Is it good luck or bad luck? Asa pondered as he drank his meat soup.
The meat was good meat. The finest beef was dried and pounded into a dense meat floss, and only a small bag was needed to contain the meat from a single cow. When cooked in water, the meat returned to its delicious flavor. This was the dry food that noble warriors used on expeditions.
The soup was good soup. Even the river water in the lizard swamp, purified by purification symbols, was as clear and sweet as the purest mountain spring. When cooked with the beef and salt, even the chefs in the city could not find any fault. It felt like the purification symbol was really worth a silver coin.
Eating such good meat and drinking such good soup could even revive someone on their deathbed. Asa was well aware of his physical condition, and after a good night's rest, he could easily bring down a cow with his bare hands.
The bonfire was made of many large logs piled up neatly. The mix of dry and wet wood ensured that it would burn until the next day. The heat from the bonfire covered the body temperature, and even the double-footed flying dragon couldn't detect it. There was no need to hide in cold tree holes or underground dens, and other beasts and poisonous insects dared not approach. Sleeping soundly next to such a bonfire would definitely fully restore one's strength.
Even if he could bring down five cows with his bare hands, Asa still didn't have the confidence to fight a hunter head-on.
No matter how much his strength recovered, it was not enough to outpace the hunter. The bonfire was warm, safe, and bright enough to allow any creature in the swamp to see clearly.
"You're really amazing. I've never seen anyone brave the lizard swamp with just one weapon," said the woman who claimed to be a pharmacist, looking admiringly at Asa.
Asa didn't think he was worthy of admiration. He hadn't even noticed that the skin where the leech had fallen off was still bleeding, and a few drops of blood had almost attracted all the carnivorous fish in the swamp. So he had to push a dead tree that had been knocked down by a barbarian bull into the river and stand on it, drifting down the current to avoid the many mouths below waiting for him to get in the water. But when several large alligators joined the fray, he had to struggle to get ashore. It was already dusk, and he was getting ready to find a place to hide when he saw a fire. That's when he met the woman, someone he never expected to encounter.
The woman was about the same age as Asa, and though she was dressed like an adventurer and had a big pack on her back, she still had a dirty blanket wrapped around her. However, her fair and delicate skin showed that she was not a commoner. She carried high-efficiency dry rations with her, and the price of one purification symbol was enough for a family of commoners to live comfortably for a month. She was probably a noblewoman.
"I thought it was quite remarkable that I could explore and collect herbs in the swamp alone. The terrain and climate here are unique, and many plants only grow inside it, so although my father never approved, I still sneaked in by myself." The woman spoke freely, like an innocent child, without any sense of wariness towards Asa.
Perhaps it had been a long time since she had seen anyone like herself, especially in such a dangerous environment.
The sword at her waist was an Anka sword, thin, long, hard and flexible, light and nimble, and mainly used for assassination. Asa recognized it, as it was always displayed prominently in his father's shop for customers to admire and to check its price tag.
The angle of the sword at her waist was good and precise, allowing her to draw it out at the fastest speed. The handle of the sword was tightly wrapped with fine hemp rope, a wrapping technique only used by experienced soldiers that prevented the handle from slipping even when soaked in blood. Although the color of the hemp rope was still its natural color, unaffected by blood, the countless grip marks left on it from tight grasping and swinging indicated that this sword was not just for show.
But even with it, it might not be enough to deal with the pursuers. The most important thing in a life-and-death battle is not technique or skill, but spirit and will. Even if one has been trained since childhood and never heard the sound of an axe splitting into bones, never heard the cries of someone being cut in half but not dying immediately, and never felt the sharp pain of an enemy's weapon tearing through their muscles and flesh, it is still just a half-hearted attempt. When faced with the threat of death and the immediate pain that can overwhelm one's senses, fear can cause one to shrink and lose their fighting ability.
It would be great to have a mage or a priest, even if only for the most basic blessings and a few simple fireballs.
Asa felt herself getting a little lost in the sudden comfort of the meat soup and campfire. It was almost unbelievable luck to meet humans in this dense forest and swamp, and to drink meat soup and replenish energy around a campfire.
Chewing on a piece of adventurer's biscuit given to her and washing it down with meat soup, feeling the warmth of the lucky campfire, Asa sighed contentedly and helplessly.
The pursuer should be spying on the firelight from a tree hole right now. Even when he was riding on a bipedal dragon howling and searching for food in the night sky, he still had to hide. But as soon as dawn broke in the east and the bipedal dragon returned to its nest, he would follow the signal of this lucky chance and rush here with amazing speed.
No matter whether it's good luck or bad luck, since it has already happened, we must and can only try our best to steer things in a hopeful direction.
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"How far are we from the Dono River?" Asa asked.
At the start of the Dono River, the water was so turbulent in the Lizard Swamp that not even fish could swim upstream. It was there that Asa was forced ashore and into the swamp. But after the river flowed past the Lizard Swamp, it became gentle, and with the current, one could reach the small town of Bracada in the west of the Empire in just one day.
"I'm not exactly sure, but it's probably a day or two away."
If we run at full speed, we could get there in half a day. But without an exact distance, there's no sure way of knowing. As for the pursuers, Asa was confident they could catch up within half a day. There was little chance of a direct escape.
