The adventurer at the bottom is fantasizing again.

Chapter 104 A Warm Room (4K)

"Signature BBQ Platter! Extra Large, Extra Plenty, plus a whole grilled rib, and two glasses of Dwarf Special Brew!"

The short man slammed his fists on the bar counter, tilting his head back and shouting at Gustav.

The old man rubbed his mustache and asked in surprise, "Have you struck it rich?"

"I'm starving! Piper's starving!" He slapped a gold coin on the table, immediately turned around to find a seat, and said, "Keep your change, Piper wants another drink!"

"Alright, alright, alright." Gustav smiled and accepted the money, then called out the names of the dishes to the kitchen.

The two found an empty seat and sat down. The barbecue was quickly served. Because there was so much food, Lily even called a waiter to help.

"I secretly added a little extra seasoning for you, but don't tell the old man, okay?" Lily leaned down and whispered to Lorraine.

After saying that, she winked at Lorraine.

This girl...

"Thank you, Lily. I'm sorry to have troubled you this afternoon."

Lorraine smiled at her, his gaze quickly drawn to the dazzling array of roasted meats on the table. He licked his lips and reached out to pick up a rib.

The ribs were roasted until the skin was crispy and fragrant, and the juices kept oozing out from between the cut fibers, mixing with spices and chili powder and flowing onto his hands.

With one bite, the smoky aroma and rich, oily flavor explode on the tongue at the same time.

"Mmm...delicious..."

Lorraine exhaled a satisfied breath and took a large gulp of the dwarven brew.

The icy liquor collided with the scalding hot oil in his mouth, sliding down his throat and making him shiver.

"Burp, that felt so good..."

""

He has now fallen in love with this rich, malty Dwarf Brew; it's much stronger than the bland, regular ale.

He put down his glass and noticed that Lily was still standing by the table.

Her body was leaning slightly forward, as if she was about to approach him but got stuck for some reason.

"Why are you suddenly looking at me like that?" Lorraine asked, puzzled.

He looked down at himself in the light from Lily's reflection. His clothes were neat and tidy, and there was nothing strange about them.

"I thought... it was nothing. Enjoy your meal. If you need more, just let me know and I'll sneak some more from the kitchen."

Lily chuckled, put her hands back behind her back, turned around, and walked briskly toward the bar.

Where Lorraine couldn't see, she gently fanned her face with her palm, and her tense heartbeat calmed down again.

She had initially thought he was licking his lips at her, trying to hint that he wanted to... In that instant, she almost blurted out, "Are you free tonight?" But she hadn't realized that he didn't even have eyes for her; all he saw was that plate of ribs.

Seriously... an idiot!

Lily bit her lip gently, then couldn't help but laugh. She hugged the tray back to her chest, humming a tuneless little tune as she went into the kitchen.

[...heart flutter]

Lorraine watched Lily's retreating figure, then looked down at herself again, bewildered.

My hands and mouth were covered in food stains, not to mention my body; after a long afternoon of work, I was covered in sweat and odor.

What... what is it about him that's making her so interested? It can't be that he's captivated by his heroic act of gnawing on the ribs, can it? Or does that girl want more?

Lorraine opened his mouth, then decided to stop thinking about this matter that was beyond his comprehension.

He turned his head and saw Piper tearing into the plate of roast meat. He quickly reached out and rescued the last piece of roast rib from the short man's hands.

Before I could even put it in my mouth, the tavern door was opened.

Eileen pushed open the door and walked in, her eyes scanning the surroundings before she quickly spotted the two people having a barbecue grill.

She walked around several tables where people were talking and laughing loudly, sat down next to Lorraine, glanced at the mountain of bones and empty plates on the table, and without hesitation reached out and snatched the rib he had just picked up.

"...! My ribs..."

"It tastes pretty good."

Eileen took a small bite, puffed out her cheeks, chewed it, and nodded in satisfaction.

Her eyebrows were slightly raised, as if she were savoring the secret recipe for marinating delicious ribs, or perhaps savoring the look of frustration on Lorraine's face that said, "Damn, I was just a little bit away from biting into it!"

Perhaps both of them suit her taste.

"I've found the Mechanist," she said.

Lorraine watched helplessly as the last rib disappeared slowly from her fingertips, then sighed resignedly, "So fast?"

"The Mage Association is the biggest client of the mechanics, so naturally there is a register of mechanics in the archives. There is only one registered mechanic in Frostvale, and he lives in the Upper City."

