Chapter 30

Sally was left in a state of confusion and amusement by the other party's rogue-like words. Since the attack, the resentment, anger, and humiliation she had accumulated due to Rodi were not as unbearable as they initially were—after all, Sally was intelligent and would not纠缠于无意义的事情。

However, the main reason for her calmness at this moment was the curiosity that had arisen in her heart: What was Rodi thinking about just now?

A man with terrifying archery skills, who could evade capture under Francis's watchful eye, was definitely not an ordinary scout captain. Dozens of guesses about Rodi flashed through her mind in an instant, ranging from "a fugitive mercenary in disguise," "a retired adventurer," to "a persecuted officer from a neighboring country." The man before her was suddenly full of question marks, and his actions were as flawless as a machine, except for that brief moment of distraction, which made Sally feel that perhaps the other party had many unknown stories in his heart.

This should be a breakthrough.

Rodi's mouth went numb from chewing herbs, and he took a sip of water from his water囊 to rinse his mouth. As he did so, he heard Sally's somewhat sudden question, "What were you thinking about?"

Spitting out the water, Rodi turned his head, his gaze meeting Sally's for a moment before he shrugged and answered honestly, "A person."

"A woman?"

Rodi's eyebrows raised, and his expression was neither friendly nor hostile, but his eyes seemed deeper, making Sally feel that his entire aura had subtly changed.

"I... I was just curious. Never mind if you don't want to say."

For no reason, Sally felt that she had asked something she shouldn't have, as she saw Rodi's lips tighten.

The atmosphere was silent for a moment. Rodi took another sip of water, seemingly trying to calm some emotion.

"...She was very beautiful?"

Sally had intended to say something else, but these words seemed to come out without much thought—women's innate curiosity seemed to be the same everywhere. Although she regretted saying it as soon as it left her mouth, she still looked at Rodi carefully, hoping for an answer.

At such moments, the differences in their status and position were erased by the complex and dangerous environment. Rodi was taken aback by the question, his mouth slightly open. The words "It's none of your business" hesitated for a moment, but he decided not to say them.

With a sigh, Sally heard the answer she wanted to hear, yet felt it was not detailed enough—

"Yes, very beautiful."

Sally keenly noticed that Rodi's eyes had dimmed slightly when he answered, but quickly regained their usual confidence and vitality.

"Let's go, we need to continue on our way."

Rodi seemed unwilling to discuss the matter further, getting up to check their equipment.

Sally, though she resisted the urge to ask more questions, couldn't help but imagine what the "beautiful woman" looked like...

What was their relationship? How did they meet? What happened between them?

These chaotic thoughts even made her forget that Rodi had treated her wounds, until he signaled for her to climb onto his back. Only then did she realize what Rodi had done during the time she had stopped: finding herbs and treating her wounds with the remaining bandages.

Thinking back on their journey, the food Rodi had given her was the kind of cured meat that the soldiers rarely received, while he himself had been eating hard, black bread. Although Rodi's actions had initially made her feel embarrassed and angry, these overlooked details were gradually changing Sally's impression of him.

In short, Rodi was a "strange person" in Sally's eyes.

"Remember, never speak loudly at any time. Some things can be provoked, but others cannot. Although I know the safest route, the forest... probably has no absolutely safe place." Carrying Sally on his back, he confirmed the direction and said, "If we hadn't dodged in time, three giant spiders would have appeared and attacked us. They are not much smaller than warhorses."

Thinking of those huge, furry spiders, Sally shuddered, tightening her arms around Rodi and asked in a low voice, "I wonder... how do you know so much?"

Having died hundreds of times in this forest, it would be hard to forget this knowledge.

Rodi answered this in his mind—aside from the giant spiders jokingly called "turtles" by players, he could almost recite the attributes of all species in this forest, from the smallest wild rabbit to the strongest Parson's tiger king.

However, he couldn't explain this to Sally, so he improvised, "Everything has its rules. People fear entering here because most do not understand these rules, but I... know a bit more than the average person."

"Did you read it in a book? Why haven't I seen—oh... is that a stream?!"

Sally suddenly heard the sound of water ahead, and she quickly covered her mouth, apologizing softly, "I'm sorry."

