Translator-Rhapsodite
Editor-Pierce, Proofreader-adjective
The plot of this fairy tale was simple.
A story of evil having its retribution.
A pair of a brother and a sister, because their family was poor and their stepmother wasn’t a good person, were taken by their father to the depths of the forest and abandoned.
They had stolen the bread and tried to break it into crumbs as a guide home, but the birds pecked on them.
The two siblings who were abandoned in the forest, starving and cold, clung to each other.
Luckily, they came across a hut made of gingerbread, cake, and candy.
The two siblings were surprised and delighted and demolished the house to feast on it.
The owner of the hut was a cannibalistic witch, who treated the two suddenly arrived children with a pleasant face, but in fact, considered them as her own food reserve.
After the witch showed her evil face, the two witty children worked together to fight back.
The older brother deceived the witch and stalled for time, while the younger sister tricked the witch into looking into the boiling pot with a lie, and pushed the witch into the pot.
They took part of the witch’s treasures, went to a river, asked Mr. Swan to carry them across the river, and returned home.
When they returned home, the wicked stepmother had long since been killed by a mysterious serious illness.
And the soft-hearted father, of course, could only be regarded as innocent.
So the family lived a happy and pleasant life.
The end of the story.
Nan Zhou did not comment on this story.
He read this fairy tale when he was young, and compared it to a cookbook, carefully designing several candy houses in his mind.
… Now he could finally see this deity.
Although there was no clear expression on Nan Zhou’s face, as usual, Nan Zhou’s mood was obviously good.
His hands being in his pockets, tiptoeing more frequently, and constantly looking around than usual were all signs of this.
This kind of innocent childishness, which was buried under a sober and cold exterior, was occasionally revealed, making Jiang Fang adore it to death.
He said, “Let’s go.”
Of course, the reason for walking forward without any hesitancy was that they didn’t have a way back.
There was no way out behind them.
The road was surrounded by a large arc of trees. The tangled vines entwined around it, filling every possible crevice that they could peer back.
This was certainly the setup of the copy, requiring them to move forward.
Given that there was no way out, they did as they were asked.
The mottled pebble road stretched to the edge of the forest, and within their line of sight it became brighter, and then it diverged.
On one side was a colorful hut a hundred meters away, with chimney smoke curling up.
And there were obvious NPCs standing by at the entrance.
It was a tiny pair of figure that were standing and holding hands.
They looked like a pair of little princes and princesses.
When the little girl in the pink dress saw that there were visitors, she hurriedly stood on her toes and waved her handkerchief at them cheerfully and enthusiastically.
The other road was in the opposite direction, close to the edge of the woods, and extended in a twisting way.
This snake-like trail was sparsely vegetated, and the road ahead was unknown.
The three looked at each other.
Although he really wanted to visit the candy house, Nan Zhou knew that it was equally important to secure the escape route.
He pointed backward with his thumb to the more desolate one.
Jiang Fang nodded slightly, acquiescing to Nan Zhou’s judgment, and also pointed to the unknown road.
The two turned their heads, both seeking Li Yinhang’s opinion.
Li Yinhang naturally followed their lead.
Unknowingly, the tacit understanding of the three didn’t need more words to express.
They collectively left the NPCs, walking on the opposite side of the road, gradually drifting away.
Two small NPCs who warmly greeted the guests, “……?”
……
The further the road went, the more moist the soil became.
A pungent, watery smell also gradually intensified.
And after a quick walk of nearly ten minutes, they finally reached the end of the road.
As they turned another corner, an enormous swamp appeared in front of them.
The swamp was so vast that it was difficult for Nan Zhou to determine the perimeter for a while.
The murky, green swamp had milky white blobs of bubbles similar to a skin of a leper, continuously bursting and excreting gloppy fluids like a poisonous juice.
On one side of the dead tree branches, an ordinary bird was slowly picking its feathers.
This was the only living thing visible within their sight, besides themselves.
Jiang Fang broke a branch and threw it upward into the swamp.
We’re sorry for MTLers or people who like using reading mode, but our translations keep getting stolen by aggregators so we’re going to bring back the copy protection. If you need to MTL please retype the gibberish parts.
Ktf rkjwq kjr ilxf atf wbeat bo j ugffvs yfjra, rdelgwlcu gjnfcberis, rkjiibklcu atf ygjcmt lc bcf ylaf.
