Chapter 198: A Hefty Reward

It was dusk when Gwen finally reached the lake. She put the sack of things she was carrying on the ground, then took off her clothes. The woman also took off her panties even though she was still on her period.

"Is all this necessary?" I ask. "And it must be cold for you. You didn't bring any fire stones to make a bonfire.

"My body only has a few abrasions, so this should be okay." The woman started walking towards the water. "I feel that Re'i can sense my presence when I'm naked... Don't ask me why I know that. Maybe it has something to do with the psychic powers I communicated with Re'i."

"I see..." I choked.

Gwen turned her head to me when the water reached her stomach, smiling widely. "Why do you sound sad, Mr. Spirit? Are you afraid of losing me? Don't worry, you can still meet me at this lake. Well, I might be a lot different, though. My body will be full of scales, perhaps."

Hearing his trademark seductive sigh, I held my breath. This woman has become a part of my life, like the rest my colonists.

"I'm sorry, Gwen." My voice trembled.

"It's okay." The blonde-haired woman stared at the setting sun. "It's not your fault. Circumstances made me have to do this.

She continued on her way until the water reached the top of her chest. Then, she closed her eyes.

I turned around, could not bear to see her in such a condition. "Sorry, I'm leaving for a while."

"Huh? You want to leave a woman in a place like this alone, Mr. Spirit?" Gwen chuckled.

"Again, I'm sorry."

I pressed the fast-forward button.

***

I was only going to stop the time-speed feature when Re'i appeared, Gwen's condition worsened, or when she had been in the water too long. However, since I saw someone coming from a distance, I stopped it now.

Miro came carrying a torch to illuminate the dark cloudy night. I didn't ask him to come.

He wasn't alone but accompanied by Rex, who didn't show his usual enthusiasm anymore.

"Hey, are you not overdoing it?" The big tall man walked with a regular movement, not limping at all, although his pace was a little slower. The gunshot wounds to his thighs didn't seem to affect him at all. "Aren't you cold? And don't you feel dark?"

Gwen turned her head back, narrowing her eyes at the light from Miro's torch. "I have the ability to see in the dark, Miro."

"You better stop now." Miro stabbed his torch into the ground, then took out firewood from his sack. Rex lay beside the torch, and Miro rubbed his back. "Come here. I'll cook you something to warm you up, Gwen."

"I have to meet Re'i soon," Gwen answered.

"You can do it tomorrow. Come on, you must be hungry, right?"

I said in Gwen's ear. "That's right, Gwen. Come out to warm yourself up. I want Kat back soon too, but I don't want you to get sick."

"Well, okay." Gwen sighed, then walked out of the lake. As usual, Miro didn't look at the woman's naked body.

Gwen dried herself with a towel without speaking while Miro made a bonfire.

"This boy is very worried about his master." Miro rubbed Rex's back again after the fire had grown. "We all want Kat to come back quickly, but that doesn't mean you have to force yourself to ask the merman kingdom for help."

Gwen sat in front of the fire, not bothering to put on her clothes at all.

"No. I have to save Kat immediately." Gwen replied in a cold tone.

Ah, his lips were already turning blue, and his body was shaking. Maybe I left her in the water too long.

"Actually, you don't have to do this at all." Miro started to set the pot to cook on the bonfire.

Gwen's eyebrow rose. "Why do you talk like that?"

"I've heard stories about the Mermans many times. Yes, there are stories of them being genuinely helpful. However, most of them ask for a hefty reward. My guts say that the reward has to do with you."

"So?" Gwen flashed a meaningful smile. "So what if the reward I have to give has to do with me?"

"Perhaps that will change something about you?" Finally, Miro looked at Gwen, albeit only in the face. "Ah, it's hard for me to explain... I'm afraid the reward will make you suffer."

The blonde-haired woman closed her eyes. "You guessed it already, right?"

"Of course. I could have guessed it when you said Re'i was a king." Miro shook his head. "Not that I'm suggesting we stay quiet, Gwen. I have a solution. I'll ask my tribe to help you all. Well, maybe I need more effort to do it."

Gwen looked at me.

"Well, I've never been to Miro's tribe, so I can't teleport there. Even if I do, I won't necessarily be able to meet the guardian spirit." I explained. "Even if there are psychics there, it doesn't mean they will activate their power when I come."

A small chuckle escaped Gwen's mouth. "Why don't you go straight to your tribe but come here instead?"

"I wanted to check on you first because the rest of your friends didn't seem willing to."

I did ask my other people not to interfere with Gwen.

"I heard your tribe is about six days' walk from here, right? Not to mention the time it took to arrive at Jia's camp. From the chat I overheard this afternoon, I assumed they were nomads, Miro. By the time your tribe reaches those people, they may already be gone." Gwen stood up and walked over to her sack of things again. She took out the dry bread that was from Jia's group, then gobbled it like a madman.

"You're just torturing yourself, Gwen." Miro got up too.

"I appreciate everything you do, Miro. You are nice." Gwen drank water from her plastic bottle to shove the bread in her mouth, then walked backward toward the lake. "But, you want to get Kat, right? We'd better save Kat right away, so you can keep trying to make her fall in love with you."

Before Miro could reply, Gwen was blowing a kiss.