Chapter 30

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Chapter 30: Ouch, That Hurts

After saying goodbye to the Paladins, the hot spring business suddenly took off.

It was hard to tell if the Paladins themselves were not good at attracting customers, or if they helped spread the word when they returned; in any case, the hot spring plan was a big success!

Pure natural hot spring water that soothes fatigue, a variety of scrubbing services, delicious desserts after a rest, and… the ultimate enjoyment of the truly socially anxious Silent Zone!

Yes, the real Silent Zone.

After the huskies from the knight group left, Lin Lin realized that to protect the shy ones, she could only use strong measures, or the outgoing ones would rush in and cause chaos in their territory.

On the evening of the third day since the Lin Lin Hot Spring Shop opened, two guys wrapped in cloaks lingered at the door for a long time, until Lin Lin walked over, and only then did the cloaked figures stutteringly speak.

"First, we are not bad people," the huge one lifted his cloak, "Are you hiring at your Hot Spring Shop? If not, could you give us some bread?"

The one behind also quietly took off his hood to show goodwill.

Lin Lin saw the broad-faced giant boy and the half-elf with golden runes on his face.

They were the kidnapping duo Lin Lin had met during her first visit to Tocopia.

Even though Lin Lin looked like a half-human with platinum hair at that moment, the two were still too timid to make eye contact with her, showing a clear "Can you give us something? If not, that’s fine" nervousness.

Clearly, the two must have heard about the new hot spring opening, remembered Miss Witch’s suggestion, and come to apply for a job.

But because they did not see the familiar Miss Witch here, they did not understand what was about to happen, so both of them felt hesitant.

Lin Lin looked at their anxious and unsure faces and smiled.

"Of course we need help," Lin Lin replied while bringing them inside. "We are a new Hot Spring Shop. The pay isn’t very high, but at least you will have enough to eat and a safe place to sleep!"

The giant boy immediately spoke up, worried that the other party might change their minds, "We don’t need a high salary, and don’t be fooled by my size; I only need a little food!"

"You can’t just eat a little! The requirement for the job is to have enough food!" Lin Lin corrected him. "Otherwise, who would want to do this job?"

The giant boy was very popular with the Lizardfolk because he was very strong and could help them clean their tough outer shells, making all the lizards look new and shiny, which directly increased the Lizardfolk’s chances of finding love.

The half-dark elf was sent by Lin Lin to manage the "Social Anxiety Silent Zone" because of his ability to "silence" others.

The half-elf was a quiet boy who stuck to the rules. As soon as anyone entered the Silent Zone, he would immediately silence them, not listening to excuses and not afraid of the other person’s strong race, and he would still strictly enforce the rules even if someone complained.

Lin Lin quietly included a small "Employee Discontent Bonus" in his salary.

The half-elf counted the coins in his bag and looked up in confusion, "I’m not feeling wronged."

Very good, young man, keep holding onto your obliviousness to the atmosphere; you will become a role model in this field!

Even though there isn’t such a field.

–

The hot spring task is complete, and the following work mostly depends on the Lizardfolk to maintain the operation, along with Safir overseeing everything.

The day before Lin Lin returned to the Demon King Castle, Donna was already busy.

She was very worried that Lin Lin would still have to eat from a large pot when she returned to the Demon King Castle, so she carefully organized a recipe book and handed it to Lin Lin, "If no one is there to cook for you at the Demon King Castle, I can ask the young master for permission to spend half a month with you to cook."

It is really touching.

"It’s not necessary; I’m not such a delicate race," Lin Lin said as she opened the recipe book, her pupils widening in shock, "…Have I been eating these lately?"

Donna nodded repeatedly.

Lin Lin slowly closed her eyes, trying hard to erase the words "giant caterpillar from the north" from her memory.

Forget it, Lin Lin! This world is different from the old one! Maybe in this world, the caterpillars are just like shrimp! Don’t be picky, Lin Lin!

Lin Lin slowly put the menu in her bag, "Okay, I appreciate your kindness. I need to go to the bathroom to be sick… Um, not that, I mean I need to use the restroom."

In contrast to Donna’s worried reluctance, Safir looked very calm.

When Lin Lin found him in the study and told him she would be leaving tomorrow, the proud and aloof Dragon nodded slightly, "I understand."

Lin Lin did not leave right away.

The Sapphire Dragon’s gaze moved away from the book, and the earring on the left side gently swayed, "Do you need anything else?"

"Thank you very much for your hospitality during this time," Lin Lin said sincerely, "Even though you don’t really like me, you still took great care in arranging my life."

After Lin Lin said this, Safir finally shifted his attention away from the book. He placed the book open on the table and frowned slightly.

Uh, did she say something wrong? Lin Lin felt a bit nervous; she thought Safir always spoke to her coldly, and anyone could see he was not kind to her.

The last time they really talked was when she returned from the knight’s order. That day, they argued fiercely, and although Safir later vaguely said, "he is not good at dealing with little girls," Lin Lin did not respond at that time.

Or rather, Lin Lin found it strange that whether he was trying to discipline her or speaking to her in a tone… that seemed to lower himself to a child was odd.

