“Welcome, welcome, Mr. Gareth.”
“Just call me Vivian.”
Vivian raised her small hands to her chest and lightly clapped, whispering her congratulations.
“Roar!”
Gareth, the Living Corpse, let out a low growl and clumsily shook his head. He seemed to understand Vivian’s greeting and responded politely. He looked much kinder than before.
However, the charred, rotting skin on his face and the milky-white maggots squirming within were still quite chilling…
“He says he’s happy to meet you, Miss Vivian,” Edward’s voice rang out.
He walked out the front door, following behind the Living Corpse Gareth. Along the way, he acted as a temporary translator for the undead.
“Take this.”
He tossed a bone whistle toward Vivian.
“What is this?”
A look of confusion flashed in Vivian’s eyes. She held out her hands to catch the whistle and then placed it in her palm to observe it closely.
It was a whistle crafted from white bone. Its surface was covered in tiny cracks, yet the overall piece had been polished smooth and flat. It shimmered with a white light under the sun, much like a mirror.
“This was a welcoming gift given to me by my superior and mentor, Lorn, when I joined the Death-Resister Poetry Society.”
“It is an enchanted magical tool. With it, even an ordinary person who cannot use magic can command low-level undead.”
As Edward walked outside the house, he patiently explained how to use the bone whistle to Vivian.
“After blowing the whistle, the first sentence you speak will issue a command to nearby low-level undead.”
“However, be careful—you must use a language that the undead can understand.”
He paused and pointed toward Gareth, who was standing beside him.
“For example, this Living Corpse will only execute commands given in the Vaanian language of our kingdom. If you speak in the Demon tongue, the command will fail.”
“Most importantly…”
Edward suddenly raised his volume, his expression becoming more serious and stern.
“Your commands must be simple enough!”
“Commands like ‘forward,’ ‘backward,’ or ‘stop’ are the only ones that work. Their remaining brains cannot comprehend anything too complex.”
“If you issue a command like ‘move your left foot 5 centimeters to the southwest,’ the affected undead will fall into a state of mental confusion. Then, they will become uncontrollable, frenzied undead and begin to attack indiscriminately.”
Edward nagged tirelessly about various precautions regarding the bone whistle.
But on the other side…
Miss Vivian was currently staring blankly, drool leaking from the corner of her mouth. Her expression was completely vacant. Occasionally, a ‘spark of wisdom’ would flicker in her eyes.
‘Knowledge… it’s assaulting my brain!’
A long while after Edward finished speaking, she finally snapped back to reality.
‘Thankfully, I’ve shut all that knowledge out…’
Vivian sucked back the drool that was about to drip from her lip with a loud *slurp* and nodded her head like a woodpecker.
“Thank you very much for your gift, Mr. Edward. I’ve remembered everything.”
She puffed out her chest and spoke with total confidence.
“Fine. Then repeat the usage methods and precautions I just told you.”
Like a responsible teacher, Edward stared intently at Vivian’s shifting eyes.
“Um… well, that… this…”
Vivian guiltily turned her head away, not daring to look Edward in the eye. She stammered for a long time without being able to say a single complete sentence.
“It’s fine, I remember them.”
Nolan stepped forward at the right moment, helping Vivian out of her predicament with a gentle tone. He repeated everything Edward had said perfectly. It was just like when a deskmate helps out when a student can’t answer a teacher’s question.
“I will remind you when it’s time to use it.”
Nolan walked over to Vivian and took the opportunity to reach out and rub her soft black hair. Vivian’s face quickly flushed red.
‘He’s rubbing my head again…’
However, she wasn’t as resistant as the first time it happened.
‘Rub it if you want… It’s just a little… embarrassing. I can overcome this!’
She suppressed the urge to jump up and hit him, comforting herself in her heart.
“Yes, you would make an excellent mage apprentice.”
Edward gave a satisfied smile and joked with Nolan.
“Oh, and one more thing,” Edward added. “If you ever have the chance to visit Mistport, Miss Vivian, you can use this bone whistle as a token of trust to find Mr. Lorn at Lolo’s General Store.”
“Please tell him I am doing well. Tell him there is no need to worry too much. Perhaps you might even get a free meal out of it; it’s something he owes me from when we used to drink together.”
A smile appeared on Edward’s face as he looked up at the deep blue sky in the distance. A faint, indiscernible trace of nostalgia flickered in his eyes.
Finally, before leaving, Vivian took out the small wooden hammer she carried with her. She conveniently helped Edward repair the large hole in the cabin wall.
The hole was transformed into a spacious, bright window.
The only problem was… the shutters on either side didn’t seem to line up. Now, Edward couldn’t close the window no matter what…
It seemed that when it rained in the future, he would just have to let the water inside.
A short distance away from the cabin.
“Goodbye, Mr. Edward!”
Vivian cupped her hands around her mouth and shouted toward Edward at the top of her lungs.
“I hope your journey is smooth!”
Edward stood in front of the cabin door and waved goodbye to Vivian’s group.
—
At the southern side of Thorn Slope, near the edge of the jungle.
The three of them followed behind a Living Corpse, just as they had when they arrived. However, the atmosphere was no longer as oppressive or somber as before. Instead, it was like a primary school autumn field trip, leisurely following their guide, Mr. Gareth.
Occasionally, they would climb to the treetops to look at the scenery of the otherworldly land. From time to time, they would raise a foot to kick some unknown, peculiar beast by the roadside.
Wandering through the mountains and waters along the way made Vivian incredibly happy. She suddenly felt that being a wild person was quite nice…
Vivian casually picked up an oval, orange-yellow fruit that had rolled to her feet. She opened her small mouth and took a light bite. As soon as her fangs pierced the orange skin, the dark flesh inside burst with an abundance of juice.
The sweet, refreshing juice exploded in her mouth. The fresh, sugary flavor bloomed on the tip of her tongue.
Vivian squinted her eyes happily, her brow relaxing.
‘I’m satisfied!’
“This is so damn delicious!”
Being semi-illiterate, Vivian couldn’t think of any sophisticated words and could only express her feelings crudely.
“I want more!”
She let out a fierce roar. Immediately after, Vivian turned around and performed a hip check. She slammed hard against the trunk of a nearby tree.
*Rustle.*
The fruit tree shook violently from the massive force, its dense leaves trembling.
*Thump, thump, thump.*
The rhythmic sound of falling fruit followed. Several orange-yellow fruits fell from the canopy and landed on the soft soil.
Vivian’s eyes sparkled as she ran over excitedly. She picked up the fruit nearest to her and wiped the dirt off the skin with the hem of her skirt.
“Ah—mmm.”
She opened her mouth wide and swallowed the fruit in one bite. Her cheeks were stuffed full, bulging like a hamster’s.
*Munch, munch, munch.*
“Vivian, hurry up! We’re here!”
Not far ahead of her, Nolan was waving his hand and shouting loudly.
“Coming, I’m coming!”
Vivian quickly gathered the fruit in front of her, stuffing them into her shirt. She then scrambled toward Nolan’s direction.