Chapter 220: Human, I Suppose You’ve Won the Stone’s Favor
Chapter 220: Chapter 220: Human, I Suppose You’ve Won the Stone’s Favor
"..."
The voice had six dots to say about Lu Wu’s reaction.
Unable to frighten Lu Wu, it gave up.
"Which sect are you from? Why have you come here?"
As it spoke, Lu Wu watched the jelly-like thing in front of her begin to squirm and sprout limbs.
BOING!
Following this sound effect, a tiny head popped out from the mass.
Soon, a palm-sized, red little person appeared before Lu Wu, dressed in an exquisite little outfit.
The little person now stood with her hands on her hips, looking at Lu Wu with a smug expression.
Despite her tiny size, her gaze was that of an elder looking down.
Her appearance was delicate, adorable, squishy, and very...
SLURP!
Dahuang wiped the drool from the corner of his mouth. The thing’s appearance reminded him of the ice powder he had once eaten; the resemblance was uncanny.
He felt a wave of nostalgia.
"Stay away from me."
Seeing Dahuang’s gaping maw, the little person shivered and quickly leaped onto Lu Wu’s arm.
"Dahuang."
Lu Wu gestured for Dahuang to show some restraint, lest he scare the little person.
’A little dwarf has appeared. I wonder where Snow White is.’
’Huh? Why isn’t the little person reacting? Isn’t she supposed to be able to read minds?’
Lu Wu’s stare was so blatant that the little person’s body trembled, and she had to resist the urge to roll her eyes.
"I can’t read minds. You just said that out loud."
’Is that so?’
Lu Wu thought back for a moment and realized she had apparently muttered her quip aloud.
"Hey, who are you? You still haven’t answered my question."
The little person looked at Lu Wu, then at the demon beasts on the island, her expression growing grave.
’Why do I get the feeling they’re here to attack the Rainbow Gate?’
She had noticed something unusual on the island and had come to investigate, but then she caught a whiff of a sweet fragrance.
She had eaten plenty of human food, and the people at the Rainbow Gate were decent cooks.
But none of it could compare to the aroma she smelled today.
She had been momentarily captivated, and then she’d accidentally bumped into that fishing rod.
The fishing rod had a strange power to it; once she touched it, she couldn’t get off.
The little person gritted her teeth at the thought.
She, a one-seventh part of the magnificent Divine Stone, had made her debut in such a humiliating way.
’This is definitely a dark Chapter in my history.’
"I’m Lu Wu. I’m here to set up a stall. As for how I got here, I just came with a ’SWOOSH.’"
Lu Wu explained honestly, making a gesture with her hand.
’The power of the system truly is magical.’
The little person stared at Lu Wu as if she had just listened to a bunch of nonsense.
She didn’t sense any malice from her, so after a moment’s thought, the little person plopped down right in the middle of Lu Wu’s palm.
"My name is Xiao Hong."
"Does that mean you have siblings named Orange, Yellow, Green, Blue, Indigo, and Violet?" Lu Wu asked curiously.
"How did you know!"
Xiao Hong stood up again and paced uneasily in Lu Wu’s palm. ’Could this be some kind of act arranged by the higher-ups at the Rainbow Gate?’
Thinking of those lazy disciples within the sect, Xiao Hong felt that a little excitement might not be a bad thing.
’She must know about the seven colors of the rainbow.’
"Ahem, then do you happen to know a monkey named Sun Wukong?"
’They both popped out of a stone, so maybe they’re related.’
"Sun Wukong? Never heard of him."
Xiao Hong shook her head.
She sat on the edge of Lu Wu’s palm, dangling her legs.
After answering a few of Lu Wu’s questions, her nose twitched. Ever since she’d come ashore, she’d noticed that the sweet fragrance was even more captivating.
While talking to Lu Wu, she had been searching for its source.
She searched and searched, finally discovering that the scent was strongest on this human.
Xiao Hong spotted a white strand of sugar in Lu Wu’s hair. She leaped up, grabbed it, and took a sniff.
