A foreigner's journey

The rain was freezing cold.

The girl walked on the muddy road, trying her best to wrap up her thin coat tightly, and tightened the short bow on her back.

The dim candlelight coming from the windows of the surrounding houses was already dim, and the pattering rain further diluted the light, making it increasingly difficult for the girl to tell whether the road was mud or something else.

It's already the sixth day.

The girl ran back and forth around the town trying to seek help from the militia, but was repeatedly rejected by Captain Rumford without hesitation.

It’s not their fault, it’s the surrounding environment that is deteriorating rapidly, evil spirits are rampant, and demons are rampant.

The militiamen have been too busy protecting the town and have suffered frequent casualties. Where can they find the energy to help outsiders?

She tucked her neck into the collar of her coat as much as possible, and her whole body was drenched by the rain. The girl crossed her arms in front of her body and walked on the muddy road in the town.

There were obvious wheel marks on the mud, which were very deep. It looked like it was carrying a lot of heavy things.

He must be the mayor, right? You are transporting things to a private house in the west of the town late at night. Do you really think that no one can hear the hoarse screams of your mules and horses when they are whipped?

The girl curled her lips, and immediately thought of her current situation, she no longer cared to despise the mayor, and she couldn't help but feel a sense of sadness and powerlessness in her heart.

Finally, relying on her memory, the girl stopped at the northwest corner of an empty square.

In front of you is a small tavern. The light from the windows on the first and second floors is slightly warmer than that of other houses. Maybe the tavern owner is willing to use candles?

The girl moved her feet, which were numb from the cold, and stamped her feet until water and mud splashed up, then she looked towards the door of the tavern.

A wooden pole was erected next to the door, and the wooden signboard on it creaked in the wind and rain, but the words on it could still be barely read through the light.

Butcher's Tavern.

Boom, boom, boom! The girl sniffed and knocked hard on the wooden door of the hotel.

The old wooden door made a terrible struggling sound under her hammering.

"Oh my god, come on, come on, if the door is broken, you have to pay..."

The door was opened, revealing the face of a middle-aged man with a bald head and a big beard.

When he saw the girl, his angry expression turned into a sad one.

"It's you again, the little girl who only lives in the cheapest room... Come in, Leah, you must be freezing looking like that."

The boss opened the door and waved to the girl named Leah.

Leah hurriedly walked into the tavern. As soon as she entered, she felt the heat mixed with the smell of stove, wine and food hitting her face.

It seemed like mutton soup with chili... Leah swallowed quietly and calmed down as soon as she touched her pocket.

That little money should be reserved for critical times.

If you really can't find help from the militia, you can only rely on mercenaries.

"Thank you, Mr. Bron." Although Leah had not yet recovered from her shivering state, she still politely thanked the tavern owner.

"Why are you thankful? In this ghostly world...well, everyone has too much time to take care of themselves."

Boss Bron locked the door, looked at the girl shivering with cold, and sighed:

"Go and sit by the fire, and I'll bring you some mutton soup."

The girl let out a surprised sigh: "I, I'm not hungry..."

"No one will eat it after it's done. It would be a pity if it was dumped. I gave it to you."

Boss Bron waved his hand without looking back, and turned back towards the small door leading to the kitchen behind the bar.

Thanks. Leah pursed her lips, which were a little white from the cold, and said in her heart.

When I came to the fire, the firewood was piled high. The lower parts have turned into dark red charcoal, while the upper ones are still being licked by the flames. Perhaps because the firewood was a little moist, there was some choking smoke coming out of the furnace.

But Leah didn't care. She sat cross-legged in front of the stove, stretched her hands and fingers as wide as possible toward the warm hearth, and breathed comfortably.

After about ten seconds, Leah calmed down a little and then looked around.

There were not many people at the tables around, and there were only some drunkards lying on the tables, sleeping soundly.

She looked at the door that was bolted from the inside.

How can a pub normally close its doors during business hours? But the Cow Slaughter Inn did just that.

There is no way, the current situation outside the town is serious, which has made people in the town panic. Since half a month ago, the Slaughtering Cow Hotel has only been open to regular customers to avoid unnecessary trouble.

"Xiao Lia, you didn't gain anything from your trip?"

Suddenly, a rough voice sounded.

The burly man sitting in front of the bar turned around and looked at Leah.

"Mr. Nicholas." Leah greeted the strong man politely, then shook her head with a sad look on her face: "I didn't find any help this time either."

