And as they watched Charlotte collect the spoils from Wuto and the three wolfmen, they felt somewhat uneasy.
He was so proficient, it didn't seem like this was his first time doing this kind of thing.
Charlotte picked up the money bags from the three wolfmen. They were even poorer, with a total of just over 30,000 copper coins.
"This is for you." Charlotte threw one of the money bags with tens of thousands of copper coins to Jonah.
"You... you should keep it. We didn't do anything. It was you who saved our lives," Jonah replied, without even opening the money bag, and handed it back with both hands.
"Yes, thank you for saving us," Celia added, her face filled with gratitude.
If it weren't for Charlotte's intervention today, they would undoubtedly have died at the hands of the Wuto Mercenary Group, and Celia's fate might have been even more tragic.
"It's nothing. We're partners, and you were the first to think of protecting me. They're all paupers, each with just a few thousand copper coins. Keep it, consider it today's earnings," Charlotte said with a smile.
Jonah saw that Charlotte had no intention of taking the money bags, so he didn't continue to refuse and accepted them, saying, "Thank you."
"You're injured. Let me take care of your wounds." Charlotte looked at Jonah, who had several scratches on his arms and chest from the earlier battle, and they were still bleeding.
"You're going through all this trouble." Jonah didn't refuse. It wasn't a good thing to be injured in the wilderness, and having a professional doctor to help treat the wounds was undoubtedly the best.
Charlotte took out potions and stitches, and after cleaning and changing the dressing, he stitched up the wounds. In a moment, he had treated Jonah's wounds.
After putting away the stitches and potions, Charlotte slashed at a nearby pillar riddled with holes.
The pillar split in half from the middle and fell to both sides.
Two white shooting star mice were startled and rushed out from the holes, spreading their wings and trying to fly away.
Charlotte jumped over with a single step, and when he landed back on the ground, he already had the two shooting star mice in his hands.
With their white bodies and furry long tails, they looked somewhat like squirrels, but even cuter.
"Are these little things what you're looking for?" Charlotte looked at Jonah and asked.
"Yes, it's them." Jonah nodded dazedly. Man, if he had caught the shooting star mice like that, he wouldn't have had to go through the trouble of blowing smoke to drive them away.
"In that case, your mission is complete." Charlotte handed the two shooting star mice to Jonah.
Jonah quickly took out a pouch used for holding small beasts and put them inside, shaking his head, and said, "You caught them, I'll deliver them to the client and get the commission before returning them to you."
Charlotte shook his head slightly and said, "No need, consider these two meteor rodents as your spoils. I want the Seven-Star Fruit."
Being able to make the Ut Mercenary Group stay here for several days, the Seven-Star Fruit must be a valuable treasure.
Since there is only one fruit, he naturally doesn't want to share it equally with Jonah and his sister. Consider these two meteor rodents as compensation for them.
Jonah's eyes widened, understanding immediately, and nodded, "Alright."
Accepting these two meteor rodents signifies that he agrees to the distribution plan.
Although he doesn't know what the Seven-Star Fruit is, he can deduce its high value from the attitude of Ut and the others.
Charlotte had just saved them and now gave them something worth thirty thousand copper coins. Regardless of the actual value of the Seven-Star Fruit, it was more than they could hope for.
"I'll go check ahead." Charlotte turned and walked towards the direction where Ut and the others had appeared earlier. He intended to pick the so-called Seven-Star Fruit and considered this trip to the wilderness a success.
After circling in the Canyon of Stone Giants, Charlotte finally found a small tree with white spots in an inconspicuous crevice. On top of the tree, there was a fist-sized, vermilion fruit with seven golden stars on it, looking extremely precious.
"This must be the Seven-Star Fruit." Charlotte's eyes lit up. He reached out to pick the fruit but hesitated when he noticed that the bottom-most star was not fully formed.
"Perhaps it hasn't fully ripened yet? They were waiting here earlier, probably for it to grow all seven stars." Charlotte withdrew his hand, not rushing to pick it.
"Brother, what is the Seven-Star Fruit?" Celica, who was watching Jonah digging a hole, asked curiously.
"I don't know either, but it must be something valuable since it made these people wait here for days." Jonah smiled, then reminded her, "This should rightfully go to Doctor Charlotte, let's not ask for or take it."
"Okay." Celica nodded, helping to bury the four bodies of the orc warriors in the hole. Then she curiously asked, "The doctor is so powerful, why doesn't he show it in the Abyss? Everyone thinks he's just a doctor deprived of magic sources."
"Maybe he doesn't want to attract too much attention, or maybe... he doesn't want certain people to know about his strength." Jonah shook his head and advised, "Don't mention what happened today to anyone when we get back. If Doctor Charlotte doesn't intend to let others know about his power, we shouldn't reveal it."
