Chang got up from her bed and sighed in relief. She had not expected there to be so many warthogs in the thicket, each group consisting of no less than twenty. It had been a mad scramble to escape before she even remembered that she had plenty of area attack skills at her disposal. But now was not the time to dwell on the game. All she wanted was to take a shower and brush her teeth after spending the entire night playing.

After freshening up, Chang went downstairs to the kitchen for breakfast. Aunt Im was chatting with Moddang when Chang arrived. As soon as they saw her, both women quickly prepared food and a drink for her.

"What's for breakfast today, Aunt Im?"

Chang asked as she sipped on the cold, freshly squeezed guava juice that Moddang had poured into a glass for her.

"We have fish congee, Miss, and for dessert, there's breadfruit in heavy syrup,"

Aunt Im replied with a smile as she served the bowl of fish congee.

"Breadfruit in heavy syrup? Really!"

Chang asked, excitement lighting up her face. She loved breadfruit in heavy syrup, but it was quite rare to find.

"Of course, Miss. When have I ever lied to you!"

Aunt Im chuckled, pleased by Chang's enthusiasm. Chang jumped up, gave Aunt Im a big hug, and planted a kiss on her cheek.

"You did once—about my mom. But I'm not mad. You lied because you didn't want me to be sad, right?"

Chang said before sitting back down to eat her congee. Aunt Im's smile remained, but tears welled up in her eyes as she recalled the time when Chang was little and would ask about her late mother every day. Not knowing how to comfort the young girl, Aunt Im had resorted to telling little white lies.

Chang ate very little of the congee, worried she might get too full to enjoy the breadfruit in heavy syrup. Aunt Im and Moddang had to reassure her repeatedly that there was plenty of it and that no one else would get a share, so she could enjoy it for several more meals. Only then did Chang finish her congee before leisurely savoring the breadfruit in heavy syrup, losing track of time and forgetting her appointment with Kimhant.

Meanwhile, Kimhant logged into the game and was utterly shocked to find himself in a mud pit surrounded by dozens of warthogs, rolling around and happily bathing in the mud. They all turned to look at this strange intruder at the same time. The poor boy thought for sure that he was about to meet his end, but the boars showed no sign of attacking him.

Sniffing the overpowering stench of the mud, Kimhant realized he had no other option. He scooped up some of the foul-smelling mud and smeared it on his face and body, trying to blend in with the wild boars. Seeing this, the boars simply went back to playing in the mud as if nothing had happened. Relieved, Kimhant sighed and then trudged over to a tree a short distance away from the mud pit, where he climbed up to wait for Chang Long, feeling utterly dejected.

.....

Meanwhile, on Siegfried's side, today was the day their ship was supposed to dock at Alexandria's port after a day of in-game time they spent being offline. However, since the ship was not expected to reach the port until late in the evening, the three anxious men could not sit still. They restlessly paced the ship's deck. They had already come up with a basic plan to persuade Heaven and Devi-chan, but success would hinge on obtaining the spirit tablets of the two ghosts from Siegfried and Chang Long. After that, it would be up to Siegfried's charm to convince Chang Long to help him.

After walking back and forth until their legs ached, the three men finally caught sight of the distant outline of Afric, which brought them a surge of relief. At least they still had over twenty days left to convince Chang Long. The more time they had, the better they could plan everything to perfection—finding the right place and setting the perfect romantic atmosphere for Siegfried's confession.

But then, like a bolt of lightning striking them squarely on the head, the ship's captain's voice rang out—sounding like the voice of doom, a reaper, or perhaps even Satan himself—announcing that the ship would have to delay its docking by another day or possibly two. A storm was heading their way, blocking their route, and it was so large that the ship would need to change course to find shelter.

"Oh no, the storm is rolling in. It looks like there's no hope of reaching Alexandria today..."

Oliang said, feeling an immediate headache as he watched the dark storm clouds moving in to block their path, completely obscuring the sight of Afric.

The wind and waves grew increasingly fierce, forcing the captain to quickly alter the ship's course to the safest location to avoid the storm. This meant they had to backtrack, though how far they would need to go to find safety was uncertain. They would need to locate an island in the middle of the sea to shield them from the storm's fury.

"Bad luck on top of bad luck..."

