...
Just scanning half of the list made Hera’s lips twitch involuntarily, and she peeked a nce at the Director, who maintained a stoic expression since his arrival. <i>’Who offended this person?’</i>
Although she knew thatpleting the list would be very challenging, she also knew that she was capable of doing so.
Before they could make a move, the Director added, "One more thing: you’ll be ranked based on yourpletion time, and your reward will be determined ordingly. The event willst until just before lunch, so if you haven’tpleted the list by then, consider it a failure. So, you better hurry." He didn’t forget to add a taunting smirk at the end of his sentence.
By then, it was evident that he was genuinely offended and was meting out his punishment to the participants in his own way, though he didn’t show much emotion on the outside.
After the Director’s words, none of the participants made a move just yet. They all took a moment to analyze their list, perhaps gauging which tasks were the easiest toplete or considering which route to take first to minimize time spent. Some might have even believed they had ample time to finish the entire list and didn’t take the Director’s warning seriously.
Regardless, Hera didn’t concern herself with the hesitation of the others. She had already decided which task to tackle first.
Catch 3 fresh fish from the River.
"Do you want me to help?" Xavier’s voice came from behind her, catching Hera off guard. She hadn’t even noticed when he arrived, so she jumped slightly at the sound of his voice.
"Brother Xavier!" She eximed, surprised.
"Do you want me to help?" Xavier repeated his question, his gaze fixed on her.
Hera tilted her head to the side as if considering the proposition for a brief moment. Then, she looked up at Xavier with a mischievous smile and narrowed eyes. "How about another bet?"
Xavier couldn’t help but chuckle softly at her yful demeanor. "What reward do I get if I win?"
"Hmp! How confident of you, huh?!" She said, pouting slightly. Then, she turned to ponder the winner’s reward.
"How about another 3 wishes?" However, Xavier beat her to it.
"You haven’t even used up your 3 wishes though," Hera protested, suddenly feeling a bit apprehensive. She worried that Xavier might have some oundish requests stored up, making her regret suggesting another bet. She couldn’t help but feel like she never learned her lesson.
"People could neverin about having too much money, so why would Iin about having many wishes stored up?" Xavier said, maintaining a smile on his face.
This was one of the very few moments Xavier said a lot of words in one sentence, but Hera felt like she was losing to him already. Then she remembered how Xavier looked when they had a bet at the horse race andpared it to his current expression, the two images ovepping in her mind.
She felt a shiver run down her spine, realizing she’d dug her own grave. Biting her lip with indignation, she resolved not to lose to him this time.
"Why don’t you guys count me in?" Zen’s voice cut through the lightning shes between Hera’s and Xavier’s gazes.
"Fine!" Hera said, pouting. It’s not as if she could take back her words since she was the one who proposed having another bet. So, she could just let Zen join in with the bet. At least, there would be more individuals against Xavier who could possibly win the bet.
"Sweet!!" Zen said.
Then the three went their separate ways to startpleting their lists on their own. Hera headed to the river near the vige, where she had caught the pheasant yesterday, to catch the three fish on her list.
On her way to the river, she gathered some weeds and skillfully fashioned them into ropes, sturdy enough to hold the three fish by their mouths, along with some extra lengths. Though she referred to them as ropes, they were more akin to sturdy strings in reality.
Some astute viewers grasped Hera’s strategy, but many were left puzzled as they couldn’t see "string" on Hera’s list. To add ayer of entertainment for both the participants and the viewers, the Director disyed the participants’ lists on the side of the screen like a checklist, allowing viewers to stay updated on the progress of each participant’s tasks.
Shortly after, Hera reached the riverbank only to find that the stick Xavier had used for spearfishing yesterday was missing. She quickly searched for another suitable stick nearby, sharpened its end, and rolled up her sweatpants to her knees, kicking off her shoes in preparation.
She also rolled up her sleeves to keep them dry, ensuring she was fully prepared before she began spearfishing in the river. She moved cautiously into the water, careful not to startle the fish. When she was close enough to a sizable catch, she swiftly lunged with her spear.
Ssh-
Hera’s smile beamed as she hoisted her spear triumphantly. Impaled on it was a hefty 2-foot-long fish, its vigorous wriggling a testament to its vitality. Rather than exiting the water immediately, Hera gingerly threw the fish amidst the dense grass near the cameraman’s feet, ensuring its delicate flesh remained unscathed.
She continued spearfishing diligently, and within half an hour, she had already snagged ten fish, including the one from earlier.
[AuntieNextDoor: Why is little sister Hera catching so many fish? Is little sister Hera nning a feast with all those fish?]
[HeraismySister: Sister Hera’sgging behind the others, especially Xavier, who’s leading the pack inpleting his list. Sister Hera’s got some catching up to do! Щ(◣д◢)Щ]
[PasserbyGod: There’s only one thing I can say, you gotta trust her. Hera doesn’t strike me as someone ready to lose to Xavier; she’s probably got something up her sleeve.]
[NorthernDuke: I trust my wife. (● ＞д＜)ノ]
After double-checking the number of fish she caught, she got out of the water, drying her feet before slipping her shoes back on and readjusting her sweatpants. Although it took her nearly an hour toplete the first task, she remained unfazed, even whistling a tune as she finished tying her shoece.
Her carefree demeanor contrasted with the growing impatience and concern of those watching her.