Chapter 7: After the Shipwreck

This question remained until Rod noticed a hint of gold hidden within Lijie's beautiful azure eyes, at which point he suddenly realized—apparently, this young lady's survival was not merely a matter of good fortune.

After confirming that the fat merchant had fallen into a deep sleep, Rod, who had been quietly sitting by the campfire, finally stood up and then turned to walk deep into the woods

With such a mindset, the plump merchant squinted his eyes, and soon he fell into a deep sleep

What do you think we should do next

Looking at the nervous expression of the plump merchant, Rod shook his head. Although the other party was somewhat vulgar, he did not dislike this plump merchant. After all, if it were not for this merchant's order to stop the ship, he probably would not have been saved. Therefore, Rod still held a certain degree of fondness for him.

After that, everyone rested in the forest for a day. Although no trouble arose, the fat merchant had become a frightened bird after the attack by the wind snakes. Previously, he had confidently asserted that wind snakes were merely a low-probability event and not worth worrying about. Now, he had completely changed his mind; those previously low-probability rumors now seemed to him to have a hundred percent accuracy.

Moreover, his only life-saving tool has turned into a rag, under such circumstances, the fat merchant has no choice but to reluctantly rely on others

Do not worry, Mr. Mace.

Neither Li Jie nor even Rod himself had anticipated this. Although he had sensed during the battle that this body likely did not conform to human standards, he still did not expect it to be so abnormal. After sustaining such severe injuries, enduring such intense combat, and then being violently thrown to the ground, he was still able to move... Could it be that his mixed blood was that of a barbarian?

As for Lijie, she seems to still be immersed in the pain of losing her companions and does not care about such matters

It is uncertain whether it is fortunate or unfortunate, but the fat merchant has become the only lucky one in this disaster, aside from Rod and Lijie. As a merchant who often travels, he possesses some life-saving magical items. When the airship fell, the protective pendant in the fat merchant's hand demonstrated its excellent stability, making him the least injured among the three. Rod, on the other hand, had not yet fully recovered from his previous injuries, and after such an intense battle, coupled with the fall, his situation worsened. Lijie was not in much better shape; she had been too tense to notice her injuries until everything was over. Only then did everyone realize that not only had her right arm dislocated, but she had also injured her foot. The fat merchant, however, was relatively unscathed, with only some minor abrasions and a slight dizziness from the impact.

Mace sat awkwardly by the campfire, his round face revealing a sense of helplessness and gloom as depicted in the book. He wanted to explode in anger but did not know whom to direct it at. On the other side of the fire, Rod was quietly leaning against a tree trunk, resting with his eyes closed. Lijie, meanwhile, was silently preparing food; although her expression appeared calm, the swollen redness around her eyes spoke volumes.

After rescuing Mace, the three of them split up to search through the wreckage of the airship once more, but they found no survivors. To prevent their companions' bodies from becoming food for the beasts in the forest, Lijie suggested cremating them. Although Mace was deeply pained by the loss of his valuable cargo, he could not ignore the somber expression on the blonde girl's face and Rod's indifferent attitude, so he ultimately changed his mind. With a pained expression, he watched as they set the airship ablaze, as if he were the most severely injured among them. Although the protective pendant he had purchased at a high price had saved his life, it had shattered completely due to excessive impact damage, now reduced to a piece of scrap metal. Thus, it was evident that Mace's losses were indeed significant.

I am very familiar with this Silver Moon Forest. Given the area we are currently in, it is unlikely that we will encounter any particularly dangerous entities, so you can rest assured.

This is fine, this is fine

He did not have any intentions towards Lijie. Firstly, he had already encountered this young girl during the hiring process at https://m.hetushu.com. With Meisi's keen eye, it was evident that this girl was obedient and quite likable, yet she lacked her own opinions. Furthermore, as she was a non-combat profession, if something were to happen, it would likely be too late for her to help herself. Therefore, in the end, Meisi decided to rely on Luode. Although he himself could not fight, Luode's previous performance was indeed very remarkable, indicating that he possessed outstanding strength. While it was uncertain how much experience this young man had in adventures compared to those mercenaries, it should not be too far off.

Meis rubbed his hands together, and a clear smile of ingratiation appeared on his chubby face

Upon hearing Rod's response, Mace let out a sigh. He took out a handkerchief to wipe the sweat from his forehead. Then, he couldn't help but yawn, as he had hardly slept well throughout the day due to the intense mental strain. Even the sound of the wind rustling through the trees had been mistaken for wolf howls, which illustrates just how tense he was. Now, having made up his mind, he felt considerably more at ease. Consequently, the plump merchant no longer worried about anything; instead, he curled up beside the fire and comfortably closed his eyes.

Upon thinking of these matters, the fat merchant's forehead was covered in beads of sweat. Although he was relatively competent as a businessman, he lacked experience in taking risks. Now, gazing at the dense thickets and trees surrounding the forest, the fat merchant could not help but feel his calves tremble. The idle chatter he had once heard from his guards about poisonous snakes in the wild grass and ferocious wolves now vividly resurfaced in his mind, making him increasingly paranoid about every rustle in the underbrush.

The saying "Once bitten by a snake, one is afraid of a rope for ten years" illustrates this very point

This ... ... Mr. Rod?

Rod's statement is not without basis. In the game, the northern plains of Parfield have always been a gathering place for novice players, so Rod is naturally well aware of the distribution of monsters in this area. In the plains, the most threatening creatures are the wind snakes; their large numbers make them a nightmare for many melee classes and non-solo players. In the Silvermoon Forest, the most dangerous creatures are the silver wolves. However, unlike the wind snakes, which rely on their numbers, silver wolves usually act alone, making them easier to deal with. Moreover, after defeating the wind snake lord, Rod gained a total of 3000 experience points and leveled up to level 8. The novice area has a level cap of 10, so as long as he does not encounter rare elite lords or similar monsters, Rod believes he can navigate this region with ease, unless he, like those inexperienced newcomers, runs around blindly without looking at the map and stumbles into some cursed monster lair—however, the likelihood of that happening is virtually zero for someone known as the "walking library" like Rod.

Look, they said that this shipping route might encounter a swarm of wind serpents, and indeed we encountered them! Moreover, I have heard that the Silvermoon Forest is home to man-eating wolves and terrifying monstrous birds; could it be that we will encounter those as well

If an ordinary person had been in his place, such an injury would have kept them bedridden for several months. Fortunately, Lijie is a professional spirit master, and healing magic is her specialty. Under Lijie's treatment, the injuries of the three individuals have improved, but Rod still requires some time to recuperate before he can fully regain his health. However, this is already quite good news for him, considering his original injuries and the intense battle he had endured; at the very least, he should have been left disabled if not dead. But now, Rod is physically intact; aside from his injuries making his movements less agile, he is no different from an ordinary person. This surprised Lijie greatly, as she had been responsible for taking care of Rod ever since they rescued him, and she was very aware of his injuries. Yet, even she did not expect Rod's body to be so resilient.

However, there is one thing that Rod did not voice; he was well aware of his own body, as he understood his physical attributes. Although he did not yet know what they were, they were certainly not those of a pure human. Yet, the behavior of that blonde girl was quite peculiar. Logically speaking, as a frail girl and a non-combat profession spirit master, she should have been doomed in such circumstances. He was able to run around freely because of his non-human physical attributes, so what allowed her to survive and move about so energetically? It couldn't possibly just be luck.