[Crunch, crunch, crunch~~~~~Chewing~~Chewing~~~~Gulp!!]

[Splashing, splashing, splashing, splashing...]

Scooping food into his mouth with wooden utensils, Mu Zhou never thought he could eat so much.

[Slurp~~~~~~Ahh~~~]

He happily finished the soup at the bottom of the bowl and stretched his arm forward, indicating that he wanted another serving!

Tam, expressionless, took the bowl and filled it with vegetable soup from a large pot hanging over the fire, then handed it back to Mu Zhou.

Seeing that the pot was almost empty, he quickly whispered to those around him to add more food.

Mu Zhou didn't care about his image anymore; let it go to hell!

You wouldn't understand the kind of enthusiasm for food that someone who has been struggling between hunger and eating roots for a long time would have!

Hmm... this otherworldly vegetable soup made from something like potatoes and cabbage was surprisingly to his taste, so he ate just a little bit more than usual!

Around him, several layers of people surrounded him, but none of them moved; they all just stared at him as he ate one bowl after another.

Just as he arrived in the village, his highly sensitive nose led him straight to this big pot.

Mu Zhou declared that if anyone dared to drag him away, they should take a good look at the bloodbath at the entrance of the village!

[Slurp~~~~~~Ahh~~~]

He took another sip.

Mu Zhou looked around the crowd with his peripheral vision as he ate. When he saw the embarrassed expressions on the faces of the teenagers who wanted to look but were too shy, he scooted back slightly on the ground, feeling bothered.

[This world shouldn't have any strange customs…]

He thought to himself with a chill.

[No, no, what I'm looking for is…]

Mu Zhou scanned the crowd and finally found the little girl standing alone behind everyone, with her head down.

She sensed that someone was watching her, and she lifted her head, her blue eyes meeting Mu Zhou's for a moment.

That pure gaze made Mu Zhou's heart beat intensely once again, and he didn't know why it affected him so much that even his movements stopped, and he seemed a bit stunned.

Although Tam was a rough man, he was still the chief of his tribe and had been observing Mu Zhou carefully.

Following Mu Zhou's gaze, he thought for a moment then waved towards the back of the crowd and shouted:

"Talisa!"

The little girl, who had been called by her name, trembled like a frightened animal, and as the crowd parted, she seemed even more alone.

Helplessly looking around for support, she moved slowly over to Mu Zhou with her slender legs after finding no help.

As she came closer, she curled her hands in front of her chest, lowering her head slightly, and cautiously looked up at Mu Zhou with a pleading expression in her eyes.

He could even feel her body trembling.

Tam watched this scene and couldn't help but ponder.

The strength to single-handedly defend against hundreds of beasts was not unheard of according to Tam's knowledge, but those with such power were generally noble figures who could protect a region, let alone why such a person would appear here.

Tam scrutinized Mu Zhou's old cloak and rusty, poor-quality weapon.

He had heard that such figures often had various quirks and strange characteristics, so he thought back to the scene under the hood.

With that stunning beauty and apparent age, it was unlikely that she was human.

He couldn't fathom what kind of intentions Mu Zhou had.

All he could do was try to explain: "Um... honorable one, this child's name is Talisa. Both of her parents were members of our tribe, but they died when she was very young. According to the traditions of our tribe, everyone raises her together until she comes of age."

At this point, Tam hesitated for a moment, "Has she... bothered you? Well, children can be thoughtless. I… I'll make her leave right away!"

As he said this, he tried to walk over and pull Talisa away.Although Mu Zhou did not fully understand what Tamu had said, he looked at the weakened body in front of him trembling more and more with Tamu's words. The big eyes that could talk also began to accumulate fog, and there were strands of apology.

He slowly reached out his hand and covered Talisa's head, stroking her soft hair and gently rubbing it.

"Mu… Master...?"

A soft, sweet, and questioning voice came out of Talisa's mouth.

【Wow~~~ so cute~~~ I want to have one!】

In fact, Mu Zhou had a lot to say, but unfortunately, he could only play dumb now...

So, he responded with a smile to the little girl in front of him.

Swipe! Talisa's face visibly reddened, and she whispered, "So beautiful..."

Because Mu Zhou was wearing a hood, only Talisa could see his beautiful smile due to her height.

【！！！！！】

Looking at the blushing cute face, Mu Zhou couldn't hold back, suddenly pulling Talisa into his arms and holding her, rubbing his face against her cheeks, and swaying happily from side to side.

"Mu... Master...!" Talisa waved her arms in panic, looking bewildered.

Tamu saw this scene, stopped his feet, and secretly sighed.

"Unexpectedly... Do you like children?"

Although Talisa was raised collectively by her tribe according to tradition, she was inevitably seen as a burden because of her young age and being a girl. Even Tamu had to think for a moment before he could call out her name.

However, she was still a member of his tribe! He didn't want to see her get hurt, and he wanted to protect her as well.

A villager walked by and whispered something in Tamu's ear. Tamu nodded, indicating that he knew.

At this time, Talisa was no longer panicked, and her small body stopped trembling. She obediently allowed Mu Zhou to hold her without resisting, just raising her small head, looking at Mu Zhou with confusion, and swaying with him from side to side...

At this moment, Tamu approached, bent down, and said respectfully:

"Great one, your resting place has been prepared... It's a bit simple, I hope you don't mind."

【Oh, I understand this sentence. It's asking me to go to sleep, right?】

Mu Zhou looked up at the gradually darkening sky. It was already this late.

Looking back at the big pot that was empty again, he felt that he could eat a little more... Let it go, so as not to seem strange... Just go to sleep obediently.

He was led to what seemed to be the largest house in the village, and inside it was spacious and clean, with wooden floors emitting a pleasant scent. It was obvious that it had been carefully tidied up.

A two-part partitioned room, with thick pads on the ground on one side, and a large wooden barrel in the other room filled with hot steaming water. Hmm, it must be for bathing.

【Eh? Why didn't they prepare me a set of clothes...】

Mu Zhou thought about his worn-out cloak that he'd been wearing for a long time.

He didn't know... Tamu thought it might be some strange hobby of his and didn't dare to ask.

After a quick inspection, he nodded to Tamu, who was standing outside the house with a group of villagers.

Tam

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