Eileen put down the clean ribs, smacked her lips with lingering satisfaction, wiped her hands on a towel, and continued, "I just met with her and mentioned your request."

Lorraine perked up and asked expectantly, "What did she say?"

"Because reforging changes the material structure of the sword, the proportion of new materials added will be different, and the affinity with magic will also be different."

Eileen leaned back in her chair, waved to a passing waiter for a glass of fruit wine, and then said, "So we need to see the actual sword to confirm whether it can be infused, what method to use, and, most importantly, how much it will cost."

Lorraine nodded slowly. The fact that the other party was willing to conduct an assessment in person meant that she at least believed she was capable of doing it.

He thought for a moment, then couldn't help but ask, "Did they mention... a rough price range? It doesn't need to be precise, just something like tens or hundreds of gold coins."

Eileen took the fruit wine offered by the waiter, took a sip to moisten her throat, then put down the glass and shook her head: "No, she's lying to you if she says she'll give you a price in advance. No responsible mechanic would give you a price before seeing the materials."

Lorraine couldn't tell whether she felt relieved or more uneasy, but at least the other party sounded reliable, not the kind of unscrupulous businessman who would first offer a low price to keep people hooked and then raise the price layer by layer.

He silently calculated the possible price ceiling and roughly how many tasks he would need to complete to earn enough money, and his conclusion was not optimistic.

"Take your longsword over to see after it's reforged. She said that dwarf's craftsmanship is quite good. If the reforging is done well, the infusion process can be simplified, and the cost might be lower than expected."

Eileen added another sentence.

"That would be perfect."

Lorraine nodded, downed the last sip of wine in her glass, and then quickly snatched a sausage from Piper's plate.

Amidst the short man's indignant gaze, he contentedly finished the sausage.

After a satisfying meal, I'll take a nice rest later.

"Come to my room if you're free tonight," Eileen said, seemingly oblivious to everyone else.

Lorraine's heart skipped a beat. He felt a little thirsty after drinking, hesitated for two seconds, and said awkwardly, "Ah? It's nothing... but... this isn't good..."

"It's alright, come over later and make up for the spell class you missed this morning." Seeing that he had been tricked, Eileen quickly picked up the fruit wine and took another sip, suppressing the smile on her lips.

Lorraine froze, his awkward expression gone. He stood there for several seconds before gritting his teeth and uttering a single word: "イ亍".

"To live...I want to live..."

Gary muttered to himself as he watched the young man and his companions leave, his shoulders still trembling uncontrollably, whether from the cold or from fear, he couldn't tell.

He bent over, supporting himself on his knees, and took several deep breaths, forcing himself to calm down.

"I can't die here...Annie and the others are waiting for me to come home, I can't die," he muttered to himself.

After a long while, Gary finally stood up again.

With his somewhat stiff legs, he carefully searched the camp, looking for anything that might still be of use.

Two packets of dry rations, a water bottle, several cut hemp ropes, a stinking blanket, a dagger with several chips, and two torches that were only half-used.

This was all his possessions.

Gary wrapped the dry rations and water bottle tightly in a blanket, carried them on his back, tucked the dagger into his waistband within easy reach, and put the torch in the side pocket of his backpack.

After securing the essentials for survival.

He threw all traces left by the caravan into the still-burning cave until he was sure no one could recognize that a caravan had ever passed through there.

Gary took one last look at the charred cave before turning and heading home.

The misty forest in winter is a dangerous path for anyone, but it is even more dangerous for a lone traveler like him.

Unable to find food, the wolf pack was starving. Gary had even witnessed them attacking human villages when they were extremely hungry, a scene he never wanted to recall again.

Fortunately, he was very familiar with this place.

Those trails that caravans had traversed countless times, paths worn smooth by hunters on their hunts, and that secret mountain path known only to local herbalists, which hugged the stream and bypassed the wolf pack's territory.

Gary walked with trepidation for a very long time, and finally saw the walls of Frostvale at dusk one day.

At that moment, he even felt two hot tears slide down his face.

He wiped the tears from his face, looked around the south side of the city wall, and easily found the entrance to an abandoned canal.

This is an old route that smugglers have used for a long time. He had traveled it a few times when he was younger, so he had some impression of it.

Gary painstakingly pried open the rusted iron gate with his dagger, crawled through the narrow hole covered in ice, and walked quite a distance before finally crawling back to the surface through the exit.

