Dual wielding volcanoes, killing through the west

"Um……"

"Huh...huh..."

……

"Master, are you alright?" Zhang Renfeng realized something was wrong. "Master is asleep!"

Senior Sister He, on the other hand, seemed unsurprised. "Older people, it's normal for them to sleep more."

“Who said I was asleep? I wasn’t asleep… I…” The master suddenly woke up, like someone who had blacked out from drinking suddenly becoming sober and saying that he wasn’t drunk. “However, this child’s pulse is indeed a bit strange. I’m not sure either.”

"Such a thing?!" Zhu Kuilong seemed very surprised. "But...it shouldn't be like this..."

The master's wrinkled lips curled up slightly. "Silly boy, there are so many things in this world. I've only lived a little longer; how could I possibly know everything?"

At this moment, the girl lay flat on the bed, her eyes wide open, neither speaking nor moving, like a plant. Only her steady, weak breathing and the occasional glimpse of her emerald pupils could barely indicate that she was alive.

"So she'll just have to stay like this forever?" Zhang Renfeng's tone was somewhat reluctant. "If I were lying in bed, unable to move or speak, I'd rather be dead."

“It’s not that she can’t act, it’s just…” The master hesitated, seemingly unwilling to offer an uncertain conclusion, “The world she sees may be completely different from ours. She can’t discern her current situation. Therefore, the best course of action is inaction. As for why she doesn’t speak, that’s even simpler.”

"She doesn't speak our language."

“A slave who has been bought and sold has no need to learn these things, and presumably no one will teach her them word by word.”

Zhang Renfeng and Zhu Kuilong looked at each other, unable to tell whether this was a good thing or a bad thing.

If this girl's strange illness is incurable for the rest of her life, and she just lies in bed, unable to speak or move, what will happen next? Who will take care of her? Who will support her? After all, the people here have no blood relation to her, so who really has that obligation?

While it is certainly exhilarating to do good deeds, many inescapable problems arise afterward—this was the first time Zhang Renfeng had truly experienced this.

"Why are you both making that face?" The master didn't turn around, but seemed to sense the change in their emotions, and asked, "Do you think you did something wrong?"

“No,” Zhang Renfeng replied immediately.

"..." Zhu Kuilong remained silent, not speaking for a long time.

The master's calloused hand covered the girl's crown, slowly tracing the skull towards her forehead. A mysterious smile appeared on his wrinkled lips, like dragon scales. "Since you don't think you've done anything wrong, don't regret it. The deed is done, you've fought and killed, there's no use in regretting it, is there?"

"Master, could it be... that you have a way to cure her?" Zhu Kuilong asked in astonishment. "Such a strange illness, I have never even heard of it, let alone seen it."

"I'm unlikely to have that ability, but I know people who do, isn't that enough?" Master smiled and waved his wide sleeves. "Alright, Taki, don't you have to rush off to another event? Go on, don't be late."

Upon hearing that there was a way to save him, Zhang Renfeng's eyes lit up, and he felt an inexhaustible energy. As long as there was a chance of saving him, he felt that his efforts had not been in vain.

"Master, I'm going to practice my skills too!"

"Okay, okay," the master replied casually. "Once you've practiced enough and done a few sets of plum blossom stakes, head back. I won't be providing dinner tonight."

"Yes!" Zhang Renfeng replied and pushed open the door to go out.

The room fell silent, and the rustling sound of Senior Sister He turning the pages of her book seemed as loud as a booming bell.

"So?" Her tone was calm, as if she had expected this outcome. "What's the real situation?"

“Sometimes, I really get fooled by your appearance.” Looking at the delicate, fair-skinned girl reclining in the chair, her little feet crossed, the master said with a wry smile, “I almost forgot, you’re already…”

"Just get to the point, why bring this up?" Senior Sister He slammed the comic book shut, sat up from the bamboo chair, and her eyes flashed with emotions far beyond her apparent age, making her look like a ghost at first glance. "How's this child's talent?"

