A dull longsword and a heartbroken villager

"You should also know about concealing your aura, right? If I'm not mistaken, this is the method from the Eastern Continent." He revealed the origin of the method of concealing aura when laying mines.

“The panda taught me,” Bray said honestly.

“Oh, that panda clan.” Atwood instantly understood what Bray was talking about; he seemed quite familiar with these matters.

"But there aren't that many sects anymore, since almost everyone's dead anyway," he said heartlessly.

But he was telling the truth; all of this was meaningless now, and survival was the only ultimate goal.

"Do you also understand this method of concealing your presence?"

"Of course I don't know, what are you talking about? I'm a hunter." Atwood quickly waved his hand. How could a hunter know anything about panda kung fu?

“However, I can still give you a little pointers. Anyway, if you trace it back, the two are from the same source.” Atwood said mysteriously, but drool was flowing from his mouth, making Bray think that the other party was not so profound.

"..." Bray was speechless, so he pointed to some roasted meat, indicating that Atwood could eat it. "Did you learn it?" Atwood licked his fingers without any decorum.

The grilled meat was marinated beforehand, so it had a very good flavor.

This is a hundred times more delicious than dry-roasted meat without salt.

“No.” Bray glanced at the already bright sky.

He didn't immediately learn how to hide himself from Atwood last night, but only sought his advice this morning.

A long time passed, but he still couldn't grasp the tricks Atwood had given him.

"You're really not very bright," Atwood said, waving his hand dismissively at Bray.

“I’m not a genius, don’t expect me to learn this stuff all at once,” Bray retorted.

He felt that Atwood was setting too high a standard for himself.

This kind of technique, which can give people the illusion of disappearing from sight, is obviously high-end. Isn't it normal that you can't learn it in a short time?

If he really mastered it, even Bray would be surprised at himself.

After all, he knew what kind of person he was. He was a guy with no talent in any area, at most he was just sensitive to swords.

Even in terms of swordsmanship, Bray is merely quite perceptive; he can hardly be called a genius.

His swordsmanship was so powerful thanks to the great hero.

"I can tell you're not a genius."

“But you already have a foundation, yet you’re still learning so slowly. You’re really not up to par,” Atwood said with a shrug, sounding quite helpless.

He explained a few details to Bray, and that as long as he tried them carefully, he would be able to improve the effect of breath concealment.

The difficulty is at most the same as advancing from one-digit multiplication to two-digit multiplication; what's so difficult about that?

“You can’t say a man is no good,” Bray said viciously.

“You’re not leaving until you teach me.” Then he narrowed his right eye and looked at Atwood.

He hadn't originally planned to go with Atwood, but the guy looked down on him a bit.

In that case, I will definitely not let Atwood go until I learn the ability to conceal my aura.

Moreover, he didn't plan to give the gluttonous elf his own food supplies along the way.

"What kind of talk is that? Aren't you ashamed?" Atwood looked at Bray in astonishment.

---

The wind howled, and the yellow sand was blown into the sky.

The fine sand even contained some gravel.

These pebbles are far more dangerous than you might imagine; if you're not careful, these seemingly insignificant pebbles can be like bullets piercing your body.

It's not just about breaking the skin; it's about "penetrating" it.

The weather in the wasteland is unpredictable, and it's impossible to know how bad the weather will be tomorrow.

Bray and Atwood, who had parted ways not long ago, are now walking together on the desolate land.

They had to set off in this weather because there was absolutely no shelter nearby.

Rather than standing there and suffering from the wind and sand, it's better to walk and leave this area as soon as possible.

Atwood, carrying his small backpack, looked enviously at Bray, who was dressed lightly.

Ultimately, Atwood could only continue to follow Bray until he learned further methods of concealing his aura.

It's all my fault for being too greedy; I accidentally fell into the trap.

"Are you sure you're not going the wrong way?" Bray put on a cloak and shielded his eyes with his hands as he moved forward through the sandstorm.

“You won’t go the wrong way, just trust me.” Atwood walked along with him, mimicking the movements.

A simple layer of fabric can often effectively cushion the impact of those small stones, preventing them from embedding in the flesh.

Over the course of those three days, Bray managed to grasp the trick that Atwood had mentioned.

While it's too early to reach Atwood's level, Bray is definitely more likely to conceal himself than before.

Lately, Bray has started to feel like he's gradually becoming a hunter.

Do you think that after Atwood teaches Bray how to conceal his presence, he can run away?

too naive.

Atwood not only had to teach Bray how to control his breathing along the way, but also had to help Bray find those road signs.

Because when he was chatting with Bray before, he mentioned that he recognized some of the road signs.

Atwood was filled with regret; he shouldn't have contacted Bray in the first place.

"By the way, you clearly said you were a hunter, but why don't you even have a weapon?" Bray had the leisure to chat even while struggling to move forward.

