“What’s your name?”
“Ella.”
The little girl held a plump steamed bun in both hands, devouring it ravenously. In no time, one meat bun disappeared into her mouth.
Gu Jiu took out another meat bun and handed it to her. However, the little girl only cradled it in her hands without eating it right away. She still looked hungry, clearly longing to eat but restraining her appetite.
Her eyes darted to the food box in Gu Jiu’s hand, where three more plump meat buns remained. Her gaze betrayed an unabashed longing for the food.
“Little Ella, why aren’t you eating?”
The little girl glanced at her quickly, then lowered her head and softly said, “Adventurer sister, can I take this one home?”
Gu Jiu asked, “Do you want to save it for later?”
The little girl shook her head and, after a moment of silence, whispered, “I want to take it back for my grandmother… She’s sick and hasn’t eaten in a long time.”
Instead of answering directly, Gu Jiu asked, “What about the other adults in your family?”
“It’s just me and my grandmother; there’s no one else.”
Gu Jiu looked down at the timid little girl and deduced their situation. An old woman and a young child, with the older one sick and the younger one seemingly only seven or eight years old, trying to survive in this chaotic little town—it wasn’t an easy life.
Previously, when Ella’s grandmother wasn’t sick, she could take her granddaughter out during the safer times around midday to scavenge for food. But now that she was ill and unable to leave the house, the responsibility fell on the little girl alone. Whatever food she managed to find wasn’t enough, and the family’s situation grew increasingly dire. That’s why the little girl wouldn’t eat anything herself—she saved it all for her grandmother.
Understanding the situation, Gu Jiu asked, “Is your grandmother at home?”
The little girl nodded.
Gu Jiu thought for a moment and said, “Take us to your home. We have medicine, and it might be able to help your grandmother.”
The little girl was initially hesitant, but her eyes lit up when she heard this, and she exclaimed excitedly, “Really?”
“No, I’m lying.” Just as disappointment clouded the girl’s face, Gu Jiu added, “I need to see what kind of illness it is before knowing if the medicine will work.”
The little girl’s emotions swung wildly at her words. Her initial hesitation disappeared, and she couldn’t wait to lead them back to her home.
The two followed the little girl to her house.
The houses in Ella Town seemed to have protective magic. Without an invitation from the owner, outsiders who tried to enter would be thrown out by the house itself. Unfortunately, if the invaders were monsters, the houses could still be easily destroyed.
In short, the houses in Ella Town could be broken into by monsters but were impervious to occupation by outsiders.
The interior of the house was dimly lit.
The windows were locked tightly with iron wires. Although they could be opened from the inside, the gap was deliberately small to prevent monsters from peeping inside.
The house wasn’t just dark but also cramped, with many items piled up haphazardly, making the space seem chaotic.
This, however, didn’t seem to bother little Ella. She moved through the darkness and obstacles like someone accustomed to it. Her small body deftly navigated the clutter as she headed toward the innermost room.
“Grandma, I brought white bread today! And there’s delicious meat filling inside. I saved it for you.”
The little girl’s voice was light and cheerful.
Steamed buns are an Eastern delicacy unfamiliar to Ella Town. The little girl, not knowing their name, referred to them as “bread.” Though customs and culinary cultures differ, the human palate universally recognizes delicious food. Moreover, the meat buns Gu Jiu offered were crafted by a five-star hotel chef in the real world, capable of pleasing even the most discerning tastes of a spoiled young lady. Naturally, their flavor was exceptional.
Ella was completely won over by the meat bun.
Gu Jiu and Lu Ji followed her into the house.
Both of them could see clearly in the dark, so the obstacles posed no problem. They followed the little girl into the innermost room of the house.
The room was quite small, with a bed pressed against the far wall. On the bed lay a frail, emaciated elderly woman.
Ella approached the bed, cradling the meat bun in both hands, and held it out to the woman.
A hoarse voice rasped, “Little Ella… what is this?”
“It’s delicious bread,” the girl replied, pushing the meat bun closer. “Grandma, you eat it.”
Perhaps it had been a long time since she last ate, or maybe the urgency and concern in the little girl’s voice were too compelling. The elderly woman opened her mouth and took a bite. Tasting the food, her hunger overcame her hesitation, and she took a second bite, then a third…
After eating more than half of the bun, she finally snapped out of her hunger-driven daze.
“Ella, I’m full. You eat the rest,” the elderly woman said with difficulty.
The little girl beamed. “I already had one earlier. This one is for you. Grandma, this is the one I saved for you. If you eat it, you won’t be sick anymore…”
The woman couldn’t help but take another bite. Then, as if a thought struck her, she asked, “Where did this come from?”
“A kind adventurer lady gave it to me.”
“Adventurer?”
The elderly woman’s muddled mind seemed to regain some clarity, and she struggled to sit up.
At that moment, an oil lamp lit up the room.
Gu Jiu placed the lamp on the table and turned her gaze toward the woman on the bed.
Sparse hair, a deeply wrinkled face, and a sickly gray pallor overshadowed her features, giving her an air of despair. If she wasn’t treated soon, it was clear the elderly woman wouldn’t last much longer.
Her cloudy eyes looked at Gu Jiu and Lu Ji warily.
Gu Jiu stepped forward and handed her a pill. “Grandma, take this medicine. It will help you feel better.”
