The sunlight in the forest sheds mottled light spots through the dense leaves. Perhaps it is due to the rain in the past few days. The air here is cold and humid. The ground is covered with a thick layer of moss and green grass, and it is muddy when stepped on. very.
A snake was meandering forward in the grass. Its body was covered with a layer of emerald green scales so that it could be better hidden among the surrounding vegetation. Suddenly the snake stopped crawling forward.
It raised its front body and raised its head slightly, its forked tongue licking the scent in the air, and just before it was about to retract into the grass, a flying arrow accurately penetrated its raised head. neck.
The snake swung its body in the grass a few times in a desperate struggle, and then stopped making any movement.
Anya stepped on her already dirty boots and walked to the snake's body. After confirming that the snake would no longer bite her, she pocketed the trophy.
The girl was humming a folk tune about adventure, and she was holding a crossbow that she had found in the town not long ago.
She finally took away this deadly sidearm. Since the original owner of the crossbow could no longer use it, it would be better to follow Anya and continue to use it instead of leaving it to rust in that small room.
Cesare had no objection to this. Instead of worrying about whether taking away the deceased's relics without permission violated the moral standards of some scriptures, it was better to worry about their current situation.
Cesare, wearing a black cloak, stood at the end of the forest path, with the monster's bone still attached to his waist. He watched as the dirt road in front of him gradually disappeared into the endless moss and grass.
Looking left and right, I couldn't see anything that looked like a route for people to walk except the way I came from behind.
They were lost. They thought that they would reach the castle sooner or later by walking along the westward road from the town. However, this sudden interruption of the route undoubtedly poured cold water on Cesare.
If they returned to the abandoned town to find another way, they would probably waste another day or more. The few pieces of black bread in Anya's bag would not allow them to mess around like this.
Cesare never thought that this would be a smooth journey, but the various difficulties he encountered were still unprepared.
"Anya, do you think it would be too risky for us to walk through the forest?" Cesare looked around for Anya. The girl who was walking around just now didn't know where she was now. .
Not long after, a trembling sound was heard from the branches above her head. Anya's light body jumped down from the back of the tree and landed steadily on the ground. There was something black in her hand.
"What are you doing again?" Cesare asked. "What are you holding in your hand?"
Anya smiled proudly and spread her palm towards Cesare. Cesare recognized the dark thing as the nest of some small bird when he saw it up close, but there were no eggs inside, so he couldn't figure out what it was. What was this thing doing, so he looked at Anya's face in confusion.
"Don't you understand this? This is the best tinder! You'll need it to make a fire when you spend the night in the woods tonight." As she spoke, Anya's smart eyes were still searching the ground and branches around her. What are you wearing?
"Besides that, I also need a suitable stick and stone to make a fire drill. You can also help me look for it together. It probably looks like..." Anya was just trying to figure out what branches she needed. shape, but was directly interrupted by Cesare.
"It doesn't have to be so troublesome. If you want to make a fire, you can use magic. I can still light a bonfire." Cesare casually snapped his fingers, and a wisp of flame ignited between his fingers, and then followed by five fingers. The clenched fist flame also went out.
Anya saw that Cesare could make fire out of thin air so easily. Instead of being surprised, Anya looked a little unhappy and insisted on stuffing the bird's nest into her pocket. "This is why I don't want to pass on magic. The interesting parts of the adventure are missed..."
"And this is the convenience of magic." Cesare said coldly, and then he was not going to waste any more time. He walked past Anya and walked into the dark woods.
"And again, I'm not here to play adventure games. You've seen that there are unclean things in this forest. We have to hurry through the forest and find a way to the west."
After just taking a few steps forward, Anya quickly trotted to follow her. Her side face was once again filled with a pure and bright smile without her realizing it.
Cesare didn't understand how that petite body could accommodate so much energy.
Whether she is in a monster-infested town or a strange forest, Anya's eyes always shine with enthusiasm, revealing her infinite curiosity and passion for exploration of all things in the world. She is always running around like that, as if she will never Stop.
Anya followed Cesare, leisurely drawing out her sword and making identifiable marks on the tree trunks she passed.
