Oscar glanced around, hesitantly muttering, "I've got a big sausage!"
Immediately, in the wake of Oscar's peculiar soul chant, a freshly-made sausage appeared in his hand. Tang San and the girls were visibly taken aback, understanding now why Dai Mubai had mentioned the chant. The sausage itself wasn't the issue; it was that odd chant that made them all feel uneasy.
Su Ming, who had known about Oscar's quirky chants in his previous life, felt a sense of awkwardness now that he was experiencing it firsthand. The combination of the chant and the sausage made it hard to consider eating.
Without any hesitation, Zhao Wuji grabbed the sausage from Oscar's hand, indifferent to the oddity, and, with his mouth full, mumbled, "One more big sausage and a small sausage!"
Not only was he chewing the sausage as he spoke, but his tongue was also swollen from Tang San's poison, which garbled his speech.
Oscar sighed and repeated his soul chants again.
"I've got a big sausage."
"I've got a small sausage."
Though Oscar, with his scruffy beard, didn't look especially sleazy, chanting his soul phrases made him seem oddly perverse!
Zhao Wuji showed no hesitation, devouring the big sausage and the small sausage in succession, feeling notably better afterward.
Meanwhile, Dai Mubai, suppressing his laughter, attempted to approach Zhu Zhuqing, only to be stopped by her cold glare.
Su Ming, still unable to grasp the reasoning behind Oscar's chants, asked, "Oscar, can't you make sausages without saying that strange chant?"
Oscar looked over and gave Dai Mubai a questioning look, to which Dai provided introductions for each of them.
Oscar was astonished. A twelve-year-old Soul Elder? Unbelievable! At fourteen, he himself was only at level twenty-nine, which, though common among food-type soul masters, was a stark contrast.
Oscar replied with a wry smile, "I'm well aware of how strange my chants sound, but there's nothing I can do. I've tried making sausages without chanting, but it simply doesn't work."
Su Ming thought for a moment and suggested, "Have you tried silently chanting the words or just muttering them quietly? That might help with the awkwardness."
Oscar's eyes lit up. Why hadn't he thought of that?
"Alright, let me try."
Oscar silently recited the chant in his head and attempted to make a sausage, but he only managed a half-formed product.
After several failed attempts, he tried the second approach—uttering the chant quietly instead of loudly. This time, a complete sausage appeared in his hand, and he was overjoyed!
Su Ming nodded in approval; the second approach worked.
Oscar was thrilled. Such a simple suggestion had solved years of awkwardness. Why hadn't anyone thought of it before?
Oscar enthusiastically grabbed Su Ming's hand and said, "Su Ming, thank you so much! I don't have to embarrass myself anymore. Here, have a sausage!"
Seeing the sausage coming toward him, Su Ming quickly declined, "That's okay. I'm in perfect condition, no healing needed."
Oscar looked disappointed and glanced over at the three girls, but they too were visibly uninterested in the sausage.
Dai Mubai laughed, "Don't worry; you'll all have to try Oscar's sausage sooner or later since you're all joining the same academy. Better get used to it!"
Oscar nodded solemnly.
Su Ming shrugged, "Maybe after we're more accustomed to it. Without hearing the chant, I might even enjoy it—I do like meat, after all."
However, Su Ming couldn't help but wonder if there was a way for Oscar to skip the chant altogether. Although the low-volume chant was an improvement, it wasn't efficient. If they were to compete together in future battles, Oscar would need to produce sausages rapidly—making one sausage per chant would be a bottleneck.
For now, though, Su Ming decided it was best to hold off on solving Oscar's chant issue. He needed to observe him more before investing in the idea. Besides, they had only just met; there was no reason to jump in right away.
After finishing his sausages, Zhao Wuji, feeling somewhat revitalized, turned to Dai Mubai. "Mubai, show them to their dorms. Classes start tomorrow."
With that, Zhao Wuji left, too embarrassed to stay any longer.
After Zhao Wuji walked away, Oscar ran over to Dai Mubai's side and whispered, "What's with Teacher Zhao today? Did he get his period or something? Why is he so set on giving the new students a hard time? Wasn't the examiner for the fourth round supposed to be you?"
Dai Mubai replied irritably, "Say it louder, why don't you? Let Teacher Zhao hear it – he's got a bellyful of frustration to unload right now. His period? How about your period."
Despite his words, Dai Mubai felt secretly relieved. It was lucky that Teacher Zhao had taken over the fourth trial; otherwise, he might have ended up seriously injured. Tang San's weapons and Su Ming's wood dragon weren't to be trifled with.
As he pondered this, he suddenly realized that Su Ming was practically an all-around spirit master. His first spirit skill was defense, the second was control, the third was the wood dragon, and the fourth was support. This wasn't a typical support-type spirit master at all.
Moreover, every one of Su Ming's spirit skills was unbelievably strong. Even Teacher Zhao had been unable to escape his second and third skills. Dai Mubai's one thought now was that it was best not to mess with Su Ming.
Originally, he'd found Su Ming's sister, Xiao Wu, very attractive and had some intentions toward her, but thinking it over now, he decided against it. He didn't want to be beaten to death. Plus, Zhu Qing had come to Shrek Academy, so he needed to rein himself in anyway.
