In the tent, Ivan frowned, looking at the young man in front of him.
Andrew, however, appeared calm and justified, slowly saying, "I can heal you, which means my own lungs are fine.
But today, that old mage Humboldt asserted that I could only live for seven days.
If he finds I'm still alive after seven days, naturally he'll target me..."
Ivan wasn't a fool. Hearing this, he understood and squinted at Andrew, "I see, you can heal lung burns, but you can't contend with a seasoned Fire Mage, right."
Andrew nodded.
There was nothing to hide here.
If he had the strength to fight Humboldt, he wouldn't be so easily caught by Ivan with a knife to his neck.
To be honest, he was still a bit uncertain.
After all, he knew too little about this Otherworld.
If Fire Mages actually had some method to heal lung burns, and Ivan immediately captured him to hand over to Humboldt for treatment, wouldn't that be the end of him?
Or, if Ivan was one of those devout Flame worshipers, even if his own lungs were burned by flames, he wouldn't want to harm any "sacred Fire Mage," then what?
Ivan then spoke, "First, you must know, I can't beat Humboldt. Even before I was injured, I couldn't beat him."
Andrew's heart sank a bit.
Ivan continued, "But I promise you, I will help you kill Humboldt. Then you will heal my lungs, right?
Let me make this clear, if I help you and you can't heal my lungs, then... I will kill you, understand?"
Andrew couldn't tell if it was an illusion, but he felt that when Ivan said, "I'll help you kill Humboldt," there was not only no reverence for the Fire Mage but even a hint of... hatred?
Cautiously leaving a mental note, Andrew nodded and replied, "Of course, that's very fair!
You help me kill him, I guarantee to heal you! If you kill him and I can't heal you, you don't need to do anything, I'll take care of myself.
But... you say you can't beat Humboldt, yet you promise to help kill him, what does that mean?"
Ivan regained his cold hunter demeanor and grinned slightly, "You don't need to worry about that."
...
...
It was morning.
There were six days left until the day Humboldt predicted he would die.
"Hmm—"
Andrew woke from his slumber, stretched widely.
After a peaceful night's sleep, his lungs felt almost fine.
However, for the sake of disguise, he still pretended to cough a few times.
Stepping out of the tent, Andrew involuntarily squinted his eyes.
The night in the desert was cold, but the day was very dry and hot.
At this moment, the sun was high in the sky, and in front of him was a temporary camp made up of tents, with the buildings and streets of Wildfire Town not far off to one side.
"Setting aside this world's somewhat pathological obsession with fire, the local customs and manners seem quite nice here."
Andrew carefully observed those uniquely styled buildings that seemed straight out of a whimsical fairy tale, thinking, "This is the place I'll be living in from now on."
Reflecting on last night's negotiations with Ivan, a subtle smile appeared on Andrew's lips.
Last night, Ivan agreed to his terms.
And under Andrew's persistent questioning, Ivan explained what he meant by "unable to beat Humboldt but able to kill him."
"—I'm a Desert Hunter. In head-on confrontations, I can't defeat even the lowest level Desolate Beast, yet I can easily hunt them."
Ivan said calmly, "Unable to beat doesn't mean unable to kill."
When he said this, a natural and powerful confidence exuded from his tone.
"I see, so? How do you plan to kill him?"
Andrew was still a bit uneasy, yet also curious.
Ivan just said, "I need to make some preparations and must leave for a while."
Hearing that the other was planning to leave for a while, Andrew immediately frowned.
He only had seven days left, and now in this situation, he was still going to leave and prepare?
Ivan said, "Rest assured, I'll be back. I want to live too. It's just that alone I can't kill Humboldt, it's too difficult, even if I act from the shadows."
Andrew was startled, "You have help?"
Ivan laughed, "You have your secrets, and I have mine."
With that, he looked deeply at Andrew. At this point, Ivan was almost convinced: the young man before him really had a way to heal lung burns. And this was something that would cause quite a sensation if known!
Andrew was silent for a moment, finally nodding, "Alright, I won't ask any more about what preparation you need to make.
But I still want to know, how long will you be gone? How can I contact you?"
After finishing, he stared at Ivan, thinking if Ivan didn't tell him this, there was no way he could trust him!
Fortunately, this time Ivan promptly replied, "I'll be back within three days at most, in time. You don't need to contact me; I'll contact you."
After speaking, Ivan didn't waste any more words, nor did he give Andrew the chance to question further, put on his jacket, and left.
This left Andrew with no room to argue.
Yet this decisive style added a bit more confidence in Andrew's heart.
"By the way..." After leaving the tent, Ivan said from afar, "There's a box of food in the corner of the tent; take it to that mother and daughter."
Andrew was startled, followed the instructions to find and open the box, discovering it full of fine fruits, his expression softening.
Picking up the box, Andrew returned to the temporary camp and handed the box to Aunt Sofia.
Subsequently, Andrew temporarily set aside his various tense thoughts—
Fell asleep as soon as he lay down.
By now, it was broad daylight.
Andrew sat in front of the tent, enjoying the sun and eating breakfast.
Successfully persuading Ivan was good, but it wasn't enough.
Today there was the next step of the "preparation plan," or perhaps the "Fire Extinguishing Upgrade Plan"... Andrew's lips curved slightly.
Is putting out fires really that enjoyable?
He was quite engrossed!
"Eat some fruit."
Aunt Sofia came out of the tent with little Sophie and started distributing the box of fruit Ivan had Andrew bring back last night.
This wasn't entirely out of selflessness in sharing, but Aunt Sofia considered that Wildfire Town would experience the "Desolate Beast Tide" once or twice a year, and in case something happened to her and little Sophie's father during one of these tides, someone would still be there to help take care of Sophie.
Little Sophie was well-behaved, holding a basin and helping her mother distribute fruit to everyone in the camp.
As little Sophie's savior, Andrew naturally received the largest share.
"Brother Andrew! Your fruit!"
Accompanied by her mother, little Sophie came before Andrew, her face slightly sweaty, holding a plate of Otherworld fruit resembling grapes.
"No, it's your fruit."
Andrew smiled as he accepted, peeled one, and handed it to little Sophie.
Little Sophie looked up at her mother, and after receiving Sofia's permission, opened her mouth to accept it.
The first bite of the fruit's flesh made the little girl's eyes go wide, "Wow, it's so sweet! How's it so sweet?"
Andrew smiled.
Of course, it's sweet.
Last night, although he stopped midway due to various considerations and didn't fully heal Ivan, nor did he unlock any new abilities, during the treatment, he clearly felt more proficient in the use of the "Water Spirit Technique."
So what he fed little Sophie just now wasn't an ordinary Otherworld grape.
It was a top-quality Otherworld grape enhanced with the "Water Spirit Technique"!
More moisture, naturally sweet.
Honestly, using the "Water Spirit Technique" to treat patients with lung burns was a great experience, but it always made Andrew feel more like a doctor than a Mage.
At this moment, using magic in such a way to make grapes sweeter, larger, and juicier, to amuse... no, to make children happy, this was when Andrew felt:
Like he was truly a Mage.