Author: 年终 / Nian Zhong

Translator: Kinky || https://kinkytranslations.com/

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Chapter 282: Canyon Secrets

“You’re going to look for the Bobley Tree?”

The driver was shocked. He tightened the reins. “If you two are short of money, I can help you find work. Seriously, the Bobley Tree? That’s not a good idea.”

“We’re traveling so we want to try our luck,” the young man in the carriage responded with a smile. 

Out of view, the driver shook his head. Lately, he had been carrying dozens of ignorant speculators, all of whom came for the Bobley Tree.

The Bobley Tree grew deep in the canyons southwest of Garland. Its fruits were an invaluable spice, possessing a unique, rich sweetness. Nobles favored it in desserts and fine wines, making its price comparable to that of gold.

“This definitely is more dangerous than you think.” The driver couldn’t help but speak up again. “My home is near that damn canyon. The Bobley tree coexists with an Intermediate Demon. That kind of demon is called—um, what was it again? Anyway, it’s extremely vicious. So many fools have died under the tree because of it!”

“The Bobley Snake,” a gentle voice from another young man interrupted.

Oh, it’s that handsome guy with gray eyes, the driver thought. Compared to the brown-haired boy, the driver was more impressed with Gray Eyes. Gray Eyes actually brought a gray parrot with him—quite a rare pet.

“Yes, the Snake,” the driver muttered.

Inside the carriage.

“…Thank you for the reminder.” The journey was long, and chatting with the driver was part of the fun of traveling. Nemo stretched and lay his head on Oliver’s shoulder.

Since starting to live a peaceful life, Nemo had become more and more fond of classical travel. At first, he and Oliver were excited to travel through space and see the various famous places recorded in history. Lately, they found that this method was too simple and crude, which greatly weakened the excitement of adventure.

So they set all kinds of strange goals and traveled like ordinary people. For example, such as now—

A few days ago, Jesse had given them two Bobley fruit pastries and then spent an hour explaining this rare fruit. Oliver and Nemo were wary of a certain someone’s uncharacteristic generosity, but the Bobley fruit was indeed delicious. Oliver was convinced it would be great for jam, and they just needed to update their menu.

So, after finding out information on the Bobley Tree, the two of them resolutely embarked on their journey.

“Jesse didn’t mention anything about the Bobley Snake. That guy must have done it on purpose.” Oliver tilted his head and leaned against Nemo’s. His cheek pressed against the black hair and his voice became muffled due to the flattening of his cheeks.

“I’ve only heard about it,” Nemo whispered. “It doesn’t matter. It can’t beat us.”

Oliver: “……” For a moment, he didn’t know whether to mourn for the Bobley Snake or be shocked by Nemo’s serious statement.

By the time they reached their destination, Mr. Ramon’s sympathy for the snake had vanished.

In the desolated canyon, the lush branches and leaves of the Bobley Tree towered into the sky. The Bobley Snake coiled around the tree like decorative light strips, covering it from top to bottom.

This demon was deep green, resembling a snake covered with rings around its joints. Each joint bulged with watermelon-sized eye-like structures, and these “eyeballs” were completely black and flashed an ominous green fluorescence. The snake clung to the giant tree and slid silently, like a light strip swaying in the wind.

The Bobley Fruit grew near the top of the tree. If one wanted to reach it, they couldn’t avoid this strange and dangerous demon.

“Wow.” Oliver sighed while looking up. “No wonder the Bobley Fruit is so expensive.”

“Yeah.” Nemo also looked up, following the Bobley Snake as it leisurely climbed up the tree.

As the sun set, its rays cast a hazy glow across the misty canyon. A gigantic demon was perched on a tree, like some kind of totem pole, creating a weird, yet magnificent scene.

He was often fascinated by the evolution of organisms—how amazing it was that the Bobley Tree relied on this demon for pollination; a symbiotic relationship. Without the Bobley Snake, the tree wouldn’t bear fruit at all.

When harvesting the fruit, locals must prepare special boots and gloves and move quietly during the day—when the Bobley Snake was asleep. The Bobley Fruit grew firmly at the top of the tree, so picking it quietly required substantial skills.

“It’s nothing to be proud of. It just looks scary.” As a Corewen Flat Snake, the gray parrot looked down on this “distant relative”. “If this thing were truly powerful, it wouldn’t have escape from the Abyss to the surface…”

In order to fully express its disdain, it turned its claws on Nemo’s shoulder and mooned the Bobley Snake.

As night fell, the snake’s terrifying eyes opened wide. In an instant, dozens of shimmering “green moons” seemed to appear among the branches of the Bobley Tree. The snake crawled even faster, making rustling noises that tingled in the darkness.

According to the script of the bards, a battle between human and demon was destined. However, Oliver didn’t even draw his sword. He just looked at Nemo with interest.

“Be brave, Your Majesty,” he said with a smile.

Nemo’s face soured a bit.

Now he could communicate with demons without difficulty. Unfortunately, neither this amazing ability, nor the vast knowledge of the Pillar of the World made him extroverted or talkative. Even if the other party was a demon snake with a rash, this would still be a deadly street confrontation.

“Good evening.” Nemo turned to the Bobley Snake. He held his breath and skillfully greeted the snake stiffly.

Lord Bagelmaurus turned its head guiltily and looked back, still maintaining its mooning position.

