Chapter 74: Meeting in Hale Town (1)

Leaving Vantoris, a city filled with blood and tears, Jiang Zhe and his group continued northward following the directions given by Serraland’s new leader, Genevieve Dorby.
Regardless of the fate that awaited the Serraland people, after traveling day and night by carriage, Jiang Zhe and his companions finally crossed the Galk border.
The Galk soldiers at the border did not trouble them; on the contrary, they even pointed out the smallest town near the border—Hale.
Located slightly northeast of the Galk border, Hale was a small to medium-sized town. Due to its geographical location, it had a large flow of people, mostly merchants from various places or mercenaries looking for work. Of course, there might also be some refugees from Jacosemb in the near future.
When the carriage reached the city gates, the Galk soldiers on duty came forward for a routine inspection. Upon seeing that the passengers were all children, the soldier was clearly surprised but soon relaxed—these days, there were many noble kids who loved adventure.
Entering the city in the slightly bumpy carriage, Lailira sighed softly as she glanced at the bustling crowd. “Aivi, I think we should rest here for the night, take a bath, and change our clothes…”
Before she could finish, Lisa said cheerfully, “And have a nice meal and sleep soundly… That damned place, Vantoris, was so annoying, especially that jerk named Tami—so cruel…”
“Giggle,” Diya chuckled at their somewhat childish words and said softly, “Although they seemed fierce, they didn’t hurt us, did they?” With a slight sigh and an indescribable expression, she added, “I used to hear people say how horrible the Serraland people were, but after seeing that city… it must now be in ruins. A city that had existed for over two hundred years… I hope they get a good fate!”

“Can one expect a good outcome by being enemies of the Empire?” Glancing at Dia, Ravia frowned and said, “When I first arrived in Ventoris, I truly felt sympathy for their plight. But those people attacked Galic’s payrolls—they violated the Empire’s laws. They stole the money meant to be distributed to Galic’s soldiers. Do you know what that means? Payrolls are absolutely off-limits; those who break this law are sentenced to hanging!”
“I disagree with you,” Dia said softly, shaking her head as she looked at Ravia. “You’ve seen the situation of the Theralanders—they’re suffering from hunger and cold, and the Empire turns a blind eye… Yes, they violated Empire laws, but wasn’t it out of necessity? We should show understanding…”
“Understanding?” Ravia smiled faintly, resting her chin on her hand as she gazed at the crowd outside the carriage. “Understanding is one thing, but tolerance is another. If this were in our Altak, such criminals would be tied to wooden stakes and whipped…”
“That’s too cruel…”
“Cruel?” Ravia glanced at Dia instinctively and sneered. “While you enjoy a peaceful life, who is it that pays for it? You must know that our relations with the barbarians in the north are not friendly. Those barbarians living in the frigid northern lands constantly eye the Empire’s fertile lands. But the Empire has its strongest barrier in the north—the Altak-Glon-Galic defense line. You may feel sympathy for those Theralanders, but I cannot tolerate it—payrolls are meant for the soldiers who defend that line with their lives. What right do the Theralanders have to take it?”
Watching Ravia, who seemed somewhat agitated, Lisa called out timidly, “Aivi?”
Seemingly realizing something, Ravia gave Dia an apologetic look and said softly, “I’m very sorry. I just… You know, I was born in Altak. I grew up there and have seen many things you might never see in your lifetime…”
“It’s okay. I know you didn’t mean it,” Dia said, smiling as she accepted Ravia’s apology. She nodded and added, “Indeed, as someone who lives in a peaceful area, I can’t understand matters related to the border. By the way, have you ever met barbarians?”

