Girl by the Lake
With all the previous experiences, their operation this time was obviously much smoother.
Because of her family's talent, Ximu can see normally in the dark, so even if the sunrise has not been seen for a long time, she can still move freely in this dense forest with very limited visibility.
Although Ruixia, who was following behind her, was not as good as her in this regard, with the help of the "Insect Swarm" and the single lens, the world in his eyes was not accurate, but in fact it was pretty close.
The two took turns wearing the monoculars, constantly correcting their routes to stay away from danger. Several times before being caught up by the monster, they hid under similar silver trees as before, slowly approaching the location of the backpack.
"Look, this safe spot is closest to the backpack. After we get the backpack, we will move here immediately."
As they got closer to the target location, Ruixia enlarged the icon and was making the final confirmation with Ximu.
At this moment, a rustling sound suddenly passed by in the distance. The two subconsciously stopped talking and paid attention to the movements over there at the same time.
However, the sound did not come this way - after a while, it disappeared without a trace, as if it had never appeared.
"…What is that? Is it a small animal?"
Facing Ruixia's question, Ximu shook his head: "I don't know, it feels like something walking along the ground."
Along the way, they heard similar sounds from time to time.
But unlike those waiter monsters that would actively capture others, the owners of these tiny noises were always active at a distance and did not seem to have a strong desire to attack.
Although they didn't understand why, to be on the safe side, they chose a moment when the monsters and the strange sounds were gradually moving away, then stepped out of the safe zone and rushed towards their ultimate goal without distraction.
But not long after, Ruixia in the back discovered something and suddenly let out a cry of surprise.
"oops."
"What's wrong?"
Every moment outside the safe zone counts. Seeing that Ruixia did not stop, Ximu continued along the original route, but just turned his head slightly and asked.
"The backpack's position has changed and it's slowly moving southeast."
Slowly moving? Was it carried away by some small animal?
The southeast direction is exactly opposite to the safe place they had previously identified. If they let it go, it would increase the difficulty of obtaining it - and at this moment, a faint fog has risen again. If they lose their target, the variables will only be greater.
With a turn of his eyes, Ximu completed the plan in his mind.
"What does that backpack look like?"
"Uh, it's just an ordinary black backpack, but there's a cloud pattern embroidered on the lower right corner... Why, do you want to go first?"
Ximu nodded and suggested, "You go directly to a safe place. I'll come back and meet you after I get my backpack."
"Then I'll give you my detection mirror first..."
"Need not."
Guessing what Ruixia was going to say, Ximu refused very directly.
Her eyesight is different from that of ordinary people, and she can move normally in the dark. Once they act separately, Ruixia will need the assistance of a single lens more than her.
"Then how can you determine the location of the backpack and the safe spot?"
Although she knew that she was indeed not as fast as Ximu, Ruixia was still worried as the fog gradually rose.
"It wasn't far away to begin with. I can calculate the approximate location."
The girl, who had undergone relevant field training, did not rely too much on tools. Moreover, they had been repeatedly deducing the route along the way. She had already formed her own route map in her mind and had a general idea of the direction.
Moreover, at Ruixia's strong request, she used a pain-relieving scroll again. Now, except for not being able to use magic, she has no other obstacles in her movements.
Since the backpack was only moving slowly, as long as she chased it at full speed, she could easily catch up in a few breaths at the current distance.
Ruixia's expression relaxed, but she still seemed worried about something.
"My top priority is getting my backpack back. I won't linger, and I won't stop. If I can't succeed in a short period of time, I'll abandon my goal and return to a safe place to reunite with you. Is that okay?"
Having vaguely guessed the reason, Ximu promised so, and saw the boy's surprised expression as he wished.
Sure enough... he was really worried about this.
"Okay, I believe you." Seeing that she was no longer willing to give up on herself, Ruixia finally gave in. "Then I'll go over there and wait for you. Remember, no matter what, safety comes first, okay?"
"Um."
After exchanging a glance, the young man turned around and ran to the other side. Xi Mu, however, maintained his original route, accelerating suddenly, his momentum so fast that it almost shattered the mist that had barely condensed.
In a moment, the dense forest path receded behind him, gradually becoming sparse, and the smell of moisture became more and more obvious.
Is there a water source nearby?
Just as he was thinking, he noticed the change in the texture of the road under his feet. He slowed down, slowly changed direction, and quietly approached the place where the backpack was in his memory.
Southeast direction...is that the way?
Quietly tightening the staff in his hand, Ximu moved quickly through the mist, hoping to quickly lock onto the target before completely losing his direction.
Fortunately, the other party's speed was indeed not fast. Not long after, a faint light penetrated the fog and appeared faintly in front of the road.
Judging from her figure, she seemed to be a young girl. Her clothes were unclear, but she had fluffy short hair that reached her shoulders. In one hand she held a long staff, and in the other she held a lantern.
And as Ruixia said, the black bag embroidered with cloud patterns was actually on the other person's shoulder at this moment.
It turned out that it was taken away by someone... Fortunately, it didn't fall into the hands of the monster.
After listening carefully to the footsteps of the monster in the distance, Ximu took a step forward and quietly approached the ignorant girl.
