this chapter is brought to you by mio
as translator, proofreader and editor!
After breakfast, Jiang Ci cooked some rice and tried slicing a plate of fatty beef. With the machine, it wasn’t too strenuous, saving her a lot of effort.
The unique aroma of beef lingered near her nose, and Jiang Ci suddenly found a bit of joy in this job.
With a salary and her own hotpot restaurant, Jiang Ci was even more motivated. Even the zombies and the mountain-sized giant tortoise seemed surmountable.
However, just a few hours later, Jiang Ci was proven wrong. She hid behind the wooden door, looking at the giant tortoise that was now within arm’s reach, feeling that it was even more terrifying up close.
The giant tortoise was slowly making its way towards the hotpot restaurant, each step feeling like an earthquake. The buildings on its back had disappeared at some point, leaving only a pockmarked shell. Although the system had repeatedly assured Jiang Ci that she wouldn’t be harmed, the sight of this colossal creature still triggered her megalophobia.
[Don’t worry, host. I don’t sense any malice from this giant tortoise,] the system added.
Jiang Ci nodded, though her expression remained tense. She understood the logic, but that didn’t stop her from feeling afraid. After all, before the apocalypse, she had been just an ordinary human.
The giant tortoise came to a halt in front of the hotpot restaurant, its small eyes fixed directly on Jiang Ci.
A question arose in Jiang Ci’s mind, “Shouldn’t these mutated creatures and zombies be unable to see this hotpot restaurant?”
[This is a Level 9 Giant Tortoise. It’s inherently intelligent, has never eaten humans, and its mind is pure. Perhaps it has sensed something that other creatures can’t,] the system explained. After a brief pause, it added, [I detected a trace of energy from it that doesn’t belong to this world. It might have encountered some kind of opportunity—it’s hard to say.]
“Energy that doesn’t belong to this world?” Jiang Ci asked, puzzled.
[Yes, host. For example, the virus that nearly destroyed this world also didn’t originate here. It slipped through a rift in this world.]
Jiang Ci listened, still somewhat confused, but she grasped the general idea. A rift had appeared in the world, leading to this catastrophic disaster that nearly wiped out humanity.
The giant tortoise stood still, lowering its head and slowly moving closer to Jiang Ci.
Then, under Jiang Ci’s terrified gaze, it slowly spat out three smooth, oval, white objects from its mouth.
Jiang Ci looked closer—were these eggs? Could they be the giant tortoise’s eggs? Why had it brought them here?
[Host, the giant tortoise is asking for your help in protecting its eggs,] the system translated.
“It wants me to protect them?” Jiang Ci was astonished. She knew her own limitations well—she lacked physical fitness, having spent years working in an office. Without the system’s protection, even climbing five floors would be a struggle.
[Earlier, those people provoked the giant tortoise because they were after these eggs. Some survivors capture and tame the young of mutated creatures, and the eggs of these creatures contain significant energy reserves. Some survivors even consume them to enhance their abilities. By leaving the eggs in our restaurant, their safety is guaranteed,] the system explained.
When Jiang Ci had overheard Zhou Lin and the others talking earlier, she had been puzzled. Now, she finally had an answer.
“So, we’re going to help it raise its offspring?” Jiang Ci’s voice still trembled slightly. Outside, the giant tortoise had lowered its head almost to the ground, appearing completely non-threatening, as if sincerely pleading her.
[It’s up to you, host. Aside from tasks within the hotpot restaurant, I won’t force you to do anything you don’t want to do.]
Jiang Ci hesitated for a moment, but eventually, her heart softened, and she nodded. Then, with a hint of worry, she asked, “If they hatch, what will they eat? Every animal I’ve ever raised didn’t survive more than a month.”
[Host, there’s no need to worry. The giant tortoise can hatch and raise its young on its own,] the system added.
Jiang Ci’s eyes widened as she glanced at the giant tortoise and then at the hotpot restaurant, which wasn’t even half the size of the tortoise’s shell.
[Once inside the hotpot restaurant, the giant tortoise will be suppressed by the restaurant’s rules, shrinking to the size of an ordinary tortoise, and its strength will also be restrained, ensuring it won’t harm the host,] the system explained. [If the system accepts them, you can form a contract with the giant tortoise. Once the contract is established, the tortoise will be bound by it, not only refraining from harming you but also protecting you in times of danger. Additionally, nearby mutated creatures of a lower level than the tortoise will avoid the vicinity of the hotpot restaurant, effectively providing you with double protection.]
[This type of contract is used on my planet to control powerful interstellar beasts, so the host need not worry about the contract’s efficacy.]
Hearing this, Jiang Ci felt reassured. She cautiously moved out, picked up the three tortoise eggs scattered on the ground, and carried them into the hotpot restaurant.
She found a box in the kitchen, lined it with one of her own clothes, and carefully placed the three eggs inside.
