"So, there's a good chance that the three apprentices of Eagle Wing are still alive and being taken hostage?" Joseph frowned deeply after listening to Zhao Mai's story. Pen, fun, pavilion www. biquge。 info He turned to ask the other druids, "Are there any apprentices outside the community who haven't returned?"

"No, Elder Joseph. The four men taken by the Daller brothers were the only apprentices who had been out before. ”

"Well, then I'm relieved. Joseph asked Zhao Mai, "Is there anything else you need to add?"

Zhao Mai shook his head, he had already reported the kobold's attack, the rope being cut and falling into the water, and everything that was discovered later to the Druid Elder Order. "Because of this unexpected situation, can my parade mission be considered complete?"

"Yes, your apprenticeship is complete. You can now follow the party to the north and take refuge in the elven city. ”

"I don't want to go north, I go south. Zhao Mai shook his head: "I need to go back to Neibo Town." ”

"Why?" Joseph was a little curious: "The forests in the south are a little unsafe and unsafe. You're just an apprentice, and you can't afford to be safe, and we can't afford to escort you there. ”

"The Oily River can take me all the way south, and when I get to Wolf Ear Town, I can always find a boat, or take the land route. ”

Joseph and the other elders exchanged opinions with a look of light and telepathy, then nodded in agreement, "Since this is the direction you have chosen, we respect it. Calves who leave the herd may die, but tigers must be self-reliant. You go to Teacher Celine to report, she is still counting the number of people going north. If you need something, let Celine prepare it for you. ”

Zhao Mai smiled and saluted goodbye. After he left, the elders began a conversation in Joseph's mind space.

"Are you sure of his loyalty? he is only an apprentice, and he has no character in the heart of nature, so will you give him that thing?"

Joseph shook his head: "I'm not 100% sure, just as none of us can predict tomorrow's weather exactly right." However, my feelings tell me that Mike is a person to be trusted. ”

Master Duncan rarely spoke on such matters, but this time he said, "Mike is not our only way back, it is okay to leave it to him." We can't pin all our expectations on the North and the West, and now there are people taking the initiative to the South, which is a good sign. ”

Several druid masters discussed it and finally agreed to Joseph's proposal by a narrow margin.

Zhao Mai returned to his heart like an arrow, first returned to the place where he slept, dug out the anti-disease medicine buried in the ground, and solemnly stuffed it into his backpack. After that, he found Celine and explained to her where he was going.

Not surprisingly, although the elf teacher opposed Zhao Mai's plan, he respected his choice. "You are no longer a teenager, you are older and more mature than Lucius and the others. I can't change what you've decided, I just want you to be careful, and be careful. ”

"Thank you for your teaching, Celine, I will come back to you to learn. ”

"Well, I'm either here or in the elven city of Selverian, and it's up to us when this turmoil will pass. There was a hint of sadness in Celine's eyebrows, as if she was worried about the future of the druid community. However, she saw that there were many Druid apprentices not far away who were ready to go on the road, so she hurriedly hid this sorrow. "Okay, everyone's time is tight, so I won't say more. You've completed an apprenticeship and you've been able to cast a level 1 spell, and as per tradition, I should give you an apprentice gift. ”

With that, she turned and went back to her treehouse, and it was a long time before she returned. She held a branch about a meter long in her hand, straight and straight, without any forks. Elf Celine said with an embarrassed smile: "I was going to give you my Vajra wooden cane, but I suddenly remembered that it was a reward for a certain mission, and I didn't have a second one if I gave it to you." It's a staff that's not yet grown, and once you're settled, find a place to stick it in the fertile soil, and with a little water from time to time, it will grow into a woodland staff - although it may take a little longer. The Force is with you. ”

"Thank you. Zhao Mai felt that something was wrong, but he still took it. After a gentle hug with the elf teacher, he said goodbye to the Departing community.

Zhao Mai followed the reserve grain and walked outside, but he didn't expect the puppy to take it under the big tree where Dale lived, and barked at him. Zhao Mai patted his head and secretly scolded himself for being too anxious and excited, and actually forgot such an important thing. Dalle was dead, and his chest full of potions was still on the tree, along with some of the equipment he had used in the past. I'm about the same size as Dale, so I should have found a new piece of armor.

The vines rolled them up, and in a short time sent them down again. Zhao Mai also had a full set of equipment on his body, but his backpack was only half full - so as not to sink him into the water again. Adjusting the straps on the shoulders, ribs, and waist of the leather armor, tightening the leather helmet and adapting to the newfound delicate wooden shield. He also had a jungle cutlass tied to his thigh, which he could use as a machete if necessary. But the biggest bonus is the various potions in the backpack.

A team of about thirty people left the community north, and Zhao Mai was alone. He fully learned the lesson of the last time and could not let the weight of the backpack get in the way of his mobility. During the apprentice parade mission, there are people who can slow down and accompany them, but this time it is not so good, and they can only take care of themselves. Reserve grain is busy using its nose to determine its surroundings, it has not yet grown and cannot share the burden for itself. Maybe even if he grows up, he won't be willing to do it.

Zhao Mai used the wooden stick given to him by Teacher Celine as a crutch to assist him in walking. He didn't believe it would grow into a staff at all. All staffs are crafted and require a lot of effort from the maker. If a tree branch can grow into a woodland staff on its own, it is truly a divine power that breaks the rules. But then again, this wooden stick is unexpectedly very strong, and it feels very good to the touch, even if the palm of the hand is sweaty, it will not slip, and it is just right to use it as a crutch.

Along the way, he could often see animal guards on the alert. Sometimes it's a tiger lurking behind a bush, sometimes it's a python hiding among the branches. These are the druid's animal companions, who may not have been with them for a while, but still obey the druid's orders. Reserve grain seems to be able to distinguish friend from foe with his nose, and it is likely that he smells the smell of the Infernal Community on them?In short, Zhao Mai is often startled by these lurking sentinels, but when he sees those animals ignoring him, he gradually calms down.

This time, he had a clear purpose, traveled lightly, and came to the bank of the Oily River in half the time less than last time. After that, he spent more than half a day cutting off six relatively straight branches, four side by side, the two ends were tied as tightly as possible with ropes, and then the remaining two were cut off, tying them at both ends of the raft to provide lateral pulling force, and also to prevent the raft from rolling to the left and right and overturning. The raft could not stand and could only be straddled on, but it was enough to provide the buoyancy that Zhao Mai needed, and to keep the musket out of the water and dry.

Reserve grain sat in the bow of the ship, and Zhao Mai sat in the middle. A flat piece of bark is the paddle that can help adjust the direction of the raft. With the help of such rudimentary tools, one man and one dog drifted all the way south.