Outside the wooden house, Gary hastily responded, "Miss Nellis, I encountered two individuals while transporting goods."


    "Outsiders?"


    Nellis asked casually, without any concern.


    Gary nodded and added, "But the aura from those two individuals was peculiar, especially the young man. He felt simr to you. So, I believe those two outsidersmight be helpful for your research."


    Nellis'' expression shifted slightly, asking, "Are you sure?"


    Gary clenched his teeth and firmly replied, "Absolutely!"


    Upon hearing this, Nellis nced at Gary, seemingly pondering whether Gary''s words could be trusted.


    Ultimately, she trusted that Gary wouldn''t deceive herany more.


    So she took out a gray-brown pill from her pocket and tossed it to Gary, saying, "This is your reward. I will personally verify what youhavesaidto me."


    Gary acknowledged her and then left the wooden house.


    Meanwhile, Nellis returned inside, swiftly closing the door. Her face contorted in pain as she urgently removed the tight animal hide covering her chest, exposing herrge breasts to the air.


    Above thetworge breasts, however, were several ck lines.


    Those ck lines twisted and writhed, resembling slender iron worms, moving towards Nellis''s heart.


    Each wriggle caused Nellis intense pain.


    Facing such agony, she gritted her teeth and made no sound until the ck lines ceased their wriggling. Nellis was drenched in sweat by then, pulling her fur vest tightly over herrge breasts, muttering to herself, "Damn it, the curse of the ruins is escting faster! I must find the right person for the transfer soon, or I''m likely to die in the next outbreak!"


    Then acruel determination shed in Nellis'' eyes.


    She left the wooden house, inquired among the market-goers for information, and then headed towards the outskirts.


    ...


    In the forest outside Servolk Market.


    Enzo was busy for most of the day, finally ripening several nts, while Freya was nearby preparing food.


    "Finally got everything done."


    Enzo sat down unceremoniously, his clothes dampened with sweat.


    At the same time,Freya wiped Enzo''s brow with a gentle smile. "You''ve worked hard, Enzo."


    Enzo found great enjoyment in Freya''s gentle demeanor.


    After experiencing that passionate night together, when their bodies intertwined, Freya seemed to undergo a noticeable change. At least, such tenderness was never apparent in the Freya from before.


    As they rested, the snap of a broken branch suddenly echoed.


    Enzo and Freya stood up together, exchanged a nce, both seeing the alertness in each other''s eyes,alert to the unexpected noise.


    Outside the Servolk marketce, the forest had been extensively explored over time, and nearly all valuable items had been scavenged. There were no wild beasts left, and on ordinary days, nobody ventured into the forest, especially the remote area where Enzo and Freya were located, deep within the woods.


    Cautiously, they moved towards the source of the sound.


    They found a woman lying under a nearby tree.


    Enzo looked puzzled. "Is she unconscious?"


    Freya nodded slightly, meeting Enzo''s gaze with a cautious expression that conveyed her suspicion about the mysterious appearance of the woman.


    Enzo understood this point equally well.


    In this unknown ce, everyone knew that sympathy couldbe an ultimate luxury.Onecould very likely end up harming oneself.


    Therefore, after confirming that the suddenly appearing woman was in aa, Enzo still used vines to tie her to a tree.


    Before long, the woman—Nellis—regained consciousness.


    Realizing she was tied up and observing Enzo and Freya working nearby, Nellis chuckled in frustration andined about her misfortune.


    She was ready to act, but the curse struck again.


    The pain this time far surpassed before, making it unbearable for her, and she lost consciousness.


    Moreover, she was discovered by someone.


    On the other hand, some of the cultivated medicinal materials were put away, and Enzo and Freya noticed Nellis'' awakening and walked over together.


    "Who are you?" Enzo asked.


    "I''m a Potion traveling merchant from Servolk Market. You can call me Nellis." she replied truthfully.


    "Potion traveling merchant?" Enzo felt a slight surprise, then asked, "What are you doing here? As far as I know, there''s nothing of value in the surrounding forests."


    Nellis'' answer remainedbrief, "I''m here to find someone."


    She added, "I heard from Gary that a neer has emerged at the Servolk market. This neer controls life energy, and I hope to find that person for assistance."


    Enzo and Freya weren''t entirely convinced by this response.


    Nellis seemed aware of that.


    She pleaded, "Could you release the vines? I have evidence to prove it, and you can verify with others at the Servolk market."


