Fern woke up again in the night, it was pitch black outside the window, and it was impossible to tell the time, and the chirping of owls and crickets came and went, lively but not noisy. The mercenary put on his coat and walked out of the house, the outside of the house was much cooler than the inside, and the moonlight sprinkled on his body, and the silhouette of the person could be clearly seen.

In this swampy oasis, watching the dark shadows of the woods around him swaying in the evening breeze, listening to the sound of the wind blowing through the woods and the chirping of various animals and insects, and smelling the refreshing air, Fern felt a peace of mind, and he completely let go of the worries and worries in his heart. He began to understand why this group of reclusives had been content to live here for so long, if not a lifetime.

Fern walked along the path, and unconsciously came to the stream that had been caught by Aaron and the others, the spring was gurgling, and the grass by the water was like a silver veil in the moonlight, and a girl was sitting on the grass, quietly watching the stream.

Fern cautiously approached the girl, who heard footsteps rubbing against the grass and turned back in fright to see that it was Betsy. "Sorry to scare you. The mercenary smiled apologetically.

Betsy patted herself on the chest, she was indeed frightened, but she smiled at the mercenary with a friendly smile on her face. "It's okay, can't you sleep too?"

"I slept almost all day. Fern walked to the creek and crouched down to scoop water with both hands on his face. "That's what keeps me awake. ”

"Can you talk to me?" Bessie patted the grass beside her with her hand, motioning for Fern to sit down. "Today is a special day for me. ”

"Of course. Fern sat on the grass and looked up at the bright night sky. "It's so beautiful, you can forget almost all your worries. ”

"Yes, I've been sitting here alone all along, but I didn't expect someone to accompany me today. The girl grimaced mischievously at Fern.

Fern smiled back, but didn't know what to do with Bessie's words, and remained silent, but he noticed that the girl's eyes began to look at him gently. Fern hurriedly tried to divert the topic, "By the way, what day did you just say today?"

"Special day, yes, today is my birthday. Betsy rested her chin on her knee and her eyes were fixed on the grass. "Since my parents died, I've been the only one in the world who knows my birthday. ”

Fern embarrassedly tried to comfort her, "At least there's another person now." ”

The girl looked up at Fern, her clear, gentle eyes that seemed to melt him into it. Fern turned his head and didn't dare to look Bessie in the eye again. "Why don't I tell you something out there?" the mercenary tried to distract the girl.

"Yes. The girl nodded obediently, and the talkative and capable girl during the day was completely gone.

The two talked like this for a long time, until Betsy's eyelids began to fight, and then they reluctantly returned to the village. Before parting, Fern struggled for a long time and finally decided to say the words, "Happy birthday, Betsy." ”

"Thank you. The girl's face was hot and red like a moonflower, and she was glad that it was evening, and Fern could not see her embarrassment.

Fern went back to his room, sighed and thought to himself, I shouldn't have done this, I couldn't give her anything, why should I let her get caught up in it? No, I had to stop there!

Quiet and peaceful days always pass quickly, and Fern has been here for three days to recuperate, and Bessie's dedicated care and the effects of the special ointment have made his injuries significantly better.

It's time to leave, Fern pondered.

He walked out of the house, and the sun was shining outside, a gentle breeze was blowing across his face, and the sound of birdsong was weaving through the trees. Everyone was focused on what they were doing, and everything was so orderly.

Betsy was doing needlework with the other girls, whispering a few words from time to time, and then laughing shyly. When they saw the mercenary approaching, the other girls stopped talking and looked at her with a wicked smile. Betsy bowed her head shyly, fiddling with the needle and thread in her hand at a loss. Fern suddenly had a familiar feeling, wasn't this the life he had been looking forward to? No, it wasn't time yet. The door of the heart is closed, and there is not a single gap.

"Betsy, I think it's time for me to go. Fern paused and said slowly.

The girl jerked her head up, her eyes full of surprise and then sadness. "No, your injuries aren't completely healed...... Bessie was a little incoherent, "you should stay a few more days, or...... It's a good day......" the girl choked up.

"I'm sorry, Betsy. Fern brushed the girl's side and walked toward the elder's room. Don't look back, you can't give her happiness, you'll only hurt her.

The girl sobbed, her shoulders shaking, and her friends gathered around to comfort her. The sound grew farther and farther away, and a sense of trance invaded Fern's mind, as if time and space were out of order, unable to distinguish between reality and memory.

Aaron returned the cloud to Fern and gave him a small medicine jar in an arabesque woven bag. "This is enough for you to continue using it for three days, and after three days you are almost recovered, and you don't need to continue the dressing, which should have been given to you by Betsy, but she gave me the bag and ran away. Aaron squinted at the mercenary, as if the other party had done something bad.

