Kingdom of Corrosion

While building the ward, Maya went to the lake to catch crabs and fish, and Lin Wu crawled into the tent, one hand resting on the sickbed, feeling that something was off. So he bellowed, "Doctor, doctor," thinking he was still active.

Maya had no choice but to come back to treat him. As an outpatient, the doctor had to accompany him the whole time. Moreover, as a general practitioner, the treatment time doubled, and what would have healed on its own—a sunburn—took them an hour to handle. However, compared to Lin Wu shouting and hollering for two hours, Maya thought it was worth wasting that hour.

As Maya was about to leave, Wai returned, a crab hanging from its nose, sitting on the side with a face full of grievance. Maya, both annoyed and amused, reached out to remove the crab. Lin Wu stood up to stretch his limbs, "Let’s go, I’ll avenge you." He couldn’t beat Maya, but he could certainly take on a few crabs.

...

The campfire was cooking fish soup and roasting crabs, filling the air with delicious aromas. Maya was up to her old tricks, reflecting on her overly optimistic attitude, underestimating future difficulties. To this, Lin Wu responded, "No worries, I forgive you."

At that moment, Maya wanted to kill him. My reflection wasn’t for your forgiveness. However, she couldn’t really say that; her reflection did indeed show she was learning from her mistakes, and it implied an apology. The problem lay here; if I hadn’t apologized, you’d forgive me, and then I’d punch you. But she had indeed apologized.

She really shouldn’t have built that sickbed; at least his ghostly howling wouldn’t be as annoying then.

Lin Wu wasn’t one to think that much, saying, "It’s one o’clock in the afternoon now, and the timing is awkward. Do we rest a bit and pack up the tent this evening to travel, or do we rest here for a whole day?" He couldn’t travel during the day, or he’d bake in the sun like firewood. The most pressing issue was still containers; five liters of water was just too little.

Hm? Could he make Wai drink lots of water, and when needed, press on its stomach so water would spout from its mouth? No, what if it hoarded the water for itself? It might not drink water, but it could spout water for fun. It wouldn’t do that? If he could do it, why couldn’t it?

Hm? After all this wild speculation, why aren’t you saying anything? Lin Wu prompted, "Hm?"