The adventurer at the bottom is fantasizing again.

Chapter 121 The Road to the Permafrost Land (4K)

"Three little travelers, how can I help you?" Fitch asked slowly.

Lorraine glanced at her curiously.

This was the first time he had ever seen a halfling so old, but he knew it would be impolite to stare at someone, so he asked, "Do you have a few harpy claws to sell? Also, do you buy magic feathers here?"

"I don't accept magic feathers here, but please let me see the harpy's claws."

"it is good."

Lorraine nodded, took the eight harpy claws out of his backpack, and placed them on the counter.

Fitch put on the glasses hanging around his neck, picked up a claw, examined it carefully for a moment, nodded, and said, "It is indeed a harpy's claw. The quality is not bad. It hasn't been heated, has it?"

"No, it's been wrapped in burlap ever since it was cut off," Lorraine shook her head.

Fitch slowly hummed in agreement, picking up each claw one by one to examine it, muttering to himself, "This one has a nice curve... This claw has some wear on the tip, it's not perfect..."

Finally, she put the claws back on the counter and said, "There are eight claws in total, six small and two large; each small claw costs 3 taels of gold, and each large claw costs 4 taels of gold, for a total of 26 taels."

Gold, no bargaining.

"Okay, deal."

Lorraine readily agreed, and the price was even higher than Eileen's previous estimate.

"Um..

'

Fitch bent down and pulled an iron box from under the counter. After unlocking it, he counted out 26 gold coins and arranged them one by one on the counter.

The short man leaned over the edge of the counter, watching Fitch relock the metal box. He pointed to the carpet on the floor and said, "Your shop is so warm, much more comfortable than the tents we've stayed in along the way. Did you weave this carpet yourself?"

Piper's aunt used to knit this pattern too, but she lives in the south and hasn't seen her in a long time.

Piper must have not seen his family for a long time, because he immediately became interested in talking when he saw a kind halfling old lady.

Fitch examined him closely, seemingly only now realizing he was a halfling. She asked curiously, "I knitted this. You're quite large; it's rare to see such a robust halfling. Are you mixed-race?"

"Yes! Piper's father is a halfling, and his mother is a dwarf," the little dwarf said proudly.

"Dwarf...you're a Heartheart Halfling." Fitch nodded unsurprised. "No wonder your shoulders are as broad as a blacksmith's. What clan is your mother from?"

The little guy scratched his head and tried to remember: "Mom doesn't talk much about the clan, and Dad won't tell me either. All Piper knows is that she came from a fortress on the permafrost."

Piper's words seemed to have touched a nerve with Fitch.

Fitch leaned back in his chair and looked up for a moment, reminiscing. "Hmm... the Frozen Wasteland. My old wife used to be an adventurer, a halfling wanderer, who liked to inlay cat's-eye stones on the hilts of her daggers... Sorry, she's getting old, and she tends to interrupt."

She smiled sheepishly and continued, "He mentioned to me before that he encountered some dwarves from the permafrost. I found it very strange at the time; with a mountain range as large as the Spine of the World there, how did they manage to cross it?"

"And then what? What did he say?"

Piper stared at her longingly.

"My wife said they came by boat. As long as you go upstream from the River of Winter, you can cross the Spine of the World and reach the permafrost land," Fitch said.

"They came by boat..." Lorraine frowned.

This was a path he had never imagined before. He had previously thought it was through some kind of crevice in the mountains, or something more advanced, with some kind of teleportation array.

Who would have thought the River of Winter could actually cross the Spine of the World? Did it go underground? It couldn't possibly have gone backwards across the mountain, could it?

It doesn't sound like an easy route.

However, he felt that there must be more than one way to reach the permafrost land.

After all, those winter wolves that occasionally appear in the North can't all have swum across the river, can they?

Since Fitch's wife had met the dwarves from the Frozen Lands, she might know more details, but she just didn't talk about it everywhere... Lorraine's heart stirred.

"Is your husband in town?" he asked cautiously. "We plan to go to the Permafrost Lands in the future, and if possible, we'd like to ask him about what happened back then."

