Little Family Treasure of the Apocalyptic Boss

Chapter 6: Don’t Be Afraid

Even though the savage world lagged in technological advancements, the natural environment was undeniably top-notch.

Despite the vicinity of the Black Snake Tribe not being a particularly lush forest, the scenery with trees and blooming flowers was still delightful.

Walking side by side with the little snake sub-beast, Ye Ze followed the woodland path. The open system identifier lit up differently colored light screens above each creature, introducing available types and values, all of which Ye Ze memorized.

Since he decided to live here, he needed to quickly adapt to the new environment.

“This area is close to the tribe’s activity zone, so the tribe regularly dispatches beastmen to drive away invading beasts, making it a safe zone. However, because the tribe manages this area, almost all the edible plants in the mountains have been taken away by the tribe’s collection teams. If we want to find useful things, we need to put in more effort,” An Nuo explained.

“Further away is the outskirts where fierce beasts begin to roam.” Saying this, An Nuo turned his head, staring intently at the male beastman beside him. “Winter is approaching, and fierce beasts will become dangerous and irritable. Even prey that is usually ignored can often turn into targets. It’s not suitable for going out alone!”

The tone of the last sentence was particularly emphasized, expressing the correct idea that the injured needed to rest quietly.

However, the inherently soft voice lacked any deterrent power. It made Ye Ze, who received An Nuo’s implied advice, feel helpless and amused.

Ye Ze lifted his right hand and placed it near An Nuo’s arm.

With one sleeve of the black shirt torn off, it revealed a slender yet powerful forearm. It formed a sharp contrast with the thin and weak arms of the little snake sub-beast.

More noticeably, the powerful forearm had smooth skin, well-defined muscles, and a healthy wheat-colored complexion. On the other hand, the slender one was dotted with scars and bruises that had not yet healed, with a pale base color that didn’t tan. Just looking at it made it seem fragile and pitiable.

Ye Ze lowered his head to look at the stunned little snake sub-beast and smiled, “Tell me, who among us is less suitable for running around?”

Little snake sub-beast: “…”

The little snake sub-beast’s murmurs lost their confidence, and finally, he stopped worrying about not checking himself in time and regretted letting the injured person move about.

Clearly, Ye Zi’s injuries were more severe than his. Why did Ye Zi recover while he was still healing?

Oh, Nuo Nuo was truly useless!

“One’s physique can’t be generalized.” Ye Ze rubbed his dejected little head. Holding the seeds he had just collected, he conjured a swaying little pink flower and handed it to An Nuo, “My ability is wood-based. It provides some healing bonus to myself, so, of course, I recover quickly.”

Actually, the medicinal pills borrowed from Jiang Yi Chen are more effective. However, these things are too mystical, and Ye Ze doesn’t intend to let An Nuo know too much for now.

The innocent little snake sub-beast is quickly captivated by the miraculously blooming little flower. Taking the little flower from Ye Ze’s open palm, he curiously examines it from left to right. Then, extending his finger, he cautiously touches the petal of the little flower.

It’s real!

“Ye Zi, you’re amazing!” An Nuo’s eyes widen.

A completely new plant effortlessly appears in Ye Zi’s hands!

Thinking about it, it’s entirely normal that his recovery is not as fast as Ye Zi’s. After all, Ye Zi is so much more amazing than him!

The little figurine-like arms of the small snake sub-beast stretch open, drawing a big circle to emphasize the difference between the two. An Nuo looks at Ye Ze with sparkling eyes, full of admiration.

It’s surprisingly easy to please this blank-slate little snake sub-beast.

Ye Ze looks at the lively little snake sub-beast, chuckling and shaking his head.

After examining the miraculous little flower, An Nuo carefully places it into the small grass box around his waist—specifically designed to hold precious materials.

The beast power of the beastmen is quite important energy, usually reserved for serious matters like battles and hunting. If Ye Zi is willing to use beast power to comfort him, he must treasure it!

Stroking the small grass box affectionately, An Nuo’s little head has already moved from arranging fresh little flowers to thinking about the collection after they are dried.

Turning his head, he asks Ye Ze for his opinion, “Ye Zi, do you have any places you want to go?”

