HBWnovel Chapter 46 - The Crystal Fish’s Astonishing Bounty
Chapter 46 - The Crystal Fish’s Astonishing Bounty
Chapter 46: The Crystal Fish’s Astonishing Bounty
Morning.
Li Yue’s face was flushed as she lay under the beast-skin quilt. Her ears perked up at the exclamations coming from the hall.
Her curiosity was piqued, and she murmured to herself, “Should I go out and see what the crystal fish looks like?”
The white-haired girl had only ever read descriptions of the crystal fish from the Moon Lake Tribe’s bounty postings. She had never seen one in person.
“I’ll just take a look.” Unable to resist her curiosity, Li Yue got up, tidied herself, and tiptoed to the door.
Peeking her head out, she saw Mu Liang and Mino talking by the large bath tub in the corner of the hall.
Mu Liang sensed her presence and turned to wave her over. “Li Yue, come meet our new family member.”
“Oh, coming.” Li Yue bit her lip, her face tinged with red as she moved toward them.
At that moment, refusal wasn’t even an option in her mind.
As Li Yue approached, Mino scooted closer to Mu Liang, leaving space for her.
“Thank you,” Li Yue said softly.
“N-no problem,” Mino stammered, nervously waving her hands.
Li Yue smiled faintly before glancing down at the half-metre-long crystal fish in the bath tub. Her usually calm expression turned to one of surprise.
Was the crystal fish supposed to be this big?
This didn’t match the descriptions from the Moon Lake Tribe’s bounty at all.
Wasn’t it supposed to be the size of a palm?
Mu Liang noticed her astonishment and teased, “Not quite what you expected, is it?”
“Not at all—it’s far too large,” Li Yue replied, unaware of the mischievous glint in his eyes.
“I’ve always been curious—what does the Moon Lake Tribe offer as a reward for the crystal fish?” Mu Liang asked.
After all, the crystal fish could condense water, making it as valuable as a treasure trove in the wasteland.
Water could be used as currency in this world, and it was universally accepted.
“A seat among the elders of the Moon Lake Tribe, one-twentieth of the water produced by the crystal fish, a large house, twenty slaves, and ten thousand pounds of dried meat...”
Li Yue furrowed her snowy-white brows as she recited the bounty’s details in her cold voice.
“Enough. You don’t have to go on,” Mu Liang said, rubbing his temples. The Moon Lake Tribe had certainly spared no expense.
Mu Liang, observing her despondent figure, couldn’t help but think, She worries too much.
He understood, though. His true capabilities were his secret, and it was natural for others to feel concerned.
He called out, “Li Yue, come here. I need your help.”
“What is it?” Li Yue asked, snapping out of her thoughts as she approached the table.
Holding up a piece of beast skin, Mu Liang asked, “Do you recognise these characters?”
Li Yue leaned closer, scanning the text.
She tilted her chin slightly and said, “Of course. These are beast-shaped characters.”
“They’re also called pictographs?” Mu Liang asked, surprised.
He hadn’t expected oracle bone pictographs in this world to be referred to the same way.
“They’ve always been called pictographs. Anyone with basic knowledge knows that,” Li Yue said, rolling her eyes.
She couldn’t understand why he was acting so dense today.
Mu Liang chose not to explain further and shifted the topic. “What does it say?”
“Hmm... let me see.”
Li Yue took the beast skin and studied it, her snowy brows furrowing as she tried to decipher it.
Muttering softly, she said, “Too, too... Oh, it’s sunflower.”
“...”
Watching her struggle, Mu Liang immediately understood.
He squinted and said, “Li Yue, you can’t read, can you?”
“...” Li Yue stiffened, gripping the beast skin tightly.
Her expression remained calm as she retorted coldly, “Who says I can’t read? Of course I can.”
“Oh, really?” Mu Liang raised an eyebrow.
He pointed to three characters on the beast skin and asked with a sly smile, “Then can you tell me what these say?”
“Of course I can.”
Li Yue’s lips twitched slightly, her tone less confident. “The first one is... white.”
“I recognise the other two as well. Don’t rush me; let me think.”
“I’m not saying anything,” Mu Liang said, smiling faintly.