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Chapter 78 The Lucky One
Woody, the raven on his shoulder, exclaimed in surprise, "This thing has such a powerful aftereffect?"
"Compared to that..." Xia Lin said weakly, wiping the corner of her mouth.
"I'd rather face a strong goblin in a cave, or... I might as well challenge a legendary dragon!"
At least it wouldn't be as painful as it is now...
With the death of the demon, the ghouls that had been stirring and gradually surrounding them suddenly fell into chaos.
Without the unified command of their "leader," they were quickly dealt with by the crowd as easily as cutting melons and vegetables.
Death brings silence and the sorrow of losing a companion.
Guard Captain Ward remained silent as he walked toward the bodies of his men lying on the ground.
When he arrived, his squad, though not elite, was well-organized and full of energy.
Now, besides himself, all that's left is...
"Team leader?"
A slightly weak voice, filled with disbelief, came from a patch of bushes that had been knocked to pieces behind them.
Everyone looked in the direction of the sound and saw Bill, the young guard who had been knocked away by the orc Garu in his haste, struggling to crawl out of the branches.
His face was covered in mud, and his left arm was bent at an unnatural angle, clearly broken.
Apart from that, he had no new wounds, and although his eyes were still shaken, they were clear and bright.
"Bill! You're still alive?!"
Ward carefully helped him out of the bushes, his voice filled with barely suppressed excitement.
"I...I don't know either," Bill winced in pain, but still tried to recall.
"I was knocked in and passed out, I just woke up..."
This miraculous survival was something even he found unbelievable.
Perhaps it was the fierce orcish aura he carried, or perhaps it was simply luck.
On the perilous battlefield, he miraculously survived while unconscious, becoming the only "seed" for the squad besides Ward.
"My bone is broken, and I need to go back to the doctor to get it set properly. But the fact that I'm alive is the greatest blessing."
The old pastor, Farr, came over and briefly examined his injuries.
The druid used branches and strips of cloth to perform emergency fixation on Bill.
After a brief moment of relief, Ward looked at the several bodies on the ground that could no longer stand up, took several deep breaths, and barely managed to calm his turbulent emotions.
With their combined efforts, the group began digging in a relatively dry and flat clearing next to the woodland, using the broken sword they could still find.
The soil was mixed with grass roots and gravel, making the digging work quite difficult.
Charlin, Griffin, Garru, and even Bill, whose arm was injured, all silently joined in.
The sounds of iron scraping against the soil and heavy breathing replaced any words.
As Bill struggled to clear the dirt with his still-functioning right hand, he couldn't help but ask, "Captain... are we really not going to... take them back? Their families...?"
Ward paused, watching as the soil gradually covered the familiar yet cold face of his former comrade, his voice hoarse and low: "Don't I want to... Bill?"
The priest will then cast a protective barrier to temporarily shield the bodies of the deceased from the wild beasts of the forest.
We marked the spot, returned to town, immediately organized manpower, brought the right tools and carts, and came back... to take them home again.
This is the most practical solution at the moment.
Bill looked at the captain's tired but determined profile, then at the figure gradually being buried by dust in the pit, and finally nodded.
Handfuls of damp soil fell, gently covering and piling up an inconspicuous grave.
At this moment, life and death are separated only by a thin layer of soil.
Bill silently took out a long, colorful feather from his waist; it was the trophy he had previously acquired from the chicken-snake beast.
He walked to the frontmost mound and carefully inserted his tail feathers deep into the soft soil.
"Tahm Kench, Hek... and everyone else,"
His voice was soft, yet it reached everyone's ears clearly, "Before... you all said this feather was beautiful and wanted to trade with me... but I couldn't bear to part with it."
Now... I'm giving it to you. I hope you'll like it over there too.
The feathers trembled gently in the breeze, as if bidding a final farewell to the living.
Captain Ward opened his mouth, his Adam's apple bobbing, but in the end he just raised his arm and patted Bill hard.
A gentle, holy light rippled outwards like waves, enveloping the newly erected graves.
The light seeped into the soil, forming an invisible protective layer.
The old priest Far looked even more exhausted. He solemnly said to Ward, "This protective barrier, combined with the Tranquility of the Dead spell, can only last for about three days at most."
Time is limited. Once you return, you must bring people back as soon as possible to collect the body.
This forest is not peaceful; some monsters with a keen sense of smell or sensitivity to the scent of death may be attracted here.
We must give the families of the victims a proper explanation.
He paused, his voice softening, yet carrying an undeniable sense of responsibility: "And also, the matter of compensation for the fallen guards."
I will convey the details of this mission to the town's guard in the name of the church and do my best to secure additional compensation for them.
I know this can't make up for the pain of losing a life, but... I hope it can offer some comfort to their family.
"Thank you very much. Please rest assured that I will personally oversee the process to ensure that every compensation payment is delivered intact to each of their family members."
This is my responsibility, and it's also what I owe to my brothers.
Ward straightened his back and spoke sincerely.
On the other side, Druid Griffin, enduring the lingering stench in the air, began carefully searching among the ghoul remains.
He moved swiftly and professionally, using a dagger and special tools he carried to treat certain parts of the ghoul.
After feeling a little better, Xia Lin also came over. He was taking the opportunity to gain practical experience by following the professionals, so he paid close attention.
This is a crucial skill related to maximizing loot gains when completing missions alone in the future.
"Ghouls and other undead don't carry many good items."
As Griffin used his thick-gloved hand to slice off the bluish-black claw of an elite ghoul, he explained to his "humble learning" colleague.
"Unlike magical creatures like the chicken-snake beast and the petrified lizard, which are treasures from head to toe, most of their organs and tissues are useless or even harmful due to decay and stench."
Especially with these undead creatures, the properties of many of their parts are unknown; rashly collecting them could easily backfire.
The fangs of elite ghouls can be used as a base material for poisoned weapons, and they also have some undead decay properties, so they also need to be preserved.
From the center of the demon's shattered remains, Griffin used small silver tweezers to pick out a small piece of what appeared to be a black, gel-like "putrid gland," and quickly tossed it into a crystal bottle tool, which immediately sealed the bottle with a cork.