From stepping into that blood-red teleportation circle and leaving the Seventh Layer's temple to returning to the Labyrinth City of Rapan, the journey took two days in all.
They were a little slower than they had been on the way there.
The main reason was that Cui Ciyou had released all four Two-Humped Red Camels on the spot as a precaution.
After all, he had not known how long he would spend in that labyrinth fraught with danger.
A week? A month? Even longer?
Rather than leave those two loyal desert companions tethered there to die of thirst, he had chosen to give them their freedom.
Thinking back on it now, that decision had been a little hasty.
From entering the labyrinth to rescuing Roxy and finally slaying the Hydra, only three days had passed, even counting generously.
And the journeys between Rapan and the labyrinth entrance had taken just two days combined.
Five days in total.
Two-Humped Red Camels possessed astonishing endurance, able to travel swiftly through the desert for seven straight days without food or water.
Had he known, he would have found a secluded cave, tethered them there, and left them some fodder.
That would have let them return at least twice as fast.
Still, there were no what-ifs in life.
When the three returned to the familiar stone inn in Rapan City, the burly owner was behind the counter, listlessly polishing an enormous ale mug.
As Cui Ciyou and his companions pushed open the door, the owner's gaze froze, and his eyes widened involuntarily.
"You... you're..."
Disbelief and shock colored his voice.
Of course he remembered these three.
Especially the generous Black-Haired Youth, who looked like a young nobleman who had run away from home.
Several days earlier, they had set out from his inn