Days flowed by in this manner, like vines quietly climbing an old tree.
As the morning sun rose and the thin mist still drifted through the treetops, Lucia would take Lucoco and set off.
Luti would always lean against the edge of the pond, its two bulging, bubble-like eyes staring at their retreating backs.
Only after they left would the creature huff and puff as it wiggled back to its precious vegetable patch.
Most of the time, the pine gate would creak open when the sun leaned toward the west, though occasionally it happened at noon or even late at night.
Lucia had renovated the manor to be more and more beautiful, even expanding it slightly until it resembled a small castle from a fairy tale. When they had nothing to do, Luti and Lucoco would “tussle” together without end, rolling in haystacks and overturning vine trellises, leaving the garden in a state of chaotic turmoil.
Apologies… there were no dogs, though there were several pheasants.
Today was the same, yet also a bit different from the past.
Luti had finally found a ‘winning trump card’!
At this moment, several thick green caterpillars, each about 20 centimeters long, were clamped firmly in its fish-like mouth.
It brandished them wildly while chasing Lucoco, driving the girl to shriek and scurry all over the garden.
Lucia was harvesting a bountiful crop, watching the two of them play with a smile in her eyes.
It wasn’t just the green caterpillars that had grown quite large; the vegetables and fruits in the garden were each exceptionally plump and robust.
There was no danger to speak of, though faint purple veins now crawled along the leaf veins and fruit skins.
As for why?
Lucia had naturally found the source.
The root cause was the pond water mixed with the mucus from Lucoco’s tentacles.
Wherever the pond water was used for irrigation, the vegetables grew with wild ferocity.
Even Luti, who often rolled on the grass with its little master, began to show a purple tint on its fish scales.
Because of this, Lucia had carefully inspected her own body.
Fortunately, there was nothing else wrong; she still only had the two changes that appeared after giving birth to Lucoco: her clear, emerald-colored eyes had turned into purple eyes, and her Holy Light had gained a purple hue while becoming even more dazzling.
So far, these two changes had shown no side effects.
On the contrary, the effects of her magic had improved significantly.
A full year had passed since the day they settled down.
In one corner of the yard, inside the circular warehouse, various animal skins, ores, and the bone claws and tendons of different monsters were piled almost to the ceiling.
Lucia planned to pack everything up in a few days and take it to the nearest town to sell.
As for which day they would depart?
That depended on when the trailer was finished.
She had already mapped out the location of their home and knew which direction the towns were in.
The method was simple—wouldn’t she know just by flying into the sky to look?
It was very simple!
Perhaps…
Ever since she took Lucoco to taste the clouds for the first time, **[Levitation]** had become the ‘Tightening Hoop Incantation’ in the little ancestor’s mouth, and she clamored to learn it every day.
Lucia didn’t refuse Lucoco’s request; it was as if she had prepared the lesson plan long ago.
She taught the girl once Lucoco reached Level 12, meeting the minimum requirement.
Unfortunately, the difficulty of **[Levitation]** was Rank A+, while Lucoco’s **[Logic Magic Affinity]** was currently only Rank C.
Several days had passed, and Lucoco had only learned the basics.
It hadn’t been easy for Lucia to write the manual either.
It took her 7 or 8 days to finish.
It wasn’t because the text was voluminous or complex, but rather because her own **[Mentor]** skill was barely at the threshold of Rank A.
As the saying goes, one should apply what they learn.
Although she had only mastered the basics, Lucoco relied on those basics today.
Teetering and wobbling, she finally managed to scramble onto the roof.
“Ha—ha—”
Standing on the eaves, she panted heavily with her hands on her knees.
She looked down at Luti, who stood below with a large worm in its mouth, helpless against the height of the house.
Its fish head didn’t give up on thinking, and Luti immediately began looking for a ladder.
In a flash, it found one, but Lucoco had already regained her strength.
Before Luti could continue its move, a voice that was cloyingly sweet yet made one’s fins stand on end drifted into its ears.
“Small~ fry~”
Luti’s hopping fish legs came to a sudden halt!
That was the scent of something bad.
Looking up, it saw Lucoco raising her left hand, pointing her index and middle fingers straight down.
That familiar, mischievous grin had surfaced on her small face.
*Gulp!*
Luti swallowed the wriggling green caterpillar whole!
