Warfarin: Are You Going to Stew Me, Friend? / You're on a Pirate Ship-You Think You Can Just Leave?

Although his growth had been a tiny bit slow, without Cyber Ghost and the Doctor's Originium Database, Huang Cao would at most have been a plant that could run.

Originium was simply too useful. The data inside could be transformed into almost any material, and Tang Da's search engine had saved him a great deal of research.

Huang Cao continued wandering around the town under the nearly featureless alias of Undead Spirit.

He also knew that the people here had probably seen through his true race. After all, what Undead Spirit could be as sunny as him?

"Life has been getting harder and harder. At least we could eat roast-meat rice during the war. Now we can't even eat grass."

After some more time passed, the residents living here began collecting grass seeds from the surrounding area and mixing them with gathered wood shavings to cook a steaming pot of hot porridge that wasn't particularly tasty.

Surviving alone was too difficult, so the town had retained some traditions. For example, every half a month, they held a large communal meal, indirectly supporting those who truly lacked the ability to live on their own.

Thanks to Huang Cao's shop, the residents here didn't actually have to eat grass.

"I remember they shouldn't have been this poor. Mercenaries seem fairly well-off, unless they simply don't plan on saving money."

After selling all of today's goods, Huang Cao reported sick to Lamian and decided to use the opportunity to carefully observe the town's social environment.

He usually did business at night, while the residents living here held their parties in the evening.

That was why he had never run into one after all this time.

When he arrived at the place where the residents were holding a bonfire party, Huang Cao noticed that there seemed to be many new faces in the crowd.

"If you sold your goods a little more cheaply, boss, I think we could eat better."

At that moment, Huang Cao felt a pair of hands tug at his black robe. When he turned around, he saw a white-haired, red-eyed little girl with pointed ears.

More importantly, the girl's chest was very flat. Compared with the female Sarkaz nearby, she was practically in a league of her own.

White hair, red eyes, and a flat chest. The surrounding residents avoided her like the plague, all taking several steps back as though they had seen something terrifying.

Blood Demons were a universally disliked race in Kazdel.

As their name suggested, most Blood Demons survived on blood.

A few individuals might like other things, but the vast majority had an extraordinary obsession with blood.

"May I ask your name, miss?" Huang Cao floated into the air and looked down at the little girl before him.

Though he called her a little girl, she was at least several times older than him. Besides, he knew this Blood Demon.

Wasn't this Warfarin? They hadn't seen each other for a few days, so how had she ended up begging for food here?

Still, Blood Demons didn't necessarily have to drink blood. According to the setting of this world, among powerful beings on the level of the Sarkaz Royal Court, some could survive without eating.

Of course, Huang Cao had seen that in the Originium Database. The strong didn't necessarily want to starve, either, and there didn't seem to have been any powerful people in history who had starved to death.

"I'm looking for a job. I heard your wages were high, so I came. I consider myself fairly good-looking."

As Warfarin spoke, she brushed back her long hair. Her fair face seemed to shine beneath the bonfire's light. She was indeed a rare beauty.

It was just a shame that her figure was rather lacking.

"I think you've read the rules I set. This puts me in a difficult position."

"You know, I don't have a real body. I just want to feast my eyes."

Huang Cao shook his robe, revealing the air beneath it. There was nothing there except a mass of black mist.

"That's why I came to you. At most, you can do something to me in a dream. Dreams are the opposite of reality, so I'll just consider it being bitten by a Siracusan."

"That makes a lot of sense. I can't even refute it. Still, judging from the way you're dressed, you don't seem short of money."

Huang Cao glanced at the satchel hanging on Warfarin's right side. It contained plants, including some with medicinal value.

"It's just a little hobby. I originally wanted to become a field medic, but they were all terrified when they saw I was a Blood Demon. So I could only become a wandering doctor."

"I also collect some blood as payment. Mercenaries are all pretty poor, after all. They can't afford my consultation fees."

Warfarin: Do You Want to Stew Me, Friend?

Although this Blood Demon had always been a comic-relief character on Rhodes Island, with no resistance to the Doctor's blood and a habit of doing foolish things, she had never gone so far as to act truly reckless. Her knowledge was decent enough, too, making her a talent who could help him manage things.