Ol Tlctjcu ygbxf bea lc mbiv rkfja.
Ktlr rkjwq wjvf eq atf ybgvfgr bo atlr fcalgf wjq.
Pc batfg kbgvr, fnfc lo atfs fzqfglfcmfv vjcufg lc atf mjcvs tberf jcv atf yjmx qjat kjr yibmxfv, atlr rffwlcuis ecrelajyif mgbrrgbjv kjr jirb j vfjv fcv, j cb kjs bea.
Their exploration this time was absolutely crucial.
Thinking of this, Li Yinhang didn’t even want to go to the candy house.
… But it was just a fleeting thought of hers.
She was about to ask if they wanted to stay here to investigate when her stomach suddenly twitched.
A clear sense of hunger came up from the bottom of the stomach.
Under this convulsion, the stomach squeezed out a dull “grunt” sound.
Li Yinhang “licked” her lips, slightly embarrassed.
In front of the expansive sewage-like water of sludge and gunk, her stomach emitted a rumbling growl, which was as humiliating as belching from your rear into a toilet.
Nan Zhou was thinking when he heard the sound, he looked at Li Yinhang, “You are also hungry?”
——Also.
Li Yinhang’s heart tightened violently.
She should have sensed the message buried behind this unusual change in desire in the [Brain Invasion] copy.
She said, “Well, here is the brain—”
“Brain stem. Nucleus ambiguus. Vagus nerve.” Nan Zhou declared. The brain nerve, which was in charge of the digestive and respiratory system, was mainly used to tell you, “you’re hungry”.
This also reflected the story of “Candy House”
The siblings wouldn’t have been abandoned if the family hadn’t fallen into a financial famine.
If it wasn’t for hunger, they wouldn’t have entered the witch’s house by mistake.
Jiang Fang put one hand on his waist and belly and gently rubbed it, “So, it’s a time limit level.”
That was certainly true.
With physical sensation alone, they could clearly experience the feeling of hunger gradually intensifying in their bodies.
Like a monster, it was slowly opening its bottomless mouth.
Nan Zhou said succinctly, “Go back.”
Now, this hungry sensation was still within the tolerable category.
On the way back, they tried to eat a meager amount of food that they exchanged with points.
The purpose wasn’t to fill their stomachs as it was an experiment.
Everyone ate a cookie so they could make a simple estimate of the speed of their hunger.
The vagus nerve was also associated with swallowing.
Thus, their hunger was temporarily suppressed.
But less than halfway through, their hunger level was comparable to that before eating the cookie.
So, they divided the rest of the package of biscuits, so as to ensure that they had sufficient physical strength and wouldn’t be overly affected by hunger before approaching the candy house.
As they approached the fence built out of chocolate bars, the expectant black-haired brother and sister once again put on an amicable stance and smiled brightly at them.
Their eyes were a stunning peacock green, like velvety gems.
They held hands side by side and bowed politely toward their guests.
The etiquette was thoughtful and quite elegant.
“Guests from far away-”
If it was in the past, she would certainly display as much kindness as possible to those NPCs who were still minors.
However, due to the gradual lack of blood glucose levels along the way, Li Yinhang wasn’t in the mood to waste time with them.
Under the influence of Nan Zhou and Jiang Fang, she directly asked, “What is the mission?”
Siblings, “……”
It was probably the first time they experienced the feeling of being treated brazenly as a tool person.
The previous players, even if they felt hungry, at least knew how to be polite to NPCs.
The sister opened her mouth and froze for a moment before regaining her speech, “You… guys come in first.”
Nan Zhou, who was beside Jiang Fang, looked up at the candy shop he had longed for since he was a child.
The “lawn” leading to the house was decorated with a grid of stone slabs.
Guests could step on the slabs to enter, without worrying about inflicting damage to the ground.
The lawn was a large piece of green velvet cake, with traces of green coconut, with an attractive matte “color” in the sunlight.
The pretty skirting made out of macarons decorated the roof’s eaves.
And the roof was made out of Napolean pastries. It was clear what the fillings of the pastries were just by looking at the side of the cake, raspberry jam, butter sauce, and each layer was evenly baked and properly evened.
Baked golden crispy puff pastries made up the walls.
Colorful mousse glaze, glittering brilliantly under the sunlight in gradient hues.
This situation made Nan Zhou miss the prop that he had used up, [Ma Liang’s Sketchbook].
