Anchor, Stop Pretending, You're in Chaldea - Chapter 148

Bai Qiu wiped the sweat from his forehead. The midday sun on the island was scorching, and he was already feeling exhausted after planting only a few seedlings.

“No work, no food!!!” After being lectured so seriously by Himiko, Bai Qiu had no choice but to work in the fields to earn his stay on the island.

To earn some livestreaming points and to relieve some stress, he decided to start a livestream.

“Hello everyone, today we continue to experience rural farm life.”

As soon as the livestream started, Bai Qiu’s image, standing in the field with his pants rolled up, appeared on the screen.

Viewer 1: “What is the host doing? Is he really in the field? Is he farming???”

Viewer 2: “Looks like he’s planting rice seedlings.”

Viewer 3: “I know how to plant seedlings too, and also how to throw them. Kids these days don’t know, but there are four ways to throw seedlings…”

Viewer 4: “Master Kong, stop it and focus on planting your seedlings!!!”

Viewer 5: “Why have you been planting seedlings for several days in a row? Are you transitioning to outdoor streams?”

Viewer 6: “This outdoor scenery looks like it’s by the sea. Look, there are seagulls in the sky.”

Viewer 7: “Don’t be silly. How can there be paddy fields by the sea?”

Viewer 8: “Don’t ask. It’s for the sake of the storyline.”

Viewer 9: “I get it. The host’s company must be out of budget. Are they going to sell organic farmhouse rice next?”

Viewer 10: “Host, you’ve been at it for days. It’s time to drop some product links.”

Viewer 11: “Other streamers just pretend to work, but our host is really in the field working. He’s for real, and it’s making me cry…”

Bai Qiu was just about to awkwardly chat with the viewers in the live stream when a shout reached his ears.

“Hey, don’t even think about slacking off!”

A barefoot little girl sitting on the ridge between the fields was staring intently at Bai Qiu.

“Why do I have to do all the work…”

“Fool, do you expect me to do it instead?!”

Draco suddenly kicked the water from the field towards Bai Qiu.

The splashing water caught Bai Qiu off guard.

“Hahaha, look at you! Just look at how ridiculous you look!!!”

Draco burst out laughing.

Since Bai Qiu hadn’t switched to automatic camera mode, the viewers in the live stream experienced the water splashing firsthand.

Unexpectedly, the chat exploded in an instant!

“Streamer, streamer! Do that again!!!”

“Barefoot little loli, why are you rewarding the streamer!!!”

“What did I just witness? Damn, streamer, where are you? I’m coming over right now!!!”

“I’m satisfied. I can die with no regrets now…”

“Wait, did I just miss something?”

“Streamer, can you include this part in the replay? Please, my kid is about to cry with envy!!!”

“…”

Bai Qiu sighed as he looked at the viewers in the chat.

Indeed, people are difficult to understand.

But as long as everyone is happy, it’s all good.

Even though he was currently quite annoyed with Draco, there wasn’t much he could do.

After all, in the eyes of the villagers, the girl in front of him was just a harmless little girl.

As the “big brother,” he could only find a way to shoulder the burdens of this temporary home.

“Besides, how dare you feed me human food. When I said I was hungry, I meant you should at least give me a Command Seal to eat, right?”

“The food here is actually quite tasty, I think it’s pretty good.”

Honestly, the freshly milled rice from the village did smell quite fragrant.

If it weren’t limited, he could eat three big bowls himself.

“Do you want me to eat the same food as mere humans? Command Seals, I need the Magical Energy from Command Seals!!!” Draco complained again, splashing water towards Bai Qiu with her foot.

“And can’t you manifest independently? And don’t you have the Holy Grail? You shouldn’t be lacking in Magical Energy, right?”

“Don’t forget who saved your life,” Draco said, becoming displeased as Bai Qiu argued back.

“Alright, alright…” Knowing he couldn’t win the argument, Bai Qiu buried himself back in planting the rice seedlings.

Thanks to Himiko’s rain rituals and the island’s long hours of sunshine, rice could be planted here year-round with excellent growth. As long as it wasn’t raining, the villagers would come out to replant the seedlings.