"Oh." Celica nodded solemnly.
Jonah dug four holes and buried the bodies. It wasn't necessary to dispose of corpses in the wilderness. Overnight, wild beasts would devour them completely, not even leaving a bone.
However, Jonah decided to make it more decent since he had nothing else to do.
After burying the bodies, they waited for another half an hour before Charlotte returned.
"Let's go, we can head back now." Charlotte smiled.
He would only pick the Seven-Star Fruit when it was fully ripe. He would ask Harry about its price when they returned and find a way to sell it.
"You buried the bodies?" Charlotte looked at the small mounds of soil in the corner and was somewhat surprised to see Jonah.
"They were a bit unsightly left here, so I dug a hole and buried them." Jonah smiled innocently.
"Good." Charlotte nodded. He didn't have any sympathy or strong resentment towards the four orcs.
"Doctor, on the way back, I know another route if we're still interested. There might be some Golden Vines. Do you want to go that way?" Jonah asked, looking at Charlotte.
"Is the route safe?" Charlotte inquired.
Jonah nodded, "There may be a few level one or two magical beasts, but they don't pose a significant threat. We used to take that route."
Charlotte understood. They took the longer route earlier to accommodate him.
Now that he had revealed such formidable strength, he no longer needed extra care, and they could take the shorter route.
"Okay, let's take that route." Charlotte nodded. Golden Vines were essential to him. The clinic had run out, and if he could dig a few back, it would last him for some time.
Jonah continued to lead the way, but this time, Celica didn't intentionally walk at the rear. Instead, she walked beside Charlotte.
Perhaps having witnessed Charlotte's strength, the atmosphere on the return journey was much more relaxed. Jonah chatted with Charlotte along the way, telling him many interesting anecdotes about their years in the wilderness.
Of course, danger lurked everywhere in the wilderness.
Encounters like the one they had today were not the first for the siblings, but their luck had always been good, and they had always managed to survive.
The encounter with more beasts increased on the way back, and they even encountered a level two raging boar.
However, Charlotte didn't need to take action. With one headbutt from Jonah, the 1,000-pound black boar was knocked to the ground. Then, Celica finished it off with a spear, and it breathed its last.
The siblings revealed their cruel side.
The advantage of the half-beast's strength was demonstrated in them.
"Hehe, although I don't have a magic core, the meat of the raging boar is excellent. Selling it to the butcher can fetch a good price." Jonah simply put the 1,000-pound boar to the side and happily acted like a fool.
This boar marked the perfect end to their wilderness venture.
Ordinarily, to ensure their safety, he might have just cut a piece of boar hoof to take, but with Charlotte accompanying them, they no longer needed such precautions. They could take the shorter route.
"Great, I think it's a valuable herb. Let's dig it up if we find it next time. I can buy it from you for 2,000 copper coins per vine." Charlotte accepted it as a favor to them.
"If we find it, we'll dig it up for you without mentioning money." Jonah smiled.
"No, this should be a commissioned task. If you don't accept payment, then I won't commission you anymore." Charlotte spoke firmly. It didn't make sense to occupy their valuable space without compensation for the oversized vines.
At 2,000 copper coins per Golden Vine, it fell well within his acceptable range. It was less than ten copper coins per vial when divided out.
Reluctantly, Jonah agreed to his proposal. Selling a Golden Vine at 2,000 copper coins meant that they now had a safety net when venturing into the wilderness in the future. If they couldn't hunt any prey, they could search for Golden Vines instead, ensuring they weren't empty-handed for the day.
With Celica's ability, finding Golden Vines wouldn't be difficult, especially compared to catching meteor rodents.
The rest of the journey went smoothly. Along the way, they even ate the packed lunch that Charlotte had brought. After walking for another hour or so, they safely exited the wilderness and arrived at the three-way intersection.
"Doctor, there's still some time before it gets dark. We should go to Calva's Adventurer Guild to deliver the meteor rodents to the client and sell the pig. Are you heading straight back to the Abyss?" Jonah asked while looking at Charlotte.
"Yes, we'll part ways here." Charlotte nodded. He didn't plan on going to Calva at the moment.
"If you ever want to go into the wilderness again, just let me know anytime." Jonah chuckled. "Although my strength isn't anything great, I'm quite familiar with the outer paths."
Charlotte smiled at his offer and nodded. "Sure, next time I have the opportunity, I'll go into the mountains with you."
"Farewell, Doctor." Celica and Charlotte waved their hands, and the three of them went their separate ways.
It was still early afternoon, and there was some time before sunset. Charlotte glanced in the direction of Calva and turned around to head back to the Abyss entrance.
This trip to the wilderness had been fruitful.
The battle with the black bear spirit had also taught him a valuable lesson.
In martial arts, speed is key.
The Evil God was true to his word.