Chapter 154 118: I'll Cut Some Fruit for You

'It seems the Power of that "Campfire" has done something to Klemo's Soul...'

'This Campfire is certainly not as simple as it seems...'

Luo Ge sighed inwardly. 'The Firewood Gatherers as a group are probably not as simple as most players think, either.'

"Klemo, what did you mean before when you mentioned... the Shattering Firewood?"

Luo Ge asked again.

Regarding Luo Ge's question, Klemo pondered for a moment. "...I didn't hear clearly when the Witch was talking about it, but from my understanding, it should be referring to certain powerful Survivors."

Survivors. He had mentioned them to Luo Ge before. According to the Witch's Soul, it was a general term for these monsters that had lost their minds.

'Powerful Survivors... perhaps that refers to those powerful beings who were lucky enough not to have their sanity devoured by the disaster.'

At this thought, Luo Ge chose not to press Klemo further.

It wasn't hard to see that the boy had a kind and honest nature. Perhaps because Luo Ge had fought alongside him and saved his life once, he had placed a great deal of trust in him.

Whenever Luo Ge asked a question, he would answer anything he knew. Even if he didn't know, he would try his best to remember. Only when he knew nothing at all would he shake his head.

Thinking of this, Luo Ge sighed inwardly once more.

He didn't know the true purpose of this so-called "Campfire," but he had no intention of letting this honest, kind, and somewhat naive young man remain in the dark.

"Klemo," Luo Ge began after a moment of silence. "...this arduous and seemingly hopeless journey, do you think it will ever have an end?"

In response to Luo Ge's question, Klemo nodded firmly without the slightest hesitation.

"It will."

"Why do you say that?"

"The Witch told me. Even if I can't gather the Firewood, another Firewood Gatherer will surely succeed. Besides... the world can't get any worse, can it?"

Hearing his words, Luo Ge couldn't help but smile.

The path of a Firewood Gatherer was destined to be dark.

The tragedy was that even their stalwart supporter, the "Campfire," might not be a beacon of light.

Luo Ge didn't think the Power of the Spirit Candle was necessarily nobler than that of the Campfire. Perhaps their methods were just different.

'And the vast difference between Firewood Gatherers and Candle Spirits probably has a reason, too...'

At this point, a few vague speculations had already formed in Luo Ge's mind.

After a moment of silence, Luo Ge looked at the young man before him and said in a serious tone, "The Soul in your body... is incomplete. This might be the reason for your memory loss."

Speaking of which, he couldn't help but think of Noxia on Candle Island.

Her Soul had also come from a Dagger, but unlike the knowledgeable and well-informed Dagger Witch Klemo spoke of, Noxia had lost many of her memories. 'This... is definitely not a coincidence.'

"My Soul... is incomplete?" Klemo was stunned by Luo Ge's words. He immediately tried to sense it within himself but didn't notice anything unusual. "Mr. Gelo, how did you know?"

"If you trust me, then just remember what I said." Luo Ge shook his head, offering no further explanation.

'It's better not to tell him some things. It might just lead to disaster for him.'

"It's time to say goodbye. I can't use your spoils of war, so you should keep them."

"Here, take this."

He had asked what needed to be asked and said what needed to be said. It was time for his second encounter with a Firewood Gatherer to come to an end.

Luo Ge stood up and handed him a Small Candle.

"If you run into other Candle Spirits, you can ask them for help."

"If the time comes, light this candle with Warfire. Perhaps we'll have a chance to meet again."

"This... Mr. Gelo..." Klemo looked down at the Small Candle in his hand, a reluctant expression on his face.

"Farewell."

He nodded solemnly.

In this chaotic world full of Survivors, he had finally managed to meet another living person he could talk to.

Even though it was mostly Luo Ge asking the questions, he still found the atmosphere pleasant—at least it wasn't as oppressive and lonely as before.

Luo Ge took one last look at the young man, then turned around. His figure was gradually enveloped by an azure Firelight, finally dissipating into the heavy rain outside the fortress.

Staring at the spot where he had vanished, Klemo stood stunned for a long time before coming to his senses. He carefully put away the Small Candle, then crushed the Mars in his hand, and his body gradually disappeared.

'Who knows if this earnest Firewood Gatherer will be able to keep his Firelight burning brightly, or where he will end up in this boundless darkness...'

...

[Reconnecting...]

As the darkness before him gradually faded, Niuniu finally returned to his game.

"I must be the first person to run into such a nasty bug, right? What fucking bad luck!"

Niuniu couldn't help but curse. He had been waiting for a long, long time, pacing anxiously at the login screen.

Now, he was finally in.

Then, he saw a game notification appear in his line of sight.

[Greetings, esteemed Candle Spirit Warrior. We apologize for the inconvenience caused by a program error in the game...]

[...As such, we have sent you compensation for the bug. Please go to the Spirit Candle to collect it. We wish you a pleasant gaming experience!]

Seeing this, Niuniu raised an eyebrow. He then walked over to the Spirit Candle and touched it, pleasantly surprised.

"Heh, the devs for this game aren't half bad. Giving out compensation for a bug during closed beta... Not bad, not bad at all. Great attitude."

"For this alone, I've gotta drop some cash on it when the game officially launches!"

Niuniu declared righteously.

Of course, it would have been more convincing if he had said that *before* seeing the 100 Wax Oil compensation.