When Duwei woke up in the morning, the campfire had already extinguished at some point, leaving a faint wisp of smoke. Feeling a chill, he shifted his body and noticed something in his arms.
Lowering his gaze, he realized that Vivian had unknowingly nestled into his embrace while sleeping soundly. Despite her peaceful slumber, she seemed a bit cold, curling up with her hands even slipping into Duwei's shirt, seeking warmth instinctively.
Understanding that she must have felt too cold in her sleep and naturally sought warmth in Duwei's embrace, he sighed softly. Instead of immediately waking her, he gently removed his own clothes to cover her before carefully setting her down and standing up.
But as he lifted his head and rose to his feet, Duwei's expression immediately changed drastically!
...
"No!!!! Damn it!!!! No!!!!" On the deserted island in the early morning, Duwei cried out in anger and frustration.
Thick fog blanketed the surface of the sea before him, dense and opaque like a thick layer of gauze shrouding the world. The air was filled with damp moisture, and beneath such fog, nothing could be seen on the vast sea!
In such adverse weather conditions, the visibility at sea was probably less than ten meters!!!
How could Duwei not feel anxious?
Trapped on this desolate island with no food and only a small amount of fresh water, he urgently needed to leave as soon as possible. So, his only hope was for other ships to pass by the vicinity of this small island and rescue them.
For this reason, Duwei had already decided to start burning bonfires on the beach day and night from this morning onwards, using the smoke to attract passing ships—if there were any ships passing by.
But now... facing such thick fog... Duwei's heart sank immediately!
With such dense fog and such low visibility, even if Duwei lit a fire here, any passing ships around the island would not be able to see them in such ghostly weather!
What made Duwei even more desperate was that, according to his knowledge, such heavy fog at sea often lasted for quite some time!
While fog on land might dissipate in a day, at sea... even if it lasted for three to five days, it was not uncommon!
"Three to five days..."
Duwei sighed inwardly. "Do I even have three to five days left? So far, not a scrap of food."
Vivian was startled awake by Duwei's cry. Seeing his grim expression, she couldn't help but feel uneasy.
Without a word, Duwei swiftly gathered twigs from around and built a fire, making it as vigorous as possible. Then, he rushed around collecting more twigs and threw them in front of Vivian.
"Hey, you stay here and watch the fire. If it starts to weaken even a bit, immediately add more wood! Under no circumstances should the fire diminish, let alone go out! Got it? And keep an eye on the sea... If you see any ships, try to get their attention. You can make the fire bigger... or, use your magic to shoot fireballs into the sky! Understand?"
"Under-understood," Vivian nodded, but then she looked puzzled. "With... with such thick fog, c-can we see ships? Can ships see us?"
Duwei sighed, not answering Vivian's question directly. "Just do as I say. It's all we can do."
With that, Duwei picked up a long stick, weighed it in his hand, and walked along the beach.
"W-where are you going?"
"I'm going to find food!" Duwei's tone was cold. "Maybe I can find some mushrooms and wild berries in this big forest. Hopefully. It's simpler than catching fish. If I can't find anything, then we'll have to fish in the sea."
Duwei paused for a moment. "You better hope I find something. Otherwise, tonight, no matter how much you cry, we'll have to eat your... your squeaky thing. A human life is more important than an animal's!"
Seeing the cold look in Duwei's eyes as he left, Vivian couldn't help but shiver.
Duwei was gone for the whole morning.
Left alone on the beach, Vivian was terrified. There was no one around, and most importantly, she felt utterly helpless!
Before, even when she secluded herself with her teacher, there were times when her teacher would leave her alone at home. But back then, Vivian still had her magic.
But now, she had nothing.
All morning, Vivian diligently tended to the fire, her hands cut by sharp twigs, and her small face blackened by smoke. She followed Duwei's instructions, ensuring the fire burned brightly, refusing to let it weaken.
At noon, Duwei finally returned.
Watching Duwei come back, hobbling step by step, his leg seemed injured, but his expression was somewhat happy.
A vine hung around Duwei's neck, adorned with some peculiar items that seemed to be roots of some plant he had dug up from the ground, still coated with dark soil.
One hand leaned on the wooden stick, while the other carried a bundle of shrubs, adorned with numerous small orange-colored fruits.
Those fruits looked adorable, each one vibrant in color and about the size of grapes. They must be delicious!
Immediately, Vivian's mouth watered.
Before this, the female mage had never tasted the bitterness of hunger, let alone been hungry for so long!
"Eat, eat, eat, eat! Y-you found them!" Vivian cheered, barefoot and skipping towards Duwei.
Seeing Vivian's excitement, a hint of a smile seemed to touch Duwei's lips, though it quickly disappeared, replaced by a serious expression. "Don't get too excited. It's just a few findings from the morning."
His gait was a bit odd, and Vivian noticed that Duwei's feet had several cuts, likely from walking barefoot in the woods and being scratched by something sharp.
