Companionship

Late one evening, half a month later.

Near the site of the former Thirteen Mine, outside Shangbala Town.

A camp had only recently been put into use. In one of its spacious rooms, Lich Old Man A Fu sat in a chair, holding a cup of tea and savoring it slowly.

It was Sweet Tea, murky yellow in color, with quite a bit of grayish-brown powder settled at the bottom—the sugar chunks that had not fully dissolved. Beyond that, an excessive amount of honey had been added, making the tea sweet enough to cloyingly kill a whole crowd of people.

Yet Lich Old Man A Fu felt no discomfort whatsoever. Instead, he took a deep sip, smacked his lips, and revealed an utterly satisfied expression.

He had been asleep for far too long, and the new body he had acquired belonged to an elderly man in the declining years of life, leaving him extremely dull to many sensations. Only a flavor stimulus more than three times as intense could let him experience the normal sensation of sweet, fragrant deliciousness.

Fortunately, he now had a wealthy patron like Richard. Adding extra sugar chunks and honey to his tea was nothing to worry about.

As Lich Old Man A Fu thought about this, he began planning to try Salty Tea after drinking Sweet Tea like this for a few more days—adding copious amounts of even more expensive pepper powder and cinnamon powder would surely create a different kind of flavor.

He took another sip, stroked the smooth, spotless white teacup, and felt its texture, like a young maiden's skin. Lich Old Man A Fu let out a long breath, quite satisfied with his current life.

Of course, if there were a little more... something, that would be even better.

After another sip