Chapter Twenty-Six: Cinderella in the Jungle (Thanks to the Alliance Leader “A Bad Guy Reported Me, But I Won’t Say Who”)

It is raining again.

Hexia walked to work. In the corridors of the residential district, the sound of water flowing through the pipes could be heard; whenever it rained on the surface, the drainage systems within the underground city would echo with the rush of water. Even without seeing the surface, one always knew when it was raining.

The rainy season in April and May meant that, due to the corrosive and toxic nature of the rainfall, outdoor activity was unadvisable. Most residents of the Northern Hemisphere stayed within the safety zones, though the Southern Hemisphere enjoyed fair weather during this time. Some chose to travel far away, and many in Hexia’s class group chat were currently discussing such plans.

"It’s a rare graduation holiday; it would be a shame to just stay home."
"I didn't really get to go anywhere for all three years of middle school. I definitely have to ask my mom for travel money this time."
"Is anyone putting a group together? Let's go."
"That sounds pretty good."
"I heard the Great Bay of Shells in the Southern Third District is amazing. The water is clear, the beaches are comfortable, and the sunlight isn't too harsh..."
"You're posting so much information, it's hard not to think it's an advertisement."
"Go, go, it’s really nice~"
"Alright, any classmates who want to go, sign up. I’ll calculate and arrange it later."
"Sounds good, Jones."
...

Closing the chat, Hexia stepped out of the elevator with her personal terminal, her mind occupied by thoughts of the day's work. Although traveling sounded nice, she wanted to save some money first. Besides, the break was long; school wouldn't start until August or September, leaving her with over four months.

"Good morning, Dantalian~" As she entered the shop, other maids greeted Hexia. Having spent the last few days together, everyone was gradually getting to know their new companion.

"Good morning, seniors~" They were indeed her seniors; Hexia was nearly the youngest among them. The only reason it was "nearly" was because of "Declabie," a golden-haired little angel who was even more petite than Hexia in every way.

Entering the changing room and putting on her maid uniform, Hexia sat before the mirror to tidy her hair. She could change her hair color between black and gray at will, but she kept it gray while out in public simply to avoid unnecessary trouble. Her black-haired form was almost identical to her sister’s, and given how popular her sister had been at school, she knew that appearance was far too eye-catching.

Few girls were like Hexia, who preferred to hide her looks for the sake of peace and quiet. Most girls hoped to be beautiful—whether to express themselves or attract others—and for many, being the center of admiration was as sweet as honey. However, compared to her sister, there was a distinct difference in their auras. Themisia possessed a strange, bewitching beauty, while Hexia was more gentle, like an orchid in an empty valley. Even after becoming accustomed to her face, people would occasionally be stunned by that flash of quiet grace.

"Here, wear this."

Just as Hexia was looking through the drawer, wondering whether to wear an accessory, a familiar voice sounded, and a headband was placed on her head.

"Sister 'Phrouss'," she whispered softly.

"Mmhmm, this headband suits you quite well." Phrouss adjusted it and nodded. The headband Hexia wore now featured silver-trimmed, hollowed-out floral ornaments, and Phrouss added a silver bellflower to it.

"Let me see, what else is missing?" Phrouss looked at Hexia in the mirror, picked up a silver choker, fastened it around Hexia's neck, and tied it into a bow. "That should do it." Today, Hexia and Phrouss looked like sisters, both having added silver floral accents to their maid uniforms.

"Are you coming to help me today?"

"This..." Hexia didn't mind, but she had been at "Halle's" station for the past few days. It felt wrong to suddenly not show up.

"I’ve already spoken to 'Halle' and borrowed you for the day," Phrouss said, addressing the hesitation in Hexia's heart.

"Then, alright."

Afterward, the two went downstairs to begin their morning work. Similar to Halle’s beverage preparation, Phrouss mainly focused on set meals. Their counters were quite close, and customers often ordered from both, so they communicated frequently and grew close.

The "Glaze Dream" dining area was divided into several sections: cakes and snacks, main courses, and exotic delicacies. Not all set meals had extraordinary effects; some Tier 6-5 meals were prepared by chefs on the 38th floor and delivered to the 37th floor by robots. In the morning, there wasn't much demand for main courses, so they spent their time preparing ingredients for the afternoon rush, chatting as they worked.

"Does Dantalian usually live alone?" Phrouss asked.

