Chapter 106: Departure

“Of course, of course! Absolutely!” Simon looked at Hughes, eager to hear what plan Hughes had in mind.

“I’ve made my decision. Release your people, and you take me to the Meteorite Mountain Range!” Hughes repeated his earlier words firmly.

After hearing Hughes, Simon fell silent, deep in thought.

Hughes was patient, quietly waiting for Simon’s response.

When Simon first intended to lead people to the Meteorite Mountain Range, Hughes had already planned to have this lion-man guide him. Although he had a map given by Gekariel, having someone lead the way was always better.

“I cannot abandon my people!” Simon said seriously after a long pause.

“If you agree to come with me, I can heal your injured clan members. You must have many wounded—if they don’t receive timely treatment, they won’t die immediately, but the journey will be greatly slowed. Aren’t you afraid the Empire’s army will catch up to you during the delay?” Hughes said as he took out a vial of natural medicine, shaking it before Simon’s eyes.

Simon fell silent at this, forced to admit that every word from this young man struck a chord deep within him.

The injuries among his people were indeed his greatest concern. There was no way to find proper medicine, and their status as commoners meant no one would accept them.

“Can you really heal them?” Simon’s heart stirred. If his people recovered, they could quickly cross the border of the Fishscale Country and be safer.

“I am a pharmacist,” Hughes declared openly, sensing Simon’s growing trust.

“Really? That’s wonderful!” Simon felt reassured hearing Hughes’ profession.

“Alright then! I’ll take you to the Meteorite Mountain Range, and you heal my people!” Simon agreed without hesitation.

“Deal!” Hughes smiled, not adding anything further.

“Release everyone. Disperse!” Simon turned and ordered the surrounding beast-men to scatter.

“But you all must wait until we leave before you can go!” Simon glanced at Veli, who was still recovering, and said.

“Ah...” Though reluctant, Veli still agreed verbally.

“Shall we leave now?” Simon asked Hughes as he turned.

“Yes, let’s go. We must leave quickly!” Hughes was eager to depart; the presence of Empire forces meant trouble.

“You keep these people under watch. Don’t let any of them escape!” Simon prepared to take Hughes to the injured beasts' place, leaving the others to guard Veli and his group.

“This is it!” Simon led Hughes to the cabin of a nearby ship.

The cabin was tidy, but as soon as Hughes entered, he noticed a strong unpleasant odor.

“Many of my people have been injured for days. This is just a dock, far from the place where the wounded gather. The medicines we looted from other ships don’t work well, so we can only leave them here for now,” Simon said helplessly, frowning at Hughes.

“The chief is back!” A lion-man who was giving water to the wounded looked up with surprise and joy.

“I’m back. Nothing serious,” Simon said affectionately, patting the lion-man’s head.

“The situation isn’t good. I worry they won’t hold on much longer. By the way... who is he?” The lion-man’s attention shifted from Simon to Hughes.

“He’s a friend of mine, here to help our people,” Simon replied reluctantly, unsure how else to explain.

“Really?” The lion-man immediately bounced over to Hughes.

“Can you really save them?” The lion-man’s eyes shone with hope.

Though the lion-man’s voice sounded young, he was almost the same height as Hughes, though small compared to Simon.

“As long as the wounds aren’t fatal, I can probably help,” Hughes said carefully, not wanting to overpromise.

“By the way, chief, why haven’t the others who went out with you returned yet?” The lion-man suddenly remembered something and left Hughes to find Simon.

“They’re on the beach outside. They’ll be back soon. Uh... my friend here needs to treat them. Having too many people around will interfere,” Simon said, realizing he hadn’t asked Hughes’ name yet.

“Right, right, treatment comes first!” The lion-man acted like he understood perfectly.

“How shall we start?” Simon asked Hughes, knowing he couldn’t handle this himself.

“Bring me some fresh water, plenty of it,” Hughes said simply. He planned to dilute the natural medicine and have the beasts drink it. Whether it worked would depend on them.

“I’ll go, I’ll go!” The lion-man immediately fetched a large container of water.

“You don’t have more people than this?” Hughes looked at the dozen or so injured lying in the cabin.

“Our tribe is split into two groups. The other group left long ago. Most of them are women and children, so that group is larger,” Simon explained honestly.

“Then why didn’t you leave earlier? Instead, you raided a dock!” Hughes took out the vial of natural medicine he carried, preparing to use it.

“Do you think I wanted to? The Meteorite Mountains are where the majority of Arkly beast-men gather, but to join, you need enough resources. We had no choice,” Simon vented, sharing his troubles.

“But why go to the Meteorite Mountains? There are millions of beast-men there. Aren’t you afraid?” Simon asked curiously.

“Millions?” Hughes was startled by the number, never expecting so many beast-men to gather there.

“I’m just passing through the Meteorite Mountains,” Hughes said without revealing his destination.

“Oh, I see,” Simon nodded, not pressing further.

“I’m Simon Sinton,” Simon offered when the conversation faltered.

“Hughes Bruech,” Hughes responded quietly.

“Water’s here!” Just then, the lion-man returned carrying a large bucket of water, placing it before Hughes.

Hughes poured the natural medicine into the water, turning it a faint green. A subtle, fresh aroma filled the cabin.

“Just have them drink this?” Hughes asked Simon and the lion-man, looking at the mixed liquid.

“Is it really that simple?” The lion-man’s eyes widened. He had expected a complex preparation.

“Yes, just this simple,” Hughes said, uninterested in further explanation.

Seeing Hughes’ reluctance, the lion-man turned to Simon.

“Let’s gather everything and give it to them. If they drink it and get better, we can all head to the Meteorite Mountains together!” Simon chose to trust Hughes. Besides, the scent was not unpleasant.

“Alright!” The lion-man quickly found a bowl and began distributing the medicated water.

Simon helped, and together they finished the bucket quickly.

“How long until they recover?” The lion-man asked Hughes after the medicine was gone.

“By tomorrow, it should be fine,” Hughes said, examining the wounds. None were fatal; the immobilization came from infections. With the diluted medicine and their strong constitutions, recovery by morning was plausible.

“That’s good!” The lion-man sat quietly to the side, watching the wounded with wide eyes.

“Will they really wake up by morning?” Simon pulled Hughes aside, speaking quietly so the lion-man wouldn’t hear.