1 Chapter 1: Winter Night in Ulan Town (Edited)
In the Kingdom of Nord, only three months of the year are warm, the rest of the time it seems to always be enveloped by snowstorms and cold. The winters here are so cold that although the God of Dawn can bring morning light, it cannot bring warmth. The followers of the Goddess of Agriculture always try hard to find ways to sow cold-resistant crops on the fertile but perennially cold land, such as wheat, barley, and rapeseed, managing to barely meet the country's food needs with a single harvest per year.
At night, the town of Ulan, located in the northern territories of Nord, is quiet. It's the deep winter season again, and as always, the sky starts to fall heavy snow like goose feathers, covering the roofs of every household and even the roads with a thick layer of snow. The air in the town is silent, chimneys of houses emit thick black smoke, the stars in the sky provide faint starlight to the ground, but the heavy snow buries everything.
In this season, the sun sets very early. After dark, returning to town a minute earlier means a bit more safety; a minute late means a bit more danger. After sunset, the wilderness has everything—bandits, beastmen, occasionally marauding northern barbarians, and even dreadful greenskins or undeads that appear from time to time. The townsfolk generally do not choose to go out at this time, only the doors of their homes and the warmth of the fireplace can give them a sense of security.
A world dressed in silver, except for the occasional patrol guard, the town is dark, like a dead city. The cold wind of deep winter keeps howling, snowflakes flutter in the sky, and in this coldest season of the year, the townspeople can only hide in their homes, hoping for the arrival of spring.
A pair of black boots steps on the stairs at the town gate, making creaking noises. A man appears, dressed in all black leather armor. He wears a leather tricorn hat, pulled low over his face, also covered with a lot of snow. The man is tall and mighty, with a single-handed long sword engraved with gold and silver patterns on his back, and a golden warhammer in his hand. The handle of the warhammer is very long, about half the height of a person, with a spiral spike at the bottom, glinting with cold light.
The man's face is handsome, and he always wears a smile, looking like a priest. But judging by the fluff on the side of his mouth, this man is no older than twenty-five. However, from the blood on his chainmail and his fierce eyes, it is clear that this man is definitely not a priest.
The man looks around, sees no one on the road, and the snow on the muddy road shows no traces of footsteps. He sighs slightly, sees a sentinel standing guard at the gate, and approaches, asking in a light tone, "Excuse me, have you seen a man wearing a high-top round hat, draped in a cloak, wearing outdated long pants and black boots, with a pale face, in the past two days?"
The guard was reluctant to answer. The man lightly flicked his cloak to reveal a silver badge with a white wolf's head in front of the guard.
"Sorry! My apologies! Sir Knight!" Seeing the badge, the guard instinctively straightened his body and saluted the man, "Three days ago, indeed, such a man came! He claimed to be Mr. Bute, a friend of the lord, so we let him in. He left early yesterday, heading southwest!"
"Mr. Bute, huh? Let me think, it must have been like this three days ago, a strange traveler entered the town on horseback..." The man chuckled, gesturing with his hand in front of the somewhat uneasy guard, "So our loyal guard approached to inquire, but the traveler took out a few silver coins, giving them to our loyal guard, indicating he couldn't reveal his identity. The loyal guard felt the traveler's sincerity, no, Mr. Bute's sincerity, and then let him into the city, right?"
In the freezing weather, the guard's forehead immediately sweated, and the sweat quickly froze. He stammered, "Knight, Sir Knight, please forgive us for being bewitched at the moment! That money, I am willing to submit it to you, please forgive our sins!"
The man seemed displeased, snorted, and after exhaling a white mist, he waved his hand, "Forget it, let me into the city."
"Yes, yes! Thank you very much!" The guard, as if pardoned, quickly opened the city gate. The wooden city gate slowly opened with the rotation of the simple wooden axle bearing, and the man walked into the town with his horse, leaving the guard behind, still shaken.
It's still 6 o'clock in the evening, which should be the time for people in the town to be active. However, due to the climate of Nord, the sun had already set at 3 o'clock, so he could only walk alone on the street, pondering over what had happened along the way.
