Chapter 22: The Bonfire

Monster Tavern—the task board that determines the fate of monsters. Not only does it issue tasks of varying levels and difficulties, but it also features a points system. Each month, the monster tavern holds a communal feast, and one's seat at the table—as well as the quality of food and drink—depends on the points a monster has accumulated.

The food and drink you receive decide what sort of month you’ll face next: will you teeter on the brink of annihilation, or live carefree, wandering the mortal world at will? Everything hinges on the special brews crafted within the Monster Tavern.

The quality of the liquor determines how long a monster can remain in this world. It’s not unlike those time-card games Li Changlu played as a child—the pricier the card, the longer you can play. No card? Go amuse yourself on the sidelines.

If you’re allotted poor-quality liquor or none at all, you’ll spend the coming days in dire straits. If bad booze is a suspended sentence, then getting nothing is a death sentence outright.

Wherever there’s a group, there are rules, systems, hierarchies. Whether animal, human, or monster, all have their own survival codes. Such laws are unchangeable. All one can do is strive to become a strong player within the system.

Yet Li Changlu had no desire to be strong—he just wanted to live quietly, content with a bit of food and drink. As long as he didn’t starve, that was enough for him.

He had thought this sizable E-rank task would at least guarantee that the three of them could take the next month off—no more jobs, just lazing around, basking in the sun like dogs by the wall, waiting for the call to take their seats and receive their rations.

But reality was harsh: after submitting the completed task, the E-rank reward points were split among the three—just two points each. That was far from enough. Even if one person took all the points, they’d barely earn a spot in the corner.

It was like the time he and Blackwa caught a F-rank Corpse Ginseng Monster—at least that one had managed to feed two monsters.

Li Changlu was bitter and frustrated, even a little regretful. He knew the reason: though they’d completed the assignment, he’d let the fox demon Ah Zi’s soul escape. He should have brought back that commemorative pouch with deposits in the millions. But his soft heart had gotten the better of him.

Damn it. Damn that task board. It really did have eyes like a hawk.

At least he’d received a box of Old Godfather lunch and a doggy popsicle as consolation. These extras would tide them over until the next task was posted.

Still, what he held in his hand was a thick book—the hidden reward for completing the E-rank task.

***

“Bonfire Skills—Part Two.”

The three of them found a seat in the corner. Blackwa stared at the Old Godfather lunch, Xiaoqing at the doggy popsicle, glancing between it and the book in Li Changlu’s hands.

Li Changlu’s face was stormy as he regarded the book. So this was the hidden reward? Hidden my foot. Was he supposed to learn arson? Or maybe how to start a fire with sticks? What did he need a lighter for, anyway? And why was this only part two? Where was part one? Was someone playing tricks on him?

"Why don’t you open it?" Xiaoqing suggested. "You’ll never know what's inside unless you try. If you don’t want it, give it to me."

Taking a bite of the popsicle, Xiaoqing’s words came out as a string of cheerful chatter, trying to lift Li Changlu’s gloom.

"Why don’t you open a page for me to look at?"

Li Changlu laid the book flat and flipped through it for Xiaoqing. But no matter how he tried, the book remained as pristine as a sealed new copy, wrapped in an invisible film. It wouldn’t open.

"Let me try," Xiaoqing offered, tucking her hair behind her ear and flexing her fingers.

"No!" Li Changlu refused her flatly. This tough but adorable girl was capable of anything. He didn’t know what exactly the hidden reward was, but he didn’t want her forcing it open and turning the reward into a hidden disaster.

"Why not try taking a bite? Maybe you can eat it," Blackwa suggested, mouth full of Old Godfather lunch, trying to cheer him up.

The mention of food made Li Changlu’s stomach rumble, but he had no interest in the lunchbox. He craved real food. Even though, as a monster, he couldn’t starve to death, who could resist good food?

Especially since he was, after all, a monster with "wealth"—over a thousand yuan he’d gotten from the fox demon Ah Zi. Money might be useless to monsters, but it could still buy a meal. Ah, the curse of money.

To see how lively a city is, just visit its night market. Licheng’s food stalls were raucous and bustling, thick with smoke, the air alive with chatter and clinking glasses—smoking, drinking, grilling skewers, everything you’d expect. Any night owl worth his salt knew: this was what a proper food stall should be.

Li Changlu and Blackwa found a popular kebab stall. Xiaoqing stayed behind, volunteering to watch their "luggage"—not that there was much to watch—because some places simply weren’t right for women, especially cute girls.

Li Changlu despised those gatherings that felt incomplete without women—as if their absence made the meal less satisfying.

***

These men were utterly crude—a bunch of married old guys, gathered just to talk about women? Couldn’t they discuss something else? Like… other people’s children, perhaps?

In life, Blackwa had been a true foodie. When it came to cuisine, he could talk for hours: fried eggs, duck confit, brown sugar satay noodles, Datong duck congee. He insisted the only proper Mapo tofu was made with ground beef. He recounted the origins of Goubuli buns, dismissing the legend of the dog who sold buns. He could even explain which type of cup best released the flavor of a given liquor.

Anything about food, he knew. His stories were so colorful that Li Changlu felt embarrassed, as though this foreigner was schooling him on his own culinary heritage.

"Hey, you talk and talk, but could you at least leave me a few skewers?" Li Changlu complained. Whenever the kebabs arrived, Blackwa would launch into yet another food tale, captivating Li Changlu while swiftly devouring the entire platter.

By the time the story was done, Li Changlu was left empty-handed while Blackwa had the plate in his lap.

"I’m telling these stories for you," Blackwa protested righteously, "and as a foreign friend, I work tirelessly and—well, even to death—to entertain you. What’s wrong with eating a few of your skewers?" But the idioms were all wrong.

They finished eating, and when the bill arrived, it was five hundred and sixty. The owner even tacked on an extra ten. Li Changlu didn’t argue, since Blackwa had not only devoured the skewers but also chewed up the bamboo sticks. If the owner hadn’t been quick, the plate might have disappeared too.

Hardcore eater, indeed. As a monster, his appetite was out of this world—no ordinary human could handle that.

"Blackwa, you might as well become a mukbang streamer," Li Changlu quipped.

"That’s exhausting work," Blackwa replied, shaking his head before heading to the restroom.

Li Changlu lamented how quickly his money was vanishing—he’d hoped the leftovers would be enough to rent a room. After all, he couldn’t crash at the tavern forever. Damn it, even as a monster, did he have to become a slave to rent?

He was feeling rather down when his phone rang. He answered.

"Hello, would you like to buy some Power Pills?"

"Power Pills? Does that come with a house?"

"…Sir, we also offer zero-interest loans, no need to—"

"Get lost!"

Li Changlu hung up, exasperated. Even in this world