Fu Yuan watched Matou Zouken step into the Matou family courtyard, then smiled at Matou Sakura. "Come on, Little Sakura. I'll go with you."
"Mm." Matou Sakura nodded her little head.
Then Fu Yuan took Matou Sakura's small hand and entered this hell known as the Matou family alongside her.
The moment Fu Yuan stepped into the Matou family estate, the Honkai System's voice rang out in his mind.
Side Quest triggered.
The Honkai System Fu Yuan possessed had three types of quests in total.
They were Daily Quests, Main Quests, and Side Quests.
Daily Quests refreshed at four o'clock every day.
Main Quests were issued by the system.
Side Quests were triggered when Fu Yuan came into contact with certain people or events.
By bringing Matou Sakura into the Matou family, Fu Yuan had triggered a Side Quest.
Still holding Matou Sakura's little hand, Fu Yuan devoted part of his attention to the system's voice in his mind, because it would soon tell him the Side Quest's contents and reward.
Destroy Matou Zouken's Magecraft Workshop and bring Matou Sakura out of the Matou family unharmed. Quest Reward: One random set of Stigmata.
Fu Yuan froze slightly. He wondered if he had heard wrong.
Because it was Stigmata!
And a whole set of Stigmata at that!!
Stigmata could be obtained through the system shop and supply pulls, but Fu Yuan had no idea how long he would need to save crystals to buy or assemble a full set.
The Stigmata in the shop had clearly marked prices. The top, middle, and bottom pieces formed a set, and the cheapest set was Hana—but even the cheapest Hana set cost twelve thousand crystals...
Now, the reward for this Side Quest Fu Yuan had triggered was actually a set of Stigmata.
Although it was a random set, even if he pulled Hana, Fu Yuan would still be making a profit of twelve thousand crystals!
I'm smashing the Matou family right now!
Fu Yuan silently made the resolute declaration of the Great Chieftain of Africa in his heart.
Now, aside from saving Matou Sakura, Fu Yuan had one more reason to smash the Matou family to pieces.
In Fu Yuan's eyes, the old worm Matou Zouken was no longer a disgusting old worm. He was a crystal monster that could earn him a powerful set of Stigmata!
When Matou Zouken saw Fu Yuan and Matou Sakura enter the Matou family estate one after the other, he rasped, "You two, follow me."
After saying that, Matou Zouken turned around on his own and began walking toward the left side of the old Western-style house, seemingly with no intention of leading Fu Yuan and Matou Sakura inside.
Seeing this, Matou Sakura softly asked Fu Yuan, "Big Brother Fu Yuan, why is he telling us to go over there?"
Fu Yuan gave the direction Matou Zouken was heading a meaningful glance, then said, "Perhaps going that way will get us to your room faster, Little Sakura. Let's follow him."
"Mm." Matou Sakura nodded her little head.
Fu Yuan actually knew why. His radar-like senses had detected tens of thousands of life signs beneath the ground over there, so... that was Matou Zouken's underground workshop for raising Magic Crest Worms.
That was right. Even with Fu Yuan now involved, Matou Zouken had no intention of abandoning his plan to throw Matou Sakura into the underground workshop and use Magic Crest Worms to subject her to Magecraft Modification.
Matou Zouken wanted this somewhat strange young man, Fu Yuan, to learn what it meant when they said curiosity killed the cat.
Matou Zouken now regarded Fu Yuan and Matou Sakura as prey for the Magic Crest Worms, but he did not know that Fu Yuan was a transmigrator—and one with formidable power.
Thus, Fu Yuan, whom Matou Zouken saw as prey, would transform from prey into a hunter who knew everything.
Fu Yuan looked at Matou Zouken walking ahead, then at Matou Sakura, whose hand he held. After thinking for a moment, he slipped a hand into his pocket and took out a compact phone from within it [the system's inventory].
Then Fu Yuan turned on the phone's recording function.
The current era in this world was 1989. Although mobile phones had already been invented, most were the large brick type, whereas the phone in Fu Yuan's hand was one he had brought with him before transmigrating into this world.
So Fu Yuan's phone could record video.
But why was Fu Yuan recording video?
Naturally, it was for Matou Sakura's sake.
For Matou Sakura's sake?
Well~ keep reading and you'll find out.
Walking toward the left side, Matou Zouken reached the end of the courtyard. There stood a structure resembling a storage shed. This building was the entrance to Matou Zouken's Magecraft Workshop.
As long as they opened the door and went inside, they would reach the underground Magecraft Workshop.
Following behind Matou Zouken, Fu Yuan discreetly swept his gaze around. He had already spotted insects of all kinds converging on them. They were all Familiar Worms raised by Matou Zouken.
These tiny insects were now watching Fu Yuan and Matou Sakura with their compound eyes, their mouthparts opening and closing incessantly as though waiting for a delicious feast.
Matou Zouken pushed open the building's main doors, and an incredibly foul stench wafted out from within.
The smell was like the nauseating stench released after wood and leaves had rotted, then decayed and eroded for a long time.
Matou Sakura, beside Fu Yuan, inhaled the stench. Her little face immediately turned pale, and her body instinctively reacted with an urge to vomit.
Noticing Matou Sakura's discomfort, Fu Yuan gently patted her back. Silky true qi flowed through his palm and into Matou Sakura's body, soothing her discomfort and nausea.
The true qi cultivated through the ultimate art known as Great Void Sword Qi, created by the Vermilion Knight, could not only strengthen the body and improve one's health, but also command the power of the five elements and even grant Fu Yuan the ability to heal others. It was truly miraculous.
As expected of the Vermilion Knight~~
After opening the underground workshop's door, Matou Zouken turned to look at Fu Yuan and Matou Sakura behind him. "All right, you two. Come in with me."
Matou Zouken's expression was exceedingly strange now. His face bore the kindly look of a doting elder toward his children and grandchildren, yet the eyes sunken deep in their sockets radiated an indescribably cold and sinister gleam.
His impatience had already exposed the true nature of this old worm whose very soul had rotted away.
If Fu Yuan and Matou Sakura refused to enter this pitch-black underground workshop now, he would probably order the Familiar Worms gathering around them to attack, then throw them into the underground workshop.
Fu Yuan glanced at Matou Zouken, whose eyes had taken on a sinister change, and asked, "This is the room you prepared for Little Sakura?"
Before you continue