The sun rose again, and the earth was bathed in light once more.
Todd got up from the ground, glanced at Rachel and Aisha who were still asleep, squatted down, tiptoed to add some branches to the fire pit, blew on the fire to make it burn brighter, and then turned and left the campsite.
Returning to the beach, he dismantled the masts and sails washed ashore and carried them back to camp. Todd then went back into the woods and collected half a bag of dew using a canvas water bag. Finally, he set up a stone pot and began boiling herbs, distilling the dew, and making tools.
After waking Rachel, Todd fed her the prepared medicine and then slung the makeshift basket made of mast ropes and planks over his shoulder.
As Todd placed the weakened Rachel in his basket and put her hands on his shoulders, an indescribable emotion appeared on Aisha's face.
"I guess I'm going to say goodbye to you all here?" Aisha bit her lip hard, forcing a last shred of dignity onto her face, her throat dry.
Todd, carrying Rachel on his back, glanced at Aisha with a strange look, then dragged a 'trolley' made of canvas and wooden poles into the camp.
Todd tied the rope at one end of the cot around his waist, patted the surface of the canvas, and gestured for Aisha to slowly move her body and sit on it.
Aisha stared in disbelief, her eyes red, as if something inside her had shattered in an instant.
"When you get in, raise the splint on the fractured area. There will be some bumps along the way, so make sure the wound doesn't reopen..."
Before Todd could finish speaking, Aisha asked softly, "Why?"
Todd smiled but said nothing.
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Traveling across the territory of the northern barbarian kingdom, Todd carried one woman on his back and dragged another, yet he felt no fatigue or exhaustion whatsoever. One of the side effects of the Inheritor's mutation was that it greatly enhanced the power of the mutated parts.
For example, if the hands are mutated, then "weakness", "strength enhancement", and "earth control" will enhance the ability; if the legs are mutated, then "speed" will enhance the ability.
Now, with Todd carrying Rachel on his back and dragging Aisha with his mutated right arm, this intensity of exercise, combined with his 'pain suppression' ability, meant that even a two-hour trek wouldn't be too much of a burden for him.
Unlike the flat plains of Moonbrook, the North is mostly mountainous and woodland, with beautiful scenery but treacherous roads.
The three of them walked for a whole morning before they had only climbed the first hill.
Under the blazing sun, Todd turned the water bag upside down, aimed it at his mouth, and shook it vigorously, but not a single drop of water fell.
Wiping the sweat from his forehead, Todd put down the water bag, looked at the dense, impenetrable woods around him, and sighed.
Aisha, sitting on the cot, raised her arm and suddenly said to him, "Go in that direction, I can hear the sound of water."
Noticing the other person's skeptical look, Aisha raised her head and said, "As a captain, being able to distinguish the sounds of ocean currents and storms is my most basic instinct."
Todd shrugged, and with a "nothing to lose" attitude, he continued walking for half an hour in the direction Aisha had indicated, until a small natural waterfall appeared before him.
"Haha, there really is water!" Todd laughed as he took off his water bag and rushed to the pool at the foot of the waterfall. Just as he was about to take some water, an arrow grazed his ear.
Almost instinctively, Todd dropped the water bag, used his "metal skin" ability, and raised his mutated right arm to protect his face.
A deep voice rang out, speaking not in Common, but in a language Todd had never heard before.
Immediately afterwards, a second arrow was shot, this time embedding itself in the ground at Todd's feet.
The sound grew louder, and anyone could hear the hostility and a desire to drive them away.
Just as Todd was caught in a dilemma, Rachel, supporting her swaying body, walked to the edge of the pool and loudly spoke the same language.
Todd stood up and stood in front of Rachel, only to find that the confident woman refused his protection.
The owner of the deep voice asked, and Rachel answered; this strange 'conversation' lasted for more than five minutes. The former's voice gradually softened, and his original angry tone gradually turned into questioning.
Ultimately, Rachel seemed to have reached an agreement with the people in the woods.
A thick, heavy hemp rope was thrown out of the woods.
Rachel lowered her voice: "Your Majesty, you may have to make do for a while."
Todd blinked, puzzled.
"In order to gain the other party's trust, I will have to tie you up with this rope."
Todd was taken aback at first, then smiled and extended his hand.
Ten minutes later, Todd, who was tied up tightly, stood by the pool, receiving the stares of a group of people who looked like they came from a barbaric era.
The leader was a barbarian elder with white hair and beard but bulging muscles. He wore only a fur robe made of unknown material, either bear or wolf skin, and carried an oak hunting bow on his back.
He circled Todd several times before finally fixing his gaze on the mutated right arm.
After asking a few questions in a foreign language, Rachel quickly replied with a few words.
The barbarian elder shook his head vigorously.
Rachel seemed a little anxious, and the name "Boyle" began to appear repeatedly in her speech.
Upon hearing the name, the elder's resolute expression wavered, and his initial refusal softened.
The two discussed it for a while longer, and the barbarian elder reluctantly nodded.
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