Chapter 74 - Smiles and Disappointments

I’ve gone to see the animals drinking water.Pandora thought carefully.

Although it might be a bit late, half of the animals probably had not finished drinking yet, so it was indeed worth a look.

So off she went.

Pursing her lips, Pandora carefully grabbed the Triangular Prism that Richard had given her and headed down the small hill. As she walked, she suddenly couldn’t resist and lightly hopped a couple of times, feeling it might be a bit inappropriate and resumed walking normally. But after only a few steps, she started hopping again.

Walking a few steps, hopping a few times, Pandora alternated between walking and hopping until she reached the water pond at the base of the hill.

There indeed were many animals that hadn’t finished drinking yet, mostly those situated farther from the water pond and some that arrived late.

Even though she had not come over until now, they were all queuing orderly, drinking water in turn.

Pandora then saw a wild boar, usually the first to cut in line, queuing up sensibly and standing quietly in the middle of the line, slowly moving forward. When it was finally its turn, it began to drink its fill before turning to leave. This behavior was a stark contrast to its previous obstinate conduct—as different as heaven and earth.

Of course, it would have been perfect if one ignored the bruises on the wild boar’s head—these days, it had been beaten up quite a bit. Ten days ago, after “fleeing from crime,” it was too thirsty to bear it and had come to the pond to drink water, only to receive an unapologetic beating.

For several days afterward, no matter how careful the wild boar was, it couldn’t avoid being punished. From initially dodging to ultimately resigning itself, it was beaten into submission, far more docile than even a rabbit, and wasn’t likely to think of cutting in line or bullying others for a while.

Pandora, watching the wild boar obediently drink and leave, nodded approvingly, but suddenly remembered something and waved at the wild boar.

The wild boar about to leave was suddenly startled, staring at Pandora and feeling apprehensive.

What… what’s going on! It had behaved today, not only had it not cut in line, but it had even actively allowed a sick patchy-hog to move ahead. Could it be that this was also punishable, accused of helping other animals cut in line?

How unjust!

The wild boar lamented in its heart but dared not to flee as it had done before, especially after a week of relentless beatings; it truly didn’t want to experience that again.

Better a short pain than a long one.

The wild boar steeled itself, snorting from its nose with a sense of fatalism as it walked towards Pandora. Its eyes were wide as it seemed to say, “Go ahead, hit me if you want, I’m not afraid!”

But in the next moment, before the wild boar could react, it felt Pandora’s arms on its body, followed by a strong force that knocked it to the ground.

Is it… really going to be beaten?

The wild boar trembled, its courage dissipated nearly instantly, feeling the water it just drank churning, threatening to uncontrollably gush out.

No, no, I must hold it in, I have to, otherwise I might not only be embarrassed but could also be beaten to death.

The wild boar thought as it strained the muscles in its lower body, but seeing Pandora’s delicate yet extremely powerful hand being raised, it couldn’t control its impulse to gush.

Just as the wild boar couldn’t help itself, it felt Pandora’s hand descending on its body again, bracing itself for the immense impact and intense pain. However, it was suddenly astonished to discover… it didn’t hurt at all.

Hey, it really doesn’t hurt.

Had it been shocked silly or crippled?

The wild boar looked anxiously at where Pandora’s hand had fallen, noticing no injury; Pandora was actually grabbing its mane and gently rubbing it.

What was this all about?

The boar was puzzled, then suddenly felt a chill and couldn’t help but guess, “Is she trying to skin me?”

Oh no!

The boar’s fears never came to pass, as Pandora was merely stroking its bristles gently, with a slight frown, as if testing something important.

Honestly, the boar’s bristles were extremely stiff, but who was Pandora? She was a Giant Dragon. She softened the rigid bristles of the boar, rubbing them into a squishy state.

At first, the boar was uneasy, but after a moment, it calmly accepted everything, even began to enjoy it, and finally realized profoundly, “Good pigs get good rewards, always getting beaten for cutting in line before, but now getting a massage without cutting—had I known this, only a fool would cut in line to drink water.”

Ah, comfortable, yes, just like that, keep going…

Watching the boar, lying on the ground as she massaged its bristles, Pandora saw the boar making a “gurgle” sound, seeming so comfortable it was about to fall asleep, her eyes twinkling.

So her earlier sensation wasn’t from a Spell, was it? Rubbing like this, is it really that comfortable? But why?

Frowning, puzzled.

The boar, feeling Pandora’s hand stop, turned its head to look at Pandora deep in thought, trying to please her, pushed its head forward like a dog, completely losing its dignity, sticking out its tongue to lick Pandora’s hand.

But… it didn’t reach…

Just as the boar opened its mouth and its tongue stretched out, it felt a heavy smack, its entire head almost smashed into the ground. Then it heard Pandora with a tone of disdain, “Stinky!”

Stinky? How was it stinky? Okay, there might be a bit of a smell, but it wasn’t the boar’s fault for not brushing its teeth, right? Do you see any wild boars brushing their teeth by themselves?

Moreover, even if it was a bit stinky, that was no reason to lash out. She had just been massaging it so comfortably, how could she hit it suddenly without any reason? Indeed, females of all species are the most terrifying creatures, even when just a little girl. It did well not to mingle with the female boars.

The boar thought aggrievedly.

Unaware of the boar’s complex thoughts, Pandora punched the boar’s half head into the mud, stopping what she perceived as the boar’s presumptuous actions. Then, she tilted her body and lay down using the boar as her pillow.

The boar was shocked, what happened to the stink complaint? Why was she lying directly on it now? This woman is really fickle! If not for the fact that it couldn’t beat her… Never mind, it might as well just lie down obediently, otherwise it really would get a beating, not worth it.

The boar lay there very obediently on the ground, not daring to move, then caught a glimpse from the corner of its eye of Pandora pulling out a shiny object. She held it over her head, aiming at the Sun.

A colorful “rainbow” beamed down, shining on Pandora’s face.

Pandora’s eyes sparkled, and in the next moment, her usually cold face changed slightly, her lips curving slightly in an almost imperceptible smile.

But soon, the smile disappeared, the corners of her mouth turned downward, and her eyebrows knitted together.

That guy would eventually leave, wouldn’t stick around to play, wouldn’t give her any more gifts, nor would he stroke her head ever again, even though she was no longer resistant.

Pandora pondered, her eyes flickering.

The boar: “Huff puff… such a strange woman…”

Meanwhile, in an ancient castle room on a small mountain top.

Richard looked at the Crystal Skull, took a deep breath, and began his formal study.