"White bend grass? No… maybe white vine grass?"

"…That doesn't look right. The character for teng isn't like this."

Liyue's voice grew smaller and smaller. Her head lowered until her silver hair fell forward, and she pulled the animal skin up to cover her blushing face.

"Ohhh~~"

Luciel gave an exaggerated sigh and shook his head. "Looks like there are quite a few words you don't know."

"I—I just haven't read hieroglyphs in a long time!"

Her pale cheeks flushed even redder as she muttered defensively, "I only forgot them for now. Give me some time and I'll definitely remember."

"Mm." Luciel propped his cheek in his palm, his eyes half-lidded with a look that said, Sure, I totally believe you.

"You…!" A vein pulsed on Liyue's forehead. His careless expression made her want to tear her hair out.

"Hmph!" She slapped the animal skin down on the table and turned her head away, arms folded across her chest in a childish pout.

Just then, Mino carried a steaming steel pot to the table. "It's time for breakfast!"

"I'll get the tableware." Liyue, ignoring her own sulking, rose to fetch bowls and spoons.

Breakfast was as simple as always—broth and roasted meat.

Luciel ate absentmindedly, his mind still on the mysterious hieroglyphs. So both girls I've met here can barely read… one half-literate, the other probably not at all. I'll have to find a proper teacher. If I want to take root in this world, I'll need to understand its history and culture. Which means learning pictographs, reading books…

"Even if I forgot some characters," Liyue suddenly said, noticing his troubled look, "I still know what's written on that hide."

Luciel glanced up. "Oh? And what's that?"

Her expression grew serious. "It's a secret medicine formula for strengthening the human body."

Luciel's hand froze. "Secret medicine? You mean something that increases physical fitness?"

"Yes. Show me the rest." Liyue set down her half-eaten meat skewer and stretched out her hand. "Only by comparing them can I tell which level they belong to."

"Here." Luciel passed her the stack of hides.

"This one… three ingredients, first-tier formula."

Her eyes scanned quickly across the next piece. "Seven ingredients… second-tier."

She paused, lips tightening. "Even a third-tier strengthening formula…"

One by one, she examined the hides until her hands trembled.

"There are fourth-tier formulas too. Twenty-four ingredients in total." Her voice faltered, disbelief in her tone.

"No way…" She glanced at the pile still left on the table. "Could these be… fifth-tier?"

"It seems Bloodbeard's background isn't so simple after all," Luciel murmured.

A bandit chief with over five hundred followers, in possession of a crystal fish and formulas from tier one all the way to tier five… the implications spoke for themselves.

After a long silence, Liyue stacked the final hides. "Thirty-six formulas. A complete set from tier one to tier five."

She raised her head, staring at him with complicated eyes. "Do you realize how precious this is? The value is nearly equal to the crystal fish itself."

"The most important thing," she added solemnly, "is that these formulas allow a person to unlock the maximum potential of the human body."

Her own strength, after all, came from the power of the virtual ghost's infection—a forced shortcut that only left her a few years of life. To become a tier four archer, she had paid with time itself.

Luciel, however, only chuckled. "Perfect. I'll use it on Mino first."

"Huh? Me?" The rabbit-eared girl blinked, stunned.

"Yes, you." Luciel teased, "From now on, you'll be my general on the battlefield."

"Alright!" Though she didn't know what a "general" was, she straightened her rabbit ears with determination. "I'll become a strong female general for you!"

"Then start training now. You'll be cooking lunch today," Luciel laughed.

"Huh? Cooking makes you stronger?" Mino asked, baffled.

"If you want strength, you'll need to eat more." Luciel's eyes softened slightly. He had already decided—he would train her to protect herself.

"Okay!" The girl nodded earnestly. She wanted to help him, not just stand behind him forever.

Liyue, watching, felt a pang in her chest. So lucky… With Mino's natural talent, once enhanced by the formulas, her strength would outstrip most mutants.

Luciel then turned to her. "You should be able to use them too, right?"

"Me?" She froze, caught off guard.

"Your body doesn't seem especially strong," he said bluntly.

"…That's…" She hesitated. In truth, her current strength came from the infection's corrosion, not her natural physique. Without it, she might not even reach tier three.

"You're wondering why I'd bother, aren't you?" Luciel pressed, a knowing smile tugging at his lips. He tapped the stacked hides lightly. "You must know someone who can actually refine these medicines."

Otherwise, she wouldn't have categorized them so neatly.

"…I do." Liyue admitted at last. A blonde woman's face flashed in her mind—bright, voluptuous, and skilled.

"How close are you? I'd like to meet her," Luciel asked.

"When we reach the Moon Lake Tribe, I'll try."

"Your companion is there?" His brows lifted.

"I don't know if she's still there. I'll have to check. When we last parted, it was more than ten days ago…" Liyue's thoughts grew distant. Maybe You Feier had gone to search for Angel's Tears. Their promised meeting place wasn't even in the Moon Lake Tribe—there were still over forty days before their agreed time.

"That troublesome, huh." Luciel exhaled. Without communication, everything had to be arranged in advance.

"Then we'll wait until the Moon Lake Tribe," he said.

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