Thinking of this, Lin Yuan found a thin, flat stone, then asked the Tree Demon for a branch over a meter long and some vines.
And just like that, a simple stone shovel was made.
Lin Yuan looked at the Tree Demon, seemingly sensing its confusion.
A smile suddenly appeared in Lin Yuan's half-lidded eyes as he raised the stone shovel.
"After all, we fought side by side. Let me build graves where the souls of those dead Soul Beasts can rest."
After saying that, Lin Yuan no longer hesitated. He picked up the stone shovel and began digging hard not far away.
That was right, digging holes!
Now that Lin Yuan had absorbed a "Soul Spirit," his Soul Power had increased substantially.
With Gravity's help, even the stubborn clods of earth were dug out shovel by shovel.
After several hours, one small pit after another had been dug.
By then, the sky had brightened.
Soul Beasts gradually began to appear.
Every Soul Beast passing by curiously watched this incomprehensible behavior from the human child.
Lin Yuan did not explain himself and continued digging.
When the sky darkened once more and the moon ruled over Elf Star, Lin Yuan finally wiped the sweat from his forehead, a smile curling at his lips.
Was he tired?
Of course he was.
But once Lin Yuan set his mind on doing something, he would see it through.
While resting during the day, he had already counted around a hundred dead Soul Beasts.
After the unconscious Soul Beasts awoke, they saw what Lin Yuan was doing, heard the Tree Demon's explanation in its unique beast language, and looked at Lin Yuan with humanlike gratitude in their eyes.
They gently nudged Lin Yuan's shoulder with their heads before leaving.
At that moment, Lin Yuan went to check on Yuanen Huihui again.
He found that she was still fast asleep, and had even kicked the leaves covering her aside in a most ungraceful manner.
"She really can sleep. But her forehead isn't hot, so she probably doesn't have a cold or fever."
After covering her with leaves again, Lin Yuan prepared to begin his next great undertaking: burying all the Soul Beasts in the small pits that belonged to them.
This was much easier. He only needed to use his Soul Skill to place them into the pits one by one.
And for those Soul Beasts that had been cut in half or even torn into pieces, he could use his Soul Skill to easily piece their bodies back together.
By the time all the Soul Beasts had been buried, another four hours had passed.
For some reason, the heavy aura of resentment vanished completely the instant the last Soul Beast was laid to rest.
The forest returned to its former tranquility.
"Whew, that was exhausting."
Lin Yuan tossed aside the stone shovel in his hand.
He filled his thermos with water from the nearby stream and gulped it down. Though he panted heavily, his heart was filled with incomparable peace and satisfaction.
Tsk, I really am different from other transmigrators. If those ruthless transmigrators saw me doing this for Soul Beasts, they'd definitely look down on me, wouldn't they?
Lin Yuan sat beside the girl and laughed at himself inwardly.
Yet little did he know that this unintentional act of his would cause a tremendous stir several years later.
"Still, my locator broke a long time ago. And in order to give me sufficient respect, Yan Ruoting only receives a signal from the locating Soul Tool when I'm in danger. There are hundreds of battles between Soul Beasts on Elf Star every day, so waiting for them to come probably won't work."
Lin Yuan rested his head on his hands, gazing at the starry sky through half-lidded eyes as he analyzed the situation.
Just then, he suddenly heard a series of stomach growls.
Following the sound, Lin Yuan saw that Yuanen Huihui, who had slept for an entire day and night, still had her eyes tightly shut.
But her trembling eyelashes and flushed cheeks made it hard to tell whether she was awake or still asleep.
"Alright, stop pretending. You've slept for so long. I know you're awake."
Lin Yuan said lazily, his eyes half-lidded.
"Got it, Brother."
Having been exposed, Yuanen Huihui became embarrassed and immediately sat up.
She sat beside Lin Yuan with her legs folded to one side, just about to greet him.
But her stomach betrayed her again with another growl. She stuck out her tongue and licked her lips, which quickly became dry again.
At that moment, a cup of water was held out to her.
"Mm, you drooled all over the place in your sleep. It's only normal that you're thirsty."
Holding the cup, Lin Yuan pointed at the faint water stains still on his pant leg, his voice as lazy as ever.
"Ah?"
The girl subconsciously raised a hand to wipe the corner of her mouth. The not-yet-dry moisture still clung there, and the coolness against her fingers made her mind buzz.
As if possessed, she actually brought her hand to her nose and sniffed it.
The next second, an ominous sensation called "social death" instantly spread through her body, nailing her firmly to the pillar of shame. Her pointed ears turned red all at once.
"Ah!!!"
"It's fine. Your drool doesn't stink." Lin Yuan replied lazily, his eyes half-lidded.
"Why aren't you saying anything? Mm, what's with lowering your head?"
Lin Yuan turned to look and saw Yuanen Huihui burying her head between her knees, wrapping her arms around herself and playing ostrich. Only her pointed, delicate ears remained bright red.
"Brother, can you stop talking?"
Yuanen Huihui blinked her big pink eyes at Lin Yuan pitifully.
Lin Yuan: ...You're making me seem like I have no social awareness.
Kids were such a pain. No, wait, I was a kid too. Didn't that mean I was insulting myself as well?
Lin Yuan sighed and shook the cup.
"Drink up."
The girl hesitantly reached out. Seeing that Lin Yuan still wore that lazy expression without the slightest trace of disgust, she finally relaxed and took small sips.
The atmosphere fell silent again.
Hunger seemed contagious. Not long after Yuanen Huihui's stomach started growling, Lin Yuan also began to feel hungry, and the sensation grew stronger and stronger. Rubbing his stomach, he remembered that he had only eaten a few fruits during the day to stave off his cravings.
Just as Lin Yuan was about to use Gravity to fish a few fish out of the stream, he suddenly saw Yuanen Huihui flipping through a book.
The page-turning was loud, as though she were trying to attract his attention. Lin Yuan lowered his head and saw:
"Federation research has discovered that fresh saliva is colorless and odorless. This is especially true of the Elf Clan, who are beloved by heaven and earth. Their saliva contains the essence of the sun and moon..."
Lin Yuan glanced at Yuanen Huihui and saw that her neck had turned crimson.
"Are you telling me not to be disgusted by your drool?"
Yuanen Huihui was embarrassed: ...Brother, could you not say it so directly?
Lin Yuan shook his head inwardly. Yuanen Huihui truly deserved her title as the original novel's number one sweet, innocent airhead.
A little teasing was enough to make her blush like this.
Arriving at the stream, Lin Yuan held a wooden stick and raised one hand, feeling the nearly nonexistent expenditure of Soul Power.
In an instant, twenty green fish half a foot long floated to the surface.
"Not bad. They're pretty plump—enough for a meal." Lin Yuan felt delighted.
Then Lin Yuan sent those green fish to meet the Dragon God with a single swing of his stick.
He crouched by the stream and used Soul Power to grind a stone razor-sharp, then cleaned the fish thoroughly.
He found a large leaf and placed the washed fish on it, then gathered some dry fruit tree branches for firewood. Before long, a small bonfire was blazing.
Thanks to the excellent environment of Elf Star, nearly every small plant could serve as seasoning.
Grinding the salty Salt Grass into powder, Lin Yuan decided to use only that as seasoning. It was already enough.
He found several wild fruits that the book described as delicious, then built a rack from thick branches. He skewered the salted green fish on thin branches and began roasting them over the fire.
Before long, a distinctive fragrance spread through the air.
The aroma was rich enough to draw Yuanen Huihui over as well.
"It smells so good!"
Before you continue