TTAETSC Chapter 30.1 - The Meaning of Waving

Translator: Deyonna

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Ye Yunfan carefully walked around the house and noticed that all the small furniture was exquisitely crafted. However, considering that this was made for a baby octopus to live in, some things seemed quite strange.

For example, instead of sleeping on a bed, he slept in a big, snow-white seashell.

Ye Yunfan had only ever heard of mermaid princesses sleeping inside big seashells. Now, finding himself sleeping inside one, he couldn't help feeling a bit unused to it.

[Jar!]

[Jar! Jar is still beautiful!]

[Jar is the most beautiful!]

The little tentacles appeared one after another, as if still recalling what had happened last night, with a hint of complaint in their tone.

[Cannot push jar jar again!]

[Cannot, cannot!]

"Okay, okay…"

Ye Yunfan felt he didn't need to argue with a group of intellectually insufficient little tentacles over such a matter.

And besides, last night was a special situation. Now that the crisis was over, Ye Yunfan naturally wouldn't do anything bad to the glass jar again.

Moreover, he thought the glass jar looked quite good.

But… can current human technology manufacture such things?

Making glass is not very difficult, but producing reinforced glass, or even bulletproof glass, requires very mature industrial technology.

Based on this detail, Ye Yunfan formed a rough guess about the general outline of human technological progress in this world.

He kept pondering while observing the room.

There were many odd pieces of furniture here. The dining table was not really a table, but a beautiful silver lunch box.

Yuan Ye had even taken his fake octopus persona, the one that liked metal pieces, as real, and he had brought him many metal pieces to hang on the wall as decorations.

There was iron, copper, silver…

Hiss… there was even gold?!

Was that real gold?

Ye Yunfan couldn't resist taking down the golden-yellow piece to check, and discovered that it was indeed real gold!

Gold?!

Ye Yunfan: "...???"

What kind of household uses gold as wall decoration?!

The little octopus, whose heart had failed to live up to expectations, hopped fiercely in front of the gold. He now seemed to really like the metal "gold" pieces.

Sigh…

Ye Yunfan held the gold piece and played with it for a while, then hung it back up. After this episode, he suddenly felt the value of this small house had doubled.

Moreover, this small house looked as though a lot of thought had gone into it, just like a child preparing a beautiful little nest for a beloved pet for the first time.

This analogy was very apt and vivid, so much so that Ye Yunfan suddenly felt the cool Yuan Ye seemed a bit cute.

—Like the innocent cuteness of a child.

The little octopus sighed inwardly.

After finally confirming that he was safe, the first thing he did was eat!

After last night, his stamina had been greatly depleted, so he had to replenish it quickly.

So the little octopus showed no politeness at all. He squatted in front of the dining area and ate every last meatball in the silver lunch box, leaving it completely clean.

[Stamina Value +1]

[Stamina Value +1]

[Stamina Value +1]

...

[Stamina Value: 120/355]

[Health Value: 135/510]

[Mental Power: 110+8x5]

Ye Yunfan double-checked his data, and at that moment, he noticed his mental power seemed to have increased by 3 points.

It had started at 97. After eating the eye of that small monster, it became 107, and now it had unexpectedly risen to 110.

Could it be because he had used this skill yesterday to see Yuan Ye's memories?

Perhaps mental power increases with the proficiency of the skill?

He had to admit that, just looking at this strange data panel, the skills and data really resembled a game interface.

Ye Yunfan remembered that his original two skills both had levels in their prefixes. Camouflage was at E-level, and mental communication was at D-level.

As a game-planning expert, he almost instinctively felt there should be a way to upgrade them later on.

From the experiences he had tried so far, Ye Yunfan found he could raise various stats by devouring otherworldly creatures, and that excessive use of skills had negative effects, but at the same time it might also lead to certain improvements.

At that moment, Ye Yunfan remembered the player Zhang Nan, whom he had killed earlier. After that, he had obtained the other man's skill, mimicry.