“I saw them when I was very young,” Ravia recalled, pressing her lips together. After thinking for a moment, she said softly, “Actually, barbarians aren’t that different from us humans. It’s just… well, they’re strong and tall. Barbarians are born warriors, especially those who know how to use [Fury]. They can lift an adult with one hand and throw them far away without any effort. Especially their berserkers—on the battlefield, they’re nothing but killing machines. I once saw over a dozen Altak soldiers surrounding a berserker but still unable to kill him… Barbarians worship their ancestors. They believe their strength comes from within, so they need little in the way of equipment. Of course, this is related to the fact that they live in extremely cold places and don’t get along well with dwarves…”
“You know so much…” Dia looked at Ravia with a hint of envy, shaking her head and saying softly, “I’ve never known any of this—maybe you’re right, but I still feel sympathy for the Theralanders…”
Ravia glanced up at Dia and smiled faintly, saying seriously, “I’ve said it before—sympathy is one thing…”
Just then, the carriage came to a stop with a creak. Allen, who had gone to the door, knocked on the window and said tiredly, “Get out, noble ladies!”
Ravia pushed the door open. Immediately, the noisy sounds of the street rushed in like a tide—shouts, laughter, calls—everywhere.
“It’s so lively!” Lisa exclaimed happily as she took in the street. She puffed out her cheeks and stuck out her tongue. “I still prefer cities like this. Unlike Ventoris, which is messy, dirty, and lifeless, with those people having such fierce expressions on their faces…” With that, she hugged Ravia and giggled, “Avi, let’s go explore! See what fun things there are… I mean, we should buy some food to take back, hehe!”
“You!” Ravia gave Lisa an exasperated look and said helplessly, “Alright, but we need to find a place to rest first. Lelirala is right—we can’t just go looking for Scott like this. That would be rude!”
Lisa glanced down at her dirty dress and blushed slightly before nodding. “Okay, let’s find a place to rest, take a bath, and then go explore together…” As if suddenly remembering something, she leaned in close to Ravia’s ear and said, “How about Lelirala and I go, and you and Thos…”

Immediately, Lavia’s little face turned slightly red as she glanced at Jiang Zhe with a distracted look. He was talking to Dia at the moment. In an instant, she felt all her good mood vanish completely. Sighing irritably, she said, “Forget it! I don’t want to go with that guy at all!” Then she turned to Allen, who was looking around, and said, “Allen, find a place to rest!”
Allen scratched his head and examined the shops and inns around them before pointing at a building and saying, “How about that inn around the corner? There should be enough space there for our carriage to stay.”
“Alright then!”
A few minutes later, they arrived at the inn. Allen booked six rooms at six silver coins each.
Although Heil was at most a slightly larger town, its rooms were clearly more satisfactory for the girls compared to those in Ventoris—at least there was enough hot water for them to bathe.
For Jiang Zhe and Allen, bathing was a very simple matter; a quick rinse was enough. But for the girls, the process tested their patience greatly.
It took over an hour before the girls finally came to knock on Allen’s room door as agreed. By then, Jiang Zhe had already been lying on the sofa in the room for half a day. Strangely enough, despite being extremely sleepy, his sleep time seemed to be getting shorter lately.
“You guys are so slow!” Jiang Zhe said weakly as he glanced at them.
“What are you talking about?” Lavia replied irritably, looking at Jiang Zhe. “Do you think everyone is like you?”
“Alright, alright,” Allen interrupted their argument by clapping his hands. He lowered his head and said to Jiang Zhe, “Be a gentleman, buddy!” Then he shrugged and said to everyone, “Let’s stay here for one night. Tomorrow we’ll set off to find that bastard Scott. So… how should we spend the rest of the time?”
Hearing Allen’s words, Lisa smiled and hugged Lavia’s arm, saying excitedly, “We should go shopping in town. Hehe, I saw lots of interesting things in the carriage just now!”
“Ah?” Allen made a strange face and pretended to be disappointed. “I thought I could treat you to some local beer!”
“How about we go together?” Lisa suggested, looking at everyone. “Let’s eat first, then go shopping in town. What do you think?”

