After that, Chen Jing summoned his gnome, pointed at the rebars on the floor, and told it about Chen Yining's request.

The yellow-skinned gnome blinked. "For a smart gnome, this is all too easy."

However, it gasped in surprise after it picked up one of the rebars and tried to bend it firmly, only to no avail.

"Master, your technology is so advanced! The steel you forged is too hard," it said. "I would need some tools or strengthening this steel bars would take too long."

While there were some tools in the rented house, there was no cutting machines or chainsaw.

Nonetheless, the gnome went off to a corner and went to work after getting his tools.

Green Skin's ears straightened. It sneaked a peek and wanted to watch but would not prostrate itself to do it.

However, perhaps because the sounds of the gnome working had a strong impression on it, Green Skin could not help slithering over.

Soon enough, the gnome was barking angrily from the other side, "Get lost! You green-skinned midget who only starts trouble! I'll gouge out your feces with this bar, believe it!"

Despite being upset, Green Skin ran off, fuming.

Finding itself a corner to sit, it glared unhappily at the gnome from afar.

Then, unable to sit still, the goblin soon stood up and strolled aimlessly around the house.

Like a bumpkin, it would look and touch here and there.

While Chen Yining and his younger brother were having a heart-to-heart conversation and heard the sound of pot and pans crashing to the floor, he actually thought that there had been a burglar.

He ran to the kitchen to find Green Skin wearing a pot on its head, holding a spatula with its left hand and a cleaver on its right, staring blankly at himself.

"Don't touch anything in the kitchen from now on," Chen Yining said as he took the pot off Green Skin's head and placed it on a stove, and returned both the spatula and the cleaver to their wall hooks.

Disarmed and reverting to its 1.4-meter stature, Green Skin stood where it was, unsettled. It kept sliding peeks at Chen Yining, believing that its master would punish it.

However, Chen Yining did not do so, and merely instructed it not to do so again before leaving the kitchen.

Green Skin gulped and stared at the weapons in the kitchen, reluctant to part with it.

Those weapons were all shiny and bright—fine treasures it had never seen before.

Oh, how rich its master was!

***

On the other hand, Chen Jing was quiet ever since he saw the two moons on the skies, and had been sitting on the ledge and staring out the window, his thoughts inscrutable.

Chen Yining brought two beers, placing one in front of his younger brother.

"Brother… do you think Mom and Dad are alright?" Chen Jing suddenly asked.

"What good is worrying? Let's stay alive for now, or do you think we could trek across hundred miles of forests?" Chen Yining said, shaking his head.

The truth was that his head was a mess as well, and no words could describe what was running through his mind.

He even wondered if they were no longer on Mercury, and there was no telling if their parents had transmigrated as well.

"Uh-huh."

***

As dawn came, the goblin's nose twitched even as it slept on the floorboards of the living room. It lifted its chin before finally opening its eyes.

It could smell the sweetness from the kitchen!

Meat!

Gulping, the goblin swallowed its spit while its eyes lit up.

Chen Yining stepped out of the kitchen with a bowl.

"Everyone gets two fried eggs, a chunk of fried beef, a slice of a cake, and a cup of milk." He said.

The bowls he used for the goblin and the gnome were special, and it certainly was not a pet's, but two wide yellow-brown bowls he bought separately yesterday instead.

"Master, do I get some too?!" the goblin squealed in delight.

"You do. We'll be eating like kings since we're heading to the suburbs today, and our meals won't be as good as it is today." Chen Yining gave it a look.

They would not be excessively frugal with food in the first few months with food since there were expiry dates.

It was also why Chen Yining did not hoard too much food. While it was fine to keep food past their expiry date for a brief period, they would definitely be inedible once kept too long and starting to grow mold, which made hoarding meaningless.

Moreover, the most important thing to do was to find a way to obtain new food sources, and the forests outside the city definitely would not lack that.

"By the way, let's try to buy a cutting machine when we head home in the afternoon. Things would be much easier if we could get one." Chen Yining said, suddenly remembering about it.

Both him and Chen Jing found breakfast rather plain, nonetheless. Chen Yining was not a good cook after all, and people in modern city would have tasted nothing else other than delicacies.

The two summoned beasts were relishing their food, nonetheless—both runts were eating while seated on stools at first, but finding it uncomfortable, they resorted to squatting on the floor and eating with their own hands, appearing rather wretched as they wolfed down their food.

After breakfast, Chen Yining gestured for Green Skin to get his equipment and get sortied.

The equipment included a child-sized helmet with military camo that Chen Yining had gone out of his way to buy.

Then, there was the meter long rebar that was specially fashioned for the goblin. It was made in consideration of the goblin's strength, since it would be out of stamina if it swung the rebar more than twice if it was too heavy.

The tip of the rebar was also specially processed to a spiral pattern, which allowed for an improved exertion of strength.

Some tape which was anti-slip and anti-sweat was also applied to the handle.

Aside from that, there was also simple plastic armor plating.

The plastic plates were also covered with a jumper—the jumper protected against lacerations, and the plastic plates further strengthened it by preventing stabbing.

Though crude, it was light and the goblin could easily wear it.

"Dumb green-skinned dwarf! Use the items daddy gnome made for you well!" Chen Jing's gnome said proudly.

Then, it could not help yawning.

After all, it was too sleepy since it had worked an entire night.

Bringing along some food, Chen Jing withdrew his gnome into his Summoner's Grimoire so that it could rest. After that, the two brothers and one goblin headed to the forest together.

Along their journey, the goblin appeared dazzled by everything going on at the streets. In fact, every passing vehicle would leave it twitching.

As a matter of fact, Chen Yining had tested the goblin's strength and speed, and it turned out to be two degrees weaker than an average adult male.

Still, that was enough to surprise Chen Yining, since the goblin appeared very thin and weak.

When it comes to speed, however, it was much slower than an adult person, probably because it was very short.

Likewise, its stamina was the same—a short burst of strength was alright, but it would be left useless as time goes on.

After having tested the goblin's physique, Chen Yining was now confident that he could defeat a goblin.

As they headed to the suburbs, they found many pedestrians on the streets. Since many enterprises and schools were on break or holiday, everyone was coming out for a leisurely stroll since they had nothing else to do.