013 The "Adventure" in the Old Mansion

“Chirp-chirp, who are you? Chirp-chirp, why are you here?” The voice of the flaming little creature kept chirping away; if one didn’t look at its appearance and only listened to its voice, one would absolutely mistake it for a bird talking. For this reason, Theresa couldn’t help but grumble inwardly—something that looks like a bird but doesn’t sound like one; something that sounds like a bird but looks like a ball of fire. Truly, what a bizarre place…

Though she was complaining in her heart, she responded aloud to the little fireball’s questions. “I’m Theresa. I was just pushed inside by someone, and I can’t get out. I followed a big bird in.”

At this, the flaming ball continued to gaze at her quietly. Theresa thought for a moment and added, “A big bird that makes a ‘ka-ka’ sound.”

“Ka-ka,” the flaming ball seemed to be possessed by the big bird, imitating its call. “Ka-ka is bad, bringing strangers in. Ka-ka is naughty, must be punished.”

From this, Theresa realized that Ka-ka must be the name of the strange-looking big bird. A sudden thought struck her, and she asked tentatively, “Is your name Chirp-chirp?”

“Chirp-chirp, chirp-chirp!” The little fireball bounced around in delight, so much so that it made her dizzy. “You know Chirp-chirp? You know Chirp-chirp? Chirp-chirp is famous now, chirp-chirp, chirp-chirp…”

Watching the dizzying display, Theresa remained silently speechless—whose pet was this, to name it so lazily…

Perhaps because she had called out its name, Chirp-chirp immediately became much friendlier towards her. After its happy dance, it fluttered onto Theresa’s shoulder and chirped, “Chirp-chirp, Chirp-chirp will take you to see the boss. Ka-ka is silly and lost you. Chirp-chirp would never be so foolish.”

Theresa, resigned, could only follow Chirp-chirp’s lead. As they walked, she tried to ask about the house and this miniature forest, but Chirp-chirp suddenly became uncommonly clever, feigning ignorance no matter how she probed. In the end, apart from a little idle chatter, she learned nothing useful at all…

They hadn’t walked far when the view suddenly opened up. The canopy overhead thinned, letting sunlight dapple the ground in little circles. The ground had been cultivated into patches, each growing different plants: some just sprouting, others already with stems and leaves, and some bearing fruit. At a glance, Theresa could only recognize one or two that served as both food and medicine.

“Ka-ka, stranger walks slow, so slow, so slow.” The familiar ka-ka call sounded again. Theresa looked over and saw the big bird perched on a branch, mocking her—mocking her? Yes, the golden eyes were clearly filled with derision. Theresa couldn’t help but feel vexed…

Being mocked by a bird? What kind of world was this?

While she was quietly aggrieved, Chirp-chirp was already defending her. “Chirp-chirp, bad Ka-ka, led the wrong way. Chirp-chirp, bad Ka-ka, got someone lost. Ka-ka is dumb, dumb Ka-ka.”

“Ka-ka won’t stoop to argue with silly Chirp-chirp, ka-ka.” Ka-ka lifted its head disdainfully. At this, Chirp-chirp grew anxious, tears welling up in its tiny eyes!

With a crisp “Pa!” the showboating Ka-ka was suddenly slapped to the ground, its sharp beak plunging into the soil. Whether this was from the force of the blow or the sharpness of the beak was unclear.

“No bullying Chirp-chirp,” a deep voice sounded next. Compared to the odd voices of Ka-ka and Chirp-chirp, this voice was almost entirely human; anyone hearing it would think a person was speaking. Yet Theresa clearly saw a small, feline creature step out from behind the branch where Ka-ka had been standing. It was about the size between a house cat and a leopard, with long legs, short fur, and a pair of pointed ears standing straight up. Its emerald eyes, the same color as Theresa’s, held the calm and depth of an old soul.

“Woody!” Chirp-chirp, like a bullied child seeing a parent, threw itself at the catlike creature, rolling happily on its back. The sight of a flaming little ball rolling on Woody’s back was oddly fitting.

Ka-ka, subdued by Woody’s paw, didn’t dare return to the tree after pulling itself out of the dirt. Instead, it crouched on the ground, scraping its beak against the trunk and peeling off strips of bark.

