Possessed No More: The True Star Returns to Claim Her Throne-Chapter 109: Chopping Bamboo

[I’m a TCM student, and my mom said this is the first time she’s ever seen me study so hard. I’m about to wear this book out...]

A few more spaceships drifted across the screen. The viewers were used to it by now. It was, without a doubt, that group of insomniacs getting ready for bed.

As evening fell, Victoria Koenig was still focused on finding the Half Maple. To his surprise, he actually stumbled upon one on his way down the mountain with the flag.

"Ria, isn’t this that Half Maple you mentioned? Look, this branch has three different kinds of leaves. This one looks like a maple leaf, this one is like a half-open palm, and this one is a trident."

Riley Perry looked at the tree Victoria Koenig was pointing to. It was four or five meters tall with dense foliage. She nodded. "That’s right. This is a Half Maple."

Victoria Koenig’s excitement was written all over his face. He immediately activated the camera on his watch, took a photo, and sent it to Director Warren.

’Fine,’ Director Warren thought. ’They’re leaving this forest tomorrow anyway. I refuse to believe she can complete every task this easily.’

He quickly had a staff member send a message: Your dinner will be served shortly.

Half an hour later, a full four-course feast was delivered to Riley Perry and Victoria Koenig.

The four dishes were braised pork knuckle, garlic butter lobster, steamed grouper, and cabbage in supreme broth.

A staff member made sure to explain, "We promised you a feast, and a feast it is. But we also don’t want to waste food, so we’re starting with these four dishes. If you two are still hungry, we’ll bring out more."

Haters were relentless, and the production team had no desire to trend for negative reasons.

Riley Perry was fine with that. This was actually more than enough, as the portions were quite generous.

And so, they dug in. The audience in Livestream Channel #2 was treated to another mukbang.

Of the four dishes, nothing was left but shrimp shells and bones.

Victoria Koenig was so stuffed he didn’t even feel like setting up his tent. All he wanted to do was lie there like a log until his food digested.

...

「On the third day of the show.」

Having left the mountain range, the next checkpoint for all three teams was a place called Goldcrest Village.

Director Warren had sent the task to the three teams early that morning: complete a task for a villager, and upon earning their approval, you will receive a small flag.

Knowing they would be leaving the great mountain today, Riley Perry had sent the deer on their way the previous night. Today, they would have to walk.

"How far is it from the foot of the mountain to the town?" Victoria Koenig couldn’t read the map, so he had no choice but to ask Riley Perry.

"On foot, it’s at least five hours. Almost thirty kilometers."

Victoria Koenig’s face fell. "Five hours? And we still have to complete a task and earn a villager’s approval? These missions are just getting harder and harder."

’Honestly, finding the Half Maple sounded simple, but if Riley Perry hadn’t been here, we wouldn’t have even known what it was. We could have racked our brains all day and never figured out that poetry riddle.’

’And today’s task is even crazier. Walk thirty kilometers *and* do chores for villagers? The director is trying to kill us.’

"Are you just not going to do it because it’s hard? Let’s go. Time to get to work."

They had gotten up early; it was only a little after six. The sky was bright, but the sun hadn’t risen yet. On the mountainside was a bamboo forest, and below it flowed a river.

The river gurgled as it flowed from the foot of the mountain toward the horizon.

"What work?"

Riley Perry answered, "Chop down bamboo."

Victoria Koenig wasn’t a complete idiot. Otherwise, a kid from an ordinary family wouldn’t have been able to climb his way to the B-list of the entertainment world in just two short years.

"You’re going to make a bamboo raft?"

Riley Perry had already pulled a fine-looking axe from her backpack and was heading toward the bamboo forest.

After scouting around the forest for a moment, Riley Perry swung the axe at a bamboo stalk. With a single THWACK, the stalk was severed cleanly at its base.

Victoria Koenig, who had been about to show off his manliness, stood with his mouth agape and his eyes wide. After two seconds, he swallowed the offer to chop the bamboo himself.

In the blink of an eye, Riley Perry’s axe rose and fell again, and another bamboo stalk toppled over.

Victoria Koenig quickly shook himself out of it, went over, grabbed a stalk in each hand, and began dragging them to the flat ground below.

By the time Victoria Koenig returned, Riley Perry had already felled a dozen more stalks. "How are you so fast?"

Riley Perry said, "It’s just chopping bamboo. How long should it take?" She had even taken the time to trim all the smaller branches.

With that, she grabbed two stalks herself and started down the mountain.

She had rope in her backpack, so the stalks were quickly bound together. The raft was assembled in no time. Riley Perry then used some of the leftover bamboo pieces to fashion a small chair, only putting her tools away once she was satisfied.

After pushing the raft into the water, Riley Perry called out to Victoria Koenig, "Hurry up, let’s get all our pots and pans on here. Time to go."

Victoria Koenig asked as he loaded their supplies, "Is this thing really going to hold?"

’He was terrified the raft was going to fall apart.’

"How about you walk, and I’ll pole the raft by myself?" 𝓯𝙧𝓮𝓮𝒘𝓮𝙗𝙣𝒐𝒗𝒆𝓵.𝓬𝓸𝒎

Victoria Koenig ultimately stepped onto the raft. Once he was on, Riley Perry leaped lightly aboard, tossed him the punting pole, and said, "Alright, we’re off! Get poling."

She, meanwhile, sat down on the small chair, looking the very picture of comfort.

Holding the pole, Victoria Koenig was at a loss. "How do I do this? I have no idea."

Riley Perry grinned at him. "Just push hard."

’Well, that was a useless question,’ Victoria Koenig thought. ’But Ria already did all the heavy lifting. I can’t possibly make her pole the raft too, can I? That would be so unmanly!’

So, pole he did.

The livestream viewers watched as the big goof spun the raft in circles in the middle of the river.

After a good long while, the raft was finally moving forward properly.

Riley Perry sat on her little chair, chin cupped in her hands as she gazed at the scenery. "Keep up the good work, young man. Let’s try to get to Goldcrest Village ahead of schedule."

’The mountain path was thirty kilometers, but the river route was much shorter. Plus, we’re going with the current. With a strong young guy like Victoria Koenig poling, we can go much faster. And most importantly, it’s less work for me.’

The raft drifted downstream. The river murmured, its surface a vibrant green. It was a little boring just sitting there. "Victoria Koenig, look. Isn’t this scenery beautiful?"

Leaning on his pole, Victoria Koenig looked around and was also struck by the incredible beauty of the scene. "It is."

"Then how about a song? If you sing well, I’ll give you a reward."

Victoria Koenig replied, "I can sing, sure, but what should I sing?"

Riley Perry pointed to the bamboo raft they were sitting on. "Isn’t it obvious? There’s a perfect song for this very scene."

Victoria Koenig was no fool. He had debuted as a singer, after all. Riley Perry suddenly asking him to sing was clearly giving him a chance to shine. In this time and place, he absolutely couldn’t perform one of his group’s upbeat pop numbers. But she had just pointed at the bamboo raft. The moment she mentioned it, he thought of a very old song that he happened to know.

It was a patriotic classic.

Victoria Koenig swallowed nervously, then began to sing with a clear, confident voice, "A little bamboo raft floats on the river’s heart, while majestic green mountains pass on both banks.

An eagle spreads its wings to soar.

Though storms may rage and tempests roar...

..."

’I didn’t expect this,’ Riley Perry thought. ’The kid’s voice is actually quite pleasant. It’s a waste for him to be singing pop music.’

[I came here to watch them have an adventure, but I ended up listening to a patriotic classic. I have to say, it’s actually really good!]