[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"origin-exiled-from-the-start-and-dominating-the-wastela":3,"chapter-exiled-from-the-start-and-dominating-the-wastela-exiled-from-the-start-and-dominating-the-wastela-chapter-65":6},{"origin":4,"title":5},"english","Exiled from the Start and Dominating the Wasteland with an Intelligence System",{"chapter":7,"nextChapterSlug":19,"prevChapterSlug":20,"totalChapters":21,"novelImage":22},{"id":8,"novel_id":9,"title":10,"slug":11,"index":12,"content":13,"wordcount":14,"created_at":15,"updated_at":15,"volume":16,"translator":17,"content_hash":18},1688665,2155,"Chapter 65 : Chapter 65","exiled-from-the-start-and-dominating-the-wastela-chapter-65",65,"\u003Cp>Chapter 65. A Marmot? A Bear?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Having worked until now, Eli rubbed at his throbbing temples.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He pushed aside the final draft concerning profit shares from the trading post in Lucerne City.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Finally...”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>BANG!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>With a deafening crash, the sturdy oak door flew inward and slammed hard against the wall.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The moment Eli had begun to relax, his nerves snapped tight again. His right hand clamped onto the hilt of “Silver” at his waist as he sprang to his feet.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A yellow-brown blur shot past his feet so fast it almost left an afterimage behind.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The thing had a clear target in mind. With a few quick bounds, it leaped onto the wide oak desk, knocking scattered documents, the ink bottle, and the quill pen into complete disarray.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Only then did Eli finally get a clear look at this uninvited guest.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A... marmot?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It was absurdly fat, round as a leather sack stuffed full of grain. Its yellow-brown short fur gleamed smooth and glossy, while its little black bead-like eyes spun restlessly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>There was something in them utterly at odds with its foolishly adorable appearance...arrogance?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It spread its two hind legs, stood upright, planted its forepaws on its hips, puffed out its furry round belly, and glared straight at Eli.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Before Eli could bark out a single question, the plump marmot suddenly lunged forward.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Its fluffy little head slammed squarely into Eli’s forehead.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Thunk!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A dull thud rang out.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Caught completely off guard by that sudden headbutt, Eli rocked back slightly. He froze on the spot, his hand still on the sword hilt, forgetting even to draw it.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>His mind went blank.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Only absurdity remained.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>How had this thing broken through layer after layer of guards and found his study with such precision?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And on top of that... it had actually hit him?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Eli! What happened?” Startled by the loud crash, Aila hurried in from the adjoining room.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Her violet eyes first swept over the wrecked desk and Eli himself.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Then her gaze locked firmly onto the round little yellow-brown creature on the desk.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Wow!” Aila’s eyes lit up instantly. Her worry vanished at once, replaced by delight.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“What a cute little mouse!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“A mouse?!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Those two words were like a torch to a powder keg.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The marmot on the desk instantly exploded in fury. Every strand of its short fur stood on end, turning it into a furious ball of fluff.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It whipped its head around and fixed Aila with a blazing stare, then shrieked in a sharp voice that nearly pierced the eardrums.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Bullshit! You’re the mouse! Your whole family are mice! This lady is a bear! A mighty, majestic bear!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Do you understand?! You blind woman!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A... talking animal?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Eli’s blue eyes narrowed instantly. He stared fixedly at the plump marmot spitting out human words.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Every muscle in his body tensed at once, and the battle aura long still within him began to stir.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The intelligence system had given no warning at all, and the personal guards standing outside had shown no reaction either.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This thing...\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Was it friend or foe?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Aila had also been startled by that sudden roar, but the light in her violet eyes did not dim in the slightest.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>If anything, they shone with even more wonder, along with a kind of indulgent fondness.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“All right, all right,” she said, unable to help laughing.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“A bear, then. A bear. A mighty little bear.” As she spoke, she naturally picked up a small piece of cheese biscuit.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Tentatively, she held it out toward the furious furball. “You’re hungry, aren’t you? Would you like this?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Hmph! That’s more like it!” The marmot’s anger came quickly, and left just as quickly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It twitched its pink little nose, eyed the biscuit in Aila’s hand suspiciously with its black bead-like eyes, then cast a wary glance at Eli as if evaluating the danger level.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In the end, the temptation of food won out over caution.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Stretching out its two tiny forepaws, it snatched up the biscuit—which was scarcely smaller than its paws—and hugged it tightly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Crunch.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It took a small, tentative bite.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In the next second, time itself seemed to freeze.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The marmot’s little paws holding the biscuit stopped in midair. Its black bead-like eyes widened into perfect circles.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Then—\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“AAAAAH—!!!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>An even sharper scream exploded through the room!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“It’s good! It’s so good! It’s unbelievably good—Aaaah!!!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Clutching the cheese biscuit, it began rolling wildly across the smooth oak desktop.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Its round little body twisted with astonishing agility, all four paws flailing in the air as it exposed its soft belly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It rolled and rolled while letting out a series of meaningless little squeaks and hums brimming with pure delight.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Eli: “...”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Confirmed. It was an idiot.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He watched the utterly preposterous sight before him with a blank expression.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Ado,” Eli said in a low voice.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The study door opened, and the guard on watch, Ado, poked his head in.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“My lord? I thought I heard a huge noise just now...”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>His gaze swept over the wrecked desk. The moment he spotted the yellow-brown furball still rolling about in ecstatic delight, his expression froze. His mouth fell open.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Th-this mouse... My lord, how did it get in here?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I was standing outside the whole time! Not even a fly got through!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“A mouse?!