Daechir didn't answer, changing the subject instead. "Alice, why are you carrying that dead weight? I don't get it."
"This whole thing started because of me. I don't want to see innocent people die."
"Woof! Woof!" The little dog barked furiously at a nearby rock. A moment later, a girl of about fifteen or sixteen emerged from behind it. Her clothes were ragged, and her hair was a messy nest. Seeing her, Ares cried out in pleasant surprise, "Are you Hill?"
Hill was the girl who had first mistaken Ares for a god. She used to have a grandmother with poor eyesight. After her grandmother passed away three years ago, she began a life of vagrancy. The girl didn't recognize Ares, just smiled foolishly at him.
"You don't remember me?" Ares asked, disappointed.
The girl shook her head and asked, "Do you have anything to eat?"
Alice came over and handed her a piece of bread. The girl took a bite and devoured it in a few mouthfuls. After she finished, Ares, not giving up, asked again, "You really don't recognize me? I'm the god, Ares."
The girl just shook her head again, ignoring him. She looked up at Alice and asked, "Miss, do you have any more food? I'm hungry!"
Alice crouched down and asked, "What's your name? Where's your family?"
"I don't know," the girl replied.
"Then how did you end up here?"
"I don't know." The girl couldn't answer any questions. Seeing that it was about time, Daechir stood up and said, "Let's go. We can't stay here too long."
Ares took the girl's hand and said, "Hill, come with us!" The girl neither agreed nor objected, simply letting Ares lead her along. No. 2 reluctantly hoisted Beyondbear onto her back again. The group followed the stream, where the path was much smoother.
After walking for more than ten minutes, a wooden bridge appeared ahead. A man in his thirties was standing on it. The moment he saw Alice, he couldn't take his eyes off her. Daechir, who was incredibly vain, thought to herself, "Alice and I look exactly the same. Why is this man only looking at her and not me?" Feeling indignant, she walked up to the man. "Am I not beautiful?"
The man was a painter, sketching on the bridge that day. Seeing Daechir before him, he smiled. "Miss, you are also very beautiful, but you lack a little something compared to that other lady."
"Nonsense, we look exactly the same." The man just smiled without speaking. "Tell me what's different," Daechir pressed, refusing to let it go.
"Your beauty is only on the surface, while that lady's is perfect, both inside and out."
Daechir was furious. With a "smack," she slapped the man across the face. "You're talking nonsense! I don't believe you."
Alice, hearing their conversation, couldn't help but glance at the man. That one glance was perceived as kindness, and he immediately ran up to her. "Miss, could I take a picture with you?"
"Of course!"
Daechir stopped, took out a small mirror, and searched for the difference. "Besides the faint scar on my face, everything else is the same, isn't it?" she muttered to herself.
Ares realized there was something wrong with Hill's mind. She answered "I don't know" to every question, almost like a simpleton. She also smelled bad, as if she hadn't bathed in a long time. Unconsciously, the group had stopped on the bridge, each occupied with their own business. Beyondbear had been tossed aside by No. 2, with only Uwa watching over him. He was groaning in pain.
Alice asked the man, "Do you know if there's a doctor nearby? A friend of mine is injured."
The man thought for a moment. "I can take you there."
"Thank you so much."
Led by the man, the group set off again. Seeing Alice and the man laughing and talking, Daechir actually got jealous. She squeezed between them, interrupting their conversation. Alice could only manage a wry smile. After walking for about a kilometer, they finally found a clinic. Beyondbear was placed on the operating table for treatment.
The others waited outside. By now, the sky had grown dark. Alice went to discuss lodging for the night with Daechir, but she just pointed at the man. "He's so familiar with this area, he must live nearby. We'll just go to his house."
"That doesn't seem right. There are so many of us."
"I'll go talk to him. I'm sure he'll agree," Daechir volunteered.
The man didn't actually live there; he was only familiar with the area because he had visited a few times. When he heard Daechir's request, he said apologetically, "I'm sorry, I can't do that."
Rejected, Daechir stomped her foot in anger, turned, and walked away, muttering, "What a cheapskate."
Beyondbear's surgery took two hours. Afterwards, on the doctor's recommendation, the group rented a house to stay in. There weren't many rooms, only three. Dinner was a problem, as there were no restaurants nearby. Alice went out by herself to figure something out. Half an hour later, she returned with a bag of cassava and two live chickens. Beyondbear, lying on a bed in the house, smelled the food and quickly put in his order, "I want it roasted."
When Alice tried to kill the chickens, she found she couldn't bring herself to do it. She looked at Uwa and asked, "Do you know how?"
Uwa shook her head. "I don't either. I only know how to eat."
Daechir, unable to watch any longer, walked over and said, "I'll do it." She pulled out a short knife, and with a swift motion, chopped off the chicken's head. Blood spurted out. Alice quickly covered her eyes, unable to look. Ares also felt sick to his stomach. "Can you not kill chickens where I can see? I'm still a minor."
"Then don't eat any later," Daechir retorted.
The headless chicken was thrown on the ground, but a moment later it stood up and started running around the room. "Why isn't it dead?" Alice asked, surprised.
Daechir lunged forward, pinned the chicken's wing with her foot, and with another slice, cut the bird in half.
When the two chickens were roasted, Alice didn't dare to eat them, sticking to the cassava instead. After dinner, everyone sat around chatting. Ares had No. 2 take Hill for a bath. Daechir said to him, "You should go wash up too. You smell worse than she does."
When Hill was brought out, clean, she looked like a completely different person, vibrant and full of life. Ares clicked his tongue in praise. "She's actually quite pretty."
Daechir laughed. "Then you should marry her. She's human, she can even have your children."
Ares turned to Hill and asked, "Do you agree with this suggestion?"
"I don't know."
Ares said, annoyed, "Is that the only thing you know how to say?"
"I don't know."
Daechir giggled. "So she's a fool."
Beyondbear had eaten a whole chicken by himself and was now lying on the bed, burping. Meanwhile, Alice had eaten too much cassava and was feeling gassy. Suddenly, Ares covered his nose. "Who farted? It stinks." Seeing Daechir still laughing, he asked, "Was it you?"
"Are you crazy? I'm a robot. How could I fart?"
Alice blushed and looked down, saying nothing. Uwa guessed it was her and comforted her, "Your fart doesn't stink at all. It smells like cassava."