Chapter 143: Treasure Hunting Rat - Infant (A)

Gu Xiaobei stared at the little white mouse dangling from Lan Qingyou's hand, her face a mask of utter confusion.

"No, what on earth is this thing?"

"If I knew what it was, why would I ask you to appraise it? Anyway, it's something even the Appraisal Glasses couldn't identify."

At this, Lan Qingyou leaned in slightly and whispered into Gu Xiaobei's ear.

"Rumor has it that even Sherlock, that slave owner, has been searching for this. I snatched it right out from under him."

Hiss...

Hearing that this little white mouse was stolen from Sherlock, Gu Xiaobei could not help but suck in a sharp breath of cold air.

Since her Shelter was located diagonally above the Abandoned Ruins, Gu Xiaobei had never dealt with him directly, but the occasional guests who visited her provided plenty of intelligence.

Knowing exactly what kind of person that slave merchant occupying the Abandoned Ruins was, she naturally understood the insane lengths he would go to if he found out Lan Qingyou had stolen his property.

The response she received was a breezy, "Doesn't matter."

"As expected of a big boss, you are incredible!"

Gu Xiaobei gave Lan Qingyou a big thumbs-up.

Outsiders might not know Lan Qingyou's current strength, but as an insider of Tarot Manor who knew exactly what cards the Witch held, she could not help but voice her admiration.

Following that, she led her guest into the kitchen.

Her Magic Desk was located right in the kitchen. After all, she spent most of her day there. Aside from sleeping and the occasional trip outside to forage for essential wild vegetables, she practically lived in this room.

Even serving the guests just involved shouting into a kitchen megaphone, telling them to come pick up their food at the counter themselves.

Therefore, Gu Xiaobei's kitchen was even larger, more luxurious, and far more comfortable than her actual dining area.

It seemed a bit like putting the cart before the horse, but Gu Xiaobei herself thoroughly enjoyed it.

Tsk, tsk.

The Tyrant of Joy—this Title seemed absolutely flawless for her. She just did whatever made her the most comfortable.

But among those who could manage to survive in this world, who wouldn't want to live a little more comfortably?

After all, in this magical world, you never knew which disaster would strike first.

Dangling the little white mouse, she stepped into the kitchen under the utterly shocked gazes of the diners outside.

"Hold on, is the Witch really that amazing? Gu Xiaobei greeted her personally?"

"If you were the very first Title holder in the world, Gu Xiaobei would probably greet you personally too."

"Am I the only one who saw them carry a rat into the kitchen?"

"Eating a rat?"

"Maybe Lan Qingyou is the one eating it. She is an Alchemist, after all. She might eat just about anything."

"True enough."

Clearly, some people completely misunderstood the Alchemist profession.

If Lan Qingyou were here to hear that, she would definitely argue fiercely to clear the name of Alchemists everywhere.

Alchemists eating rats?

What kind of absurd stereotype was that...

Right now, however, she could not be bothered with those fools. Instead, she herself looked like a fool, staring blankly and practically drooling inside Gu Xiaobei's kitchen.

Make no mistake, this was not just a figure of speech—it was exactly how Lan Qingyou was acting at this very moment.

And there was only one reason for her behavior: that rat...

[Treasure Hunting Rat - Infant (A)]

[Health Points: 1000]

[Mana Points: 1500]

[Skills: (Treasure Detection) (Mental Interference)]

[Description: A rare mutant among mountain-patrolling rats, this is a magical beast that loves to chase after treasures. Wherever it lingers, treasures are bound to exist.]

Smack!

She moved incredibly fast!

The moment she snapped out of her daze, Lan Qingyou pulled a pink ribbon from her little yellow duck satchel.

She quickly tied it around the little white mouse's tail, finishing it off with a neat bow.

She meant nothing else by it; she simply wanted to dress the little white mouse up so that no one would mistake it for a wild stray and kill it.

This was to protect Bao'er.

That's right, Bao'er—the little white mouse's new name.

She had thought of it the moment the appraisal results appeared.

Anyway, with Steel Wool watching over it, no matter how capable this little guy was, it wouldn't be able to make any waves.

Since that was the case, why not take in this lonely creature and give it a warm home?

"Tsk, tsk. I never expected a little white mouse to be an A-rank magical beast, let alone one with such strong abilities. Sherlock must be crying his eyes out in the bathroom right now."

Gu Xiaobei leaned in to check the appraisal results and could not resist making a quip.

After all, this was a magical beast capable of sniffing out treasures. Given Sherlock's greedy personality, where failing to take advantage of a situation was the same as suffering a loss, he would definitely be utterly devastated to learn his prize had been stolen.

Insomnia, heart palpitations, maybe even breaking out in a full-body rash.

But no matter what, this little creature now belonged to Lan Qingyou. Even if Sherlock caught wind of it, there was absolutely no chance of him ever getting it back.

"I didn't expect it either. Bao'er even attacked me last night. If it weren't for Steel Wool, this little guy probably would have taken me out."

Lan Qingyou offered a wry smile.

"Bao'er?"

"Yeah, it's the little guy's new name. I just came up with it. What do you think?"

Lan Qingyou proudly flashed a thumbs-up at Gu Xiaobei.

Lan Qingyou proudly flashed a thumbs-up at Gu Xiaobei.

"It's terrible. It lacks consistency, and it doesn't even sound good."

Gu Xiaobei shook her head.

At a time like this, a mature adult would have tossed out a few casual compliments, providing the smug Lan Qingyou with some emotional validation.

But unfortunately, Gu Xiaobei—and indeed the vast majority of people in Tarot Manor—were not the type to do that.

They were only interested in their own research.

Gu Xiaobei was the exact same way. She only cared about researching gourmet food and insects, so she ruthlessly shot Lan Qingyou down on the spot.

But Lan Qingyou didn't take it to heart.

After all, she wasn't the type of person who needed others to stroke her ego either.

"Eh! Is that so?"

"Right? Just look at Steel Wool. With a name like Steel Wool, don't you think naming this little white mouse 'Bao'er' is a bit too ordinary?"

Huh!

Now that she mentioned it... she really had a point!

Prompted by Gu Xiaobei's reminder, Lan Qingyou realized the logic in that statement.

While the name 'Bao'er' sounded cute, compared to 'Steel Wool', it did seem far too generic.

"Then... what should I call it?"

Lan Qingyou couldn't think of a good name on the spot.

After all, even Steel Wool's name had just been based on how it looked when it was little.

"I think you should call it 'Macho'."

Without missing a beat, Gu Xiaobei put on a serious face, leaned in close to Lan Qingyou, and raised a single finger to make her declaration.

"Huh? Ah! Wait! Why that?"

Lan Qingyou's brain short-circuited for a second, unable to process the leap in logic.

"Look at its tail. It's pink. Macho pink. Plus, it's a female rat. The contrast is absolutely perfect. You must have been going for that exact kind of contrast when you named Steel Wool, right?"

As Gu Xiaobei spoke, she flipped the little white mouse over to expose its belly for Lan Qingyou to see.

Her movements were a bit too rough, making it hard for Lan Qingyou to watch. She immediately reached out and swatted Gu Xiaobei's hand away.

But macho pink...

Lan Qingyou's mouth twitched.

'Better forget about that name,' she thought. 'If nothing else, it completely misses the mark when it comes to consistency.'

"Wait a minute! Are you saying Steel Wool is female too?"