Was it good luck or bad luck? Asa thought as he drank his meat soup.

  The meat is good meat. Made from high-quality beef, dried and pounded into a dense jerky, the meat of one cow can be packed into just a small bag. When eaten, its boiled in water to restore its flavor as delicious beef. This was a staple food for aristocratic warriors on long campaigns.

  The soup is good soup. Even if its the river water in the lizard swamp, under the effect of the purification symbol, its as clear and sweet as the purest mountain spring, used to cook a pot of beef soup, add some salt, even the big chefs in the city cant pick out any faults. It makes people feel that this purification symbol is indeed worth one silver coin.

  Eating such good meat and drinking such good soup, even a dying person would be invigorated. Asa was well aware of his physical condition; after another good nights rest, he could knock down a cow with his bare hands.

  The bonfire is made up of many large pieces of wood stacked together, with a good mix of dry and damp wood that can burn until the next day. The heat from the bonfire will cover your body temperature, making it impossible for Double Feet Wyverns to detect you, so you dont have to hide in cold tree holes or underground dens anymore. Other wild beasts and poisonous insects also dare not approach. Sleeping soundly by such a bonfire will definitely fully restore your physical strength.

  Even if he could knock down five cows with his bare hands, Asa still didnt have the confidence to engage in a head-on battle with the pursuer.

  No matter how much physical strength is restored, its not enough to shake off the pursuers in terms of speed. The bonfire is warm, safe and bright, clear enough for any creature in the swamp to see.

  "Youre really something. Ive never seen anyone brave enough to venture into the Lizard Marshes with only one weapon." The woman, who called herself a pharmacist, looked at him with admiration.

  He didnt think much of himself. He hadnt even noticed that the leechs skin was still bleeding after it fell off, just a few drops of blood, which almost attracted all the carnivorous fish in the swamp. So he had to go to the shore and push a withered tree that had been knocked down by a buffalo into the river, standing on it and drifting downstream to avoid the countless mouths waiting for him below. However, when several large crocodiles joined the ranks, he had to scramble ashore. It was already dusk, and as he was about to find a place to hide, he saw a firelight, and then he met this fellow creature that he never thought he would meet.

  The woman was probably around Asas age, although she was dressed in adventurers attire, carrying a large backpack and wrapped in a dirty blanket, 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 commoner family to live comfortably for a month, this woman was probably a noble.

  "I originally thought that I could explore the swamp and gather herbs by myself, which was already quite impressive. The terrain and climate here are unique, so many plants only grow in this area. Although my father has always disapproved, I still snuck in secretly." The woman spoke as freely as a carefree child, without any guard. Probably because she hadnt seen anyone of the same kind for a long time, especially not in such a treacherous environment, so she didnt have any wariness towards him at all.

  The sword at her waist was an Anka fine sword, slender and long, hard and tough, light and agile, mainly used for stabbing. Asa recognized it, that had always been placed in the most conspicuous place in his fathers store, so that customers could make a hissing sound against the sword and the price tag below.

  The sword at her waist was at a good angle and very precise, allowing her to draw it out at the fastest speed. The hilt was tightly wrapped with fine hemp rope, which was a wrapping method used by experienced soldiers, so that even if the hilt got wet with blood, it would not slip from their hands. Although the color of the hemp rope had not been dyed with blood, from the countless grip marks left on its surface from tight grips and swings, this sword was definitely not just for show.

  But even with her, its not enough to deal with the pursuers. In a life-and-death struggle, whats most important isnt technique or skill, but spirit and willpower. Even if youve been trained since childhood, if you havent heard the sound of an axe splitting through human bone, the wails of someone whos been cut in half at the waist but still hasnt died after a while, if you havent felt the enemys weapon tearing through your flesh, that sharp pain that rips tendons and tears muscle, then youre just a half-baked goods. When faced with the threat of death, when you feel that kind of pain that can instantly overwhelm your senses, youll be afraid, shrink back, and lose your combat strength.

  It would be great if there was a magician or priest, even just for the most basic blessings and simplest fireballs...

  A Sa found himself being comforted by the sudden arrival of meat soup and bonfire, almost forgetting his worries. Being able to meet humans in this vast forest swamp area of hundreds of miles, and comfortably drinking meat soup around the bonfire to replenish his energy, was already an almost unbelievable stroke of luck.

  He chewed on a piece of adventurers biscuit given by the woman and swallowed it down with some meat soup, feeling the warmth emitted by the lucky bonfire. Asa let out a satisfied yet helpless sigh.

  The hunter should be peering out of a tree hole at the firelight here. Even he would have to hide when the bipedal flying dragon was calling and foraging in the night sky. But as soon as the dawn appeared in the east, after the bipedal flying dragon returned to its nest, he would follow the indication of good luck with incredible speed and rush towards here without hesitation.

  Whether its good luck or bad luck, since it has already happened, we must and can only try to develop things in a hopeful direction.

  "How much farther is it to the Danube?" asked Asa.

  The Donau River was turbulent as it flowed through the Lizard Marsh, so much so that even fish couldnt swim upstream. It was there that Asa was forced ashore and into the Lizard Marsh. But after passing by the marsh, the river became gentle, and drifting downstream for a day would bring one to the small western town of Brakada in the Empire.

  "Its not very clear, but its not far, probably just a day or two of walking."

  Running at full speed for half a day should be able to reach it. No, although the distance is much closer than expected, without a precise distance, there is no precise grasp. As for the hunter being able to catch up with him within half a day, he has a precise grasp of this point. The opportunity for direct escape is too small.