"Yes, usually. But recently, a neighbor, an old grandmother, has been taking good care of me, and she asked me to move to her place. It makes daily life and meals much more convenient." Hexia removed the outer leaves of a fresh snake-saliva bamboo shoot, peeled the tender inner part, and placed it in clean water. This type of bamboo shoot was toxic, but once the toxins were removed, the texture was excellent, making it a favorite among some customers.

"That sounds nice. I also moved away from my original home to live in this city alone."

"Where was Sister Phrouss's home before?"

"In the Southern Hemisphere."

"I've heard the climate in the south is much better, and there are many places to visit, like forests, grasslands, and seas of flowers," Hexia said with a hint of envy. She really wanted to go but had never had the chance.

"Dantalian, you really yearn for it," Phrouss said with a smile. "I have indeed been to those places, but perhaps because I’ve been used to them since childhood, I don’t find them particularly extraordinary. If you want to go in the future, tell me. I can introduce you to some places and help you avoid some pitfalls."

"Thank you, Sister Phrouss." Ever since she started working here, "thank you" had become the phrase Hexia said most often.

During the rest of their work, besides telling stories about the south, Phrouss taught Hexia many methods for handling ingredients: how to remove toxins, keep things fresh, enhance flavors, and neutralize odors.

"The reason some meats smell fishy is that they contain certain proteins, peptides, or amines. These substances oxidize and decompose after the animal dies, creating an odor."

"The most common way to deal with this is to add the right amount of alcohol. Alcohols are excellent solvents and extractants that can dissolve these odor-causing substances."

"Additionally, different additives can add distinct flavors to the ingredients. Common ones include wine, Cointreau, white spirits, beer, etc. You can also use sugar, milk, tea, or lemon, depending on your choice."

Hexia listened and memorized carefully, feeling she had made another small step forward in her culinary skills.

Time passed, and after the busy lunch hour, the shop grew quiet around 2:00 PM.

"Alright, it's not busy now. Does Dantalian want to take a break?" Phrouss asked.

"Is that okay?"

"Of course. Go to 'Buthis's' place. Her deep jungle area is the least visited in the shop; even the manager doesn't dare go in," Phrouss chuckled. "Just go and help Buthis with a few simple tasks. It's very quiet there, and you can sit and daydream—or take a nap."

"Alright, I'm heading over." After saying goodbye, Hexia walked out.

Passing through the deep blue glazed hall, Hexia turned past several counters and arrived at a glass partition in the corner. Inside was a lush green world dense with trees, where various snakes and venomous insects could be seen. Though it looked terrifying to outsiders, it was the place Hexia had visited most during her internship, and she had grown used to it.

"I'm coming in, Senior Buthis."

Hexia greeted her and stepped inside, holding up her skirt. Her maid uniform was a somewhat conservative long dress, unlike Belphegor's youthful, vibrant short skirt. Various venomous creatures crawled across the soil, which was littered with fallen leaves and debris, but Hexia moved carefully and didn't step on any.

After passing through the dense vegetation, she arrived at the pool in the back, but no one was there. "Is Sister Buthis not here?"

Hexia thought, taking out her black-and-white ink-style personal terminal to send a message. Just then, a small white-scaled snake coiled around her calf and climbed up.

"Ugh, no."

Hexia hurriedly put down the terminal, bent over, lifted her skirt, and grabbed the small snake. Holding it by the neck, she carefully uncoiled it from her leg and placed it on a stone slab to the side.

Sitting on a clean rock, Hexia covered her legs with her skirt and tapped the snake's head with her knuckles. "You are not allowed to crawl into my skirt again, understood?"

Seeing the small snake still flicking its tongue, looking confused, Hexia had to repeat it several times, tapping its head each time. "I wonder if this little guy understands." She sighed, then looked at the snake more closely.

---
Species: Tree Viper Subspecies
State: Healthy (No abnormalities)
Class: Primal Sequence 2 - White-Scaled Tree Viper (Evaluation: Excellent Copper Grade)
Talents:
[Primal Foundation] (Excellent): Slightly enhances all abilities and provides more options during advancement.
[Tree Viper Venom] (Excellent): Relatively mild; not immediately fatal, but causes numbness in wounds and makes them difficult to stop bleeding.
Abilities:
[Concealment] (Standard): Reduces one’s presence and energy fluctuations, lowering the chance of discovery.
[Feigned Death] (Excellent): Enters a deep state of dormancy, stopping activity and reducing consumption, appearing as if dead.
Skills: [Venomous Fangs Lv.1→2], [Stealth Lv.2], [Hibernation Lv.1→3] (Skill levels adjusted based on talent and ability bonuses.)
Introduction: A low-tier but rare extraordinary tree viper. It has multiple branching evolutionary paths at Sequence 3-4, not limited to the Primal Sequence. Common paths include Natural Sequence 4 - Fire-Spined Tree Viper, Tidal Sequence 3 - Rain-Hiding Tree Viper, Dragon Sequence 4 - Phantom-Scaled Tree Viper, and rare ones like Light-Feather Sequence 3 - Glazed Tree Viper or Wither Sequence 3 - Shadow-Ghost Tree Viper... Known for its wide adaptability and versatility.
---