Killing players, obtaining skills…

At this moment, Ye Yunfan thought of a third path.

This third path was faster and more efficient, with the potential for substantial rewards.

Slaughter other players and steal their skills.

The moment this idea surfaced, Ye Yunfan's first reaction was not whether to take this seemingly quick path, but whether he himself might become a victim of skill theft.

It is similar to the question some people have asked: if murder were not illegal, who would be the first person you'd want to kill?

Many people may be misled by this kind of question. But the absence of laws against killing does not mean you have the freedom to kill anyone you desire.

Instead, it means every person would be labeled a lamb, waiting to be slaughtered.

This terrifying thought made Ye Yunfan's heart turn cold. Though he was not certain, the guess was enough to strengthen his determination to hide himself even further.

For example, playing the role of a cute, innocent baby octopus beside the mighty Yuan Ye, keeping up the false octopus persona he had put on.

For Ye Yunfan, this was currently the safest way to survive.

After finishing his meal, Ye Yunfan took another stroll around the whole house, once again marveling inwardly at Yuan Ye's ingenuity.

In fact, Ye Yunfan also knew how to make these handmade little things, to some extent. When he was young, he often used wood to make toys for the younger brothers and sisters in the village. But without proper tools, he could never make them as exquisitely as Yuan Ye.

If this small house were placed in his world, it could basically be used as a house model for an exhibition, or as a special toy for high-end customers.

The little octopus walked to the doorway, moving very much like a human. He took shoes from the shoe rack, put them on, and opened the door.

Click—

He had expected to see the inside of the small wooden house on the hillside, but what appeared in his field of vision was the back seat of an off-road vehicle.

…Eh?

The little octopus stuck his head out and looked around for a while, realizing he was indeed inside a car. And it seemed to be Captain Chen's off-road vehicle!

Because they had gone to get the chip last night and made a round trip, Ye Yunfan was very certain about the owner of this car.

But why had Yuan Ye placed him in Captain Chen's car?

Could Captain Chen have already persuaded Yuan Ye to return together?

This guess should be pretty close to the mark.

After hearing what the two-headed black bird had said last night, Ye Yunfan knew that this time Yuan Ye would certainly return to the Main City with Chen Xinyue.

Ye Yunfan suddenly had a realization. Why hadn't the Main City's earlier order simply commanded Yuan Ye to escort Chen Xinyue back?

Currently, Captain Chen trusts Yuan Ye and considers him the most capable person. Therefore, she wanted to return with him to raise the level of safety.

However, the Main City did not issue such an order, and Yuan Ye had always been a lone wolf, showing a very cold and indifferent exterior. In this situation, Captain Chen had to take the initiative and persuade Yuan Ye to return to the city together.

After this persuasion, Chen Xinyue's trust in Yuan Ye would significantly improve, and on the return journey she would be more "obedient."

"..."

Thinking this far, Ye Yunfan suddenly sighed.

This series of arrangements was like invisible threads quietly tying Chen Xinyue and Yuan Ye together, making them unconsciously follow the hidden threads and use their lives to perform for some unknown puppeteer.

However, these matters were not something Ye Yunfan could get involved in at the moment. He pushed the chaotic thoughts aside and walked out the door.

The little octopus turned around to look at his small house and discovered it was actually two stories high. The upper floor, however, seemed unfinished, so it was empty and temporarily sealed off.

Ye Yunfan, a bit shocked: "...?!"

He had thought Yuan Ye had only built a small one-story house for him, but he hadn't expected a two-story one???

Perhaps it was the obsession with real estate that runs in the blood of Chinese people. Though it was only a handmade wooden two-story house, Ye Yunfan suddenly felt as if he owned a property and had the illusion of becoming rich all at once.

The little octopus, with a two-story building as his property, suddenly felt very happy. He turned his head toward the car door, wanting to go find Yuan Ye at once.

