Chapter 66

Zhao Mai's nervous sweat slid down from his temples, his heartbeat quickened, and his attempt to breathe lightly created a contradiction, causing him a wave of dizziness. Even when facing the dog-headed people, he had never been this nervous. Perhaps it was because he had fought dog-headed people, goblins, and orcs countless times in various video games, losing the sense of unfamiliarity. However, the sudden appearance of a corpse by the river was certainly not a common sight.

No matter what, he had to go and see for himself. He needed to know what had happened to decide what to do next. Zhao Mai forced himself to calm down, put aside his杂念, and carefully observed the surroundings. Only then did he cautiously come out from his hiding place.

Under the willow tree, it was indeed the body of a cheetah. Its body was twisted into a pretzel, with its front and hind legs forming a 180-degree angle. It seemed that after crossing the river, Lucius and the others had encountered an attack. Could that arm belong to Lucius?

"How could this be?!" Zhao Mai pushed aside the withered willow branches and saw the face of the corpse. The eagle-winged druid Daler's eyes were wide open, and a large hole was torn in his chest, with all the blood drained. From his appearance, he must have experienced a fierce struggle before his death, with small wounds all over his limbs and torso, as if he had been whipped by steel cables.

The druid had not been dead for more than a day, so he had not yet begun to rot. This allowed Zhao Mai to endure the discomfort and drag the body out from under the willow tree. His fatal wound was a through-and-through injury to the heart, with the skin and flesh flayed, indicating that it had been pierced from behind and exited through the chest. His weapons and equipment were nowhere to be found, even the pockets under his robe were empty. This made Zhao Mai suspect that Daler might have been captured first and then executed.

There were no signs of the others around, and Zhao Mai was not yet skilled at tracking footprints, so he was at a loss. The most important thing now was to return to the community as soon as possible and inform the druids. However, he could not leave the body exposed to the daylight!

Although they had not known each other for long, Daler had given Zhao Mai a good impression. He could listen to the young man's ideas calmly and readily agreed to give him the potion to cure disease as a reward. Zhao Mai estimated that a bottle of a third-level spell potion was worth about 750 gold coins, and a junior apprentice's training mission would never have such a reward.

Moreover, during their journey, Daler from the Eagle Wing community treated everyone equally and even sometimes took care of Zhao Mai, who was relatively slower. This was a heartwarming feeling for Zhao Mai, who had come to this world alone.

"Mr. Daler, I want to bury you, but I can't. I don't have any digging tools, and this side of the river is full of trees with intertwined roots, so I can't dig a large enough hole." Zhao Mai looked at Daler's wide-open eyes and said, "There are no fish in the Greasy River, and a water burial won't be effective. If your bloated body floats to Wolf Ear Town, they might treat you in a way you wouldn't like. So I can only choose to cremate you."

After saying this, Zhao Mai reached out and, following the methods he had seen in TV shows, forcefully closed Daler's eyelids. It was said that the human body was difficult to ignite, so the more branches the better. Zhao Mai did not hesitate to destroy the branches like some druids. It took him more than two hours to build a cremation pile by the river.

"A normal cremation pile would be doused with oil, but let's keep it simple." Zhao Mai used the flintlock mechanism of his firearm to ignite the bark fibers, slowly starting the fire. He patiently tended to the fire until he was sure all parts were burning.

"I'm sorry, I'm sorry, my abilities are limited." Zhao Mai watched as the flames consumed Daler's body, saying his final farewell: "Although you won't be buried in the ground, the power of nature will eventually claim your body, and the Force will accept your soul. I don't know if this is right, but I hope you won't mind."

After doing all this, he immediately left with his reserve food, heading in the direction of the druid community.

In a deeper part of the forest, about thirty kilometers to the west, a strange group was slowly advancing. Leading the way were two earth giants, resembling magnified stag beetles. Their massive claw-like hands had serrated edges that could cut through trees blocking their path. They would then use their long, hard horns to push the tree trunks aside, clearing a path.

Following them were four trolls, who were carrying a sedan chair, carefully maintaining its balance as they followed the earth giants. The sedan chair was enclosed in thick curtains, forming a small room, and it was unclear who or what was inside.

Occasionally, some gray mist would drift out from the gaps in the curtains, slowly settling to the ground. Small life forms like moss and mushrooms, upon contact with the gray mist, quickly lost their vitality, withering and dying soon after.

Behind the sedan chair were two strong bear goblins, their exposed bodies muscular and hairy, with large heads on their shoulders. Their mouths, equipped with a pair of lower tusks, were chewing on raw meat, bloody and seemingly freshly taken from some animal. Their eyes darted around, constantly surveying the surroundings, and they occasionally glanced back at a large cage being carried by the trolls.

Lucius, Aphra, and Ziyue were inside the cage, their hands and feet bound, but their mouths were not gagged with foul cloths. If they moved around, the bear goblins behind them would hit them with long sticks, whispering threats. Speaking softly was allowed, but any loud shouting would result in a harsh blow.

Ziyue had a large bump on her head, a result of such treatment.

"Do you think what they are doing, why are they constantly advancing deeper into Farmer's Forest?" Ziyue, while rubbing the swollen bump and moaning softly, asked Aphra and Lucius.

Lucius was left with only a pair of shorts, his muscular body covered in dirt, looking disheveled. There was a clear mark around his neck, still bruised and purple, a reminder of the terror of being strangled and dragged underwater. Occasionally, he would touch this mark, as if he could still feel the rope tightening around his neck and pulling him under.

However, these physical wounds paled in comparison to the pain in his heart. The cheetah had died right in front of him, a severe blow. Aphra saw the despair in his eyes, a despair born from shock and grief. She began to worry about Lucius's state, fearing he might lose his composure at any moment. For now, he was just tired and fatigued but not yet despondent, maintaining his usual rationality: "What else in Farmer's Forest could be worth these people's attention besides the Unending Walker community?"

"Even if he is very powerful and killed Mr. Daler, the druids in the community are not to be trifled with. He will surely be defeated," Ziyue pouted and made a "go to hell" gesture at the sedan chair.

"That's exactly why we are still alive," Aphra suddenly said.

"We have no value for exchange!" Ziyue was confused, "Besides, the Unending Walkers are not wealthy, far less so than the Eagle Wing. What do these bad guys want?"

Lucius sighed deeply, his head hanging low, and said, "I'm afraid we are just being used to buy time."