Chapter 231: Epilogue |
The sun rose, illuminating the desolate, deathly silent scorched earth.
Bai Mu took out an orange cake from his inventory and ate it. Lucy's Candy Box had been emptied a few days ago, and his Painkillers had already been given to the others during the early stages of the Script. Now, the only consumables he had left were these cakes and some soda.
It was enough. Under the effect of the consumables, his Health and stamina rapidly climbed. After eating several cakes in a row and drinking a few bottles of soda, his condition fully recovered. The Weakened state that followed the use of Berserk was also cleared by Lucy's consumables.
Now, the countdown for the Main Quest had less than twelve hours remaining. The Mountain Evil Gods out in the Wilderness had starved to death. As for that giant, although he hadn't managed to kill it directly, its head had been swept away by the rushing underground river, rendering it unable to pose any further threat.
The distance between it and the group's current location was rapidly widening. The current was carrying it far away, and there was no telling where its body would go to chase after its severed head.
Even if it did catch up, it would struggle to break free from the underground cavern anytime soon. A far more likely scenario was that it would be trapped in a subterranean tributary until it exhausted the life force it had absorbed, thereby bringing about its own death.
Bai Mu had successfully lured the Script's final boss into a net, trapping it. This was practically the only way to deal with the monster. The remaining twelve hours of the Script passed peacefully.
On this scorched earth, it was so quiet that only the sound of the wind could be heard. Not a single bird could be seen in the sky, and not a single ant crawled on the ground.
The survivors finally had a moment to rest.
Those strange fluids had swept away the fish in the water, meaning there were no rotting corpses left in the lake. Because the bodies decayed inside the giant instead, it ironically left behind a relatively pristine water source.
The refugees arrived at the lakeside, cupping the water with their hands and drinking greedily. Using the Book of the Witch, Bai Mu synthesized some tools for them one last time. He expended his Mana to leave behind basic items like axes, buckets, and Shovels.
At the same time, he took a long-overdue bath, washing away the unknown fluids clinging to his body.
Facing these people, he did not hide the fact that he was about to leave.
Without the young women who were willing to sacrifice their lives, his Mountain Evil God kill count could never have reached a number that looked like a system glitch. The truth was, he was still alive and well, standing right here, and was about to leave this land of death to return to a comfortable safe zone.
Yet, people had died because of his decisions. The living still had to face the daunting challenge of survival. They had lost their homes and their companions. Civilized society had completely collapsed into ruins, and natural resources were all but gone. Even without the threat of the Mountain Evil Gods, whether they could survive in such an environment would be entirely up to them.
Bai Mu used the Book of the Witch to provide them with as much convenience as possible, treating it as a tribute to those who had sacrificed their lives. At the very least, their deaths had not been meaningless.
Twelve hours later, the sky darkened once more. The people had built makeshift tents out of dry grass and dead wood, laying animal skins and old clothes on the ground. The light of the campfire reflected in their eyes.
There were only ten minutes left on the Main Quest timer. The giant was still nowhere to be seen. There was no telling where the current had dragged it, but it would likely never return.
It would definitely die somewhere out there. In terms of contribution, it should count as Bai Mu's kill. However, since it wouldn't die before the Script's duration ended, Bai Mu didn't know if the kill would actually be credited to him. After all, he hadn't technically killed it within the Script's time limit.
He certainly hoped the kill would be his, but if it wasn't counted, there was nothing he could do about it. Still, his harvest from this Script was more than enough. A monster on the level of that massive wild boar had to be worth at least 100 Points. He had killed nearly two hundred of them. If all of that was converted into Points, it would result in the terrifying sum of 20,000. Exactly how much he gained would depend on the Script's final settlement. He stood calmly in front of the crowd. The Shaman had spread the word of his imminent departure, and everyone had gathered voluntarily to see him off. The gazes they directed at him were filled with awe and reverence.
He gave the crowd a slight nod, then shifted his gaze to Tu Ya, who was being led by Nuosu.
This highly intelligent deer seemed to know that her master was about to leave. She squeezed through the crowd to reach Bai Mu's side, nudging her head against his palm while letting out a reluctant, mournful cry.
Bai Mu hugged Tu Ya's neck. Xiao Wei was also extremely reluctant to part with the deer, gently stroking her soft belly.
If one were to ask who had accompanied Bai Mu the longest in this Script, aside from Xiao Wei, it was actually Tu Ya. She had carried him across countless miles. She wasn't as young or robust as other deer, nor were her strides as powerful, but she bore her burdens without complaint. She never panicked, and she could always quickly grasp Bai Mu's intentions. Riding her felt like their minds were connected.
Bai Mu instructed the Shaman to take good care of Tu Ya. Over the past few days, Tu Ya had traveled with him to many places, including quite a few perilous environments. A corner of her hoof was worn away, she had sustained a few new scars on her hind legs, and a section of her antlers had even snapped off.
After all, she was no longer young. Running for such a long time was an exhausting ordeal for her. Furthermore, over the last few days, Bai Mu hadn't managed to find any good beans or fresh grass to feed her; she had been subsisting on dry fodder they had collected earlier.
Despite poor food and insufficient rest, she never held any grievances against him. From beginning to end, she served perfectly as his mount. Even when facing the giant, she had continued to carry Bai Mu forward without hesitation. And when Bai Mu was on the verge of being washed away by the torrent, she was the first to grab the rope in her mouth and sprint toward him.
At this moment of parting, Tu Ya lowered her head, revealing her saddle.
Bai Mu froze for a moment before a faint smile graced his lips. He and Xiao Wei climbed onto Tu Ya's back.
Without needing him to flick the reins, she carried the two of them and broke into a gallop across the vast land. The evening breeze blew against their faces. Under the expansive sky, she ran wildly and freely, as if she would never stop. She let out a long, echoing cry. In a split second, the weight on her back vanished, and only then did her footsteps gradually slow to a halt.
She lowered her head, bit off a beast-tooth ornament that was fastened around her foreleg, and placed it on the ground. Then, she turned around and walked back to her herd.