Little Alpaca – Chapter 5

Volume 1: Little Alpaca

Are You Hungry?

Just as the novel’s setting described, the Demon Realm had little light.

Even in the Buhuo City¹, the Demon Capital known as the brightest place in the Demon Realm, the entire world would grow murky after nightfall, as if shrouded by layers of miasma, eerie and terrifying.

The Demon Realm was too barren. The Demon Lords of every generation had all hoped that the demon race could freely choose between light and darkness, rather than being forever confined to the dark, yearning for the light through a single window.

On her first night in this world, Yi Qiu found it difficult to fall asleep for a long, long time.

In her eyes, this wasn’t a real world; it was more like she had been dragged into a game by some strange force.

Do quests, grind stats, survive until the end to change the outcome, and then she could successfully leave.

She thought, if she ever got back and told people about this, no one would believe her. They might even think she was a lunatic and send her to a mental hospital.

But right now, she couldn’t even get back.

To get back, she first had to curry favor with You Yan, raise her various attributes, and obtain the ability to change the plotline.

How does a normal alpaca usually get along with its owner? The novel never described it.

Yi Qiu tried hard to recall for a long time. The more she recalled, the more she felt this alpaca was no different from the cats and dogs raised by the main and supporting characters in other novels. Every day, aside from eating, eating, eating, it was just spitting, spitting, spitting.

The trash male lead² was able to meet You Yan precisely because he “ran into” her alpaca on his way down the mountain to trade medicine for salt. He was then chased and spat on the entire way, before suddenly tripping on flat ground and falling in a sorry state before a woman in white, amusing her so much she couldn’t stop smiling.

It was absurd, but that woman in white who was so amused by the male lead’s sorry state was none other than the Demon Lord, You Yan.

When You Yan walked the Human Realm, she went by the alias Bai Jianyou³. Her personality was incredibly lively and spirited, and she was always accompanied by a rare pet no one had ever seen. It wouldn’t be an exaggeration to say she was like a sprite emerging from the forest.

When she first started reading this story, Yi Qiu never would have thought that a girl portrayed by the author as so likable would turn out to be the most heartless and cold-blooded major villain of the entire novel.

Thinking of this, Yi Qiu habitually changed her lying position, but this human posture was rather uncomfortable for an alpaca, so she changed back.

She thought, today, during the day, You Yan had just finished refining the Demon Seed to deal with the male lead’s adoptive parents. With the necessary tool acquired, she would probably be heading to the Human Realm soon.

She wondered if it was even possible for her to accumulate enough attributes to become human before You Yan pushed the main plot forward.

On second thought, if she just ran away after becoming human, she would most likely deviate from the main plot. She probably still had to stick by this villain’s side and wait for an opportunity.

What a headache.

If only I could have transmigrated as the female lead. I could have changed the plot into a satisfying, scum-trashing novel⁴, that what-so-called lovey-dovey stuff could go to hell. I’d just focus on my career, and once the villain was dead, I’d go back to the Heavenly Realm to be an immortal⁵. How perfect would that be?

Failing that, transmigrating as the second female lead would have been fine, or even the third. At least those women, blinded by love, were all gods before they fell into demonhood with the male lead. If any of them had a clear head, they’d have the power to change the worldline.

“Transmigration, transmigration… You could have transmigrated into anything, but it had to be an alpaca.”

Yi Qiu sorrowfully covered her eyes with her hooves, as if by blocking her sight, she could peacefully fall asleep.

But she still suffered from insomnia that night. Having only drifted off to sleep near dawn, she hadn’t been asleep for long before she was startled awake by a demon servant who had come to deliver her meal.

Yi Qiu was used to living alone. When someone pushed open her door while she was sleeping, her first reaction was that a burglar had broken in. She immediately sprang up on all four limbs, staring with utmost vigilance at the tall, thin demon servant.

The demon servant said nothing, only filling the food basin with hay, tidying the room with light movements, and then turning to leave.

Only at this moment did Yi Qiu slowly come back to her senses.

This was no longer her home. This was that goddamn⁶ novel world, the capital of the Demon Realm—Buhuo City.

The Demon Realm was often overcast and rainy. It was cloudy outside right now; if it had been a clear day, the sun would probably be high in the sky.

Yi Qiu told herself that as a healthy alpaca, now that she was awake, regardless of whether she was sleepy, she should first fill her stomach before considering going back to sleep.

But the problem now was that the demon servant who delivered her meal today had once again only brought her a basin of hay.

Poor little alpaca. Her food has always been so bad, no wonder she’s so thin and small.

Yi Qiu stood silently by the basin of hay for a long time. In the end, she took a few sips of water, then pushed open the door and walked out, yawning.

Yesterday, she had dazedly made her way to You Yan’s bedchamber and was nearly scared to death. So today, she decided to walk in the opposite direction to see if some kind soul elsewhere might feed her.

Actually, she knew that if she went directly to You Yan, there would definitely be good things to eat. But You Yan was just too detestable. If it wasn’t necessary, she really didn’t want to encounter that annoying person in the slightest.

At least, not today. After all, she was still angry from yesterday.

It was rather sad, but in this world without televisions, computers, or phones, Yi Qiu had unconsciously come to regard food as her sole spiritual comfort.

Faced with this completely unfamiliar world, the main quest that could drop on her head at any moment, and the plot-mandated death of eventually being slaughtered and eaten by the villain, she was extremely anxious, yet her mind was still filled with the three questions she loved to ponder most back in her school days.

What’s for lunch? What’s for dinner? What’s for breakfast tomorrow?

Having been woken up after so little sleep, she was truly exhausted. But no matter how tired she was, she wanted to eat first.

