No One Told Me That This Isn’t a Game (Patreon)

Chapter 11: The one called Litchi

The bonfire burns brightly.

The escort team forms a defensive formation, and the bandits also arrange themselves, but neither side immediately makes a move, so they stand in a temporary standoff.

The night is incredibly quiet.

Zuo Chang leans against the wagon wheel, feeling a bit nervous. He holds a shield and occasionally scans his surroundings.

In reality, talent is just a buff; it can't brainwash you or replace your personality.

Zuo Chang, a max-level "veteran" in the game, should have seen it all. What's happening now is nothing special, theoretically.

But Zuo Chang is still nervous. After all, he's just a gamer and has never been involved in a real-life situation where life and death hang in the balance.

The people escorting the massive shield are equally serious. They've spread out the cargo trucks to serve as cover, with one or two individuals hidden behind each vehicle.

Crunch.

In the midst of this tense atmosphere, one person stands out.

Litchi.

She sits beside Zuo Chang, casually munching on an apple, showing no signs of nervousness.

"Hmm? Why are you looking at me? Do you want some too?" Litchi offers the apple that she has taken a few bites from.

Zuo Chang doesn't take it but looks at her suspiciously.

Litchi shakes the apple and says, "You don't know what this is, do you? You really are a bumpkin. This is called an apple; it's a kind of fruit. It's crispy to bite into and sweet to eat. Would you like to try?"

Zuo Chang chuckles.

Who hasn't eaten an apple before?

Indeed.

The five-digit commune, or maybe just those starting with the number nine, does have rather ordinary conditions.

If apples aren't grown locally, the people living here won't get to taste this 'trendy item' for their entire lives. However, Zuo Chang is from another world.

He points to the bite marks on the apple and says, "Is an apple really that rare? If you want to give it to me, please give me a whole one, not the one you've been eating to disgust me."

"Oh my, you seem even more critical than me."

Crunch.

One bite, two bites, and Litchi eats the apple down to a single core, then hands it to Zuo Chang again. "Here. Is it acceptable now?"

Zuo Chang looks at the core and asks, "What?"

"Ah. The one just now was half an apple, and now it's a single core. It's complete."

Zuo Chang can't be bothered with her and closes his mouth.

Litchi casually tosses the apple core aside and takes out a silk handkerchief, carefully wiping her slender fingers. "Zuo Chang, are you a local here?"

"You can consider me a local."

"That's strange then. Apples from 96511 are quite expensive, and you look like a genuine pauper. Your clothes, shoes, everything you're wearing probably cost less than my lipstick. How can you afford apples?"

Zuo Chang glances at his attire.

It's very ordinary, the clothing of a bottom-tier citizen in the game. These clothes were given by the gods, and they aren't of high quality.

He replies, "Don't judge a book by its cover, Miss Litchi. You have quite a strong personality, and I'm not someone who just accepts everything quietly. I think it's best if we don't communicate; it's better for both of us."

Litchi smiles, revealing a row of pearly white teeth. "But you're nervous, aren't you?"

Zuo Chang falls silent again.

Litchi is indeed charming, with her red lips and white teeth.

She's very relaxed and continues, "Nervousness won't do, Zuo Chang. In life-and-death situations, your mindset can be intense but not nervous. Nervousness can make your judgment go astray, your actions distort, and you'll end up dead."

Zuo Chang is exasperated, "Since you know I'm a bit nervous, can't you encourage me a little more instead of saying such scary things?"

"That's why I tried to chat with you, but you didn't appreciate it and asked me to be quiet."

Oh my.

Zuo Chang realizes he can't keep up with Litchi's erratic thoughts.

Her rhythm is too fast, changing this way and that, and he can't keep up.

The sharp words she used earlier were actually meant to ease his nervousness?

Upon careful consideration, Zuo Chang did find himself somewhat distracted by her words, which had relaxed his mind to some extent.

But...

Could she be a bit gentler?

Litchi clearly has a pair of attractive lips, but her words are unexpectedly unrestrained and harsh. He wonders if she's tough or tender underneath it all.

Zuo Chang adjusts his sitting position and looks at the hood that partially covers her face. "Litchi, why are you wearing a hood on such a dark night? Won’t it make it harder for you to see the road?"

"I can't allow people to see my beauty."

"...What?"

Litchi turns her head and smiles, saying, "I said—can't allow people to see my beauty. This world is so unfair; the gods have given me far above-average intelligence and magical abilities. I can't even imagine what good things are waiting for me in the future. Just revealing my abilities already subjects me to unimaginable jealousy and criticism. If people were to see my incredibly beautiful face... I really worry they'd go mad."

Zuo Chang doesn't know what expression to wear.

Litchi continues, "I'm a woman with a lot of sins. Wearing my hood and sealing my beauty is my final tenderness to the common people and the greatest kindness to you."

"Kindness to me?"

"As soon as you see my face, you'll instantly fall in love with me. But Zuo Chang, I will become the new bride of the God General in the future, and you wouldn't want to see the woman you deeply love... in the arms of a man a hundred times stronger than you, right?"

Wait, wait a minute?

Whose bride?

Zuo Chang looks at her with a strange expression. He sees her smugly shaking her head and, rather annoyingly, continues, "So, for your sake, I has to wear the hood and prevent you from heading towards destruction in unforgettable love and yearning. It's for the good of both of us."

At this moment, Zuo Chang finally understands Litchi's game.

He says, "Litchi, have you ever considered what you've just said? Being this conceited is already a kind of mental illness. Maybe you should put other matters aside and start by treating your own mind."

"Haha! Interesting, you're the first person who dared to speak to me like this. I'll remember you."

Litchi slowly stands up, and a wooden staff slips from her sleeve, which she takes in her hand.

She looks down at Zuo Chang and says, "Stand up; it's time to fight."

"They're coming!"

"Let's fight them!"

At the same moment, members of the giant shield escort team roar and draw their swords.

Zuo Chang, who had relaxed a moment ago, is tense once more.

He hurriedly stands up and sees dozens of bandits dressed in black rushing towards them in the night.

"Wow, this is something else," Litchi twirls her staff. "A total of 35 people, not a small-scale operation."

Zuo Chang holds up his shield and takes a deep breath.

Litchi notices the hesitation in his eyes, and she raises her hand, patting Zuo Chang's shoulder with just the right amount of force. "Zuo Chang, are you scared?"

Zuo Chang frowns and looks at Litchi's smiling lips.

Her tone remains cheerful as always, but this time it's strangely infused with an uplifting power. "Don't be afraid; I'll give you courage."