Rodi sighed helplessly, not having the time to explain further, as he realized he had found the first landmark after entering the Silent Forest: Stairo's Stream.

The reason for coming to this stream was not just for a simple water supply or to hunt animals for food—more importantly, he knew there was a "fixed plot" dungeon here.

In "Rift," dungeons are divided into two types: "random events" and "fixed plots." As the name suggests, most dungeons players encounter are "fixed plots," where the story is the same every time, and rewards are based on completion and player performance. "Random events" are rare, usually testing players' understanding of the game in unknown situations. While most people can quickly understand how to tackle "fixed plot" dungeons through reading and watching strategy videos, "random plots" are different because each "random plot" dungeon can only be cleared once, meaning players must rely entirely on their own strength to handle unfamiliar tasks. Consequently, the rewards for these dungeons are incomparable to those of regular dungeons.

There were many reasons for choosing the "Stairo's Stream" dungeon. As a tech-savvy and clear-headed person, Rodi's style was "efficiency first." Their goal was to safely cross the Silent Forest, and the simplest method in his mind was to clear the "Stairo's Stream" dungeon and then cross a wolf territory.

"We have ten minutes to rest here, and then I will take you upstream. There... there will be battles, dangers, and possibly many strange animals. No matter what happens, you must keep quiet, understood?"

Rodi placed Sally on the dry ground. The daughter of a duke, with bandages on her legs and her dress torn in several places, nodded quietly, showing no objection.

She realized that she was getting somewhat used to being taken care of. Although she was reluctant to admit it, the sense of dependence that had formed in her heart was something she had rarely experienced before.

Growing up in a noble family, Sally had always lived in a magnificent mansion that common people could hardly imagine, but in her eyes, there was always a cold and unbridgeable distance between people—maids could not confide in their mistresses, retainers could not be brothers with knights, and butlers would not chat with servants... everything was so clearly defined. But at this moment, as she watched the sunlight gradually disappear from above, she no longer felt the coldness of loneliness as she had in the past.

Why? She wondered, her gaze involuntarily drawn forward.

There, by the stream, Rodi was making his final check of his position.

Compared to the细腻的 Sally, Rodi's "细致" only manifested in how to survive. After checking the state of his horn bow, Rodi counted the arrows he had brought—two quivers combined gave him 28 arrows. For a scout, it was enough, but for a dungeon, it was somewhat worrying, as he usually used a "dimensional quiver" containing thousands of arrows to solo dungeons.

By the stream, Rodi filled his water囊 and confirmed that he was in the area where players used to wait to enter the dungeon. Normally, some weaker creatures would appear here, as the stronger ones would go to the larger pools upstream and downstream. However, to clear the upcoming dungeon, Rodi knew he needed to prepare thoroughly.

Night fell.

After finding a large bundle of sturdy vines in the forest, Rodi used his bow to fish and caught over a dozen large, plump fish. Finding a dry and safe place, he started a fire and wrapped a few of the fish in large leaves, roasting them by the fire. Although the taste was bland due to the lack of seasoning, it was a novel experience for Sally, who had never eaten this way before.

"Those fish will rot if you don't handle them."

Sally, who had no concept of the forest's size, had always wanted to ask Rodi why he dared to start a fire here—didn't he know it would attract many creatures?

"They are useful, not for eating."

Rodi, who had quickly finished his meal by the fire, was checking the strength of the vines. In addition to these, he had also gathered some blue flowers wrapped in cloth and roasted them on the arrow tips to poison them. After treating all 28 arrows, he carefully put them away and turned to Sally, who was lost in thought by the fire. "We're ready to go."

"Um... Captain Rodi."

Sally hesitated, calling out to the somewhat silent young man before her.

Rodi, who was extinguishing the fire with sand, stopped his actions. Standing up straight with his horn bow, vines, quiver, and a string of dead fish, he looked at her questioningly.

"Will we get out of here, right?"

"Um."

"And... can I return to Holier City safely?"

"Um."

"Then... what will happen after that?" Sally asked softly.

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Rodi's response was brief and reassuring, but it left Sally with more questions than answers. She knew that their journey was far from over, and the challenges ahead were unknown. Yet, for the first time in a long while, she felt a glimmer of hope.