"The weapon was destroyed, that's all," Atwood replied casually.

"Then it's too much trouble to make new weapons, so I just stopped using them altogether," the hunter said, as if it were a perfectly normal answer.

Making weapons is too troublesome, so I won't do it. Something seems off here.

"You still have time to chat? You really know how to find joy in hardship."

Is it very bitter?

"..." Atwood was a little reluctant to answer.

It is now the third day that Atwood and the one-eyed adventurer are walking in the desert, searching for the twentieth, which is the last, signpost.

Once you find that signpost, the ruins are basically right in front of you.

Bray's arduous journey in searching for the ruins will finally come to an end, which is cause for celebration.

Is that something to celebrate...?

Bray didn't know if finding the ruins was really something to be thankful for; he might be even happier if he never found them in his entire life.

But Bray quickly put the idea out of his mind, realizing that even if he did nothing...

Since white powder will come to you on its own, it's better to take the initiative to go to them.

Every time, it's Bai Mian who travels over mountains and rivers to get here; this time, it's my turn to make the long journey.

“Found it.” Atwood suddenly stopped and said to Bray.

"I already told you, I wouldn't lie to you."

“There’s nothing to be proud of, but I know this place very well,” Atwood said, pointing to the octopus-shaped statue in front of him.

Indeed, it is only natural that a hunter who has been wandering alone in the wasteland for so long would know this area like the back of his hand.

If you don't understand it, you can't survive on it.

“I saw it too,” Bray replied. He could also make out the outline of the statue in the sandstorm, confirming that there was something in front of him.

Of course, this is on the premise that the thing is not a mirage.

"You have good eyesight." But while he could make out the outline, he still couldn't tell that it was an octopus.

Atwood not only saw it in advance, but also described the statue's appearance immediately.

This inevitably reminded me of the scout team I encountered in Anjing City. Their eyesight was just as sharp as a monster's, probably not inferior to that of a falcon.

"Although I didn't carry a bow, I've said it several times: I am a hunter."

"What kind of hunter are you if you can't even see properly?" Atwood said irritably.

"..." Bray, who called himself a hunter, suddenly fell silent.

Bray leaned against the octopus-shaped statue in front of him, lost in thought.

After several days, Bray finally arrived at the last roadside.

That's exactly the twentieth one, great!

In this way, Bray won't have to think about what to do next.

If Bray has reached the nineteenth landmark, he still has to find the twentieth one, and more importantly, he doesn't know if the last one has been destroyed.

At this moment, Bene was standing on barren yellow earth, and before him rolled yellow sand.

Next is the final stretch of the path to the ruins; as long as you don't get the direction wrong, you'll be fine.

Bray originally thought that using a few road signs would make it easy to determine the direction.

But in the end, he failed. Bray had oversimplified things; without the help of the elf hunter, he might have gotten lost.

Bray took a deep breath.

"Cough cough..." Then he choked on the sand.

“Can I go now?” Atwood said to Bray.

Along the way, he taught Bray to breathe and also led the way.

If you ask him to do anything now, he'll turn around and run away on the spot.

Asking that question is just a formality; even if Bray says no, Atwood will still leave.

"Yes, thank you very much." Bray nodded; this elf hunter had helped him a lot along the way.

Bray felt bad about bothering Atwood any further.

He was often treated as a tool, but he never expected that he would one day find a tool himself.

"Achoo—" Atwood suddenly sneezed.

"You insulted me?" Atwood looked at Bray suspiciously.

“No.” Bray shook his head emphatically, denying it.

"Goodbye." The elven hunter didn't ask Breso for any more meat and left decisively.

They didn't even give Bray a chance to say another word.

Bray scratched the back of his head, watching Atwood leave, his expression somewhat subtle.

I wonder what Atwood will do next, whether he will find a safe zone to settle down in, or continue to wander as before?

However, Bray didn't think that once Atwood knew he had a safe zone, he would have any reason to continue wandering.

There's probably no real point in wandering around in a place like this.

Bray let out a long sigh and started walking straight ahead.

The road signs behind us gradually faded into the distance, disappearing into the yellow sand.

At the same time, Bray could clearly sense that the force of the sandstorm was weakening.

If Bray remembers correctly, the "Prophet's Tomb" is near Greentree City.

Green Tree City is a city built around a towering tree.

The area surrounding Green Tree City should be covered with dense forests.

Unfortunately, the once-great trees have fallen, the forest has been destroyed, and that beautiful landscape has disappeared from the world forever.

As they continued forward, the sandstorm completely subsided, and the soil beneath their feet became increasingly loose.

If the road ahead was "mud," then this is "sand."

"Alright, looks like we didn't come to the wrong place." Bray looked at the group of buildings that didn't look like ruins and breathed a sigh of relief.