"……very good."

"Specifically, what does it mean...?" Senior Sister He looked confused. "These two words also have many levels. Is it like Taki, who is 'very good' among ordinary people, or like Feng, who is 'very good' among 'very good' people?"

"A level slightly above Feng. If he doesn't have hysteria, given time, he might be able to surpass him. That's the level."

Senior Sister He remained silent for a while, then looked again at the girl lying on the bed, her expression numb, her pupils unfocused, like a living dead person, and sighed, "Then why didn't you say anything just now?"

"What will Taki think?" the master asked in return.

"Who told you to be so picky when you took on disciples? There are naturally different levels of talent. And the higher you go, the more obvious the difference in talent will become." Senior Sister He rolled her eyes at him and complained, "Either you treat everyone equally and teach all beginners the [Prajna Skill]."

"Anyway, this martial art is a skill that requires patience and perseverance. If you practice long enough, you can naturally reach the thirteenth level. At that point, you can focus on using your strength to throw bricks, and your natural talent won't be as advantageous."

"Hahaha……"

The master smiled and shook his head, his eyes full of admiration as he looked at the girl, like a master potter who had seen a piece of clay of excellent quality and texture and was eager to shape it into an exquisite work of art.

"In that case, what's the difference between us and ordinary farmers?"

Chapter 435: I wouldn't mind licking his boots!

“Mr. Tao, you haven’t had a proper rest for almost 30 hours!” The flaxen-haired girl held a large stack of manuscripts filled with calculations in her hands, and her expression as she looked at the man in front of her was full of worry.

Tao's sleep schedule was already very irregular; he only slept about 5 hours a day.

For the remaining 19 hours, I devoted myself entirely to the lab bench. When I got tired of doing experiments, I wrote reports; when I got tired of writing reports, I prepared reagents; when I got tired of preparing reagents, I assembled parts; when I got tired of assembling parts… I went back to the experiments. Like a spinning top, I kept turning non-stop.

Now, his schedule has become even more outrageous, completely eliminating the originally minimal sleep time from his schedule.

No matter how hard he tried, Tao was still a human being and couldn't stay awake for long. To stay awake, he drank strong coffee like water and chewed cans of licorice candy, trying to wake himself up.

This scientist's bottom line is smoking and drinking, not because they affect his health, but because these two things create a strong dependence on the nervous system, which, over time, can easily affect his thinking and judgment.

“Ms. Aurora.” Even when addressing a girl who was clearly only twelve or thirteen years old, Tao’s attitude remained very serious. He addressed her as “Ms.” and said with utmost seriousness, “I’m paying you $5 a day so that you can become my assistant, not to criticize my work.”

Zhang Tito was left in Numa Town, but the work of the laboratory assistant could not be stopped, so Tao had to find another way to recruit a temporary assistant.

However, reality dealt him a cruel blow. Most people in the town had no idea what he did. Even those who occasionally knew his job only remembered him for "cooking a person's brain with an electric chair."

As soon as the notice was posted, everyone was so frightened that they scattered like birds and beasts, and no one paid any attention to it.

Strangely enough, when the recruitment notice for the assistant was posted, Tito came to apply in less than three hours. Her qualities and common sense far exceeded Tao's requirements for a lab assistant. The last recruitment went too smoothly, giving Tao a false sense of security, and as a result... he had to raise the daily wage.

I kept raising the price to $5 a day, and finally someone applied for the job.

It's a child.

Looking at the girl, who was about the same height as Nymeria and was trying hard to stand on her tiptoes, Tao sighed. He knew that no one else would apply for the job.

Anyway, at least she can cook, help clean the room, and handle some chores... It's more like hiring a maid than an assistant. Given the current predicament, he doesn't have the luxury of being picky; it's better than nothing.

“I…I didn’t mean to criticize you, it’s just…” Aurora wasn’t very good at communicating with people. Even though her flaxen bangs completely covered her eyes and the upper half of her face, her tone was still timid when she spoke to her employer, “Won’t this cause problems with your health?”

