Inheriting a Lost Bloodline, My First Task is to have heirs?!

Chapter 469: Chapter 469 - Silent Teamwork

As I was digging stuff on the ground, I felt a presence making a stop right behind me. The said presence then proceed to continue standing quietly a few meters away from me. Together with that presence, I can also feel an intense stare directed on the back of my head and towards my hands that have been busy harvesting things. I ignored the presence since even though it was very intense, it had no hint of killing intent.

After harvesting about 50% of the herbs to ensure that the plants will be given time to propagate again, I moved on to picking all the ripe berries near me. After observing for a while as to which berries I identified as edible, Caius sat down wordlessly as well and started helping out in picking the assortment of ripe berries in the vicinity. He placed it in a huge pouch that he took out from his backpack.

I looked at his side profile for a few seconds and simply let him do what he wanted. After gathering all the berries, I stood up and as I did, the guy hurriedly stood up as well to follow me at a certain distance. I honestly feel like I was being accompanied by an obedient puppy while having a trip in nature. Surprisingly, since he started following me, he did not force me to have a conversation with him or tried to encroach in my personal space at all which honestly kept the peace.

The silence amidst the teamwork continued for several hours. He also started picking up firewood along the way and picked up some of the common medicinal herbs that he can identify. Though I sometimes walk too fast, run all of a sudden or continued walking for an hour or two without rest, the guy did his best to catch up. He never complained even once which honestly made me feel extremely guilty so I sometimes stop for a bit, pretending to check on a certain plant or tree every quarter of an hour so the guy could take a breather for a few minutes.

By lunch time, we are already in a certain clearing near a river. I started picking up some firewood and dried leaves to use as fuel for my stove anad grill that I will be pulling out of my storage in a bit. Upon seeing what I was trying to do, Caius ran to the forest area and started picking up twigs and leaves without being told to do so.

When he came back, his eyes widened as he saw that I have already set up a fire stove and a grill. It was not the camping and portable type but one you can find in a full-sized kitchen inside a restaurant. His surprise only lasted for a few seconds and he simply walked close to place the twigs and leaves on the ground.

I used magic to place everything under the stove and the grill together with some that I already have in my storage. With a flick of my finger, the fire for both the stove and the grill started easily. I started chopping vegetables and meat then placed all of them together in a pot with water to make a stew. I took out some bread and placed them on the sides of the grill to warm them up.

While waiting for the stew to cook, I started picking herbs growing along the riverbank. Caius looked at me for a while and he made sure to mix the stew every few minutes so it wouldn’t burn. While he was distracted, I walked into the river in the area where the water reached the middle of my thighs.

When he looked back and couldn’t see me by the river bank, I saw his face turn pale, his eyes darting around trying to look for me. When he saw me with my body half soaked in the river, he ran towards me in panic as if I would drown in such a low water level. He jumped into the river and grabbed my waist from behind and forcible brought me towards the riverbank. I let him drag me and he was practically heaving as we reached the shallow parts near the bank.

After getting his breath to calm a bit, he finally spoke for the first time since he started following me, ”The stones are slippery while the current is strong. There are also water snakes in the river. What are you thinking?!”

I looked at him for the first time since I came to the camp and replied, ”Getting river plants and fish”. He grabbed a bunch of his hair and pulled it a bit with obvious annoyance. He cursed under his breath helplessly as well.

He then replied, ”I’ll catch the fish. If you see any plants you want just point at it and I’ll take it. Stay on the bank, you here me?”

I chuckled at his annoyed tone but did not respond. I am quite sure that none of the snakes would be brave enough to approach me when my legs were under the water. He should be worrying about himself instead since he volunteered to be free food for the snakes this time. Snakes are a good source of alchemy materials so I don’t mind catching a few through his noble sacrifice.

I secretly placed a barrier around Caius to keep him warm while soaked in the cold river, help his body fight the strong water current and so that none of the aquatic animals and plants underwater can harm him on my watch. If any snake or fish tries to attack him, they’ll be electrocuted and end up floating (unconscious) on top of the river. I will then just fish them out through telekenesis and place them on the riverbank.

Not even five minutes has passed when a 3- meter long water snake floated right behind Caius without him noticing. I fished out the stupid snake and placed it on the river bank. I placed it in a covered basket I took out from my storage. I continued pointing at certain herbs to Caius so he can pick them out for me.