Ch 16 : New intel

Su Yuan suddenly opened his eyes—it was that familiar yet strange sensation again…

Feeling the stinging pain in the palm of his left hand, he knew he had died once more.

Su Yuan tried to lift his left hand but found that he had no strength at all.

With no other choice, he turned his palm upward and strained his head to the left, barely making out the words carved into his palm.

"What's going on…? Why is the handwriting so messy this time?" Su Yuan was confused.

The newly appeared writing was so sloppy that he had to put in a great effort just to decipher it.

[You've died again. This is probably the fourth time today, right…?]

[The food Sigewinne prepared for you might taste a little strange…]

[But you must try your best to eat it!]

[Whatever you do, do NOT spit it out!]

Food? Now that it was mentioned, Su Yuan did feel incredibly hungry—his stomach was already growling…

Since crossing over to this world, it had been more than ten hours, and he hadn't eaten anything at all.

Wait, no… if he counted it, he did eat a bug on Furina's bed…

As for the strange taste?

He vaguely remembered that Melusines perceived the world quite differently from humans, so it made sense that their food would taste a bit odd.

But right now, he was starving—probably desperate enough to eat anything!

Who cares if it tastes good or bad? As long as it's edible!

..........

"Su Yuan, I'm coming in."

Not long after, a soft knock sounded at the door.

The door then opened, and Sigewinne walked in, carrying a small tray to Su Yuan's bedside.

"Oh! You're awake, Su Yuan! Perfect timing—it's dinner time."

"You need to eat properly to replenish your energy and recover quickly."

"The Duke specifically asked me to take good care of you, so I personally prepared a highly nutritious meal for you."

"Thank you, Head Nurse Sigewinne," Su Yuan replied, trying to sit up, only to realize that he couldn't.

"It's okay, Su Yuan. Don't push yourself. You're still in recovery—it's normal to feel weak." Sigewinne adjusted the bed's backrest, allowing Su Yuan to sit up.

"No worries, I'll feed you."

"Ahh—open up! This is my special milkshake. Even the Duke praised it! Try it first to soothe your throat."

As she spoke, Sigewinne brought the straw to Su Yuan's lips.

Remembering the message carved into his palm, this time, Su Yuan only took a small sip…

As expected… the taste was definitely a little strange.

How should he describe it?

The milkshake had a distinct earthy taste, reminiscent of the Loess Plateau—like dried plants ground into fine powder and mixed into muddy water.

But at the same time, there was indeed a milky flavor.

However, the milk seemed excessively dry, as if cheese had been left to sun-dry on a desert plateau for twenty-one days straight…

Perhaps because he had mentally prepared himself, Su Yuan actually didn't find it that difficult to drink.

Then, under Sigewinne's expectant and delighted gaze, Su Yuan finished the entire milkshake in one go.

Sigewinne's eyes sparkled with excitement, looking absolutely thrilled.

"Wow, Su Yuan, you actually drank all of my special milkshake! That's amazing! This will really help with your recovery!"

Seeing Sigewinne's joyful expression, Su Yuan also felt genuinely happy.

As expected, happiness was contagious.

"Alright, alright! Now let's move on to dinner!"

Sigewinne cheered as she happily opened a cute bento box decorated with heart patterns.

However, what was inside completely caught Su Yuan off guard…

At first glance, there were several large meat steaks, fried eggs, rice, and various vegetables…

However, the large steak… was purple.

The fried egg… was green.

The rice… was blue.

And the vegetables… were black.

Su Yuan instinctively swallowed nervously, feeling a little tense.

The milkshake earlier had looked decent but tasted questionable…

So maybe this meal, which looked strange, would actually taste decent?

As it turned out, Su Yuan's guess was correct.

The oddly colored meal wasn't particularly delicious, but at least it wasn't awful…

At the very least, it was much better than some school cafeteria food.

After finishing his meal, Sigewinne performed a routine check-up on Su Yuan and confirmed that everything was fine.

"Su Yuan, that's it for tonight. Get some good rest, and I'll see you tomorrow morning!"

"Alright, Head Nurse Sigewinne. See you tomorrow!"

