"Yo, what's this?"

Olivia Green and Eric Foster had just come in when they heard a cry of surprise.

Eric Foster turned his head and saw a burly man nearly two meters tall. The man was bare-chested, carrying a huge bundle of firewood on his back, and had a battered hatchet hanging from his left hip.

The woodcutter, Ryan Grant!

A character from Xu Qiang's comic.

An honest and taciturn comic character, a dull protagonist who liked chopping wood, also liked chopping people, and most enjoyed turning people into limbless torsos to admire in his hands.

"Ryan Grant, pays respects to my lord!"

Ryan Grant's attitude was much more respectful than Mason's earlier. He didn't even put down the firewood on his back, just dropped to one knee right away, very sincere.

His voice was loud, like a megaphone.

At this moment,

A young man on stage, who had been hammering away at a huge rock, suddenly turned around and looked over.

Eric Foster sensed his gaze and looked back. At that moment, Eric Foster's mind suddenly felt a bit dazed, as if he saw his old studio partner appear before him once again.

Paul Harris...

No,

He wasn't Paul Harris,

He was the zombie character from Paul Harris's comic!

It's just that this character was also named Paul Harris, and when designing him, Paul Harris had drawn him to look very much like himself.

This zombie Paul Harris leaned on the stone with one hand, a smile at the corner of his mouth, looking this way, looking at Eric Foster.

And on the other side of the stage, a dwarf dressed like a clown let out an exaggerated shriek, then immediately prostrated himself on the stage toward Eric Foster, wailing in a tone that was half-crying, half-singing:

"Oh my lord, you've finally awakened! Little Jack greets you!"

Jack Reed dropped to one knee—three legs, especially noticeable.

And at this moment,

A blind man walked in at the door. The blind man wasn't very old, holding a bamboo cane, tapping it in front of him as he grabbed the doorframe and stepped over the threshold,

Grinning, he said:

"So lively! Are we starting the meal early?"

Chapter Five: The Makeshift Troupe

Time to eat.

It was still morning, a bit early for a meal, but early was fine—after all, it was a special celebration for the "lord" waking up, so starting the meal early was no problem at all.

The dining area was in the backyard, right next to the room where Eric Foster had awakened.

A round table,

Seven people seated.

At the head of the table sat Eric Foster, with Olivia Green on his left and the blind man on his right.

This blind man was a comic character created by Autumn. Autumn's father was a public servant who died in the line of duty. She never told the group the details—probably only her boyfriend Paul Harris knew a bit.

But the "北" character that Autumn created in her comic "The Blind Man" had an extremely bloody style of law enforcement: setting up private courts, punishing criminals, with no regard for humanity, and using extremely cruel methods—basically venting however he pleased.

But in reality, "北" gave off a very gentle and cheerful vibe, always smiling, never seeming to lose his temper.

The seating arrangement was, of course, deliberate. With Olivia Green and Nate on either side of Eric Foster, at least the atmosphere at the table wouldn't be too stiff.

The vampire Mason and the zombie Paul Harris naturally sat across from them. According to Olivia Green, it would be best if the two of them just squatted by the door with their bowls, so no one had to look at their cold, expressionless faces.

As for Jack Reed, he wasn't fit for the main table—too close to the lord might affect his appetite.

Ryan Grant was too taciturn, always wanting to chat about his experience turning people into limbless torsos. Since it wasn't clear if the lord had a strong stomach for such things, Olivia Green didn't dare let him sit too close either.

"Come, raise your glasses! Let's celebrate the lord's awakening. From today on, we finally have someone to rely on!"

Olivia Green took the lead,

Everyone stood and raised their glasses,

The rest followed suit.

After the toast, it was time to eat.

Eric Foster was hungry. After all, he was someone with the courage to "end" himself. Once he got over the initial shock and confusion, he actually found himself with quite an appetite for the food in front of him.

At the table,

Ryan Grant held an extra-large rice bowl, didn't eat much of the dishes, but shoveled in the rice with gusto.

Jack Reed was happily gnawing on a chicken leg.

Mason focused on the big bowl of spicy blood stew in front of him, while Paul Harris chewed on lamb bones.

Nate ate very slowly and leisurely, the most refined eater of the group.

Taking this opportunity, Olivia Green began to introduce the situation here to Eric Foster.

First,

Naturally, was everyone's appearance.

It had been half a year.

Half a year ago, on a certain day, a total of eight people appeared together on the edge of a desert.

Among them, of course, was Eric Foster.

But everyone else was awake, only Eric Foster was still unconscious.

So everyone carried the unconscious Eric Foster, slowly explored the surroundings, and eventually chose this small town on the desert's edge as their base.

The place they were in now was basically an inn, but this inn also offered a lot of entertainment—kind of like a modern entertainment club, where you could eat, drink, play, and sleep all in one place.