After a short period of time, the stars in the sky became brighter, and the New Moon hung high in the sky.
The smell of the powder that Lulunaka sprinkled into the bonfire had already dissipated a long time ago. It didn't have much effect on Julius and the others, which made Julius very doubtful whether Lulunaka's powder was really for insect repellent.
The smell that had dissipated with the wind didn't stay near the caravan, and there was no follow-up smell that continued to be emitted from the bonfire. Could this really drive away the insects that would disturb people's rest, bite you, and bring venom?
Julius had such doubts in his heart. As for the others, he couldn't see the truth from their faces.
Whether it was Olga, Padding, or even Romuona, they didn't seem to care. At least on the surface, they didn't care what Lulunaka did.
He was the only one who could tell what he was thinking from his face.
This youth from the village was a very simple and easy to understand person.
There wasn't much fun to speak of in the long night, especially in the forest.
In the night, the Forest of the Dead wasn't as gloomy and scary as imagined. On the contrary, it seemed very calm.
Even in the east, which was already far away from human activities, the night seemed a bit too calm.
The howling of the beasts in the distance and the sound of the wind were most of the movements in the forest.
The insect repellent powder that Lulunaka sprinkled into the bonfire seemed to have worked. There were no sounds of insects in the vicinity of the caravan, but Julius still caught a few ladybugs on his arm, or slapped the unlucky little insects.
Julius threw these unlucky insects into the bonfire, and there was a crackling sound from the bonfire.
That was the sound of the insects being burned. They could clearly see the appearance of these insects after falling into the bonfire and being burned to ashes.
Looking at the insects being burned to death, Julius began to think. Was it because his body was too dirty that it attracted the insects, or was it because Lulunaka's so-called insect repellent powder didn't work?
But looking at the other three, it seemed that no insects had disturbed them. Was it really because of him?
Perhaps it was time for him to wash his body properly. However, it was rather difficult to find a safe water source to bathe in in a place like the Forest of the Dead. If it was raining, that was an option. However, to strip naked in front of a young girl and wash his body with the rain as if no one else was around, Julius needed a bit of courage.
While Julius was struggling with the issue of hygiene, Lulunaka was still alone beside a bonfire.
The hairless dog was squatting by her feet. Its eyes were closed and it looked like it was in deep sleep.
Lulunaka set up a small iron pot on top of the blazing bonfire. That small iron pot was also one of the items in the convoy. It was also rough and covered with lumps of iron.
It was unknown what was cooking in the small iron pot, but the sound of liquid bubbles popping could be heard.
Lulunaka held a clean slender wooden stick and kept stirring in the small iron pot.
When Julius saw Lulunaka setting up the small iron pot, he initially thought that she was preparing some personal meals. However, when the bottom of the small iron pot was burning hot, he changed his mind.
He didn't smell the aroma of food, so Lulunaka shouldn't be preparing food.
Then what was she cooking?
Julius was curious, but due to his prejudice against Lulunaka — regarding whether she was a man-eating witch — he didn't dare to go near her. If he saw her cooking fingers or toes, then Julius would probably have nightmares tonight.
In addition, Lulunaka mocked Julius for being a rotten piece of wood earlier. Julius was still sulking. At the same time, he hadn't spoken much to Lulunaka until now.
At this moment, Julius still hadn't figured out how to have a chance to talk to Lulunaka again.
Julius's troubles might just be his own wishful thinking. His so-called sulking was actually not in Lulunaka's mind at all.
Compared to Julius's emotions, Lulunaka's mind was now focused on the small iron pot in front of her.
The lid of the pot was pushed up by the rising steam and then fell back. The lid of the pot and the edge of the iron pot kept coming back together. The sound of metal colliding could be heard in the convoy and the forest, like a musical instrument playing a tune.
"A peaceful night." Lulunaka continued to stroke Ward's head.
Ward only had some fur on its body because its claws couldn't scratch the top of its head. It could only scratch the fur near its neck.
