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"The taste is alright…"
Yang Tao had specially returned to the Main World to find the versatile Tinkers' Construct Blacksmith to customize some iron skewers, and also purchased some spices before returning to Level 10, Bumper Crop, to begin his barbecue journey.
He skewered some pork, beef, lamb, peppers, and earthworms.
The light rain outside the barn had stopped, but the dark clouds in the sky showed no sign of dispersing.
Yang Tao ate the skewers as he grilled them, and a large bottle of ice-cold cola, specially bought from Level 176, was placed on a nearby table.
"Being alone is truly a bit…"
Before he could finish his sentence, he saw several figures on the path outside the barn heading towards his location.
Yang Tao paused, looking at the figures: 'There are still people in Level 10? Wasn't this place abandoned?'
Due to the nature of the level, the path was not too difficult to walk after the rain.
Soon, Yang Tao clearly saw the figures: a man, a woman, a little girl, and a dog. Yang Tao was greatly surprised; this was his first time encountering human children and animals.
It seemed to be a family of three. Such a situation was extremely rare, and to be able to reach Level 10, they could practically be called Chosen Ones.
He stood up and walked to the barn door, waiting for them to arrive.
"Hello."
The man leading the group greeted Yang Tao, though his voice revealed extreme weakness.
Not just him, but the woman and child beside him also looked malnourished.
"My name is Skek, this is my wife Mary and our daughter Lika. We saw smoke rising from here, so we came to check it out…"
Yang Tao observed the family of three.
The man looked to be in his thirties; although his face was sallow and his exact age was unclear, his eyes were very spirited. The woman standing beside him had a hint of sorrow on her face, her gaze occasionally drifting towards her daughter.
The little girl named Lika looked about eight or nine years old, timidly hiding behind her father, peeking out at the cola on the barn table.
As for the emaciated dog, it was already drooling profusely from the smell of the grilled skewers.
"You can just call me Yang Tao. Come in and eat something."
The man's face showed a hint of gratitude as he said, "Thank you so much…"
Yang Tao stepped aside, allowing the family of three to enter the barn. He then sat back down on the stool in front of the grill, flipping the skewers on the rack.
"Don't be shy, find a place to sit. Are you a family of three?"
The man moved over a wooden plank for the woman and child to sit on and explained, "Many people have asked me that question."
"We are indeed a family of three. When we first noclipped into Level 1 during a picnic, we were very shocked. Thankfully, heaven blessed us and didn't separate us. Having lived our entire lives on a small farm, we only wanted to continue our lives in a peaceful place."
"Actually, we used to live in Level 4. Now it seems like a pretty good place, but our dog clearly wasn't suited for the environment of Level 4, so we made a regrettable choice: to continue exploring the Backrooms…"
"We passed through the hateful fifth, sixth, and eighth levels. But upon arriving at Level 10… we felt that everything we had sacrificed was worth it, at least initially, we thought it was worth it."
"But the current situation forces us to consider going elsewhere. There's no way for anyone to survive here; everything here is a beautiful dream woven by a demon."
Yang Tao handed the grilled skewer in his hand to the man and said with a smile, "You are really lucky. To be honest, besides the food, this level is indeed quite good. There are no Entities, natural hazards, or mental interference."
The man nodded.
Having come all the way from Level 1 to this Level 10, he had naturally seen and heard many things.
"The wheat here is problematic…"
"Yes, it can only fill your stomach but can't provide any nutrition, as your complexions show."
Yang Tao took out some new skewers and placed them on the rack to continue grilling. The sudden appearance of the meat skewers startled the man.
Fortunately, Wanderers who can survive in the Backrooms are more adaptable than the last.
"You… You are a Wanderer?"
"Entity, you might not have had contact with the outside world for a long time. Entity ID 9527 Yang Tao. Don't worry, I have no ill will towards you, and I can even help you, for your daughter's sake."
Skek heard Yang Tao's words and looked at his daughter, who was devouring her food. A hint of pity flashed in his eyes.
"Thank you…"
"Are you interested in finding a job?"
"A job?"
The man's expression became a little strange; he had almost forgotten how long it had been since he heard that word.
"What do you need me to do?"
"I'm planning to open a new supermarket in Level 1 and I need a clerk. If you are interested, I can take you there when the time comes. Food and lodging are provided."
Salary? What salary? Food and lodging were already considered high benefits.
He couldn't hire Facelings, but he could hire humans.
Skek looked at his beloved: "Dear, what do you think?"
Mary gave a bitter smile and said, "We have no choice, do we? Lika is getting bigger, and we can't let her live in this hellhole forever."
The little girl didn't understand the conversation between the three of them and was still eating with abandon. If humans don't eat meat for a long time, their bodies will indeed have problems.
"I agree."
"A wise choice. No wonder you could come from Level 1 to here. It seems it's not just a matter of luck."
After the family had eaten and drunk their fill, Yang Tao tasted the grilled earthworm in his hand and said, "I'll take you to the supermarket in Level 4 first to get accustomed. When the supermarket in Level 1 opens, I'll arrange for you to go there."
With that, he stood up and opened the wooden door.
"Follow me!"
He took the family of three, plus a dog, through the Overworld to the supermarket in Level 4 and handed them over to Eric.
He found a suitable office for them and converted it into a simple room.
After parting ways with them, Eric looked at Yang Tao and asked, "Did you find anything in Level 10 'Field of Wheat'?"
Hearing Eric's words, Yang Tao stopped and asked in confusion, "Field of Wheat? Not Bumper Crop?"
Field of Wheat and Bumper Crop are completely different things… or rather, they are not completely different. Field of Wheat can be said to be Bumper Crop when the wheat is not yet ripe.
At that time, in Level 10, one could find newly spawned Almond water, and there were also friendly Entities.
For example, Smilers, Skin Stealers, Death Rats, Hounds, and hostile Facelings.
Dangerous, but one could survive.
Eric had a puzzled expression.
Yang Tao said with a smile, "Now the wheat in the Field of Wheat is ripe, and the Entities inside are gone. You can ask this family of three about the specific situation…"
"They should have lived there for some time."
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