Chapter 45

After hesitating for three seconds, Kemara finally made up his mind and sprinted towards the mine cart, his mouth emitting sparks. At this moment, the cart had just passed the gentle slope and entered the acceleration phase. Rodi, who was stealthily following, didn't look back as he flipped onto the cart and immediately pounced on Sally, knocking her down inside.

Sally's body stiffened as she fell backward. She didn't understand why Rodi had done this, but before she could ask, a deafening roar and a bright orange light filled her vision.

Scorching flames burst from Kemara's mouth, but due to the cart's high speed, the flames couldn't catch up. The shockwave still swept over the cart, making Rodi feel an indescribable heat on his hair and back.

Sally instinctively closed her eyes but also understood why Rodi had pushed her down—had she remained sitting there, her face would probably have been burned off by now.

The accelerating cart was now out of Kemara's reach. It could only watch as the cart disappeared from its sight, finally roaring in anger and frustration before turning back to the cave.

Inside the cart, Rodi panted and climbed off Sally.

"Damn! That was too scary... I'll come back and finish you off one day..."

He cursed because he was genuinely scared. When he came to his senses, he realized he was on top of a blushing Sally. He tried to get up awkwardly, but his hand, reaching out to support himself, landed squarely on Sally's chest due to the cart's "perfectly timed" bump.

Even though Rodi had tried to make her bind herself tightly with cloth, it couldn't hide her well-developed figure. Rodi felt as if he was pressing a ball of dough that could slip away at any moment.

"Damn—"

Rodi only realized what he had touched when he came to his senses. He quickly lifted his hand, almost falling out of the cart due to the sudden movement.

In front of him, Sally sat up, silently covering her chest and lowering her head without a word.

The atmosphere suddenly felt like it was freezing over.

"I... I... just now... that—"

"Bastard!"

Rodi felt incredibly unlucky. He had just escaped from the monster, and now Sally probably wanted to kill him...

He looked at the girl huddled in the corner, swallowed hard, and noticed that she didn't seem to be pursuing the matter aggressively. His heart calmed a bit.

I'm such an unlucky guy... I'll just take it one step at a time.

The cart continued to rattle forward. Rodi stopped thinking about the mess and raised his head to focus on the road ahead, his hand on the brake. Fortunately, after half an hour, the cart finally reached the end of the tunnel—the southern end of the Endel Mountains.

The air in the tunnel was bone-chilling, so when Sally stepped out of the cave, she felt it was much warmer outside. However, she still seemed to be in a daze from the "grope" incident. Her feelings were complex—angry? The always clear-headed Sally knew Rodi hadn't meant to, so while she was angry, she didn't harbor much resentment. What scared her the most was...

When Rodi touched her chest, Sally surprisingly found that she didn't feel much repulsion deep down.

This feeling made Sally feel uneasy, and for a moment, she didn't know how to continue interacting with Rodi. In fact, while Rodi was focused on the road ahead, Sally's gaze never left him.

Why can't I control my gaze?

The more Sally thought about it, the more she felt she was caught in a strange loop. She decided to stop talking and follow Rodi silently.

Rodi, walking ahead, didn't notice Sally's change. He was looking at the valuable items in his backpack, planning how to enhance his attributes.

A whole backpack full of Kemara scales, over twenty of which were "purple" and 179 were "blue"!

According to Rodi's estimate, these scales could make two full sets of leather armor, and the attributes would definitely be top-notch for their level!

Recalling when he was level 4, he was practically in rags. Even a green item would have made him ecstatic. Now, if he used his skills, the equipment made from these materials would be a mix of blue and purple, and even if it was marked as level 4, its overall attributes and bonuses would easily surpass level 8 green equipment.

The first guilds to fight Kemara must have made a fortune from these scales. Rodi remembered seeing a large batch of Kemara scales appear in the auction house, and he had to admit that he had good luck despite his misfortunes.

Turning his attention to another item, Rodi looked at the ring he had found on the skeleton, raising an eyebrow.

Dusty Ring

Unique Quest Item

Strength +2

Constitution +1

Required Level: 5

"The gem in the setting seems to be missing."

It was a quest item, which surprised Rodi, but he quickly understood—many quests started with items found, and he had done over a hundred such quests. However, these items were like lottery tickets; if you were lucky, you could hit a legendary quest chain and make a fortune, but if you were unlucky...

Rodi had seen someone spend nearly 10,000 gold on a quest chain and end up with a useless pet.