After carefully sensing the rhythm and information of the creature before her, Hexia used her terminal to search the Great Library. She finally summarized the data. This was a wonderful use of her talent she had recently discovered: the "Sound of Strings," which allowed her to sense the rhythm of all things. By combining this perception with searches in the Star Network's Great Library, she could obtain a wealth of reliable and detailed information. This method was very effective, unless the target's abilities or talents were extremely rare and undocumented.

This little snake had good potential, Hexia thought. Among current extraordinary vocations, there were those who specialized in raising pets or exotic beasts. Compared to ordinary animals, extraordinary beasts were more intelligent and lived longer, making them popular. Especially with the increasing number of single-person households, people often kept animals for company.

Tapping her chin with her finger, Hexia decided not to think about raising an animal for now; she was still poor, and raising such a creature cost a lot of money.

She sat down, found the bell in the storage compartment, and rang it gently. Soon, venomous creatures of all sizes gathered by the pool.

What was she supposed to do today? Hexia opened the chart Buthis had sent her. It was time to extract the venom.

She began, finding the cups and containers. First were the big ones. She held up a cup with both hands, and a black snake as thick as her arm descended from the branches above, letting its fangs rest on the edge of the cup to slowly release venom. After waiting about twenty seconds, the venom was collected. Hexia put the cup down, fed the snake an energy block, and the black snake slowly retracted back into the jungle.

Next was the Ghost-Faced Spider. Hexia sealed the snake venom and took out a glass dish, placed it on the stone table, and lifted the large spider from the ground.

*This big guy has gotten heavier recently*, Hexia thought, watching the spider's multiple black eyes rotate.

After the spider finished secreting its venom, Hexia fed it, patted its head, and prepared to put it down. However, the creature darted past her wrist and jumped onto her head, settling down.

"Ugh." Hexia felt the spider on her head and tried to remove it, but it hooked its barbed legs into her headband and hair. If she pulled it off by force, she would likely make a mess of her hair.

"Fine." After several attempts, Hexia gave up for the moment and let it stay.

Seeing Hexia give up, the spider made a rustling sound, as if it were very happy. The girl shook her head, ignoring the smug creature, and continued collecting venom from the other creatures.

After the large ones were done, the smaller insects and poison dart frogs were much faster. Hexia skillfully lined up the glass dishes and waited for them to secrete their venom. When she finished, it had been exactly one hour—nearly twice as fast as before.

*Phew, done.* Hexia wiped away a few beads of sweat, picked up the bell, and rang it. The remaining creatures swayed and left, and the spider on her head also quieted down at the sound of the bell, allowing Hexia to grab it.

The bell kept ringing. Hexia took a small wooden stick and tapped the spider's head, just like hitting a wooden fish.

"You are not allowed to crawl on my head again."
"You are not allowed to crawl on my head again."

She knew it understood; as a Sequence 4 extraordinary beast, it already possessed intelligence. After a good while, Hexia stopped ringing the bell and let the creature go. Although she wasn't sure how effective it was, she was certain it knew that if it jumped on her head again, it would be tapped.

After finishing everything, Hexia had time for a short nap. She rested her head on her arms on the stone table, knowing no one would come to bother her at this hour.

Time slipped by unnoticed. When Buthis arrived at the jungle glass house, she saw the little maid sleeping soundly. She was resting on her arms, her body rising and falling rhythmically, and the silver bellflower on her head looked beautiful and vibrant under the simulated sunlight.

*Perhaps I can let Dantalian take over my work in the future?* Buthis had a fleeting thought of being lazy, but she dismissed it.

*Let’s first pique Dantalian's interest in being a songstress. It would be particularly interesting to lead this cute junior down the path of a singer step by step.*

An inconspicuous Cinderella, one day putting on crystal shoes, boarding a dreamlike pumpkin carriage, and attending a concert watched by all—just thinking about it was exciting and delightful.