"I hope I won't be that unlucky." Tao used tweezers to pick up a mechanical part and assemble it onto a miniature metal model. With a "ding," it fit perfectly. "Neither time nor the exhibition will stop for me."

“Exhibition…” The girl’s eyebrows furrowed slightly beneath her bangs, and her tone became low. To her, the word was like a cockroach that had suddenly appeared in her bowl.

Unfortunately, Tao's attention wasn't on her at all, and even when he was fully focused on talking to her, he couldn't detect anything amiss.

"For example, Miss Aurora, why did you come here to apply for the job and become my second assistant?"

"Huh?" Aurora was taken aback by the question.

"The most obvious motivation is probably the reward. If I had to choose the greatest invention in human history, I would choose 'money' without hesitation. The human world is a mess, with pieces here and pieces there, and it is money that holds it together."

"Without it, what can we do? We can't do anything, we're still just waving sticks and singing around the campfire."

This is one of Tao's old problems; his brain is like a high-speed machine that needs to "cool down" from time to time to maintain efficiency. And his way of cooling down is to take advantage of the gaps in his thinking to chatter incessantly with the people next to him, producing content on astronomy, sociology, mathematics, science... anything is possible.

In the past, this role was played by Nymeria. She was a wonderful listener, never seeking the limelight, always silent, willingly becoming the tuning fork of Tao's mind.

But now, Nymeria is also missing, leaving only the two of them in the vast laboratory. Aurora will have to bear the brunt of his attacks.

The little girl only half understood what he said, but Tao didn't need her to answer. All he needed was for her to move a chair and sit next to him.

“This laboratory, the experimental equipment you see, the other projects I’m still working on, our three meals a day, this coffee, licorice, and the salary I’m about to pay you… all of these come from other places. We call these ‘investments’.”

He snapped his fingers, made the internationally recognized "money" gesture, and continued, "Businessmen won't invest in me for nothing; they hope my invention will bring in greater profits. Then they can sit back and get a piece of the pie."

"However, in my experience, businessmen often do not value long-term returns."

“If they don’t see any benefits in the short term, they will lose interest in me. That’s why I’ve never had a stable sponsor.”

“Newman has made a big splash at this exhibition, and many people will be exhibiting at Doverville. They represent my best opportunity to attract investment over the next six months. If I miss this chance… well, I'll just have to wait and think of other ways.”

Tao's tone was calm, but even Aurora could tell that if there were any other way, he wouldn't have risked his life like this.

"But don't you have an assistant in the town to the south, waiting to collect the money?" the girl asked, still somewhat unwilling to give up. "Waiting for her to come back with the money..."

"Making a deal with the local bandit leader was an unforeseen mistake. When the other party refused to fulfill their delivery obligations, I had no means of coercion. Time and materials were wasted in vain."

Tao rubbed his eyes, a wry smile appearing on his face. "Now that things have come to this, let's prepare for the worst. Of course..."

"If God would listen to my request and let someone with $10000 who is willing to invest in me unconditionally suddenly walk in through the front door, I would have no objection even if I had to lick his boots every morning for the rest of my life."

……

"boom!"

The next moment, the door was pushed open rather roughly.

"Excuse me, you must be Tao?" Zhang Renfeng strode in first, carrying the blonde girl steadily on his broad back. Without much formality, he got straight to the point, "My junior sister has been well taken care of by you during this time."

"Ah, no..." Tao froze, not having reacted yet, when he saw a large group of people pouring in from the laboratory door.

Who are you all? — He really wanted to ask that, but the atmosphere was clearly not right for that.

"Do you have any food here?" Zhang Renfeng continued, "The more the better!"

Chapter 436: The Girl with Flaxen Hair

"Take the young master?!"

The butcher thought he had misheard and looked at the girl in front of him with suspicion. The rhythmic sound of cutting meat was interrupted as a result.

