Chapter 102: Chapter One Hundred: Mouse DuoDuo
In the dream palace, Ji Ma felt like a deity—except when her opponents were strong. She still remembered being dragged down by George, who gripped her calf tightly, forcing her to sign a “marriage contract.”
Nevertheless, the complexity of the engineering problem exceeded Ji Ma’s expectations. She spent an hour and a half communicating with the dwarf engineer, preparing fuel, materials, and tools, before she could create a favorable engineering environment for the dwarf engineer to conduct research alone.
After everything was ready, Ji Ma felt mentally exhausted. Suppressing her drowsiness, she spread her wings and flew into the false starry sky, soon arriving in a black-and-white dreamland.
The pitch black did not obstruct her vision; the cavern extended and widened before her, adorned with various mushrooms clinging to the cave walls and ceilings. Behind them were countless white “stars,” emitting a faint glow that occupied Ji Ma’s entire field of vision.
A sense of fear arose within Ji Ma. The fear stemmed from her insignificance in the face of some enormous entity, and for a moment, she felt as if she had entered the universe, drifting alone in the dark cosmos, with a star cluster composed of massive celestial bodies before her…
Ji Ma lowered her head, avoiding what lay ahead. Beneath her, there were also “stars,” less densely clustered than the star cluster ahead, yet still numerous like the Milky Way.
Ji Ma was momentarily dazed for a second or two before she realized that each “star” represented a mouse person’s dream balloon. Countless mouse people’s dreams united to create the illusion of the star cluster at first glance.
She became tense, fatigue fading away.
Her eyes were fixed on the “group of stars” beneath her; underneath the savior squad, there was an entire army of mouse people!
Taking a deep breath, she lifted her head and stared ahead; no matter how difficult it was, she had to scout.
The “stars” stretched densely ahead, extending left, right, upward, and downward; the only direction with fewer stars was behind. It seemed she had charged into a mass of mouse people; they were everywhere around her.
Ji Ma adjusted her mindset, encouraging herself, “The power of the crown fragments is extraordinary; the more difficult the reward, the more abundant.”
Having thought that, she flapped her wings and flew towards the “star cluster,” surveying the terrain.
The further she went, the clearer the interior of the “star cluster” became. Ji Ma felt her scalp tingle, nearly succumbing to a fear of clusters; she complained, “Why don’t I have the ability to shield the dream balloons?”
Unfortunately, reality is not a game; while she complained, she continued to scout.
She discovered a gathering of “stars” in the distance within the star cluster, like a bright spot, likely the besieged City of Dulong. Given the distance, it seemed impossible to reach tonight.
After scouting, Ji Ma returned to the dream palace. She glanced at the workshop, where the dwarf butcher engineer was tirelessly hammering a red-hot metal block. Beside him stood a bucket of ice water, filled with wine bags.
Seeing his hard work, Ji Ma flew back to the palace, taking an ice water bath to refresh herself. She changed into a loose silk nightgown and did not forget to put on her favorite tights. After checking her reflection in the mirror and ensuring she felt good about herself, she walked barefoot on the carpet to the war room.
In the center of the round table in the war room floated a 3D map. Ji Ma shaped it using her will based on her memories. Once it took form, she waved her hand, inviting George to enter.
In the blink of an eye, George appeared beside her, unhelmeted. His armor was dirty, smeared with blood, dust, and possibly bits of flesh, mixed together and emanating a strange smell. While it wasn’t obvious during their travels in reality, it became quite apparent in the dream palace.
Ji Ma smelled it and reacted; it was unpleasant yet enticing, carrying the scent of blood, the smell of war.
George sat next to her, and they were quite close; Ji Ma did not move aside. One foot rested on the chair while her hands embraced it, the white fabric outlining the beautiful curve of her calf.
The nightgown was short, flowing smoothly from her thighs and revealing a palm-sized area at the top of her thigh, which was entirely lace. The lace pattern clung to Ji Ma’s smooth skin, which was terracotta colored. Nearby, her half-damp black hair fell over her arched waist, the long hair unkempt and messy.
Ji Ma could feel a warm gaze sweeping over her as described. She inhaled the peach blossom fragrance in the air; the hunger from her intense exercise today was somewhat alleviated.
She barely kept her chin up, turning to look at George, lazily saying, “You smell bad.”
George replied, “You have a fragrant smell.”
“Oh, it might be something that absorbed the scent.”
Ji Ma had recently been researching cosmetics but had neglected it. She relaxed, leaning her face against her thigh, her bright golden eyes gazing at George’s face.
She was beautiful, exuding a lazy charm. George looked at her for several seconds before shifting his gaze to the 3D map.
“What are those light spots?”
“Every dot represents a mouse person.”
George asked, “Are you sure?”
“Absolutely.”
On the 3D map, blue dots were marked with the text: “Our location.”
“Enemies are below, and the front is filled with enemies,” George said. “No matter which path we take, there will inevitably be a massive number of mouse people as we approach the City of Dulong…”
Ji Ma, occupied by the peach blossom scent, responded casually, “Mm.”
“I remember the dwarves saying that the mouse people dug many tunnels to attack the City of Dulong. We can use them; since the tunnels are narrow, they cannot exploit their numerical advantage.”
“Mm.”
“…This map isn’t clear. We may need three days to reach the City of Dulong. Do you have any opinions, Ji Ma?”