The villagers were self-sufficient, with Himiko keeping threats at bay, making the place feel like a paradise. The villagers were friendly, even teaching Bai Qiu the techniques of planting rice little by little. If this place wasn’t a Singularity, Bai Qiu might have considered staying here for a while.

“Oh! You’re all working hard today!!!” A cheerful twin-tailed girl walked along the ridge.

“Seeing you work so hard must make Draco-chan happy too, right?” She headed straight for the blonde girl sitting on the ridge.

However, Draco frowned and turned away, ignoring her.

“Huh? Did I say something wrong?” Himiko seemed a bit hurt seeing Draco’s expression.

“Ah, sorry, she’s just a bit shy,” Bai Qiu quickly covered for her.

Just by seeing Draco’s expression, he could tell she had no fondness for Himiko at all, given their vastly different personalities.

“It’s alright, as long as you all are happy living in the village,” Himiko replied to Bai Qiu.

“By the way, the merchant ship we mentioned before has arrived! Do you want to go check it out?”

“It’s here?!”

Bai Qiu was instantly startled. For the past few days, there had been no communication from Chaldea, no clues from Mashu or other Servants. This merchant ship was now his only hope!

“Yes, the people from the ship are currently bartering for rice near the village.”

“Okay, let’s go right now!!!”

Bai Qiu quickly climbed out of the paddy field, ready to head over barefoot.

“Oh, there’s no need to rush. The people from the ship are busy trading goods for rice with the villagers. They won’t be leaving anytime soon.”

“You’re so dirty,” Draco remarked, appearing beside him with a look of disdain.

“Whose fault do you think that is?!” Bai Qiu retorted helplessly.

Thinking it over, he realized rushing over like this might not be appropriate, especially if the leader of the ship was a respectable person.

“Everyone, please wait a moment. I’ll change my clothes, then I’ll take you to see the new things in the village!”

“Ten pounds of rice, you can trade it for anything you want—medicines, silverware… I especially recommend this bronze oil lamp; it’s a great item!” “Oh, you don’t want this useless thing? You really don’t know what you’re missing. Alright then, I’ll give you some sauce like before.”

Following Himiko’s instructions, Bai Qiu took Draco to the west side of the village. From a distance, he saw an enormous multi-deck ship!

Bai Qiu saw villagers lining up with the rice they had harvested, waiting near a bay not far from the village. This multi-deck ship was larger than usual, with numerous strong men in coarse clothes counting and moving cargo, loading the rice they received from the villagers into the ship’s hold. The scene was bustling with activity.

The style of this ship… It didn’t seem Western. Who could it be?

Bai Qiu lined up like the other villagers, and soon it was his turn.

“Next.”

A listless voice called out, and Bai Qiu stepped forward. He saw an intricately carved wooden table in front of the ship, paired with an obviously expensive chair. A despondent-looking girl was slumped over the table, weakly waving her hand.

“…How much rice did you bring, and what do you want to trade for?”

“Could you be… Xu Fu?!”

Bai Qiu hesitantly asked.

“———?!”

Hearing her name called, the girl looked up in confusion.

“Who are you? How do you know my name? Show some basic respect to the captain, you rude fellow!”

Could he have mistaken her?

Bai Qiu leaned closer and whispered to the girl,

“You’re Xu Fu, the one who helped the First Emperor search for the elixir of immortality, right?”

“Yikes!!!”

The previously arrogant girl immediately straightened up in shock, nearly jumping out of her seat.

“Who! Who are you?! How do you know about that!!!”

This reaction confirmed it… It had to be Xu Fu.

So after Himiko, it was Xu Fu. She was definitely a Servant too.

Seeing Xu Fu’s panicked reaction, the strong men handling the rice quickly approached to see what was happening.

Seeing so many strong men closing in, Bai Qiu became a bit flustered. Not out of fear, but out of concern that if they angered Draco, the ship might not survive.

“Stand down, all of you! No one comes forward without my command!!!”

