The reason why she said so much was simply because she was unhappy. She felt that Hitzfeld did not take this matter seriously enough, but the final result was good - no one was seriously injured, which made it impossible for her to learn enough lessons from it.
This is actually a very dangerous thing. After all, Xia Yibing has so many years of experience as a detective, and she knows what kinds of results this sign may eventually lead to.
So these words were not at all inflammatory in nature - she never meant them that way in the first place.
She just wanted to punish Hitzfeld, to make things more difficult for her and to make her remember it more clearly.
This will serve as a lesson and she will be more careful next time.
But now it seems... the effect is a bit too good.
Isn't the treatment she is receiving now what she had imagined when she described the poisonous insects and ferocious beasts before?
The beloved girl was moved by his words and clung to him...
What does the book say to do next?
After recalling the past, Xia Yibing slowly turned over in Hitzfeld's embrace, looked at her blue eye that was sparkling with tears, and tried to move closer to her while turning her cheek.
She was delighted by the girl's reaction—she was also actively leaning closer and turning her cheek to the side.
Finally, that feeling of clinging came again.
They each paused.
Then they all opened their lips and panted at the same time, somewhat recklessly - even crazily.
Begin to respond to the echoes in your heart.
Chapter 38 Salamander's Nest 1
The patrol team set out for the second time at a little after 10: in the morning. They did not stop to rest at all and marched quickly and slowly all the way until the sun set.
The sky was still cloudless, and the setting sun was like a huge fireball split in two by the horizon, casting the shadows of people and horses far away on the ground.
"Smail." A young knight with a crew cut rode his horse towards Smail and said, "The goddess' gaze is about to leave. How long will it take to reach the camp?"
This is Hart, whom Smail had introduced before. He is the third Gold-level Flint Knight in the team besides Smail himself and Frick.
From his words - calling the sun "the eyes of the goddess", it can be seen that the phrase "the ascetic among the ascetics" was not just a casual remark.
"About half an hour." Smail took out the map from his waist bag, glanced at it, and nodded. "It should be about two hours before the sunlight disappears completely. Don't worry, there will definitely be enough time."
The days are long and the nights are short in the northwest plains. In extreme cases, it is still sunny until 7 or 8 in the evening... In addition, they are heading west, so the time they can bask in the sun will be longer than expected.
Hart nodded and slowed his horse slightly.
"You really don't care about anything except praying..."
Frick's muttering came from the left.
He controlled it well, making sure that only himself and Smail happened to hear the sound.
Smail frowned slightly.
He knew why Frick said that, because Hart had a well-known habit of arranging a ceremony to pray to the goddess at seven o'clock every night.
This ceremony is very simple. You just need to wipe your body with a wet towel, or wash your face and rinse your mouth if you don’t have the conditions - then kneel down towards the east 81 times and it is completed.
It was easy, but obviously not something you could do on horseback. Hater came to ask for his own purpose most likely to make sure he didn't miss the prayer.
"Hey, Smail." Frick woke him up, "What do you think Padom meant by sending this guy?"
"Are you trying to figure out Padom's thoughts?" Smail glanced at him. "Padom said it because he is strong enough - if you doubt him, you can go and compete with him."
"Stop talking nonsense... I'm not interested in messing with a lunatic!"
Frick quickly refused.
Even though they were all Gold-rank Flint Knights, they were all strong and weak. Someone like him was considered above average in the entire Southeast Territory, but once he reached the Northwest Territory, he would be immediately trampled down, as there were many Gold-rank Knights who were stronger than him.
But even those guys who were stronger than him were beaten up by Hart because they did not obey him. He would not think of provoking this person.
"Then why are you talking about others behind their backs?" Smail curled his lips. "Just for this one thing, if I go back and report it to Padom, he will punish you again."
"I'm just a little surprised." Frick's face darkened when he heard that Smail was going to complain, but he still insisted on finishing his judgment: "A madman who is either praying or doing penance all day long should not be interested in anything."
"Look, didn't Padom try to get him to work before, and he didn't listen? So why is he willing to come this time? I find it weird."
"It's nothing strange!" Smail stretched out his index finger and shook it at Frick. "Others who have been in the fortress for a long time can't come out for a walk? Why do you care so much?"
After more than half an hour, a rock protrusion could finally be seen in front of us.
It is like a low mountain range that suddenly protrudes from the plain - maybe only as high as a dirt slope, but it has a wider range. Near the east side there is a long slope with an area of nearly 100 square meters.
The team came up the slope and stopped here, apparently planning to rest here.
"Teacher, I don't understand." Leah retracted her head from the window, "Why don't they go to a higher place or a lower place? Why do they have to stop here?"
The higher the place, the lower the chance of being attacked. The lower terrain has high rocks to block the wind and rain, which is better than resting in such a large open space.
"So you have very little experience!" Weilencel observed from the other side of the window, turned back and taught the girl a lesson: "This place has almost no slope, it's like a flat stone road, isn't it just right for guarding against worms?"
“But there are also both above and below…”
"It's too high up, so we're not going there right now. As for down there... who knows what's hidden in those cracks in the rocks."
It was actually the first time for Willensel to enter the red soil. He came here to write an archaeology paper on fault topography and red soil topography, but he had lived many more years than Leah and was very experienced, so he was able to make a general guess after just a few glances.
"They will definitely roast some dried meat later." Wei Lunsel tapped the girl's forehead from a distance, "You've been bragging about your cooking skills to me all the way, right? Go show them off later."
"Remember - the first copy you make must be sent to them!"