Without hesitation, it turned its sturdy fish legs and sprinted toward Lucia while letting out a strange *Xia-xia* cry.
Alas, it was too late—too late~
When the cheer of “Zap your ASS!” came from behind, a crackling sound had already exploded at the fish’s backside.
The intense electrical current caused Luti to let out a strange “Woo~ hoo~~!” cry.
Immediately afterward, its body stiffened like a snapped string.
It fell forward, plowing a long furrow in the dirt before finally stopping at Lucia’s feet, twitching incessantly.
“Pffft!”
Lucia doubled over with laughter.
She crouched down, a ball of gentle Holy Light spreading from her palm as she tenderly rubbed the fish’s head.
At the same time, she cast **[Appraisal]** to check Luti’s status.
“Your Lightning Resistance has reached Rank C, Luti. Your Poison Resistance has also reached Rank B. Very impressive.”
Hearing this, the fish’s rolled-back eyes spun back into place.
Its smoking backside wiggled proudly, and it wagged its electric tail in response.
Lucoco also slid down to the ground and came hopping over.
She slapped the wiggling fish butt with a *Smack*.
In a milky, somewhat slurred voice, she said, “So… energetic~ Next time… I will… definitely… use… more… strength!”
*Xia~~* (The bugs were tasty!)
“No! Only you think… bugs are good food!!”
*Xia xia xia~* (I want that vegetable patch.)
“Mom, Luti says… it wants that… vegetable patch… to raise bugs to eat…”
“No problem—but one plot won’t be enough. These bugs are indeed a bit special.”
“Bugs… special?”
“Look at this.”
Lucia picked up a broken piece of molted shell from the ground, which had very distinct insect characteristics.
“My **[Appraisal]** says these are called [Flutter-worms]… their size is just a bit unexpected.”
She shook it, stuffed the shell into a cloth bag at her waist, and crushed it.
Lucia continued, “After they grow to a certain point, they molt frequently until one day they metamorphose into [Flutter-butterflies]. These molted shells are materials for a [Beauty Potion]. They are very precious. Over the past few days, I’ve already collected two small bags.”
“It’s all thanks to your mucus, Lucoco! They wouldn’t survive in an ordinary place.”
After saying that, she couldn’t help but rub Lucoco’s head.
When the words [Flutter-worm] entered her ears, Lucoco’s eyes lit up terrifyingly.
Setting aside the ridiculous naming sense, she knew about that potion.
A single bottle was worth at least 50 gold coins.
Its magic lay in moisturizing and nourishing one’s appearance; after use, one wouldn’t age for five years.
Most importantly, it had zero side effects and could be used continuously for years.
Because of this potion, many nobles maintained their youthful looks until the day they went into the grave.
Following Luti, the little manor now had another treasure.
Staring at the large green caterpillars lounging lazily on the vine trellis under the sun, Lucoco felt like she had become a nouveau riche.
‘I didn’t expect them to look like this.’
Unfortunately, she was still creeped out by those wriggling bodies and didn’t have the courage to touch them.
Usually, it was Luti and Lucia who handled the garden pests.
Moreover, a few days ago, these bugs were only an inch long; they had never reached such a terrifying size until today.
***
At midday.
Sunlight filtered through the treetops, casting patches of warmth onto the stacked timber.
The soft grass buds swayed with the flower-scented wind.
The small child, drenched in sweat, lay among them with her arms spread wide.
A small wooden hammer lay by her arm.
Her chubby little palms were bright red, yet a silly, sweet smile hung on her face.
Lucia watched her, the smile in her eyes deepening.
She wiped her hands on her apron and crouched down, her palm passing over the child’s hands with a shimmer of Holy Light, gently erasing the red marks.
The prototype of a simple wooden cart had appeared.
It wouldn’t be long before they set out for town.
As she was about to unlock the first return point, Lucoco looked forward to that day with great anticipation.
With this return point, both their flexibility and safety would be further guaranteed.
**[Recall]**
A system function exclusive to Players.
Depending on one’s strength, it allows teleportation to a town they have previously visited within at least 50 kilometers.
Cooldown: One game week.
Requires a certain amount of game currency.
As for what would pull the cart, it would naturally be a captured monster horse.
It couldn’t possibly be a fishman gardener with legs.