My Orc Husband Dotes on Me Excessively

Chapter 3:Plant and Animal Collection System

After a while, the spiky beast on the wooden rack was fully roasted, releasing an inviting aroma that made both siblings’ stomachs growl loudly. Even the well-behaved cub could not resist the lure of food, swallowing hard and asking repeatedly. “Sis, when can we eat the spiky beast? Cub is so hungry!” “Alright, alright!” An Luo lifted the roasted fish and glanced aside. “Cub, can you pick one of those big leaves for Sis?” “Okay!” The cub nodded obediently and scurried off. Moments later, he returned clutching a leaf bigger than his own head. An Luo took the leaf, rinsed it clean by the stream, then laid the spiky beast on top to cut it apart. By the bright firelight, she picked out as many bones as she possibly could. She had no experience taking care of children, but she knew kids needed all fish bones removed—otherwise they might choke. It took her quite a while to clear all the bones from one small chunk. Once it cooled enough not to burn his tongue, she handed it to the cub and warned him gently, “Eat slowly. Spit out any bones you find, okay?” The cub happily took the meat, yet he did not take a bite straight away. Instead, he tore off a tiny piece and held it up to her mouth, his voice soft and childish. “Sis eats first!” His grimy little hand stretched toward her. An Luo swallowed hard, barely holding back her revulsion. But when she met his sincere, expectant eyes, she could not bear to turn him down. She closed her eyes, popped the piece of meat into her mouth, and swallowed it whole without chewing. The spiky beast was fully cooked, yet without any seasonings to mask its fishy stench, the odor lingered. Still, the water here was clean and unpolluted, so it was barely palatable. Seeing her accept his offering, the cub grinned wider and quickly stuffed the rest of the meat into his mouth. After one chew, he froze in shock. Was this really the rank spiky beast he’d eaten before? How could it taste this good all of a sudden? An Luo ate her roasted spiky beast carefully while keeping a close eye on the cub, fearing any overlooked bones. She did not miss the stunned look in his eyes. “Sis!” The cub stared at her with sparkling eyes, as if he’d discovered an entirely new continent. An Luo picked another boneless chunk and handed it over. “Hurry and eat. It’ll turn smelly once it cools.” At the mention of turning foul, the cub did not dare waste another word, terrified of going back to eating the stinky raw fish he’d known before. The two siblings were starved half to death. They finished the entire seven-to-eight-pound spiky beast clean down to nothing but a pile of bones. By now, night had fully fallen. Full and content, the brother and sister huddled together beside the fire. Watching the cub stifle yawns and fight off sleep, An Luo patted his small head. “Sleep now. Sis is here, rest easy.” The cub instinctively nuzzled her palm, about to say something, but her hand was so warm that he drifted off to sleep instantly. Gazing at the cub curled fast asleep against her lap, An Luo’s expression softened unconsciously. This was her little brother. For the first time in her life, she had family. Yet thinking about the Beast God Continent, a world ruled by the strong where the weak fell prey to the powerful, and looking at her own thin, frail limbs, she sighed again and again. Both she and the cub sat at the very bottom of the food chain. Surviving here would be incredibly hard. 【Ding~ Matching host detected. Would you like to bind the system?】 【Ding~ Host consent received. Automatic binding in progress…】 【Ding~ The No.1 Flora & Fauna Catalog System successfully bound! I’m Erbao, your system spirit Erbao, here to serve you, Master…】 An Luo stiffened, a buzzing sound ringing in her head as new information flooded her mind. A system? Had she heard correctly? The signature golden finger every transmigration novel heroine received? 【That’s right, Master! This Erbao is the legendary, famous No.1 Flora & Fauna Catalog System!】 An Luo: “…” Was her system a little untrustworthy? 【This Erbao is the most reliable system from the System Bureau! Don’t badmouth Erbao behind my back—I can hear every word you think!】Now An Luo heard it clearly—it was a tsundere little girl’s voice. She sheepishly scratched the tip of her nose. Nothing was more embarrassing than getting caught badmouthing someone. She quickly changed the subject. “What can Erbao do for me?” 【This Erbao is extremely useful!】 【Once Master finishes the newbie quest, the System Mall will unlock. The mall has three tiers: Beginner, Intermediate and Advanced. The higher the tier, the better the rewards. But after unlocking the mall, you must collect flora and fauna to earn points for purchases!】 【The rarer the species you record, the more points you gain. You also get one wish per month, which will be granted as long as it is reasonable. I’ll help Master survive much easier!】 【……】 An Luo listened quietly to Erbao’s explanation. Thinking about how she had ended up here, she could not help asking another question. “Erbao, do you know how I got to this world?” 【It was Erbao who brought Master here! Erbao detected you when you were surrounded by zombies. You wished to live, which allowed us to form a binding contract!】 【Erbao came to the Beast God Continent with you at first, but your soul clashed with the original girl’s body. Erbao spent a lot of time retrieving your true body, adjusting your bloodline to match this vessel, and sorting your memories. That’s why we arrived a little late!】 Hearing this, An Luo quickly pulled down her collar. A red wintersweet birthmark sat on her left shoulder, convincing her of Erbao’s words. The original girl had never had such a mark. She also vaguely recalled the system binding at the moment of her death. When zombies had swarmed and torn at her body, she had faintly heard an odd voice, yet the overwhelming agony had muddled her senses, and she’d dismissed it as a hallucination. Relief washed over An Luo once she realized this body truly belonged to her own soul. Living trapped inside a stranger’s flesh had always unsettled her deeply. Yet Erbao’s next words doused her joy like a bucket of cold ice water. 【Don’t get too happy, Master. Your body boasts an extremely high fertility value by the standards of females on the Beast God Continent. If ill-intentioned orcs discover this, you’ll be in grave danger!】 An Luo’s mood turned grim in an instant. She clenched her fists, vowing to protect herself at all costs. She glanced down at the cub fast asleep in her lap, silently adding in her heart: and the cub too. Just as her heart lightened slightly, she noticed an unnatural flush spreading across the cub’s face. She pressed her palm to his forehead—it burned scorchingly hot. The cub had a fever! An Luo’s face drained of all color. She called his name repeatedly, yet he gave no response. Panic edged into her trembling tone. “It’s terrible! Erbao, the cub has a fever! His wound must be infected—this is all my fault for being so careless!” 【Calm down, Master! You have one free newbie sign-in reward waiting. You might get something useful!】 Forcing herself to steady her nerves, An Luo muttered silently: “Sign in.” 【Ding~ Sign-in successful! Congratulations Master, you have received thirty points!】 “What? Just points?” Disappointment flickered across her face. She stroked the cub’s burning forehead and bit her lip, begging Erbao for help. If it were daytime, she could go search for fever-reducing herbs, but the night was pitch black. Even if she dared venture out, she could not leave the cub alone. Erbao was initially unwilling to lend a hand. Master had not even completed the newbie quest yet; failure to finish it would automatically sever their system contract. But seeing her on the verge of tears, the system took pity. It made a special exception to advance two fever-reducing pills and two anti-inflammatory painkillers on credit, though it immediately deducted her newly earned thirty points without hesitation. With the medicine in hand, An Luo thanked Erbao profusely. She fetched some water in a leaf and carefully helped the cub swallow the fever pill. Fortunately, the cub still retained a faint swallowing reflex and did not spit the medicine back up. Even so, An Luo did not dare let her guard down. She tore another strip from her linen dress, soaked it in stream water, and repeatedly dabbed his forehead to bring his temperature down. She fussed over him all night before his fever finally broke completely.