At dawn the next day, Mino awoke and stared blankly at the wooden shack's ceiling.
She had lain awake last night, torn between leaving with Mu Liang or staying, and only drifted off after hours of restlessness.
Sniff sniff…
Mino wrinkled her nose at the scent of cooking meat. She turned and saw the firepit's embers burning low beneath a hanging iron pot. The aroma wafted from within.
"You're up. Come have something to eat," Mu Liang said, stirring the pot's contents with a spoon.
Mino blinked—she'd always been the one to prepare breakfast. Hesitant, she asked, "Are you fully healed?"
"Mm, I'm fine now." Mu Liang replied lightly.
Breakfast was compressed biscuits boiled with little lizards—a dark recipe but filling. The biscuits were among the few items Mu Liang had brought from Earth when the ground split open.
Mino sat quietly by the firepit. Mu Liang portioned the meal into his metal lunchbox and handed it to her. He needed provisions before leaving camp, and only a few biscuits remained.
"Thanks." Mino accepted the box obediently.
She recognized the lunchbox—it had been in her own pack, which she'd considered giving up for tax but couldn't bear to part with. Mu Liang saw her low spirits and ate his own porridge of lizard meat in silence.
Sizzle…
They ate in quiet. Mino stole glances at Mu Liang's profile but couldn't find the words to talk as they had before.
Crackle…
Rock Turtle scraped the ground with its feet, its emerald eyes fixed on Mu Liang. Mino seized on the moment: "What will we do about the turtle?"
"We'll take it with us," Mu Liang said. He couldn't risk leaving the Level-1 Rock Turtle behind—it would be killed for meat. Besides, it could hunt for its own food outside camp.
"I see." Mino nodded, and the silence returned.
After breakfast, they packed the shack's valuables to guard against thieves. Mino's home—a simple wooden hut built of animal hides and deadwood—sat at the camp's edge, ideal for a quiet departure by two people and a turtle.
Rock Turtle's walking speed matched a normal person's pace, and its brown, stone-like shell made for perfect camouflage. Once clear of camp, the trio headed north. According to Mino, a rocky hillside lay that direction, home to many little lizards.
They passed other figures, who gave them a wide berth—likely afraid of having their food stolen. In a post-apocalyptic Wasteland, backstabbing was common for survival.
The hill wasn't far. Soon they stood at its base.
"Little Xuanwu, go find your meal," Mu Liang crouched and patted the Rock Turtle's head. He had named it Little Xuanwu in hopeful anticipation.
"Grrr…"
The Rock Turtle nudged his palm, then chose a direction and plodded off.
"Won't it get lost?" Mino asked anxiously.
"No. We share a mental link," Mu Liang smiled. Domesticated animals could communicate with him telepathically.
Mino relaxed and pointed ahead. "My traps are at the next few hillocks."
"Check your traps; I'll scout for prey," Mu Liang decided to split up. He intended to catch something larger than little lizards, whose meat was too meager to fill a stomach.
"All right. Call me if you need me."
"Will do." Mu Liang nodded and set off in the opposite direction from the Rock Turtle.
"Sigh… why do I feel so unsettled today?"
Mino sighed and slapped her cheeks to boost her spirits.
…Mu Liang paused mid-step—his enhanced senses picked up her muted sigh. Loneliness made people cling more desperately to newfound companionship. He resolved not to comfort her; gentle words now would only deepen her hurt if she chose not to leave later.
Crunch…
He walked over barren ground and thought, "This is truly desolate—no different from the Gobi." He scanned sharply for movement.
Shh…
A sliding grain of sand alerted him. He focused on a nearby rocky wall and spotted the cause: a little lizard climbing its face.
"I can't let you escape," Mu Liang drew his combat knife and swiftly stabbed the lizard's head.
Thwack…
The lizard fell dead.
Shh…
Another lizard emerged from the wall, swiftly scaling upward.
"A color-changing lizard?" Mu Liang reacted in under a second, reaching to press on it. He missed the first time but managed on the second.
"I didn't expect two species of lizard here."
Mu Liang examined the struggling color-changing lizard in his palm—it was twice the size of the common ones, its skin mottled red, green, and blue.
"Ding! Tamable creature detected. Domesticate it?"
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