Knowing that Ye Ze is in good health, the little snake sub-beast has become much more tolerant of Ye Ze’s outings.

The change is indeed quite rapid.

The smile at the corner of Ye Ze’s mouth is about to overflow. “Don’t mind me; I just want to explore everywhere. Nuo Nuo can follow his own plan.”

It’s an attitude of equal consultation rarely encountered by the little snake sub-beast.

An Nuo’s chest pounds, and his cheeks turn pink. After thoughtful consideration, he says, “Then let’s go and check the traps we set up yesterday. Maybe there will be a pleasant surprise!”

“Sure.” Ye Ze nods, giving a straightforward response to the little snake sub-beast.

However, probably due to winter approaching, all the animals have become more alert. Not only is there no refreshing surprise, but even today’s harvest is unexpectedly poor. Until they pass by all the traps, not a single prey is caught.

Outside the only trap adorned with chicken feathers, there are scattered and stained bloodstains. It seems that hunters came and enjoyed the results before them.

The excited spirit of the little snake sub-beast visibly drops. It’s not just the frustration of attempting to showcase his abilities to the beastmen but also the disappointment in the hunting results.

If there’s no prey in the traps, there won’t be any meat or vegetables today.

Ye Zi is so good; he surely won’t be angry. But what if they can’t catch prey in the future? What if Ye Zi becomes malnourished and sick?…

With each negative thought, the little snake sub-beast’s mood sinks a bit further.

But An Nuo doesn’t want to bring these negative emotions to the beastman. He makes an effort to lift the corners of his mouth, muster his spirits, and cheerfully introduces everything he knows along the way to fulfill Ye Zi’s wish of “quickly integrating into the new environment.”

“This is the ‘Da Da Wood.’ Just a light touch will produce a ‘da da’ sound. It’s often collected by the tribe, buried around the outskirts, and used as an alarm. We have some where we live too!”

“This is the Hollow Vine. The tender shoots can be used for stir-frying and stewing. But now that they’re old, picking them can be used to make pipes for water diversion. This way, non-combatant sub-beastmen and females can fetch water in dangerous areas.”

“This is…”

The little snake sub-beast isn’t the type to excel at disguises. In the eyes of the End-of-the-World Overlord, accustomed to various worldly experiences, the suppression of those small emotions isn’t even considered a disguise.

But precisely because Ye Ze can clearly feel the little snake sub-beast’s effort, he momentarily doesn’t know what to say.

Ye Ze decisively turns off the identification device. With the little snake sub-beast’s introduction, he understands this world in the most primitive way.

—It’s actually quite enjoyable.

The voice of the little snake sub-beast is as pleasant as a lark. Much more comfortable than the cold text on the identification device.

“Ah! There’s a cluster of Ball Mushrooms over there!”

The little snake sub-beast, searching all around, suddenly brightens up and hurries over. The soft underside of his tail glides over dry branches and stones, occasionally leaving white marks from their sharp edges.

However, the little snake sub-beast seems oblivious. He finally stops in front of a massive decaying log, his arm reaching deep into the dark and winding tree hole. From it, he cradles a cluster of light yellow, spherical mushrooms.

While cleaning the debris on the periphery, he joyfully introduces to Ye Ze, “Ball Mushrooms are a type of delicious mushroom. They’re hard to come by usually, and most of the time, they’re picked by the tribe’s collection teams. Finding this is quite a good harvest for us today!”

A clumsy attempt to please.

Ye Ze watches the mushroom, held up in place of meat, in front of him. He feels like laughing, saying that he doesn’t actually mind the food issue. But more than that, it’s a kind of indescribable stabbing pain in the heart.

No one should live to please and cater to others.

The little snake sub-beast shouldn’t be living this repressed and constrained life.

Ye Ze bends down, lightly smelling the fat mushroom in the little snake sub-beast’s palm. Then he pats the little snake sub-beast’s head, praising, “Nuo Nuo is really amazing. The mushroom smells so good; I’m already looking forward to its taste when it’s cooked.”