Jiang Fang saw his thoughts, grabbed his hand apologetically, shook it, and his eyes were soft.
Nan Zhou immediately recalled why Jiang Fang had to use the prop, his heart was instantly filled with that strange pain, and his overwhelming appetite also subsided a lot.
He firmly grasped Jiang Fang’s palm and unashamedly displayed—in front of the outsiders—his desire to protect.
Originally, Jiang Fang, who just wanted to comfort him, “…”
Jiang Fang whispered, “Someone is here.”
Nan Zhou also replied softly, “It’s because there are others.” …I want to protect you.
The decoration inside the house was just as captivating as the outside.
The lower edge of the wall seam was decorated with waves of emblem, with a thick layer of apple puree inside it.
Shell-shaped madeleines were shaped into bite-sized pieces and adorned with the pictures of the siblings on the walls.
A small coffee table was set with a fancy tea set and several plates of fluffy and delicious soufflés.
The small teapot on the side emitted the fragrance of tea.
However, the house was still paved with wooden floors, and all kinds of furniture that weren’t made of candy.
The feeling of immersing oneself in the bliss of happiness didn’t feel excessively sweet.
Everything was just right.
The brother warmly poured tea for them.
When ceylon black tea was poured into a bone china teacup, the aroma permeated into the saccharine surrounding, eliciting a magnificent and profound chemical response that made it even more appetizing.
The younger sister courteously asked, “Travelers from afar, are you hungry?”
As she spoke, she pushed the soufflé on the small table towards them.
“… Please have some.”
With the stimulation of food, the hunger that had been slightly suppressed immediately surged out.
What’s more, this hunger was spurred by her nerves.
Hard to resist.
Unable to resist.
Li Yinhang almost couldn’t help but stretch out her hand.
But she immediately grabbed her wrist with her other hand in a death grip.
Although there was little evidence, intuition told her that what was here definitely couldn’t be easily consumed.
On the other side, Nan Zhou sat quietly with his brows lowered.
Thinking for a while, he asked softly, “Do we need to do something for you?”
“… ‘Do something’?”
The sister held up one of the black tea cups, brought it to her lips, and curled her moon-like eyes, “No need for that oh.”
“Our life is blissful. There is no need for you to do anything.”
This answer was beyond Li Yinhang’s prediction.
——What?
Nan Zhou, however, looked unchanged.
—— Lying.
Nan Zhou liked the setting of “Candy House” the most.
He had read the book many times.
It could be said, since entering this candy house, they had already faced innumerable inconsistencies.
First, in the original story, the two siblings finally took the witch’s treasure, left the candy house, crossed the river, returned to their father, and lived a rich and happy life.
And now, they have returned to the candy house.
… And took the witch’s place.
Second, the two siblings were obviously ordinary farm children, but now they were exquisitely well-mannered and dressed in brocade, looking far from ordinary kids.
No, this elegance seemed to have come from a kind of proficiency.
They were skillful in soliciting the hungry customers who came and went.
They seemed to treat it as a business.
Third, in the original story, they were clever children.
But they were also children who knew how to use lies to achieve their goals.
Their words couldn’t be taken as the whole truth.
All these doubts, in turn, pointed to a number of questions.
Why did the two siblings return to the witch’s candy house?
Where did their father go?
Should they follow their instructions and do the “pastry eating” as their task?
Or should they refuse the allure of the superficial and try to uncover the hidden mission?
Perhaps it was because none of the three had the intention to use a knife and fork to eat, but one looked at the roof, the other looked at the ground, and the other looked around, and the younger sister’s tone changed subtly.
Her voice became a little discontented: “You guys, why aren’t you eating?”
Li Yinhang forced herself to hold back the rising stomach acid, “I don’t like to eat sweets.”
This was obviously not a good reason to refuse.
Because the faces of the two siblings immediately darkened.
Jiang Fang knew that Li Yinhang had already refused, and the next person mustn’t candidly decline.
So he stretched out his hand seamlessly and said eloquently, “My teammate likes sweets very much.”
As he said that, he was going to take the knife and fork on the edge of the bowl and cut the cake for Nan Zhou, but he seemed to accidentally knock the silver fork off.
The fork rolled down precisely near Nan Zhou’s feet.
He gave a gentle apology and turned to Nan Zhou again, “Teacher Nan, pick it up for me, please.”
