The trio of Suhua, Nellie, and Oliver looked at each other. Their expressions ranged from disbelief, wariness, and joy.

“You, you aren’t spouting nonsense?” Suhua asked.

“No,” Zachary replied.

“Then hurry up, go heal her!” Suhua said matter-of-factly.

Zachary didn’t move and instead frowned.

“Hey, what are you waiting for?” Suhua asked.

Nellie nudged Suhua to make her be quiet and then turned to Zachary with a serious expression, “There must be a reason you didn’t offer to help before this. Say it, what do you want?”

Zachary smiled lightly, “I would like that Soul Ruby Fruit in exchange for saving Heather’s life.”

“No way!” Suhua shouted, “What is your problem? If you have a healing ability, then be a good boy and heal Heather. What is this bullshit about my Soul Ruby Fruit?”

Zachary narrowed his eyes. He wanted to say something but the other person continued ranting.

“What? No willing? How about I tie you up and beat some sense into your empty skull? Maybe you won’t be so stingy then! I can be very convincing!”

Zachary took a step back and his hand instinctively reached for his summoning belt. If these people wanted to be unreasonable, he would give up on them and simply run. He had never been a pushover. In the past, he had Yaoyao. Now he had Wander. He could still survive in the New World alone.

“Suhua!” Nellie shouted, interrupting Suhua.

“What!”

“Shut up!”

Suhua still wanted to argue but reluctantly shut her mouth for the moment. She still glared at Zachary as if he were a stinky pile of dirt.

“Zachary,” Nellie said calmly as she could, “You helped us escape from the Dark Star Gang. We still owe you for that. Now, I beg you to heal Heather. Please. We will just have to owe you double. But don’t worry, Heather won’t be stingy with your reward. She isn’t that type of person. Forget about the Soul Ruby Fruit, as long as Heather is willing, we can give you much more precious treasures.”

She finished and looked up at him intently. Her eyes were imploring and he couldn’t find anything except sincerity in her words or expression.

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“Fine. Fine. I accept your promise. Give me some space, I will heal her. It should be enough to counteract the poison so that she can survive the remaining journey to your base.”

“Thank you,” Nellie said.

She pushed the still reluctant Suhua away and stood with Oliver.

Zachary took a few steps forward and a ray of green light emerged from between his eyebrows. It landed by Heather’s feet and took the shape of a giant turtle with scaley green skin and a long, octagonal shell that was overgrown with moss.

“Wan! Wan!” Wander barked happily, glad to finally get some fresh air.

He looked up and studied the surprised faces of the three humans nearby. Human faces were so unique, they had so many expressions and characteristics. He was fascinated for a moment.

“Eh? This one has a healing ability? Isn’t this just a mossy terrapin? It’s pretty big but still…” Suhua said uncertainly.

“Oh!” Oliver's face brightened, “This big guy should be the source of Zachary’s shield ability. The mossy terrapins we caught didn’t have such an ability either. So, this turtle should be very special.”

“Wander, go. Heal that woman’s wound.” Zachary said the first part out loud but continued to speak within his soul so that only Wander could hear, “Use your weakest heal. Try to deal with the poison but don’t need to expend all of your energy.”

“Got it!” Wander replied with a laugh.

To the others, it sounded like he was barking.

Wander wandered to Heather’s side and opened his mouth. He collected Eternum and gently exhaled, producing a soft breath that glittered with the power of life. That energy entered Heather’s body without resistance. It directly attacked the areas affected by the poison. One was the attribute of death while the other was of life. They directly counteracted each other, clashing forcefully.

“Ugh.” A soft groan escaped Heather’s lips, her first sign of life in a long time.

“Heather!” Suhua shouted but Nellie quickly covered her mouth.

Wander paused to suck in a deep breath before exhaling once more. Everyone watched with bated breath, hoping for a miracle. Among all Ensouled, those with healing abilities were always respected and prized. They were uncommon to begin with. Their abilities could give life and pull a soul from the brink of death. Everybody wanted one but few could be so fortunate.

After two more breaths, Heather’s pale complexion regained some color. The flesh around the black spike was no longer green or purple. It was still red and inflamed but much better than before. Aside from the spike still sticking out of her side, she looked almost normal.

Wander stopped and panted a bit, pretending to be tired. In reality, he had used less than a tenth of his true ability. How else could he have healed Zachary’s grievous soul wound? Heather’s physical injuries were simple matters to him.

Heather finally stirred, still groaning in pain.

“Heather, we’re here. Don’t move.” Suhua rushed up and held the other’s shoulders.

“What… where are we…” Heather opened her eyes after a great struggle and looked around blearily.

Nellie also joined Suhua in supporting Heather. She let Heather drink some water. She then explained the situation to her including how Zachary had helped them once again using a healing summon. She also explained the argument about the Soul Ruby Fruit and about how they owed him twice now.

“We had to ask for his help again. We had no choice. The poison… you would have died.” Nellie said, her eyes tearing up.

“You guys…” Heather mumbled, her eyes shifting from Nellie to Suhua, “Silly girl, the Soul Ruby Fruit would have been a waste. Next time, think with your head.”

“Sorry,” Suhua replied with a blush.

Heather shook her head and turned to Zachary, “So… Zachary Zhang, it seems like I owe you my life. What do you want? If your terms are acceptable, I will do my utmost to fulfill them. I am the leader of Rowan Oak Village. My word is my soul.”