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The marmot on the desk stopped rolling at once, sprang upright, and shot a blazing glare at Ado.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>With startling speed, it snatched up a quill lying on the desk and hurled it viciously at him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I said it’s a bear, you idiot!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The quill, trailing flecks of ink, drew a crooked arc through the air.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Eli did not even raise an eyelid. With a casual flick of the scabbard in his left hand, he neatly knocked the flying quill to the floor.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Go to the kitchen,” Eli said, his voice restored to its usual composure.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Bring food. Meat, bread, cheese, fruit... bring more than a little. Quickly.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“...Yes! My lord!” Ado looked at the ink-stained quill on the floor, then at the so-called “bear” on the desk standing there with its paws on its hips, glaring furiously at him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He felt as though his understanding of the world had just suffered an unprecedented blow.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Swallowing hard, he gave a stiff salute and backed out of the room almost moving both feet on the same side.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Only one thought remained in his head.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The world had truly gone mad.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Eli’s gaze fell once more upon the marmot, which had finally settled down.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Pulling out his chair, he sat down again.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“All right.” Eli’s voice was not loud, but the marmot, which had resumed nibbling at its biscuit, instantly stopped and looked at him with wary eyes.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“So then, this... ‘bear.’” He deliberately emphasized the word.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“The farce ends here. Now introduce yourself. Who are you? Where did you come from?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>How were you able to enter my study without a sound? And why... are you looking for me?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The marmot licked the biscuit crumbs from its tiny paws with lingering reluctance.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Its little eyes darted between Eli’s serious face and Aila’s gentle smile, as if judging which of the two was easier to deal with.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In the end, it puffed out its round chest.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Listen well, human lord!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I am the most beloved and most trusted companion of Her Highness the Princess! The great Lord Gulu!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Her Highness the Princess?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Eli’s heart gave a sudden jolt.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Aila?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Suppressing the surge of thoughts within him, he carefully pressed on, “Her Highness the Princess? Which princess might that be? Forgive my ignorance, but I do not believe I have heard of her.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Hah! Hah! Hah!” Gulu laughed as though she had just heard the greatest joke in the world.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Her tiny paws slapped dramatically against the tabletop, her little black eyes full of contempt and disbelief.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“You! You’re one with elf blood, and yet you’ve never heard of our most noble, incomparably beautiful, and supremely wise and powerful elf princess?!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She tilted her little head as if she had just thought of something.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Where are your elven relatives, then? Didn’t they tell you? Don’t tell me you sprang out of a crack in a rock or something?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>One with elf blood?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Eli understood at once.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>So that was it. Because of the Moonlight Spring, she had mistaken him for one with elf blood.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>That was an unexpected gain. Perhaps it could become an opening for contact.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I have no elven relatives,” Eli said calmly. “I have never met any.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Uh...” Gulu’s imposing arrogance deflated at once like a punctured balloon.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Her little paws awkwardly scratched at her round belly, while her black bead-like eyes darted about guiltily.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Even her voice dropped, taking on an embarrassed note.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Th-that so...? Then maybe... maybe this great lady got it wrong? Mm... probably... Sorry...”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Apparently feeling somewhat humiliated, she muttered under her breath, “I knew it. Why would Her Highness the Princess suddenly take an interest in some human half-blood...”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>That quiet muttering, however, was like thunder exploding in Eli’s ears.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The elf princess was interested in him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Just then, Aila’s gentle voice sounded. Her finger lightly tapped Gulu’s moist little nose.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Lord Gulu, why does your princess want to see Eli? And where is he supposed to meet her?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Her violet eyes were bright and sparkling, as though she were listening to a particularly fascinating fairy tale.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Why?” The moment Aila asked, Gulu’s attention shifted at once. She tried hard to straighten herself up, one tiny paw propping up her fluffy chin.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Mm... Her Highness the Princess’s thoughts are unfathomably profound! Probably because...”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Her small eyes flicked toward Eli, then quickly darted away again.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“She finds you pleasing to the eye? Or... mm... maybe she thinks this place of yours... isn’t bad?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She spoke vaguely, clearly not understanding the reason herself.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“As for where you’re supposed to meet...” Gulu pondered for less than three seconds.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Right on cue, her little belly let out a loud grrrrgle.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Oh no!” She suddenly clutched her stomach with both little paws, and the bit of dignity she had been trying so hard to maintain collapsed on the spot.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I forgot, I forgot! It’s all your fault! Asking question after question! This great lady came all this way to deliver a message, and now I’m starving flat!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Quick! Food! That biscuit from before! And meat! I need to eat before I can think! I’m starving to death!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She squealed while bouncing anxiously across the desktop, her round body bobbing like a little ball.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Aila covered her mouth and laughed softly at the sight, her eyes curving warmly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Eli, on the other hand, closed his eyes in weary resignation, and a vein seemed to twitch faintly at his temple.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>An elf princess? An invitation?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And the envoy she had sent...\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Was this ridiculous little creature?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>For a time, the only sounds left in the study were the hungry cries of Lord Gulu the marmot, and Aila’s soft laughter.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And in the shadowed corner of the study, the air seemed to warp ever so slightly for a single instant.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It was like a tiny pebble dropped into a still pond, creating a ripple too faint to notice.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Then, just as quickly, all was calm again.\u003C\u002Fp>",1878,"2026-06-06T13:50:45.844Z",1,"novelbin.me","4691b2cb16c27be586d78ab5bdf87db70a6d5a801f5dd922dda1e50de6ac6304","exiled-from-the-start-and-dominating-the-wastela-chapter-66","exiled-from-the-start-and-dominating-the-wastela-chapter-64",112,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Fexiled-from-the-start-and-dominating-the-wastela-cover.jpg"]