[Master Brightflame mocks your late warning. You attempt to explain yourself, but the martial elder cuts you off…

As you walk, you think about Master Brightflame’s actions and you wonder whether he will really come into conflict with the harvest tree. It was clear to you that he could have dealt with the crab, but he scared it off instead. You are also sure that he could have destroyed the razor-leaf vine before with relative ease, but he chose to avoid it…]

As the day progressed, it was obvious that Master Brightflame was not happy. It appeared that he thought that Lem’s simulated self should have given an earlier warning of the presence of the death-skull crab.

Lem knew that his simulated self was close to falling out of the martial elder’s graces entirely. He redoubled his efforts in comprehending the visualization diagram. If the simulation ended suddenly, he wanted to get a head start on cultivating the First Stage of Body Refinement.

Anxiety shot through Lem’s body, drawing him back to the present. It was the martial elder suddenly speaking that had alarmed him.

“Perhaps you were correct.” Master Brightflame stroked his beard. “My presence may be confusing your instincts towards danger.”

Lem’s simulated self felt relief again.

His emotions had been played with too much by the martial elder.

Despite having life and death battles and being forced to weather the constant uncertainty of a beast attack, Lem knew that his simulated self had not felt anywhere near the stress that the martial elder now constantly gave him.

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One moment, he was feeling secure and protected by the presence of the martial elder. In the next, he was sure that he was about to be killed on the spot.

Lem knew that his simulated self was desperately hoping that they would part ways in the future, if there was even a future in which he could survive.

[You pass a stream, using your spear to vault across…

You pass by the watercress in the river…

You reach the area where the harvesters loaded their cargo. Some of the footprints and scrape marks are gone, but enough of the traces are still visible for you to identify it.

You tell Master Brightflame that the rest of the journey is through the thick of the forest. The martial elder gestures for you to continue walking, and you begin to lead him in a southeast direction…]

Lem’s simulated self felt a small surge of happiness. They were finally leaving the river behind them.

Lem understood his emotion. Although he was also leaving behind the pleasant sight of flowing water and dancing light flies, it also meant that he had survived the first part of the journey.

The ground quickly became firmer and the plant life changed, as the semiaquatic grasses disappeared and the forest thickened.

Lem was beginning to anticipate seeing the harvest tree again. In retrospect, he thought that of all the dangerous beings that he had encountered, it was one of the more friendly.

After all, he had walked right up to the lily that it was guarding, and it had not so much as stirred. Because he was still not close enough to steal the lily and because he had not been viewed as a real threat, it did not feel the need to attack him.

What a reasonable temperament!

Lem’s mind unwittingly went to the fox. Another pleasant fellow!

They had peacefully coexisted for hours on end. Even after it had taken his berry, it still came back to see him again.

When compared to the absurdly violent deathbears and scheming dust cats, how could he not think favorably of it?