“Mm… It can be improved in a few days.” Ji Ma looked at him, feeling the peach blossom scent wasn’t enough, so she lifted her flesh-colored tail lazily and let it drop on the table. Sure enough, the scent immediately intensified, making Ji Ma smile at George.
George, unashamed, openly faced his desires and continued, “The road ahead is difficult. Also, have you noticed any traces of mouse people around us?”
“No.”
“Good, then I can rest easy.” George stood up, unfastened the leather straps on his iron bracers, letting them fall, followed by his shoulder pads and chest armor.
Ji Ma remained lazy until George’s arm wrapped around her waist. She then lowered her legs from the chair; although she initially wanted to push him away, she thought of her scheme and maintained a serious expression, saying, “We’re in the middle of a battle; we need to be quicker.”
George released his grip and asked, “So, should I forget it?”
Ji Ma wrapped her tail around his hand, stood up, leaned over the table, and said, “Just consider it a quick magic replenish for me. Quick battle, just like the cavalry charging.”
“Cavalry charging?”
“Yes,” Ji Ma said. “You should practice cavalry lance charging, quick and decisive.”
George respected his fiancée’s opinion.
He suppressed his desires, turned, and left, taking his chest armor with him, which had a lance holder attached. He exited the war room, leaving Ji Ma alone inside.
As George walked, he donned his chest armor and picked up the lance, mounting his warhorse, laying the lance against the holder, raised and poised for action.
Ji Ma kept chattering, “Be quick, hurry up.”
The warhorse moved at a slow pace, but George sped ahead, the lance leveled, the tip directed at the dummy, lightly colliding.
“Haha.” Ji Ma laughed, “You’re so poor at this.”
Thus, George stopped caring about Ji Ma’s feelings, tightened the reins, and the warhorse galloped. George once again leveled the lance, aiming at the dummy, crashing heavily into it.
The dummy shook; the lance nearly pierced through it, George’s shoulder leaning back, the high-backed saddle pressing against his lower back.
“Bad guy!” Ji Ma shouted. “You almost broke it.”
Before Ji Ma could finish her sentence.
George showcased his extraordinary skills—before his beloved, George fought with the vigor of a young knight in a tournament, vowing to display his utmost abilities.
He gripped the reins tightly, pulling on the warhorse; its front hooves rose, interrupting Ji Ma’s warning, “That’s abuse.”
Using sheer arm strength, he thrust the reddened lance forward quickly, the spearhead falling like raindrops onto the dummy, which swayed like a leaf in a storm.
Ji Ma was shocked into incoherence, her mouth making vague sounds like “Uh—ah—it’s going to break!”
With a loud crack, the sturdy lance surprisingly broke, and the dummy was reduced to a soggy mess. The warhorse puffed, lowering its head to pant, sweat dripping onto the ground.
“Okay.” Ji Ma spoke with lingering sentiment; after all, in such an exciting battle, everyone would want to see more, but… “That’s enough.”
George picked up another lance, riding high on the excitement, filled with fervor, he vigorously tapped the warhorse’s rear, and it galloped forward, the lance hitting its target time and time again, while the warhorse’s stamina began to dwindle and sweat poured.
When the second lance broke, she couldn’t help but say, “Guess how many lances you have left?”
George replied, “Maybe four to six.”
“I was wrong; I shouldn’t doubt your combat skills.” She said, “You’re quick, with enough lethality; you’re an excellent knight, so please have mercy and don’t torture your poor steed anymore, okay?”
“This time, it depends on you.”
The poor warhorse was allowed only a few gulps from the water trough to replenish its fluids.
George eagerly tightened the reins again and continued the lance charges; during the run, the warhorse regretted it. Who instilled in George the habit of loving cavalry charges?
It was herself, of course. She didn’t expect him to be a genius in this regard…
When the fourth lance snapped, the warhorse collapsed on the ground, its awareness somewhat fuzzy.
Ji Ma felt pity and pleaded for the horse; George, caught up in the moment, temporarily suppressed the straight lance of the knightly spirit.
Just feeling like he’d escaped a disaster, the subsequent waves surged over him, bringing a sense of comfort and relaxation.
In that marvelous feeling of exhaustion, he slowly closed his eyes and peacefully fell into slumber.
The next morning, in the early dawn.
The annoying sound of clapping hands awoke Ji Ma.
She opened her eyes to see George, fully armed, crouching before her and clapping his hands.
Seeing the armor on him reminded Ji Ma of last night’s lance charges; she covered her warm little belly and said, “I’ll sleep for another hour or two, and I’ll catch up with you.”
“No way.” George said, “It’s dangerous to be left behind; we’re in the middle of a battle.”
Reluctantly, Ji Ma sat up, lifted her feet, and kicked at George. He easily caught her bare foot.
But rounding off, she had kicked George nevertheless, and her anger dissipated as she said, “Alright, you go outside first; I’ll get dressed and be ready to depart at any time.”
“I’ll wait for you outside.”
Watching George’s disappearing back, Ji Ma suddenly had an idea and slapped her thigh.
One warhorse isn’t enough to satisfy George’s combative desire; she should call for two more warhorses to join.
How could she have forgotten about this yesterday? What a pity!
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A big thank you to the book friend Xue Ye Zhan Ji for the donation of Yan Di; there will be an additional chapter next month.
