Chapter 90: Hide-and-Seek (Edited)
With vigilant eyes, Su Hao observed his surroundings, ensuring nothing escaped his gaze. He scanned for any movement or sound, leaving no room for evasion.
However, it seemed that Su Hao's worries were unnecessary. He had been walking for a long time, and nothing had happened. It felt as if this small town belonged solely to him.
Guided by the faint light, Su Hao slowly walked along the wall. Despite the calluses on his feet, the chilly sensation of the ground couldn't be shielded.
Su Hao looked up at the night sky. Only a few stars dotted the darkness; the moon was nowhere to be seen. Perhaps this world didn't have a moon at all, and during the night, darkness truly reigned.
"Pick up the pace. If it gets completely dark, I won't be able to see a thing. I won't even be able to eat a steamed bun right in front of me!" Su Hao urged himself.
After walking for a while, Su Hao arrived at a house with a small courtyard. Suddenly, he heard faint sounds coming from inside one of the rooms. He stopped and listened carefully, but the noise disappeared, leaving an eerie silence.
"Could someone be inside?" Su Hao hesitated, cautiously circling the courtyard, hoping to find an opportunity to sneak in and find some food.
But the surrounding walls were too high for him.
Su Hao made a full circle and unexpectedly discovered a dog hole—a small opening that only children, cats, and small animals could enter. It was impossible for an ordinary adult to squeeze through.
Su Hao crouched down and gave it a try, and it worked! He slowly stuck his head inside, wriggling his way through like a maggot.
"No one here?" Su Hao slowly stood up and began to observe the small courtyard.
The courtyard had some unknown dried hay scattered about, and there was a large dog tied to a hook on the wall. It kept retreating until it reached the corner, unable to go any further.
"A big dog?" Su Hao was startled. His small frame was definitely no match for such a large canine.
Su Hao instinctively wanted to run, but he realized that this dog seemed to be even more afraid than him! What was it scared of?
"Could it be a timid dog?" After observing for a while, Su Hao confirmed that it was indeed a timid dog. With that, he stealthily walked around the yard.
Soon, he discovered the location of the kitchen. Silently pushing the door open and confirming that no one was inside, he quickly sneaked in and closed the door behind him.
In the kitchen, Su Hao found some leftovers. Ignoring any table manners, he swallowed them whole and took a gulp of water. Finally, his worried heart began to calm down.
"It seems like I won't starve for the time being!" The feeling of being full brought great relief and a sense of security to Su Hao.
Su Hao had already concluded that something was definitely wrong with this quiet little town. Now that he was well-fed and hydrated, he knew he couldn't risk going outside and encountering danger.
He searched the kitchen and found several bundles of firewood piled against one wall, providing an excellent hiding spot.
Su Hao carefully and forcefully pushed aside a portion of the firewood, creating an opening. He wriggled inside like a determined little mouse.
In the innermost part against the wall, there was a small space just enough for him to hide.
Once inside, Su Hao struggled to turn around and then used all his strength to close the small opening.
Su Hao lay quietly in this enclosed space.
A strong sense of safety overwhelmed him.
And it was warm! After eating his fill, Su Hao gradually felt his strength returning. His body was gradually recovering its vitality.
"Next, I'll hide here for a while and fully recover before making any plans."
Soon, drowsiness overcame him, and Su Hao fell into a deep sleep.
When the city completely woke up the next day, with the dawn breaking, it felt as if the night's silence had been an illusion.
After Su Hao woke up, he still lay quietly behind the stack of firewood, waiting for the owner of the courtyard to leave.
As for how surprised the owner would be when they lifted the lid and found the food missing, Su Hao couldn't see.
When there was no more activity in the courtyard, and he couldn't hold his urine any longer, Su Hao no longer waited. He pushed aside the firewood with force, crawled out, closed the opening behind him, and took a quick look around the kitchen. After grabbing something to eat, he pushed the door open and left.
