Following a stream, forgetting how far one has traveled.
Although starting with classical Chinese isn't ideal, it conveys a single meaning: after Fulen used what he learned from books to determine his direction, he followed a recognizable river for so long that he forgot how far he had walked.
With various minor spells, Fulen's wilderness survival skills were stronger than others of the same Sequence, perhaps only the Archaeologist and Beast Tamer were better. The former due to rich outdoor experience and physical fitness, while the latter could control animals, essentially gaining a companion.
Fulen, on the other hand, had convenient fire and lightning, not much different from modern life. While it was difficult to kill people with them, maintaining Fulen's wilderness life was quite simple.
After an unknown period of walking, Fulen sat by a lit campfire, quietly watching a small teapot boil. He casually covered his hand with frost to pick up the scalding teapot, but didn't hold it for long. Although he wasn't afraid of being burned, it wouldn't be good if the teapot cracked from the sudden temperature change.
In the serene forest, a crystal-clear river flowed through. The smoke from Fulen's campfire rose, and though he was just imitating, he still built a small campfire.
The small teapot was an item Fulen hid inside his clothes. Magicians sometimes need to hide a large number of special or non-mechanical items. Although a few fragile small items broke, this small teapot survived, solving Fulen's water problem.
As for eating, he would casually kill some prey, roast it over the campfire, and eat. Although there was a lot of waste, after Fulen stopped eating, small forest animals would eat the remaining meat, so it wasn't overly extravagant.
"See a giant panda, eat a giant panda. See a Siberian tiger, eat a Siberian tiger. Eat anything you see…" Fulen looked at a spotted deer of unknown species he had killed nearby, recalling a grotesque video he had seen, and couldn't help but hum.
Touching his stubbled chin, Fulen scratched his head. He couldn't get rid of it cleanly. Burning couldn't be extinguished at will, so if Fulen used Burning to clean his beard, he would only end up Burning himself.
Fulen was eager to try, as there was a small stream nearby. But in the end, Fulen was afraid his beard follicles would be scalded, so this suicidal thought had to be abandoned.
In this mysterious world, traces of the mysterious are not impossible to find. No, rather than saying there are traces of the mysterious, it's more accurate to say that the time when the mysterious disappeared in this world was brief. In the fourth epoch or even earlier, gods could walk freely in the world. It was only in the Fifth Epoch that the mysterious gradually disappeared.
On the current continent, creatures with Beyonder power are not limited to humans. Those Beyonder creatures hunted by Beyonders are one thing, but other races besides humans, though now unheard of, may not have completely vanished. It's more likely that these species are just hidden.
Returning to the main topic, Fulen's thoughts were not without reason. At the border between Intis and smaller nations like Lenburg, besides the roads opened by people, there were more forests, deserts, and great rivers.
Within the forests, deserts, and great rivers, Beyonder creatures are actually hidden. This is why this world doesn't advocate traveling deep into the mountains and old forests. In fact, books even state that casually entering the forest would disrupt the harmony of creatures, breaking the cycle. The Earth Mother loves all living beings, and living beings are not just humans. Humans must not trespass on the territory designated by the Earth Mother, otherwise, the cycle will be eternally extinguished, and they will never escape.
Fulen was speechless that such a mystical book could be published. Looking at the book type, it was actually an authoritative guide to wilderness survival, published in Faynapotter, and the author was a staunch fan of the Earth Mother.
Pinching the bridge of his nose, Fulen was still a bit unaccustomed to the beliefs of this world. When Fulen originally read books, he disliked seeing names and beliefs that affected the reading experience in factual books. Yet, most books in this world were mixed with various beliefs. No wonder the knight novels in this world were so attractive; presumably, they didn't contain too much religious content.
Making a fire in the forests of this world does not actually mean safety. On the contrary, in this world, a campfire can only drive away ordinary beasts, but animals with Beyonder characteristics will not give up easily; instead, they will think there is prey here.
Nothing is absolute. Fulen's bold act of making a fire wasn't because he was foolish, but because he possessed the white staff he called "pain declaration," which had the Beyonder characteristic of the Demoness of Afflictions. Although the name was a bit chuunibyo, Fulen still thought he was a genius at naming, as "Staff of Pain" sounded a bit too ordinary.
Picking up the roasted venison, Fulen took a delightful bite. Although the taste was so awful it could make one spit it out immediately, Fulen still ate it with relish.
When barbecuing in the wilderness, especially deep in the forest without seasonings, just roasting meat alone would taste absolutely terrible. And venison was not the type Fulen had originally eaten; it could only be minimally processed, so don't even think about it tasting good.
For example, when eating pork, if no treatment is done to remove the gamey smell, those who can eat the resulting meat are tough individuals, and those who can eat it with relish are Werewolves.
Fulen only roughly knew he had been walking for ten or twenty days, but he was certain he hadn't left the hunter-infested area of the forest yet. Because when Fulen picked up "pain declaration," he could feel several quite powerful auras around him.
As for the direction, that was correct. Fulen was very sure. Through months of continuous study, Fulen had mastered how to determine direction by observing celestial phenomena from books. This was knowledge he had specifically learned for the Astrologer in his original plan.
After finishing his lunch as usual, Fulen did not leave immediately but prepared to rest on the spot. After all, Fulen's itinerary these past few days didn't look like he was rushing. He only walked a total of seven or eight hours each day. Without a clear destination or sense of urgency, Fulen quite enjoyed this kind of life.
Fulen looked at the "pain declaration" ten meters away. This was his guardian. When he slept, this item could deter various creatures, so it contributed to Fulen's peaceful sleep. However, this item also had side effects. Fulen's mouth twitched uncontrollably at the thought.