Little Sophie was eating, and suddenly her small mouth quivered, and tears "plop-plop" fell down.
A somewhat addicted-to-feeding Andrew: "?"
Has the Water Spirit Technique failed? Have the grapes turned sour instead of sweet?
Little Sophie's tears became uncontrollable, "Wah wah... Andrew brother... I don't want you to die..."
The grapes were sweet, not sour at all.
But the sweeter the grapes were, the sadder little Sophie became.
From last night till now, Andrew's mind was filled with thoughts of how to gather enough strength to eliminate Humboldt before the "death date" predicted by the old Mage.
In the minds of others, he was merely a young man with limited time left.
Although last night Andrew told little Sophie, "Your brother Andrew won't die," who would really believe that in this Flame Realm?
"Wah wah wah! Andrew brother! Andrew brother wah wah wah wah——!"
Little Sophie's crying reminded Andrew of "the hope of the whole village" from the world before his crossing.
Aunt Sofia nearby didn't say anything, but her eyes were a bit red, and her gaze at Andrew was full of gratitude.
As for the gazes from the camp residents, they were filled with regret and sympathy.
"This..."
Andrew scratched his head, a bit unsure of how to handle the situation.
The presence of the old Mage felt like an invisible but enormous shadow looming over Andrew's heart.
To say there was no pressure would be a lie.
But if I say that I already have over a forty percent chance of taking down that damned old Mage, would you believe it?
If today's battle preparation goes well, the success rate can rise to over sixty percent; wouldn't saying it out loud make everyone feel it's a bit of a fairy tale?
"Sigh, alright, stop crying, you've turned into a little flower cat."
Andrew raised his hand to wipe little Sophie's tears and said, "The grapes aren't sour, are they? As long as the grapes aren't sour (which means my 'Water Spirit Technique' is working)!"
Honestly, comforting wasn't his strong suit.
No choice... just have to divert attention!
Andrew really felt that if this little girl kept crying, she could wipe out all the good mood brought by Ivan!
It's as if I have already passed, how am I going to continue today's fire extinguishing plan?
Hmm, divert attention, divert attention...
Andrew stood up and deliberately said, "Do you still want to eat grapes? If not, I'm going out for a bit later."
Sure enough, little Sophie was surprised, "Going out again?"
Her little hands instinctively grabbed Andrew's coat corner, looking up with her face still streaked with tears.
If it weren't for the snot along with the tears, this cute little appearance would be simply perfect!
Aunt Sofia was also stunned for a moment, then asked somewhat oddly, "So early... Andrew, where are you going?"
Before Andrew could answer, the other camp residents began to persuade him: "Just stay in the tent and rest, don't run around!" "Yeah, yeah! Rest well, maybe your illness will get better!"
Andrew was moved, smiling as he said, "It's alright... cough, cough, I'm just going out for a casual walk. Thank you all for your concern, really, thank you, cough."
Looking at Aunt Sofia again, "These grapes, could you help me put them away? I'll eat them when I get back."
"...Alright."
Aunt Sofia saw Andrew's firm attitude and didn't ask any more questions.
She took the grapes and returned to the tent to put them away for Andrew.
When she came out of the tent again, Andrew had already left the temporary camp.
Little Sophie asked pitifully, "Mom, do you think Andrew brother can really live past Humboldt the Grand Mage's prediction of a week? Last night, Andrew brother told me he wouldn't die, that he would live well. Is he lying to me?"
"Of course... he's not lying to you. If your brother Andrew says he can live well, then he surely can!"
Aunt Sofia said something against her conscience.
There was no choice; even Ivan, after receiving part of Andrew's treatment, dared not fully believe that Andrew could completely cure him.
In this Flame Realm, lung burn syndrome is a terminal illness, almost the law in everyone's mind.
A resident of the camp then asked, "Hey, Sofia, did Andrew say where he's going today? Out so early..."
Aunt Sofia shook her head, "I don't know."
She really didn't know.
Just like she still didn't know why Andrew went to see Ivan last night; it was very strange!
That child certainly wouldn't be exchanging his body for food like herself...
Eh? Wait!
Aunt Sofia suddenly looked down at the grapes she was holding, which hadn't been distributed yet.
Andrew went to find Ivan in the middle of the night...
Returned to the camp with a box of grapes...
This——!
Aunt Sofia's expression was indescribably strange, feeling she seemed to have uncovered some astonishing truth.
The camp residents were still muttering:
"Have any of you noticed, Andrew seems a bit different from before."
"Which aspect do you mean? That he rescued little Sophie from the sea of flames last night? Hmm, that indeed doesn't seem like Andrew's usual style, couldn't tell he has such courage and love at a critical moment."
"I feel, it's not just about saving someone, Andrew himself feels... unusual."
"I agree, you say he's about to die, yet he seems very calm. But you say he's fine, and he's always coughing. And Humboldt the Grand Mage's prediction is never wrong..."
Aunt Sofia continued to distribute the remaining grapes, listening to these discussions.
Like everyone else, Aunt Sofia increasingly felt that Andrew was not quite the same as the one in her memory.
But, thinking too much is futile.
After distributing the fruit, Aunt Sofia held her daughter's hand and returned to the tent together, gently reminding her, "Stay well in the camp tent, don't run around. Mommy is going to town to work today. I need to quickly save money to move back to a normal house; staying in this temporary camp isn't a solution."
Little Sophie obediently said, "Living here is great, with everyone together, it's lively. Don't overwork yourself, Mom."
Aunt Sofia couldn't help but fondly stroke her daughter's hair.
This is why she felt that pondering questions like "what's changed about Andrew" was of little significance.
After all, life has to go on, right?
It's just...
Her gaze drifted to the camp entrance Andrew had left through earlier, and Sofia couldn't help but "overthink" a little: "Andrew, where is he going? Why does it feel like it's not as simple as 'just a casual walk'..."