Bab 123: A Strange Little Girl
We have to say, "Fullmetal Alchemist" sparked many discussions as soon as it was released.
Setting aside why Isaac betrayed the army or the mysterious man and woman who appeared at the end of the first chapter, the initial settings alone piqued readers' curiosity.
After all, alchemy is something that exists in the real world.
This led readers to look up the terms mentioned in the first two chapters, such as the Philosopher's Stone and equivalent exchange.
"What is the Truth exactly? And what did that little white figure say when Edward performed human transmutation?"
"The existence called the world, or the universe, or God, or the Truth, it can be everything, and it can be one, and I am also you. It sounds very profound. I understand each word, but the whole sentence leaves me confused."
"Tsk, the Porter is still the same as before, always spouting some profound stuff..."
"But really, can the author handle all these complex settings without messing up? It feels like it could easily fall apart."
"Are you kidding? The author has drawn so many mangas, there's no way it will fall apart."
"Equivalent exchange is the principle of alchemy, but it's also a life principle. The Porter's mangas always have deep meanings."
The release of "Fullmetal Alchemist" attracted many readers.
The first two chapters were concise and to the point, not dragging at all. The depiction of alchemists' battles was different from other works, with various unique settings. It quickly became Picca Comics' new flagship series.
Meanwhile, something happened at Ren's home.
"Crunch, crunch."
The little girl was lying on the floor, her small feet kicking in the air as she ate snacks in front of her.
But when she took another bite, she suddenly clutched her cheek.
"Ouch, ouch, ouch!"
A sharp pain shot through her cheek, making her let out a small cry of pain.
After a while, she calmed down.
She remembered what her dad had told her before.
"If you don't brush your teeth properly, you'll get lots of aphids on them."
"Aphids will keep eating your teeth, making them hurt, and then you won't be able to eat tasty snacks. You'll have to see the dentist too."
"The dentist will use a little drill on your teeth, 'zzz, zzz,' it'll be very uncomfortable and scary."
"Could I really have aphids?" The little girl's face showed a hint of fear.
Did this mean she couldn't eat snacks anymore? And worse... she'd have to see the dentist?
She was most afraid of doctors. Every visit meant injections that hurt a lot!
And dad said the dentist would drill her teeth...
Just then, a commercial for a drill came on TV...
This made the little girl's eyes widen in panic. She hurriedly muttered to herself, "No, no! I can't let dad find out!"
She decided not to tell.
"Maybe it will stop hurting after a while," she comforted herself.
Unfortunately, she didn't realize that toothaches, like a tornado, often don't just go away. The pain continued and even got worse.
So, even though she tried to act normal, Ren still noticed something was off.
"Hey, did you notice that something's off with our daughter this morning?" Ren asked Jada, who was doing her workout.
"Yes, she does seem a bit off," Jada replied, stopping her workout.
As parents, they were always concerned about their children's health.
"Let's both say what we think is off about her," Ren suggested.
"Okay."
Then they both spoke at the same time: "She didn't eat snacks! (She didn't eat much of her favorite fried chicken at lunch!)"
Though their words were different, they pointed to the same issue: the little girl didn't seem to be eating much.
"Is she on a diet?" After a moment of silence, Jada asked.
"No way," Ren shook his head. "She's too young to care about that."
"Then what's wrong? Is she feeling unwell?" Jada stood up, ready to check on their daughter.
"It's no use," Ren said, shaking his head as he watched Jada head to their daughter's room. "She's obviously hiding something. We won't get it out of her with regular questions. But..."
"But?" Jada tilted her head, looking puzzled.
"I have a plan," Ren said with a sly smile.
In their daughter's room, the little girl was lying on the bed, clutching her cheek and rolling around in pain. After a while, she sat up.
"Maybe I should tell dad..." she thought.
She hadn't had any snacks all morning, and it was driving her crazy!
Especially thinking about her favorite fried chicken being eaten by dad made her feel worse.
Just then, there was a knock on the door, making the little girl sit up quickly and try to act normal. "Come in."
Then she saw her parents walk in, making her heart race.
Did they notice something?
She didn't want to go to the hospital!
Sure enough, Jada's words soon reached her ears: "Yueyue, why aren't you eating today? Are you feeling unwell?"
The little girl trembled, then nervously said, "N-no! You can check my temperature if you don't believe me. I'm not sick!"
But her actions confirmed to Ren and Jada that she was hiding something.
They also knew that since she was so sure, she probably didn't have a fever or cold.
But it couldn't be something serious either, or she'd be rolling around in bed.
So, they had to use their secret weapon.
Jada nodded to Ren, signaling it was time.
Ren slowly took something out from behind him.
When the little girl saw what was in Ren's hand, her eyes widened in shock.
"That's..."
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Status Power Mingguan
-- Peringkat
Power 
-- Power
stone