Later, Lin Lin realized it was because Safir was an ancient being.

Even though Safir’s age is still that of a young adult dragon among the Dragon race, it is long enough for Lizardfolk and humans.

To him, a ten-year-old child is still a child, a twenty-year-old youth is still a child, and an eighty-year-old elder is also still a child to him.

In Safir’s eyes, she seemed like the kind of annoying, disobedient child.

Under the icy gaze of the Dragon race, Lin Lin gathered her courage to approach him. The closer she got to where he sat, the more she could smell a faint scent of pages and the cool, steady feel of rocks.

Lin Lin spoke, "Even though you don’t like me, I still want to tell you how grateful I am for your efforts."

Lin Lin took a step closer to him and smiled shyly, "Because Donna said that your next duty at Demon King Castle won’t be until after the new year, in four months… that’s a long time for a human."

Sentiment is like a sharp knife. When Safir was still a young dragon, he understood this truth.

Even so, when Lin Lin said, "Four months is a long time for a human," he still felt calmly aware of the knife piercing his palm, letting his blood drip down.

Safir was not only bad at dealing with little girls, but he was also not good at saying goodbye.

Throughout his long life as a dragon, most goodbyes came suddenly and unexpectedly.

It was during one of his journeys, while he was lost in his studies of books, or when he was simply organizing his cherished collections.

By the time he went looking for other creatures he once shared tea and played games with, the world had already swallowed their traces; it was as if they had never existed.

Four months are long, but for the Dragon race, it feels like a nap after a big meal.

She is not a little girl, Safir thought. She is an assassin who once held the Dragon Slayer sword.

"I do not dislike you," Safir emphasized to Lin Lin.

"I hope you do not misunderstand."

–

"Isn’t there too much stuff in the cart?" Lin Lin hesitated, looking at the cart piled high with packages, feeling like she was bringing back a lot of local specialties after the New Year.

"Who cares, it’s not you who has to carry it," the hooded Dark Elf replied lazily, feeling a bit tired under the midday sun.

Lin Lin waved goodbye to the people at the crossroads, but she did not see Safir.

Donna waved excitedly, telling her to be careful on the road.

Among a group of Lizardfolk, Lin Lin saw one standing in the corner, wearing a black hairband on their wrist.

It’s Carter!

Lin Lin happily waved at him again and was very grateful he hadn’t taken off his hair tie; otherwise, with her poor ability to recognize Lizardfolk faces, she would have found it hard to tell who he was.

At the urging of the Dark Elf, Lin Lin got onto the carriage.

The Dark Elf was an expert driver; they didn’t even need to wave the whip much to make the horses run as they wished.

The inside of the carriage was very spacious and comfortable. At first, Lin Lin felt a bit shy to treat Felix as the driver and tried to chat with him, but after the Dark Elf gave very short answers, she couldn’t help but lean against the inside of the carriage and slowly close her eyes.

The carriage moved along the road as the bright sunlight gradually faded, and the layers of clouds became thicker.

At first, a drop or two of rain fell on the roof of the carriage, making the Dark Elf look up at the sky.

Then, a gentle drizzle began to fall, with raindrops softly hitting the edge of the carriage.

When Lin Lin woke up, the rain had gotten heavier. She lifted half of the curtain and could see the gloomy sky and the light white rain falling through the air.

The smell of earth hit them, and just as Lin Lin was about to tell Felix to stop and seek shelter from the rain, she saw the Dark Elf turn halfway, his silver eyes calmly looking at her, "We have arrived."

Lin Lin looked up and saw the Demon King Castle not far away.

A flash of white lightning struck, and the Demon King Castle looked frightening and eerie, just like a scene from a scary midnight castle movie; this was their home.

As soon as Lin Lin walked into the Demon King Castle, a Flame Slime jumped up and rushed toward her.

"Sorry," Lin Lin said, pushing away the few in front, "the fire might burn your clothes; you are too hot."

The red color of the Flame Slime dimmed a little.

"Go cook," a pair of hands lifted the Flame Slime, gently stroking the flames on top, and the Flame Slime’s colors flared up again, bouncing off in another direction.

"Demon King?" Lin Lin was a bit surprised; they hadn’t confirmed when they would return with the Demon King in advance.

"When you set foot on this land, I knew you were back," the Demon King wrapped a fluffy towel around Lin Lin’s head and handed another one to Felix.

Felix refused the pink thing.

Unlike Lin Lin, who looked a little flustered, the rain did not trouble the Dark Elf; living in the forest, they would not avoid such light rain.

"It’s so good to see you right away," Lin Lin said, looking at the Demon King.

The Demon King showed a bright smile, "Have you missed me because it has been so long?"

Lin Lin ignored that cheerful smile and grabbed the Demon King’s curly black hair, "Have you been selling things behind my back? Selling goods without telling the accountant! How dare you!"

The Demon King’s smile did not change, but tears streamed down, "That hurts so much, you’re pulling too hard; my hair is going to come out!"

Lin Lin gritted her teeth, "You always yell that it hurts but never reflect on your actions!"

The Demon King replied, "But it really does hurt."