Wet Trash Can muttered under his breath, while Siegfried slumped against the ship's mast, utterly dejected.

"Come on, Siegfried. Chang Long hasn't gone far from Alexandria or Thebes yet. She said she was going to hunt beasts to level up. She might even be busy fighting mummies at the Khufu Pyramid as we speak!"

Oliang quickly tried to console him.

"The time's running out, and I don't even know if Chang Long will help?"

Siegfried mumbled to himself quietly.

"I'm sure she will help you. Even though she acts indifferent, Chang Long has a good heart and is very reasonable!"

Wet Trash Can said confidently.

"Yeah, I know that, but asking her to kiss me... What reason could I possibly give for her to agree to help me with something like that?"

Siegfried spoke softly, his mind racing. A kiss! It was a kiss, not some casual favor like playing a game together. Chang Long would not agree to it so easily.

"Your sincerity. Show it to her fully, without holding back. Watch her reaction, and then confess your feelings. Follow it up with the key phrase that'll trigger the quest prompt for the 'Kiss from the Beloved' quest!"

Oliang advised earnestly, even though he had never confessed to any girl before—only flirted for fun.

Oliang called it a key phrase because while they were stuck on the ship with nothing to do, they brainstormed ways to approach Chang Long. They even role-played, with Wet Trash Can acting as Chang Long while Siegfried practiced confessing his love and asking for her help. The mock romantic scene had everyone, including Oliang and the crew, rolling with laughter. But eventually, one phrase triggered the system's prompt for Wet Trash Can:

"Player Siegfried has requested that you undertake the 'Kiss from the Beloved' quest. Do you accept?"

Meanwhile, Chang continued to savor her breadfruit in heavy syrup, losing track of time until nearly twenty minutes had passed. Moddang, noticing her leisurely pace, asked curiously if she was not planning to play the game today since she was not rushing like usual. Chang Long froze, inhaling sharply as she suddenly remembered her appointment with Kimhant. The delicious breadfruit hovered mid-air as she wrestled with the decision between her treat and Kimhant's safety. In the end, she popped the last piece of breadfruit into her mouth, stood up, and turned to Moddang with a serious tone.

"Please put this away for me. Ah! And don't even think about sneaking a taste!"

"Yes, Miss, I wouldn't dare touch your snack!"

Moddang giggled at Chang's possessiveness over her breadfruit, possibly greater than her possessiveness for her own father (No, Chang, you should love your father more than breadfruit in heavy syrup! : Father).

Chang hurried to her room and logged back into the game. She was shocked to find herself in the middle of a muddy pit surrounded by warthogs wallowing contentedly in the mud. Today, these boars had encountered two unexpected guests. The first was sitting under a tree nearby, trying to scrape dried mud off his body. When he saw Chang Long, he immediately rushed over to her, wailing loudly.

"Masterrr. Why did you take so long? I've been waiting for half a day. Look, they've given me a pile of chewed-up yams and taro roots!"

Kimhant clung to her leg, complaining loudly.

"Chewed-up yams and taro roots the stuff in their mouths?"

Chang Long asked.

"Yes. And they stink to high heaven!"

Kimhant replied, pointing to a pile of something swarming with flies.

"That's great. Now we don't have to waste time hunting them. You did well, Kimhant."

Chang Long patted the boy on the shoulder, praising him as she waded through the mud toward the tree where the pile of roots was.

At the same time, Destiny's group arrived in the thicket and stumbled upon a strange sight: Chang Long was being clung to by what appeared to be a dried-up mud creature. With the best intentions, the group drew their weapons, intending to help her out of what they assumed was a dire situation. However, before they could reach her, they were charged at by the Warthog Beasts.

Chang Long watched the ensuing chaos, not quite understanding what was happening. It seemed that Destiny and his friends were trying to get through the herd of Warthogs to reach her, while the boars were doing their best to keep them at bay. But Chang Long was not too concerned, knowing that Destiny's group was made up of skilled fighters who worked well together. Instead, she turned to Kimhant and instructed him to collect the stinky yams and taro roots, thinking that the small storage box she had would surely be a one-time-use kind of item.

Oinkk!