"Wake up! Wake up!!"
Speaking in a funny hoarse voice, Darent rode his horse to the carriage of his two companions and knocked hard on the wall of the carriage a few times.
There was no response from inside, as if they were really asleep.
"really weird……"
Darent tried to lift the curtains, but found that the ends on both sides of the curtains were stuck and he couldn't even make a gap.
After thinking about it, he put his ear to the carriage, but was startled by a "loud noise" the next moment.
"boom!"
"Stop making noise and come down immediately!"
He stood there waiting in confusion, until the knights set up the tent and built a fire, then Darent saw the two men get out of the carriage.
"Did you change your pants?" He suddenly widened his eyes and stared at the clothes Hitzfeld was wearing.
The white shirt did not change, but the skirt was no longer worn underneath, but instead was replaced with a pair of slightly loose shorts.
Half of her thigh and her entire calf were exposed, and she was wearing a pair of deerskin boots, which were dazzlingly white.
"If you look at me again, I'll dig out your eyes."
As he got closer, Hitzfeld threatened the wooden man in a flat tone.
She actually preferred to wear trousers.
But the climate here... is too hot during the day, so I'll have to wear two knee pads at most, and I absolutely cannot wear stockings.
Not to mention the problem of rubbing your feet, if you exercise a little more, it will definitely look bad when paired with boots.
Dai Lunte nodded and glanced at Xia Yibing, but didn't ask her why she also changed her clothes.
It's stained with insect blood.
This is definitely not something I can wear again.
Dinner was grilled dried meat with pickled vegetable soup, both of which were the dry food we had brought with us.
Hitzfeld and Xia Yibing sat around Smail's fire, and Leah brought them kebabs, saying that she wanted to thank them for their kindness.
The taste is neither good nor bad... To her, it's edible at best.
What made her happy was that the knights found a spring in the cracks of the rocks - they didn't have to worry about the consumption of water resources and could wash their hair with a little luxury.
While eating, Hitzfeld discovered that Frick was still able to display his talent.
He had a good relationship with everyone and kept bragging about the last time he went to the red clay pit and ate mudstone spiders and chamois, describing how delicious they tasted.
What you said is true...even she wants to try it.
Just then, a man dressed as a guard came over quickly and whispered to Smail.
Hitzfeld was closer and could vaguely hear something, as if there was a sentence called "Salamander's Lair".
"Have you confirmed it?"
Smail frowned deeply.
"Confirmed! How dare you use this nonsense!"
"I'll go with him."
Smail stood up.
Turning his head, he saw the gray-haired girl next to him staring at him with her one eye.
"Hitzfeld, come along."
He narrowed his eyes.
"You are also entitled to know this information."
Chapter 39 Salamander's Nest 2
Hearing this, Hitzfeld stood up and followed.
Without her saying anything, Xia Yibing stood up spontaneously and followed behind him.
"Aren't you going?"
Next to the fire, Kak was holding a bowl of pickled vegetable soup, drinking it slowly while looking at the leading actor of the movie.
Diagonally opposite him, at the position where his eyes were fixed, Darent squinted his eyes and stared at the backs of the two people, shaking his head very slowly.
"A team is definitely not called that because they always have to stick together."
"If two gold ranks can't protect her, there's no point in me going there."
Hitzfeld took a step forward and followed closely behind Smail.
She came across two other campfires on the way. Many knights and Hughes' men raised their cups and bowls to greet her when they saw her, so she had to stop for a moment and take off her hat to respond to them.
Many people only noticed that she had changed her hairstyle at this time. Her long silver-gray hair was tied into a ponytail at the back of her head, with only two long strands of hair hanging down from her temples. With her new clothes, she looked much more capable than before.
It is worth mentioning that this hat is also new. She used to wear a black wide-brimmed hat with two long silver-white feathers on it. Now she wears a smaller cowboy hat, which can be regarded as matching this outfit.
After passing the camp and going down the stone slope, the three of them turned a corner under the guidance of the guard. The slope was obviously steeper at this time.
As they continued to walk down, the stone slope gradually turned into a steep cliff above their heads. After walking for nearly 50 meters, the guard finally stopped.
"Right here." He paused, squatted down and pointed at a trace, "We found it right here."
He was not alone here, there were two other guard knights standing guard beside him. As Smail walked up to him, he reached out to one of them, and the man immediately handed him the torch.
Hitzfeld and the other man also approached, walked around to the side, and looked at the ground in the light of the torch. They found a dark, crooked mark there.
"What is this?" she asked aloud.
Smail did not answer her immediately. He picked up a small piece of gravel from the side, spit on the end of the mark, and rubbed the small gravel against it. You can see the dark mark gradually spreading in the liquid.
"It's blood." He said softly, "It might be the traces left by the salamander, but it's hard to say... Did you continue to search further down?"
This was obviously a question to the knights who were acting as scouts. The three of them shook their heads at the same time: "No! We got stuck when we found this place."
There are no rookies on the Red Dirt Patrol.
The military system only needs to be rotated every three years, but for the Flint Knights like them, many of them have entered the red soil almost ten times.
They know very well what is the most appropriate thing to do when facing unknown dangers, and that is by no means individual heroism.
"Beren, go up and inform Frick and Hart of the discovery here." Smail said to the knight who had lost his torch.
Then he looked at the other two: "Kasena, hold the torch and stand guard here. Jishi, come down with me."
"Yes!"
"Wait a minute, Smail." Hitzfeld hurriedly called him, "You mean, there might be a salamander's nest down here?"
