Chapter 28

Zhao Mai threw down the things in his hands and ran in a zigzag pattern to the side of the shack, picking up the shield and short sword on the ground. Although the shack behind him was riddled with holes, it still provided some protection. Even if it was just a psychological shield, it was still very helpful for a traveler in a foreign world.

Compared to his caution and vigilance, Storage was more excited. If a dog sensed danger, it would usually crouch with its front half and raise its back, baring its teeth and growling lowly. But Storage was jumping around, barking "wang wang" instead of "hou hou," so it probably wasn't an enemy, right?

Zhao Mai chose to trust his companion's instincts because, whether in terms of vision, hearing, or smell, he was no match for a dog. After thinking for a moment, Zhao Mai decided to stand up. Although the shield was still held in front of his chest, the short sword was lowered. This was a relaxed posture, no longer a combat stance.

A dark figure emerged from the woods and stopped by the campfire. Although Dogmeat was blind in one eye, it still exuded the demeanor of a regal dog. It lowered its head to sniff the dwarf, then lifted its hind leg. Zhao Mai was about to stop it, but seeing the urine flow away along the slope without wetting the dwarf's backpack, he decided it wasn't a big deal.

From the timing of its appearance, Dogmeat must have been following the dwarf all along, which was undoubtedly at the behest of Ranger Karl. The urine just now clearly indicated Dogmeat's stance. If it were still in a fight, it would have pounced from behind and bitten the dwarf's throat.

Zhao Mai put the shield by his feet and walked over to try to pet Dogmeat's head, but it swatted his hand away with a paw. From its slightly cloudy single eye, a clear sense of pride and coquettishness shone through. Zhao Mai didn't really know how to describe this expression, but it was something like, "Oh, I know what you're trying to do, but you can dream on." He was surprised at how many thoughts could race through his mind in an instant, probably because the language barrier was driving him crazy.

Storage, on the other hand, was quite pleased. It leaped onto Dogmeat's back in one swift move and settled down firmly. However, its head was facing backward, and its mouth was moving from side to side, playing a game of chase with its tail. Well, dogs being more intimate with each other was normal; it wasn't as if he should feel inferior to dogs over this.

More amazing things were yet to come. Dogmeat lifted its front paw and lowered its head, using its mouth to pull out a small cylinder from under its armpit. It bit down and skillfully pulled out a roll of parchment. By the time Zhao Mai's eyes widened and his mouth opened, Dogmeat had already unfurled the parchment, revealing a map drawn with charcoal.

Zhao Mai saw the general terrain around him for the first time, the shape of the Kangjian Forest and the Ashen Lake, and the location of the town. Dogmeat pointed to a spot on the map with its paw, which was the location of Nibo Town. It also drew arcs on the map, likely indicating how to get to the town. Zhao Mai looked at Dogmeat in confusion and saw a mix of pride and a bit of smugness in its eyes.

This was strange. He had only heard of familiars of wizards and sorcerers gaining increased intelligence, not the animal companions of rangers. Usually, training could only improve an animal companion's strength or agility, and to make it smarter, one would need the "Awaken" spell. However, only high-level druids could cast this spell, and rangers couldn't even come close.

Fortunately, Dogmeat didn't make a face that said, "You really are naive," or Zhao Mai might have thought the old dog had telepathic abilities. Perhaps the beautiful environment here could enhance an animal's intelligence, who knows?

"Got it, I've memorized the map. Thank Ranger Karl for me." Zhao Mai put away the map.

Dogmeat nodded solemnly (or was it just pretending?), accepting the blessing. Then it walked over to the dwarf's body, pawed at the necklace on the ground, and placed it under its body.

"Hey, don't take things, okay? That's my loot!"

Dogmeat shook its head, sniffed the gemstone pendant, and pressed it down with its front paws. Storage jumped off its back, sticking out its tongue and rolling around in front of Dogmeat, while secretly trying to kick the necklace out with its hind leg.

What a good kid, already thinking about the master's interests. Zhao Mai slowly walked over, reaching for the necklace on the ground.

Dogmeat noticed the duo's intentions, pushed Storage away with its nose, and started scratching the puppy's belly with its paw. Storage laughed on the ground, lifting one hind leg to scratch the air, as if begging for mercy. Dogmeat lovingly licked it, then picked up the necklace and looked at Zhao Mai with wide eyes.

"If I had run into trouble earlier, would you have come to help me?" Zhao Mai asked.

Dogmeat made a low whine in response. Zhao Mai wasn't sure if a dog could understand him, especially when he spoke in Chinese. But the fact that Ranger Karl had given him a puppy was a favor he hadn't repaid yet.

"Alright, you can take the necklace. Consider it a reward for lying in wait to help me." Zhao Mai waved his hand and said to Dogmeat, "Do you want to play with Storage a bit more, or go back now? It's already dark, I suggest you wait until the sun comes up before leaving."

This time, Zhao Mai was sure Dogmeat understood.

The two dogs went to play on the side, making the camp even safer. Zhao Mai thought for a moment, then put on his clothes to avoid a big guy only being kept warm by his underwear. Then he turned to gather the dwarf's belongings.

The small backpack didn't contain much, and most of the items were only suitable for small creatures, making them awkward for Zhao Mai to use. For example, the small pieces of dried food were only slightly larger than compressed cookies, enough to sustain him for half a day but enough to keep a dwarf from hunger for three days.

The small water pouch, small mirror, and small soap were not very useful. The small bottle of ink was a good find, and the paper, though small, could still be used, but the quill pen was almost like using a finger, making it hard to control.

After careful consideration, the bag of coins was the biggest gain. Zhao Mai saw the currency of this world for the first time. The so-called gold coins were about the size of a human thumbnail, looking thin and small. The gold content was poor, and the weight was off, suggesting it was mixed with other materials, possibly copper.

The front of the gold coin read "Vallishia," which Zhao Mai knew was the name of the region. Vallishia wasn't a country but rather a league of city-states, with commercial considerations far outweighing political and military ones. The back was inscribed with the number one in various languages and a warning in Common: "Abadar watches you."

Who was Abadar? Zhao Mai felt he had seen the name before but couldn't quite remember what it was. He wasn't a Wikipedia (or Baidu, should I insert this?), where everything could be looked up instantly.

The silver coins were slightly larger, about the size of a one-yuan coin. The copper coins were even larger but lighter. Counting them, the money bag contained about seventy gold coins, thirty silver coins, and fifteen copper coins, which was his first pot of gold in this foreign world.

The magic scrolls were incomprehensible, the wand was unusable, and the potions... who would dare drink such things? Zhao Mai began to miss the industrial system on Earth, where products came with instructions, warranties, and production dates. But it didn't matter; once he reached Nibo Town, he would sell these items—along with the large bag of salt.

[End of Page]