The gusts of wind from the Sleepless Mountains echoed like the dragon's whistle from the summit of Talia.
Even now, the trio is still drained from yesterday's good fight.
For them, the crater left by the dragon's claws in the mountain was the perfect camp.
After some busy work, they ducked into the alcove and huddled together.
"..."
"Yes, we were the ones who killed those Ironstone Town guards, and I bit the throat of one of them." As for those other teeth marks, I'm sure you already know about them."
"..."
"I did not spare Schoen Han (Schoen Hancheen), even though he was a cripple." Perhaps while undergoing torture, even he himself thought it was the Hetel banshee and Grayhill who wanted him dead."
"..."
"It was I who removed the heart of Frostfire Yushirchen (Frostfire Yush), not the witch of Misty Forest."
"..."
At first, I hoped someone would save Jon, but even after he recovered, I didn't want to fight him, so I turned the hilt of my sword and ended him.
That way, he wouldn't have a chance to enter the Temple of the Spirits to enjoy the wine."
"..."
"You know everything that happened next?" It was the previous winter...
--------
Winter in Noah's ark is always cold and unforgiving.
Newborns during this period often do not live to see spring.
Often, the elderly go to sleep and never wake up.
The bards often compare it to a scythe that eliminates the weak.
It never misses an appointment, never takes sides, always keeps its head down and does its work.
The ancestors would pray for its early departure, while the people now face its arrival with grace.
As winter approaches, residents rarely hang food under the eaves of their homes, replacing it with miscellaneous items waiting to be exchanged.
These items are tied with scraps such as rabbit tails, duck feathers, shredded skins, sheaves of wheat, etc.
to indicate the owner's needs.
This was how the Noah people exchanged goods and services during the days of extreme cold and darkness.
Soon, the sun will be pushed completely below the horizon, and the people of Ironstone Town will enjoy the sunlight that will soon be far away.
A middle-aged man with a frosty face came from outside the town.
He took a long breath at the thought of not having to sleep in the wilderness tonight."Maybe I should find a place to stay first so I don't have to huddle in my brother's house." Well, there's no better scenario than finding a woman who needs to be warmed up." He scanned the townhouses, looking for any women's underclothes hanging under the eaves.
If so, he could visit the door and exchange some furs for a couch or even a wonderful body to keep each other warm.
But the results were disappointing."How I forgot there was no shortage of men in Ironstone Town.
What a blessing for widows." He sighed and walked into town.
Ivar (Ivar Eid) has a few bottles of honey wine poured outside the door of his house.
A few leather cords were still hanging under the eaves, so no one must have needed them.
Suddenly, there were some men yelling from inside the house, followed by the sound of breaking utensils.
Soon, a boy with a face covered with charcoal dust came out of the house.
He was dressed in rags and had bedclothes wrapped around him.
The cold air sent a shiver down the boy's spine.
He dove into the woodshed and buried his body in the thick hay.
The man recognized it as his nephew Kiren and walked over, "Let's see, Keane." Did you do all this by yourself?" He pointed to the hay that was about to fill the woodshed.
The boy looked up, "Sanchi (Sanchi Naard) uncle." He was frozen for a moment before nodding in response, "Yeah."
"It looks like Ivar is still drinking heavily." Don't feel bad about that.
I'll go talk to my brother." Sanchi picked up a side axe and handed it to his nephew, "You can't survive the winter on hay alone." You should go put down a few small trees."
The boy took the axe and nodded, but he didn't hold out much hope, either for making it through the winter or for Ivar's state.
Sanchi walked into the house and nearly slipped on the broken cans on the floor.
The room was small and already filled with the smell of alcohol.
Ivar leaned back in his chair, drunk, bottle in hand."I told you to get out!" When he heard someone enter the room, he opened his eyes and subconsciously tried to smash the bottle over, but couldn't let go of the remaining honey wine, so he put it back down.
Sanchi plucked the pieces aside with his foot.
I'm already drunk just walking into this room.
I'll be gone soon.
The drunken man fixed his eyes on the visitor, then crooked his mouth into a smile, "Oh, Sanchi, my brother." There's no need to rush off."
Sanchi hung his hunting bow on the wall and said, "You don't look so good.
worse than last time.
What else can I do for you? " He looked around the cluttered room.
"Me? I'm fine.
