Chapter 64

The icy river water kept trying to pour into Zhao Mai's mouth, carrying the nauseating taste of alchemical potions; white waves splashed into his eyes, and a layer of slippery grease crept up, making him feel uncomfortable.

In this situation, it was difficult to see far, and the thick fog caused by Lucius had yet to dissipate, now covering the western bank of the river as he made his way ashore. Zhao Mai wanted to call for help, but he had to spit out the water in his mouth first, right?

The large backpack felt as heavy as a stone, constantly pulling him down, trying to drag Zhao Mai to the bottom of the water. Zhao Mai held the rations with one hand and the wooden shield with the other, leaving only his mouth free. He took a deep breath, lowered his head, and relied on the touch of his tongue and lips to find the strap tied around his chest, then pulled hard.

This must have made his gums bleed. The backpack's strap loosened, and the backpack opened. Taking advantage of the water's pull, Zhao Mai freed his arms one by one, and he was finally liberated!

The wooden shield floated on the water, and the rations had already climbed onto it, using its teeth to bite Zhao Mai's collar and drag him up. Zhao Mai wasn't greedy; he only needed to lie half on it to get enough buoyancy. The Greasy River carried them downstream, and before long, they couldn't see the place where they had fought the dogheads.

After taking a few deep breaths, Zhao Mai began to swim toward the riverbank. The water quality of the Greasy River was poor, with no aquatic plants to hinder him and no fish to disturb him, making swimming not too difficult. However, the wound on his left side, caused by a magic missile, was very painful, and he dared not breathe too hard, suspecting a broken rib.

He had to use his left arm to hold the shield and his right arm and legs to swim slowly, moving while gasping and sweating. The rations came to the edge of the shield, extending a small paw to swim. However, it always swam in the wrong direction, causing the shield to spin continuously.

Finally, his feet touched the riverbed, and Zhao Mai limped ashore. Although the battle was short, it had consumed a lot of energy, which was a common issue for novice apprentices. The mental tension had affected his muscles, causing him to act in an overloaded manner, making it impossible not to be exhausted.

The rations shook its body vigorously, shaking off the water from its fur. Then it came to Zhao Mai's side, sticking out its tongue and circling to check, before taking the initiative to act as a lookout.

Zhao Mai lifted his leather armor to examine his wound, then shook his head. This wasn't a wound that would heal naturally; it seemed he had to use a spell. He only had two first-level spell slots, one for the spell *Minor Berry* and one for *Cure Light Wounds*. Knowing that a bottle of *Cure Light Wounds* potion cost fifty gold coins, far exceeding the value of a spell slot, how could he not always keep a slot for a healing spell?

He had never experienced the effects of a healing spell before, and now was a good time to try. Being at the edge of the forest, the natural elemental power here was very abundant, enhancing the spell's effects. Zhao Mai heard a crackling sound inside his body, accompanied by the tingling sensation of bone friction. After that, the pain in his muscles and skin eased, and the small cuts began to scab over.

After a simple *Cure Light Wounds*, Zhao Mai no longer had to worry much about his wound. All he needed was good food and rest to let it heal naturally. The effect of *Cure Light Wounds* was so strong? He found it hard to believe. The strength of the magic missile wasn't high, and the wound shouldn't have been severe, perhaps it was just because his constitution was weak, making the wound seem more serious? He believed that as long as he continued to improve his affinity with natural elemental power, a continuous flow of vitality would strengthen his body.

"We need to check our equipment; we can't be unarmed." Zhao Mai opened the bullet chamber of the Sabretooth gun, took out the spent cartridges, and cleaned the residue left after the combustion. There was no smokeless powder, so some residue always remained. Combined with the water immersion, it inevitably turned into a muddy mess.

Surprisingly, none of the bullets on his belt were lost, which was a testament to Green's craftsmanship. However, during the struggle, the wax seal on one bullet was rubbed off, and the gunpowder inside got wet. Zhao Mai was reluctant to throw it away, so he kept it in his belt, planning to reconfigure the gunpowder when he had the chance.

The rations suddenly barked and rushed toward the river. Zhao Mai turned his head and saw his backpack, half submerged, being carried by the current toward the riverbank. He quickly ran over, stood in water up to his chest, and grabbed the backpack, dragging it ashore.

The backpack had been torn open by the water, and some of its contents were lost, including Zhao Mai's favorite pot and the most valuable large canvas. This canvas could have been used as a tent, a blanket, or even a stretcher and a bed, but now it was all gone.

There wasn't much left that was usable. The slingshot was still there, but the stones were gone; only one candle remained, but it could still be melted to reseal the bullet casings. The water bag was still intact, which was the best news. The cool spring water inside was far superior to the Greasy River's foul water. Despite just coming out of the river, Zhao Mai still felt thirsty and quickly shared the remaining sweet water with the rations.

A rope had slipped off the backpack strap, hanging loosely on the ground. Following the rope to where it was cut, it was clearly severed by a sharp object! A surge of anger rose in Zhao Mai's heart. This bastard, how dare he harm me like this!

Calculating the remaining length of the rope, it could only have been Lucius who did this! Why did he cut the rope? Did he think he could do whatever he wanted under the cover of the thick fog? I never thought, I never thought that he, who always seemed so fussy and annoying, would have such evil intentions!

There are people in this world that Zhao Mai absolutely cannot forgive, and those are traitors who betray their teammates! We all worked together to escape the dogheads' pursuit, no, we hadn't completely escaped yet, and you, Lucius, started abandoning the rear guard? What benefit does this bring you? Do you think a small river can drown me?

Zhao Mai immediately sprang into action, quickly organizing his things, leaving the riverbank, and hiding in the forest. Lucius had cut the rope in the thick fog and would have to explain what happened to the other two after he came ashore. Even if he was a smooth talker, Aphra and Purple Moon would likely search downstream. Even if they were to retreat, their patrol mission wasn't over, and Wolf Ear Town was downstream, so they would inevitably reach Zhao Mai's current position.

So Zhao Mai hid, holding the Sabretooth gun, ready to give Lucius a profound lesson.

Time passed quickly, and the wait became very tedious. The rations rolled over, exposing its belly, and continued to snore. The surroundings were so quiet that it seemed even the sound of the sun setting could be heard. Zhao Mai moved his stiff fingers, made a small shade with his hand, and looked upstream.

How long had he been in the river, at most a few kilometers? They should have come by now, right? Could they have been so scared that they turned back to the community? Zhao Mai thought about it; this didn't fit their character at all. Faced with the unknown, he began to hesitate.