"Woof! Woof!"
The owner of the courtyard was no longer there, but as soon as Su Hao emerged from the kitchen, the tied-up timid dog started barking wildly.
Su Hao ignored it and lowered his head to relieve himself, only to realize that something was seriously wrong.
"What's going on?" Su Hao instinctively raised his hand and examined it closely.
His appearance was similar to that of a normal human, but his skin tone was darker, and his nails were sharp like a cat's.
After tidying up, Su Hao quickly crawled out of the dog hole.
As soon as he stood up, he saw people walking back and forth on the street. Their skin was slightly darker like his, with an average height estimated to be over 2.3 meters, and they had well-proportioned bodies, looking incredibly agile.
The distinguishing features were their slightly pointed ears, like elves, with a tuft of white fur at the tips—adorable. Their eye irises had a brownish-green color, resembling feline creatures.
Moreover, the girls walking on the street were all exceptionally tall and graceful. Their faces were exquisite, their eyes clear and captivating, and the tuft of white fur on their ears added to their charm.
They were simply heavenly beauties. And not just one, but most of them.
"A land of beautiful women!" Su Hao sighed inwardly.
Overall, they resembled a blend of trolls and elves, combining the exquisite beauty of elves with the tall stature of trolls. Along with their slightly darkened skin tone, they possessed a harmonious beauty.
Su Hao reached up and touched his ears. They were pointed, but the fur hadn't grown yet.
"Are these considered normal humans? Well, almost. They're just a bit more agile and beautiful..."
Last night, with dim lighting, he hadn't carefully observed his own appearance. Now he suddenly discovered that he had become a species akin to the legendary elves, which piqued his curiosity.
Before Su Hao could study his new body, a cart slowly passed by.
The cart carried a large wooden barrel, with two hands and a foot sticking out from the edges, still stained with blood. The peculiar thing was that these hands and foot were completely bare bones, as if they had been gnawed clean by some monstrous creature.
Judging from the structure, these were undoubtedly the hands and feet of the people in this world.
However, many passersby seemed oblivious to this sight, as if they were accustomed to it.
Su Hao frowned, watching the cart slowly disappear around the corner.
The bones looked fresh, indicating that they were from an unfortunate incident last night.
But this was too extreme. If you wanted to kill someone, why would you clean their bones? Was this how they slaughtered cows and
sheep?
Moreover, looking at the size of the wooden barrel, it contained quite a few skeletal frames.
What in the world happened during the night in this place? What occurred last night?
Could it be that if you roamed the town at night, you would be devoured and reduced to bones by some terrifying creature?
Su Hao pondered for a moment before shaking his head. Even hiding might not be enough. If there were indeed nocturnal hunters, it would all come down to who could hide better.
"Maybe it's a game of hide-and-seek! The whole town playing hide-and-seek together. Just the thought of it is exciting." Su Hao contemplated for a while before dismissing the idea.
As long as he hid well at night and didn't venture outside, there shouldn't be any major problems. He had too little flesh on him, barely enough to fill the gaps between teeth. Who would want to feast on him?
Observing the bustling street filled with satisfied smiles on people's faces, Su Hao decided to take advantage of this opportunity to explore and learn about this world while solving the problem of his daily meals.
Su Hao made up his mind to adapt to the local customs, be active during the day, and obediently hide at night.
Even if he wanted to take risks, he would wait until he became a master martial artist, capable of freely using runes and possessing self-defense abilities.
"Now, I'm short on startup capital. To obtain my first bucket of gold, I either have to steal or beg... Life has really forced me into a corner!" Su Hao diminished his presence to the utmost and leisurely wandered through this chaotic little town.
Su Hao, who hadn't even mastered the language of this world, couldn't fathom how a little over three-year-old vagabond like him could make a living.
Even begging might not work!
Never before had Su Hao experienced such a destitute situation. Even in death, he had died relatively decently...
(End of Chapter 90)
(Translated by begs)