——4e, 201, the last seed month, 19th, 20:00——
The climate of the International Province is cold, and half of the area is covered with snow all year round. Even if the Nords are cold-resistant, it does not mean that they are willing to endure the cold all the time. Therefore, most Nords will have a fire pit in their houses, whether it is their own home or a hotel. Even in the lord's longhouse, the most eye-catching thing at a glance is the burning fire pit in the middle of the house.
Maybe outsiders will question whether it is too dangerous to build a fire pit in the house, but in fact, these fire pits are the first thing the Nords build when they build a house. They first determine the location of the fire pit and then use it around it. Timber and stone are used to build the frame of the house designed to match it. When a new house is officially completed, lighting the firepit in the center is a signal of completion. The owner, his friends and the builders will hold a celebration banquet around it.
The base camp of the Comrades, the "Moonvaska" longhouse, also known as the Mead Hall, is located on the high ground to the north of the Winding Area. It is the second tallest building in Snowrun. It even has its own walls and internal defenses. With all the measures in place, it looks like a city within a city, which is indeed the case - it existed before Xueman was officially established.
When Arthur walked into the Yuvaska Hall, what he saw was a huge burning fire pit and many tables and chairs surrounding it. This picture gave him a strong sense of sight, a certain impression. The dark figure who kept shouting "Ya-Ser-" gradually became clearer. At the same time, another slender figure with blond hair and blue eyes became clear. He/she wielded a two-handed sword and was wearing heavy armor, but the color But I can't be sure. It seems to be pure white, azure blue or even pitch black.
"Oh, this kind of situation is actually not common," Ella seemed to have misunderstood the reason for Arthur's frown, and explained aloud: "We usually don't have any differences in tasks, because the division of labor is different, but the newcomer is likely to If you compete for the same task and don't give in, it will end up like this."
"Drink!" "Harder!" "Knock him flat!" "Punch!"
In the corner of the spacious hall, a fight was taking place, a fight that the Snowman guards said was "with Nord characteristics". The two parties were a brown-haired man who looked like an Imperial, and a tall Nord woman. Surrounded by The spectators cheered and cheered from time to time.
Perhaps in other provinces of the Septim Empire, there is an argument like "You hit a woman, are you a man?", but in the Interprovince, similar words become "You can't even beat a woman, are you worthy of being a man?", so When I think about it, it is very tragic for the Red Guard Scimitars who were beaten away by Satya. Even if the Snowman guards do not prohibit them from entering the city, I am afraid they will not have the dignity to come back.
"Aunt Tilma -" Ria flew into the arms of an old woman with gray hair who swept the floor calmly even though there was a fight over there. Although Ria should call her grandma according to her age, Arthur looked at her. At a glance, he decided to give up the intention of reminding him - that sharp look was completely unlike that of an old man in his twilight years.
"Those are Attis and Nigarda Stonearm," Wells further explained the situation: "They don't like the tasks of driving away wild beasts, maintaining law and order, and protecting caravans. They are probably doing some task of cleaning up bandit camps. A fight started."
"Then aren't they usually very free?" Arthur asked. Although he only cleared two or three groups of bandits, he also knew very well that most bandits actually had no good targets for robbery. There were guards in towns and caravans, but they dared to go alone. Pedestrians on the road were either penniless or extremely powerful. Most of their activities were illegal mining, mammoth poaching, and tomb robbing, and the lords generally would not issue arrest warrants for such bandits.
"Maybe, I never like tasks that require fighting with others," Ella responded, taking two steps forward: "You two! End it quickly, we have guests!"
When the woman named Nigarda heard this, her movements immediately became fast and powerful. She hit Artis with three consecutive uppercuts on the face, knocking him to the ground: "As good as you are, you better do it honestly. Go on a safe mission, no matter how much you earn, you will turn around and give it to that guy Satya, right?"
Although he felt that there was a story in it, it was better not to ask. Arthur turned to look at the other onlookers.
Except for those who looked like ordinary comrades, there were only four people who caught Arthur's attention. First, there were two male warriors who looked very similar to Wells. They were probably three brothers, and then a There is a kind old man sitting in the corner, looking at everyone in the hall with a look of care for the juniors. His beard and hair are all white, but he is in good spirits. And sitting next to him, he is still vigilant even in the base camp, and he is blind in one eye. , a dangerous-looking bald man.
"Hey, Wells, I heard that you single-handedly killed a six-meter-tall giant?" "Although it is rumored that there was moisture, it was at least about four meters tall. Are you injured?" Wells' brothers came over. , the bold-looking one gave him a hug directly, while the more stern one stood aside and asked.