The strong man in front of him was about two meters tall, wearing a simple linen shirt and overalls. His bulging muscles almost stretched the buttons of his shirt.

The cuffs were rolled up to the elbows, and there were complex tattoos on the exposed forearms. Coupled with his rough appearance and thick white beard that almost reached his chest, Leah thought he was a man from Arreat when she first saw him. Savages of the mountains.

But Mr. Nicholas said that he was just a wandering trader, a poor businessman who was chased by monsters and lost all his belongings.

Nicholas was holding a teacup. The teacup that a normal person needs to hold was like a small wine cup in his hand.

"Little Lia, don't go out any more recently. Something is wrong with this world."

Nicholas sipped the hot water in the tea cup and said vaguely:

"It's especially dangerous right now."

Leah looked sad: "I know that there are evil spirits and demons wandering around outside, even the militia..."

"No, I'm not talking about these monsters, but real [monsters]."

Nicholas put down the tea cup and looked serious:

"Just this morning, someone discovered a body around the southern path outside the town. It was a female witcher who had been dead for some time."

Leah looked surprised: "Demon hunters? I have heard of these people, they are experts in dealing with demons! But, how could..."

"Six days ago the fresh bones of a barbarian warrior were found near the church."

Nicholas scratched his white beard, and then took out a poorly made pipe from his pocket: "There is something stopping [Assist] from coming here."

Leah looked at Nicholas with confusion on her face.

Nicholas snorted and said no more, just picked up his pipe and got up and walked towards the guest room on the second floor.

There was a creaking sound from the stairs.

Soon, the steaming hot mutton soup brought by Boss Bron temporarily dispelled Leah's confusion.

Just as Leah was sipping mutton soup and exchanging information with Boss Bron in a low voice, the wooden door of the tavern was suddenly slammed hard.

Boss Bron touched his bald head and looked surprised: "In this damn weather, there are still customers coming?"

With that said, he was about to go over and ask about the situation.

Leah also turned her body and looked towards the door curiously.

At this time, there was a sudden noise outside the door, like a group of people arguing.

"Why are you knocking on the door so hard? What if you anger the people inside and refuse to open the door?" This was a young man with a greasy voice.

"Stop talking nonsense! Is there any tavern with the door closed? It doesn't look serious at first glance. I want to bring back this unhealthy trend!" The extremely rough and heroic male voice said.

"Let me come, let me come. If a beautiful girl knocks on the door, she will always knock on the door and get the answer...Ahhhh! Someone touches my butt!" This is the voice of a girl full of energy.

"You seem to be unable to distinguish between the intensity of spanking and stroking? Do you need me to deepen your impression?" A girl's voice was as cold as porcelain.

"I think everyone can speed up the process a little. I'm very cold now and very hungry!" A weak young male voice seemed very annoyed.

"Did you hear what the boss said? Let me do it!" The energetic girl seemed eager to give it a try.

"Shut up, it's very noisy." A new voice appeared, a somewhat impatient middle-aged bass.

"Hahaha, it's great that everyone is so energetic in the rain." A gentle female voice soothed the atmosphere.

Boom, boom, boom! This time the knock on the door was even rougher than before.

There seems to be a group of troublesome guys outside the door that are not easy to mess with. Boss Bron swallowed nervously and shouted with a trembling voice: "There is only one room left in the hotel, and it can't accommodate so many people! You guys, please find another place to stay!"

As soon as he finished speaking, the original noise outside the door suddenly disappeared, leaving only the patter of rain.

If he was just scared before, now Boss Bron's face began to turn pale and frightened.

At this moment, many horror stories about evil spirits coming to arrest people flashed through his mind, and the protagonists' fates were all miserable without exception.

Thump thump thump.

This time, there was a knock on the door again, but this time the knock was much more patient and educated.

There was no other way. It would be really inappropriate if we didn't open the door. Boss Bron tremblingly pulled the door latch and opened the door a crack.

Then the wind and rain outside suddenly pushed open the door, not only knocking Boss Bron to the ground, but also bringing moisture and coldness into the tavern hall.

Sitting by the stove, Leah subconsciously lifted the dinner plate in front of her. When the strong wind died down, she opened her eyes and looked towards the door.

I saw a lone figure standing outside the door. The previous sounds seemed to be just common hallucinations of people in the tavern.

The person who came was about 1.85 meters tall and was wearing a dark waterproof hooded cloak. His chin, which was not covered by the cloak, was smooth and beardless. He raised it slightly as if he was sniffing something, and then he grinned.

"Aha! Mutton soup!"