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Mengdie squatted down, allowing the drowsy Nia to lean on her back, and stood up. Perhaps due to the constant tension and lack of rest over the past several days, she struggled to stand up straight. Nia, usually light as a feather, now seemed to weigh down on her shoulders like a mountain.
"Heave... heave!!!" Mengdie bit her lip, bracing against the ground, struggling to rise. Seeing her difficulty, Edward quickly extended a hand, "You’re tired, let me carry her."
"No! Huff... huff... big... bad guy... kidnapping... sister... bad guy..." Even half-asleep, Nia vehemently resisted Edward, leaving him at a loss for words.
Mengdie turned away, gently patting Nia's head, and smiled at Edward, "I'll carry her. This fatigue... it’s nothing! Overcoming physical pain is the simplest and most practical foundation for increasing strength. We have to catch a boat in six hours; we must rest now. Let’s go..."
Nia had already fallen asleep, soothed by the faint scent emanating from Mengdie's neck. Under the starry sky, Mengdie carried her back to the mayor's mansion, gently placing the girl in bed and tucking her in. After bidding Edward goodnight, she lay down next to Nia’s bed without changing clothes, closed her eyes, and fell asleep.
"Six hours... In six more hours, we can continue the chase! My power... my male body, wait for me... wait for me!"
※※※
The next morning...
Mengdie's long hair, almost touching the ground, fluttered gently in the morning breeze. Her eyes were still sleepy, and her clothes from the previous night clung to her skin. Her gaze was fixed on the street—
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The dense fog that obscured everything beyond twenty meters.
"Thud."
At that moment, Mengdie's travel bag fell to the ground like an apple from a tree.
"Um... Mengdie sister, are we still taking the boat?" Nia crouched beside Mengdie, stretching her hand into the fog as if testing whether it would disappear. After a few moments of boredom, she looked up at Mengdie.
Fog... Fog! Why did it have to be fog now?!
Without a word, Mengdie gritted her teeth, picked up her travel bag, and headed straight for the docks. Nia pondered and decided to follow, but her travel bag remained at her feet, untouched.
An hour later...
It turned out Mengdie wasn't as wise as little Nia. In such heavy fog, even in the 21st-century Earth, it would be troublesome for boats to depart, let alone in this seemingly less technologically advanced world. At the docks, aside from giving the sailors a good view, not a single boat was willing to set sail. Furthermore, two men who tried to lay hands on her were knocked down by Mengdie’s punch, her foot grinding on their stomachs. After that, no one dared to take the risk of crossing the lake in such weather, with the threat of pirates looming.
"Darn it! All cowards!"
At the breakfast table, Mengdie's furious fist slammed down again, splashing soup. It had been twelve whole hours since they arrived at the mayor's residence, and the wait seemed to continue. Who knew where the Black Flame Snake gang would escape to in this time?
Edward had been sitting some distance from the table, oiling his unused greatsword. He sheathed it, handed it to a servant, and took a seat at the table.
"Well... they may be cowards, but their concerns are valid. With no mage on board and such heavy fog, it’s easy to lose direction."
As Edward reached for the bread, Nia suddenly threw a knife at his hand! Luckily, he retracted his hand in time. When he looked at Nia in surprise, he received only a cold glare.
"Dirty! Your hands are all oily!"
Edward then noticed the grease from the sword maintenance on his hands. Embarrassed, he glanced at Mengdie, fearing her disgust. But Mengdie, busy drinking porridge in a huff, paid him no mind.
Being able to see a beauty every day is a blessing, but seeing a beauty perpetually angry and dissatisfied is far from pleasant. The mayor wore a troubled expression, receiving nothing but coldness from Mengdie since yesterday evening. To ease the mood, he personally brought a plate of smoked beef to Mengdie, who didn’t touch the meat and seemed to eat only vegetarian dishes... Did she disdain the meat here?
"Um... Miss Mengdie, I'm sorry about this... But with such thick fog, it might take a whole day to clear. So I can only say..."
"What? A day???"
Mengdie couldn't believe it and stood up, greeted by the mayor's awkward expression.
Causing discomfort is disrespectful. Realizing her own rudeness amid her anger, Mengdie quickly smiled apologetically at the mayor.
"Sorry... I was too agitated..."
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