Except that Varola (the goddess of farming and earth in Wissane's world) left me with no harvest this year, and the lord sent by the valley (Windrose Valley) requisitioned last year's stale grain.
All-quite well."
Sanchi picked up the firewood that had fallen by the fireplace and put it on the fire.
Ivar, you can't go on like this.
You should drink less.
Perhaps you could rejoin the lord's warriors."
"I should be able to." But they said "no alcoholics" and then kicked me back.
What a stupid thing to say.
Where are the northerners who don't drink? " Ivar burped to give off more alcoholic fumes.
Suddenly, the drunk felt his stomach churn and then vomited on the floor."Uh, my efforts were wasted."
"Then don't drink any more." Sanchi stepped forward to hold Ivar upright.
Morwen is dead anyway.
She's in a better place.
And you should start a new life.
Marry another woman and raise your children together."
I don't have kids.
I can take care of myself." Ivar leaned back in his chair, his head cocked to the side, his voice getting quieter.
"All right." Sanchi sighed."If you don't want to take care of Keane" (Keane Williams, the MC in Volume 1), I can take care of him for you for a while, or until he can live on his own."
Ivar grunted.
No one could be sure whether it was an expression of agreement or a ragged breath from drunkenness."Away" --away" He slumped in his chair before the words were finished.
Sanchi walked outside the house just as his nephew returned with a small tree in tow."Go pack your things, lad."Come stay at my house for a while."
"I don't have anything."
Sanchi observed the sky.
The clouds were like lines, with no tendency to pile up.
He took another deep breath.
The dry, cold air dug straight into his nose, and he could not feel any moisture."There won't be a snowstorm anytime soon." But we've got a long way to go." He stroked his disheveled beard."Go find something that will help keep you warm." We'll probably be traveling through the Polar Night."
Soon the boy came out clutching an old blanket, "My quilt, will it do?"
"Yes," You'll also need a couple of leather cords so you can bind them around your body." Sanchi reached out with a calloused hand and patted his nephew's shoulder.
"Ugh!" The boy's body twitched as he reached down and removed the leather cord from the eaves.
"I'm sorry, I didn't know you had an injury." Sanchi did not ask his nephew the reason for his injury.
It might have been a fight between children, or perhaps from a drunken Ivar.
He straightened his fur cloak, "Let's go." I'll tell you about your new home on the way.
You'll like it there."
-----------
The long trip was not easy for Keane.
The bitter cold wind blowing unadulterated on his body made him struggle to move.
At the moment, he would prefer to burrow into the comfort of the grass.
After making a detour through a swamp, Sanchi stopped in his tracks.
He held out his hand in the direction of the sinking sun, then looked around."Let's find a sheltered spot in the woods over there and settle down."If we get through tonight, the rest of the journey will be easier."
"How?"
"People who travel in the wilderness keep campsites for later.
On the way to Ironstone Town, I came across quite a few campsites.
Some of them I had set up before."
Before long, firewood was burning in the fire pit.
The spiked shack made of branches kept the warmth in it.
Sanchi picked up the cowhide wine capsule and filled it twice, then handed it to his nephew."Drinking helps us keep out the cold and also relieves fatigue." It's a must for travel.
But don't drink too much; that will affect your senses."
Keane took a small sip, and the coolness and sweetness slipped into his belly, followed by a wave of comfort from the inside out.
He mimicked the gesture Sanchi had made to the sun not long ago, "What did you just do with your hands?"
"Oh, you mean this." We use this method to estimate the remaining time of light.
From the horizon to the lower edge of the sun, each palm represents the time it takes for one candle to burn.
If you want to set up camp, you have to allow at least two hours of time."Especially towards winter, the sun sets at a rate comparable to peeing."
"What if my palms are too small?"
"Oh, that leaves more time and strength to set up the camp."
"Why are those two stones on fire?"
"Haven't you ever used a flint?" Sanchi pulled two stones out of his pocket.
"The town uses flint and fire drills."
"Oh, that's not portable and it gets damp easily." Sanchi pointed to the stone and said, "The darker one is flint and the other is iron ore." A quick rub of both will scatter burning debris.
You can try it."
Keane followed his uncle's example and rubbed off smoothly.
"Yes, that's it.
You can keep them.
We have a long journey tomorrow.
It's time to sleep." Sanchi took another sip of wine and lay on his side by the fire.
"Okay, uncle.
One last question."
"What?"
"What kind of person is the aunt?"