After receiving such a big gift, he had to express his gratitude.

At that moment, through the car window with a one-way film, Ye Yunfan saw the scene outside.

It turned out this was the yard of Old Doctor Xu's temporary clinic.

Possibly because of his occupation, Old Doctor Xu's courtyard was a little larger than others, with several wooden racks displaying various medicinal herbs drying.

So much so that the whole courtyard was filled with a faint herbal scent.

Ye Yunfan had paid special attention to the details of this human settlement, in order to understand this world.

Most of the residents of this supply station had Asian faces, though a few were Caucasian. It appeared to be a multicultural community, yet the only language spoken was Chinese.

They all lived in single-story houses, each accustomed to creating a small courtyard for their own home, leaving a small patch of land beside it to grow vegetables.

This way of living always reminded Ye Yunfan of his fellow citizens.

He thought that if this place was indeed a game, then it was highly likely that a Chinese person had made it.

Not far away, Yuan Ye seemed to be talking with Old Man Xu. Captain Chen was not with them, since she was in the kitchen boiling medicine.

From this angle, Ye Yunfan could see her busy figure. Her mood seemed fairly good, and it looked as though Jon's injury was not a major problem.

Phew…

The little octopus felt relieved.

He withdrew his gaze, wanting to go out, but discovered that the car door was locked. But there was a small gap in the car window.

Captain Chen had always been meticulous in her work, and she would never make such a small oversight. So Ye Yunfan guessed this was probably a door Yuan Ye had left for him.

The little octopus quickly climbed up, and then, like a liquid, squeezed out through the narrow gap, as thin as a fingertip.

At that moment, Yuan Ye, who was listening to Old Man Xu's endless chatter, suddenly seemed to sense something. He turned around and, by coincidence, met the gaze of the "little jellyfish" crawling out of the car window.

The next second, Yuan Ye heartlessly abandoned the enthusiastic Old Man Xu and walked quickly toward the backseat door of the off-road vehicle.

Ye Yunfan had long known that Yuan Ye had keen perception, and he didn't think there was any problem with being discovered as soon as he came out. He was simply puzzled by the bewildering behavior that occurred when Yuan Ye walked up to him—

The other man reached out to him with both hands.

Reachinghand.jpg

The confused little octopus: "...?"

Eh?

He looked at Yuan Ye's two outstretched hands and glanced at the other man with a bit of astonishment.

This is… asking him for a hug?

Reaching out with both hands does mean a hug. Ye Yunfan and Yuan Ye had put it into practice twice before.

Based on the other man's intelligence, he would certainly understand, so Yuan Ye was clearly expressing this meaning.

—Want to hug.

At that moment, Ye Yunfan even had an illusion of a prompt panel saying, "[The other man is sending you a hug invitation. Do you accept?]"

The little octopus suddenly felt a bit overwhelmed by this favor. When he woke up, Yuan Ye had not only cooked for him and built a two-story house, but now he had actually come over to hug him first?

Ye Yunfan remembered that before, he used to run over on his own, stick to the other man's clothes, and then laboriously climb up by himself.

Moreover, he had been solemnly warned by Yuan Ye before that he was not allowed to climb all around him when outside.

But today, why was he… suddenly so proactive?

The little octopus carefully observed the young man's expression.

The red marks on his face had disappeared, and only the corners of his lips were still a little red. His expression was no different from usual, still cold and indifferent.

So the young man's proactive gesture of reaching out with both hands, as if to hug, had a wonderful sense of contrast.

A bit cute.

The thought popped into Ye Yunfan's mind involuntarily.

Faced with Yuan Ye's outstretched hands, he did not refuse, nor did he hesitate for long, because this was not the first time Ye Yunfan had been hugged by Yuan Ye.

Having hugged once or twice, they had grown accustomed to it.

Who had made him a cute and harmless baby octopus now?

—Hug, hug, hug!

☰