The elderly woman stared silently at the two of them and asked, “You don’t even know what kind of illness I have, yet you give me medicine?”
“There’s no need to know,” Gu Jiu replied. “This is a cure-all pill. As long as you’re not already dead, it will work.” It was a medicine produced in the Boundless City, effective even on NPCs in this game world.
The elderly woman remained skeptical.
Though she was wary of Gu Jiu and Lu Ji, under her granddaughter’s anxious gaze, she eventually swallowed the medicine.
Gu Jiu didn’t stop there. She gave the remaining meat buns to the hungry grandmother and granddaughter, along with several bottles of mineral water, which she poured into their empty drinking containers.
All the water storage vessels in the house were bone-dry—there was no drinkable water.
The little girl held a cup of freshly poured water, her emerald-like eyes gleaming with joy. She looked up sweetly and said, “Thank you, adventurer sister.”
Gu Jiu pinched her slightly dirty face and smiled. “Your eyes are so pretty, just like mistweeds.”
With a sudden clatter, the elderly woman’s cup fell to the ground.
Startled, the little girl quickly scrambled to pick it up. Fortunately, the cup was made from a hollowed-out fruit shell and wouldn’t break easily. However, the spilled water made her heart ache—every drop was precious.
“Grandma, do you not have enough strength? Let me feed you,” the little girl said, offering her own cup of water to her grandmother.
The old woman didn’t drink. Instead, she spoke weakly, “Ella, I’m so tired.”
The little girl immediately helped her grandmother lie down comfortably and tucked her in with a blanket.
The elderly woman turned her back to the two visitors, facing the wall as if signaling she didn’t want to talk anymore.
Gu Jiu didn’t mind and turned to the little girl. “Little Ella, I have something to ask you. Can you come outside for a moment?”
The girl responded brightly. She trusted Gu Jiu wholeheartedly now—this adventurer sister had given them food, medicine, and hope, making her the best person in the world in Ella’s eyes.
She followed Gu Jiu and Lu Ji out of the room.
The dim space was left behind, with only the flicker of an oil lamp casting shadows. As the trio exited, the elderly woman turned slowly, her clouded eyes gazing toward the doorway.
The three of them reached the front door, where the light was brighter and the air fresher—a much better place to talk.
Gu Jiu pulled out a Mistgrass. As expected, the little girl’s eyes sparkled with delight, their emerald hue perfectly matching the vibrant green of the plant.
“Is this for us?” the girl asked excitedly.
“Yes!” Gu Jiu handed the Mistgrass to her generously.
The Mistgrass retained its vivid emerald color even after being plucked in the dense fog. It would stay fresh and lively for two days before wilting. Why this happened remained a mystery—no one knew the flower’s magical properties or how it worked.
Players, of course, didn’t bother studying such things. They weren’t natives of this world and didn’t need to research magical plants; all they cared about was completing quests.
Lu Ji, meanwhile, looked around the house for usable items. He pulled over a table and three chairs.
Gu Jiu sat down unceremoniously, retrieved an assortment of food from her portable storage space, and laid it out on the table. She began their impromptu lunch.
The little girl, who had saved her earlier bun for her grandmother, now stared at the spread in astonishment. Her wide eyes glistened, and her small mouth hung open.
Gu Jiu chuckled and invited her to join in. “Come, little Ella. Eat more! By the way, what’s your grandmother’s name?”
Mouth full, the girl answered promptly, “Ella! Grandma’s name is also Ella, just like mine.” She mumbled through her bites, “Ella means the most beautiful blessing. Everyone loves this name.”
Gu Jiu couldn’t help but laugh.
Just as the adventurers had discovered earlier, most of the girls in Ella Town were named Ella. It wasn’t unusual, then, for both the grandmother and granddaughter to share the same name.
During the meal, Gu Jiu took the opportunity to learn more about Ella Town from the little girl. She shared fascinating tales about the town’s legends, neighborly gossip, and even stories told by traveling merchants.
Though young and prone to jumping from topic to topic, little Ella still revealed a wealth of information—much more than what other adventurers had managed to gather.
“Little Ella, you’re a treasure,” Gu Jiu said, patting the girl’s head fondly. “We’ll come see you again tomorrow.”
The little girl’s eyes sparkled as she looked at Gu Jiu. “Really?”
Gu Jiu nodded with a smile, packed the empty lunch box into her portable pouch, and stood up to leave.
By the time they left Little Ella’s house, it was already 1 p.m.
With no particular destination in mind, the two of them strolled leisurely through the town, casually observing its buildings as they went.
“Ella.”
A voice called out from the distance. They looked up to see a young man standing at a street corner, calling out to a young woman.
The woman emerged from a nearby house and ran toward him. The two embraced tightly.
It was a couple who, due to the disaster that had struck the town, could only meet at midday for a brief three-hour window. Even then, their time together was often cut short as they needed to search for food. As a result, they cherished every moment they had.
When they arrived at the southern square of the town, a large iconic clock embedded in a stone wall came into view. The clock’s hands ticked steadily as time moved on.
“This is where I arrived yesterday,” Gu Jiu said to Lu Ji.
Lu Ji’s gaze shifted to the clock embedded in the stone wall, focusing on the moving hour and minute hands.