Chapter 136: Village Chief’s Granddaughter (3)
Hari’s joy overflowed. He thanked Gara over and over, even promising payment worthy of the miracle.
Seeing there would be no funeral today, Mohan, Kian, and Narin—dragged along by Kian—took their leave. Their exploration duties still awaited.
The villagers began to disperse as well, leaving only a few behind to tidy Rima’s room at Gara’s request.
Left in the care of an elderly man, her living conditions had been far from decent. Her clothes reeked, unchanged for days. Dead skin clung to her frail body, her hair was tangled and filthy. And the room itself was worse. The windows sealed shut, furniture thick with dust, the air heavy with damp and mold.
They moved Rima temporarily to Hari’s room, but unfortunately, his room was no better.
The old man was overflowing with gratitude toward Gara. He had no idea how much the surroundings had factored into Rima’s condition.
All he knew was that he had worked himself to the bone to earn money, desperate to save his granddaughter.
Once Rima’s room was finally cleaned, she was moved back into it. Gara continued to check on her, and her condition steadily improved.
That night, Rima finally woke. Gara fed her a thin porridge infused with his water and medicinal herbs.
"Tomorrow, I’ll take Rima to the county," Hari said. "But I’ll still pay you once I return."
Gara wanted to stop him—he wanted to keep observing how the pill affected her—but he couldn’t force the family’s decision. In the end, he only nodded.
Yet, to their surprise, that same night Rima’s frail body made repeated trips to the bathroom.
Hari supported her each time, making sure she didn’t collapse.
From the smell alone, he realized something was different. And when he checked what she passed, he froze. It was pitch black. Nothing like normal.
"Could this be the poison leaving her body?" he muttered to himself, face lighting up with hope.
At dawn, he rushed to Gara, reporting everything that had happened.
"I won’t take Rima to the county. Please, Sir Healer... check on her again."
Maybe the one who could truly save his granddaughter wasn’t a distant healer in the county, but the neighbor who lived right beside his home.
Gara was genuinely pleased at the change of heart.
"I’ll do my best to help Rima," he promised.
This time, he gave her another anti-toxin pill, though milder than the last. With how often she had run to the bathroom, in her frail state she risked dying of dehydration long before the poison could finish her off if he wasn’t careful.
...
The previous day, the investigation team had failed to begin their mountain expedition because of Rima’s incident. But now, Mohan was determined that nothing would delay them.
"I’m not going," Narin said flatly. She stayed planted in her seat. "You saw me faint the moment I faced a wild beast. Taking me is pointless."
"I’m taking you as a healer," Mohan shot back, voice firm.
Narin shrank a little at his tone but her fear of the beasts on the mountain was greater. "I specialize in neutralizing toxins, not treating ordinary wounds."
"Toxin specialist?" Mohan barked a laugh. "An E-rank Liner managed to save a poisoned child when you couldn’t. And you still call yourself a specialist?"
The words cut her like a blade. She wanted so badly to forget yesterday. That incident had been nothing less than a slap to her pride.
Why was Gara capable of all that? His water could heal internal injuries, his herbs could mend even grievous wounds, and his pills could pull someone back from the grip of poison.
To Narin, it felt like his very existence had been crafted just to mock her. He had appeared only to break her down.
If you dare crush me in the one field I mastered, don’t blame me when I give everything I have to drag you down.
"What are you waiting for? Let’s go!" Mohan’s voice snapped her from her spiraling thoughts.
In the end, she could only follow behind, each step heavy.
Meanwhile, Gara remained utterly unaware of Narin’s thoughts. He had just returned from the village chief’s house.
The anti-toxin pill he’d crafted—named the Vena Antitox Pill, or simply the Vena Pill—was made without the aid of his water. Even so, it had a remarkable effect on Rima.
Of course, if infused with his water the results would be even greater, but even on its own the pill was impressive.
The bluish bruises on the girl’s body slowly began to fade. They had been caused by poison clogging her blood vessels, and now that poison was gradually being eroded away.
If Rima kept eating proper meals over the next few days, she’d be able to walk again, maybe even run and play with the other children in the village.
"Since I’ve already got the Vena Pill, maybe I should try purifying the village’s water right from the source," Gara mused to himself. "If the pill isn’t enough, I can always help with my water."
He nodded at his own idea.
At that moment, the crystal ring on his hand pulsed with light. Gara touched its surface, and Hilda’s voice flowed out.
"Regarding Master’s earlier request, based on the information I gathered, the only wild beast known to adapt to poison despite not being tolerant at first is the Darfa Rat, a type of rodent that used to live in toxic swamps.
But since those swamps no longer exist –already covered by mist— it will likely be difficult to find any Darfa Rats that still have that resistance.
I also discovered that most wild beasts capable of consuming poisonous materials are either large or predatory. There aren’t any small, tame ones. Nothing like squirrels.
However, I did find mention of the Zegan Ant. It isn’t poisonous itself, but it nests in poisonous trees. Their bodies naturally carry a layer resistant to toxins. I’m not sure if that information will be useful to you, but I thought I should report it."
Darfa Rats and Zegan Ants? Gara found both quite interesting.
...