Chapter 188: There are so many footprints
Eva looked at the piles of containers and at the meat Julian was cutting into small pieces, a thoughtful expression on her face.
"There is enough meat to try different seasonings. I’m here for the job. I will help with the seasoning." She clapped her hands, her face filled with sincerity and eagerness to help with the cooking.
But that glossed over the fact that she had no intention of putting any of the containers away. She planned to use them all, thinking it would be exciting to cook and eat at the same time.
Julian merely gave her a bland stare that seemed to say, Really?
"Remember what you said. When it’s time to cook, don’t run away. Get those trays for me." Julian shooed her away with a wave of his bloodstained knife.
Eva did a little happy dance when she got her way, her mouth watering as she thought about the barbecue they were having tonight.
She dashed into her space to get the trays and other things they would need.
As the sky darkened completely, the three gathered around the campfire.
Each holding a skewer of meat, while other skewers of meat were left to roast on the fire.
Eva took a bite and moaned, her head thrown back as her face filled with enjoyment.
Her expression made Ethan feel that she might enjoy food more than sex, and he couldn’t help feeling self-conscious as he wondered whether he was satisfying her enough.
Catching himself entertaining such a nonsensical thought, he let out a helpless chuckle and took a bite of the meat in his hand.
"Gosh! This flavor really hits the spot. Haa... It’s spicy with a hint of sweetness, all blended perfectly with the flavor of the meat." Eva offered her sincere praise, her eyes fixed on the meat roasting over the fire. She was filled with anticipation for how delicious it would be.
Her hand stretched forwards absently, but Julian patted her greedy paws away.
"Allow it to roast; the front isn’t fully cooked yet. Here, drink some wine and wait."
Eva accepted the cup handed to her with a sheepish smile. She took a sip, her face wrinkling at the strong taste on her tongue, and quickly returned the cup to him with a shake of her head.
"It’s bitter... how did you manage to drink it with a straight face?" Eva complained, feeling wronged, as the lingering meaty taste on her tongue was replaced by the wine.
"I didn’t know you couldn’t handle such good alcohol. Why did you ask me to bring it out in the first place? Tch, you don’t know your stuff," Julian said, gulping down the rest of the drink in her cup.
Eva winced for him, almost giving him a thumbs-up for drinking her bitter drink with such a satisfied expression.
’I still have grapes in my space, so I’d better tell the chef to make wine for me instead. Ugh... my tongue.’ Eva grumbled inwardly, her gaze falling on Ethan’s remaining meat.
Ethan paused, feeling her gaze on him, or on his meat instead. Taking one more bite, he brought the meat closer to her lips while his free hand flipped the meat roasting on the fire.
Eva pressed a peck on his cheek in thanks before parting her lips to take a bite.
Finally, her taste buds were awake.
Ethan’s lips curled at her action, feeling the lingering warmth on his face.
Julian’s expression cracked, feeling irked, so he stole a kiss on her lips before feeling satisfied.
Eva shot him a baffled glance before turning to the meat brought down from the fire.
Julian swiftly grabbed the skewered meats from the tray and placed it on the fire to cook. A sizzling sound echoed as it began to roast.
They ate amid the sounds of crickets and owls. The fire blazed brightly, and smoke swirled through the air, carrying the mouthwatering aroma of roasted meat.
Meanwhile, the chef was digging up crops, his face bright with happiness as he looked at the cluster of ripe potatoes hanging from the roots.
"With the land so fertile, there really is no need for earth users or energy manipulators to grow crops. Just look at how many potatoes I dug up," the chef muttered, his voice trembling with excitement.
Feeling invigorated, he began harvesting the ripe potatoes scattered throughout the field.
...
At another location, Caiden and his group were planning to leave the valley today.
The morning sun shone over the desolate landscape, littered with uprooted trees and craters—the aftermath of the monster’s attack.
"Where should we go from here? At least this place was safe and had edible plants and prey," one of them asked in a desolate voice.
The monster had traumatized them, leaving them plagued by nightmares that woke them screaming or trembling in tears.
They had been so lucky to survive, but yeah, they couldn’t bet on that same luck. They’re left with no choice but to leave here.
"Did we ever have a specific destination? We stumbled into this place because of those beast attacks... We’ve stayed here long enough. Maybe we’ll run into other people. At least then we can join forces and survive longer in this place," the water user muttered, his voice filled with hope, though his expression was devoid of it, making it clear that he didn’t even believe his own words.
He was merely trying to console himself and the others, his gaze falling on Caiden, who seemed to be the undisputed leader of their group of four.
"Let’s go," Caiden announced, stretching out a finger as his beetle perched on it.
The three other men, plus Caiden, journeyed forward; they walked for hours, resting only when they could no longer go on.
Their surroundings were gradually changing; the small valley had already come into view, replaced by enormous trees and tall grass.
"We’re stopping here for the night," Caiden announced, feeling it was too dangerous to travel after dark.
They had been fortunate enough to encounter only small beasts that were easy to defeat on their journey.
"I’ll go gather some dried twigs," one of them muttered, then strode to the left.
Another man brought out the hunted prey from his right—their dinner tonight.
Caiden heard the sound of a gushing stream and planned to go there to wash up.
He had just taken two steps forward when he heard a loud shout from the left.
He stopped in his tracks. His relaxed expression shifted, and he leaned down to grab a stick from the ground, transforming it into solid gold.
He did all this in a second. Then he dashed towards the sound.
The other two followed behind him, each grabbing their weapons.
As soon as they arrived, the man who had shouted pointed to a piece of torn fabric lying on the ground, stained with a few drops of dried blood.
"Someone was here! We finally found a trace of other people who had been sent to the surface." The man rambled excitedly, pointing at the clothes as if he had found rare treasure.
His words left them stunned, and then it hit them. ’There might be people nearby.’
Even Caiden felt elated at the sight of the torn fabric. Though he didn’t travel alone, he still hoped for news of the others.
To know they were the last four survivors on the vast surface.
"There are no footprints around; they might have gone far. We don’t know if they’re alive. Even if they are, we might not meet them." Caiden’s words doused their hope like cold water; he was simply being realistic.
It was enough to know someone was here; if they met them, that was their luck.
"Let’s rest for the night; tomorrow we continue moving," Caiden instructed, giving the clothes one last glance before turning to leave.
They rested, whispering to themselves and excitedly discussing the possibility of meeting those people on the way.
The sky darkened completely, and they ate their meals and rested, their minds still active, filled with thoughts of meeting the people who had been here.
"Chirp..."
The morning sun filtered through the trees, and the birdsong gradually woke them.
They washed up by the stream, ate the leftover meat from yesterday, and continued on their way.
Days into the journey, their enthusiasm had died down, but their hopes rose again one afternoon as they passed through a mountain pass and one of them noticed footprints on the ground.
"Footprints! They are close." He informed the others, then moved the leaves aside to show them.
"There’s more here!" another person called out, pointing to the path on the left.
They had planned to take a straight path to where it led, but upon seeing the various footprints on the left, Caiden motioned for them to follow the footprints.
They might encounter those people today or tomorrow; the footprints seemed fresh.
"There are so many footprints." One of them muttered, motioning toward the dense number on the ground.
Caiden frowned at the possibility of a crowd. Traveling with a crowd, though safer, came with its own troubles.
"They might be a large group. We still have to be on guard," Caiden warned. It was left to them to believe him or not.
Anyway, once they joined the others, he might no longer follow his instructions.
They hummed in response, their gaze fixed on the footprints as they walked.
