As autumn deepened, a heavy rain swept through Cocoyasi Village.
"Wow, wow, wow, why is it suddenly raining so hard!"
"Brother Xiano, run quickly!"
From the gate of the tangerine orchard in the twilight, a black-haired boy dashed out, carrying two baskets of tangerines on his shoulders, sprinting towards the village.
Suddenly, there was a rustling sound from the baskets, and two little figures popped out from the pile of tangerines, one on each side, peeking out from the boy's shoulders.
"Charge, Xiano Ship! Three hundred meters ahead is the intersection, full left rudder!"
The girl with orange hair on the left raised her right hand, full of spirit.
"Nami, be considerate, brother is already very tired."
The blue-haired girl on the right opened an umbrella, slightly frowning, her voice gentle.
"Huh? So you're the considerate one? If you were considerate, you wouldn't still be sitting in the basket!"
"Nonsense! I'm holding the umbrella to shield brother from the rain. He's a head taller than me, how else could I cover him?"
"Tsk, I was just saying I was afraid Xiano couldn't see the road clearly if he looked down, so I was directing him. At least I'm more useful than you!"
...
Listening to the familiar bickering of his two sisters, Xiano was already used to it. Glancing at the umbrella that wasn't covering him at all, he quickened his pace slightly.
Even though the two sisters and the hundred and thirty kilograms of tangerines were all on his shoulders.
The boy still ran swiftly, his breathing steady.
Moments later, the familiar house came into view.
The lights were already on.
Through the window glass, a slender figure could be seen busy in the kitchen, the smoke from the chimney mingling with the rain and mist, quickly disappearing.
Pushing the wooden door open with his right hand, the orange glow from the fireplace instantly enveloped him.
In the warm, cozy light, the sweet scent of tangerines and pinewood collided, pushing the cold rain and chill back out the door.
Xiano set the baskets down on the floor, closed the door, and lay down on the old sofa, stretching out comfortably in a starfish shape.
The firelight from the fireplace turned the dusk into thick caramel, flowing over his outstretched limbs.
At that moment.
The soreness and fatigue seemed to drift away with the desolate sound of the rain.
"Oh, you're back, Nojiko, Nami."
The sound of footsteps from the kitchen grew closer, "And Xiano, you've really been working hard lately."
Oh no! The two little ones scrambled out in a panic, but knocked over the bamboo baskets, both falling to the ground with a thud, the golden tangerines rolling around like little suns.
"Ah, I knew it!"
The young woman in an apron, with a deep red ponytail, stood with her hands on her hips, looking angrily at her two daughters.
"You said you were going to help your brother, but you were just causing trouble, weren't you? Sitting on Xiano's carrying pole, were you trying to tire him out until he collapsed? Is that what makes you happy?"
"Bellemere, we know we were wrong..." Nami and Nojiko looked pitiful, kicking their toes on the ground.
"It's alright, Bellemere."
Xiano turned his face on the sofa, his tired voice filled with gentleness, "Don't blame them. The rain was heavy and sudden. I told them to hide in the baskets. Not only could they stay dry, but it was also a good way to exercise."
"That's right, that's right."
The two guilty little ones immediately became yes-men.
"Ah, so annoying, when will you two ever be as sensible as Xiano!"
Bellemere lightly rapped her fists on the heads of the two little ones, not having the heart to use much force. "Don't do this again next time. Grab a towel and dry your hair, then come in for dinner!"
Saved! Nojiko and Nami glanced at their older brother with tearful gratitude before cheerfully rushing to the kitchen table.
"Bellemere, what's for dinner tonight… Is that duck breast with orange sauce? Yay!"
"And honey-glazed ribs, wow, let me try!"
"Hey! Did you wash your hands before grabbing food? You little rascals, at least wait for your brother!"
…
Listening to the lively chatter coming from the kitchen, Xiano leaned back comfortably, only to feel the warm ceramic rim of a cup press against the back of his neck. The warmth of ginger cola mixed with honey slithered into his nostrils like a snake.
"Drink it while it's hot."
