Eno's voice echoed calmly in the air: [Host, now that the task has been completed, I will enter a dormant state. ]
"Okay." After Perry packed his things, he also started to think of ways to meet with Mike and Joyce.
Feeling that the chill in his body had completely dissipated, he moved his hands and feet and felt that his body had returned to its former flexibility. He put his backpack on his back and glanced at the bright light coming from outside the cave, feeling slightly relieved. However, his instinct told him that this cave was still full of danger and it was better to leave as soon as possible.
"This place is too weird, I can't stay any longer." He murmured to himself, patted the dust on his body, and walked out of the cave.
After he stepped out of the cave, he began to observe the surrounding environment. The breeze in the valley was mixed with the smell of earth and moisture, and the faint chirping of birds could be heard in the distant woods. However, this tranquility did not relax him. He rubbed his tired neck and said to himself: "I have to find a way to go back and join Mike and Joyce. They are probably looking for me too."
He carefully observed the surrounding terrain and his eyes fell on a rock wall not far away. It was covered with protruding rocks and seemed to be a good place to climb. Perry walked over, looked up at the rock wall, and thought to himself: "If I climb up, I should be able to return to the previous path... I hope that route is still safe."
During the climb, the breeze blew across his face, bringing a slight chill but not making him feel cold. He firmly grasped the edge of the rock and stepped on the protruding part, moving carefully and quickly. Soon, he successfully climbed to the top of the rock wall, and his view became wider.
Standing on a high place, he looked into the distance, and the familiar terrain came into view. "It is indeed the previous route." He showed a satisfied smile, patted the backpack behind him, and began to plan the next action in his mind.
He remembered that a mammoth carcass had been there before. He then murmured to himself: "I'll pass by there anyway, maybe I can grab some."
Thinking of this, his eyes became more serious, and a bold guess emerged in his heart: "I hope to encounter Grade S ingredients now. I will just browse around for a while, maybe I will get something unexpected."
With this thought, he quickly adjusted his state, holding the magic book in his hand to ensure that he could protect himself at the first opportunity, and then walked in the direction of the mammoth beast along the path in his memory. His steps were brisk and cautious, looking forward to possible discoveries while also being alert to potential dangers. After all, this area is not a safe place.
——Go to Mike and Joyce's perspective——
"Where did Henry go?" Mike's voice was filled with anxiety. He stood on a protruding rock and looked around, constantly scanning the surrounding terrain. His brows were furrowed tightly, and there was a hint of uneasiness in his tone: "We have been searching this area for almost an hour. Is something really going to happen to him?"
"Don't be nervous, Henry is not someone who dies easily." Joyce leaned against a tree trunk and looked down at the positioning signal on his bracelet. "Look, this positioning bracelet shows that his location is not far from us, probably near the hillside over there."
"That's what I say, but you also know how dangerous this area is. Mammoth beasts, ice wolves... If he encounters these beasts, he may not be able to hold on for long." Mike's tone was a little urgent, and the anxiety in his heart turned into Waves of faint irritability. As he spoke, he jumped off the rock and walked straight towards Joyce.
"Don't worry, Henry is better than you think." Joyce raised the locator in his hand with a hint of ridicule in his tone.
Mike was silent for a while and did not refute after all. After all, Henry is his younger brother, and no matter how much he quarrels, he can't hide the concern deep in his heart. Right now, although the positioning signal shows that he is still alive, who knows whether Henry is resting or is in trouble?
At this moment, a low vibration came from the direction of the hillside. The ground shook slightly, as if something huge was approaching. Mike and Joyce stopped almost at the same time, looking up at the source of the sound alertly.
"Did you hear that?" Joyce lowered his voice, a trace of uneasiness flashed in his eyes, and his hands subconsciously pressed toward the weapon on his waist.
"I heard it." Mike nodded, quickly rolled up the map in his hand and stuffed it into his backpack. He squinted his eyes and raised his hands to shield his forehead from the glare of the sun, trying to see more clearly. Suddenly, his expression changed, and he raised his hand and pointed forward: "Something is moving over there."
The two of them ran up the hillside at the same time, their steps brisk and alert. As soon as they approached the hillside, they saw a figure standing up slowly among the rubble and dusting himself off.
"Henry?!" Joyce almost shouted, with shock in her voice and a hint of suppressed dissatisfaction, "Where did you come from?! We've been looking for you for a long time!"
