After dealing with Old Bar's corpse, Levi drove the donkey cart, following the guidance of [Detection], and arrived at a stream valley within the forest outside the city.
By now, night had already fallen.
Levi lit a torch and saw pairs of green eyes staring back at him.
Focusing his gaze, he realized they were a pack of dire wolves.
There were at least twenty of them.
At their feet lay a number of mangled corpses.
Through [Detection], Levi learned their identities—the mercenaries hired by Old Bar, as well as Hassein and his knight attendants.
They were dead. Only then did Levi truly relax.
However, the wolves did not.
With a howl of attack from the alpha, the pack of dire wolves surged forward, one after another, pouncing toward Levi.
"Looking for death!"
Levi had already advanced to the knight level—his physical abilities were transforming toward something beyond human.
Not to mention, he had mastered several spells.
These wolves might look fierce, but they were still within the realm of beasts—not even qualifying as the lowest tier of magical creatures.
Levi naturally didn't take them seriously.
A quarter of an hour later—
More than ten wolf corpses lay on the ground.
The remaining alpha, along with the rest of the pack, tucked their tails and fled.
As for Levi, he was completely uninjured—only slightly dusty.
Using [Detection], he located Hassein's corpse and tried to search for useful supplies, but unfortunately, Old Bar had already stripped everything once.
Left with no choice, Levi returned to the donkey cart, preparing to leave and find a more suitable place to rest.
But at that moment, seeing the wolf corpses at his feet, a thought crossed his mind. He began casting [Gathering Technique] on them.
Under Levi's spell, the pelts, lean wolf meat, and fat from the dozen wolf corpses were all precisely harvested.
The pelts had no grease on them at all—perfect to be used as bedding during the night.
The lean wolf meat came out in standard rectangular cuts, each weighing exactly 0.5 kilograms.
Levi gathered thirty pieces and loaded them onto the donkey cart. Then he scanned the surroundings once more with [Detection], found a safe route forward, and leisurely drove the cart away.
Not long after, the fleeing wolves returned and began feasting ravenously.
Meanwhile, Levi had already found a cave.
The inside of the cave was messy, with traces of animal droppings. But after cleaning it up using [Gathering Technique], it was quickly tidied.
It had to be said—this [Gathering Technique] was incredibly useful!
Then Levi found a tree and gathered firewood.
With the spell's magic covering the trunk, he extracted several hundred standard pieces of firewood.
This amount was enough not just for one night—even ten nights would be no problem.
Levi then set up a simple stove, lit a fire, and took out an iron pot. He heated the wolf fat in the pot, cut the wolf meat into strips, and began frying it.
Plain fried wolf meat would be hard to stomach.
So Levi used [Detection] to search the surroundings again, then used [Gathering Technique] to collect pure salt and a variety of spicy pollen. Though the pollen had a slight numbing toxicity, it posed no problem for Levi's knight-level physique, so he used it without hesitation.
Soon, the aroma of roasted meat began to drift through the air.
But Levi felt that meat alone wasn't enough.
So once again, he used [Detection] to find a type of leaf with digestive properties and a bittersweet taste. Using the same method, he gathered it with [Gathering Technique], boiled a pot of water, added the leaves to simmer, and then carved a simple wooden cup from firewood.
Before long, a steaming hot drink was ready.
As night deepened, the forest temperature dropped sharply, and cold winds swept through.
Levi sat by the fire, eating spicy roasted wolf meat and sipping the bittersweet leaf brew. A sense of comfort he couldn't quite describe washed over him.
Compared to his previous days surviving in the wild, this could barely be called living.
After entering his body, the food was quickly absorbed and transformed by [Conversion], turning into streams of warmth flowing through his body, enhancing his physical strength. Though the effect was minimal, it would accumulate over time.
Levi ate several kilos of wolf meat and drank several liters of leaf brew before finally feeling full.
By then, it was already midnight.
A heavy rain began to fall in the forest. Lightning tore across the sky from time to time.
Cold rain mixed with chilling winds swept in, making even Levi feel a trace of cold.
He brought the golden donkey, along with the [Food Table], into the cave.