"The soldiers' salaries can ensure their subsistence but not a luxurious life. It's understandable to accept bribes in some insignificant situations that do not violate military orders. Mr. Bute is indeed clever; being a demon hunter for many years, he understands human nature. A few silver coins let him avoid a lot of trouble along the way, but it makes things difficult for me." The man looked up at the bright moon in the sky and whispered, "Heading southwest, is Mr. Bute planning to go to the port?"
"Anyway, it's time to find lodging now. The wilderness is too dangerous at night." After thinking for a moment, the man decided it was best to find lodging.
Stay for a day or two, then meet up with that woman from the Galan Council.
The Kingdom of Nord is a desolate and remote place, but even the smallest towns, as long as there are human settlements, will have inns. The man quickly found an inn, a two-story building that looked to have about a dozen rooms from the outside.
Following the muddy road covered in snow, the inn of the small town was still open to all the townspeople as usual.
Entering the inn through the solid wooden door, the inside of the inn seemed like a party scene. Wooden tables and chairs were chaotically arranged, people inside were freely conversing, drinking barley beer. The innkeeper and his wife kept bringing out various foods and barley beer from behind the bar, the fire in the fireplace was burning brightly, and a thick meat stew was simmering on the stove, its steam continuously spreading inside the inn.
The cold weather outside and the warm atmosphere inside formed a stark contrast. The windows of the inn were also covered with thick fog, and inside and outside the inn seemed like two different worlds. Near the center of the room, by the bonfire, two drunk fellows were hugging each other, dancing to the merry songs of the bard, along with an imperial merchant being clumsily led in a dance by a stout man, his strange movements making everyone laugh.
"Beautiful Freya! Another barley beer!" a big man with two long beards shouted at the innkeeper's wife, slamming his wooden mug on the bar. The mug was clean except for a bit of foam.
"Beautiful! You must call me beautiful when you say my name! Want more beer? Pay up first, you've already had four beers, that's twenty copper coins!" The plump innkeeper's wife, hands on hips, hit the big man on the head with a spoon. The big man quickly took out thirty copper coins, "Here, all for you, beautiful Freya, bring the beer quickly!"
"Alright!" The innkeeper's wife waved her large hand, and a handful of copper coins instantly disappeared into her pocket. After taking the money, she smiled and quickly directed her staff to bring out more barrels of beer, while the innkeeper placed a plate of roasted lamb in front of a soldier sitting at the bar, "Sir! Your roast, enjoy!"
"Thank you." The soldier took the roast and ordered a glass of wine. He seemed to be of an older age, with many wrinkles at the corners of his eyes, busy enjoying the delicious roast.
On the other side of the room, a bard dressed flamboyantly in purple clothes and a red soft hat, carrying a lyre on his shoulder, was tuning the strings of his lyre, preparing to start his performance.
"Bard sir! What story are you bringing us today?" a customer shouted loudly.
"Yeah, it better be good, or we won't pay!" the crowd jeered.
The inn, full of noise, saw the bard adjust his clothes and slowly start to play his lyre, "Then, today I'll bring everyone an ancient story, a magnificent epic from 150 years ago!"
"A thousand years ago, the land was peaceful, people lived in harmony. Although the northern barbarians and the mainland occasionally clashed, trade and peace were still the main themes. The southern kingdoms once boasted the largest and best harbors and free trade cities. The dwarves from the eastern mountain ranges traded their fine equipment and crafts with the human empires. The southern wastelands were dotted with dwarf citadels, witnessing the golden age of the dwarves... Back then, the forests were not as dangerous as they are now, back then..."
"But about a thousand years ago, everything changed."
"The world, was transformed."
The inn gradually quieted down, only the crackling sound of the firewood in the fireplace could be heard. The customers settled down, knowing it was common sense on the continent to remain quiet during a bard's performance. Only the merchant from the empire seemed indifferent, but he still listened quietly.