If it rubbed the fur on its head by rolling on the ground, it would probably be scolded by Lulunaka because it was too dirty. Lulunaka didn't think of herself as a person who didn't pay attention to hygiene.
Ward remained motionless, allowing his master to touch the only part of his body that could be said to have intact fur.
"It wasn't easy to get you a simulated dog skin and fur, but you don't like it. It's as if you think the clothes are itchy or stuffy … You're a man-made mechanical dog, where did this feeling come from? I clearly didn't add this function to you.
No, I've made you for some time now. More than ten years, right?
Maybe I added an extra function to you out of interest and curiosity, and then I forgot about it. It's also possible. "
Lulunaka's hand touched Ward's chin as if she was scratching an itch for it. After a while, she continued to touch Ward's belly.
Ward's belly was very soft, like a layer of silk wrapped in water, but only the fur part.
The part where Ward's silver body was exposed by Padding was very cold to the touch. It was completely the temperature of a dead body.
Lulunaka chatted with her dog. In fact, she was talking to Ward alone. Ward was a dog. No matter how intelligent it was, it couldn't speak. Time passed slowly until the night became darker.
Olga thought it was time to rest. He said to Romuona, "Ouna, you should rest."
Romuona nodded, but didn't leave immediately. "Let's wait a little longer."
Olga noticed that Romuona's eyes were fixed on Lulunaka, who was not far away.
Lulunaka looked lazy, but it seemed that she didn't intend to sleep. The small iron pot she put on the campfire was still steaming. No one knew what was cooking in it.
Julius, who was on the side, had already started to doze off, but he was still holding on.
As for Padding, he was responsible for keeping watch at night, just like Olga. Olga was responsible for the first half of the night, and Padding was responsible for the second half of the night.
Not only the two of them, but there was also a dog that didn't need to sleep at all. It was always lying on its stomach, seemingly asleep, to accompany them.
Olga and Padding took turns to keep watch at night to protect the convoy. There were also Romuona and Julius, the two boys and girls who didn't have much defensive ability.
As for Lulunaka, she didn't need to be protected.
Her work and rest were very irregular. Sometimes, she would fall asleep early. Sometimes, she could stay up all night. Sometimes, she would go somewhere unknown.
In the middle of the night, she seemed to have become a shadow, blending into the shadows.
When Olga began to urge Romuona and Julius to rest, Lulunaka noticed a small situation.
It wasn't a small situation, but it was enough for Olga to put his hand on the sheathed longsword on the side.
The convoy stopped at the side of the road. The road wasn't wide to begin with, so it seemed a little narrow. The trees on both sides of the road were slightly deformed. In the night, they looked like pairs of strange hands, reaching towards the relatively flat road from both sides, as if they were asking for something.
Among the pairs of deformed "strange hands", a figure walked out.
Under the light of the bonfire, the figure seemed to flicker. The flames of the firewood couldn't completely illuminate the uninvited guest who didn't come close to the bonfire.
The figure wasn't tall, just the figure of an ordinary adult man. His footsteps were a little unsteady. He probably came here because he saw the light.
When the figure came closer, his true appearance was finally seen.
It was a man wearing half-body armor.
The man had a tired and uneasy face. He didn't wear a helmet, and his crew cut made him look a little energetic.
The gray armor on his body was stained with a lot of mud. It looked like he had rolled in mud.
The skirt armor strung together with iron pieces was missing a large piece in the front. It looked like it had been bitten off. It was probably scraped away by something. Perhaps even a large piece of flesh on his lower body had been torn off. It wasn't just some iron pieces, leaving him with two intact thighs and pants.
He looked a little embarrassed, holding a two-handed sword with a curved blade and a chipped edge in his hand.
When he saw Lulunaka, the vigilance on his face was obviously reduced.
Lulunaka stood up and greeted the man who suddenly appeared.
"Hello, is there anything I can help you with?"
Even when facing a stranger, Lulunaka still maintained a smile, as if she was welcoming another guest.