"Thank you very much. Fern took the cloud and the bag, his mouth shaking, wanting to speak but hesitating whether to say it or not.

The elder laughed, "You don't have to worry about Betsy, I will take care of her, young people have to go through this." ”

"Thank you. Fern nodded at the Elder, "I can't thank you enough for your care these days. ”

The elder nodded in response to him, "Remember, don't reveal everything you've seen in the past few days to anyone outside, or the peace here will no longer exist." Then he commanded behind him, and a man handed Fern a bamboo cage with a pigeon in it. "This pigeon will take you out of the swamp, and we sometimes send men to the wet harbor to buy and sell the necessities of life, and they lead the way. The elder continued, "When you get out of the swamp, it will fly back on its own, so you don't have to worry about it. ”

"I was just about to ask how to get out. Fern smiled sheepishly.

After saying goodbye to the elders and the others, Fern was about to set off when he suddenly caught a glimpse of a familiar figure at the very end of the crowd, her long brown-red hair blowing in the wind, and the corners of her skirt fluttering in the wind. I should go, Fern thought to himself. He gave one last glance in the direction where the girl was, then turned and walked towards the swamp. At this glance, Fern clearly saw the tears flickering in the corners of the girl's eyes. Don't look back, Fern, don't look back......

In order to avoid encountering the remaining wolves again, Fern chose another direction out of the swamp, and with the guidance of the pigeons, and with the good rest of the previous days, he easily reached the edge of the swamp, and as soon as he stepped on the hard dirt, the pigeons immediately circled and flew back into the swamp.

It's almost a day's journey from here to Wet Harbor, Fern thought, and now that it's dusk, let's find a place to sleep. Thinking about it, the mercenary quickly found a suitable spot, and after everything was set up, he climbed into the hammock and took off his shirt to change his dressing.

The wound is almost no longer painful, just a little itchy. "This special ointment is really good. Fern muttered to himself admiring the miraculous effect of the ointment, "Tomorrow I will run out of two more changes, and I will almost reach Wet Harbor, I wonder if they are still waiting in the inn." Upon returning outside, Fern found himself anxious and worried again, and the calm and peaceful mood of the previous days was gone. He closed his eyes helplessly, but all that shook in front of him were Bessie's clear eyes and gentle face, sometimes smiling, sometimes sad, and finally flickering tears. In the transition from scene to scene, Fern gradually lost consciousness.

Nessy was used to buying some jerky at a grocery store closest to the main road in Wet Harbor every evening, and asked the boss if he had seen a tall, curly-haired brown mercenary come to Wet Harbor. Today's answer was the same as usual, and Ness even began to suspect that the boss had actually seen Fern, and only deliberately didn't tell herself so that she could continue to go to his place to buy food. Frustrated, she returned to the swamp rose, where Rui had already sat down at a table and was waiting for her.

"If Fern doesn't show up tomorrow, we'll have to change our plans. Rui didn't even need to ask, he knew that there must still be no news of Fern.

"But......" Ness resisted weakly.

"No, but, do you want to stay here forever?" Ryan glared at Ness, "If Fern hadn't entrusted me to take care of you, I would have left alone." ”

Ness lowered her head and didn't speak, and both fell silent, and for a long time, the air seemed to be still, suffocating.

Finally, it was Ness who spoke first, "I'm sorry, I think I'll be mentally prepared tomorrow." ”

"Very well, let's see tomorrow, assuming Fern still doesn't show up, the two of us can continue north and enter the ......" Rui was talking about his plan when suddenly a voice caught her Niss's attention.

"Joseph, long time no see, don't come unharmed. A man's voice greeted the innkeeper and seemed to be familiar with him.

Ness suddenly felt that this voice was very familiar, wasn't it the voice that she had been recalling in her mind for the past few days? She turned her head expectantly to look at the door of the inn, and in the afterglow of the setting sun, a tall mercenary was slowly walking into the inn.

"Fern !!" Ness couldn't control her emotions anymore, and she ran to the mercenary and hugged him hard, tears welling up in her eyes.

"It's okay, I'm here. Fern smiled with relief and placed his right hand on Ness's head.

Although Rui tried his best to act disappreciative, he still couldn't hide his happy expression. "I thought you wouldn't be able to come. ”

"Almost, I really won't be able to come. Fern nodded at Fried, thanking her for taking care of Ness these days.

Joseph looked at them with a smile, unwilling to disturb the reunion.