“Oh, I see,” Allen thought for a moment before turning to Jiang Zhe and asking, “What do you think, buddy?”
Jiang Zhe glanced at Dia with some hesitation, and all of this was seen by Ravia. She bit her lip and said in a low voice, “I suddenly feel a bit tired. Lisa, go shopping with Allen!”
“Why like this?” Lisa was clearly disappointed. She pouted and looked at Lelira, who smiled slightly and said, “I don’t want to be caught between you and Allen— I’m also tired. It’s good to keep Avi company!”
“Alright then,” Lisa said, pouting in disappointment. She glanced at Jiang Zhe and Dia and asked, “What about you? Senior Dia, Thos?”
“We’ll just stroll around the nearby area!” Dia said with a smile.
Lisa clearly noticed the word “us” and glared at Jiang Zhe irritably before turning to Allen with disappointment, “Then it’s just the two of us. It’s not fun at all…”
Winking at Lisa, Allen said in a strange tone, “Not fun at all?”
“Giggle, it’s fun!”
A few minutes later, Lisa and Allen, as well as Dia and Jiang Zhe, left the inn one after another, leaving only Ravia and Lelira behind.
Glancing at Ravia, who was lying on the bed with her right hand under her head, Lelira walked over and sat on the edge of the bed, saying, “You’re in a bad mood, right, Avi?”
“Not at all!” Ravia, who was lying on the bed, turned over and looked at the sky outside the window. Then she suddenly sat up and said, “There’s no reason why they all left and only we stayed here—Let’s go out too! Let’s get some fresh air!”
“Giggle,” Lelira said, covering her mouth and teasing her, “Still saying no! Alright, I’ll go with you!”
It took them about ten minutes to change into plain clothes, and the two girls left the inn, leaving behind a few chess puppet dolls to watch over the belongings inside. After all, magic puppets weren’t ordinary things and would surely draw attention.
But neither Jiang Zhe nor Allen, nor Ravia and Lelira noticed the disappointed expressions on those chess puppet dolls’ faces… Good heavens! Could lifeless puppets also be disappointed?
“You really should be nicer to Thos…”
On the crowded street, Lelira smiled and teased her companion, “You keep a serious face all day long. You scare everyone away—It’s been two years at Riox Academy, and I’ve never seen a boy confess to you. Shouldn’t you reflect on that?”

“Those boring guys! My time is precious; I don’t have time to play emotional games with them!”
“Then you do have time for Thos?” Lelira teased with a light laugh.
“Who… who’s with him? Stop talking nonsense!”
Winking at Ravia, Lelira said with a smirk, “Am I talking nonsense? Giggles! You know it yourself!”
“I… what do I know? Okay, I admit I spend a bit more time with him… just a little, but it’s for learning magic…” Ravia gestured with her index and thumb to show a very small distance, then after thinking for a moment, she shortened the distance again.
“Giggles,” Lelira shook her head helplessly and whispered in Ravia’s ear, “Was attending the masquerade ball also for learning magic?”
“What? When did I go to…”
“Oh my, you’re denying it! I remember clearly—you were very nervous back then…”
“Stop it…”
“Okay, okay,” seeing her friend so embarrassed, Lelira changed the subject with a light laugh, “Actually, there are many boys in the academy who like you very much, Avi. You have quite a few supporters even among the senior students, as long as you don’t keep a stern face every day…”
“Who keeps a stern face all the time?”
“You still deny it after I tell you,” Lelira rolled her eyes at Ravia and whispered, “Haven’t you realized yet? Thos likes gentle girls…”
“What does that have to do with me!”
“You really are…” Just as she was about to ‘teach’ her friend again, Lelira suddenly felt the light ahead dim, and she seemed to bump into someone. Her forehead and left hand hurt badly, and soon a fierce voice reached her ears.
“Can’t you watch where you’re going, kid!”
Panicked, Lelira looked up and found herself bumped into a man who looked like a mercenary. He wore old leather armor, carried a long sword on his back, and had a scratch on his face from some animal, making him look terrifying. Especially when he glared at her fiercely, Lelira felt fear well up in her heart.
“I… I’m sorry!”
“Huh?” The mercenary tilted his head, looking down at the girl with a scornful gaze and sneered, “What did you say?”
Swallowing hard, Lelira lowered her head and said in a louder voice, “I’m sorry!”