Mm. The reason he didn't use the [Food Table] to conjure a full feast was because it required a command phrase.
Levi didn't know the command, so he could only rely on himself.
After eating and drinking his fill, he prepared to rest.
But before that, he still had a few things to take care of.
He didn't step out of the cave. Instead, he used [Gathering Technique] to collect a pile of wood and debris, stacking it at the cave entrance while leaving a gap for ventilation.
Then Levi took some stones heated red-hot from the fire, dug a pit, placed them inside, covered them back with sand, and laid wolf pelts over it—this became his bed for the night.
Levi lay down on it, feeling the warmth rising from the stones and the softness of the pelts. A deep sense of comfort spread through his entire body, and his eyelids began to droop, an irresistible drowsiness washing over him.
Of course.
Being out in the wilderness, Levi lacked a sense of security, so there was one last thing he needed to do.
He cast [Detection].
[Detection] showed that there was no danger nearby.
Only then did he relax, close his eyes, and fall asleep.
A night of pleasant dreams.
At dawn, a honey-like glow of morning light seeped in through the cave entrance, spilling across the moss of deep green and the damp stone walls. The air carried a mingled scent of earth, pine needles, and some ancient resin. Levi opened his eyes.
Outside the cave, a gauzy mist drifted gently among towering ancient trees. Their trunks were so thick that ten people would be needed to encircle one, and faint golden patterns shimmered across their bark, as if ancient runes flowed within.
Vines hung down from above, their leaf edges faintly glowing. They swayed softly in the morning breeze, as if whispering—or perhaps singing.
After a night's rest, Levi's mental energy had fully recovered.
He used [Gathering Technique] to collect clean water, and with [Detection], he located a type of branch in the forest that could be used to clean the mouth. Without even stepping out of the cave, he gathered enough for half a year's use with a single sweep of [Gathering Technique].
Facing the morning light, Levi washed up, then leisurely boiled a pot of hot water and toasted some bread.
Taking advantage of the moment, Levi used [Gathering Technique] on himself, extracting the dust and mud from his body—even his earwax—forming it all into a small black pill-like lump.
He immediately felt refreshed from head to toe.
Holding the hot water, watching the rising steam, a thought suddenly struck him. He cast [Gathering Technique] on the water as well.
This time, what he gathered was heat.
And it actually worked.
The heat dissipated rapidly in Levi's hand.
The hot water instantly turned warm.
Levi drank the warm water comfortably, ate the softened toasted bread, then packed up the iron pot, wolf meat, and pelts, placing them onto the donkey cart.
Just like that, he drove the cart pulled by the golden donkey, heading toward Rudolf's hometown.
...
The Kingdom of Francis.
The royal capital.
The palace.
After bathing in milk, the Magic Mirror Queen returned to her bedchamber.
The owl she had sent to notify Hassein had already returned. All she needed to do now was wait for Hassein to bring back Levi's head.
Levi might be a cunning little rat, but he didn't know that the one he faced was an omniscient existence.
No matter how much effort he spent, it would all be in vain.
The Magic Mirror Queen did not concern herself further with Levi.
She stepped before the Magic Mirror and began casting again.
"Magic Mirror, Magic Mirror, tell me—who is the most beautiful woman in the world?"
"Queen, Queen, you are the most beautiful woman in the world."
Hearing this answer, a satisfied smile appeared on her face.
At the same time, the milk she had bathed in flowed out through drainage channels, pouring beyond the palace walls.
Below, a group of ragged, sallow-faced commoners had gathered. They held all kinds of containers, trying to collect as much of the heavily contaminated milk as possible.
This would be the precious food that would sustain them for days to come.
Since the Queen had seized control of the kingdom, the number of commoners in the capital falling into poverty had increased significantly.
The Queen only cared about whether she was beautiful. Everything else, she did not care about.
...
After crossing the final ridge, the outline of a village finally came into view—
Low wooden houses and stone buildings were scattered across the valley. Thin curls of smoke rose from chimneys, and sparse crops grew in the surrounding fields.
According to [Detection], this was Rudolf's hometown—White Stone Village.