The Bobley Snake froze in confusion for a few seconds, then a flat, insect-like head popped down. Rancid saliva dripped from its “mouth”, chilling the air.

[Human?] It didn’t attack immediately, apparently still confused. [Don’t smell like a human.]

“I have a question for you.”

The shaking of the snake’s big head increased Nemo’s tension. “You, uh, your staple food isn’t humans, and you have no interest in the Bobley Fruit… So why do you attack humans who try to pick it?”

He tried to sound calm.

The snake let out a silent roar; a foul smell blew out like a gust of wind and saliva almost splashed on Nemo’s face. Nemo opened his mouth halfway and looked at his knight for help—this was a tricky social problem that was better left for Oliver.

Oliver came over decisively. He grabbed the gray parrot and turned it around so that its head was facing the snake. Then he leaned over to Nemo’s ear and whispered something.

“I’m sorry. The way I asked the question just now was a bit rude.”

With the knight’s secret advice, Nemo straightened up his back. “Are you dissatisfied with the fact that humans always come to pick the fruits? Maybe we can help.”

The snake’s intelligence wasn’t low, but it wasn’t high enough to the point where it would consider “Why can this human communicate with demons?”. Its attention was quickly shifted—

[Every day! Every day after sunrise!]

It cursed loudly, and the Bobley Tree creaked as it twisted around it. [Damn humans. These people are always harassing me while I’m sleeping! They’re buzzing around here, thinking I can’t hear them!]

The Bobley Snake continued to hiss angrily, making the giant tree shake dangerously.

[If I ignore them, they will climb up and pick the fruit, making even more noise,] it continued gloomily. [As soon as I wake up, they will run away, then come back again when I’m asleep—]

Nemo: “…………” Mr. Demon King’s expression gradually became subtle.

Oliver turned his head and looked at the mosquitoes flying in the night, as if he understood something.

“I think I know how to handle this…”

Nemo shooed away the mosquitoes buzzing around his ears and leaned closer to Oliver and whispered his plan. Oliver just turned his head back, causing Nemo’s lips to brush against the tip of Oliver’s nose.

Oliver leaned in closer and whispered to Nemo.

“You’re becoming wiser, Your Majesty.”

A few days later.

Jesse Dylan sat in the corner of the pub, spreading Bobley jam on his bread. The air was filled with a wonderful, sweet aroma.

“How did you two do it?” he asked curiously.

“I told them to pick the fruit at night, making sure that the snake is awake before they do it.”

Oliver put down two large bottles of Bobley liquor and said, “As long as the villagers are willing to keep quiet and offer some chicken to the Bobley Snake, it will tolerate them picking the fruit.”

The snake agreed to Nemo’s suggestion and also greeted its fellow “kind”. Soon, the village near the canyon will become the largest producer of Bobley Fruit.

“A perfect plan, as always.” Jesse devoured his bread spread with jam, gracefully and quickly. “I knew you two would bring peace…”

“…And cheaper Bobley fruit.” Nemo stopped behind Jesse and rested a hand on his shoulder. “I guess you care more about the latter.”

Jesse stopped chewing and used every muscle of his body to make him look “innocent”.

“Don’t worry, Nemo,” Oliver said gently. “Just charge him five times the price for this meal.”

“You can’t do this!” Jesse cried pitifully. “They are Mr. Light’s people. It’s not my place to interfere.”

Oliver shrugged. “Honestly, you’re not short of money, so why do this?” He had already ruled out the possibility that Lord Zenni decided to “make the Bobley Fruit affordable for the world.”

“You two obviously like the Bobley Fruit.”

Jesse didn’t answer his question but just muttered sadly. “Alright, alright. This ‘hiring fee’ is low enough… Wait, don’t open the wine yet! I want to take it home.”

Nemo paused, his brows rising higher and higher.

He suddenly felt that the current situation might have something to do with the commandment that “Knights of Judgment must avoid extravagance”. The Knights of Judgment of Laddism rarely drank alcohol; at most they would consume a light wine to quench their thirst. They would never indulge in something as exorbitant as the Bobley Fruit wine.

“You can pay the original price for the wine,” Nemo said. “But I’ll charge you five times the price for that jam and bread.”

Jesse sighed and took out his purse.

After Jesse left, Nemo neatly wrote down “Bread with Bobley Jam” and “Bobley Liquor” on the new menu and marked a sufficiently cheap price. Beside him, Oliver had already poured two glasses of the pink Bobley wine.

The wine was crystal clear, and the ice cubes made a soft sound as they melted.

“Cheers!” Amidst the sweet aroma, the two happily clinked their glasses.

Nemo had a few blank spots left on the menu—they would fill in those gaps with new trips, he thought with satisfaction.

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The author has something to say:

Happy Qixi Festival, everyone! See you again on Valentine’s Day next year—!

Next comes the sweet inspiration tour for the tavern menu √

The two of them are probably the legendary type of laid-back owners who run the shop for half a year and travel for the other half. The demon king and hero’s journey never ends (*/ω＼*)

Sharing life together is the very best ☆

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Kinky Thoughts:

It seems the extras (besides the mini extras) will continue for all of Nian Zhong’s series! These are “Benefits” chapters, longer than her mini extras, that are exclusive only to the JJ app and will be updated periodically.

I can’t complain, since I love me more Stray.

Happy reading.

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