    Enzo shook his head. "Sorry, I can''t trust you."


    Gary revealed news about him and Freya, which is likely true, but Miss Nellis personallying to the forest to look for them, just for a little help, seems overly eager.


    Enzo wasn''t buying it.


    Simrly, Freya was also aware of this.


    Both of them had management experience and possessed tremendous strength before they were injured. Despite their strength not yet fully recovered, they could still sense something unusual about Nellis''s body.


    There was an evil aura within Nellis''s body.


    Realizing she couldn''t gain Enzo''s trust, Nellis abandoned her facade and sneered, "How did you find out?"


    Enzo shook his head again and said, "I haven''t found anything, just being cautious. Of course, now that you''ve voluntarily spoken up, it proves our caution was necessary. So, what is your purpose?"


    "My purpose..." Nellis began to say, but her voice trailed off as a sudden intensity filled the air. Several blood-red daggers materialized in midair, slicing through vines and swiftly lunging toward Enzo.


    Enzo stood still, seeminglypletely unresponsive.


    And Nellis hadalready controlled those blood red flying knives to hover in key areas such as Enzo''s heart, head, neckandetc. As long as they pierce, they couldinstantly kill Enzo.


    Nellis was triumphant. "Your vignce is useless in the face of overwhelming power."


    Enzo remained calm. "What do you want?"


    Without replying to Enzo, Nellis casually conjured blood-red threads, binding Enzo securely before lifting him and walking briskly toward the other side of the forest. As for the bewildered Freya, she showed no interest in paying attention to her.


    However, what Nellis didn''t see was the peculiar smile that crept onto Freya''s lips after she left.


    She gathered her cultivated nts and returned to Servolk market.


    Enzowasstill calm.


    In fact, despite his totem being currently shattered and the newly formed totem not yet taking shape, it did not mean heckedbat ability.


    When Nellis acted, Enzo didn''t sense any intent to kill from her. It seemed she only wanted to capture him, which piqued Enzo''s curiosity.


    Moreover, Nellis''s identity hinted atplexity.


    From her, perhaps one could glean a lot ofuseful information.


    Enzo decided to y along, feigning fear to allow Nellis to capture him.


    To avoid blowing their cover, he subtly signaled Freya with his eyes.


    Understanding Enzo''s n, Freya cooperated in their act, leaving Nellispletely in the dark.


    At this moment, Nellis was undoubtedly pleased. She carried Enzo along an abandoned path to a highly secluded cave entrance and then walked inside.


    Inside the cave, it was surprisingly spacious.


    Several skylights were carved into the cave ceiling, and the floor was neatly arranged with seven or eight wooden tables, each holding equipment for potion-making.


    Suddenly, pain contorted Nellis''s face once more.


    Hastily, she swallowed a pill, which only alleviated her suffering slightly, preventing her from losing consciousness again.


    Seeing this from where he was seated, Enzo couldn''t help but ask, "So, is this why you captured me?"


    As the pain gradually subsided, leaving Nellis visibly pale, she replied, "You should consider yourself lucky that I was the first to learn of your whereabouts. Otherwise, those monsters in the ruins would have devoured you alive."


    Enzo pressed further, "What do you mean?"


    Nellis replied coldly, "Knowing too much isn''t a good thing."


    With that, she walked over to the wooden tables, extracting nts emitting a supernatural aura from a nearby cab. She squeezed juices from them, ground some materials into powder, and meticulously blended theseponents in a specific sequence and manner. Finally, she muttered quietly, seemingly invoking a deity.


    After a moment, the mixed materials transformed into small pills, exuding an extraordinary aura.


    This was Enzo''s first time witnessing the creation of a potion, and contrary to his expectations, it seemed remarkably straightforward.


    Moreover, typical potions are usually in liquid form, but Nellis was making pills instead.


    Having finished making it, Nellis held a pill and offered it directly to Enzo''s lips, signaling him to swallow it.


    Enzo looked up and asked, "What is this?"


    Faced with Enzo''s inquiries, Nellis grew impatient. She grabbed Enzo''s mouth firmly, attempting to forcefully insert the pill.


    However, Enzo seized her hand the next instant.


    Nellis froze in disbelief and asked, "How did you manage to break free?"


    Before she could finish speaking, she felt the strength drain rapidly from her body, making it extremely difficult even to stand.


    In that moment, Enzo stood up.