Emergency Food

Chixia bounded over and took Ling An, cuddling him in her arms and stroking him.

"His fur is so soft! Rover, is this your new pet?" Chixia narrowed her eyes in bliss.

Tide Sis casually took Ling An back from her arms and murmured, "Pet?"

She thought for a moment, then looked at Ling An. "More like my little sidekick."

Little sidekick?

Who are you calling a sidekick?

Ling An was not pleased.

He was the mighty Crownless, a Rumbling Tide-Class Tacet Discord. Who besides a Threnodian could call him their sidekick?

Ling An squirmed in Tide Sis's arms, expressing his displeasure.

Feeling Ling An's restlessness, Tide Sis lowered her head. Her face was all smiles, but her golden eyes brimmed with menace. "My mistake. He's Emergency Food."

Ling An froze.

He immediately tucked his raised paw back in.

He had nearly forgotten that this woman was not someone to mess with.

Judging by the story he had played through, even if he could not be completely certain that the being inside Tide Sis was a Threnodian, it was at least on the same level.

With that thought, Ling An immediately behaved himself.

Still, the term "Emergency Food" sounded awfully familiar.

He felt as though he had heard it somewhere before.

In any case, he convinced himself to accept it.

Beside them, Baizhi lived up to her reputation as the most composed of the group. She regarded Tide Sis warily. "Rover, this kitten wasn't here a moment ago. Where did he come from?"

Tide Sis met her gaze and was about to explain when Chixia cut in, saying breezily, "Oh, Baizhi! He's just a kitten. No need to be so serious!"

Seeing that she seemed about to put herself at odds with everyone, Baizhi nodded helplessly. "All right. We shouldn't linger here. Let's return to the Border Fortress first."

The others agreed with Baizhi's suggestion and headed toward Jinzhou City together.

Lively as ever, Chixia sidled up to Tide Sis and kept asking questions. "Rover, what's his name?"

"His name?" Tide Sis paused. She could hardly tell them this kitty was called Crownless.

They would probably draw their weapons the very next second.

Just then, Ling An extended a paw and traced across Tide Sis's body.

Tide Sis instantly understood what he meant and said, "Ling An. That's his name. What do you think?"

"Ling An? Great name, Rover!" Chixia gave her a thumbs-up with an innocent smile.

She thought Tide Sis had just come up with it.

In Tide Sis's arms, Ling An was utterly speechless.

This girl Chixia really was...

She seemed like the sort of cheerfully clueless idiot who would help count the money after someone sold her off.

The group continued on, then stopped on a narrow path through the grass.

Yangyang rested her right hand on her Swiftblade, her expression wary. "Rover, there are Tacet Discords ahead!"

Hearing that, Ling An poked his head out of Tide Sis's arms.

Well, well, if it wasn't the dancing turtles!

On the path ahead, several Frostland Tortoises were sprawled lazily in the sun.

Ling An was more than familiar with these turtles.

As Lightwave Class Tacet Discords, the Frostland Tortoises' greatest use was probably letting people turn into bouncing turtles after absorbing them.

Ling An had absolutely no interest in Tacet Discords like these.

He lazily withdrew his head. Enemies at this level did not require his intervention.

But a second later, Ling An felt himself flying.

Behind him came Tide Sis's righteous declaration. "Ling An, I choose you!"

Wait, what was this supposed to be?

Before Ling An could react, Tide Sis tossed him right in front of the three Frostland Tortoises.

The turtles were thoroughly enjoying their sunbath when they caught sight of a dark shape dropping in front of them.

Ling An landed on all fours and stared eye to eye with a Frostland Tortoise.

Ling An froze. So did the turtle.

Yangyang, Chixia, and Baizhi were also left stunned by Tide Sis's maneuver.

Only Tide Sis stood with her hands on her hips and her chin raised, looking immensely pleased with herself. "Ling An, go!"

At that moment, Ling An's mind was blank.

He wasn't a Pokémon, damn it!

By then, all three Frostland Tortoises had lined up before him.

Six beady turtle eyes stared at Ling An.

"What are you looking at? Never seen a handsome guy before?" Ling An widened his eyes and glared back.

Everything had been fine while Ling An stayed still, but the moment he glared, all three Frostland Tortoises flipped onto their shells, lying on their backs with their four stubby legs flailing.

The sight left Yangyang and the others even more dumbfounded.

What was that supposed to be?

Had Ling An used Leer?

Everything they had witnessed today felt like some surreal hallucination.

Ling An raised his chin with a huff and slowly walked back toward Rover.

The Frostland Tortoises' reaction was entirely within his expectations.

After all, Tacet Discords had a strict hierarchy, and different classes represented vastly different levels of strength.

Perhaps Yangyang and Baizhi lacked the discernment to sense Ling An's power.

But as fellow Tacet Discords, the Frostland Tortoises had found that scene utterly terrifying.

It was like a human sunbathing outside their door, only for a tiger to suddenly fall from the sky and land right in front of them.

Then glare at them.

It was practically a horror story.

Once the three Frostland Tortoises flipped onto their shells, the battle was over.

Tide Sis dispatched the adorable turtles with three successive slashes.

With a crisp chime, one of the Frostland Tortoises turned into a golden image.

"An Echo!" Yangyang exclaimed.

She looked at Tide Sis. "Rover, you can absorb Echoes with your Pangu Terminal."

Hearing Yangyang's words, Ling An suddenly realized something.

His arrival had completely disrupted the course of the story.

Originally, after defeating Crownless in the Tacet Field, Tide Sis should have absorbed Crownless's Echo directly into her body, shocking everyone.

They should also have encountered different Tacet Discords here.

Chixia would have asked Tide Sis to try absorbing a low-level Echo directly into her body, and only after Tide Sis tried and failed would she use the gourd, otherwise known as the Pangu Terminal.

He had never expected things to change like this.

Ling An did not know whether it was good or bad. Like a drop falling into a lake, it would inevitably send out ripples.

Tide Sis took out her gourd, and the Frostland Tortoise's Echo vanished with a whoosh.

Ling An leaped onto her shoulder and comfortably curled up.

Why was he worrying about some overpowered protagonist's business?

His most pressing concern was figuring out how to bluff his way through this and get away from the terrifying overpowered protagonist.

Granted, Tide Sis's embrace was soft and warm.

But what if she lost her mind one day and swallowed Ling An whole?

He had finally gotten a chance to transmigrate. He still wanted to stay alive and experience the diverse customs and cultures of Solaris.

How could he let himself get hooked on Tide Sis's tender embrace?

As the old saying went, once a bird grew big enough, it could find every kind of forest. There were still so many pretty girls out there waiting for him to meet.

He had no desire to actually become Tide Sis's Emergency Food.

The group continued onward, and a majestic city appeared before them.

Chixia bounded along at the front and pointed ahead. "That's Jinzhou City, Rover! Once we're back in town, I'm definitely treating you to a proper feast at the Pan Hua Restaurant!"

Tide Sis smiled and nodded, following her toward the city gates.

In her arms, Ling An cautiously poked his head out and looked behind them.

He had sensed a strange presence.

On a distant tree, a petite, graceful figure flashed past.