Fitch stopped knitting, looked up at a dagger placed high up, and sighed, "My Marius... he's been dead for many years."

"Snap... Meow!" The firewood in the fireplace snapped, startling the orange cat who was lying on the blanket. It stretched on the floor, then jumped onto the counter and rubbed its face against Fitch.

"I'm sorry, I shouldn't have..."

'

"It's nothing, child. His soul has returned to the green fields and is enjoying eternal peace."

Fitch reached out and scratched the orange cat's head, chuckling softly as he watched it enjoy the gesture.

"But his greatest love in life is adventure, I wonder if he'll get bored in the wilderness, haha..."

'

"No, it won't," Eileen said softly. "The trees in the Green Wilderness are taller than the snow in the Permafrost Lands, and silvery springs flow in the streams. When an adventurer gets there, he can find a new forest with every hill he crosses, so he won't be bored."

Lorraine looked at her in surprise, finding it hard to believe that these words actually came from Eileen's mouth.

Fitch was taken aback by what she said, then picked up the fabric in her hand and touched the corner of her eye, smiling brightly as she said, "Thank you, Miss Mage. I guess you must have a wonderful family to raise such a kind-hearted child. Your parents must be very proud of you."

"No..." Eileen said, a rare hint of shyness in her voice.

"By the way..." Fitch reminded us, "Things haven't been peaceful around here lately. Not long ago, a pack of wolves ran into the vicinity of town. I heard they came from Frozen Lake Town. Luckily, the town's guards spotted them early and chased them away. You absolutely must not go to that area."

The three of them exchanged a glance.

"We'll be careful, thank you for reminding us." Lorraine didn't tell her that their destination was Frozen Lake Town, for fear that the old lady would worry about them.

"Do you remember when the wolf pack in Bagpipe Town launched their attack?" he asked.

"Not long ago, about ten days ago," Fitch noticed their subtle movements and seemed to know their purpose. "You were originally planning to go to Frozen Lake Town?"

Lorraine paused for a moment, then said, "Yes, Mrs. Fitch."

"Yes, adventurers..." Fitch sighed helplessly, turning to look at Eileen. "Child, what's your name?"

"Eileen..." Eileen bit her lip lightly, "Eileen Scaretti."

"Eileen Scaretti, this old woman will remember this."

Fitch nodded slowly, glancing at their equipment through her glasses, and said, "You guys look capable. This old woman can't really help much, but..."

She looked at Lorraine, her eyes, though surrounded by wrinkles, were remarkably clear: "Sir, could you help this old woman remove that dagger?"

Lorraine looked in the direction she indicated and saw a dagger inlaid with cat's eye stones on a shelf at the very top of the side of the shop, next to a tall ladder.

He understood the old lady's intention.

"it is good."

Lorraine climbed up the ladder, took down the spotless dagger, and handed it to Fitch with both hands.

"Thank you, sir." Fitch touched the cat's eye stone embedded in it. "This is Marius's favorite dagger. He always said that the cat's eye stone would bring him good luck and allow him to see the way in the dark. Actually, he just likes cats."

She looked up at Eileen.

"Miss Eileen, I'd like to give this to you."

"Me? No..." Eileen seemed a little lost. She shook her head. "This is too precious. I... how can I... I can't accept it."

Fitch glanced down at the dagger in her hand and chuckled softly, "Valuable? It's not some magical weapon, nor is it some antique; it's just an ordinary old dagger."

She pushed open the scabbard with her thumb, revealing a short section of the blade. The blade showed some noticeable wear, but there were signs of regular maintenance.

He left it to me before he left, saying that in case I ever wanted to go out and see the world, I should have something to protect myself.

West."

Fitch sheathed the dagger again.

"But these old bones of mine are too weak to even go to the market, let alone have the energy to go out and take risks."

She held the dagger in both hands and offered it to Eileen, saying, "It shouldn't rot beside an old woman like me. Please accept it, child. Even if you just use it to peel apples, Marius will be very happy to know."

Eileen did not refuse again. She reached out and took the dagger, hanging it on her waist, and said softly, "Thank you... I will keep it safe."

