Chapter 2650: Chapter 871: Arrangements (Part 1)
Zheng Qing lay on his back on the ground.
Having three sprites over three feet tall crash into him head-on, it was already a stroke of luck he didn’t fracture anything or spit blood on the spot. Fortunately, the three sprites had the good sense to pull the boy back at the last moment, slowing his fall and preventing his head from smashing directly onto the floor.
But Zheng Qing would have rather his head hit the floor hard and knocked him out right then and there.
He stared blankly, his eyes unfocused, staring at a few moss green mold patches clinging to the corner of the ceiling. Next to him, the fat man’s gasping laughter and the crisp, melodious cries of "Scum" echoed in his ears as he wore an expression of utter resignation.
Ah, turn me into a piece of mold.
He said this to himself inside.
Quietly rot away in the corner, deteriorate, and perish.
"Scum~"
"Scum~hug~"
"Hug hug~Scum~"
The sprites—no, to be precise, they should be called ’Great Elves’, as sprites over three feet tall could no longer be called sprites—the difference between them and ordinary sprites was almost akin to the difference between a Legendary Wizard and a common wizard. The melodious voice of the Great Elves echoed in the small dorm room. Fatty Cat unexpectedly appeared a bit amiable, meowing like a real cat and rubbing against the Great Elves, interspersed with the interrupted laughter of the Fat Wizard and the heavy coughing of the doctor. For a moment, Dorm 403 had an oddly contradictory atmosphere: cold yet bustling.
"Hmm, they’ve already evolved into a more advanced language system."
Doctor Xiao coughed dryly as he spoke again, trying to disperse the happy air with a more serious topic: "Perhaps you can start teaching them to speak... teach them something proper."
Xin Fat Man laughed even louder.
Zheng Qing ignored the two of them.
He continued to stare coldly at the ceiling.
There was no need for the doctor’s reminder; from the moment those little creatures called out "Scum", he realized it. But so what? Can he make them swallow the words they have spoken back into their bellies? Even words that have been spoken can’t be swallowed back—is that considered an evolution of language function?
This unreasonable thought flashed through his mind.
Meanwhile, of the three Great Elves, two were holding his arms on either side, sniffing the scent of him like little puppies. The remaining one sat directly on his chest with two little pale hands randomly pinching his face, completely unafraid of suffocating him.
Slap!
A loud slap suddenly echoed, like a fierce whip crack, grabbing the attention of everyone in the room, including the large and small elves and Tuan Tuan, as well as Xiao Xiao. All fell silent and looked toward the fat man who had clapped his hands.
Even Zheng Qing’s eyes rolled a bit.
"There’s trouble, there’s trouble!"
The Fat Wizard stomped his foot, as if he had just remembered something: "These sprites usually hear us calling ’Mr. Zha’ so much, so they think that’s your name and that’s why they call you that, right?"
Zheng Qing turned his eyes back toward the ceiling.
Tired, didn’t want to speak.
It was Xiao Xiao who adjusted his glasses and nodded slightly: "It should be like that... We rarely call Mr. Zha by his real name, and their awareness isn’t strong enough, so confusing it is to be expected."
This vaguely handed Zheng Qing a way out.
But he didn’t want to take it.
He just wanted to play dead for a while.
Besides, lying on the ground felt quite comfortable.
"What I mean is, this is a habit they’ve developed by ’ear and eye’, right?" the Fat Wizard struggled with his wording, his small eyes glancing at Zheng Qing repeatedly.
"What exactly are you trying to say?" Xiao Xiao squinted and suspiciously looked at the Fat Wizard.
"Ahem,"
The Fat Wizard cleared his throat, grabbed Tuan Tuan by the scruff of the neck, and held it in his arms, emphasizing: "I don’t mean anything specific, just that it reminds me of similar situations... Of course, I’m not talking about Tuan Tuan, who doesn’t seem to have any intention of speaking..."
The Fat Cat struggled claws out, preferring the fragrant Great Elves to the Fat Wizard’s embrace.
"...I’m also not referring to Furry Bean," Xin Fat Man tightly held the Fat Cat, his voice rather dry: "But Furry Bean’s habit of meowing like a cat is a bad habit..."
Before he could finish speaking, Zheng Qing suddenly sat up.
Almost throwing off the Great Elf lying on him, she quickly spread her wings and hugged the warlock’s neck, barely maintaining the role of an ’ornament’.
But Zheng Qing didn’t notice this detail at all.
Fat Cat, Furry Bean, bad habits.
He finally couldn’t play dead any longer.
Because, based on the Fat Wizard’s continuous ’progression’ and ’hints’, he was terrified to think of another little one who hadn’t yet learned to speak—Poseidon!
Oh no!
What if Poseidon doesn’t learn properly either?
The thought of the Little Fox growing up and one day speaking out loud, starting with "Mr. Zha", "Scum", "Scum Dad", or "Dad Scum" made Zheng Qing shiver unconsciously.
No, he must prevent this risk and nip it in the bud.
He glanced out of the window; there was still daylight, and it had not yet darkened, so a trip to Beta Town was completely doable.
"I know you’re in a hurry, but don’t rush off just yet."
Xiao Xiao grabbed Zheng Qing, who was about to run out, and pointed at the three Great Elves still on him: "While you’re out, take them with you... If the Greenhill Mansion is inconvenient, they can stay at D&K."
Roar!
An angry roar came from the Fat Cat in the Fat Wizard’s arms, apparently in anger at the doctor’s suggestion.
"What?"
Zheng Qing looked down at the ’ornaments’ hanging on him, suddenly realizing—indeed, the three sprites having transformed into three Great Elves now looked like little girls; having them stay in the boys’ dorm was indeed inconvenient.
"Oh... okay."
He nodded in agreement and was about to step out when the remaining sprites in the room swarmed upon him, clinging to the warlock as if refusing to let him go.
"Take them all with you."
Xin Fat Man petted the Fat Cat, its eyes suddenly dimmed, and sighed: "It’s inappropriate to separate them... Letting them move in back then was for their health. Now that everyone is healthy, it’s necessary to find a more suitable place for them."
"Remember to use the Invisibility Talisman when you go out; these Great Elves are too attention-grabbing," the doctor promptly reminded.
"Also, try to keep them at Greenhill Mansion."
Xin Fat Man was very serious, as if worried Zheng Qing might not think of it. He tirelessly explained: "Ding Dang Ears and Ding Dong Ear, the two Mouse Brothers, are backed by a Legendary Wizard, so staying at D&K and appearing in broad daylight are very safe... But these sprites don’t have such strong backgrounds and might attract those coveting maniacs, so it’s very necessary to keep them under the protection of Su Councilor."
"Oh, and make sure not to lodge them in the girls’ dormitory." Just before leaving, Xiao Xiao grabbed Zheng Qing’s arm and solemnly instructed: "Absolutely not, under any circumstances!"
