Maybe I should put you on a bird?

Through four hours Lazaro hunted down the surrounding harmless beasts. He chose the best kind to bring back and left others in specific locations taking the wind direction into account, any mindless beast would be more attracted to that smell and be led away from the camp's trail.

'Should be enough for a single night.' He thought.

( Don't try to act poised, the fact you've been conned won't change.) Hyera laughed. (Pffthaha, I don't get it, because she went a little flustered and angry you thought she was telling the truth about the method being discovered soon!? And you can't even claim she was dishonest because there's no proof they won't actually discover it)

At her mockery, The image of Lina agreeing to his marriage proposal appeared on his mind, they had the same acting abilities. He thought and unwittingly smiled.

'I was just conned woman, drop it.'

(It can't really be considered a con since you went there without actual knowledge on the subject in the first place. So, to be more accurate, that was just plain old, dumbness.)

His temple vein bulged up.

"Feeling very safe, little Becca?... Maybe I should put your soul into a bird?"

(I"m sorry.)

"Humpft."

He snorted and continued to reminisce and smile

Hyera inside of him observed his smile. She was stunned. It was so pure, the sun shone down on him as he smiled and cleaned the animals.

'He chose to live and enjoy life here, free from battles, but will he be able to?' She asked herself. Hyera knew from the images of his life, that once he holds someone or something dear, he protects it with all he has, partly she feels guilty, this world was one that he always dreamed of living in, he'll soon grow attached to it, and maybe as soon as that he'll have to battle for its survival.

But she calmed herself, her methods might be unjust, but she needed him as her champion, even as a mortal her will was still one of a divine being. To nurture a champion was still possible.

'I just need him to grow attached enough, then when I show him earth's predators, he won't have a choice but become my champion to heal his crippled meridians and dantian.'

She sighed inwardly, guilt crowding her thoughts.

****

The midday sun calmed into the friendly four in the afternoon.

Lazaro appeared from the bushes with a huge smile and two cleaned boars in each hand.

But he was the one surprised. Tents, completely different from what he's used to were spread through the clearing.

Lucas and Larissa were preparing two firepits to roast the meat.

And in the middle of the clearing, there were around twenty gallons of water of five liters. More than enough for one spendful day.

Lazaro's eyes turned to the old man who nodded. "It just arrived. As soon as we were stranded I bought it, though I expected more people." He finished with a sigh.

'Around five hours for this much? good enough.'

Lazaro himself bought two large-sized tents and water when he received the payment from the con artist in a sundress. As the volume was little it took only four hours to receive it. He planned it to let everybody rest so they could depart with sound mind and body.

Although he has extreme expertise if your body can't even support its own weight then you're useless.

He nodded Gerald and before handing the boar over to Lucas and the humming Larissa, he pressed some points in the meat with his finger then handed it to be prepared for roasting.

(What are you doing?)

'Every living being has Essence in them. Around five percent of that essence is left in the meat and bones when they die. Where I poked, will concentrate the remaining essence into the heart. I cannot generate or naturally gather it from nature in my core and meridians, but there's still another way, the most natural; eating, the stomach will process the essence and then I can distribute it through my body.'

Hyera widened her eyes in surprise. "You plan on doing it like a beast!? But wouldn't that take too long!?

'I'm in no hurry.'

"Is that the D class beast; leathered boar?"

A feminine voice he hadn't heard before came to his side. Lazaro looked

And the short young man with clear feminine features startled byt the dry blood on him

"I don't know. I thought it was the kind of boar ou had here." Lazaro said.

But the young man, Avilá, recovered and analyzed the animal. It's known for the thick hide, normal predators would pick it as meal only if they're starved for days. otherwise, they'd just be losing teeth for nothing, that was how thick its hide was.

Seeing the stake tree root, deep into the animal's eyes, he understood how it was done. Then Avilá saw how thin and light Lazaro was through the baggy rags, and could not understand how he managed to do that, it filled him with admiration.

"Wondering if you could do the same?" Lazaro suddenly asked.

Avilá blinked, 'so he's a mocker.' he thought and his enthusiasm waned.

He was used to it; men mocking him, for his height and feminine features. it got better a he grew up, as mockery took the sophisticated forms of playful backhanded jokes coupled with cheap smirks.

That's what he waited for as Lazaro continued.

"Maybe not the exact same method, but I can make you be able to do this by tomorrow," Lazaro said and spun the first boar on the skew.

"W-What?" Avilá babbled disconcerted.

"Why don't you talk about your abilities first?" Lazaro looked at him with a simple smile.

Along with the barbecue, Lazaro talked to everyone. He laughed and loosened them up, he got to know their abilities and affinities for their travel.

He understood some differed things o their world.

'Those innate abilities of them are quite odd. I didn't know it was possible to 'awaken' an ability rather than learn or develop one.'

(It happens when a race who lived on the minimum amount of essence is suddenly touched by an abundance of it. Until ten years ago, the earth was like a dry desert, that's why they evolved in material ways rather than spiritually.)

He asked these kinds of things and Hyare new his interest was piqued. And sought to pull him deeper into this new world.

With time, she believed he would become her champion, and follow her on the battles to come.