After resolving the emergency, Zeke walked back to Bela, supporting himself against the wall, his face twisted in pain.
"You... are you okay?" Bela muttered in a low voice. "I don't remember having such a strong reaction when I drank it."
What do you think? Zeke shot Bela a look sharp enough to cut glass and snatched the Mold Soup from his hand.
One thing was one thing, but Zeke was still greedy for the healing effects of the Mold Soup. He'd just treat the side effects as training for his stomach.
"Ha, well, I won't disturb you then." Bela, sensing the mood, shrank his neck and pointed to a dark green tent in the camp.
Piles of pots and pans were stacked around the tent, along with several crates containing common military canned beans and compressed rations.
"Remember to come by when I'm cooking tonight. I'll show you my true skills."
With that, he scrambled up to the lookout point in a few swift moves to resume his sentry duty.
With the recipe matter settled, Zeke wandered around and eventually arrived at the area where the wounded were gathered.
[Bleeding I], [Weakness I], [Frostbite I]...
Most of these wounded soldiers were suffering from various debuffs.
Zeke looked down at Cow, who was following closely at his heels, and the corner of his mouth slowly curled into a "kind" smile.
Your turn, buddy.
Cow instantly felt a chill run down its spine, a familiar sense of dread welling up in its heart.
"Moooo!" It let out a long, accusatory cry, but Zeke ignored its protest completely.
He switched to an Empty Bucket and began the collection work.
Moments later, carrying a bucket of Milk, he walked over to the wounded soldier with the most debuffs.
The soldier's face was a deathly gray, beads of sweat rolling continuously from his forehead.
"It hurts..." The words were squeezed out from deep in his throat, exhausting all his remaining strength.
Zeke squatted down, moving gently, and tilted the bucket to the man's parched lips.
As the warm liquid touched his lips, the soldier opened his mouth unconsciously and began to swallow instinctively.
After a few gulps of milk, every single negative status effect vanished.
The soldier's brow unfurrowed, and within a mere dozen seconds, he fell into a deep sleep.
"Hey, brother!" A soldier nearby, who had been watching them with his head tilted, saw his wariness turn into surprise.
He wore a slightly deformed helmet with the number 3 scrawled on it in white paint.
Propping himself up on his elbows, he leaned toward Zeke.
"What's that good stuff? Give me a couple of sips, too. This wound hurts so much I'm twitching."
Zeke handed the bucket over. Soldier No. 3 took it, took a tentative sip, and his eyes immediately widened.
"Whoa, it actually works. The pain isn't as bad anymore."
"And it tastes great. It's sweet."
He smacked his lips and raised the bucket to drink more, but his movement froze in mid-air.
He hesitated for a few seconds, looking at the dwindling milk in the bucket, then glanced around at the other wounded soldiers.
Finally, he swallowed his saliva and handed the bucket back to Zeke. "My injury isn't too heavy. I can endure it. Give it to those who need it more."
"No. 3! How many times have I told you? Do you want your wound to burst open?!"
A soprano voice shrieked, approaching rapidly from a distance.
"Karmine is here." Soldier No. 3 shuddered, gave Zeke a thumbs-up, and immediately lay back down, closing his eyes and feigning unconsciousness.
Hurried footsteps stopped beside No. 3.
Squatting on the ground, the first thing Zeke saw was a pair of mud-caked combat boots with tightly bound gaiters.
Looking up, he saw army trousers worn white at the knees, and a belt hung with rolls of bandages and small glass vials.
It was the female medic who had argued with Sergeant Victor earlier. According to No. 3, her name was Karmine.
Karmine wasn't wearing a jacket, just a shirt with sleeves roughly rolled up above her elbows.
She had a fair face, though long-term exposure to harsh environments had made her skin slightly rough.
She quickly checked No. 3's bandages. After confirming he was fine, she turned her gaze to Zeke.
"What are you doing here?" Her eyes darted between Cow and Zeke. "And what is this?"
"Seems to be some kind of analgesic," No. 3, lying on the ground, spoke up.
Oh, so you weren't unconscious. Staring into Karmine's eyes, No. 3 rolled his eyes back and went limp again.
"Analgesic?" Karmine's gaze sharpened. "Those things are usually highly addictive."
She looked at the wounded in critical condition and swallowed the rest of her doubts.
Zeke offered no explanation. He simply pulled the reluctant Cow over and performed a live demonstration.
Karmine watched the entire process, the wariness on her face turning into bewilderment.
What did she just see? A plain, empty bucket was simply brought next to the livestock, a simple contact motion was made, and then it was full?
Frowning, she walked up to Cow and examined it.
"Is this... a Stegadon?" she muttered uncertainly, reaching out to gently touch Cow's fur.
"I saw similar livestock on Flavius in the Segmentum Obscurus, though the breed there seemed much more aggressive."
Karmine pulled a notebook from her pocket, flipped to a specific page, and held it up in front of Cow's eyes.
Cow, who had been lying on the ground sulking, glanced at it casually.
"Moooo!" It shrieked, its limbs going weak as it collapsed to the ground.
Then, wriggling its body, it scrambled and crawled behind Zeke, burying its massive head behind Zeke's calves.
Zeke looked at the terrified Cow, then leaned over to see what was in Karmine's notebook.
On that page, sketched with skilled and precise strokes, was a venomous snake rearing its head and flicking its tongue.
"Sure enough, this is a Stegadon." Karmine nodded and closed the notebook, unable to suppress a smile at the Cow's reaction.
"The drawing is a Flavius Viper, one of the main natural predators of the Stegadon on its native planet."
"Though if we're being technical, it's not strictly a natural predator," she added. "Adult Flavius Vipers aren't large, so they pose a limited threat to adult Stegadons."
"They mainly prey on Stegadon calves. Logically speaking, yours is an adult; it shouldn't be this timid."
Karmine looked at Cow, which was still shivering behind Zeke, with a peculiar expression.
So that's it. Zeke looked at Cow behind his legs, caught between laughter and tears, and nudged it gently with his foot.
"Hey, you're this big, and you're scared of such a small snake?"
Cow only buried its head deeper, its whimpering growing louder.
"I recall that Stegadon milk is indeed drinkable," Karmine returned to the main topic.
"But as far as I know, it's just a common beverage. It definitely doesn't have analgesic effects."
It's not an analgesic; it clears all negative buffs, Zeke retorted in his mind.
He shrugged, having no intention of explaining.
The fact that the wounded before them were improving trumped all theory. Karmine made a request to Zeke. "Can you give me some of the milk?"
Zeke nodded and handed over the milk in his hand.
Karmine went to work. She took the glass vials from her waist and divided the bucket of milk into several portions.
She fed them one by one to the surrounding wounded and took out a notebook to record the situation.
The effect was immediate.
The wounded who drank the milk saw their pain rapidly diminish, regardless of the severity of their injuries.
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