  Hed better tell the truth to the woman and ask her to join forces with him against the pursuers. Although the chances of winning were slim, it was still much better than other methods under the circumstances. Asa thought about how to put his words.

  "Excuse me, but could you accompany me for a bit? Im planning to head deep into the swamp tomorrow to search for some new herbs, and its my first time going that far in." The woman asked suddenly, "Of course, Ill pay you." She brushed away a few strands of black hair that had fallen onto her thin lips, which were pursed into a slightly awkward curve. Her heels rubbed gently against each other. These were rather large feet for a woman, similar to Asas, and she was wearing the same type of leather boots commonly used by adventurers.

  Asa suddenly realized an escape method. This is a very efficient and opportunistic approach. No need to set up any traps or lay out fake images, no need to consume physical strength, nor waste precious time, just take advantage of the current moment, by the bonfire for a short while, can make the pursuer waste equivalent time and physical strength.

  This discovery made his heart beat violently.

  "Shall we?" The woman blinked her eyes, which were not large, but had long eyelashes and slightly drooping corners, giving the impression that even when she was angry, there would be a hint of a smile lurking inside.

  The bonfire was very bright, and his eyes were very dark. The firelight reflected from inside made him look gentle and warm, but Asa didnt dare to look directly at him. He averted his gaze, took a deep breath, and tried to make his tone sound more natural. "Sorry, no can do, I have something very important and urgent."

  "Oh, really?" The woman couldnt help but show her disappointment in both tone and expression.

  "From here, heading west for about half a day, there are several kinds of medicinal herbs that grow in this swamp, probably with some unique healing properties." Asa felt his face contort, his voice distort, and the meaning of his words become ambiguous. This was the first time he had told such an extremely malicious lie to someone so kind. And it was to a woman.

  "What does it mean?"

  "Uh... Ah... I saw a bison, no, two bisons... they were fighting each other. One of them was injured on its hind leg, no, it was the front paw... or maybe... anyway, it was badly bitten and seriously hurt. It lay on the ground, almost dying. Then it went to eat some grasses and applied them to the wounded area, and after a while, it recovered."

  "Oh? Really? What kind of grass are you talking about?" The womans eyes widened, and her gaze made Asa feel as if he had seen the crossbow bolt that shot towards him five nights ago again, almost making him duck down. The woman quickly pulled out paper and pen from her backpack.

  "Its just a light yellow flower......" Asa mixed up the characteristics of several wild herbs and talked nonsense. The woman took it down seriously.

  "If youre going deeper into the swamp, you must grind water mint and insect-repellent chrysanthemum and apply them to your clothes and skin. Even if you have insect repellent oil, you must still apply it, because there are several poisonous insects inside that only fear the smell of these two herbs." Asa said to the woman in a very serious tone.

  "Are these two kinds of grass? Theyre everywhere, arent they?" The woman casually found them around the bonfire.

  Of course, these two herbs do have the effect of driving out worms. Since entering the swamp, Asa has been applying them to his body all along, but they are far less effective than the worm-repelling oil specially made by the Adventurers Guild. For the past three days, the first thing Asa did after waking up at dawn in the tree hole was to carefully pick out the poisonous insects like centipedes from under his armpits and crotch, sometimes even from his hair.

  Of course, in the deeper parts of the swamp, there are no poisonous insects that fear these two kinds of medicinal herbs.

  It seems that any skill can be honed through practice. No matter how difficult or against human nature something is, as long as you practice it many times, you will get used to it and become proficient, even immersed in it. With the previous rehearsal opportunities, when Asa spoke out the most vicious part of this extremely malicious lie, his words were already very smooth and his voice was very calm, but he just didnt dare to look at those shining eyes. He used the action of poking the bonfire with a branch to cover up his line of sight.

  "Really, thank you. If I can find these few herbs and understand their properties, it will be enough to make those old guys in the pharmacy department embarrassed." The woman was somewhat excited, probably feeling that they already had a connection, not just speaking freely, but also intimately. "Ive always known that with such a vast world, there must be undiscovered medicines. But those old guys always know how to read other peoples books."

  Theres nothing to feel guilty about. Even if I didnt tell her, going alone to die with dignity as a man wouldnt have any good outcome for her either. A hunter who finds any other human tracks in the swamp will absolutely not let them go.

  Even if its two people fighting together, its still mostly a death sentence, and who knows, she might even get in the way or not help at all. This method is just to make her death more meaningful, allowing himself to have a better chance of escape. Asa searched his mind for every reason to justify his sinister plan.

  "As soon as my achievements are recognized, not to mention the pharmacy, even the Magic Academy will take me seriously. Who knows, maybe the Archbishop himself will personally ask me about these new herbs." The womans round face flushed with excitement, and she pointed to a nearby tree, "Look, its this kind of tree, which is also one of my discoveries. Theres no record of it in books, but I found out through inquiries from many retired adventurers that its very common in the swamp. Moreover, I discovered that its juice has strong irritant and toxic properties. If a person or animals eyes are splashed with it..."

  Your life is actually exchanged for the death of countless other lives, so never give up every thread of hope to live.

  There were many small roots entwined around the trunk of the tree, very straight and thin, just like the pen used by that old adventurer in the village. This suddenly reminded Asa of a sentence he had once said, which sounded very profound. The sentence undoubtedly elevated the conspiracy to a philosophical depth. Asa felt that he could finally be at peace with himself. But then a wave of disgust swept over him, making him feel extremely tired.