Chapter 173

An hour later.

The rain grew heavier, coming down in sheets. The dark sky heralded an early nightfall in this gloomy downpour. The Inn of No Worries had long since closed, and the main street was now sparsely populated, with only a few swaying lanterns barely clinging to their poles in the wind and rain.

Under the torrential rain's dilution, the traces of the Fountain of Time's poison had completely faded away. As Ethan strode through the ankle-deep water on the street, it splashed out around his steps.

A hundred or so yards across from the Inn of No Worries, a bulky figure stood under the eaves of a dilapidated house, hands hanging loosely at his sides. Drenched by the raging storm, he seemed unfazed, standing motionless as the rainwater streamed down his face through gaps in the broken roof tiles.

"Maxwell? Your hands...they're healed?" From afar, Ethan immediately recognized Maxwell and grinned, hurriedly splashing through the standing water toward him.

Maxwell's lips trembled and