"What?"
Lu Yan's heart stopped for a few seconds. But he quickly recovered and, following his survival instincts, yanked the bunch with all his strength, tearing it free. Then he climbed down the banana tree. Halfway down, he leapt and ran toward the mountains.
At the center of the tree, the owner of the growl revealed itself: a small monkey, with yellow fur and honey-colored eyes, wearing a dejected expression as it watched Lu Yan flee with the bunch.
An expression that soon turned determined.
The little monkey, who had been waiting for the bunch to fully ripen, refused to lose it like that. With an agile leap, it descended the tree and silently set off after Lu Yan.
By that point, Lu Yan was already breathing heavily, his body covered in sweat drops the size of beans.
Swallowing another stone, he glanced back to check if he was being followed—and, to his surprise, a yellow blur appeared in his field of vision, approaching swiftly, revealing its small figure.
Upon realizing this, Lu Yan's first reaction was… embarrassment.
Was this what he had run away from with his tail between his legs?
Ashamed, he stopped and prepared for a possible confrontation with the small animal. The little monkey, seeing him on guard, did not approach immediately, staying about five meters away.
That scene surprised Lu Yan.
That little monkey seemed quite intelligent. It couldn't read his mind, but he could tell it was waiting for an opportunity to snatch the bunch from his right hand.
"Was this food his?"
Lu Yan felt a trace of guilt, but quickly dismissed it. He also needed to eat to survive.
Pulling off a dozen bananas, he thought about storing them in the pot. But to his surprise, it didn't work.
"Does the pot really only generate stones?"
It was disappointing, but he didn't complain. For now, producing cold stones that maintained his temperature was already enough.
So, taking a few bananas, he tossed six to the little monkey. Then he sat down and began peeling one, revealing a white, still firm pulp.
The fruit wasn't fully ripe—but Lu Yan didn't have the luxury of waiting. His stomach was growling with hunger.
Taking a bite, he expected a bitter taste. But mysteriously, as it mixed with the liquid in his mouth, the banana became as sweet as honey.
Swallowing with satisfaction, Lu Yan couldn't help but lick his lips when he finished. Then he devoured the other five as if they were light snacks.
Satisfied, he looked at the little monkey, who stared back at him with a strange expression.
Seeing that, Lu Yan laughed, swallowed another stone, and ate half a banana. After savoring that almost heavenly taste again, he gestured for the monkey to come closer.
The monkey looked at Lu Yan as if he were an idiot.
But deep down, there was curiosity.
Why was this human swallowing stones and eating unripe bananas with such joy?
Unable to contain its curiosity, it approached—still cautious, keeping about one meter of distance.
Ignoring the suspicion, Lu Yan tossed a stone to the monkey and gestured for it to swallow it, then eat the banana.
The small animal stood still for a few seconds.
But remembering the satisfied expression of that human—and sensing no obvious malice in his gaze—it caught the stone midair and did as instructed.
It swallowed the stone.
Then bit into the banana.
At that very moment, the stone melted in its mouth, and the bitterness of the fruit vanished completely.
The monkey's eyes widened, its expression turning completely stunned.
"So the cooling stone also works for the natives here?"
Giving the stone to the monkey had been a test by Lu Yan. He wanted to confirm whether the natives could use it as well. The answer was clear: they could. It wasn't something exclusive to outsiders from another world.
"Interesting. So everything I can use, they can too?"
With that conclusion, Lu Yan no longer considered himself special. At the same time, he deduced that the inhabitants might not exploit that "mine" because these stones were common there. Or perhaps, having been born under the heat of nine suns, they didn't feel the need to use them—treating them as something trivial, like a refreshing drink.
Ending his inner monologue, he looked back at the little monkey, who remained still, watching him with a hint of dilemma.
It clearly wanted more of those stones, but didn't know how to ask the human in front of it.
Lu Yan, roughly understanding its thoughts, smirked.
"Little monkey, the bananas are free, since they were originally yours. But if you want more stones, you'll need to give me something in return."
Lu Yan wanted to obtain some information about this world through the small animal.
It sounded like an absurd idea—but considering the intelligence the monkey had shown, it wasn't impossible. Perhaps it knew the surrounding territory well. Trading cooling stones for information didn't seem like a bad deal.
At least for Lu Yan.
After hearing that, the monkey nodded. Then, repeating the gesture Lu Yan had made earlier, it signaled for him to follow.
Lu Yan's eyes lit up. Picking up the bunch from the ground, he ran after the monkey.
Both descended the gray mountain and headed west, passing through several green trees that gradually thinned out as they advanced. Soon, the trees disappeared, replaced by tall grass—accompanied by the sound of running water hitting rocks.
Adopting a cautious expression, Lu Yan spotted, in the distance, a waterfall pouring water endlessly.
But that wasn't the most impressive part.
What truly drew attention were colorless flowers growing on the rocks. Their leaves resembled solidified water—not ice, but something like pure water hardened into form, sprouting directly from the stone.
"Was this what the monkey wanted to offer me? But what is this… a water flower?"
He tried to understand, but reached no conclusion. He could only investigate up close.
Even so, he didn't advance immediately. Instead, he looked at the little monkey, which remained hidden behind a tree.
That gave him absolute certainty.
In the water… there was something dangerous. Something even that monkey feared.
"Retreat? But it brought me here… does it have some kind of plan?"
Curious, Lu Yan decided to observe.
And the monkey's plan revealed itself… surprisingly clever.
After a few minutes of hiding, the little animal glanced toward Lu Yan, then stepped forward. It picked up a stone from the ground and, in the next instant, threw it into the water.
Splash!
The surface rippled violently.
Without wasting time, the monkey dashed across the grass like a rocket.
Roar!
From the water, a blue serpent emerged, with scales resembling those of a fish, about three meters long. Furious, it left the pool and, guided by scent, began chasing the monkey's trail.
"Crazy monkey…"
The courage of that small creature surprised Lu Yan, who quickly understood the plan.
The monkey would lure the monster away… while he took the opportunity to grab the flowers.
Not wanting to waste that bold sacrifice, Lu Yan sprinted toward the waterfall.