Asa pondered how to word his request to the woman, to tell her the truth and ask her to help him face the pursuers together. Although the chances of winning were slim, it was still better to wait for them than to try other methods.
"May I ask if you can accompany me for a while?" The woman suddenly asked. "I'm planning to go deep into the swamp tomorrow to look for new herbs, and it's my first time going that deep into the swamp."
"Of course, I'll pay you," she added, brushing away a few strands of black hair that had fallen on her thin lips, which curled slightly in a slight hint of discomfort. Her heels were rubbing gently against each other, which was quite noticeable for someone with large feet like hers, similar to Asa's, who was wearing a pair of adventurer's leather shoes like him.
Asa suddenly felt a way to escape. It was a very efficient and opportune method that did not require any traps or illusions, nor did it consume physical energy or waste valuable time. He only needed to take advantage of this moment by the campfire to let the pursuer waste considerable time and effort.
This made his heart beat suddenly and violently.
"Is it okay?" The woman blinked, her eyes not very big but with long eyelashes and a slight downward slant at the corners, probably even with a vague smile even when angry.
The campfire was bright, her eyes were dark, and the firelight was soft and warm, but Asa dared not look directly at her. He looked away, took a deep breath, and tried to make his tone sound natural. "I'm sorry, I can't. I have something very important and urgent to do."
"Oh, really?" The woman couldn't hide the disappointment in her tone and expression.
"There are several unique herbs that grow about half a day's journey to the west from here in the swamp. They have unique medicinal properties," Asa said, his face twisted and his voice unclear. This was the first time he had told an extremely malicious lie to a very friendly person, and a woman at that.
"Unique? What do you mean?" the woman asked.
"Well, I saw a couple of brawny bulls or maybe it was just one, I'm not sure, fighting and one of them got seriously injured on the hind leg. It was lying on the ground, dying. Then it went and ate some of those herbs and put them on its wound, and after a while, it was all better," Asa said, desperately trying to recall a story about dogs fighting he had heard from an old adventurer when he was a child. His words were not very coherent, but he became more fluent as he went on.
"Oh really? What kind of herbs were they?" the woman asked, her eyes widening. Asa felt like he was about to dodge a crossbow bolt, just like he had five days ago. The woman quickly took out a pen and paper from her backpack.
"It's just a pale yellow flower," Asa mixed up and blabbered about the characteristics of several wild herbs. The woman listened attentively and took notes.
"If you are going deeper into the swamp, you must grind up and apply the water mint and insect-repelling chrysanthemum herbs to your clothes and skin. Even if you have insect-repellent oil, you must use these two herbs because there are some poisonous bugs that are only repelled by the smell of these two herbs," Asa said in a very solemn voice to the woman.
"Just these two herbs? They are everywhere around the campfire," the woman casually found them.
Of course, these two herbs do have insect-repellent effects, but they are not as effective as the adventurer's guild's specially made insect-repellent oil. Since entering the swamp, Asa has been applying them all the time. The first thing he does upon waking up at dawn in the tree hollow these past three days is to carefully remove any poisonous bugs, such as centipedes, from his armpits, crotch, and sometimes even his head.
Of course, there are not many poisonous bugs in the deeper part of the swamp that only fear these two herbs.
It seems that any skill is developed through practice. Even the most difficult and against human nature things can be learned and even immersed in with enough practice. With the previous opportunities for rehearsals, when Asa spoke the most vicious part of this extremely malicious lie, his sentence was already very smooth, and his voice was very steady, but he still dare not look at her bright eyes. He used the motion of picking up the firewood to cover up his gaze.
"Thank you so much. If I can find these herbs again and understand their properties, it will be enough to embarrass those old guys in the guild," the woman was excited and felt that the two of them had some friendship, not just being casual. She spoke warmly with him, "I have known that the world is so big that there must be undiscovered drugs. But those old guys always rely on the books left by their predecessors."
There's nothing to feel guilty about. Even if he didn't tell her and went alone to face death with his masculine pride, it wouldn't result in anything good for her. Once the hunter spots any human trace in the swamp, they won't spare anyone.
Even if they fought together, they would most likely both end up dead, and she might even get in the way or not help at all. This plan only made his death more meaningful and gave him a better chance of survival. Asa searched for all the reasons in his mind to justify his deceitful trap.
"Once my achievements are recognized, not only will the apothecary be interested in me, but the magic academy might also take notice. Maybe even the bishop himself will personally inquire about these new herbs," the woman said excitedly, blushing with excitement. Pointing to a nearby tree, she said, "This is one of my discoveries.
There's no mention of it in any book, but I learned from many retired adventurers that it's common in the swamp. And I also discovered that its sap is highly stimulating and poisonous. If it gets in a person's or animal's eyes..."
Your life is actually exchanged for countless other lives, so never give up every shred of hope for survival.
The tree trunk is covered in many small roots that are straight and thin, much like the pen used by the old adventurer behind the village. This suddenly reminded Asa of a profound-sounding sentence he had said before, which undoubtedly elevated his previous conspiracy to a philosophical depth. Asa felt that he could now justify his actions. However, a sudden wave of disgust overwhelmed him, leaving him feeling extremely exhausted.