Chapter 89

"Mike, come over here. Knight Hailur, you should come and listen as well."

Two days ago, a light snow fell in Nibo Town, and the ground still had puddles of melting snow. Today is the last day of autumn, which means that from tomorrow until spring arrives, all the snow that falls on the ground will not melt and will continue to accumulate, affecting the lives of all living beings.

The female paladin has been tracking Zhao Mai for a week, and the two of them have developed a very strange friendship. It's not intimate, nor is it distant. They have no ill feelings toward each other, but there's always a sense of awkwardness in their interactions. So far, this awkwardness hasn't caused any serious problems, but just like winter will always come, if the issue isn't resolved, it will inevitably erupt.

"You two are too idle, always sticking together," Green deliberately said. "Only I remain clear-headed, knowing that your leisure is all an illusion. Come, take a look at the work I've done for you! The information I bought from the guild is highly accurate, not like the rumors in the taverns."

"What information could make you so serious that you even spent money on it?" Zhao Mai patted Green's back and then picked up a piece of paper from the table. "Oh, a summary of the current situation in Farmer's Forest? Where did you get this?"

"I just said, from the guild! You two have such a useful channel, yet you never use it." Green sighed, his face showing frustration. "You two, one wants to find the Unseen Walkers' community, and the other wants to find the Great Druid. But now you're both focusing on each other. Lady Hailur, here is information about the nearby Great Druid. I think the second one looks the most likely. You might want to pay more attention to it."

Zhao Mai moved a chair for Hailur, and the two of them sat down, reading carefully by the light of the blacksmith's furnace.

The guild's main source of income comes from posting and organizing tasks, taking a commission from them. However, the guild also offers a service where they charge a full fee for providing various information. They use lie detection and other methods to collect a large amount of information by having adventurers verify their experiences. This information is refined and organized by specialists, forming the guild's own database. This database is used to assess the difficulty of tasks and to rate adventurers.

Green paid 200 gold coins to have the guild compile information about Farmer's Forest and present it in a report to Zhao Mai. Since the priests of Lamashu are very active in Farmer's Forest, and most adventurers have recently been to Farmer's Forest, the information is particularly comprehensive. Zhao Mai read it carefully twice and came to a depressing conclusion: with his current level of ability, it's almost impossible for him to cross Farmer's Forest and reach the elven city in the north.

The productivity level of ordinary people in Golarion is roughly equivalent to that of medieval Earth, but this doesn't mean the world environment is the same. In many places in Golarion, leaving the towns and roads means facing life-threatening dangers. Beasts, monsters, and fierce, barbaric intelligent beings can attack at any time, making it much more dangerous than medieval Europe. If Zhao Mai wants to bypass Farmer's Forest, whether by taking the northeastern route through Ravenfield or the western sea route, he would have to make a large detour, far from civilization, which would be a dead end for him. No adventurer would be willing to accompany him on such a journey, as everyone knows that money is only useful if you're alive to spend it.

Zhao Mai sighed, realizing he was in a deadlock. The Unseen Walkers have split into two groups, with the druids remaining in Farmer's Forest constantly battling the monsters to protect the Tree of Enlightenment. The apprentices and the elderly have gone to the elven city of Silvyr, where there are certainly druid teachers who can instruct the apprentices.

Continuing to study and improve as a druid requires knowledge in four areas: first, natural essence, which is obtained through meditation and communication in natural environments; second, spell incantations, which must be learned from senior druids while understanding natural essence to inherit the most efficient and balanced spell usage; third, knowledge related to animals and plants, and abilities related to the natural ecosystem, including training animal companions and shape-shifting; and fourth, various combat techniques.

If Zhao Mai relies solely on communication and absorption of natural essence, he can indeed improve his physical fitness and enhance his control over the essence, laying a foundation for future advancement. This is an essential base, like physical fitness training. However, no matter how good his physical fitness is, without methods to utilize it, it's useless.

He looked at Green, wondering why Mad Rat would collect such a report for him. From his interactions with the adventurers in Nibo Town, Zhao Mai already had a certain understanding of the dangers in Farmer's Forest, which is why he patiently stayed behind to work with the dwarf Sock to improve firearms and manufacture grenades, preparing for a counterattack against the servants of the Mother of Monsters who had occupied the forest.

Green noticed Zhao Mai's gaze and pointed to the paper in Hailur's hand. Zhao Mai leaned over, and the female paladin generously shared the information with him.

After reading for a while, Zhao Mai understood his companion's intention: "Look, here's a clue about a Great Druid, and it's quite recent: just two months ago, a group of adventurers found a druid's thorn altar on the edge of the swamp southwest of Nibo Town, managed by a Great Druid named Wozworth. This person is a bit eccentric, but his magical power and knowledge are undeniably rich. He claims to be driving the goblins of Magnimar into the sea and is currently in battle with them."

"I see, this clue is very useful to us, Green. Thank you." Hailur smiled and said, "I don't know how much this information cost you, but I'll reimburse you right away."

To her surprise, Green waved his hand and pointed to Zhao Mai, saying, "I have only one request: when you go to find this Great Druid, take him with you."

"Mike?" Hailur didn't expect Green to make this request and furrowed her brows in thought.

Staying in Nibo Town and collecting clues with Zhao Mai wasn't a problem, as it was safe here. Even though he was knowledgeable and very smart, he was still just a 1st-level druid and would be very dangerous in the wild. Moreover, the far expedition knights of Iomedae rarely travel with non-paladins and rarely act as nannies.

"Mad Rat" Green, seeing the paladin's expression change, could already read her thoughts. Before Hailur could explicitly refuse, he said, "My brother Mike needs to find a druid to continue his studies, and it's not related to your mission. You can take him along the way and ensure his safety. I remember that Iomedae's paladins don't refuse to protect caravans as long as it doesn't affect their own missions."

"Yes, you're right," Hailur smiled and extended her hand to Zhao Mai, shaking it. "Welcome to travel with us. Can we leave the day after tomorrow morning?"

Zhao Mai wanted to say that he could take care of himself. Even though he knew Hailur's strength far exceeded his, being protected by a woman, especially a beautiful one of the same age, felt a bit awkward.

Hailur could tell what Zhao Mai was thinking; she had seen similar expressions on many people. As a female paladin, too many men considered her just a pretty face, often underestimating, ignoring, or even belittling her. According to the teachings of the goddess, she should follow her heart and not let these misunderstandings and prejudices affect her. But why did she feel a bit hurt when she saw this expression on Mike's face?

Zhao Mai suddenly snorted. It wasn't contempt, but self-mockery. He regained his confident demeanor as a穿越者, and shook Hailur's hand: "I am indeed not as strong as you now, and it makes sense to have your protection. But I have full confidence and reasons to catch up and surpass you. May we have a smooth journey."

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