"Well, this is Arthur, who helped us defeat the giant. These are my two brothers, Farkas and Wilkas," Wells, the tallest man, struggled to introduce to both parties.
"Hmm...it sounds like you have a brother named Faz." Arthur joked at them.
"Ha, our old man had this plan, but unfortunately he died in the war between the empire and the elves." Farkas said.
"..." Arthur was silent for a moment. It was not appropriate to apologize or pretend not to care at this time. After all, more than twenty years had passed since the war, but its impact has continued to this day. Even he himself is that Orphans of a war - although this is doubtful.
"I'm going to take Arthur to see Craco," Ella said to save a few embarrassed people: "I think you have a lot to do with Wells."
"Ah, yes, okay, you guys, do it yourself." Farkas was punched several times by his brothers before he noticed what he was talking about. He grinned and led Wells towards the residential area.
"The living area of Yuvaska is the basement below the mead hall. It is the residence of all members of the comradeship. It also has excellent defense functions. Even if the main entrance is breached from the outside, it will be difficult to break into the living area. "Anti-increase," Ella looked at the direction where the three Wells brothers left, and said to Arthur: "Let's go see Krako Whitemane now. He is our prophet. Only if he agrees can you stay." Come down."
"Wait, I'm just staying here for one night and will leave after reporting to the lord. There is no need to meet any big shots." Arthur was inexplicably a little scared of the mysterious old man with white hair.
"Hey, that's not possible. Entering Yuvaska means that you are related to the comrades. You can either join us and enjoy the wine, or lie out as an enemy." Ella grabbed Arthur's arm armor to prevent him from escaping.
"Is there no third way?" Arthur didn't intend to escape, but just remembered the reaction of the Xueman guards before - you walked with the people of the comrades, you chose a bright future - so that's it, it seems It has become a tradition for them to abduct people.
"Of course there is," Ella pulled Arthur towards the white-haired old man and the bald man in the corner of the hall: "If you fail the test or are rejected by Craco, you can leave at will, but you are not allowed to take another step. .”
Such a person would surely be despised by the whole city, Arthur rolled his eyes quietly.
"Ella, what kind of person did you bring?" The bald one-eyed man looked at Arthur: "Although he looks like a warrior, he walks like a farmer or a hunter."
"I guarantee that he is very strong, Cisco Moon." Ella let go of her hand and knocked on the dented part of Arthur's armor: "He can single-handedly challenge a giant without losing."
"It was the same when you introduced Artis and Uthgard last time. One was a bandit who could take on an entire lair alone, and the other was able to subdue a saber-toothed tiger with his bare hands." Cisco stared at Arthur with his only remaining eye: "But Artis Si is a stalker, and Uthgard only fights with his fists—could he just outrun giants?"
"That's right, I used to be a hunter and was good at escaping. That bulky guy couldn't catch up with me at all, and then I was taken care of by Wells and Ella." Being directly guessed at the truth, Arthur had nothing to hide.
"Hmm..." After hearing Arthur's words, Cisco was stunned for a moment. He seemed to be completely unable to find anything else to find fault with.
"Haha, young man, come to me." The old man with white beard and hair, who should be Krako White Mane, waved to Arthur.
"Cracko, I think we have recruited too many unknown soldiers recently," Cisco tilted his head to the old man: "Not only do they need a long time to train, but they also lack experience. I still insist that we should recruit those warriors who have been famous for a long time. "
"Sometimes people with fame will come to join us to realize their ideals, and there will also be young people with ideals who come to us to seek fame." The old man replied: "There is no difference. Their hearts are the most important."
"Very good." At this time, Arthur was already standing in front of the old man. Krako Whitemane looked at him with his deep and wise blue eyes for a moment: "I saw a man who was extremely tough, indomitable, full of strength and had firm faith. Soul, look, what ideals do you want to achieve?”
"Wow, this is the first time I heard Krako use more than two words to describe someone else's soul." Ella exclaimed.
ideal? Arthur frowned slightly. He was just an Orion. Although he was inexplicably involved in the dispute between the Imperial Legion and the Stormcloaks, and came to Snowman to report the news to Ximu Town, and obtained some extraordinary power, he had no subjective will. , as for what happened after reporting the news, he really didn’t have time to plan.
"Sorry, old gentleman, I didn't think of it at the moment." Arthur finally shook his head.
"Then let's set a closer goal first," the old man smiled: "How about improving your skills to the point where you can actually defeat the giant head-on? It's still early for bed, so maybe you can go to the martial arts field to compete with Cisco Moon. "
