Chapter 1518
[ 563 words ]
These two followed orders better than most military recruits.
While Claire and Dane stopped to harvest herbs, the main group kept moving, but they never fell behind.
The foragers needed incredible stamina to dig up roots and still catch up to the soldiers.
Because of the grueling pace, Claire only stopped for truly exceptionally rare herbs and ignored the rest.
By the time they reached a clearing, it was already late afternoon. They had been hiking for three hours, and the sun was beginning to set.
“Should we set up camp for the night? We won’t be able to find that plant in the dark anyway, and going deeper right now is suicide.”
Zamu stopped and looked at the rest of the group.
Even now, he wasn’t entirely sure who was in charge.
But it seemed like even the high-ranking officers deferred to the young girl.
The fact that she had produced an accurate drawing of the Dreamweed proved she wasn’t just some tagalong.
“How far are we from where you saw the Dreamweed?”
Claire scanned their surroundings and noticed a pre-built wooden cabin.
“Is this a safe house? Did you build this, Zamu?”
Zamu nodded. “I built it, yes, but other hunters use it occasionally.”
“There should be some dry rations inside, along with a pot and some firewood. It’s enough to get us through the night.”
“Since we have a large group, we’ll probably need to pitch a few tents outside the cabin as well.”
Zamu had guided many groups, but this specific route was rarely traveled, so the safe house wasn’t very big.
“If we camp here for the night, we’re going to lose a lot of time.”
Claire frowned. If they could definitely find the Dreamweed tomorrow, spending the night here was fine.
But what if they couldn’t find it? Could they afford to waste an entire night?
Unsure, she looked to the others for input.
Silas, whose primary concern was the survival of his four men, turned
the Try to remember
weare you say the Dreamwied
W4
“How many days had you been in the mountains?”
Zamu thought back. “Two days. I had been wandering for two days and almost lost my bearings as I went deeper.”
“I remember there was a natural lake. The Dreamweed was growing right along the shore.”
“If the plant in my memory is the same one you’re looking for, then that’s exactly where it is.”
Initially, Zamu hadn’t been certain,
but the more he thought about it, the
more he realized the patch of
flowers he had seen perfectly matched the girl’s drawing,
It had to be the same thing.
“At our current pace, can we reach it by tomorrow?”
“With your speed? Yes.” Zamu glanced over the highly trained operatives. Then he looked at Claire, assuming she was the weakest link in the chain.
“If she can keep up with the rest of us, we’ll find it before sunset tomorrow.”
Silas looked at Claire. “Claire, it’s easy to get lost in the dark, and everyone’s been marching for hours We need to rest. Let’s set up camp.”
Claire had no objections; she was the one who needed the rest the most.
So she nodded. “Alright.”
They would have to break camp at the crack of dawn anyway, so they wouldn’t be sleeping for long.
She also needed the downtime to perform acupuncture on the four patients.
Elias assisted her during each session.
‘Assisted’ was putting it lightly-he was practically taking a masterclass from her.
Every time he watched her work the needles, he felt the entire perilous journey had been worth it.
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