The ring could only be equipped and trigger the quest when he reached level 5, so Rodi put it on his finger to prevent it from getting lost. However, it was so thin that it only fit on his pinky. Since he hadn't reached the required level, he didn't gain any attribute bonuses, so he was still at level 4 with no equipment.

After leaving the tunnel, they found themselves on the mountainside, surrounded by trees and the sounds of birds. It was early morning, and the initially comfortable temperature soon felt cold, but when the morning light illuminated the land, the chill dissipated.

Walking with weary steps, Sally felt she had walked more in the past few days than in her entire life. Her mind still felt detached from reality. When they finally reached a hill with a wide view, Sally looked up and was stunned.

In her field of vision, the massive outline of Holier City was already visible.

"Did we... really make it?"

Although Rodi had already told her the outcome, the shock was still indescribable when she saw it with her own eyes.

But what followed was a sudden panic.

Sally's rational mind seemed to have become extremely emotional over the past few days. Following Rodi, she looked at his determined back after their non-stop journey, feeling a sense of melancholy.

In just a few days, this stranger had become someone with an unspoken bond and a strange kind of "friendship." Only by experiencing these dangers could Sally truly understand the risks he had taken to save her. Yet, after all he had done, he hadn't asked for anything in return—

Was it really as he said, that he did it all so "the country wouldn't be destroyed by a bunch of beasts"?

Whether Rodi was telling the truth or not, Sally felt a heavy burden—unlike any noble she had met, Rodi didn't seem to like talking about "saving the country," but his actions clearly aimed at that goal.

That unspoken determination and stability sometimes became a "charm" in others' eyes.

"Rodi, after we return to Holier City... where will you go?"

She finally asked the question softly.

Rodi, with his backpack, seemed to have an answer ready. He shook his head and said, "After confirming you're safe in the city, I have some things to do and will stay here for a while. But I should meet you again before I leave."

"Really?"

Sally raised her eyebrows, feeling a mix of emotions at the thought of Rodi leaving. But his words eased her mind.

"Take care of yourself. Even though the 'Rose Cross' can protect you, be cautious of Francis's determination. When someone abandons all their principles, they can be more terrifying than you imagine."

Rodi tightened his backpack and turned his head, suddenly asking, "Are we friends now?"

Sally was used to his strange questions and nodded without hesitation, "Why not?"

Then she saw Rodi's gaze lift slightly, as if he was looking at something above her head. She looked up but only saw green branches and the blue sky.

She didn't know that Rodi was checking her character status. His previous question was like adding a private friend, allowing him to see detailed information: level, equipment, attributes, and titles. For ordinary friends, only level and title were visible, and for strangers, only a rough level range was shown when they were close.

Rodi saw that Sally was level 7, which was not low, likely due to her background. Although her level was higher than his, as an NPC template and a female, her "Strength" and "Constitution" were far below his, but her "Intelligence" and "Spirit" were particularly high. Rodi frowned—were the children of the Lucifer family suited for the extremely rare magic classes?

"Rare" for NPCs, as players could choose their paths, but in the Calen Kingdom, even among nobles, the number of people who could become magic users was very small.

The Duke of Lucifer had only two children, and both had the talent for magic classes, which was quite rare. Francis was already an Elementalist, and Sally seemed to have the talent for a "Rose Cross" priest?

But this didn't explain how she resisted the scorpion's venom, as an unclassed priest couldn't use the "Detoxify" skill. Rodi was puzzled, looking back at Sally's face, who was looking at him with confusion. He immediately felt in his pocket and handed her the voodoo dice he had found in the orc camp.

"I suddenly remembered something that might be useful for you."

Since it increased Intelligence and Spirit, Rodi thought it would be put to good use. His player mindset was still strong, but he didn't realize that Sally was even more puzzled.

After all, who would value something only orc shamans used? Bones, joints, shells, and other strange items. Sally took them, but didn't understand why Rodi said this.

"This is a trophy I got from an orc. It belonged to an orc shaman. How to put it... its owner might be the greatest threat to the kingdom in the future. If one day you feel powerless to continue fighting, I hope it reminds you of what I said today."

Rodi had intended to give a casual reason for her to keep it, but his words turned into a solemn "entrustment." Sally was momentarily stunned, seeing Rodi turn and continue walking, she realized the item in her hand might not be as simple as it seemed.

She ran to catch up with Rodi, feeling like she had a lot to say, but looking at his back, she swallowed her words.

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