Ten thousand and ten.

“If only there were some wine,” Newgate murmured to himself. Kaido nodded in strong agreement, while Koi Yaku, engrossed in his culinary experiments, immediately added brewing to his list of priorities.

Then, Koi Yaku surveyed the island’s current state.

To brew wine, first there must be crops.

To have crops, one must first clear a patch of land.

To clear the land, trees must be felled, stones removed, and weeds uprooted.

Beyond that, a brewery must be built, equipment fashioned, various miscellaneous ingredients prepared, and the crops have to mature…

Clearly, this was not a goal achievable overnight.

Reluctantly, Koi Yaku postponed the brewing project.

Despite the absence of wine, one human and two animals still enjoyed a lively evening. Unnoticed, the moon had climbed high into the night sky, and silence had settled around them.

The polar bear looked up at the night sky, then at the two: “Now that we’re full, it’s time for these little rascals to go to bed.”

Kaido was the first to voice his displeasure with the bear’s suggestion. “I’m not sleepy. Besides, I’m not a kid.” Then he glanced at Koi Yaku. “You’re the one who should be sleeping, kid.”

Koi Yaku had no objection but felt compelled to clarify, “I don’t need sleep.”

The bear and calf exchanged looks as if staring at a child refusing to go to bed and lying about it.

But it was well-known that a player genuinely didn’t require sleep. Sleep points in the game served only three purposes:

Saving progress, restoring stamina, and skipping time.

As long as there were stamina potions, a player could grind from the game's start to a full five-star island completion without rest.

So Koi Yaku stated calmly, “For me, a sleeping place is more symbolic than practical.”

She stepped forward, near the campfire. Brushing away fallen leaves from the ground, Kaido and Newgate saw a roughly laid grass mat.

On it lay three large banana leaves, serving as a makeshift blanket.

Koi Yaku proudly said, “Since the beginning—that is, the start of the game—I’ve never used it once!”

This was the absolute truth.

The grass mat was an “item” she had upon entering the game, classified as a building—a point of reference on the mini-map marked with a tent icon.

Koi Yaku didn’t have high demands regarding food, drink, or shelter in the game; after all, it wasn’t a VR game that required immersive experience.

She didn’t care whether the protagonist slept on a grass mat or a mattress—the function was all that mattered.

“To me, it’s simply a coordinate, a ‘home’ coordinate,” she shrugged.

“It’s just here to remind me where to return.”

“Is that so? This is your ‘home’?”

More appreciation than pity colored Newgate’s tone. He understood Koi Yaku’s words from a different perspective.

After a brief hesitation, Koi Yaku nodded in agreement with the polar bear.

The bear chuckled again, a deep rumble. Koi Yaku didn’t grasp the meaning behind the smile and hurried to explain:

“It may seem crude now, but that’s okay. I’ll have a more luxurious ‘home’ someday.”

“You certainly will. But tomorrow’s matters are for tomorrow,” the polar bear said. “It’s already night—go to sleep, little girl.”

Koi Yaku considered this. She had lost some HP during her sparring with Kaido earlier; a good rest wouldn’t hurt.

She obeyed and crawled into her grassy nest. The bear turned to Kaido: “Hey, brat, you should sleep too.”

Kaido wasn’t bothered by Koi Yaku’s humble lodgings. Having been a mercenary since childhood, he was used to sleeping under the sky with the ground as his bed. He listened silently, a trace of disdain on his face.

When Newgate called out to him, Kaido’s mood soured, as rebellious youths often do. He grabbed his spiked club: “Shut up. Mind your own business, old man!”

“Hm?”

The polar bear picked up his naginata, the Dark Cloud Cutter, and met Kaido’s gaze without yielding.

Kaido stood.

The polar bear stood.

Koi Yaku stood as well, pulling out some dried roasted mushrooms as a snack.

“Hey!”

Both animals turned to her. “Aren’t you going to sleep?”