I don’t know if she felt something, but the girl with short hair seemed to realize something and slowly turned around.
Then--
A sudden sharp pain in her neck immediately sent her consciousness into a hazy darkness.
+++
"...No, who is this person?"
He had just been apart for a short while when he suddenly became a different person. Ruixia was a little confused for a moment.
He took the backpack handed to him by Xi Mu in a daze, without even bothering to look at it. He just stared at her side intently - until he was sure that she was really holding a stranger's ankle in her other hand, he came to his senses in shock.
It’s really a person!
She's a girl! She's dressed like a priest, with a string of white foam hanging from the corners of her mouth. She's a normal human being!
“This, this, this, this…”
The language system couldn't be restarted for a while. Although he could guess what had happened, the current situation was really beyond his comprehension.
Xi Mu obviously couldn't understand his helplessness. After dragging the person into the shaded area, she casually threw her away and replied in confusion and indifference: "She stole your bag. I'll bring her back and you can deal with her as you wish."
"No, wait... didn't you ask her first? Maybe she just picked it up."
Having said that, Ruixia finally remembered to check her backpack. Seeing that the restrictions on the bag were still there and there were no signs of being violently broken, she breathed a sigh of relief.
Xi Mu didn't seem to realize that there was anything wrong with him. He looked at the short-haired girl lying on the ground with her legs up in the air, his expression calm.
——If this person was carrying her lost supplies, she would kill her the moment they met.
Because I'm not the owner, I just knocked her out and brought her back... Speaking of which, should I find some vines to tie her up?
Although most priests appear mediocre in combat, they all have some means of survival. If they suddenly attack and injure someone, it would be troublesome...
At this moment, the girl lying on the ground suddenly began to groan, rubbing the back of her neck, with a look of "Oh my god, it hurts" written all over her face.
As soon as she raised her eyes, she saw a strange man and woman not far away looking at her at the same time, and she subconsciously moved back a little.
"No... who are you?"
Similar questions arose again, and Ruixia smiled awkwardly, while the instigator stood there with an innocent look on his face, as if nothing had happened.
"ah!"
Suddenly, as if remembering something, the girl raised her finger and pointed at Xi Mu, confirming, "It's you!—You were the one following me just now, weren't you? Did you knock me out? Why did you hit me? I don't even know you!"
A series of questions came crashing down, but Ximu didn't read them and didn't reply. He even looked away, wandering over the various long strips of vegetation, as if he was looking for something.
"No, that's... it's like this. Because you were carrying my bag, my companions had some misunderstandings about you."
Fearing that Ximu's indifferent attitude would intensify the conflict, Ruixia hurried forward to explain.
"That bag? How can you prove that it's yours?"
Faced with such reasonable doubts, Ruixia did not answer, but just made a brief operation, and then opened the restriction on the backpack very smoothly in front of her.
As the person who picked up the backpack, the girl certainly knew how complex and secure the mechanism that kept the valuables was.
Seeing that Ruixia cracked it so easily, he said that this thing was his, and there was really no room for rebuttal.
“…Alright.”
As if admitting her bad luck, the girl slowly stood up, shook her dizzy head, and then put her hands on her hips and said righteously, "I did find this bag by the lake, but I didn't touch the things inside, and now it has been returned to its owner, so... you! Yes, you! The one who came up and hit me without any reason! Don't you deserve an apology too?!"
After being called out in a threatening manner, Ximu calmly looked at the angry girl for a moment, and suddenly turned his gaze to Ruixia who was standing beside him.
——No, why are you looking at me? I didn’t ask you to knock her out!
Ruisha was shocked.
But during their previous interactions, he also knew that Xi Mu did have significant social challenges. Worried that she wouldn't be able to cope, he smoothly took the blame: "It's true that we were too reckless. My companion is quite straightforward, and she doesn't mean any harm... How about this? We'll give you a healing scroll as compensation. What do you think?"
"I can heal this minor injury in no time. No scrolls are needed!"
The girl snorted coldly and suddenly reached out to retrieve her fallen staff - after a flash of aqua-green light, her neck, which was originally a little swollen, instantly recovered.
A priest who can perform healing arts?
Ruixia's eyes lit up, and she was about to say something, but the girl stepped forward, pointed the long stick in her hand at Ximu, and still insisted angrily: "You, apologize to me, and this matter will be over!"
In fact, any discerning person can see that the short-haired girl was just angry and wanted to hit the person to express her attitude.
But Ximu is really not a normal person.
Although the other party was just a priest, being pointed at with a weapon meant being threatened. Following the instinct of "eliminating the threat immediately", she swung her staff and directly knocked away the other party's staff.
What are you doing? It's like a provocation!
Her eyes, which had just lit up, turned dark again in an instant. Ruixia resisted the urge to pinch her philtrum and stepped between the two of them, fearing that they would really come into conflict.
And the priestess girl's expression did change.
But she did not pay attention to the weapon in her hand that almost slipped out of her hand, but instead stared at the staff in Xi Mu's hand.
After a moment, she raised her eyes and asked word by word with a somewhat terrifying look: "...Why is Felicia's staff in your hand?"
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