When returning to Raven Hill, Jess and Gerred took the main road. They could feel that there were wolves or some other predatory animals following them in the grass for a long time. It was not until they were almost at Raven Hill that they probably smelled the bloody smell of wolf meat and bones.
Of course, in the end, they didn't launch an attack. After all, a dwarf holding a long stick and carrying a long sword and hunting bow was still somewhat intimidating.
However, the two of them were also worried all the way. This day had exhausted their physical strength. It would really be too difficult to fight a group of extremely hungry and crazy wolves again.
In the evening, Raven Hill was as deserted as yesterday. Even the old man sitting at the entrance of the inn was gone.
However, the inn was still brightly lit. A short man sat by the window and looked at the new customers who walked in. He glanced uninterestedly at the various luggage they were carrying on their backs and then returned his attention to the dried cheese by his hand.
"Boss." Gerred put the meat cut from the wolf on the counter and placed the bone on the table. He asked, "Can you roast this meat a little and sprinkle some salt and Soothing Grass or something... Everyone can eat together."
The boss was a bald man who seemed a bit old. He spoke and did things slowly. He weighed the meat with his hand and said, "With some bread and pickles, we can go out and hold a party, Mr. Dwarf. The residents of Raven Hill haven't gathered together for a long time. With these foods, many people will come to participate. What do you think?"
"That would be great." Gerred rubbed his hands and said, "I wonder if there is any wine to drink?"
The boss put the meat and bone on his shoulder and said, "There are still some red wines in the cellar. They have been kept since before the explosion. Many people say that those wines have been contaminated. Are you still interested?"
"Why not be interested." Gerred said, "If the contamination is really so serious, we must be dirtier than the wine now."
Jess reminded, "Have you forgotten those black things we saw in the tomb? There may be ominous energy spreading from the south and accumulating underground."
"Never mind. That's pre-war red wine!" Gerred said unhappily, "I almost lost my life several times today. Without wine, I can't get through this day!"
"Then follow your wishes." The boss smiled and went to the back kitchen.
In this way, a simple small bonfire party was held in the center of the town. A large wolf bone, several pieces of greasy and sizzling wolf meat, as well as several large plates of dry bread and sour cream, and several jars of pickles were all the food for this banquet.
Many townspeople didn't dare to come out because they were afraid of the "werewolves" at night. Therefore, only a dozen people came here. Most of them were old people who were not so afraid of death anymore.
While drinking wine, Gerred sang and danced with a human old lady about his age. They danced and sang around the bonfire as big as a central campfire as if they weren't tired at all after a whole day of hustle and bustle.
Jess held the wooden cup in his hand and looked at the red wine inside but dared not drink it. But the special aroma of the wine was very attractive. After eating a few mouthfuls of greasy wolf meat, he really wanted to take a sip to relieve the greasiness, but he was afraid of being poisoned.
Just then, Morgan Ladimore came over with a cup in his hand and took the initiative to clink glasses with him.
"For still being alive today." He said with a smile.
"For still being alive." Jess responded and took a sip gently.
After realizing that Morgan Ladimore was the legendary Morladim, he was already uncomfortable looking at this young man.
Especially looking at Lise Ladimore in the distance, his young and shy wife was wearing a light green dress and sitting on a log with a child in her arms, smiling and looking over here. It was even more uncomfortable.
That baby girl lying in her mother's arms and staring at the fire in a daze must be Sarah Ladimore, the night watch leader of Darkshire in the future.
According to the development in the game, all her family members will die in despair in pain and torture after more than ten years. And they won't be able to rest even years after their deaths. They will wander in the dark dense forest and threaten and harm innocent passersby.
And she herself is unable to change all this. She can only let the crazy rumors about her parents spread between Raven Hill and Darkshire.
"I heard that you went out hunting today. It seems that the results are good." Morgan stared at the shiny wolf leg bone and said, "For such a big wolf, I guess it must have been Mr. Gerred who killed it?"
"Why can't it be me who killed it?" Jess asked jokingly.
"Even if it was you, you have to admit that a dwarf warrior fighting desperately with a white giant wolf is more like a scene described in a poem." Morgan said with a smile, "I also look forward to being written into such a story one day and left for future generations to chant. I will bring such a victory to my wife, Lise, and Sarah, and let them see their husband and father become a real hero... instead of a weak person who can't protect his hometown."
Jess looked at a window that had just been turned off in the distance and said, "The people here can still live a normal life because of your efforts."