Huang Cao needed someone who knew his secret to work for him. Otherwise, switching bodies every time would be far too troublesome.

"You have a three-month probationary period. Once it ends, I'll give you two choices: leave, or continue following me."

Huang Cao spoke in front of the townspeople. "If you choose to continue following me after three months, you'll lose the right to leave. If you leave without my permission, I'll take your life and bury you in the ground."

Huang Cao's deep voice reached everyone's ears amid the crackling flames, but no one was surprised.

Because this was Kazdel. Everyone had their own secrets, and learning a secret only to leave afterward was no different from seeking death.

After the simple communal meal ended, Huang Cheng brought Warfarin to the general store and hastily tidied up a storeroom for her to use as a residence.

"I thought that since you were so rich, you'd furnish the place a little. At least there should be a bed and a blanket. I thought I'd get better treatment. Am I really becoming a slave?"

Warfarin looked at the storeroom, which resembled the wilderness, and the corners of her mouth twitched uncontrollably.

"Don't overthink it. If you became my slave, I'd only complain that you weren't pretty enough. I just don't usually live here, so it's a little shabby."

It was indeed rather shabby. After all, when Huang Cao used his other body, he slept in a soft, luxurious bed.

But Warfarin was his first employee, so her treatment should at least be a little better.

Otherwise, what would he do if no one came to work for him in the future?

However, it was already late, and he couldn't procure any furniture. So, to demonstrate his concern for her welfare, Huang Cao decided to bring out his small treasury.

"Why don't you sleep in my treasury?" Huang Cao said.

"?"

A huge question mark appeared above Warfarin's head. Then she felt her body being wrapped in black mist, and she was transported directly to the basement.

When the basement door opened, a dazzling ocean lay beyond it, occasionally mixed with several glittering golden stars.

"You robbed the Demon King's treasury? How are there so many silver coins? Even if you squeezed this entire town dry, you couldn't possibly have this many."

"Wait. Why do these silver coins look so new?"

Warfarin casually picked up five or six silver coins and examined them closely. She found that their production dates could be traced back more than a century, yet their surfaces were bright and new.

"You recast the silver coins?"

"You're a clever one, after all. Too bad this isn't Yan Country, or I wouldn't have had to go to so much trouble."

Huang Cao couldn't help sighing with relief that this wasn't a high-tech era several hundred years in the future. Silver coins were easy to imitate as long as he had a mold.

This wasn't unnecessary. Trading with currency made it less likely to arouse suspicion. Huang Cao didn't want anyone to discover that he possessed a mountain of gold and silver.

Using metal currency would at most make people think he was a nouveau riche or had some other business, rather than someone who owned several gold and silver mines.

"So this is your secret? You keep this much money here and aren't afraid of being robbed? You really think you've got me under your thumb." Warfarin lit a fire, spread straw over the pile of silver coins, and lay down on it.

"My secrets don't end there. Besides, even if you told anyone, it wouldn't matter. I can move all this money away in no time. Then you really would have to sleep on the floor."

"Also, give me your measurements. I'll get you a set of clothes. Your hair and face look clean enough, but the clothes you're wearing will probably start growing mushrooms in a few days."

"What measurements?" Warfarin stared at him with innocent, wide eyes, completely failing to understand what Huang Cao meant.

"Forget it. Since I don't have a real body anyway, I'll be a little more uninhibited."

Huang Cao transformed into black mist. With lightning speed, he wrapped around every inch of Warfarin's skin and quickly obtained a string of precise, perfect measurements.

Warfarin only felt as if her entire body had been seen through, though he had warned her beforehand...

"That wasn't gentlemanly at all..." Warfarin muttered unhappily, but she wasn't angry.

Why bother arguing with an Undead Spirit who had no body? If he had wanted to do something to her, he could have done it in her dreams long ago. That would have been even more embarrassing.

"There aren't any gentlemen in Kazdel. There are only big, burly men."

Huang Cao left the treasury, preparing to give Warfarin a proper makeover.

Modern chemical-fiber clothing was difficult to obtain for now, but most ancient clothing had been made by extracting materials from plants or animals.

There was no silk, but Huang Cheng could provide as much relatively fine plant fiber as needed. After all, it could be spun by hand.

Before long, a modern-looking outfit grew out of the ground.

