"So you expect me, a beautiful Fawkes lady, a noble female Baron, to go to battle with an ugly big drum on my back, proclaiming the glory of the War God?" Helen nearly ground her silver teeth to powder, "Damn you, Richard!"
"You asked for my opinion." Richard felt as wronged as a thousand little cabbages.
"Hmph!" Helen turned her head away, ignoring him.
Richard's eyes glanced around, heaving a sigh.
"What happened?" Helen fell for the bait again.
"What a regret!" Richard pointed at the massive shell of the Giant Tortoise, "Such a good Sub-dragon class Magical Beast doesn't even have a crystal nucleus, otherwise my Helen would have had a great vessel to store her song power!"
"At least you're considerate!" Helen's smile bloomed, "Although I don't understand why this model animal doesn't have a crystal nucleus, I accept your sentiment."
"Hehe..." Richard grinned foolishly. He was thinking to himself, how come I can coax these young girls to do my bidding, I'm really something.
"You idiot!" Helen rolled her eyes at him.
"Hehe... Am I the idiot?" Richard's smile gradually became rigid. He swayed drunkenly and fell to the ground.
"What's this trick?" Helen thought Richard was messing around again.
Richard lay stiffly on the ground, gasping for air, feeling as though his head was going to explode with pain.
"What's happened? Richard?" Helen looked at Richard anxiously, grabbed his arm and shook vigorously.
"I don't know, suddenly I'm feeling dizzy." Richard tried to get up but stumbled and fell hard again. This time he hit the ground harder, creating a "thud" as the mud splashed everywhere.
"Richard!" Little Guoguo screamed and threw off her feathered coat to support Richard's head.
"My... it's so hot..." Richard felt as if his whole body was on fire.
"I'm going to the waterfall to get some water for you to drink." Helen stood up and turned around, picked up a curved knife, cut off a piece of bamboo, and was about to turn back when she saw Guoguo rolling her eyes on the other side, convulsing on the ground, her body as hot as an iron rod. Her originally golden fluff had almost turned fiery red.
"Don't scare me like this!" Helen started sweating profusely.
"So hot!" Richard gasped loudly.
"I'm going to get water..." Helen was dying of embarrassment and quickly turned around, but still couldn't rest assured and turned back to look again. Richard had already started pounding the ground hard. He was so strong that every hit sent grass and rain droplets scattering everywhere. Guoguo was doing the same, using her tiny claws to beat the ground.
An Acidic Fish Eagle, frightened by Richard and Guoguo's strange actions, flew into the sky and circled around, not daring to come down. Seeing the surrounding bamboo forest trembling, Helen panicked. She wanted to go get water but was worried about Richard and Guoguo.
"Water... water..." Richard gasped for breath, clutching his throat, an image of a strange beast Helen had never seen before appeared on his chest and neck.
Gritting her teeth, Helen decided to run to the waterfall to get water.
By the time she came back panting, with a bamboo tube full of water, Richard and Guoguo had already fainted, the surrounding grassland was a mess from being trampled on.
Helen took a mouthful of water, it was not long ago that she had been saved by Richard in the same way, and now it was her turn to save him. The thought of this made Helen's face turn beet red.
She clumsily helped Guoguo sip some water, finally having a moment to rest.
"Both of you are such nuisances!" Helen scolded Richard and Guoguo, full of both love and resentment.
After simple cold compresses, Guoguo seemed a bit better, her demeanor was evidently much calmer, and she gradually drifted off into her dreamland.
But Richard was still not okay, his face getting more and more flushed.
"What should we do?" Helen worriedly wrung her hands, her fiery-red tail oscillating anxiously. She paced back and forth, the eggshell remnants from Richard and Guoguo's meal crunching under her feet.
"Could it be because he ate the dragon egg?" A thought struck Helen as she looked at the broken egg beneath her, but disappointment quickly followed. As an altar priestess and not a Beamon witch doctor, she was not equipped to deal with poisoning.
She continued to pace, filled with anxiety.
"Oh, Kampas!" Helen was suddenly reminded of a Fox Tribe legend. It was her last option. Whether it would be as effective as the legend claimed, Helen did not know.
Richard's face was a twisted shade of dark red, growing even more so. This finally resolved Helen, and she gritted her teeth.
"Richard..." Tears streamed from Helen's eyes as she muttered Richard's name, helpless and desolate.
Scenes from the past played like vignettes in Helen's mind, grinning stubbornly in the face of adversity, hand in hand, overlooking their homeland on a hillside...
These memories bubbled up to surface, mingled with Helen's tears.
"Forgive me, mentor," Helen murmured, "I am betraying your teachings for the one I love."
Richard's face held an inexplicable sweetness. Helen reached out to touch him, then pressed her cheek against his. He was refreshingly cool to the touch. At the sound of Helen calling his name, Richard's lips twitched slightly, before he succumbed again to a deep sleep.
"It's done!" Helen let out a long sigh of relief.
She calmed her spirit, then softly began to sing the Requiem, gently touching Richard's sleeping face as she sang.
Performing the Requiem was like a lullaby to the little fox, and she sang through the night, until her voice gave out, and she could sing no more. She collapsed onto Richard and drifted off to sleep.
Hours of stress and activity made Helen sleep soundly, her hair fell over Richard's nose.
Richard awoke before Helen, stirred by a melodic war song. But he was not aware of the significant sacrifice Helen had made for him during the night.
Richard slept refreshingly well. He dreamt that he fell into a cloud, and a fluffy quilt, and a woman with a face he could not see was holding him tightly.
When he awoke, he sensed something unusual about his body. His muscles felt as robust as if blood was overfilled, and his body was burning, similar to the sense of exhaustion after intensive training sessions in the past.
Richard dared not move. He didn't want to wake Helen.
He remembered Helen bustling about, oblivious to the mud on the ground, changing wet wipes for him and Guoguo. Watching them both, her face awash with sorrow and grief. His heart sank at the memory.
Richard forced a bitter smile. He felt that since he had known the little fox, he had squandered almost every possible shred of dignity in his life.
Listening to Helen's gentle breathing, Richard blissfully closed his eyes, unwilling to disrupt the peaceful atmosphere.
A small paw gently scratched him. As he opened his eyes, he saw Guoguo gazing at him with a triumphant and slightly teasing gesture.
*****************************************************************************
Tonight is the ranking rush, after 12 o'clock, if you're still awake, help me by casting your votes, and I'll update another chapter.
Qidian Chinese Web - www.cmfu.com welcomes all book lovers to come and read. The latest, fastest and most popular serialized works can all be found on Qidian Original!