Bellemere's voice sounded, tinged with exasperation. "You're always looking out for your sisters, but you never take care of yourself."
She then pulled out a set of clean clothes from the wardrobe and, to Xiano's astonishment, swiftly yanked off his shirt and began wiping his upper body with a warm towel.
"Uh, Bellemere,"
Xiano tried to dodge but was forcefully pulled back into place, his face flushing with embarrassment. "I'm thirteen already, you don't need to do this. I can handle it myself."
"Enough with the nonsense!"
Bellemere asserted her authority as a foster mother, leaving no room for argument. "You're only two years older than Nojiko, stop acting like some mature man. Stand still!"
There was no way out of it.
Xiano could only stand there like a ragdoll, letting her fuss over him, though his face showed clear reluctance.
Deep down, however, a warm feeling welled up.
To live in Cocoyasi, to grow up in such a family…
It's really nice.
In his past life, when had he ever experienced anything like this?
At twelve, he cut his hand while changing a lightbulb in the orphanage. At twenty-five, he collapsed from overtime work and was rushed to the hospital in an ambulance. On his twenty-sixth birthday, the heart rate monitor in the ICU flatlined…
Until he suddenly opened his eyes.
He found himself transformed into a five-year-old boy, covered in blood and filth, amidst the ruins. A female marine in a white justice cloak struggled to bend down and extend a lifeline to him.
…
"How many times have I told you!"
Bellemere suddenly pinched his ear hard:
"Don't push yourself, don't push yourself! You've already collected twelve baskets of oranges today, and you still insisted on making the seventh trip. Don't you know that little heroes who overdo it are the most likely to catch a cold!"
Xiano winced and hurriedly reached for the towel, only to have a clean set of clothes, carrying the fresh scent of citrus, draped over his head.
The coarse wool sweater brushed against his neck, causing a slight itch. The crackling of the fire mingled with the rustling sounds of her tidying up the wet clothes.
In his past life, the piles of plaid shirts never carried the scent of sunlight. Yet now, the touch of the rough fabric against his skin stirred a strange ache in his chest.
Xiano looked at his reflection in the mirror.
Black hair, black eyes, the outline of a thirteen-year-old boy bathed in warm light, his eyelashes still damp from the towel.
The lonely figure that once stood before the floor-to-ceiling windows of a skyscraper had long since been ground to dust in the ticking of the old living room clock.
"Thank you," he suddenly murmured.
Bellemere paused for a moment as she bent over to tidy the clothes, then quickly resumed her task as if nothing had happened.
"What are you talking about? I should be the one thanking you."
"You've taken on all the hard and tiring work in the orange grove. It makes me, as a mother, look quite useless. Honestly, you're still such a little thing, yet your strength is astonishingly immense."
"I wonder who your birth parents were. It feels like they must have been quite remarkable. Maybe as you grow older, your Bloodline will suddenly awaken, and you'll inherit some incredible power..."
Bloodline power?
What Bloodline? And suddenly awakening? I'm not the King of Nika.
Xiano was momentarily stunned, finding it both amusing and exasperating.
In the first few years after his reincarnation, he had lived in a daze, spending his days playing and roughhousing with his sisters, picking mushrooms in the mountains one day and catching fish in the river the next, just like a real child.
It wasn't until the last couple of years, around the age of ten, when his brain had fully developed, that he gradually sorted out the memories of his past and present lives.
His birth parents in this life were just ordinary people from the Kingdom of Oykot, who died in that brutal war, with nothing particularly special about them.
And if it hadn't been for Bellemere, who happened to rescue and raise him after he crossed over, he would have likely ended up as a corpse in the ruins.
But still.
Bellemere's constant muttering was understandable.
Because his performance was indeed somewhat extraordinary, especially in Cocoyasi, a small village in the East Blue.
At just thirteen years old, his strength was already unimaginably great.
During the wrestling competition at the recent Harvest Festival, not a single one of the hundreds of adult men in the village could stand against him, not even lasting a few rounds.
An ordinary background, an ordinary Bloodline.