Seeing the scene before him, he stood there, somewhat dazed.

The warm firelight and lamplight illuminated the city, the air filled with the sweet aroma of roasted dough and the rich scent of hot beer, and everywhere there were boisterous cheers.

Not far from him, a group of people were parading with pine branches and torches. Leading them was a blond priestess of the Lord of Dawn, who looked gentle, dignified, and very young.

So the Midwinter Festival has already arrived... he realized belatedly.

"Hey! Watch out, buddy!"

A little girl wearing a flower wreath was running so fast that she almost bumped into Gary's leg.

Her father, who looked like a street vendor, glared at him fiercely, then hugged his precious daughter tightly, probably mistaking him for a homeless beggar.

"I'm sorry...I'm sorry..."

Gary wrapped the smelly blanket around his head, lowered his head, and walked against the flow of people into the depths of the alley.

He found a door in a deserted, narrow alley. There was no sign on it, only three copper nails nailed side by side.

"Thump...thump—thump"

"Snap!"

A hole was opened in the door, and it was pitch black inside, so you couldn't see anything. After a long time, the hole was closed again.

An old woman with a headscarf opened the door. She glanced at Gary coldly, stepped aside, and said in a hoarse voice, "There are clothes in the backyard."

"it is good."

Gary took out the last few copper coins from his pocket, stuffed them into her hand, and changed into a set of coarse cloth clothes in the backyard.

He threw the caravan clothes he had changed out of, along with the miscellaneous items he had brought, into the fireplace in the room, and watched helplessly as they burned to ashes.

After finishing the hot soup the old woman brought him, he left the alley and, like an ordinary laborer, blended into the crowd on the street.

Today is the first day of Midwinter Festival, and it's not yet time for the day he made an appointment with the young people. Gary suddenly doesn't know where to go.

He wandered aimlessly with the flow of people, and when he came to his senses, he found himself standing in that all-too-familiar old alley.

"Annie..."

Gary muttered something, subconsciously took two steps toward home, then abruptly stopped in his tracks.

No...no, there are familiar faces everywhere here. If anyone sees his face, the news that he is still alive could reach Viscount Hermann's ears.

He quickly wrapped the tattered blanket even tighter, barely covering his eyes, afraid that someone might recognize him.

Gary, his tall, slender body hunched over, walked with a limp towards the back of his house, the once tall man forcibly pretending to be a strange, hunchbacked old man.

He squeezed into the narrow gap between the two houses, barely wide enough for one person to turn sideways, his back aching from the rough brick wall.

But you can see home here.

Gary saw Anne wearing the light blue dress he had bought for her before he left home, holding their little daughter Lisa in his arms, and laughing and playing with her.

She seems to have lost some weight, perhaps from the hard work of raising children, but her smile is still as beautiful as ever.

The eldest son, Hansen, was obediently helping his mother carry the freshly baked bread, but he couldn't resist his youthful mischief, making faces at his younger sister as they walked.

"Woof! Woof woof woof!"

""

Old dog Murphy hobbled to his feet from the corner, seemingly smelling his owner's scent, and wagged his tail as he ran toward the window.

Gary was startled and quickly crawled to the bottom of the window, but because he moved too fast, he scraped a piece of skin off his shoulder.

He swallowed his groan, clenched his teeth tightly, and dared not make a sound.

"Murphy, what's wrong?"

Annie's questioning voice came from above, and a shadow flashed overhead, its reflection cast on the stone bricks by the light from inside the room.

Annie looked out the window and around, but didn't see anything.

Is Murphy craving something sweet?

She crouched down, took her hand out, and gently stroked Murphy's thinning hair, which was showing signs of aging. She smiled and said, "Dinner's almost ready, don't rush. There's some for you today too."

Seeing that Murphy was lying quietly on the ground, Annie stood up with satisfaction and glanced at the lively firelight outside the gate!

"Thank God, Gary should be back soon. I need to add another dish, in case he really comes back and we don't have enough to eat..." she muttered to herself.

"Hansen! Come and hold your little sister for a bit!"

"A good mother!"

"Ho-ho-i"

The relief and lingering fear of escaping death erupted from that one sentence. Gary curled up into a ball, biting his fingers hard, trying to distract himself from the pain.

"Why is your face so wet..."

'

He wiped his face with the back of his hand and found that he was already in tears.

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