Then Dai Mubai led Su Ming and the others to Shrek Academy's dorms. The girls' and boys' dorms were on opposite sides.
Seeing their dormitory for the first time, Su Ming couldn't help but feel it was too shabby. The whole place looked like an old wooden cabin, dilapidated and cramped. Inside, the rooms were small, about a dozen square meters, with two people per room.
Oscar gave Su Ming a playful wink and said, "Su Ming, why don't we room together?"
Oscar had taken a liking to Su Ming, so he preferred him over Tang San as a roommate.
Su Ming shoved Oscar's face away with one hand and said disdainfully, "Rooming with you is fine, but could you act normal? Stop with the 'eye attacks,' alright?"
Oscar scratched his head with an embarrassed chuckle.
With Su Ming and Oscar sharing a room, Tang San naturally had one to himself.
After assigning everyone their rooms, Dai Mubai turned to leave, figuring it was late and they should settle in since classes started tomorrow.
Once Su Ming entered the dormitory, he found it cramped and decrepit. He quickly formed a plan and said to Oscar, "Oscar, do you have a spirit tool to store your things in?"
Oscar, puzzled by the question, laughed bitterly. "Su Ming, I'm pretty broke; otherwise, I wouldn't be selling sausages nearby. Spirit tools are too expensive."
Oh.
Su Ming hadn't considered that. Without hesitation, he tossed a ring to Oscar and said, "This ring has a 20-square-meter storage space. Consider it a welcoming gift for becoming my roommate."
Oscar looked at him with a face full of gratitude. "Really? That's amazing!"
But then, his face turned serious. "On second thought, Su Ming, this ring is too valuable. We just met and don't know each other well yet. Besides, I don't have anything worthy to give you as a gift in return."
With that, he reluctantly returned the ring to Su Ming.
Su Ming couldn't help but laugh at Oscar's change of expression – like a true master of face-changing. In his past life, Oscar would definitely have won an Oscar for his performance, fitting given his name.
Seeing that Oscar was reluctant to accept his storage ring, Su Ming's impression of him improved even more. So far, Oscar seemed like a genuine and principled person.
However, Su Ming was determined that Oscar had to accept the ring today.
With a serious expression, he said, "Oscar, just take the ring. Consider it an investment on my part."
Oscar raised an eyebrow in curiosity. "What do you mean by that?"
Oscar couldn't see what value he held. He was just an ordinary civilian, not wealthy, and lacked the strength to defend himself.
"Well, the fact that you got into Shrek Academy means your talent must be impressive, right? Mind telling me your innate spirit power level, age, and current spirit power?"
Oscar answered without hesitation, "I'm a food-type spirit master with innate full spirit power, fourteen years old, and currently at level 29. I have a feeling I'll reach level 30 soon!"
This information wasn't exactly a secret, so he didn't mind sharing.
"There you go. You're already at level 29 at fourteen, and with a food-type spirit, which is notoriously difficult to cultivate. Your talent is remarkable!"
Su Ming gave him an admiring look. He knew that Oscar actually harbored some insecurities.
Oscar smiled bitterly. "But according to Boss Dai, you're only twelve and already at level 43. I'm way behind."
Su Ming shook his head. "You can't compare yourself to me. My fast cultivation has its reasons. Just trust me – your future achievements will be exceptional!"
Hearing Su Ming's encouragement, Oscar's eyes lit up. "Really? Even a commoner like me could achieve something great?"
Su Ming nodded. "Absolutely. I'm a pretty good judge of character. If you stick with me for training, I promise you'll at least reach Title Douluo status one day!"
Actually, even without Su Ming's involvement, Oscar's natural talent would likely lead him to Title Douluo in time.
"Of course, if you train with me, there's no other meaning to it. We'll be brothers – though I'm the elder and you're the younger, even though you're older. I just like being the big brother, that's all!"
Oscar fell silent for a moment, then said seriously, "Su Ming, I'll consider calling you my big brother, but we've only known each other for a day. I need some time."
Oscar was surprised at himself – he actually believed in Su Ming's words, as if they could one day come true. Perhaps it was Su Ming's confidence and authority that made it seem possible.
Then, Oscar withdrew his hand and put the ring on his finger, affectionately rubbing it, thrilled. "Amazing! I finally have my own storage spirit tool!"
Seeing Oscar's happiness, Su Ming thought to himself that although Oscar always acted carefree, those who knew him understood he was a man of dignity and quiet pride, despite his humble background.
However, Su Ming was confident that, in time, Oscar would indeed call him big brother.
Oscar was destined to be a future Food God, and his sausage support abilities were exceptional. Keeping him close would be a huge advantage, not just for him but also for Xiao Wu.
As for Dai Mubai, the "indecent tiger," and the "lecherous rooster," he'd pass on them. The former frequented brothels, and the latter did too, even preying on innocent women. Su Ming secretly despised them for it; they weren't even choosy.
Oscar, though poor, might be a little quirky, but Su Ming believed he was unlikely to visit those kinds of places. If he had, he wouldn't have the scruffy, unkempt look he wore now.
[T/N:
Thanks For your Support
you can read 40chapters more in my patre0n
patre0n.c0m/MiniLicht]