Xiao Xun scratched his head sheepishly and explained, "You wouldn't let me go out, and there's nothing to do in this room, so I could only sleep. Besides, at this time, I'd already be asleep. The next day, I still have to make breakfast for you."
Mu Jiahe's expression was impassive, her presence so imposing it was impossible to look directly at her. "By the sound of your words, are you blaming me?"
Xiao Xun quickly got up and stood at the foot of the bed, "How could I possibly do that? It's my fault, all my fault." He knew that no matter which world they were in, this woman was someone he couldn't afford to offend. He dared not speak carelessly.
Mu Jiahe pointed at the blanket on Xiao Xun's body, "You, you have great audacity! Who allowed you to use my blanket? This was the first gift my father king gave me. Do you know how precious it is?"
Xiao Xun lowered his head and looked at the blanket, his face filled with grievance. However, he certainly wouldn't return it to her now. "You told me to pick anything I wanted from the wardrobe..."
Upon hearing this, Mu Jiahe instantly became furious, "I told you to pick clothes, not a blanket! Give it back quickly."
Xiao Xun clutched the blanket tightly with both hands, wrapping himself even more, "I won't, unless you find me an outfit to wear."
Mu Jiahe found herself helpless against him, so she drew a circle in the air and said to the circle, "Place a set of men's robes by the door for me."
Xiao Xun stared at the gradually disappearing circle in astonishment, "Is this the telephone of this world?"
Mu Jiahe frowned, "Our world doesn't have such things as you describe, nor do we need them."
At that moment, there was a knock on the door. "Your Majesty, the clothes have been placed by the door."
Xiao Xun stared at the door, dumbfounded, "So fast..."
Mu Jiahe gestured towards the door with her chin and said to Xiao Xun, "The clothes have been delivered. Hurry up and return my blanket!"
The words "difficulty" were written all over Xiao Xun's face. "My Queen, if I go to get the clothes now, won't everyone outside know that you have an unclothed man hidden in your room? That wouldn't be good for your reputation!"
Mu Jiahe looked at Xiao Xun, "I never realized before that you were so glib. It's fine, you go get them! No one will be on this floor."
Mu Jiahe muttered to herself, "No one? Then who put the clothes by the door for you?"
Xiao Xun, half-believing, threw the blanket onto the bed and then quickly ran to the door. As he opened it and bent down to pick up the clothes, a 'balding' old man in white robes was cupping his hands in a bow and said, "Your Majesty, the vanguard camp's legion commander wishes to see you..."
Xiao Xun shouted, "His Majesty is busy."
He then tightly closed the door, quickly put on the clothes, and came before Mu Jiahe.
With an displeased expression, he said, "Didn't you say there was no one by the door?"
Mu Jiahe's tone was icy, "Are you questioning me? Do you know how serious a crime it is to question me in this country?"
Xiao Xun looked at his attire, "Then you can't try to fool me with a clown's outfit from a circus!"
Mu Jiahe stood up, patted Xiao Xun, and said, "This outfit suits you quite well. By the way, who did you see by the door just now?"
Xiao Xun thought for a moment, "An old man in white clothes, who said some commander wanted to see you."
Mu Jiahe selected a dashing casual outfit from the wardrobe and turned to Xiao Xun, saying, "Remember to hang my skirt back. I'll treat you to our country's delicacies later."
With that, she went out again.
Xiao Xun looked at the door, thinking to himself, "Back there, I was your subordinate. How is it that here, I still have to be your servant? It's over. It seems I'll never escape your clutches in this lifetime." However, he was still quite curious about this world. It would be great if he could at least have a history book to understand the history of this planet, continent, and country.
While Xiao Xun was idly passing the time, he discovered a book beneath a soft pillow. It was wrapped in an unknown beast hide and had a hardcover. Upon opening it, he exclaimed, "Good heavens, it's actually in Chinese characters."
The title page read: "Compendium of Magic."
The last page stated: Suggested Retail Price ¥36.5, Longhua Publishing House.
Xiao Xun had never felt so speechless in his life. Based on his guess, the two worlds were not connected, and nothing could be brought over. Otherwise, why did he arrive naked and empty-handed? But if that were the case, this book was unexplainable. Unless there was also a Longhua Publishing House here, and they just happened to use the language and characters of that world.
He flipped open the table of contents. The main categories included magic, the three essential elements of magic, types of magic, the reasons for learning magic, and the dangers of misusing magic.
"It's quite comprehensive, but it doesn't say how to practice magic." He flipped through it idly, and as expected, he began to feel drowsy when reading about subjects he wasn't good at.
Just as Xiao Xun thought he couldn't hold on any longer, Her Majesty the Queen, Sailerpei Si, entered with a black fox fur cloak in her arms.
"Why are you lying on my bed again, and rummaging through my things?"
Xiao Xun stood up and put the book down, "I'm simply too bored. Why don't you send me back?"
"Since you're here, you might as well explore. Think of it as tourism." As she spoke, she threw the cloak in her hand to Xiao Xun, "A gift for you."
Xiao Xun touched the soft, lustrous fox fur cloak in his arms. "Giving me something like this in this season, won't I break out in a rash if I wear it?"
Mu Jiahe looked at him with an expression as if he were an idiot, "Did I say you had to wear it now?"
Xiao Xun draped the cloak over himself, paired it with the 'clown-like' jacket he was wearing, and stood in front of the mirror, "Do I look like the Jester King?"
This time, it was Mu Jiahe's turn to be surprised. "Jester King? Which country's emperor is that?"
Xiao Xun rolled his eyes, "You don't even know the Jester King? Didn't you have a childhood! It's the one who throws knives."
As he spoke, he pretended to throw knives, making "swoosh, swoosh" sounds.
Mu Jiahe shrugged, "As long as you're happy. My childhood was different from yours. I had no playmates, no toys, no fun."
Xiao Xun placed the fox fur cloak on a nearby rack, "Then let's eat! I really want to experience the cuisine of this world."
Mu Jiahe led Xiao Xun out of the door. Xiao Xun looked at his surroundings in astonishment. This was a real castle, not like the ones he played in games. Each floor had a spiral staircase leading to the next. Except for the top floor, all other floors had several rooms. The top floor, besides the large balcony opposite Mu Jiahe's bedroom, had nothing else that Xiao Xun could see from the balcony. On every staircase landing, two heavily armed knights stood guard, solemnly saluting Sailerpei Si, their Empress. Their Empress would return their greetings with a kind smile and continue down to the next flight of stairs.
Xiao Xun followed behind, thinking, "Even though there are only six floors, going down is so troublesome!" Finally, they arrived at the dining room on the first floor. If the ten-meter-long dining table in the villa had already astonished Xiao Xun, then the thirty-meter-long dining table before him was enough to make his jaw drop. If someone at one end of the table wanted to speak to someone at the other end, they would probably have to shout to be heard. No wonder palace dining etiquette prohibited conversation; it was too much of a strain on the voice.
Although everyone was seeing Xiao Xun for the first time and was naturally filled with curiosity, not a single person dared to question him. The thirty-meter-long table was laden with a dazzling array of food. Apart from a roast suckling pig with a bright red apple in its mouth, Xiao Xun recognized none of the other dishes, or at least he suspected he recognized them, but upon closer inspection, they looked different from what he usually saw.