Raised in a rural fruit farming family, never tutored by any renowned master.
The reason he had such strength was naturally due to the cheat he carried with him.
"Deep Sea."
Xiano silently recited the activation phrase in his mind.
The system instantly activated, and the air rippled like mermaid silk. A dark blue screen, visible only to him, appeared before his eyes.
This was the "Sacrifice Trading System" he had awakened three years ago.
[Name: Xiano (Siano)]
[Age: 13]
[Height: 159cm]
[Strength: 1.9]
[Agility: 1.8]
[Endurance: 1.7]
[Mental Power: 1.3]
[Remaining Points: 25]
[Skills and Talents: Breathing Fist Technique (Proficient), One-Sword Style Swordsmanship (Beginner), Cooking (Beginner), Fruit Tree Cultivation (Proficient), Fishing (Master)]
The average baseline attributes for an ordinary adult in the world of Pirates were around one.
Although Xiano's baseline attributes were only slightly above one, in a scenario where both sides were unarmed, he was confident he could easily fend off the combined assault of seven or eight adults.
After all, during the wrestling competition, he was just playing around, not even using his true strength.
Clearly, the calculation of attribute points wasn't as simple as addition or subtraction.
It was likely based on some kind of exponential function, where even a slight increase in value, just a fraction of a point, resulted in a significant difference in strength.
The so-called Sacrifice Trading System.
As the name suggests, it included a marketplace that offered several items purchasable with Points, refreshing once a month.
The source of Points depended on whether the host could provide suitable sacrifices.
After a sacrifice, Points of equivalent value would be awarded based on the sacrifice's worth.
When Xiano first awakened the system, he wasn't sure what could be considered an offering. He experimented everywhere, even grabbing a passing dog to try it out.
But whether it was a freshly caught fat fish, a rabbit hunted in the forest, or a large-denomination 1,000 Berry bill, none could be offered as a sacrifice.
It wasn't until he tried Bellemere's old service pistol from her days as a marine that he stumbled upon success.
The system even thoughtfully provided an appraisal panel:
[Offering: Bellemere's Old Flintlock]
[Quality: Fine]
[Value: 50 Points]
[Appraisal Comment: A weapon that accompanied Bellemere throughout her youth. The worn barrel bears witness to her growth from a green recruit to a capable soldier on the battlefield. Even after retirement, she often polished this gun, not just for memories but also as a symbol of her strength in supporting the family. It holds significant meaning to her.]
Too damn thoughtful.
After reading the appraisal, Xiano tossed and turned in bed, guilt-ridden and unable to sleep well that night.
Especially the next day, when Bellemere discovered her pistol was missing and stood at the door, furious and cursing the thief all morning, he felt like slapping himself a few times.
I really deserve to die!
So, as the guilt gradually faded and he went to choose his next targets, he tried to pick inconspicuous little items.
Like Nami's Orange Flower Hair Clip and Nojiko's forehead band.
These were things Xiano had bought for his two sisters years ago when the family was still poor. They were already worn out and not worth much.
Now that life was slowly getting better, it was about time to replace them.
But...
The sacrifice was successful.
It's just that the damn system still loved to twist the knife.
[Offering: Nami's Orange Flower Hair Clip]
[Quality: Common]
[Value: 180 Points]
[Appraisal Comment: A cheap accessory from a general store, priced at 100 Berries. Yet young Nami adored it, treating it as a treasure, wearing it every day and even placing it under her pillow at night. It carries the deepening bond between siblings.]
...
[Offering: Nojiko's Old Headband]
[Quality: Common]
[Value: 30 Points]
[Appraisal Comment: A faded cloth strip stained with citrus juice, difficult to clean. Nojiko, with the self-awareness of the eldest daughter, would tie it around her forehead to help whenever her foster mother and older brother were busy in the citrus grove. She feared the stinging pain of sweat in her eyes, which would make her doting brother worry.]
That day, Xiano was silent for a long while before giving himself two more slaps.
I really deserve to die!
(End of Chapter)