"How about it, didn’t I tell you I wasn’t just boasting." Sorin finished everything and boasted to Gauss.
"With your skills, opening a tavern would definitely be a booming business." Gauss gave him a thumbs up.
"No doubt about it."
The ingredients were all quite ordinary, but under Sorin’s culinary skills, they were transformed into wonders: stewed meat soup, roasted pork skewers, pepper-flavored pork skin.
His spice formula and preparation method perfectly brought out the deliciousness of the meat itself, while removing the heavy gamey taste of wild boar, leaving only a lingering fragrance.
Sorin took out his large mug, eating joyously along with some strong liquor, his mouth full of grease, thoroughly enjoying himself. The others also ate a lot.
However, the one who ate the most was Gauss.
"Didn’t expect it, you can really eat, quite manly." Sorin lay on the ground, rubbing his already bulging belly, looking at Gauss who hadn’t stopped eating, genuinely impressed.
He truly didn’t expect that Gauss, who seemed pale and neat, would eat so effortlessly.
He thought his own appetite was hard to match, but someone even more formidable appeared, and it was even a Caster with a level lower than his own.
This was too strange.
Originally calm and composed, Nancy and Elton couldn’t help but take a few more glances at Gauss.
His image seemed to have become slightly more three-dimensional.
A mysterious male Caster who can transform into Dragon-man form when necessary, very capable in combat but also able to eat a lot.
With food and drink satiated, they continued onward.
Good food truly is the best social catalyst; after a picnic, the relationship among the originally somewhat unfamiliar temporary team members noticeably grew closer.
Sorin would occasionally turn to chat with Serdur and Aaliyah, whom he hadn’t interacted much with before, casually discussing topics such as profession, hometown, and how the team was formed.
The team continued along the border of the Jade Forest, the afternoon sun stretching their shadows long.
——
"Da-da-da——"
The crisp, scattered sound of hooves came from afar, gradually becoming clear.
"Cough-cough——"
The sun set in the west, and night was about to fall.
A team of six hurried over from the afterglow.
"Finally arrived at the village before dark." Nancy tugged at the reins; getting closer to the village, she needed to control the pace of the horses to slow down.
"Let’s ask the village chief if there are any vacant houses, pay to temporarily rent one for the night." Gauss glanced at the distant, run-down village.
Didn’t think such a small village would have any inns.
"Okay." No one in the team objected to his suggestion.
They continued along the dirt path leading to the village.
The horses’ hooves kicked up fine dust on the cracked land.
On both sides of the road were desolate fields overgrown with weeds, and the few rows of crops drooped listlessly, clearly lacking care.
A few broken-down farming tools were carelessly discarded by the field ridges, with the wooden parts already showing signs of decay.
The closer they got to the village, the stronger the sense of desolation.
Low adobe houses leaned crookedly together, walls cracked with hideous fissures, and a dodgy wooden sign at the village entrance had illegible writing.
The entire village was eerily silent, devoid of the evening noises typical of a village: no crowing roosters, barking dogs, or children’s laughter. Only the sound of a desolate wind blowing through made them shiver involuntarily.
The arrival of Gauss and the others broke the original silence of the village.
On either side of the village road, dirty, broken window curtains were drawn up, with shadows vaguely visible behind, and pairs of eyes cautiously watched the well-equipped, travel-worn outsiders in the dim light.
For a moment, no villagers stepped forward to greet them.
They simply observed silently from afar.
"Something seems... off." Sorin rubbed the back of his head, speaking in a low voice, while his other hand instinctively gripped the handle of his war hammer.
Even his pony seemed to sense unease, snorted, and kept pawing the ground with its hoof.
Of course, that was clearly stating the obvious.
Even outside the village, the abnormality of this place could be felt.
Neither the neglected farm fields nor the discarded, rotting farming tools looked like what a normal village should have, especially since this place didn’t seem wealthy.
Elton lightly traced a prayer symbol over his chest, then frowned deeply.
He shook his head slightly at the others.
"Nothing unusual for now."
Just as the six-person team was lingering in the middle of the village, observing in secret.
A door from a slightly more intact-looking adobe house, possibly the village chief’s home, creaked open.
A figure trembled, slowly walking out.
It was an old man, thin and hunched, wearing a rough hemp garment dotted with patches.
His face was covered with deep wrinkles, his eyes cloudy, and with the help of a cane, he slowly shuffled over to Gauss and the others.
The old man raised his head, scrutinizing each member of the team, each horse; his gaze lingered briefly on Sorin’s shining armor, Nancy’s magic staff, Elton’s holy symbol, and the weapons carried by Gauss and the others, before he spoke in a hoarse, dried-up voice, like air dragged through a broken bellows.
"Outsiders... where do you come from? Why have you come to our Rolling Stone Village... for what purpose?"
His tone wasn’t exactly friendly, even carrying a hint of... resistance that was barely noticeable.
"Good evening, sir. We are adventurers from Forest Crown Town, it’s getting late, and we’d like to ask if there’s any available house in your village where we could stay for one night; we can pay." Although the other party’s attitude wasn’t good, being the first villager to come forward, Gauss thought for a moment and decided to engage him in conversation.