Chapter 65

As the sky grew darker, it would soon be impossible to see the path outside, and the predators in the forest would start to appear. Zhao Mai slowly stood up, brushed off the bugs on his body, and then stretched his stiff muscles.

He checked his injuries again and found that they had indeed improved a lot. Although druids were not considered the strongest class, far behind mages, if one were to ask which class was the least dependent and most adaptable from the start of their journey to becoming legendary, it would still be the druid. The grain reserve was still young, but if Zhao Mai had the patience to wait for half a year until it fully developed, the two of them working together would not be a simple one-to-one effect.

In this world, it seemed that the only one he could completely trust was the grain reserve. Zhao Mai squatted down and scratched its chin. They say dogs are man's most loyal friends, and it indeed seemed to be the case. After he fell into the water, not one of the three people came to check on him, which made him feel a bit disheartened. Looking up at the moon in the sky, only a thin crescent moon was hiding behind the clouds, promising another dark night.

The druid's prayer (a zero-level spell) could be used infinitely, and Zhao Mai only needed to continuously cast the light spell to ensure illumination on his path forward. However, doing so would expose his position, which was definitely not safe. Moreover, with his stomach hungry and his body tired, it was not a good time to travel.

No matter what, things could wait until tomorrow. Zhao Mai used the faint light at the edge of the forest to find a bush with berries. He first used the Purify Food spell, then placed the berries on leaves and gently put them on the ground.

He grabbed a handful of grass leaves, squeezed out the grass juice, and dripped it onto the berries, then added a few drops of clear water. Zhao Mai began to cast the "Divine Berry" spell using a ritual method to enhance the spell's effect. Under his command, the surrounding natural forces began to gather, bringing vitality and slowly infusing it into the berries. The small berries, originally the size of ladybugs, began to grow larger and became more vibrant and plump under the spell's effect. After a few minutes, the ritual ended, and four berries had completed the transformation, becoming "Divine Berries" that stored natural forces.

This was a spell unique to druids, and no other class, including rangers who also survived in the wilderness, could cast it. Each Divine Berry, storing natural forces, could serve as food and water for an adult for a day. It could also heal minor injuries. Most importantly, Zhao Mai had heard that the taste was excellent, giving a person the most primitive but purest feeling of being both full and satisfied.

It was also said that it wouldn't make you gain weight...

One for the grain reserve, two more to save for tomorrow, Zhao Mai opened his mouth wide, held the berry, and then closed his mouth, biting it. The sweet aroma filled his mouth and spread throughout his body. Soon, his nose, head, and every part of his body felt refreshed, and his hunger was gone. Zhao Mai took a deep breath, filled with admiration for the spell. No wonder druids never starved; this spell undoubtedly played a crucial role.

But no spell was perfect. His stomach was full, but his mouth felt empty. The way of eating without chewing was somewhat disappointing, and Zhao Mai now particularly missed chewing gum.

"Alright, good brother, let's get some sleep." Zhao Mai climbed up a tree, holding the grain reserve in his arms: "We have a lot to do tomorrow."

The next morning, Zhao Mai was awakened by the chirping of birds, as if the forest had come to life overnight. Compared to the excessive silence of the previous night, the morning was much noisier. Soon, Zhao Mai saw two squirrels running and playing on the branches beside him, seemingly not worried about food.

He casually cast a Flash spell, and a bright light exploded in front of the squirrels. The small animals, caught off guard, lost their balance and fell directly from the tree. Zhao Mai pursed his lips, somewhat dissatisfied with the spell's power. Druids were good at everything except offensive spells. If he could spray ice rays like a mage, he would have many more options.

He picked up the two dead squirrels from the ground, used the bayonet on his musket to cut them open, and did a simple processing. Zhao Mai knew he wasn't good at handling prey or cooking, but with the help of the Purify Food spell, he wouldn't have any problems eating. One squirrel went to the grain reserve, and the other went into his stomach, making him feel full of fighting spirit.

"Since you all didn't come looking for me, I'll find you." Zhao Mai grunted, shouldered his musket, and led the puppy upstream. "Once I reach the battle site and confirm no one is there, I'll turn back to the Wayfarer Community. No matter what, I'll have an explanation, and no one will have a reason to take my Cure Disease potion."

Using the trees to conceal his movements, Zhao Mai was cautious of the dogmen on the opposite bank and equally cautious of any situations on his side. Although he was reluctant to admit it, he was quite worried about encountering Aphra and the others, mainly because he didn't know how to approach them. Of course, the first thing he would do upon seeing Lucius was to hit him with the butt of his gun, then decide whether to use the musket or the bayonet based on the situation. Zhao Mai just hoped that Purple Moon and Aphra could give a reasonable explanation for not searching downstream for him. Beautiful women should be given special treatment; it was a man's duty.

As he wandered and thought, he soon noticed something was off. The grain reserve started to become inexplicably tense, showing hostility to the surroundings but unable to pinpoint the enemy's location. The plants on the ground, especially the low grass and moss, were dying in patches. Zhao Mai squatted down and touched them with his hand, and the plants turned into sticky fragments between his fingers.

"Damn, what's going on?" Zhao Mai prided himself on his knowledge of the Golarion world's spell system, knowing what effects different spells caused. However, he had never heard of a spell that could turn plants into sticky fragments. Burning, freezing, corroding, and dehydrating were common, but none of them could explain the current state.

The tall trees around were unharmed, only the small plants were dead. This was not a spell specifically targeting the environment but rather a side effect of some power. Thinking this, Zhao Mai became even more cautious. He signaled the grain reserve to be quiet, loaded his musket, and discarded his nearly empty backpack to make himself more agile and quiet.

The further he went, the more severe the damage to the plants, and the flow of natural forces was also affected. Although it was not yet enough to interfere with Zhao Mai's spellcasting, it made him feel uncomfortable, as if he were being repelled. This was a side effect of learning druidic abilities, similar to how priests needed to bathe in divine light and mages needed to communicate with elements. Druids could not be separated from natural forces and were therefore very sensitive to them.

Continuing forward, Zhao Mai saw a familiar riverbank. This was where the battle with the dogmen had taken place. Now, it was peaceful, and the oily river water made a gurgling sound. Zhao Mai hid behind the trees and observed patiently.

Soon, he noticed something strange. On the gravel by the river, a dead willow tree lay on the ground. Its branches, now gray and black, were scattered like a nest of snakes. Under the branches, he could vaguely see an arm and another corpse.

Zhao Mai tried hard to identify it and realized it looked like Lucius's hunting leopard.