Chapter 158: In the Forest

The next day, after returning to the manor to make preparations, the team decided to advance into the forest under the guidance of the lumberjack Xiao En to see exactly where that central, rotting datewood tree had been found.

Most people neither understood nor cared about the reason for this order, displaying a rather rare obedience and discipline, even though the commander, Martin, was only a knight. In a sense, this might be even more rare than mere personal martial prowess.

Warhorses were indeed unsuitable for entering roadless forests and held little practical value; only a few packhorses were brought along with the team, bearing the weight of several sets of armor and camping gear. And the kerosene that Kraft insisted on bringing, small cans bundled in net bags with straw padded between them for shock absorption, hung at the sides of the saddles.

Due to weight considerations, the amount carried was destined to leave Kraft unsatisfied, but objective conditions did not allow him to bring more.

Martin actually felt there was no need to add more. This was oil used to burn fortress gates during sieges, effective enough to be terrifying; having it nearby felt very unsafe. Nevertheless, he was willing to follow the advice of a professional and bring some along, just in case it became necessary to arrange a cremation for the mushroom-growing heretics later.

Come to think of it, would the professional work of a medical school professor really involve kerosene?

Carrying this small doubt, Martin rested briefly at the lumber camp, then followed the guide, who had brought only simple luggage, deep into the forest.

According to Xiao En, the "quite far" he spoke of was roughly a distance of two or three days of hiking through the forest; any farther would make it inconvenient to bring the timber back to the lumber camp. The river upstream within the forest was too shallow, full of rocks and shallow rapids, or blocked by tree branches hanging into the water, making it impossible to float downstream like the river sections below the lumber camp; the wood could only be brought back by human labor.

When luck was on their side, they would also conveniently bring back some forest specialties, such as small animals, berries, and wild vegetables, all hidden within the vast green curtain, far richer than the frequently disturbed outer forests. It was just that recently, luck seemed to have been poor, and the harvest was not as good as in previous years.

Advancing in such an environment was quite difficult, often requiring a hand axe to clear a path, chopping and splitting various plants, recognized or not, to squeeze out a small space passable for passage.

Insect and ant infestations, along with leaves that always held moisture, meant the faint damp and slightly itchy sensation on their bodies never ceased. Since the route generally followed the river, no one knew what lay beneath the seemingly normal layer of fallen leaves; it could be a flat plain, or a swamp that would swallow an entire leg.

Finding a large enough open space for overnight camping was also not easy, requiring a great deal of time and energy to clear, with irritability continuously brewing. At this time, the carried kerosene did prove helpful for igniting a fire in the dampness.

These troubles made those who knew the target feel somewhat reassured on another front. Whatever they were tracking could not possibly move through such a forest without leaving traces; even a ghost would have to leave two footprints.

After more than two days of hardship, Xiao En finally located the area of the previous logging operation, using a uniquely shaped tree struck by lightning as a landmark.

Indeed, it was only a general scope; trying to find the stump left last time based on memory was really not possible.

Fortunately, the space here was a bit more open; without needing to bother clearing, there was a clearing in the woods suitable for camping, which was cause for celebration.

"I seem to recall a proverb: looking for a specific tree in a forest." Martin looked around the sparse low vegetation of the woods, feeling that the sunlight falling from above was also much more abundant, no longer intercepted by the canopy to the extent of nine-tenths, "meaning an impossible thing."

The thing they had seen most these past few days was probably trees; facing such a problem, Kraft also felt it was tricky. "I shouldn't have expected Xiao En to find the location accurately."

"Of course, this is not his fault; it wouldn't be a simple task for anyone. We can search the immediate vicinity; at least the grass and trees here are not too dense."

"Truly don't know when we'll find it." Martin shook his head and walked away to check the squires' progress in digging the earth, and to supervise them not to randomly heat and eat any wild game they picked up.

Along the way, they encountered harvests like berries and wild vegetables, and also mushrooms, but they were scattered, and they had never seen that kind of obviously abnormal vigorous growth.

And here, at the roots of the tree by their feet, there were clusters of brown-capped, white-stemmed mushrooms the size of a finger. Judging by the color, they did not seem to be the kind that could knock a person down, closer to the image of edible mushrooms in traditional views.

Precisely because of this, Martin had to keep a close eye on those guys tending the bonfire, so that no one would suffer an accident where someone got a skewer of roasted white-belly mushroom slices without him noticing for a while. Whether out of caution or psychological aversion, he did not want to associate mushrooms with food again.

"I'll walk around a bit, not too far." Kraft walked towards the less crowded area outside the camp; he always felt his condition was not very good today, finding it hard to breathe when standing among many people, with a feeling like being in a long queue.

Empirically, staying away from the crowd at this time should improve the situation, so he refused Kup's company, leaning alone under a tree visible from the camp outside, waving to indicate he would stay there and there was no need to worry.

After pressing the back of his head against the tree trunk for a while, the fresh air of nature did not make him feel better; instead, the left arm he had just waved felt like it had been strained from excessive movement, with soreness radiating around the hard object, moving through the muscles.

When the uneven alternation of cold and heat also rose from the marrow, Kraft realized this was not as simple as just being in a bad state.

That sensation change was not very obvious, like the warmth of sunlit rock slabs and the slight coolness of metal before dawn, or the numbness and prickling sensation of fine flickering like an old TV snow screen, inputting signals to him through this port.

And the slightly heavy mind felt like it was soaking in a very light liquid brewed from gossip, only detectable when carefully felt.

Kraft moved away from the tree trunk, stepping back a few paces facing the tree; the abnormality lessened slightly, like a hallucination.

Continuing to increase the distance, that feeling did not fade, returning to its original level, as if just now it had only been a small fluctuation in inaccurate perception.

He simply walked a circle around the camp; the sticky abnormal feeling, like humidity, fluctuated, like ripples on a swimming pool, while he was always flailing in this boundless pool.

"Kup, come here for a moment." Kraft beckoned to the idle squire, "Do you feel a bit uncomfortable? Dizziness, heaviness, or the like?"

"Uh... I think maybe a little, like water got in my ears, but it doesn't hinder anything at all. Do you have any orders?" The squire shook his head, trying to shake out that non-existent water.

"Help me borrow an axe."

"Wait a moment." Kup ran back to the camp, quickly borrowed an axe from Xiao En, and handed it to Kraft.

The latter swung his arm and struck the nearest tree trunk with force; two axe marks sank into the trunk, converging at the tree's core, cutting out a wedge-shaped piece of wood.

And Kraft had no intention of felling this tree; after prying out the wood piece, he immediately moved to another tree, repeating this more than ten times, circling the camp, and returning to the center of the camp with a large bundle of scrap wood pieces.

"We don't need to bother looking for the tree cut last time."

"You mean...?" Picking up a piece, Martin saw the light-colored patch that loosened the wood and erased the growth rings.

"It's everywhere here."