Perry raised his head and showed a helpless smile when he saw the two of them. He held his knees, took a few breaths, and waved his hand: "Don't make such a fuss, I'm fine, it's just..." He paused as he spoke, glancing at the pile of rubble behind him, with a hint of self-deprecation in his tone, " I accidentally got lost, but luckily I saw you."
Mike frowned and quickly walked forward to carefully check whether Perry was injured: "Are you injured?"
"Don't worry, it's just a skin injury." Perry waved his hand and couldn't help but smile when he saw Mike's nervous look. "But I'm a little touched that you guys are so worried about me."
"Yes, we are really worried about you." Joyce put his hands on his hips and looked Perry up and down. "We all thought something happened to you. How did you fall from above?"
"Ah..." Perry raised his head, with a bit of exhaustion in his eyes, and then showed a forced smile, "I was captured by a huge bird. It dragged me to a cave. Fortunately, I was clever and escaped from it. It escaped from its paw and almost became its dinner."
Mike frowned. Although the story sounded a bit bizarre, he patted Perry on the shoulder: "It's good that you're okay. Since you're back safely, let's go find Moon Shadow Grass quickly, otherwise it will be dark,you will be in danger at night."
Perry nodded in agreement, with a hint of relaxation in his tone: "Okay, but... I have a problem. I lost my bag, and there are some important things in it, such as magic books. I need your help to find it."
"Did you lose your schoolbag?" Mike immediately stopped and found that Perry's bag was missing. He frowned and asked, "Where was it lost? The magic book is not an ordinary thing."
"It's in the cave just now." Perry replied, his tone was a little helpless, but also a little tentative. "It's always more convenient when there are more people. I can't lose the magic book. Can you help me first?"
"Okay." Mike nodded and patted the weapon on his waist, indicating that he was ready to go.
The three of them followed the direction pointed by Perry and had to climb down the mountain to find the cave entrance. Along the way, Joyce's eyes kept falling on Perry vaguely. His brows furrowed slightly, but he did not speak directly, as if he was secretly observing something.
"By the way, Perry." Joyce suddenly spoke, with a relaxed tone and a hint of casualness, "Do you remember the book I lent you before?"
"Book?" Perry looked back at Joyce with a natural smile on his face, "What kind of book is it?"
"It's the book you really want to read. It's the tragic novel you like. Do you remember it?" Joyce pretended to be relaxed, but her eyes were secretly watching Perry's every move.
"Tragic novel? I don't remember this book..." Perry frowned, seeming to be recalling, "Wait a minute, I seem to have seen a book when I was looking through my bag, and it said 'The Mood of a Rose' on the cover. , It can't be this one, right?" He looked like he suddenly understood, and then replied with a smile.
After hearing this, Joyce nodded slightly and answered in a nonchalant manner: "Yes, that's the book. I lent it to you a month ago. I didn't expect you to still remember it."
Perry shrugged, and said in a light and casual tone: "It's not that I remember it, mainly because it has been kept in my bag. There was also a note on it, reminding me to return it to you. When I find the bag, I will immediately Give it back to you."
After hearing this, Joyce raised the corners of her mouth slightly, revealing a meaningful smile: "Great, then I'll wait."
At this time, Mike quietly slowed down and distanced himself slightly from Perry. He looked around, vigilantly observing the movements around him, as if looking for any clues.
Perry couldn't help but notice his movements, turned his head and asked, "What are you looking at? Is there something wrong?"
Mike chuckled lightly, waved his hand, and said with a casual tone: "It's nothing. After all, we just encountered some wild beasts, so it's better to be careful and stay vigilant."
"Yes." Perry nodded and continued to lead the way without asking any more questions.
The mountain road was winding and winding, and the three of them passed through a dense forest, and their vision gradually broadened. Soon after, they came to the entrance of a cave. The entrance to the cave was slightly black, and there was a faint air of coldness.
"This is it." Perry pointed to the cave, turned to the two of them and said, "My bag is inside, let's go in and look for it."
However, just as Perry was about to step into the cave, he suddenly heard the sound of a sharp blade being unsheathed. He turned his head and saw that Mike and Joyce had drawn their weapons almost at the same time. Sharp blades and cold bows and arrows were pointed at him.
"You..." Perry was stunned, his eyes quickly swept between the two of them, with a hint of panic in his tone, "What does this mean?"
Joyce sneered, with an unmistakable coldness in his voice: "What do you mean? It means that we already knew that you were not really Henry."
Perry's face instantly turned pale, and he subconsciously took a step back, with a layer of cold sweat breaking out on his forehead: "You...are you kidding me? How could I not be Henry? I am Henry!"