……

The laboratory where Tao works looks more like an abandoned factory or an astronomical observatory from the outside, with a warehouse next to it that is almost eaten away by insects.

It is located in the countryside, not too far from the town. Once you go inside, it feels like a cold and gloomy warehouse, with various metal and mechanical semi-finished products covered with white cloth.

Zhang Renfeng didn't look closely, but from the corner they peeked out, he could already tell that there was a chasm called "knowledge" separating these creations from himself.

According to Tao himself, after taking over from the previous owner, he went to great lengths to renovate the place inside and out, barely meeting the minimum standards required to start experiments. As for hygiene, dust-free conditions, etc., given the circumstances, there was really no way to pay attention to those.

However, the funds were visibly spent on infrastructure, while the accommodation conditions were appalling.

The mattress and blankets were unusually dirty and messy, there were unexplained stains on the floor, and mold spots were everywhere on the walls. It was practically a doghouse, just a step away from having a dog.

After carrying the wolf onto her "bed," Zhang Renfeng didn't try to hide his anger, feeling somewhat like someone who had discovered their loved one had been tricked into working in a shady factory.

But when he turned around and saw where Tao was sleeping, his anger subsided considerably—because this scientist didn't even have his own bed. He simply pushed two chairs together, covered himself with some thick clothes, and slept next to the lab table.

Funding was always in short supply, so in order to ensure the normal operation of the laboratory, Tao reduced all unnecessary expenses to the bare minimum.

After Titor left, the laboratory's logistics fell into disarray. Aurora was still just a child; all she could manage was to cook with the available ingredients, clean the experimental area, and help Tao move some light experimental materials—that was all.

The food for three people was barely enough to fill the gaps between the teeth for the little wolf who overused the Rama Technique.

They didn't have enough food reserves left and had to go to the street to buy it.

……

“Uh, well…” Aurora glanced back at Zhang Renfeng, and seeing that he was not joking at all, she said in a trembling voice, “All of them.”

The butcher looked at his small roadside shop and fell into deep thought. He slammed the cleaver on the cutting board, looked suspiciously at Zhang Renfeng following behind the girl, and crossed his arms. "You're not here to make fun of me, are you?"

“I didn’t ask you to cut all the meat into minced meat,” Zhang Renfeng said, puzzled. “It’s not that I’m not going to pay you, just sell it to me.”

The butcher looked at him warily, his gaze shifting back and forth between him and the girl, before finally speaking, "This is one of the meat suppliers for the Newman Inn. I have a contract with them, and I have to ensure that a portion of the lean and good meat is supplied to them on a stable and priority basis. The rest can be sold to you."

"Newman Hotel?"

"You're from out of town, aren't you?" The butcher glanced at his appearance, then gave a self-deprecating, somber laugh. "Look at the question I asked. What kind of question is that? Of course you're from out of town. Locals would never make such a request."

“That Newman Hotel, is it…?” Zhang Renfeng frowned slightly.

"Newman Rudinburgh, as an outsider, just remember this name. If you want to survive in this town, you'd better show this man some respect, even if it's just an act. This whole town depends on him for its livelihood."

Aurora's shoulders twitched involuntarily, then she pursed her lips and lowered her head slightly.

However, because she was used to keeping silent and not saying a word, Zhang Renfeng didn't notice anything unusual.

The butcher deftly cut several packages of meat, then took a few rabbits from the hook and bundled them together. Next, he slammed a freshly skinned white-tailed deer onto the cutting board with a thud, and quickly sliced ​​off the meaty parts.

"That's all, that's about it. Do you still want these bones? You can take them home and make broth."

“…” Zhang Renfeng did not answer. Looking at the bags of fresh meat, he was still unsure.

If this were when I was a child, this much meat would probably be enough.

The question is, has the wolf's appetite evolved to another level, just like hers?

"Aurora, come here, come here." The butcher squatted down and beckoned to the girl in a relatively gentle voice. She hesitated for a moment, but finally took a step and ran timidly toward him like a startled little rabbit.