Chapter 38: 34: Brother, You Smell Good
As night fell over the Sea of Okeanos, the water flowed with gentle ripples and a cool breeze blew through the air. A small cedar boat drifted lightly, breaking the reflected brilliance of the Milky Way.
"Creak~"
A faint trembling sound came from the wooden planks inside the cabin, where a diminutive figure lay on all fours, half-crouching in a corner.
In the darkness, those purple-red eyes with rectangular pupils glittered mysteriously, as the tiny head stealthily, ever so stealthily, approached the figure lying next to it.
Suddenly, those closed eyes in the darkness opened and stared at the face that was now so close.
"What do you think you're doing?"
After a brief silence, Little Medusa raised her head to meet Luo En's gaze and responded in a hollow voice.
"I'm hungry..."
"If you're hungry, go find something to eat by yourself."
Luo En pointed outside the door and spoke without expression.
"But..."
Little Medusa looked straight at Luo En in front of her, her coiling pink tongue unable to resist licking her lips.
"You smell so good..."
"..."
In the silence, the corner of Luo En's mouth twitched violently.
He got it, he was being eyed up again...
Of course, this was not a matter of desire, but rather, like his enchantress teacher, a great interest in the scent and physical structure of Luo En himself.
To put it more precisely, what Medusa was exhibiting was a hunting instinct typical of serpentine mythical creatures.
They generally prefer to feed on the blood of living beings to absorb magic power.
The higher the purity of the blood of the target, the stronger the divinity and magic power, and the more intense the aroma emitted.
As an offspring of Zeus and the legendary future God of Wine, Luo En was an undisputed mobile blood pack to Medusa's temptation.
Especially after she had just completed her advancement and had been dangling on the tasteless roasted fish, her craving for blood naturally increased day by day.
Finally, on this night, she seemed unable to restrain herself from biting down.
But in terms of vigilance and wariness, Luo En clearly had the upper hand.
"Gurgle~"
The clear sound of throat movements echoed in the cramped cabin, interrupting Luo En's thoughts.
Regaining his senses, Luo En saw Medusa, who had somehow stealthily approached again, and his face darkened.
However, immediately after, he extended his arm forward with a smile that was not quite a smile, his expression complex.
"Want to eat?"
Medusa unconsciously swallowed, her gaze fixed on that fair arm, and her eyes, glowing with a growing heat, seemed as if they could pierce through the skin, clearly visualizing the abundant veins and the crimson delight flowing within.
At the same time, that tiny head involuntarily lowered.
"Snap!"
However, before Medusa could taste the deliciousness, another hand, descending with lightning speed, smacked her on the head.
"Nice try!"
Luo En's face changed abruptly as he quickly snatched back his arm, used as bait, and scolded irritably.
"Thinking of ambushing me in the middle of the night? Can't you show some respect for a senior? I'm stronger than you, after all. Charging at me headlong like this is like running straight into the line of fire, isn't it?"
Medusa rubbed her slightly aching head and stayed silent for a long while before finally expressing her feelings.
"But I really am very hungry."
"..."
Luo En, who had just been giving earnest advice, immediately fell silent.
Well, the lesson still hadn't sunk in.
Faced with a student impervious to reason, Luo En waved his hand in resignation, his face full of disdain.
"Go on, there are still some leftover roasted fish in the kitchen plates from today."
Medusa's mouth twitched, and she turned her head and walked away expressionlessly.
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"Where to? The kitchen is next door."
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Luo En pointed to the opposite side and reminded irritably.
"I'm not hungry!"
Medusa's cheeks tensed as she firmly shook her head, refusing the kind offer. In a flash, she hopped onto the bed, grabbed the blanket, and curled herself into the covers, creating an all-around fortress of defense.
Luo En couldn't help but shake his head and chuckle at the sight of the Gorgon defeated by a dish of leftover seafood noodles.
What the heck, she's just a child.
Outside the door, the moon was bright, and a moist sea breeze poured into the cabin, washing away the few traces of sleepiness Luo En felt at the moment.
Forget it, let's take a walk outside.
Out of sheer boredom, he glanced at the motionless bundle of blankets beside him, quietly got dressed, and stepped out onto the small boat's deck to gaze around.
Within the silent cabin, a corner of the fortress of blankets was stealthily lifted, revealing a pair of purplish-red eyes that stared at the figure standing in the breeze above, feeling inexplicably mesmerized.
This person was different from all the other humans she had encountered.
Strange...
But, um, also comforting...
Medusa's coiled body slowly relaxed, and waves of sleepiness surged over her, blurring her vision.
Meanwhile, perhaps due to sheer boredom, Luo En casually picked up a homemade harpoon and stood at the ship's railing, looking down.
Fish again tomorrow...
Medusa muttered under her breath, feeling dejected. She let out a deep yawn and finally succumbed to the onslaught of drowsiness, her little head tilting as she drifted into Dreamland.
In the morning, a savory aroma, distinct from the fishy smell, filled the cabin, waking the sleeping Medusa.
Medusa's delicate nose twitched, and her sluggish spirit suddenly revived. She rubbed her bleary eyes, sat up from the bed, walked out of the cabin barefoot onto the deck, and curiously looked towards the pot of meaty breakfast Luo En was stewing.
"What's that?"
"Last night there was a fish tide nearby, which drew lots of seabirds. I managed to knock down a few in the chaos."
As Luo En flipped the wooden spoon and yawned, he responded nonchalantly.
Medusa glanced at the blood-stained harpoon beside her and the small pile of feathers on the deck, looking slightly stunned.
"It's almost ready, go wash your face first, then let's eat together."
The reminder at her ear brought the Gorgon back from her daze, and she obediently completed the pre-meal preparations.
Before long, the bird meat that had been stewed for most of the night and was now completely tender was brought from the kitchen and served at the table.
Medusa eyed the bowl with its greasy, rich soup and the sizable chunks of bird meat, and involuntarily touched her grumbling belly.
Still so hungry...
For a blood-drinking species, the magic power, vitality and satiety provided by blood were incomparable to regular food.
But...
Medusa slightly raised her purplish-red eyes, gazing at the figure beside the ship's railing who was engrossed in gnawing on a piece of fish, and pursed her lips.
It should be delicious.
The petite Gorgon held up the clay bowl, closed her eyes, and took a big slurp of the thick soup, imagining the sweet and tangy taste of blood in her mind.
As if in a trance, she felt as if she had indeed tasted blood from this bowl, the warm satisfaction spreading from her stomach into her belly and flowing to her limbs and body.
Delicious!
Medusa's eyes widened involuntarily, and she took another big slurp, relishing the previous indulgence.
The familiar sensation returned, accompanied by a faint sweet and tangy taste on the tip of her tongue.
Sweet and tangy?
Medusa paused, her gaze dropping forward.
A hand holding a skewer, long and pale, resembled exquisite white jade.
The only imperfection was a slight scratch on the back of that hand.
Medusa opened her mouth to speak, but Luo En, who had been leaning against the railing, suddenly stood up, threw the fish in his hand into the churning waves below in frustration, and shouted excitedly.
"Land! It's land! We can go ashore!"
At the same time, a visible coastline along with the connected mountains and the characteristic marble buildings of human city-states came into view for both of them.
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