Thick mist filled the forest, making people disoriented several times. The trees were covered with a layer of wet moss, exuding a rotten smell. The dewdrops falling on the leaves made a dull ticking sound, as if they were falling from each tree. The trees were whispering to each other.
The trees were dense and complicated. From time to time, Cesare had to lower his head or avoid the difficult path ahead. It didn't take long before he completely lost his original sense of direction.
Since plants require photosynthesis, the leaves on the north side of the trees will be sparse due to the lack of direct sunlight. On the other hand, the leaves on the south side will be more leafy. With this common sense, Cesare can barely identify the direction and always maintain the direction. Head west.
It was difficult to see the direction of the shadows clearly in the thick fog. I could only feel that the shadows of all the surroundings were tilting as time passed, and the light and shadows gradually dimmed.
The two walked in the woods for a long time and still couldn't see any new roads emerging, but the difficulties they faced appeared one after another.
The uneven ground in the forest is constantly up and down, with pits and ravines everywhere. Walking uphill and downhill repeatedly will make you feel several times more tired than walking on a flat road.
Some mud pits hidden by vegetation could even submerge Cesare's calves, and it would take more energy to pull the legs out.
Secondly, the cold moisture in the forest is also constantly rising from the surface. The biting cold has penetrated the boots and clothes of the two people and taken away the body temperature from the skin. If it is night, there will undoubtedly be a risk of hypothermia. .
Although he didn't know how long they had been walking, Cesare knew that they had not actually gone far, and it was completely impossible to keep moving quickly in this forest.
Without knowing when the main road would be found, exhausting one's energy would mean certain death.
The energy in his body was gradually drained away by the gloomy forest, and his brain kept issuing warnings. It told Cesare that he needed to eat, drink, and rest.
Cesare flattened his chest and gasped. When he turned back to look at Anya, the girl was carefully stepping on the thick tree roots exposed above the ground and jumping behind, as if she was worried about getting wet in the mud puddles. your own boots, or just being naughty and entertaining yourself.
He asked with a smile when he saw Cesare stopped. "Tired?"
Cesare nodded. There was nothing to hide. He had to admit that the other party was the experienced one in this environment. Although it was not clear how Anya’s experience was accumulated. Could it be that Count Laurian Would you often let your daughter wander into such ghostly places at will?
Just as he was thinking about it, a piece of black bread with blueberries on it was handed to Cesare. He was indeed a little hungry. After the previous experience, the two of them had become much closer to each other, and there was no need for those polite words. With this technique, Cesare took the food and ate it one bite at a time.
The reason why I carry brown bread is because this kind of food made from pure grains can be carried for a longer period of time without spoiling, contains more fiber and is rich in nutrients, and tastes dense, tough, and rich in grains. The taste and... extremely unpleasant bitter taste.
More crude fiber is like a piece of rotten linen chewed repeatedly in the mouth, and the throat refuses to enter the esophagus. Fortunately, the blueberries on it can eliminate part of the bitter taste, and the current situation can fill the stomach and provide energy. the most important.
Anya moved closer unknowingly, seeming to be very interested in Cesare's difficulty in swallowing. Then she took out a thin hemp rope from the package and spoke. "It's almost time to prepare your place to sleep for the night."
"Now?" Cesare looked up at the sky. It seemed that there was still some time before the sun would set. "Isn't it a little too early? I feel like I can still walk a little longer." If he was lucky, Cesare hoped to get out of the forest before dark and find a road that had been opened by humans.
But Anya still seemed to insist on her own ideas. "Believe me, you don't want to wait until dark to consider this issue." As she said that, Anya had already selected a small open space not far ahead and started to get busy.
Cesare was still hesitating, but he calmed down and thought about it. Anya would not joke about this kind of thing. If he continues to walk hastily, once his body loses temperature or becomes sick, the losses will definitely become greater, and even the journey It may all end here.
"Oh, okay, what do you need me to do?" Cesare walked over and asked.
Seeing that Cesare, who had always been a bit stubborn, had also learned to compromise with herself, Anya smiled with satisfaction, tapped her finger on the side of her face and thought about the situation carefully.
"One rope is not enough. We need to find more vines and twist them into twine, as well as as many logs, branches, leaves... Oh yes, and turf and moss."