Of course, he had modeled the outfit's design on Warfarin's appearance during her time on Rhodes Island.

Although it was not as refined as modern clothing from several hundred years later, it was close enough.

Before growing the clothes from the ground, he had also taken the opportunity to heat a bucket of water.

To make his plans watertight, while living in Banshee River Valley, he had often used his identity to purchase furniture and other small items for the other Banshees.

Those small items came from his general store. Most of the time, he merely accepted the orders before subcontracting the work to others.

The efficiency was low, but considering that he might genuinely have another employee in the future, he had prepared some spare items in advance.

"Perfect A-cup. You don't have to wear one, but for hygiene and your health, you should."

"I get the feeling you're always thinking about something improper. Forget it. Everyone here says there's something wrong with your head."

The vampire girl accepted the clothes Huang Cao handed her with an exasperated expression and was about to find a room to change in.

But she hadn't expected him to stop her.

"You're not planning to watch me change, are you? People outside have always thought the Sarkaz people's morals needed improvement, but I'm still a normal human woman."

"Although I can't see any physical characteristics from your appearance, your speech and mannerisms make it obvious that you're a human man. Do you really think this is appropriate?"

"What's inappropriate about it? Aren't you going to take a bath before putting on new clothes? Or do you think I'd have ulterior motives toward a figure as barren as yours?"

"Please. Who would be interested in you? Hurry up and wash yourself clean, then come out and work like a beast of burden!"

Looking at the other man's shameless capitalist expression, Warfarin suddenly understood that the filth in his mind was absolutely more complicated than mere lust.

She could only embrace her clothes helplessly and obediently lie down in the bathtub.

"Add some Sichuan peppercorns, some carrots, and finally a little salt. Give yourself a good scrub."

Huang Cao floated above Warfarin's head without the slightest inhibition. She also realized that he truly had no ulterior motives toward her, so she stopped covering herself and quietly bathed with both hands spread over the surface of the water.

But after she had soaked for a while, he began adding things to the bathtub.

Adding Sichuan peppercorns to bathwater was not entirely unreasonable, but why did the things he added afterward sound so much like ingredients for stew?

New sapling seeking votes! If you think it's decent, could you add it to your bookshelf? Thank you, everyone! (Thud) 1

Chapter 16: You're on the pirate ship. Do you still want to run?

Damn, I ran into a Sarkaz who was very skilled at being a human! No wonder she had no interest in my body.

I'm doomed! So when you said "eat," you meant physically eating me!

"You smell strong. Without heavy ingredients, the odor won't come out. Not every beautiful girl has a natural fragrance, you know. Besides, I keep feeling like you're thinking about something filthy."

The aesthetic sense brutally shaped by the Banshee people could not be changed by a mere Blood Demon. With Warfarin's figure, she was destined to have no room for growth in the future.

The original Blood Demon ironplate duo had been Warfarin and Closure. The latter had already made a glorious comeback with her new artwork, while the former would probably still be flat as a board even by the Administrator era.

Just like a certain big cat, whose chest only gained a tiny bit of padding when she was doing missions as a maid.

"What a strange outfit. But it's quite comfortable."

After putting on the highly modern clothes, Warfarin sniffed herself and then hopped around a few times.

"If it feels comfortable, hurry up and go to bed. Do you think burning firewood and oil lamps costs nothing? Or are you planning to go hunting tonight?"

"I haven't drunk blood in a long time. I'm hungry, but I can endure it. Besides, I can eat normal food too..."

And so, a peaceful night passed. After washing up, Warfarin lay on the pile of coins, which was almost as hard as stone, and let her imagination run wild.

In the gloomy storeroom, only the soft blanket gave her a trace of warmth.

Under the dim light, she kept feeling that the day had been somewhat unreal.

The strange Undead Spirit shopkeeper, the silver coins piled up like mountains in the storeroom, and his bizarre way of thinking.

Everything resembled a fairy tale from ancient times, making her wonder whether she was actually dreaming.

Warfarin had never held out any hope of being hired in the first place. Even if she wasn't chosen, she could continue wandering.

She was tough enough to survive, and one day she would find somewhere to settle down.

Early the next morning, Warfarin, who had not rested properly in a long time, was deep in dreamland when the hateful capitalist Huang Cao struck a gong hard beside her ear.