Fitch smiled and nodded, picked up the orange cat that had jumped onto her lap and was being affectionate, leaned back in her chair, and let out a satisfied sigh: "May the gods bless your journey, and may the breeze of the green fields bring you good luck, young adventurers."

After you've dealt with the wolf problem, remember to come back and visit, and tell me your story.

I always have hot tea and freshly baked cookies here...

'

"We will, Mrs. Fitch."

Lorraine answered for Eileen, who was still in a daze, and gently touched her arm.

The three packed their belongings and left the general store.

The old lady even insisted on giving them a small bag of cookies, which the short man held in his hand and ate as he walked.

"It tastes really good...it tastes like grandma's cooking."

The short man handed the open bag to the two of them.

Lorraine also took a piece and tasted it; it was sweet and crumbly, with a hint of butter.

"Not bad."

He took another slice and touched Eileen's lips: "Don't just stand there, try it."

"Ah...oh."

Eileen snapped out of her daze, gently opened her mouth and bit into the cookie, moving her lips to move it into her mouth: "Mmm...delicious."

"Pipe is going to buy some groceries," the short guy suggested.

The two of them readily agreed.

After all, the short guy's cooking skills are reassuring; being able to eat something good on a trip is always better than eating dry rations.

So they went back to the market area and bought all sorts of ingredients from the haphazardly set up stalls, stuffing them all into the short man's bag.

Then they arrived at the Clock Tower Tavern located in the center of town.

The Bell Tower Tavern, as its name suggests, is a peculiar building with a bell tower on top and a stone tavern below.

The three people pushed open the door and entered.

Because of the clock tower on top, the tavern's ceiling is quite low, but this makes the aroma of wine and meat inside even stronger.

Even though they had already eaten scones and cookies, the aroma still made them crave something good to eat for the past two days.

"Grilled sausage! Ribs! Lamb leg! Stew! Pie!" The short guy would say the name of a dish with every step he took.

"Alright, alright, everyone eat, everyone eat." Lorraine glanced around the hall and quickly spotted the caravan members.

Barto and Jason had already taken their seats at a long table near the wall. The mercenaries were scattered on benches, with a few of the men squeezed at the other end. The table was already set with bowls and plates.

The clumsy archer, Yorn, was the first to spot them. He stood up and waved excitedly at them, "Sirs, over here! We've all ordered and are just waiting for you!"

Even in the noisy tavern, his shouting was loud enough to attract the attention of those around him.

The guests at the surrounding tables looked curiously toward the entrance.

Turning around, she saw Lorraine in armor, sword in hand, Eileen with a blank expression, holding a staff, and a package that moved on its own.

After whispering a few words to each other, they wisely turned back.

A few of the men shifted their positions and squeezed in with the mercenaries, making room for them on the long bench.

"Thanks."

Lorraine led the two to sit on a bench, where they saw the table already laden with stewed mutton, roasted sausages, toast, and roasted ribs.

There was even a whole piece of crookedly cut dried cheese and a small bowl of mashed potatoes drizzled with jam.

He was stunned. This meal must have cost at least several gold coins, so it was obviously not a normal meal for a caravan.

"What is this?" He looked at Barto.

The old steward rubbed his hands sheepishly: "It's all chipped in by everyone. It might not be as good as what the adults usually use, but it's better than eating bread, isn't it? If it weren't for the adults' help, we probably wouldn't be sitting at this table."

"Yeah yeah."

The other men next to him nodded in agreement.

The rescued man, holding a large mug of ale, shuffled towards Lorraine and stammered, "Sir... this is for you!"

Before Lorraine could even respond, he gulped down the entire beer and then let out a loud burp.

"hey-hey..

He gave an embarrassed chuckle.

"No need to be polite." Lorraine also raised the wine glass on the table, clinked it with his empty glass, and took a big gulp.

The short boy gazed at the dishes and eagerly asked, "Shall we start eating? Piper, can we start eating now?"

Everyone at the table immediately turned their attention to Lorraine.

He paused for a moment, then smiled and said, "Let's eat."

"Alright! Let's toast the three of you!" Jason was the first to raise his glass.

"Cheers!