“Sigh….”
Lien sighed deeply in his heart.
Then his stomach rumbled.
“So hungry….”
Just then, the Elf woke up, lifted her head, rubbed her sleepy eyes, and saw Lien staring wide-eyed on the bed.
“Little baby, you’re awake!”
Lien wanted to express that he wanted to eat, but could only make gurgling sounds.
The Elf picked him up.
“Why are you making so much noise… are you hungry?”
She brought over a bowl of pale yellow, steaming mushy soup, scooped a little with a small spoon, and brought it to his mouth.
“Here, eat this. This is corn porridge I made with chicken broth,” she said eagerly.
“Are you… kidding me? Giving this to a newborn…” Lien’s mouth twitched.
Not to mention he had no teeth, but his fragile throat and stomach definitely couldn't digest such a thing.
This Elf had absolutely no experience with childcare…
“Why aren’t you eating?”
Seeing the little baby didn't respond, she tilted her head: “Oh, right… newborns need milk, don’t they?”
She looked down at her chest and discovered a problem, which Lien also noticed.
“I don’t seem to have any milk….”
“It’s over, I’m going to starve to death….”
“Oh, right!” The Elf suddenly remembered something. “Mrs. Bell next door also had a baby last month. Should I take you to her for help?”
The Elf said, wrapping him in a blanket, and scurried out.
Only then did Lien realize that this was a two-story wooden house, elegantly decorated. Although the furniture was sparse, it was complete. Besides this Elf, he hadn't seen a second family member.
The Elf carried him downstairs, passed through the living room with a faint scent of tea leaves, pushed open the door, and ran outside.
“Ding-a-ling!”
A sudden ring made Lien look up. He saw a man dressed as a postman riding a bicycle, swerving sharply past the Elf.
“Hey! Yumilia! Watch where you’re going!” the postman shouted.
“Sorry! Uncle Gru!”
The Elf, named Yumilia, quickly said, but didn't stop, continuing to run forward. The postman's voice came from behind:
“Where did you get that child from?!”
“I found him!” Yumilia shouted.
Lien’s eyes widened in surprise as he looked at the bicycle the postman was riding:
“Is that… a bicycle?”
Such a product of the Industrial Revolution had already appeared?
The era must have advanced by at least several centuries, right?
He looked around. It seemed this was just a small village, peaceful and serene, with pebble-paved paths, wooden houses, and small courtyards fenced off by hedges in front of every home.
Yumilia carried him into a small courtyard.
“Mrs. Bell! Mrs. Bell!”
The door opened, revealing a woman in a loose-sleeved sweater, with fiery red hair braided and placed in front of her. Her face was gentle, clearly a kind-hearted housewife.
“What’s wrong, Yumilia… Oh? Where did you get this baby?”
Mrs. Bell exclaimed in surprise when she saw him.
“I found him in a tree hollow in the back mountain while picking mushrooms. He was still an egg when I found him! I held him in bed all night, and he hatched this morning!” Yumilia said happily, holding up Lien.
“Hatched?” Mrs. Bell seemed a bit confused.
“She really thinks I was an egg…” Lien thought helplessly.
“Now he’s hungry, and I don’t have any milk. Could I trouble you, Mrs. Bell, to feed him?” Yumilia asked.
“Oh, I see. Then please come in first.”
Yumilia carried him inside. Compared to the Elf’s home, this family’s decorations were much more numerous. There were decorative paintings on the walls, fluffy carpets on the floor, and several vibrant potted flowers on the windowsill.
A cradle was placed next to the sofa, with another baby sound asleep inside.
Mrs. Bell took Lien and began to feed him.
Having been hungry for a long time, Lien didn't care about much else and eagerly absorbed the life-giving nourishment.
The Emperor is dining…
After eating his fill, a look of bliss appeared on the baby’s face.
Two gazes full of loving kindness focused on him.
“So cute…” Yumilia couldn't resist, and kissed his chubby cheek.
Lien’s face instantly fell.
