324 The Grune Fruit

When I saw a forest in the distance, I stopped in despair.

I had been walking along the river for a long time. The water source was no longer a problem, and hunger was my biggest enemy.

I still didn’t know much about the terrain around the palace. I only remembered that following the river flow would lead to the city, and the library was in that direction. But I guessed that the Moridius River had many branches, and the one I saw was not the one in front of the palace.

I sighed silently, feeling as if I had a dilemma.

Or should I return the way I came? Although it was a little later than before, if everything went well, there was still hope of returning before dark. If I was lucky enough and Michael came back as late as the past few days, he might not even discover me on this failed trip.

I took a handful of water from the river and drank a few mouthfuls, trying to suppress the hunger in my stomach. My gaze unconsciously stopped at the forest in the distance.

When I was investigating the missing she-wolves case with Michael, we walked through many forests. At that time, Samuel taught me about survival in the wild. The simplest and most practical method was to distinguish the plants. I knew that many mushrooms were growing under the trees, some of which could be eaten raw and which wild fruits in the bushes were harmless but delicious.

I couldn’t help but gulp when I thought of the sweet and sour taste of the fruit pulp.

…..
There was still a long way to go back, and I needed food to replenish my strength.

My bad luck had probably run out in the past few hours. I easily found a bush full of berries in the forest. The purple-red fruit hung from the branches, and the sweet and sour taste of the ripe fruit entered my mouth.

What surprised me even more was that I found the root of a certain plant under a tree. I had a deep impression of it because Michael had dug it out from a similar tree for me.

Michael told me it was called a grune fruit, and its trademark was that there was a straight green stem on the ground with a hollow inside. If you dug down along the green stem, you’d get a white-shaped fruit. It could be directly eaten raw after being washed with water, and because it was rich in starch, it would give people a very strong feeling of satiety.

I took a big bite of the fruit. It tasted more like a fruit. It was crisp and sweet. I still remembered when Michael gave me the grune fruit, he deliberately mentioned the wonderful use of the green stem of the grune fruit.

***

The growth conditions of the grune fruit were very harsh. It needed light, and the soil had met the suitable conditions. Moreover, because the green stem was fragile, many were crushed to death in the soil before reaching the ground. Michael explained as he held up the white stem.

“Why?” I didn’t understand.

“Because of its structure, its green stem does not provide water like other plants, but it is rich in oil, which makes them very soft and fragile. It’s also because of this that if you do this…” Michael broke the green stem and crumpled it into a ball in his hand. I saw that it became a green ball in Michael’s palm and reflected light.

“It can be used as a lubricant in various ways.” Michael had a smirk on his face when he said that.

***

I was starting to miss Michael.

The quarrel in the morning seemed to have passed a long time ago. I had to admit that I couldn’t leave him at all. His good and bad, including his arrogance and bad temper, were all covered with a beautiful filter in my memories, making him look so cute.

The mate relationship’s power was terrible.

I threw the last few berries into my mouth and patted the dirt off my body.

There was no irreconcilable conflict between Michael and me. Even this time, I didn’t come out to avoid him. I’d always been thinking about solving the problem. I had to return to our home at night.

Just as I was about to turn around, something flashed in my eyes. I looked in that direction and saw a flash of silver light.

I looked up doubtfully. The forest on this side was very dense. The lush branches and leaves blocked even the most glaring afternoon sun. I’d already walked far into the forest in search of the fruit. This place was far from the Moridius River, and nothing reflected light nearby. What was that silver thing?

Just as I thought I saw things, the silver light in that direction flashed twice again.

This time, I was sure there was something there.

Was someone there? Or some animal?

I hesitated for a moment, but I still couldn’t suppress my curiosity and walked in that direction.