As the autumn deepened, a heavy rain swept across Cocoyashi Village.
"Wow, wow, wow, why is it suddenly raining so hard?"
"Shano, run quickly!"
At the gate of the orange garden at dusk, a black-haired boy dashed out, carrying two baskets of oranges on his shoulders, sprinting towards the village.
Suddenly, rustling sounds came from the baskets, and two little ones popped out from the pile of oranges, one on each side, poking their heads out from the boy's shoulders.
"Charge, Shano! Three hundred meters ahead is the intersection, full turn to the left!"
The girl with orange hair on the left raised her right hand high, full of spirit.
"Nami, be sensible, brother is already very tired."
The blue-haired girl on the right held up an umbrella, slightly frowning, her voice gentle.
"Ha? You're the sensible one? If you were really sensible, you wouldn't still be sitting in the basket!"
"Wha-what nonsense! I'm holding an umbrella to keep brother dry; he's a head taller than me, how could I shield him if I'm not on top!"
"Tsk, well, I say it's to help Shano not trip over something; that's more useful than you!"
...
Listening to his sisters' familiar bickering, Shano was already used to it. He glanced at the umbrella nowhere close to above his head and subtly quickened his pace.
Clearly, the two sisters and 130 kilograms of oranges were all on his shoulders.
Yet the boy still moved swiftly, breathing steadily.
Moments later, that familiar house appeared in sight.
The lights were already on.
Through the window glass, a slender figure could be seen busily moving in the kitchen, the cooking smoke climbing out of the chimney and quickly vanishing into the rain mist.
With a gentle push of his right hand, the wooden door swung open, and the glow of the orange fireplace instantly enveloped him.
The cold rain was pushed to shrink outside the door.
Shano dropped the baskets to the ground, lay down on the old sofa, stretched out comfortably, and let out a big sigh.
The firelight from the fireplace turned the twilight into thick caramel, flowing over his spread limbs.
In that moment.
The soreness and fatigue seemed to drift away with the melancholy sound of rain.
"Hey, you're back? Nojiko, Nami."
The sound of footsteps from the kitchen came closer, "And Shano, it's been really hard on you lately."
Uh-oh! The two little ones hurriedly crawled out, only to knock over the bamboo baskets with a clang, both falling to the ground, while the golden oranges rolled everywhere like little suns.
"Ah, I knew it!"
A young woman in an apron, with a deep red ponytail, stood with her hands on her hips, angrily looking at her two daughters.
"You say you're going to help your brother, but actually, you're just causing trouble, right? Sitting on Shano's shoulders again, do you want to wear him out before you're happy?"
"Belle-Mere, we know we were wrong..." Nami and Nojiko said pitifully, lowering their heads and kicking their toes.
"It's fine, Belle-Mere."
Shano on the sofa turned his face, his tired voice filled with tenderness, "Don't blame them; the rain was heavy and sudden. I let them hide in the baskets; not only could they avoid the rain, but it also helped with training their bodies."
"Yes, yes."
The two guilty little ones immediately echoed.
"Ah, you're so annoying! When will you two learn to be as sensible as Shano!"
Belle-Mere gently knocked on the little ones' heads with her fist, ultimately not using any force, "No more of this next time, dry your hair with a towel and come eat!"
Saved! Nojiko and Nami looked gratefully at their brother, then cheered as they ran towards the kitchen table.
"Belle-Mere, what's for dinner tonight... Orange sauce with duck breast? Yay!"
"And honey-glazed ribs, wow, let me try!"
"Hey! Did you wash your hands, grabbing straight with your hands! You two mischievous kids, at least wait for your brother!"
Listening to the chatter from the kitchen, Shano leaned back comfortably.
A steaming ginger cola was forcibly stuffed into his hand at that moment.
"Here, drink it while it's hot."
Belle-Mere's annoyed voice sounded, "You're always protecting your two sisters, never taking care of yourself."
She took out a clean set of clothes from the wardrobe, and in Shano's surprised gaze, quickly pulled off his shirt and began wiping his upper body with a warm towel.
"Uh, um, Belle-Mere."
Shano tried to dodge, but was forcibly pulled back in place, unable to help but show embarrassment, "I'm already thirteen, there's really no need for you to do this, let me handle it myself."
"Stop the nonsense!"
Belle-Mere asserted her authority, not to be refuted, "You're only two years older than Nojiko, what's with pretending to be a mature man, stand still!"
No helping it.
Shano could only be like a puppet, letting her have her way, a look of unwillingness on his face.
But inside, there was inevitably a surge of warmth.
Living in Cocoyashi, growing up in such a family...
It's so good.
When did my past self ever have this experience?
At eight, getting my hand cut changing a light bulb in the orphanage, at twenty-five, passing out from working overtime and being carried to an ambulance, at twenty-six, on my birthday the line on the ICU heart monitor flattening out...
Until suddenly opening my eyes.
Finding myself turned into a five-year-old boy, covered in blood and grime, amidst ruins, with a female Navy officer in a white Cloak of Justice struggling to extend a life-saving hand to me.
...
"How many times have I told you!"
Belle-Mere suddenly twisted his ear hard:
"Don't push yourself, don't push yourself! Today you collected twelve baskets of oranges, yet you insisted on a seventh trip; don't you know that little kids playing hero are the most prone to catching colds!"
Shano grimaced, hurriedly grabbing at the towel, but was covered instead with clean clothes smelling of fresh oranges.
The coarse-knit sweater scrubbed past his neck, a bit itchy and uncomfortable, but full of a sunny scent he'd never experienced in his past life.
Shano pressed his lips, looking up at the face in the mirror.
Black hair, black eyes, the outline of a thirteen-year-old's delicate face bathed in warm light, eyelashes still moist from the towel's wiping.
