Chapter 86: System cannot assist the host in this situation

Chapter 86: Chapter 86: System cannot assist the host in this situation Ophelia had risen early, ensuring everything was in order. She washed up quickly and refilled the hollowed-out gourds with fresh water inside Isabella’s small hut. Turning to check on Isabella, she found her still curled up, Glimora clutched tightly in her hands. Normally, Isabella was the first to wake, but today, she slept soundly. She must have been exhausted. Deciding not to disturb her, Ophelia made a quick choice—she would head to the palace first. Maybe she could find Shelia. By the time she returned, Isabella would likely be awake. With that, she pushed aside the hide curtain door and stepped out into the fresh morning air. A few minutes passed before Glimora stirred, her fluffy white fur glowing faintly in the dim hut. She stretched lazily, yawned, and blinked her big shimmering eyes open— —and immediately wished she hadn’t. A huge red snake filled half the tiny hut, its thick coils pressing against the walls, its massive head peering down at her like she was a particularly tasty snack. Glimora went still. Completely, utterly still. Don’t move. Don’t breathe. Maybe it won’t see me. The snake blinked. Oh no, it sees me. She wanted to screech. Wanted to run. But all she could do was stare, wide-eyed, her tiny body trembling. Then, ever so slowly, she reached out her tiny foot and— Tap. She lightly tapped Isabella’s face. Nothing. Tap. Tap. Still nothing. Tap-tap-tap-tap- Okay, new plan. If subtlety wasn’t working— Glimora’s fluffy tail plopped directly onto Isabella’s nose, pressing down hard. Isabella stirred, her face scrunching as breathing suddenly became a struggle. "Bubu, what is it?" she mumbled, still half-asleep. No answer came. Instead— Tap-tap-tap-TAP-TAP- The taps turned desperate, like tiny drumbeats of pure panic. Isabella groaned, swiping at whatever was bothering her—only to get a mouthful of fur. "Pfft—ugh! What the—?!" She jolted upright, coughing and spitting out fluff. "Glimora, what are you—" Then she saw it. The very large, very red, very real snake taking up most of the hut. Isabella blinked. The snake blinked. And Glimora? She immediately dove under Isabella’s fur, her little feet sticking out, tapping wildly like some frantic, ghostly warning. Isabella stared. Hard. Then— "AHHH!" Her scream could’ve shattered the heavens. She scrambled back, her heart slamming against her ribs as sheer terror consumed her. Where was Ophelia?! Oh no. Her stomach dropped. Did it eat her?! Or worse—swallow her whole?! Her wide, panicked gaze darted to the snake’s thick coils, searching for any suspicious Ophelia-shaped bulge. Nothing. But that didn’t mean she wasn’t already halfway down its throat! Her hands trembled. Her breath hitched. Oh, this is it. This is how I die. And just when life in this stupid world was finally starting to look up! Then—she locked eyes with the snake. Cold. Unreadable. Unmoving. Wait. Recognition struck her like a bolt of lightning. Oh no. OH NO. She knew that face—er, snout! This wasn’t just any snake. It was that snake. The same cursed red beast that had nearly eaten her once before. (Yes, she must exaggerate) She knew it would come back for her. She said it would! And now here it was. Probably vengeful because she’d escaped last time. Why, oh why, hadn’t she asked Kian for a different hut?! She sucked in a shaky breath, then immediately bowed—because wasn’t that what you were supposed to do before a godlike beast devoured you?! "Bubu," she whispered, barely able to get the words out. No response. Typical. Then, like the voice of doom itself, her system finally chimed in. [System cannot assist the host in this situation.] Isabella’s eye twitched. Excuse me? She hadn’t even asked for help yet! Was Bubu waiting for her to beg? Was this some kind of personal vendetta?! Because honestly, at this point, it felt personal. Oh, she was doomed. The snake’s upper body shimmered, shifting and stretching, and suddenly—light poured into the tiny hut. But Isabella and Glimora were too far gone in their panic to notice. And even if they had noticed, they’d probably assume it was the divine light of the afterlife. Isabella gulped. She was starting to understand why Bubu always nagged her about cultivating. In fact, if she somehow survived this, she swore she’d start immediately. Well... right after she built some actual doors. And introduced proper hygiene. And made sure everyone had good clothes. And hair care! The villagers desperately needed hair care— Wait. That isn’t the point right now! The point was— She was about to pee herself. The huge snake—no, snake man—stood there, his pink eyes gleaming under the dim light, red hair cascading down his shoulders like some kind of divine punishment sent just for her. And Isabella? Isabella was shaking like a leaf in the wind. But she was not going down without a fight. Or... at least without some convincing negotiations. She threw her hands up dramatically. "Oh great and mighty serpent overlord!" she began, voice dripping with theatrical desperation. The man blinked. "I—I come in peace! I am but a humble, weak, incredibly unappetizing maiden with absolutely nothing to offer in the form of nutritional value! Look at me! Skin and bones! You eat me, and I guarantee you’ll regret it. I probably taste like a confused strawberry! The flavor? Tragic!" The man tilted his head slightly, confused, but clearly intrigued. "I know! I know you’re looking at me thinking, ’Hmm, maybe she’s lying, maybe she’s got some good marbling on her—’ But I assure you, sir, I do not!" She clutched her chest dramatically. "In fact, I am cursed! That’s right! Cursed! You eat me, and BAM—suddenly, your scales fall off, your teeth rot, and you get an eternal stomachache! And do you want that? Do you? Of course not!" She gasped, as if just struck with an idea. "But wait! I am not useless! What if I told you I have something better than eating me?" The man raised a brow, still silent, still staring. "I can be useful! A maid! A servant! A personal storyteller! A, uh—" she scrambled, looking around—"A fashion consultant! Look at you! All that hair, and yet... not a single braid, not even a decent half-up style! I can fix that!" Still, the man said nothing. Meanwhile, beneath Isabella, Glimora had been trying to get her attention. Tap. Tap tap. Tap tap tap. Her tiny paws pressed insistently against Isabella’s side. But Isabella? Oh, Isabella was too deep into her performance. Without looking down, she hissed in a whisper, "Glimora, I am saving our lives! What do you want?" Glimora, her small mouth hanging open, stared up in pure disbelief. Because what in the name of all things holy was this?! That was not a snake. Well, it was, but also, it wasn’t. There was an actual man attached to a massive snake body. Tall. Muscular. Glowy. With hair. And—oh dear heavens—still very, very much a snake from the waist down. Slowly, very slowly, Isabella finally took in the silence around her. The fact that the air suddenly didn’t feel as terrifyingly suffocating. And that was when she saw it. The long tail was still there. But above it— A man. A snake man. Her mouth opened. A small, stunned noise escaped. Then— "AHHHHHH!" And suddenly, all that calm, all that bargaining? GONE.