Just as Jiang Ci had settled the three eggs, she noticed a large tortoise slowly entering through the main door.
Compared to its earlier mountain-like size, the tortoise now appeared much smaller, though it was still several times larger than an ordinary tortoise, resembling a medium-sized dog.
Seeing it approach, Jiang Ci instinctively took a step back.
As if sensing her fear, the tortoise stopped in its tracks, turned around, and slowly made its way to the box in the corner, climbing inside with deliberately cautious movements.
Jiang Ci stood still for a while, observing the tortoise. When it showed no further movement, she returned to the counter.
The counter was separated from the box in the corner by only a wooden partition, allowing Jiang Ci to easily peek at the tortoise and its eggs.
The system, acting as an intermediary, helped Jiang Ci and the giant tortoise form a contract. Although Jiang Ci didn’t see the contract itself, she felt a warm sensation slowly flowing through her body. The moment the contract was successfully established, she noticed her body felt lighter, her senses sharper, somewhat similar to when she had first bound with the system.
[This is because the giant tortoise’s power has been reflected onto the host. While you won’t possess its astonishing destructive capabilities, your physical condition will improve,] the system explained.
Jiang Ci raised an eyebrow, surprised by this unexpected benefit.
She glanced at the giant tortoise and suddenly found its face oddly endearing.
After a few days of cohabitation with the tortoise and its three eggs, Jiang Ci discovered that the tortoise was remarkably intelligent and quiet. Knowing she feared it, it rarely made any noise.
Initially, Jiang Ci had resolved to keep her distance, as the tortoise’s earlier imposing image was hard to shake. However, after spending these days together, she realized the tortoise had an exceptionally calm temperament. It could lie still for an entire day, and even when Jiang Ci accidentally kicked its box, it would simply shift slightly before settling back down.
The system had mentioned that the tortoise was already a level nine mutated creature, capable of sustaining its life without food. Thus, Jiang Ci didn’t feed it anything, and the tortoise seemed indifferent—whether fed or not, it remained eerily stable in its demeanor.
Every day when Jiang Ci had her meals, she noticed the tortoise would glance her way. So one day, she decided to scoop a bit of her own food into a small bowl and placed it in front of the tortoise, which slowly ate it all up.
Thus, Jiang Ci found a new pastime when there were no customers at the hotpot restaurant—feeding the tortoise. She even gave it a name: ‘Hui Hui1,’ because its skin and shell had a greenish-gray hue.
pls do not share this anywhere or u will always stub ur toe when u walk past a door frame !! this translation has been stolen from mioscorner.com, pls only read there i’m begging u :kneels:
After a few quiet days, the hotpot restaurant suddenly became lively again.
On this particular day, before Jiang Ci had even gotten out of bed, someone started knocking on the door.
Jiang Ci quickly dressed and unlocked the wooden door to find several people covered in dust and blood, supporting each other at the entrance. A strong smell of blood wafted in with the wind, indicating they were injured.
As the wooden door opened, the survivors outside were startled to see a girl with soft, long hair, fair skin, and a delicate appearance standing before them in her pajamas.
The three people outside were momentarily speechless, their expressions almost identical.
“Good morning,” Jiang Ci greeted them with her business smile. “Are you here for some hotpot?”
“Is this… really a hotpot restaurant?” one of the girls with long hair asked hesitantly after a long pause.
Jiang Ci looked clean, spoke coherently, smiled appropriately, and seemed mentally sound—but in the apocalypse, this was the most abnormal thing.
“Why don’t you come in and rest for a bit?” Jiang Ci suggested, noticing how they were struggling to stand and still looked shocked. She pushed the door open wider.
The group glanced back. They had just escaped from a massive horde of zombies that had taken over most of the area. This hotpot restaurant seemed to be the only safe haven.
It was this strange phenomenon that had driven them to flee here, hoping to hide in the wooden hut. However, the seemingly fragile wooden door was surprisingly sturdy, forcing them to knock instead of just breaking it down.
They had seen the hotpot restaurant’s sign, but none of them actually believed it was a real hotpot restaurant.
Eventually, they stepped inside and cautiously took seats.
Their eyes wandered around the room, briefly landing on the tortoise in the corner, which had lifted its head. It felt vaguely familiar—normal animals were rare in the apocalypse, unmutated and non-threatening to humans. But they didn’t linger on it for long.
Finally, their gaze settled on a blackboard next to the counter. Jiang Ci had found it in the kitchen corner the day before while bored and had written the menu and prices on it, making everything clear at a glance.
Potato slices: five first-level crystal cores. Fatty beef slices: two second-level crystal cores. Rice: one second-level crystal core per person.
After the three of them entered, they began to clean and bandage their injured areas, skillfully taking out gauze and other items from their backpacks.
Jiang Ci didn’t rush to promote her business either; instead, she quietly started preparing the hotpot soup base.
- Literally ‘Grey Grey’ ↩︎