Chapter - 2897

Quinlan knew he would need Zeke's spirit pill in the future, so he willingly addressed the latter as Master.

Squirrel looked at Quinlan with its eyes wide open. "Holy crap! What did you just call him?"

Quinlan casually answered, "Master. He's my master. You have a problem with that?"

Squirrel started coughing vigorously. "Holy crap! I can't believe you called a weakling from the outside world his master. Even the ancestors of this island will be mortified and humiliated by your actions."

In Squirrel's eyes, Zeke was nothing more than a weak outsider.

After all, it was a powerful being that had fought with Vassilios in the past.

Quinlan said, "You know nothing. I'm a humble person. After all, there's always someone to learn from-" He paused before finally catching on that something was amiss. "Wait a second! Something is wrong here! Why didn't the death aura corrode you?"

Zeke was protected by faith energy, while Lacey had her powerful bloodline of Vassilios, so they were free from the corrosion.

But why didn't the death aura corrode Squirrel?

Baffled, Squirrel asked, "Why? Should I be corroded by the death aura?"

Quinlan explained, “Nonsense! The death aura corrodes every living being here. Since you're a living being, you shouldn't be spared from the corrosion."

Squirrel guessed, "Maybe it's because I grew up here. I was born and raised on this island. Maybe the death aura feels close to me and doesn't feel comfortable attacking family?"

"God, why are you so unfair?" Quinlan exclaimed.

Zeke interjected, "Enough. Let's continue with our journey. We don't have time to waste."

Under Zeke's lead, they advanced with much difficulty.

As far as they could see was a vast endless plane of desert.

The sun hung in the middle of the sky, shining brightly. Zeke could feel the burning rays. It was much hotter than the sun from outside.

An average person would've suffered from a severe sunburn.

Zeke, Quinlan, and Squirrel were drenched in sweat.

Being a mere mortal, Lacey felt dizzy from the extreme sun exposure even though Zeke had been exuding energy to cool her surroundings.

That wasn't the most serious issue. The most serious problem they faced was the lack of water in an environment like that.

Given the situation, Lacey might die. from dehydration if she didn't consume water within two hours.

One could imagine their challenge to find a water source in the vast desert.

The topmost layer of skin on Zeke's and Quinlan's lips had peeled off from how parched they were.

Zeke released energy and accumulated a bit of moisture from the air to wet Lacey's lips.

That bit of moisture was only sufficient to wet her lips.

Zeke urged, "Think of something, Squirrel. We must find a water source or die from dehydration."

Squirrel assured, “Calm down. I'm looking for a water source. I remember what my parents once told me. There's a huge river in this desert called the Apex River. The water flowing in the river is sweet and nourishing. A sip of it can extend one's lifespan."

"Your parents told you that? Your parents have been here before?” Zeke asked curiously.

Squirrel replied, “Well, duh, my parents..." Its mood began to turn gloomy at the mention of its parents. "Whatever. A real hero doesn't boast about his glorious past achievements; it's better to start searching for the Apex River."

The squirrel stretched its tongue out of its mouth and tasted the humidity in the air.

"Walk this way. The air feels more humid in this direction. Follow me. Hold on for a little longer. It's getting more and more humid here. I trust that we'll find the Apex River soon."

The positive news filled Zeke with hope. He was glad he had brought Squirrel with him, or they would've died from sun exposure in that awful place.

Shortly after, Squirrel suddenly stopped in its tracks. "Dang! What's that?"