After all, her last meal was yesterday afternoon, and she’d spent half the night unable to sleep. Her stomach had long since started rumbling in protest.

Yi Qiu really wanted to grab a guard and ask where on earth the cooks in this Demon Imperial Palace were hiding, and why she couldn’t find them no matter how hard she looked. Unfortunately, she couldn’t speak, and the people here didn’t recognize the writing from her world, so she could only give up on the idea and continue searching on her own.

She searched and searched, and searched and searched, until she finally smelled the fragrance of food drifting from afar. She immediately quickened her pace, hopping in the direction the aroma came from.

At that moment, the little alpaca’s steps were especially light. Her four short legs went patter, patter, her speed incredibly fast, yet she ran for a very long time without finding the source of the smell.

As she ran, she faintly sensed something and gradually slowed her forward pace.

Can the smell of food really travel this far? This isn’t scientific at all.

Wait, this direction, the surrounding scenery…

It all looks a bit familiar.

Yi Qiu couldn’t help but stop and look around. The bad feeling grew stronger.

“I suspect I’ve been here before,” she said quietly to the System.

【Be more confident. Get rid of the “I suspect”.】

After responding, the System very considerately performed the exact same action as yesterday—it coated the Demon Lord’s bedchamber before her with a golden-edged lighting effect worth fifty cents⁷ at most.

The only difference was that today there was no barrier, nor was there that ridiculously exaggerated, oversized exclamation mark.

Well, I’ll be⁸. Humans die for wealth, and birds die for food⁹.

Yi Qiu felt she wasn’t an alpaca, but a bird. Yesterday she was lured here by the smell of sugar pills, and today she was lured here by the smell of a meal.

When the time comes that I really die and end up in the villain’s stomach, I’m afraid it’ll be because I was tempted by food, won’t it?

Don’t panic, don’t panic…

As long as there are no plot clues, I can slip away now.

Yes, there’s still time to slip away.

Thinking this, Yi Qiu turned around with a very stiff body, her four little hooves moving in an extremely light and slow tiptoe, just like a guilty little thief.

Just as she felt she was far enough from You Yan and could speed up and escape, a streak of cold light suddenly shot out from the bedchamber behind her.

Yi Qiu’s soul instantly flies beyond the heavens¹⁰, shrieking as she broke into a frantic run. But before she could take more than a few steps, the streak of cold light wrapped around her two hind legs—thump, she fell like a dog eating sh#t¹¹.

That cold light wasn’t a beam of light, but a water-colored long whip named Chuixue¹². This whip was sentient and could recognize its master; it was an extraordinary magical treasure¹³.

After being entangled by it, Yi Qiu was quickly “dragged” back into the room by You Yan. Her sorrowful little appearance was just like a dog on a leash that wanted to go out but was forcefully dragged back home by its owner, her entire face screaming that life was meaningless.

“You’ve been quite clingy these past two days, coming to see me so diligently,” You Yan said, putting down her wooden chopsticks. She sat sideways, looking with a half-smile at the little alpaca trussed up by Chuixue.

Here we go, here we go, this detestable villain is f#cking starting to bully the weak, pitiful, and helpless little alpaca again!

Yi Qiu let out an indignant cry. But alas, as an alpaca, no matter how furious she was on the inside, all that came out was a single “En,” which happened to perfectly follow up on You Yan’s narcissistic words.

Realizing this, Yi Qiu immediately rolled her eyes.

Just then, You Yan suddenly recalled Chuixue to her waist.

“Come here.” She bent over slightly and clapped her hands, as if calling a little puppy.

“Absolutely not! I’m not a dog!” Yi Qiu protested in her heart.

You Yan watched her quietly, saying nothing, as if waiting for the little pet before her to carry out her “command.”

Yi Qiu’s temper flared up again. She raised her neck and spat at You Yan three times—of course, not a single one broke through her defense.

But she discovered that this Demon Lord was definitely a masochist¹⁴. Otherwise, why would the System notify her of “You Yan’s Favorability +10” every time she spat?

Yi Qiu had reason to suspect that the true purpose of her innate skill wasn’t dealing damage, but increasing favorability.

Thinking of this, she couldn’t help but consider the possibility of rapidly grinding favorability. But just as she spat at You Yan for the fourth time, a System notification left her completely dumbfounded.

【You Yan’s Favorability -100】

Yi Qiu: ?????

The sky is falling! Struck by five thunders![ efn_note]五雷轰顶 | wǔléihōngdǐng | A chengyu literally meaning “to be struck by five thunders from the heavens.” It describes a state of extreme shock or devastation, as if one has been struck by lightning.[/efn_note]

How can it deduct so much favorability? It’s not like I broke her defense, why be so petty!

“Come here.” The second call came, You Yan’s tone having already changed.

Yi Qiu suddenly felt a chill coalesce behind her, like the edge of a blade pressing forward, every inch carrying an immense threat against her tiny, defenseless body.

She suddenly broke out in goosebumps and hastily leaped in front of You Yan—it was the only place without the chill.

You Yan smiled and stroked the little alpaca’s head, retracting the surrounding chill. “Are you hungry?” she asked nonchalantly.

“En…” From head to toe, every part of Yi Qiu’s body was trembling.

“I’ll feed you.”

“En…” Tears welled up in Yi Qiu’s eyes.

You Yan picked up her bowl and chopsticks again, a smile returning to her lips—but the favorability points did not return.

Yi Qiu felt that her life was just too hard, too hard, too, too, too hard.

She couldn’t help but think sorrowfully, this Lord Demon Lord must be the woman in this world who loves bullying little alpacas the most, most, most, most.

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