A small squeal caught Chang Long and Kimhant's attention, making them turn to see a group of tiny boar piglets approaching them. The piglets had been chased away by the larger members of the herd and seemed quite frightened, their little bodies trembling. While they kept their distance from Chang Long, they followed closely behind Kimhant, as if he were their mother.

"Let's go. There's a lake nearby where you can wash up, and I can hunt some Capybaras,"

Chang Long said, deciding it was time to leave the muddy area. Kimhant eagerly agreed, unable to stand his own stink any longer. The only problem was that the piglets insisted on following him.

"Go back, go back to your herd!"

Kimhant tried to shoo them away, but the seventeen piglets did not seem to understand. They stared at him with sparkling eyes and continued trailing after him. When some of the Warthogs noticed Kimhant leading the piglets away from the thicket, they immediately rushed over and called the piglets back, which thankfully, they did run back.

Feeling relieved, Chang Long and Kimhant continued walking. However, one of the larger Warthogs began calling out to Kimhant to return, as it still considered him part of their herd. When Kimhant did not respond, the boar turned its gaze to Chang Long, looking furious, as if she were the one preventing Kimhant from rejoining them.

"Looks like we've got a problem. Unseal Hulu, unseal Kitsune, Spirit Summoning!"

Chang Long quickly called out, unsealing her pets and summoning the spirits. Devi-chan, Hisa-chan, and Alice-chan were released from their spirit tablets, while Hulu, in his magnificent rainbow Kirin form, burst forth from the bracelet that mirrored his colors and shape, standing majestically on the dry ground. Kitsune, the great Flame Fox, followed, his long, golden-orange fur gently billowing in the breeze.

"Legendary Sacred Beasts!"

The Warthogs and Destiny's group, who had followed them into the thicket, were left stunned when they witnessed the appearance of Hulu, the Rainbow Kirin—one of the legendary pure-blooded Sacred Beasts that no one had ever seen in person since the game launched. The only other time a mythical creature had been sighted was the Ocean Dragon Beast God, which had emerged in the middle of the ocean and rampaged, witnessed by many players. However, the reason was unknown except for Chang Long's group and the Bloodied Angels crew. The other fox, was also a rare monster that no one had encountered before.

Hulu gazed at the Warthogs, who no longer dared to attack and instead showed fear and reverence. Just as Chang Long was about to leave, one of the Warthogs called out in its language,

"Divine One, are you taking one from my herd with you?"

Hulu paused and growled in response, a conversation only understood by Chang Long and Kitsune.

 "One from your herd? I don't see any of them!"

Hulu looked around at their group but saw no boars following them—only a mud-covered, foul-smelling human standing next to its master.

"It's that mud-covered one, Divine One!"

The boar responded, causing Chang Long to burst out laughing. Destiny's group took advantage of this moment to step out of the circle of boars and move closer to Chang Long.

"What's so funny, Master?"

Kimhant asked in confusion, just as Destiny's group realized that the mud creature they had mistaken for some sort of humanoid beast was actually Kimhant.

"Hehehe, it said you're one of its herd!"

Chang Long replied with a laugh, leaving Kimhant stunned as he stared at the Warthogs. Just a few hours of playing in the mud, and now the boar considered him part of its herd.

"Hulu, tell them that you want Kimhant follow to serve so that they'll let us go!"

Chang Long instructed. Hulu nodded and relayed the message to the boar. Though hesitant, the boar eventually agreed, hoping that one day its herd member would become a Sacred Beast worthy of their pride.

With everything settled, Chang Long resumed their journey, unaware that Destiny's group was looking her in awe. They continued walking until they finally saw the lake ahead. Part of the lake bordered the Warthog thicket. The lake was filled with aquatic plants, and the water was a clear green, giving off an untrustworthy vibe. However, Kimhant was beyond caring. As soon as they reached the lake, he jumped in, eager to wash off all the mud.

"Oh no!"

Destiny suddenly exclaimed. Chang Long who had just noticed him asked curiously,

"What's wrong, Des?"

"There are crocodiles in the lake,"

he replied, simply and directly. Chang Long blinked, then calmly called out to Kimhant, who was happily swimming in the lake, relaying what Des had just told her with a straight face,

"Hey, Kim. Des says there are crocodiles in the water."

Chang Long's tone was so nonchalant that Kimhant did not panic nor realize the danger until it was almost too late.

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