Chapter 29: Miss Squirrel Fish

Chen Ye activated his Pupils of Fortune and discovered that Miss Squirrel-Fish was surrounded by a dense layer of white mist. In the center of this mist, a speck of deep blue, reminiscent of the ocean, stirred a sense of familiarity. This shade of blue differed from the "Blue of Creation" found in the aura of the old man playing the erhu; instead, it bore a closer resemblance to the two guards stationed at the entrance of Xijiang Park. Her abdomen was piled with a thick, yellowish-brown substance, like earth that had accumulated over many years.

"A yellow aura of fortune, appearing near the stomach—that is quite rare..."

However, based on Chen Ye’s judgment, this type of aura belonged to the common residents typically found in the "Era of Weirdness." He detected no immediate danger. Yet, Miss Squirrel-Fish’s expression was somewhat dull; her overly crowded facial features made it difficult to discern any emotional shifts. Even after emerging from her wooden hut, her reactions remained stiff, numb, and lacking in confidence. She did not take the initiative to greet the guest, displaying a slight touch of social anxiety.

"Miss Squirrel-Fish, here is the new ingredient I’ve prepared for you."

The old woman selling chestnuts smiled warmly and placed one of the ingredients in front of Miss Squirrel-Fish. At that moment, a glimmer of light finally ignited in the woman's murky eyes. She slowly opened her mouth—a massive maw that could descend from her two-meter-high head all the way to the ground. "Abyssal gullet" was hardly an overstatement. Chen Ye was nearly stunned upon seeing it; even three or four pieces of food of that size could likely be swallowed in a single gulp. Each "ingredient" alone was larger than an adult human.

The moment the chestnut-selling grandmother tossed the "ingredient" over, only a few seconds passed before Miss Squirrel-Fish opened her abyssal maw and devoured the entire thing, chewing and swallowing as she went. One could see large chunks of food sliding down her long, fleshy, tube-like neck, causing it to swell visibly.

Just then, some extra bony protrusions on Miss Squirrel-Fish’s back began to shed, while new ones slowly grew in their place. At the same time, Chen Ye noticed that the yellow aura piled in her abdomen was slowly expanding. He began to understand what this yellow aura of fortune represented.

The chestnut-selling grandmother stepped forward, picked up the bony protrusions that had fallen from Miss Squirrel-Fish’s back, and walked over to Chen Ye, explaining, "Miss Squirrel-Fish possesses deep-sea lineage. Her constitution is inherently different from ordinary people, allowing her body to grow various strange organs."

"Hehe, she once participated in a competitive eating contest and successfully won a special reward, granting her an even more powerful digestive ability. Even ingredients that have been contaminated—which are inedible for us—she can consume without issue, and it causes no significant harm to her health."

"But being physically gifted comes at a cost," the old woman continued. "It often means the mind is simpler than that of an ordinary person. Although Miss Squirrel-Fish’s brain doesn't react very quickly, she has always been warm-hearted and kind, willing to help others process contaminated ingredients for free. Of course, during the process, Miss Squirrel-Fish absorbs a portion of the energy; it’s a fair trade. The excess energy turns into flesh on her back, which then sheds and transforms into cookable ingredients. These ingredients have undergone secondary digestion, removing the contamination, and their texture has become harder, feeling almost like pinecones when bitten..."

The old woman’s gaze fell upon the "pinecones." Like an elderly woman finding a jade bracelet at a market, she stroked them gently with an appreciative smile. "Therefore, I gave this ingredient a special name—'Pinecone!'"

Chen Ye looked at the fish gills on either side of Miss Squirrel-Fish’s face, then to her giant rat-like body, and finally to the fish-scale-like "pinecones" on her back. In that moment, he finally understood how the name "Miss Squirrel-Fish" had come to be.

"Whew..."

Inhaling sharply, Chen Ye rubbed his temples, resisting the mental pollution brought on by the visual impact. His brain raced, rapidly analyzing everything he had witnessed. *It seems Miss Squirrel-Fish is a friendly entity. She possesses deep-sea lineage, similar to the sea prince descendants near the Xijiang River. Deep-sea descendants usually have human bodies but can fuse with various organs from deep-sea creatures.*

Based on the information gathered so far, sea prince descendants in the "Era of Weirdness" generally represented order and were rarely associated with evil. Combined with her aura of fortune, Miss Squirrel-Fish was worthy of trust. Furthermore, Chen Ye’s eyes fell upon the "Pinecone," which also displayed a yellow aura.

A yellow aura of fortune represented prosperity. However, through Chen Ye’s later observations, he realized the interpretation of the aura was not so specific; rather, it leaned toward abstract traits. The so-called abstraction meant the imagery was not concrete but represented multiple related attributes. For instance, blue represented creation, but could also symbolize music, knowledge, or even the sea. Similarly, the yellow of prosperity represented the accumulation of matter, but this matter was not necessarily wealth—it could also be the vast amount of food accumulated in Miss Squirrel-Fish’s stomach.

Moreover, the chestnut-selling grandmother had mentioned that Miss Squirrel-Fish had participated in a competitive eating game and gained an extraordinary ability to consume. This was likely a trait similar to [Glutton]. She could digest contaminated food and simultaneously discharge excess energy, which would bloom into the "pinecones" on her back. Although the food she ate was contaminated, the combination of her bloodline and characteristics allowed the resulting "pinecones" to become excellent ingredients.

Furthermore, because a portion of the energy remained in her body during digestion, providing the energy required for her daily activities, the "pinecones" growing on her back were essentially excess energy. This satisfied the principle of equivalent exchange. It meant that if one had contaminated ingredients, they could be handed to Miss Squirrel-Fish for free processing. Of course, the trade-off was that the resulting "pinecones" were compressed; perhaps ten pounds of contaminated meat would only yield one pound of pinecones. However, Chen Ye knew this was not a bad thing. At the very least, as long as he did not violate the principle of equivalent exchange, the probability of triggering death rules would be minimized.

"Miss Squirrel-Fish, I’ll trouble you to process these contaminated ingredients, then."

Chen Ye took down the three large pieces of 'contaminated meat' from his back and placed them in front of Miss Squirrel-Fish. Miss Squirrel-Fish slowly moved her massive body toward the "ingredients." Her abyssal maw, as if not even fully opened, swallowed the entire giant tumor-like mass in one go.

*Crunch! Crunch!*

A harsh, grating sound of chewing echoed continuously. Chen Ye actually found that the sound of her chewing was comparable to his own suona; the familiar sensation felt almost like returning home. He tried his best to suppress the urge to take out his suona and play a tune.

Just then, more "pinecones" shed from Miss Squirrel-Fish’s back and fell to the ground. The chestnut-selling grandmother bent down, slowly picked up a few of the "pinecones," and smiled. "Now that we have the proper ingredients, we can officially begin the cooking lesson!"