The adventurer at the bottom is fantasizing again.

"Anya! It's Anya!"

The little guy grabbed Lorraine by the collar, as excited as if he had seen a long-lost relative.

"I see it, I see it... cough cough, let go, you can't breathe!"

Lorraine was pulled backward by him, her back almost touching the wheel, and the collar was tightly choking her throat, making her voice somewhat distorted.

But this short guy was ridiculously strong, and he couldn't pull him apart.

Anya turned her head slightly upon hearing the sound, and by the light of the torch, she could see the three people not far away. Her smile became even brighter.

She waved the torch in her hand at the three of them, and sparks flew out from it, dancing around in the air like fireflies.

"She saw Piper! She waved at Piper!"

"It's directed at me," Eileen said coldly.

She moved to the other side of the cart, wanting to get away from these two shameful fellows.

"No! It's Piper! Piper is standing on the wheel!" The little guy finally let Lorraine go. He tried to jump up and down a couple of times, hoping to make his pitiful height seem taller.

"They're still not as tall as me," she retorted.

Anya walked towards them, and the crowd naturally followed in her footsteps.

The torchlight drew closer and closer, the scent of burning pine resin grew stronger, and the singing grew louder and louder.

"It's so lively!"

As Lorraine watched the approaching crowd, she instinctively wanted to take a step back, but felt the hem of her clothes being pulled.

He looked down.

A little girl was standing beside his legs.

She looked to be about six or seven years old, wearing a wool coat that was several sizes too big, with the sleeves rolled up in several layers, revealing two sections of her arms that were red from the cold.

The girl was also wearing a flower wreath on her head, which looked even bigger than her head. It hung crookedly on her ear, making her look quite comical and cute.

She tilted her head back and held up what she was holding.

It was an ordinary pine cone.

The scales on it were cracked, and the tips were still covered with some snow that hadn't melted completely. Someone had threaded a red rope through it and tied it into a crooked knot.

Happy Midwinter Festival... Big brother...

The girl smiled shyly, stood on tiptoe, and placed the pine cone into his palm.

Lorraine looked down at the pine cone, then squatted down and patted her little head with a smile.

Happy Midwinter Festival.

"hey-hey!"

The girl smiled even more happily when she saw him accept the pine cone. She skipped and hopped back to the line, then threw herself into her father's arms and started to act coquettishly.

Her father, who looked like a small-time merchant in his thirties, smiled, picked up his daughter, pinched her nose, and proudly greeted Lorraine.

Happy Midwinter Festival, my friend!

Happy Midwinter Festival!

Lorraine responded politely, and after they left, he glanced at the pine cone again and twirled it between his fingers a few times.

He felt the rough texture on it, and after a long while, he suddenly chuckled softly.

That's great...

Lorraine tucked it into her bosom and stood up again.

Anya had already approached. Looking at the three somewhat disheveled individuals, she said with warm concern:

"Was the journey alright?"

"Everything is fine." Lorraine nodded.

"That's good. Thank you all for your hard work."

Anya smiled and nodded at the three of them, but did not stop, leading the parade forward.

People flowed past them like a river.

An old woman slipped a piece of bread into Piper's hand. The little man was flattered and held it in his arms, unsure whether to take a bite or thank her first.

"Crab...Crab!" He finally chose both.

Another girl stepped out of the line and gently gave Eileen, who was covered in dust, a hug.

Eileen froze on the spot, at a loss, her face flushed red from her cheekbones to her ears.

They only came to their senses when Anya's figure disappeared into the crowd.

The torchlight gradually faded into the distance, but the song could still be faintly heard, echoing in their ears.

Lorraine bent down to pick up the fallen cart rope, then grabbed the handle and said with a smile:

"Let's go, let's take the stuff back first."

The entrance to the Hearthfire Tavern was brightly lit.

The wooden wine glass sign was also adorned with a huge wreath of pine branches, wrapped with a red ribbon and strings of dried berries.

The door was simply left wide open, and noise and light poured out from inside, forcing the cold wind at the doorway back a few steps.

Lorraine parked the cart next to the stable in the backyard of the inn. They went up the stairs from the outside and ran back and forth several times before they finally carried all the spoils into the room.

"Pip thinks we need to move to a new house."

The short man stood at the doorway of the room, tears welling up in his eyes. The floor of the room was almost completely covered with things, leaving barely any room to step.

"really."

Lorraine nodded in deep agreement. Renting a house was indeed something that needed to be put on the agenda. Although staying in a tavern was convenient, it was just too expensive.

Eileen stood at the top of the stairs and called out, asking the waiter to bring up two wooden buckets filled with hot water.

The poor young man, panting, carried a large wooden bucket upstairs. When he reached the door of the room, he glanced inside and froze on the spot.

"Is...is it to be put inside, ma'am?"

"Um."

Finally, with great effort, he had to turn sideways and stand on tiptoe to manage to shove the wooden bucket into the small open space in the corner of the room.

"I'm going to change my clothes."

Eileen squeezed in sideways and closed the door.

Lorraine and Piper waited for the waiter to bring up another bucket, then wiped their faces and changed their clothes.

Although there was a weak cleaning spell, it didn't seem to recognize sweat as a stain. After so many days, my clothes were already covered in a sour, sweaty smell.

He took the pine cone out of his clothes and hung it by the bedside, then stood in the hallway waiting for Eileen.

The short guy wasn't one to stay still, and soon he was leaning on the railing, occasionally letting out a gasp of surprise.

"Wow, so many people... Is that a dwarf?... A halfling! Piper saw a halfling!"

Lorraine rubbed his forehead, feeling that this guy was even more boisterous than the tavern lobby downstairs.

After waiting for a while, the little guy's stomach was growling, and finally the door opened.

Eileen changed out of her blood-stained and mud-covered adventure outfit and put on a turquoise high-necked wool dress.

The soft fabric hugged her body perfectly, draping down from her shoulders and gathering at her waist, extending downwards along the curves of her body.

Her hair was also let down, long red hair draped over her shoulders, with only two strands at her temples tucked behind her ears, revealing two silver earrings on her earlobes.

The corridor lights cast a thin layer of light on the contours of her shoulders and collarbones, making the expensive fabric appear even more delicately velvety in the light.

She leaned casually against the doorframe, her upper body tilted to the side, and a slight smile played on her lips as she looked at Lorraine's blank gaze.

"So, are you satisfied with your female companion?"