“Foolish Elf! Do you know what you’re doing?! How dare you defile the glory of the Imperial family!”
“Eh? Why are you crying? I’m sorry, did I scare you?” Yumilia quickly picked him up, rocking and coaxing him. After a while, Lien finally stopped, huffing, his small face still pouting unhappily.
“This child is truly beautiful,” Mrs. Bell said, looking him over.
“He’s a boy,” Yumilia said.
“By the way, Yumilia, how exactly did you find him?” Mrs. Bell asked.
“Well… in the back mountain, in a tree hollow,” Yumilia recalled.
“I was just going to pick mushrooms, but when I pushed aside the grass, I found such a large egg in that tree hollow. It sounded like a baby crying inside, so I took him home, held him in my arms all night, and he hatched.”
Found in the mountains… Lien processed this information. It seemed he wasn't transferred through other means; the Returning Source Cocoon was likely already lost.
“A person hatched from an egg….” Mrs. Bell still seemed somewhat unconvinced. “Speaking of which, only Dragonborn and some Beastfolk can hatch from eggs, right? He….”
Lien was picked up and examined, but he had no characteristics of a demi-human.
“How truly strange…” Mrs. Bell murmured.
“I don’t care what race he is. From now on, he’s my child,” Yumilia said, taking Lien from Mrs. Bell’s hands and holding him gently.
“Just two days ago, I had a dream about a tall knight in majestic armor, and then I found him! So, I think this must be a gift from the heavens!” Yumilia said with conviction.
She looked at Lien tenderly, her eyes full of maternal love: “He is my little knight, a gift from the heavens.”
“From Emperor to knight, how many ranks is that difference…” Lien thought speechlessly.
“I’ve been lonely for over twenty years, and now I finally have someone to accompany me.”
Her soft cheek rubbed against Lien’s baby-fattened face.
Mrs. Bell looked at her and said helplessly, “Being a single mother is very tough.”
“It’s okay, I’ll work hard! I’ll find a job, send him to school, raise him to be a Grand Scholar, raise him to be a man of integrity!”
Yumilia said with boundless longing.
“Oh, you silly child.” Mrs. Bell, seeing her so motivated, could only smile and shake her head.
“Then I’ll save two bottles of milk for you from now on.”
“Really? Thank you so much, Mrs. Bell!”
Yumilia bowed to Mrs. Bell, holding Lien.
“It’s nothing, no need to be polite with me. I’ll have plenty extra anyway, and Choba can’t drink it all,” Mrs. Bell said with a smile.
“Then remember to get him an ID card. You’re an Elf, and if he can get an Elf identity, he’ll receive many more social benefits later on,” Mrs. Bell said.
“Oh, and have you named this child yet?”
“Name?” Yumilia tilted her head. “Not yet.”
“Then before you go, how about you give him a name?” Mrs. Bell said with a smile. “Think carefully, a good name is very important.”
“Mm!” Yumilia nodded vigorously.
Mrs. Bell also taught her many tips for caring for a baby, such as patting his back after feeding to help him burp, sleeping on his back, ensuring the bath water temperature is suitable, regularly massaging his body, and various baby care products…
While they were talking, Lien was also nearby, hearing modern terms such as post office, tap water, radio, and community welfare.
However, he didn't hear any information about his country or the current world situation from them.
Lien could already deduce that the current era, when converted to his previous life, was at least the end of the Victorian era, if not the Edwardian period.
“If I weren’t already a transmigrator, and hadn’t forgotten all the knowledge from my previous world, I’d definitely be confused right now,” Lien sighed silently. It seemed the current situation was worse than he imagined.
The times had undergone major changes, and the old empire was bound to suffer. Even if it didn't collapse, it probably wouldn't be in a good state.
If he, a remnant of the former dynasty, were exposed, wouldn't he be purged…
At a young age, he already felt lost about his future life.
But he also felt he might be overthinking it. If someone in the 21st century ran around shouting that he was the resurrected Qin Shi Huang, he would most likely just be considered mentally ill…