"Alright, let's eat."
Duwei set down his spoils and pointed to the string of plant roots hanging from the vine. "These plants are ones I could recognize. I have some knowledge of pharmacology. These few plants are all wild, and their roots have many uses. They're edible, and they're not small either."
Duwei then carefully washed these items by the sea and handed them to Vivian. "These are all yours. You can eat them as they are, or roast them over the fire before eating."
Vivian hesitated for a moment, looking at the handful of roots and grass in her hand, feeling a bit aggrieved. She pouted and glanced at the bush next to her, filled with colorful fruits. "I-I-I want to eat... eat fruits. I-I..."
"No, you eat this. I'll eat those fruits." Duwei's voice was calm but carried an unmistakable tone of refusal.
Vivian nearly burst into tears.
She felt heartbroken and miserable. This guy must be doing it on purpose! He's deliberately tormenting poor little Vivian! Yes, that must be it! It's because Vivian wouldn't let him eat the squeaky thing! That's why he's retaliating like this!
Feeling utterly aggrieved, Vivian could only squat pitifully by the fire, holding the roots and grass Duwei had picked, roasting them over the fire for a moment before clumsily stuffing them into her mouth to chew.
The roots and stems Duwei picked were quite large, and they weren't too unpleasant to taste... or rather, they had no taste at all. They were just tough and chewy, making it quite an effort to eat. Poor Vivian's cheeks even got tired from chewing, and she only managed to eat two of them. Moreover, they tasted terrible... they had no flavor at all, too bland.
Meanwhile, Duwei sat opposite the fire, silent, plucking fruits from the shrubbery one by one, tossing them into his mouth, chewing, and swallowing.
Gradually, Vivian's gaze couldn't help but be drawn over...
With a forceful gulp of saliva, that fruit... must be quite tasty... this stingy guy!!
"What are you looking at?" Duwei sneered coldly. "Blaming me for not giving you fruits? Making you eat these nasty roots?"
Vivian didn't say anything but pursed her lips.
When Duwei wasn't paying attention, Vivian suddenly reached out and grabbed a fruit from the shrub... her mage's robe was large and spacious, and her movements were stealthy enough that Duwei didn't notice.
Then, while Duwei wasn't looking in her direction, Vivian quickly tossed the fruit into her mouth and bit down hard...
But just as she eagerly anticipated the sweet taste...
*Pfft!!!*
Vivian's face suddenly changed drastically, contorted with an odd expression, and then, as if in a rush, she opened her mouth wide and promptly sprayed it out!
What on earth! It was so sour it made her teeth ache! So bitter it could twist her tongue! Vivian only took one bite and felt like she was about to vomit!
This kind of fruit is edible??
Duwei looked at Vivian's expression, just gave a faint smile, then he bit into the last fruit. He chewed slowly, eating each one slowly, then stood up. "Alright, we're done eating. We still have work to do."
At that moment, Vivian looked at the bare shrub branch on the ground and then at the remaining two bunches of plant roots in her hand... compared to the sour and nauseating fruit, these tasteless plant roots seemed almost delicious!
Remembering Duwei's words, "You eat these, those fruits are mine," and recalling how Duwei silently and calmly ate those horrible-tasting fruits one by one...
Vivian suddenly found herself unable to say a word.
She clenched the roots and grass in her hand tightly, glaring at Duwei.
"What are you looking at? Hurry up and eat. We still have things to do!" Duwei frowned.
"Yes! Yes!" Vivian turned around, stuffed the roots into her arms, then skipped over to Duwei's side. Her gaze and voice softened a lot, even carrying a hint of apology. "What... what should we do? I-I'll listen to you!"
"We'll go fishing. Otherwise, we'll only be able to survive on these roots for so long!" Duwei smiled, and he said, "This vine is tied around me, you hold the other end. I'll go into the water with a stick and see if I can catch some fish... But..."
He hadn't finished speaking when suddenly, a thunderous roar echoed through the air!!
Immediately, the ground beneath their feet violently shook! Duwei and Vivian couldn't stand steady and fell to the ground!!
That roar seemed to come from the depths of hell, heavy and oppressive, striking fear into their hearts! Duwei had heard the roar of a dragon before, thinking that it was probably the most terrifying roar in the world!
But now, this sound was far more terrifying than a dragon's roar! It was louder and more terrifying!
The ground kept trembling and shaking, and Duwei felt like he was experiencing a terrifying earthquake!!
In the midst of this shaking, even the sea roared... violent waves surged up from the ocean!!
"What... what the hell is that sound?!" Duwei's face turned pale, holding Vivian tightly in his arms.
Vivian was already scared pale.
And at that moment, Vivian's pet dragon in the woods seemed to be awakened by this roar! The slumbering dragon had awoken, but...
Distinctly, both Vivian and Duwei heard a mournful cry from the dragon!
In the dragon's cry, there was actually fear!