"You call this normal? People are leaving, and those who stay here are also considering leaving." Morgan said, "They don't trust me. I and several other young people who want to protect this place feel very helpless. Moreover, now even they are slowly giving up. I think they will soon choose to move to Grand Hamlet or even farther places. It's not because of the werewolf curse at all, but because they think this place is no longer worth protecting."
He took a sip of wine, shook his head and said, "I think I haven't done enough. Maybe it's because of my lack of ability. I am young and haven't exercised enough. I am far from being a warrior who can truly take on this responsibility and be independent. No wonder they all see me as a child. Although I am already married and have my own child. So sometimes, I will envy adventurers like you who can freely leave their hometowns. You can have an opportunity to prove yourself. And I also hope to get a similar opportunity so that everyone knows that I have the ability to make Raven Hill prosperous again. When people see me here, they don't have to worry about any threats to this town."
He had drunk too much and was drunk. Jess could see that he was even more drunk than Gerred, who had been drinking non-stop from the beginning until now.
"Put your family first." Jess said, "Family is the most important wealth for you. No... No wealth can compare to them, Mr. Ladimore."
The dwarf who was dancing seemed to have heard the conversation here. He was still shouting and singing songs that couldn't be understood at all, but his gaze flashed over here.
"Of course." Morgan said with a smile, "I love my wife and daughter. They are the most important people in the world to me. I will protect and take care of them with my life."
"I have no doubt." Jess blurted out, "But what I want to say is, never leave them."
Morgan let out a long sigh and asked, "Stay in this small town forever? Then..."
Jess really wanted to say that the invasion of the Scourge more than ten years later, the outcome of the entire war, and the fate of the entire continent of Lordaeron will not change because of Morgan's participation or absence. And once he leaves here, his family will lose all protection.
But in the end, he still held back. He didn't want to influence the direction of this world too much. Because if things go on according to the established timeline, then this world will eventually be saved from destruction by all kinds of people.
But if he intervenes and changes one of these small variables, then where will the future lead?
Perhaps his words had already influenced the other party. His existence had already permanently changed the world, but it just wasn't obvious yet.
Jess didn't say more. Morgan seemed to be thinking about something and stared in the direction of Lise and Sarah in a daze.
And Lise also looked at her husband like this. Her eyes were full of overflowing love and expectation. The child in her arms slowly closed his eyes and then opened them again and then slowly closed them again as the mother gently rocked.
The night in Raven Hill was full of laughter and warmth. The firelight shone on Jess's face. He sat among them but felt like an outsider. It was as if he had never really entered Azeroth. He didn't like this feeling.
In the middle of the night, Jess lay on the bed and stared at his clothes drying outside the window fluttering back and forth with the evening breeze, like a harmless ghost.
After this day, his whole body ached. There were several injured places on his body that still hurt in waves. At this moment, when he relaxed, the pain came even more fiercely.
Although he was extremely sleepy and exhausted to the extreme, he couldn't fall asleep peacefully no matter what. It was as if he didn't want this night to pass.
What was even stranger was that Gerred didn't snore either.
"You're not asleep, right?"
"You're not asleep either." The dwarf said in a low voice.
"What's wrong?"
"Sometimes I really don't think you are like a seventeen or eighteen-year-old man, kid. I admit, I heard what you said to Morgan."
Gerred turned over and looked over here with one eye.
"I guess you must have had a thrilling love affair in Lordaeron, and it ended in an extremely dramatic and tragic way? I feel that you envy that kid Morgan Ladimore."
"No such thing. What kind of love can a poor kid have?" Jess asked.
"Look at what you said." Gerred clicked his tongue and said, "Boys at your age should be full of longing for the future, full of beautiful yearning for love, full of energy and passion. But as a result, you are like a cynical person who thinks he has seen through all the hypocrisy in the world and finds some unfounded excuses to excuse his cowardice."
Yes, so-called not wanting to interfere with the pace of this world is actually just a kind of timidity, right?
Jess didn't make any rebuttal. Gerred also seemed to feel that the atmosphere had become a bit strange. He said again, "Well, tell me what kind of person you like. When we return to Stormwind, I can introduce you. Young ones, mature ones, thin ones, fat ones, rich ones or poor ones, humans, dwarves, gnomes."
"I only want an elf sister." Jess said.
Gerred turned over and started snoring loudly with his back facing this side.