’Yep, this is the smell.’
"What is this?"
Never one to shy away from a question, Xiao Hong asked just as her stomach let out a loud rumble.
"This? It’s called cotton candy. Would you like some?"
Lu Wu pointed to the sign hanging on her stall, then her eyes darted around for a moment before she asked with a beaming smile.
’A customer, right on my doorstep!’
Even though her official stall hours were over, the system was great. As long as she was at the stall location, any business she did outside the designated time still counted toward her performance.
[Heh!]
’Such a quick change of face.’
"Yes."
Xiao Hong was full of anticipation.
Looking at the sign, Xiao Hong rubbed her hands together and said, "I want that... uh... Wash-Cut-and-Blow-Dry Cotton Candy."
"And add a Rainbow Cotton Candy."
She didn’t know what "Wash-Cut-and-Blow-Dry" meant, but she knew the most expensive one had to be the best. However, the Rainbow Cotton Candy looked like it was made just for her, so she wanted that too.
’This little human really knows how to get to me.’
As she spoke, she fumbled around and pulled thirty-five Spirit Stones from her body, handing them to Lu Wu.
"Alrighty!"
"Please wait just a moment."
Lu Wu’s service was always thoughtful when it came to her patrons.
After placing Xiao Hong safely in a corner of the stall to sit, Lu Wu grabbed her tools and got to work.
The Rainbow Cotton Candy was just made by adding a bit of various food colorings and spinning strands of different colored sugar into one treat.
The machine whirred to life, and as the sugar floss floated up, Lu Wu caught it with a bamboo skewer and began to spin.
Lu Wu added the colored sugar in batches, following the order of the rainbow.
Fluffy strands of sugar wound around layer by layer, weaving a dreamlike gradient of colors. The night sky was clear and cloudless, and the bright moonlight cast its glow upon the cotton candy, creating a crystalline halo.
In just a moment, the cotton candy took shape.
It was still a simple spherical shape, but looking down from the top, one could see a seven-colored core.
Each layer of sugar floss was dyed a different color, possessing the bright sheen of candy and the subtle crystalline texture of granulated sugar. As the skewer turned, the ball of sugar hanging from it was a work of art.
When Xiao Hong took it, she stared blankly at the perfectly round ball of cotton candy, too stunned to speak.
’This work of art... is for eating?’
Its visible softness made Xiao Hong feel as if she were nestled in the clouds.
She couldn’t bring herself to take a bite.
[Task Progress: 2/500]
’Well, at least I made a sale today,’ Lu Wu thought, flashing a wide, eight-toothed grin as she watched Xiao Hong’s hesitant expression.
"The second one will be ready in a jiffy."
The so-called "Wash-Cut-and-Blow-Dry" was just about giving the cotton candy a special shape.
Lu Wu glanced at the little person, and inspiration struck.
This time, Lu Wu used red sugar. During the spinning process, she gathered the sugar floss with her left hand while using a bamboo skewer in her right hand to continuously shape the still-forming ball of sugar.
It was all about delicate force.
Nothing was discernible at first, but as layers of sugar floss wrapped around and the sugar ball began to fill out, a shape started to emerge.
A little press here, a little loosening there.
Her fingers flicked and prodded, her artistry flowing with her intentions.
"It’s done."
Lu Wu held up the Wash-Cut-and-Blow-Dry Cotton Candy. Beneath the cool moonlight, another Xiao Hong had been created by her hands.
It was perfectly to scale. The cotton candy Xiao Hong had her hands on her hips, her features sculpted into a vivid, tsundere-like pout. The lifelike artistry made the real Xiao Hong wonder if she had just used a shadow clone.
"Is that... me?"
Xiao Hong murmured, completely flattered.
How could she possibly bring herself to eat this?
"As long as the customer is satisfied."
Lu Wu grinned, her smile radiant.
The order was delivered, and Xiao Hong couldn’t bear to part with them.
She stood on the stall, her tiny body looking up at Lu Wu with approval in her eyes.
’Human, you have successfully earned this stone’s favor.’