The bard began to slowly play a melancholic melody, filled with sorrow yet full of hope:
"Nearly a thousand years ago
In the northern empire, darkness descended
The gods of chaos rampaged, chaos reigned, as if hell on earth
The totem gods fell, the beast gods vanished
Civilization could not withstand barbarism, wisdom retreated before brutality
Peace fled, swords and spears rampaged
In the southern empire, greenskins rose
Gnoll's skull, turned into Uzgag's ornament
The dwarves' millennia-old fortresses, could not stop the spreading plague
The statues of ancient kings were toppled, the treasures of ancient tombs became the invaders' surprise
Fortunately
Alliances were reformed at the brink of extinction
The Longbeard Guard, the Lion Knights, marched together
Yet, this victory was not worth celebrating
The empire lost their emperor
Brothers fought among themselves, caught in endless disputes
In the dark corners, undead rose from their graves
Evil beastmen corrupted the lands
The world fell into despair, everything was at risk
150 years ago, a comet with two tails crossed the sky, and a hero finally arrived
That is the savior, Ludwig
The demon prince was beheaded, the evil shaman met his end
Even the strongest child of chaos was but a pile of flesh before him
On the Fasha Plains, the righteous formed an invincible alliance
Ancient dragons roared
Angels soared in the sky
The elves' staffs and longbows shone brightly
The dwarves formed the strongest copper walls and iron barriers
Even demons from the fiery depths
Influenced by the savior, fought for justice, against chaos
All thanks to Ludwig
Dozens of purified demon princes and divine followers' heads hung on the empire's city walls
Demonstrating his supreme glory, his great achievements
The victory cheers shook heaven and earth
The people elected him as the new emperor of the empire
All thanks to Ludwig
Chaos retreated to its lair
Peace returned to this land
The people lived in harmony
The songs of the gods resounded again
All thanks to Ludwig"
The bard sang the moving epic with fervor, unnoticed by anyone, a new guest had arrived at the door of the inn.
Only when the sound of wind chimes rang out, attracting the attention of the inn's patrons, did the man stand at the door, listening to the magnificent epic to its end. He then pushed open the door. The story of the savior Ludwig is known by everyone on the continent, this great noble from the countryside, the new emperor of the reborn empire, with his formidable strength and domineering tactics, outstanding political wisdom, unified the destroyed old empire once again, finally defeating the chaos army. The new empire was rebuilt on the ruins of the old empire, and Ludwig became the founding emperor of the new empire.
"Is there a room available?" Amidst everyone's gaze, the man spoke, and as many had expected, his voice sounded very young.
"A foreigner?"
"No room for foreigners, we're about to close, please leave."
"Closing time! Closing time!"
The customers half-jokingly, half-seriously clamored. The town was not so welcoming to outsiders, and since this person was not a familiar face, the customers were somewhat xenophobic.
"Silence, all of you! How hard is it to get a customer in this weather? You idiots always interfere with my business!" The innkeeper's wife's roar silenced the customers, then her round face immediately smiled, "We have plenty of vacant rooms, just you?"
"Yes, just me. And please prepare some dinner for me as well!" The young man went up to put away his things, then came down and sat at the bar. He ordered rye bread, boiled broad beans, barley beer, and a large roast lamb chop, costing a total of twenty copper coins.
"Bard sir, tell us a new story."
"What kind of story do you want to hear?" The bard smiled and said, "How about the story of the founding knight king of Britannia?"
"We've heard that one too!" The customers said they had heard it as well.
"How about a story of the war between greenskins and dwarves?"
"That's boring!"
The customers and the bard began to loudly discuss, some wanted to hear war epics, some wanted to hear love stories, and some even wanted to hear stories of the gods, with diverse requests. The bard was somewhat troubled.
"Let's have the bard tell us a new story, about the young hero of the Kingdom of Nord, 'The Hammer' Ryan's legendary tale, how about that!"
"Good, good! That sounds great!"
"Let's listen to that!"
The man simply ate his meal, occasionally paying a little extra for the innkeeper's wife to bring him a piece of butter for his bread. After finishing his dinner, he excused himself and returned to his room.
He had booked the best room in the inn. In the inn, the worst accommodation was of course the dormitory, filled with simple beds made of sackcloth and straw. Slightly better single rooms had either double or single beds, still only equipped with a simple bed and a bucket of water in the corner, not for drinking but for convenience.
His room had a soft bed, a table, a chair, and even a separate area for washing. There was a small window in the room. After returning to his room, Ryan gently opened the window to look at the snow outside, "I wonder how long this snow will continue..."
At that moment, the bracelet on the man's wrist suddenly glowed with a soft white light. He wasn't surprised at all and pressed the gemstone on the bracelet, from which a majestic voice emerged.
"Ryan, have you found Berte's trail?"
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