Universal Shelter: I have a gold entry at each level!

Chapter 013: A Dumbfounded Girl

A Few Minutes Earlier—

Inside a wooden shelter at the edge of the camp—

Mino worked quickly and skillfully, skinning the small lizards and three rats, removing their entrails, then tying them up with rope and hanging them over the fire pit to smoke.

Once she was done, she rubbed sand between her hands, scrubbing away the blood.

With no water to wash up, this was the only way to clean her hands.

She glanced at the door, her blue eyes filled with uncertainty.

“What’s taking Mu Liang so long? What exactly is he doing?”

It had already been a while.

Mino had spent over an hour preparing the lizards and rats, but Mu Liang was still nowhere to be seen.

Now that she had nothing to do, a small worry crept into her heart.

Or perhaps… it was loneliness making her feel uneasy.

“Ugh! Mu Liang is so strong—he’ll be fine!”

She shook her head, trying to push away her nerves.

To distract herself, Mino started making a mental list of what she needed to pack.

“I need to bring my pillow… and the rabbit-skin blanket.”

“The wooden planks from my bed too—otherwise, I’ll have nothing to sleep on!”

“Oh, and the wooden bowls… and this bucket for carrying water.”

Looking around, she realized she didn’t want to leave anything behind.

She even considered taking the door!

After all, everything in this shelter was built piece by piece by her sister.

Just then—

“Scratch… scratch… clunk!”

The door creaked, then suddenly swung open.

A shadowy figure squeezed inside.

Mino’s expression hardened instantly.

“Who’s there?!”

She reacted instantly, drawing the bone dagger from her waist and backing up against the wall.

“Hisss~~”

A hissing sound filled the air.

The figure shimmered, and its outline became clear—

The Three-Colored Lizard had dropped its Mimetic Invisibility.

Mino stared, stunned.

“You… You’re Xiao Cai?”

She hesitated for a moment before saying cautiously—

“If you are, nod your head.”

“Hisss~~”

The lizard ignored her and began struggling, trying to remove the ropes tied around its belly.

Mino blinked, then suddenly realized her mistake.

“Ugh, I’m so dumb. Who else but Mu Liang would have a lizard deliver supplies?”

Sighing, she put away her dagger and stepped forward.

“Here, let me help you.”

The Three-Colored Lizard stopped moving, letting her untie the ropes and remove the five rolls of fabric, the wolf pelt, and the bundle of swords and knives.

Then—without waiting—it turned and left, heading out to fetch another load.

“Hey, wait! Where’s Mu Liang?”

Mino called after it, but the lizard didn’t even look back.

Although its intelligence had improved after evolving, it was still only about as smart as a toddler.

Naturally, it couldn’t understand her question.

Mino sighed again, turning her attention to the supplies it had brought.

She ran her fingers over the fabric, her blue eyes lighting up.

“This is high-quality beast wool! So soft!”

She rubbed the material against her cheek, amazed.

“But… where did Mu Liang even get all this? Five whole rolls—this could make dozens of outfits!”

Reluctantly setting the fabric aside, she picked up the wolf pelt.

It was so long that it towered over her when she held it up.

“This has to be from a mutant beast.”

Excited, Mino hugged the fur and rubbed her face against it before pausing.

“Where did Mu Liang get all this stuff?”

Her mind started racing.

“Did he… tell the camp leader about Bloodbeard’s attack? Did the leader give him this as a reward?”

That was the only explanation she could come up with.

It made sense… right?

Some time later—

Mino finished checking the supplies, then picked up a sword from the bundle.

“Only the hunting squad uses weapons like these…”

Her suspicion deepened.

Maybe her guess was right after all.

Then—

“Scratch… scratch… clunk!”

The door creaked open again.

A familiar scene unfolded—

The Three-Colored Lizard entered, this time carrying a large sack.

Mino hurried over, helping it untie the ropes before watching it turn and leave again.

Curious, she peeked inside the sack.

Then—

“Huh???”

She froze.

The entire sack was filled with dried meat.

Mino’s mind blanked for a second.

Then, doubt crept in.

Would the camp leader really be this generous over just a piece of information?

A chilling thought hit her like lightning.

“Mu Liang… wouldn’t have… stolen all this, would he?”

She slowly looked from the sack of meat…

To the five rolls of fabric…

To the swords, knives, and the massive wolf pelt.

And finally, she remembered—

The camp leader was a stingy bastard.

There was no way he would willingly give all this away.

Mino gulped.

“Mu Liang definitely stole this.”

What Now?

Moving quickly, Mino tied the sack shut, dragged it under her bed, and hid it beneath the wooden frame.

If someone came searching, she needed to make sure nothing looked suspicious.

“We just need to get through tonight. We’ll leave at first light.”

She paced back and forth, thinking aloud.

“Seriously, Mu Liang… Even if we’re leaving, did you really have to steal this much?!”

She tugged at her hair, flustered.

“Should we move everything onto Xiao Xuanwu’s back now?”

After a moment’s thought—

“Yeah. That’s a good idea. I’ll talk to Mu Liang about it when he gets back.”

Satisfied with her plan, Mino continued pacing, trying to figure out the best way to hide the stolen goods.

Returning them?

No way.

Mu Liang took them fair and square.

The idea of giving them back never even crossed her mind.