After this interaction, seeing that they were willing to eat, the two siblings’ expressions brightened.
This also bought them a little time to continue observing safely and collect clues.
Nan Zhou leaned down and was about to pick up the silver fork at his feet when something attracted him from his periphery, landing on the spot not far from the bottom of the sofa.
Suddenly, a fourth doubt flashed in his mind, which he had faintly felt strange before, but hadn’t been able to clearly perceive.
——Wooden floor.
Why did the interior of the candy house have a wooden floor?
Was it because of practical considerations that this wasn’t convenient to live in?
But, besides constraining the residents’ activities, what was the practicality of the enormous green velvet cake lawn outside?
According to common sense, how could a house built from sweets block the heat and the rain? How could people live here?
In the fairy tale world, it was indisputable that everything was possible.
But why did they have to be realistic with the floor and furniture?
What Nan Zhou glimpsed in the corner of his eye gave these questions a clue to the answer.
There was a thin piece of a nail firmly wedged between the cracks of the wooden floor.
The tip of the nail was pale. If one didn’t look closely, it would appear like a transparent thorn.
This didn’t make sense.
Usually, even if someone’s fingernails were stuck in the crack of the floor and accidentally removed by the roots when pulling them out, it should also have the nail tip and be neatly removed immediately. They wouldn’t permanently stick in the crack.
This yanked-nail scene looked like… the floor once cracked through it.
And one fell out of it.
In their dying struggle, the person clawed at the cracked edge of the floor and got their fingernails ripped.
The nails stuck to the edge of the cracked floor because of the stickiness of the flesh and blood.
And as the floor was redone again, the nail was also treated as a piece of a wooden spike and forgotten.
… It was like a hand that was buried alive and desperately asking for help.
A strong sense of crisis swept up Nan Zhou’s heart.
He quietly reached out to the nail.
The next moment:
From the gap between the bottom of the sofa, Nan Zhou accidentally met a pair of green eyes.
Somehow, the upper half of the brother’s face and a pair of eyes appeared on the other side of the bottom of the long sofa, staring intently at Nan Zhou.
The pair of innocent eyes that belonged to a child, when looking straight at others, had a penetrating gaze likened to an animal, with cold hostility and scrutiny.
His voice was muffled by the gap of the sofa, making it a bit dull and gloomy, “… Guest, did you find the fork?”
Nan Zhou remained unperturbed and showed him the silver fork in the palm of his hand from the gap.
The boy blinked, and in an instant, replaced it with that pretty innocent smile, “Then please hurry up and taste it, the tea is getting cold.”
Nan Zhou “hmmed”, straightened up, and put the fallen silver fork next to the small plate.
Nan Zhou held the nail he had just quickly pulled out and hid in his palm, probing it with his thumb and delicately tracing the shape and marks of the nail.
The blood on the nail had dried, and a thin layer of blood could be scraped off.
But the nail itself wasn’t dry and brittle, and it could be discerned that the time it was peeled off wasn’t long.
He looked at the two siblings.
Their hands looked uninjured.
And, just when Nan Zhou’s hand touched the wooden floor, he felt a strange warmth.
This warmth wasn’t obvious when stepping on it with your feet across the shoes.
But when felt with the hand, the warmth became excessively distinctive.
This warmth was by no means natural.
Under the floor, as if a massive boiler was burning.
It was conceivable that if the house floor was also made of cakes, even if it didn’t deform, it was easy to bake it mushy with such heat.
Nan Zhou glanced at Jiang Fang.
Jiang Fang gave him a light wink with a hint of inquiry.
Nan Zhou was stunned.
Jiang Fang was a little more sensitive with regard to these details of the body.
He may have discovered the temperature under their feet to be an anomaly. Before touching the silver fork, he wanted Nan Zhou to help verify his speculation.
Nan Zhou could easily associate it with the story. The sister pushed the witch into it and boiled her alive in a boiling pot of water.
The strange temperature from the depths of the floor, combined with the two siblings who replaced the witch as the new owner of the “Candy House”, and the strange nail wedged in the cracks of the floor at an odd angle… these circumstances.
The food here wasn’t edible.
Not a single bite.
Uh, Teacher Nanny could use a card of ice cream maker Shen Dongqing, ahahah
Thank you very much for the translation 🤍
Thank you for the update ❤️💯
thanks for the chapter <3