"Su Yuan, you seem to really enjoy my nutritious meal set. Should I make it for you again tomorrow?"

Just as she was about to leave, Sigewinne suddenly asked.

Su Yuan instantly broke into a cold sweat and hurriedly refused, "No, no, there's no need to give me special treatment… I'll just eat whatever the others in Meropide Fortress are having at the designated cafeteria!"

"Alright then, since you insist, I won't prepare one for you tomorrow."

After Sigewinne left, Su Yuan finally let out a sigh of relief.

"So, Su Yuan, how was Head Nurse Sigewinne's cooking?"

Not long after, Wriothesley appeared at the hospital room door.

"I'm really curious—did you really find her milkshake praiseworthy?" Su Yuan asked.

"Haha~~ Who says something has to taste good to be worthy of praise?" Wriothesley chuckled.

"Besides, I was complimenting its nutritional value, not its flavor."

"I've been thinking… I might have figured out the conditions for Sigewinne's Eerie transformation."

"Oh? Let's hear it," Wriothesley said curiously.

"It's simple—if you eat the food Sigewinne prepares, you must not throw it up."

"Got it. In that case, I'll just avoid eating it altogether," Wriothesley nodded.

"I'll keep that in mind. For now, just focus on getting some rest tonight."

With that, Wriothesley bid Su Yuan farewell.

To be fair, Sigewinne's cooking wasn't completely inedible—it was just… unique in taste.

Su Yuan couldn't help but think of a certain shut-in from Inazuma.

Now her cooking was truly apocalyptic…

How was she doing now? Had she been affected by the Eerie?

And what about Furina? How was her situation?

Had Neuvillette and Chevreuse managed to resolve the situation outside?

How could the Eerie be defeated?

What was their true nature?

Thoughts swirled endlessly in Su Yuan's mind, and before he knew it, he drifted off into sleep…

...........

Feeling the sharp sting in his right palm, Su Yuan slowly opened his eyes...

He tried moving his body. Whether it was thanks to getting enough rest or if Sigewinne's "nutritional meal" had actually worked, he wasn't sure—but either way, he felt much better.

With relative ease, he lifted his right hand and looked at the words engraved in his palm...

[First of all, congratulations on surviving the second night.]

[Currently available information:]

[1. During the daytime, Furina is the real, normal Furina.]

[2. Neuvillette can be trusted at all times—day or night—but only when the weather is clear.]

[3. After sunset, do not appear in Furina's sight. If you are accidentally discovered, make sure to return to her bed before she does. Once you are there, no matter what happens, do not leave the bed until sunrise.]

[4. Your number of regressions is not unlimited, but it refreshes daily.]

This new piece of information shocked Su Yuan!

Thinking back to the writing on his left palm from before—how the words became more and more unreadable—could that have been related to this limitation?

How many times could he regress per day?

Yesterday, he had regressed four times.

Although the writing had become nearly illegible, he still managed to return.

This meant that his daily number of regressions was at least four…

But was there a fifth?

Su Yuan didn't want to gamble on that.

He couldn't afford to gamble on that.

"…Tch. So there's a limit after all. Looks like I can't abuse this ability," he muttered before continuing to read.

[5. If Sigewinne carefully prepares food for you, make sure to eat everything. Do not waste her kindness.]

Su Yuan immediately realized—this was the true condition for Sigewinne's Eerie transformation.

Fortunately, he had followed the left palm's warning yesterday and finished the entire "nutritional meal" she prepared for him.

This confirmed information was slightly different from his initial guess.

The key wasn't just not throwing up—he had to eat everything.

He needed to tell Wriothesley and the others as soon as possible.

[6. If you see Chevreuse carrying a gunlance with the barrel facing downward, be cautious—she is no longer Chevreuse.]

[7. After surviving the third night, new information will be unlocked.]

Su Yuan stared at the sixth message.

This is critical information.

He couldn't just sit around—he had to inform Wriothesley and the others immediately.

He tried to get out of bed and found that, while his body still ached, he could at least stand and walk slowly.

Grabbing a nearby broomstick to use as a makeshift cane, he steadied himself and stepped out of the hospital room, making his way toward Wriothesley's office…

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