“Really?” The radiance in the golden eyes is once again ignited. An Nuo, filled with joy, tucks the mushroom into his embrace, swaying his tail, and leading the way, says, “The mushroom has a lot of wood chips on it. There’s a small stream nearby; let’s go there first to clean the Ball Mushrooms. They’ll look even better!”

“Okay. I’ll follow your lead.” Ye Ze smiles and nods.

The location of the stream is already close to the edge of the tribe’s safe zone.

Although there aren’t any large ferocious beasts in sight, various small animals have become more abundant. Because there are rarely hunters capturing them, each one appears plump and robust.

—They seem to be enjoying life more than the little snake sub-beast.

Then let’s use you all to nourish the little guy first.

Ye Ze activates his abilities, locking onto the largest ones among them. Seeing the little snake sub-beast fully concentrating on cleaning the Ball Mushrooms by the stream, Ye Ze leaves a vine hidden in the crevices of the rocks by the stream, silently disappearing behind the little snake sub-beast.

The cleaned Ball Mushrooms look even more refreshing. The light yellow color and the sweet fragrance make them look enticing.

An Nuo happily places the Ball Mushrooms in the back basket (the small grass box has become exclusive to the little flowers). Using wild vegetables and fruits picked along the way as a cushion, he isn’t worried about the mushrooms getting damaged.

The weight of the basket bounces along.

Even though they didn’t catch any meat and vegetables today, the harvest of plant-based ingredients is quite abundant!

An Nuo’s uneasy mood finds some solace under the weight of the food. Cheerfully carrying the basket on his back, he turns around, “Ye Zi… Ye Zi?”

“I’m here. Don’t be afraid.”

An Nuo instinctively tightens the straps on his shoulders. His tail anxiously sways, about to go look for the missing beastman.

But Ye Ze has been paying attention to An Nuo’s situation. Not waiting for An Nuo to act, he pushes aside the bushes by the stream and walks out.

In his hands, he’s holding three stunned wild chickens, two hopping gray rabbits, and a nest of eggs gathered together with entwined vines.

An Nuo is shocked, his mouth hanging open. Looking at Ye Ze’s bountiful harvest, he can’t believe it and wipes his eyes, takes another look, and wipes again…

“Don’t rub them. If you keep rubbing, they’ll get ruined.”

Ye Ze is amused by his silly reaction. He lifts the prey, allowing the little snake sub-beast to see the meat and vegetables brought back. He jokes, “It’s all real. Our house is full of patients; we need to nourish our bodies.”

The little snake sub-beast falls into the steamer once again.

This time, he’s completely covered in pink. Shy and excited, he looks at Ye Ze as if he’s witnessing the descent of a deity.

Ye Zi is really amazing, incredibly amazing!

The little snake sub-beast’s expression of admiration is so sincere and pure that even the End-of-the-World Overlord, accustomed to being praised and above all, can’t help but feel a bit embarrassed by this genuinely embarrassing expression.

Originally, it’s just a few rabbits and chickens, not a Level 10 Zombie King. Even if he hasn’t fully recovered his strength, it’s still easy for him.

But this reaction… is really too much.

The gaze of the End-of-the-World Overlord flickers for a moment, suppressing this unfamiliar emotion. He walks closer to the little snake sub-beast.

The waiting bodyguard vine grows accordingly, tying all the prey together. The hands that were filled with ordinary prey are now freed up.

Ye Ze once again pats the little snake sub-beast’s head, bringing him back from the astonishment and daze. Bending down, he almost presses his forehead against the little snake sub-beast’s. Looking into the clear eyes of the little snake sub-beast, he earnestly reiterates, “I am a beastman.”

Ye Ze reveals a gentle smile. “In the future, follow me, and don’t worry about not having meat to eat.”

“…”

No one has ever said these words to him before.

Words like “don’t worry” seem like a dream come true.

But the warmth in front of him is so real.

—It turns out Ye Zi has always known about his fear and is responding in a gentler way.

An Nuo’s eyes moisten, biting his lower lip, desperately suppressing the tears from flowing. His heart feels like it’s soaked in warm water, as if he has found a destination after drifting.

If it’s the person in front of him, believing a little more, trusting a little more, isn’t that possible?