"Lord Xia Nan, look what I caught?"
Wrapped head to toe in bandages, Tal held his wooden longbow in one hand while supporting the fawn slung over his shoulder with the other, his tone ingratiating.
Seeing this, Xia Nan felt rather helpless. Given Tal's condition, he should have stayed in camp and rested instead of doing such things. If they wanted to hunt, Xia Nan only needed to take Fanny out for a few minutes to bring something back.
Still, it was a gesture of goodwill, so Xia Nan did not say much. He nodded in thanks and gestured for him to sit by the campfire.
Several days had passed since Xia Nan had rescued Tal from beneath the Layered-Armor Elephant's shovel-like trunk.
With his entire team dead and himself badly wounded by a powerful monster, Tal naturally could not continue his previous mission.
For safety's sake, Tal had chosen to return to Blood-Cast Fortress.
However, his physical condition was poor, and his combat strength had been severely diminished. If he risked traveling alone, even encountering a few low-level ordinary monsters could put him in grave danger.
Therefore, after learning from Xia Nan that their destination was also Blood-Cast Fortress—though calling it a question was merely a cautious confirmation of Xia Nan's attitude, since Blood-Cast Fortress was the only human settlement nearby, and anyone with a little experience could infer Xia Nan's destination from his identity and direction of travel—
Tal tentatively asked Xia Nan whether he could take him along to Blood-Cast Fortress.
They were already only a few days from their destination, so Xia Nan did not mind. The Barbarian Fugan cared even less.
Thus, Roundhead Tal temporarily became a member of the party.
Over the past few days, Tal's behavior could only be described as diligent and