion. Didn't Blockhead just say that the Dark Moon is going to fight with the earthlings? This is what the goddess said. Did you notice Blockhead's expression just now? "
Everyone expressed that they were only looking at the cat and did not pay attention to Blockhead's expression. Pandora did not look at the cat, but this girl herself had a zombie face all year round. She was very inexperienced in the study of "expressions" …
"Sigh, it's just a combination of a worried, solemn, and sad face." Icetis pulled her hair. "A big guy who is not scheming showing such a difficult face means that things are serious. I think we may be able to find clues about the artifact from the negative image in the local mythology … Well, anyway, it's right to figure out what the Dark Moon is as soon as possible. It sounds like a place name?"
We did not come to a conclusion, so Blockhead asked everyone to go in for dinner in front of the main house. Icetis waved her hand. "Anyway, we will talk about it tomorrow. We have another goal: Figure out the connection between the Dark Moon and the goddess. Okay, let's go for dinner. "
The dining area on the first floor of the main house was a rather large central room. At this time, the sky outside was already dark. Blockhead lit up a few metal matchboxes nailed to the wall, illuminating the central room. The matchboxes burned with some kind of vegetable oil. Not only was it bright, but it also did not have any strange smell. Dinner consisted of meat soup, vegetable soup, and large pieces of black local dry food. We also took out scones and pastries. The latter was obviously exquisite food. Blockhead picked up a small piece of pastry and tasted it. He nodded repeatedly and stuffed it into his mouth. What a straightforward guy.
During dinner, we ran into a small problem: there were no stools.
Blockhead was a bachelor, and he seemed to have no parents. Usually, he lived in this house with a black cat. Even if there were guests, there would not be many. So, he looked around and found a total of three rough benzoic wood chairs. After I pressed Pandora and Pandora onto the chairs, the rest of us basically had nothing to sit on. However, this problem was quickly solved. Blockhead brought in a few heavy looking stone blocks in the courtyard (the 'stools' we were sitting on earlier).
I was not impressed by his strength. After all, no matter how strong he was, he was still at the level of a human. I was just impressed by the sturdiness of the floor of his house. The stones were conservatively estimated to be at least half a ton … Is the floor lined with steel plates?
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