At the edge of a grassy grove outside the village, an old man dressed in coarse linen and a wool coat, wearing a sheepskin hat, was herding a flock of sheep as they grazed.
He had pale blue eyes, a face full of stubble, and carried the weathered weight of years.
Levi's gaze fell on him, and Level 3 [Detection] activated at once—
[Shepherd of White Stone Village, Rudolf's father. His body carries an ancient bloodline, granting him abilities beyond ordinary people—he can communicate with goats through thought.]
A slight flicker passed through Levi's eyes. He knew he had come to the right place.
So he drove the donkey cart forward and approached the old man. "Greetings, wise elder."
"Oh, a traveler from afar." The old shepherd glanced at Levi.
"Elder, I'd like to ask about someone," Levi said deliberately. "While traveling, I met a friend named Rudolf. He treated me to a delicious meal, and I'm very grateful."
"As I happened to pass by his village, I wanted to come and pay him a visit."
"If possible, I'd also like to return something that belongs to him."
"Oh?" The shepherd's heart stirred at this. "Which Rudolf?"
"Are there several Rudolfs in White Stone Village?" Levi asked in return. After a brief pause, he added, "He once told me he had been away from home for many years and only recently returned."
"If there's a family with a son who just came back, that must be the friend I know!"
"Elder, may I ask—does such a person exist in White Stone Village?"
"Of course." The shepherd gave Levi another look, recalling what his second son had said after returning home. Confirming Levi's identity, he broke into a grin. "The person you're talking about is my second son."
"That's wonderful!" Levi was momentarily stunned, then a bright smile spread across his face. "Nice to meet you, sir."
"May I see Rudolf?"
"I have something to return to him," Levi said.
"That might be a problem… he's already gone to work at a workshop in town." The shepherd hesitated before answering.
"I see." Levi's eyes flickered slightly.
He recalled the fairy tale "The Donkey, the Table, and the Stick"—after returning home, the shepherd's second son discovered that the golden donkey had been swapped, and indeed went to find work first.
He just hadn't expected the man to start working so quickly.
At that moment, the shepherd asked again, "Young man, what's your name?"
"Levi. You can just call me Levi," he replied.
The name matched.
The shepherd became even more convinced of Levi's identity. After a moment's thought, he said, "Levi, if you don't mind, you can stay at my house for the night."
"I'll send word through a messenger. If all goes well, Rudolf should be back tomorrow."
"Thank you for your kindness." Levi gave a slight bow, speaking politely.
The shepherd laughed heartily.
He led Levi back to his home.
As a shepherd, his living conditions were somewhat better than those of ordinary villagers. He had three thatched huts and a sheep pen.
Although the smell was far from pleasant, the environment in towns wasn't much better—let alone in a village.
Suppressing the urge to vomit, Levi moved into the hut, which reeked of a strange odor.
The straw bed and other areas were crawling with lice. Levi used [Gathering Technique] several times, extracting large numbers of lice and other insects, which finally made the environment somewhat more tolerable.
But only somewhat.
The smell still lingered, impossible to dispel.
It made Levi deeply miss the camper van from his previous life.
If he had a camper equipped with an air-conditioning system, he could live comfortably wherever he went.
But he also knew that was just wishful thinking.
...
That night was extremely difficult.
The next day—
The shepherd was very hospitable.
Because of Levi, he slaughtered a lamb and served roasted lamb chops with a bowl of porridge as breakfast.
Levi had a fairly decent meal, then practiced his breathing technique inside the house.
By noon—
Rudolf, having received the message, rushed back from town in high spirits.
From afar, he spotted Levi.
"I knew it was you, my friend! I'm so happy to see you!" Rudolf shouted.
"Don't be too happy just yet," Levi said.
"Huh?" Rudolf froze for a moment.
Levi then led out the golden donkey and said, "Take a look at this—what do you think it is?"
Rudolf was stunned. "Th-This… isn't this what my master gave me…?"
"How did it end up in your hands?"
"To be precise, it ended up in the hands of the innkeeper where we stayed. He secretly swapped your donkey," Levi explained.
"How did you know?" Rudolf asked in astonishment.