The once solitary figure standing in front of skyscraper windows had, unbeknownst to him, been ground to dust in the ticking of the old living room clock.
"Thank you," he suddenly said softly.
Belle-Mere paused for a moment while picking up the clothes, then quickly resumed as usual.
"What do you mean, I'm the one who should be thanking you."
"You've taken on all the hard and tiring work in the Orange Garden, which makes me, as the mother, seem like a useless fool. You're still just a little tyke, yet your strength is unbelievably impressive."
"I wonder who your biological parents are. I have a feeling they're someone important. It's like when you grow up, bang, your bloodline awakens, and you inherit some incredible power..."
Bloodline power?
What bloodline power? Suddenly awakening—I'm not King Nika.
Shano was slightly stunned, feeling a mix of amusement and helplessness.
In the first few years after reincarnation, he lived in a daze, playing and fighting with his sisters every day, climbing mountains to pick mushrooms today, and fishing in the river tomorrow, just like a real child.
Until the last two years, around the age of ten, when his brain fully developed, he gradually sorted out the memories of his past and present life.
In this life, his biological parents were just ordinary people from the Oyikote Kingdom, who died in that tragic war, with nothing special about them.
Had it not been for Belle-Mere saving him by coincidence and raising him, he would also have become a corpse amidst the ruins.
Well...
Belle-Mere's endless chatter can be understood.
Because his performance is indeed extraordinary, especially in Cocoyashi, a small village in the East Sea.
Just 13 years old, and his strength is already astonishing.
At the wrestling competition held at the harvest festival, among hundreds of adult males in the entire town, not one was a match for him; none could even last a few rounds.
Just an ordinary background, ordinary bloodline.
Growing up in a rural fruit farming family, without any guidance from renowned teachers.
The reason for having such strength is naturally due to the "cheat" he carries with him.
"Deep Sea."
In his heart, Shano silently recited the activation word.
The system instantly initiated, the air rippling like shark silk, a deep blue light screen visible only to himself appeared in front of his eyes.
This is the "Sacrificial Trading System" he awakened three years ago.
[Name: Shano]
[Age: 13]
[Height: 159cm]
[Power: 1.9]
[Agility: 1.8]
[Endurance: 1.7]
[Spiritual Power: 1.3]
[Remaining Points: 25]
[Skill Talent: Breathing Fist Technique (Minor Success), One-Sword Style Swordsmanship (Beginner), Culinary Skills (Beginner), Fruit Tree Planting (Minor Success), Fishing (Great Success)]
For ordinary adults in the Pirate World, the average value of each basic attribute is one point.
Though Shano's basic attributes are just around one point something, on the premise that both sides are barehanded, he is confident that he can easily repel the assault of seven or eight adults.
After all, at the wrestling contest, he was just playing casually, never really using his true strength.
Obviously, the calculation method of attribute points is not as simple as addition and subtraction.
Most likely, it follows some kind of exponential function relationship; even a slight increase in value, even if it's just a decimal point, results in a significant disparity in strength.
As for the so-called Sacrificial Trading System.
As the name implies, there's a trading market within, offering a selection of items available for purchase with points, refreshing once a month.
The source of points depends on whether the host can provide eligible sacrificial offerings.
After the sacrifice, points of the same grade are awarded based on the difference in value.
When the system first awakened, Shano couldn't grasp what could be considered a sacrificial offering, experimenting everywhere, even grabbing a passing dog to try.
But whether it was a freshly caught big fat fish, a rabbit hunted in the forest, or a thousand Belly banknote, none could be sacrificed.
Finally, on one random occasion, he tried using Belle-Mere's old flintlock gun from her Navy days.
He met with unexpected success.
Back then, the system helpfully provided an appraisal panel:
[Sacrificial Offering: Belle-Mere's old flintlock gun]
[Quality: Excellent]
[Value: 50 points]
[Appraisal Comments: A weapon that accompanied Belle-Mere throughout her youth, the mottled gun body witnessed her growth from a fledgling rookie to standing on her own on the battlefield. Even post-retirement, she often wipes this gun, which is not only a memory but also her reliance in supporting this family, of great significance to her]
So extraordinarily considerate.
After reading the appraisal comments, Shano tossed and turned in bed, feeling guilty and unable to sleep well all night.
Especially the next day, when Belle-Mere discovered the missing gun, angrily scolding the thief at the door all morning, he wished he could slap himself a few times.
I'm such a fool!
So, as the feeling of guilt gradually faded, when selecting new targets, he tried to choose unnoticeable small items.
Such as Nami's orange floral hairpin, Nojiko's forehead band.
These were items he bought for his two sisters years ago when the family was still struggling, now very worn-out and not very valuable.
Now that life is gradually improving, it's almost time to replace them.
As a result...
The sacrifices were successful.
But this bothersome system still loved to hit where it hurts.
[Sacrificial Offering: Nami's orange floral hairpin]
[Quality: Ordinary]
[Value: 180 points]
[Appraisal Comments: A cheap accessory priced at one hundred Belly in the grocery store, yet little Nami loves it dearly, treating it like treasure, wearing it every day and reluctantly taking it off, even putting it under her pillow when she sleeps, embodying the growing bond between brother and sister]
...
[Sacrificial Offering: Nojiko's old headband]
[Quality: Ordinary]
[Value: 30 points]
[Appraisal Comments: A faded cloth strip stained with citrus juice, difficult to clean, Nojiko, as the intuitive eldest daughter, always ties it to her head to help whenever her adoptive mother and elder brother are busy in the orange garden, fearing the sweat would sting her eyes, making her loving brother worry]
That day, Shano was silent for a long time, giving himself two slaps again.
I'm such a fool!