"Yeah, yeah.
Your Aunt Betty Eid is the best woman on this continent.
She can make sweet rolls, baked potatoes, gravy, and you can...
After a simple breakfast at sunrise, the uncle and nephew continued their journey.
It was Keane's first time out of Ironstone Town and his first time near the Sleepless Mountains, the continental keel.
The cold weather and pain were left behind as he climbed the rocks from time to time to look into the distance and search for animal tracks just like his uncle.
Sanchi doesn't worry about his nephew getting hurt because the Noahs believe that injuries make people learn and they make people strong.
-----------
After several days of southbound travel, the two escaped the polar night and set out on the road back east.
Since the sun can only hover near the horizon, its light cannot spill into the deep sky.
The light-colored canopy, diluted by the shimmering light, was the travelers' greatest blessing.
As the ground rises, everything is gradually covered in white frost.
A chill seeped from the ground and burrowed into the seams of his clothes with every footfall.
Sanchi recognized this as a warning from Kiel, the god of the Wissane world's atmosphere and storms, to those passing through the wilderness.If they want to get home safely, they must not only gather food but also prepare dry firewood.
Sanchi summoned his nephew and handed him a leather pouch."We have to gather some food."Look at this—he leaned down and pointed to a plant by the side of the road." It's called a snow berry, and it usually grows in cold mountainous areas, like where we are now.
They have pitchfork-shaped leaves and red, purple, or black fruits.
We can use it to make wine, bake cakes, and make soup.
And this one—" He picked up a pine tower, peeled off the scaly, hard skin, and removed the pine nuts."Don't ignore it just because it's small; we must accumulate more." He pointed to another large tree."That's an oak tree." You can surely find its fruit.
But don't be in a hurry to eat it."Unroasted acorns are bitter."
"Okay, uncle."
"If you get into trouble, yell!" Sanchi instructed his nephew, who had already run away.
"Yes!"
After stopping for a moment, Sanchi set about gathering firewood."Ursula" (the goddess of beasts and hunting in the Wissane world), I will teach him to make traps and use a bow and arrow.
A two-man hunt is more likely to succeed than a one-man hunt.
As a hunter, he needs a bow." He swung his axe while talking to himself.
It's not bad to be a farmer.
Betty (Betty Eid) can teach him to plant and raise pigs."Valola is quite generous to hard-working people.
"Uncle! Look what I found! "
His nephew's shout pulled Sanchi's thoughts back.
He turned around.
The boy approached, clutching a clump of dirt.
As an experienced hunter and gatherer, Sanchi has long been accustomed to rootstocks.
To encourage his nephew, he deliberately opened his eyes wide and said, "Varola's ring of wheat! This rhizome is as big as a beehive! How did you find it? "
"It was the one that arched out of the ground and I happened to trip over it." I've seen bigger ones before.
I've often heard people say that this stuff tastes like a turnip.
I've eaten it a few times, and it was more like chewing on straws."
"So you've tasted the straw paper."
"Yes, that's hard to swallow."
"That's because they both have a lot of fiber in them." Even though it's hard to eat, we can't waste it." Sanchi tucks the rhizome into his bag.
It's like grain buried in the earth.
It doesn't rot; it grows forever.
In the winter, it's priceless.
Betty will make it as good as potato porridge."
The winter nights are never far away.
This iron rule is ingrained in the consciousness of the Noahs.
Before it descended, Uncle and Nephew buried the hot stones in the earth beneath them, moved the fire into the shack again, and then lay down.
Through a gap in the nest, Keane admired the dancing beams of light in the sky.
It was the most beautiful thing he had ever seen.
The boy could not help but stretch out his arms under the blanket, hoping that one of the beams of light would favor him and then flow through his fingers.
But now and then, that never happens.
"Temple of the Spirits"...
"Yes, the gates of the Temple of the Spirits," Sanchi opened his eyes slightly, "if a man dies valiantly in battle, Killian—the mighty god of war and warfare—will send out his maid of honor, or some say, his daughter."
In short, they share a common name - Nevaika, which means 'battlefield maiden'.
With winged helmets on their heads, short swords at their waists, spears and shields, these women are of unparalleled beauty.
They will find the soul of a warrior, introduce him to the Temple of the Spirits, and serve him with wine and food.
After that, the warrior would fight with others.
If his battle skills won the applause of the spectators, Killian would marry that woman to him and they would have many children."