“Hey!” The mercenary chuckled, reaching out to the two girls. “How about this? I happen to need some money. If you give me a few silver coins, I’ll pretend this never happened!”
“What are you doing?!” Ravia stepped forward to protect Lelira, frowning and scolding, “She’s already apologized to you!”
“Oho, a pretty feisty little brat!” The mercenary grinned at Ravia, rubbing his stubbled chin mockingly. “Apologize? What does an apology solve?” He sized her up from head to toe and chuckled, “It seems you’re not from an ordinary family…”
“What do you want?” Ravia watched the man warily. Suddenly, she spotted the patrol guards in the distance and said firmly, “I advise you not to think about anything. Extortion leads to whipping!”
Instantly, the mercenary’s expression darkened. Glancing at the patrol guards not far behind him, he glared fiercely at Ravia and said in a harsh tone, “Little brat, are you threatening me? Hehe, I didn’t notice before. Not bad, pretty little thing. How about this? Come with me for a drink!” He reached out to touch Ravia’s face.
Ravia’s face turned red with anger as she stepped back to avoid his hand.
“Tsk, such an unruly little brat!” The mercenary licked his lips with interest, grabbed Ravia’s arm, and said laughing, “Such an unruly little brat. Let me teach you a lesson from your parents—what to do when you mess with the wrong person!”
“Let go!” Ravia struggled hard, but unfortunately, her strength was far weaker than his.
“What if I don’t?” Hehe!
Just then, a figure approached the mercenary, tapped him on the shoulder, and said calmly, “I advise you to let her go.”
Glancing warily at the newcomer, the mercenary snapped, “Kid, mind your own business! If you don’t want to get hurt, get lost!” He released Ravia’s arm and reached for the sword at his back.
But the next second, the mercenary was sent flying dozens of yards by a punch, knocking over a row of stalls.
“Hey, what happened?” People on the street began to chatter.
“Tsk!” The man waved his right hand casually and said mockingly, “It seems you’re not very obedient either!”
“You’re…” Ravia stared in shock at the person who had saved her. Her expression changed rapidly, and soon her face was filled with surprise and joy.

“Conner?!?”
Ravia could clearly see that the one who had saved her was the werewolf she had met a year ago—Jean Conner!
“I thought you’d call me Jean!” Conner joked, laughing heartily. “Are you surprised to see me?”
“Yes, very surprised,” Ravia nodded in delight, then teased him by pointing at his beard. “I almost didn’t recognize you! Such a thick beard, hehe…” She was referring to Conner’s dense beard that stretched to both sides of his cheeks; to be honest, it resembled the fur of some kind of beast more than a beard.
Shrugging, Conner joked, “It’s not up to me. I’m afraid if this keeps up, people might think I’m a monster!”
Glancing at the thick fur covering Conner’s strong arms, Ravia blinked and teased, “No way, you already are!” She was naturally referring to Conner’s immense strength and immortality.
“You little brat!” Conner shook his head impatiently, showing a hint of exasperation.
“Avi,” Laryla whispered, gently pulling on Ravia’s arm. “Do you know this man?” She glanced at Conner with some fear, subconsciously feeling that this man was far more terrifying than that mercenary.
“Don’t worry,” Ravia said with a light laugh, seemingly noticing Laryla’s fear. “I met him near Professor Hode’s house a year ago. He’s my friend, Jean Conner. Though he might seem scary, he’s actually very kind. Jean, this is one of my best friends, Laryla Geddis!”
Very kind?
Conner smiled helplessly and extended his hand. “Pleasure to meet you, little brat!”
Glancing at Conner secretly a few times, Laryla carefully shook his hand and whispered, “I’m glad to meet you too, Mr. Conner…” Then she turned her head and said in a strange tone, “Your friend is so strange. He’s covered in hair, and his eyes are fierce, like a wolf’s…”
He’s a werewolf after all…
Ravia winked playfully at Conner, then seemed to notice something and pointed behind him.
Conner turned and looked in the direction Ravia indicated. The mercenary who had been knocked down was standing up, walking angrily toward him.
“Kid, are your fists that strong? Hmph! You’ve made me lose face!”