“I’ll watch you fight first,” Koi Yaku said nervously, munching on the mushrooms. She arranged three large bowls of food before them:

“By the way, I’ve developed a dish that restores health! Feel free to fight—no need to hold back. This can restore 50 HP at once!”

The two animals eyed the mysterious dish emitting dark fumes. They didn’t even dare to peer closely into the pot.

For some reason, the polar bear and calf both lowered their weapons, sat back down.

Koi Yaku was puzzled.

She kindly placed the dish before Newgate. “Aren’t you going to fight?”

The polar bear turned away, pretending not to see the food, and said to Kaido: “Hey, brat. How long do you plan to stay on this island?”

Koi Yaku offered the food to Kaido. “Even if you don’t want to fight, I have extra dishes you can eat.”

“Hmph.” Kaido pushed her aside and looked at Newgate with a rough attitude: “I’ll leave once I build my ship.”

Koi Yaku tried to persuade him: “Don’t want to eat? It will make you stronger! Really no?”

Newgate picked Koi Yaku up and put her back on the grass mat. Seeing the thin banana leaves might not keep her warm at night, the polar bear took off his cloak and threw it over her, covering her completely.

“Where are you headed next? Beehive Island?” Newgate ignored Koi Yaku’s struggles and asked Kaido.

Kaido glanced at the struggling Koi Yaku, then looked at Newgate with surprise and caution. “How do you know?”

Newgate snorted. “Brats are brats, reckless beyond their years. At your current level, trying to challenge Rocks? You probably wouldn’t even touch one of his fingers.”

“How do you know if you don’t try?” Kaido responded defiantly.

Finally, Koi Yaku emerged from the enormous cloak, stretching her head out. “Who is Rocks?”

Newgate and Kaido looked at her simultaneously.

“You should sleep,” Newgate said for the third time.

“Kids shouldn’t meddle in adult conversations,” Kaido added.

“You were a calf yourself, how dare you call me a brat?” Koi Yaku retorted incredulously.

“I told you, I’m not a cow!” Kaido’s eyes blazed with anger as he glared fiercely.

Koi Yaku, looking at the calf’s character portrait, felt no fear and ignored his fury, turning instead to the polar bear.

Perhaps because of the furry companion, even though she couldn’t touch him, Koi Yaku felt joyful and couldn’t help but ask the polar bear about his background:

“By the way, polar bear, are you a pirate? Do you have many sea stories? Any secret adventures you could tell me?”

“Polar bear? Who?”

Newgate was momentarily stunned. “Are you talking about me? Polar bear?”

Meeting Koi Yaku’s eager gaze, Newgate couldn’t firmly reject the child’s curious animal association. Embracing the nickname, he continued:

“Yes, I am a pirate and have accumulated quite a few adventure experiences.”

“Do you want to hear them?”

“Yes!”

“No interest,” Kaido said calmly. For some reason, Koi Yaku felt the calf glare at her. …I don’t think I did anything to upset him. But soon, the calf cast a more disdainful look at the polar bear.

Newgate laughed, catching Kaido’s quickly averted gaze.

In Kaido’s eyes was a hint of longing, and he secretly glanced back.

Youthful souls all…

Like a family, he held his children close on his knees, their eyes full of dreams, asking about their father’s past.

Unconsciously, Newgate slowed his pace, drawing from memory one thrilling adventure after another.

“Just right—there’s one adventure perfect as a bedtime story.”

Newgate spoke softly: “Once, I…”

“ZZZZzzzzzZ…”

With a thud, Koi Yaku collapsed onto the grass mat, a bubble rising from her nose, her breath steady and peaceful in sleep.

Yes, that’s how players are—upon hearing a backstory, they habitually skip ahead.

Newgate chuckled. Kaido snorted disdainfully at Koi Yaku’s instant sleep. Now only Kaido’s burning gaze remained fixed on him.

Newgate continued the tale: “That day, I arrived at an island…”

The story went on until Kaido too gradually fell asleep.

The campfire finally flickered its last ember.

Night was silent, and the children were sound asleep. Newgate gazed at the moon, thoughts filled with his family.