Woody flicked its long tail, gently lifted Chirp-chirp from its back, and set it on a branch. Then, with a single leap, it landed before Theresa. The two pairs of emerald eyes met; after a long moment, Woody spoke first: “Follow me.”

Theresa watched Woody saunter off in its feline way and let out a long sigh—why must she keep wandering about? By now, she must have walked as much as she normally would in three days…

Still, she had no choice. She had trespassed—albeit by design and treachery—so she would have to follow the master’s arrangements.

After all, Ka-ka, Chirp-chirp, and Woody were the original inhabitants of this estate.

They crossed the fields and wound around a hedge, and suddenly the view brightened—no more shade, only radiant sunlight. Beneath the sun stood an ancient manor. Its wooden structure was completely unlike the stone and brick buildings of the present day; the large floor-to-ceiling windows gave it a feeling of openness—even though most were covered by curtains. A rocking chair sat on the veranda, bathed in sunlight, exuding an air of utter laziness and comfort.

Theresa fell in love with this serene mansion at first sight.

Woody leapt lightly onto the veranda and slipped through a half-open mirrored door. Its voice drifted back, “Master, a guest has arrived.”

With both anticipation and anxiety, Theresa watched as a disheveled old man emerged from the mirrored door, Woody perched on his shoulder. The old man was extremely tall, almost touching the eaves above the veranda; he was exceedingly thin, his ample robe hanging off him like rags on a scarecrow. His expression was cold, his eyes like water, his aura frosty; the moment he appeared, the temperature seemed to drop by several degrees.

Guessing this was the master, Theresa immediately dropped into a curtsey. “Greetings. I am Theresa Borgia. I entered your estate by mistake and beg your forgiveness for any offense.”

As she was performing the courtesy of a junior, her eyes were respectfully lowered, giving her an air of utmost deference. Even so, she could clearly feel the chill of the old man’s gaze upon her—a look that sent a cold shiver through her heart.

Under such scrutiny, a second felt like an eternity. As Theresa endured it, the old man finally spoke: “Two days of service at the old house each week. You may choose the dates.”

“Ah?” Such a cryptic pronouncement left Theresa utterly baffled. She looked up in surprise, about to ask for clarification; but at the sight of those icy gray eyes, she swallowed her words. Instinct warned her not to question, not to object—danger, grave danger!

Perhaps her reaction satisfied him, for he flicked his fingers; the crisp sound echoed through the empty manor. Immediately, Theresa sensed something brush past her, an odd feeling that made her furrow her brow. Before she could puzzle out what it meant, Woody had leapt from the old man’s shoulder and sauntered past her, leaving behind, “Come with me.”

Woody led the way, guiding Theresa along the stone path around most of the vast wooden house. She didn’t know how, but soon they reached the entrance of the large courtyard—the ironwork gate, always tightly shut, stood ajar, just wide enough for a person to slip through.

“Go on. Remember the agreement.” With those words, Woody bounded into the woods beside the pebble path and vanished in a flash.

Theresa was truly exhausted. Everything that had happened today—especially in this manor—had left her head pounding and her body weary. She didn’t want to think anymore; dragging her tired body, she slipped through the gate.

With a heavy “bang,” the iron gate slammed shut the instant she crossed the threshold. Theresa looked up at the dense canopy and let out a deep sigh—

“How tiring…”

…

“Therese!” a delighted shout came from nearby. Theresa turned, but before she could see clearly, she was swept into a pair of strong arms, a big hand thumping her back in joyful reunion.

“Achille, if you keep smacking me like that, I’ll end up with internal injuries.” Theresa grumbled helplessly.

Achille immediately let go, inspecting her from head to toe. Satisfied that, aside from looking a little drained, she was otherwise unharmed, he began chattering away, recounting everything that had happened to the four of them since they parted. Theresa could only sigh at fate’s caprice—

As it turned out, the ordeal that had so exhausted her ended without any real resolution. The reason was simple: both sides’ badges were taken by a third party. With neither Pedia’s group nor Joans’s team possessing the gambling tokens, the match had to be called off. At the start, both sides had, whether intentionally or not, overlooked a crucial point—today was the height of the Treasure Hunt Festival, when the city was flooded with badge seekers. No matter how well they hid the badges, the countless “treasure hunters” trained by years of festival experience were bound to find them!