Glancing at the other person briefly, Connel grinned, stared at them, and said in a threatening tone, “If you don’t leave now, you’ll lose more than just your face… Get out!”
Under Connel’s imposing aura, the mercenary hesitated several times before reaching for the sword at his back, but ultimately left anyway.
Watching the mercenary walk away, Lavia laughed lightly and said, “Scared off a mercenary with just your aura? Unbelievable!”
“What’s so surprising about that? Even mercenaries value their own lives,” Connel said, looking around and asking curiously, “Are there just the two of you? Where’s that kid with you? That kid named Thos?”
Instantly, the smile vanished from Lavia’s face. She bit her lip and whispered, “He… has some matters to attend to…”
“Some matters?” Connel glanced at Lavia, seemed to think of something, frowned, and said, “Did he bully you, that kid? I’ll kill him!”
“No!” Lavia instinctively grabbed Connel’s hand and shook her head, saying, “You misunderstand. He didn’t bully me. It’s just… we had a disagreement. That’s all…”
“You!” Connel laughed heartily, patted Lavia’s head gently, and said with a smile, “You can’t even tell a lie… Alright, don’t worry. I won’t hurt that kid. I can’t even guarantee I can beat him. That kid is protected by demons. I’ve even been killed by him before…”
“Jian!” Lavia reminded him softly.
“Killed?” Lelira looked at Connel in confusion. Wasn’t everything fine?
“Heh,” Connel glanced at Lelira and said with a smile, “Wrong, wrong. I almost killed him. That kid has a very powerful force!” He then looked at Lavia with a fatherly gaze and pretended to say fiercely, “After thinking it over, I still need to teach that kid a lesson. By the way, where do you live?”
Glancing at Connel irritably, Lavia turned her head and pointed in a direction, “Over there, the inn at the corner!” She then said seriously to Connel, “Don’t hurt him!” Although Connel’s tone sounded like a joke, Lavia was still a bit worried. After all, this man was no ordinary person—he was a dark being between wolves and vampires, the most powerful one with an immortal body: Gungro!

“Got it!” Connel chuckled and walked toward the inn where the two girls were staying with them. As they walked, he suddenly stopped, gently placed a hand on Lavia’s shoulder, and whispered, “Let’s take a different route!”
Following Connel’s gaze down the street, Lavia couldn’t see anything unusual, so she asked in confusion, “Is there something ahead?”
Connel stared coldly ahead and said grimly, “There’s a bastard who really irritates me!”
Meanwhile, in a corner at the other end of the street, the lich mage Pule, wrapped in his travel cloak, sneered at his companion, “Did you hear that, Argus? A bastard who irritates him—that’s the werewolf’s reply!”
“Don’t rush,” said Argus, sitting on a barrel by the street, still dressed only in his black long coat. He slowly bit into the bread in his hand. After hearing his companion’s words, he chuckled lightly and said, “I don’t care if he calls me a bastard or anything else. As long as he’s willing to join us… That guy is strong and has an annoying immortality. I don’t want to mess with such an enemy…” He paused, then looked into the distance with a teasing tone, “Don’t worry, my dear companion. He’ll come to us because we can give him what he wants…”
“I hope you’re right, but… how long do we have to wait? I think we should set a deadline for that guy. Play hide-and-seek in a small town? That’s not fun at all!”
“Hmm, you’re right,” Argus nodded, threw the last bit of bread into his mouth, then looked into the distance and smiled. “That guy is indeed unfair. It seems we’ll have to talk to him again…”
“Now?”
“Of course!” As he spoke, Argus seemed to see something, his face taking on a strange expression. In a tone of surprise, he said, “Really… that brat is here? Interesting. Pule, wait for me here!”
“Hm? What are you going to do?”
“Hehe, have a chat with an interesting brat!” With that, Argus walked toward a stall on the street, where Dia was happily pointing at a small gadget and saying something to Jiang Zhe.