“???”

Unexpectedly, Xu Fu’s reaction was overly aggressive, even confusing her own men.

Hearing Xu Fu’s command, the strong men returned to their work, continuing to transport the rice.

“Hey, why are you shouting about this stuff so loudly? Are you trying to get me killed?!” Xu Fu anxiously grabbed Bai Qiu’s hand.

“What exactly do you want? What are you trying to make me do??”

“Uh… Can we talk in private?”

Bai Qiu didn’t understand why Xu Fu was so scared of him, but he figured he could use this to his advantage.

“Ugh, I get it. You’re threatening me, aren’t you…” Xu Fu lowered her head, resigned.

“Please follow me, let’s talk privately.” Xu Fu waved her hand, and a man dressed in official attire quickly approached from the ship.

“I’ll leave this to you. Remember to properly record all the items being traded.”

The man nodded, taking Xu Fu’s place to continue trading with the villagers.

“You two, follow me.” Xu Fu reluctantly turned and walked towards the gangway leading to the ship. Seeing Bai Qiu still examining the massive ship, she called out weakly,

“Hey, weren’t you the one who wanted to talk? Come on up.”

“Oh, coming.” Bai Qiu glanced back at Draco, who seemed somewhat interested in the ship, looking around curiously.

“Are you coming too?”

“Don’t be foolish. I can’t let you die that easily,” Draco retorted as she walked up the gangway connecting to the deck.

“Alright…” Bai Qiu sighed and followed.

The deck was spacious, with many men and women in coarse clothing cleaning it, and some armored guards standing at the edges of the ship. Bai Qiu noticed that the deck was stacked with many ceramics and silver items, as well as crates of supplies. Additionally, a lot of rice was being packed into sacks and sealed on-site.

“This way.”

Xu Fu’s weak voice led Bai Qiu below the deck, revealing a large cabin. Upon entering, he saw many exquisite bronze items, an antique-looking wooden bed, a tea table, and several stools.

“Sit down.”

The girl pointed to the seats arranged around the tea table.

Bai Qiu nodded and sat down.

“Honestly, next time, don’t say such terrifying things so loudly. My palms are still sweating!” Xu Fu said, her voice tinged with a hint of tears as she looked like she was about to fall apart.

“Huh? Why?” Bai Qiu asked, puzzled.

Xu Fu was sent to seek the Immortality Elixir for the First Emperor. Shouldn’t that be the ship’s highest priority? What was she afraid of?

“Why?! You really don’t understand the situation at all!!!” Xu Fu looked at him, annoyed.

“There’s no such thing as an Immortality Elixir! Don’t make it harder for me. Everyone has nearly given up, and you suddenly bring it up again. It makes it seem like it’s my fault as the one in charge!!!”

“…”

So that’s it. Xu Fu was worried the people on the ship might suddenly remember and blame her as a scapegoat.

“But knowing about such things, it seems you’re not from this era either.” Xu Fu glanced at Bai Qiu and Draco, who stood silently nearby.

“Then you are…” Bai Qiu hesitantly asked.

“A Servant, obviously.” Xu Fu replied irritably.

“When I came to my senses, I found myself sailing this ship on the open sea. Everyone on board was obsessed with finding the Immortality Elixir. Spare me from this endlessly oppressive life at sea!” Xu Fu almost curled into herself, looking like she might shrink into a round, unidentifiable creature hugging her head.

“As fellow unfortunate souls in this era, what do you want from me?” she asked.

“I want to take your ship to sail out to sea.” Bai Qiu straightforwardly stated his intention. Having a ship was crucial for his next steps. Xu Fu’s ship was large enough to potentially help him find Mashu and the others.

“Sail out to sea? That’s impossible. You might as well give up now.” Xu Fu said, looking up from her curled position.

“Why???” Bai Qiu was puzzled. After all, they were from the same place. Could she not give him a lift?

“Because the seas around here are cursed. You can’t sail out.” Xu Fu said, looking utterly disheartened.

“We’re doomed to endlessly repeat this hopeless sea life on this ship.”