This is the hot moon of the cold moon year, and the noon sun brings Lucia's brilliance to the four-leaf city in Eastman's southern country. People call Lucia a maiden, bathing in His gifts, but the ground beneath their feet is deeper than they realize.
In Eastman, the day length of the Frost Moon is twice as long as that of the Fire Moon, and most of the year is covered by frost and snow, which is a common phenomenon in most cities. When the south wind blows, no matter how warm the fire is, people can still feel the chill of the border.
…unless it’s in a crowded place.
In a bar called "Knox", the noise almost broke through the door, and the signboard jingled and shook, scaring pedestrians to take a detour. If you read the free translation, it should be called "the world". The reason why it only reads syllables obviously has a lot to do with the guests it receives in its belly.
"Max! Do you hear that? You lazy guy. I want Max's mead!" someone yelled, banging on the bar from time to time. "Damn it, wake up!"
Sporadic laughter came from around the table. These were certainly not the responses this person wanted, but no matter how loudly he roared, the sleeping waitress did not pay him any attention.
Until he angrily took off the hammer and threw it over his head.
There was a loud bang and the hammer hit the bar, landing right next to the girl's ear. No one but the dead and the deaf could sleep under such a disturbance. The waitress flicked her braid, squinted her eyes, raised her arms, and replied loudly: "Okay! I heard it! I'll get it for you right away...?"
However, mid-sentence, she subconsciously pushed down her glasses to the tip of her nose, "Sir? Which table are you at?"
The mercenaries burst into laughter.
When Uriel opened the door in a daze, noisy laughter rushed into his ears. There were still phantoms in front of his eyes, his ears were ringing, and laughter and clapping were like chaotic drum beats, making his mind dizzy.
But none of this could stop a rough, manic roar from rushing into the eardrums:
"Give me the wine Max! I'm right in front of you!"
"You blind man!"
The apprentice lowered his head and saw a dwarf about four or five years old with a beard and leather armor. He shuddered and suddenly woke up.
…
"What do you want?"
"Huh? I don't have any money... I mean, I don't need it for the time being."
"You really don't need it?"
Uriel hesitated instead, "Maybe use...? I can also...?"
The waitress looked at him longingly.
Something isn't quite right, the apprentice thought. I shouldn't say this, but what should I say? He couldn't think of a suitable way to respond. It’s such a mess. He had never been to the bar, let alone ordered. After all, why is he here?
In front of you is a crowded restaurant. The floor is made of wooden boards, and most of the space is occupied by tables and chairs. Only a path is left from the door to the bar for people to pass. There was a strange smell in the air. I couldn't tell what it was, but people didn't seem to care.
Next comes the weirdest part. Uriel knew he shouldn't be rude, but he couldn't control his gaze. Take a look! Who are these people: There is a dwarf half his height in front of the bar, dragging a hammer around his waist. A pair of thin men wearing one shoe each, with three distinct long beards on their faces. Four people with gills don't look very smart. Behind them, six or seven guys dressed like wandering knights gathered around the table and shared a whole leg of lamb that was grilled to golden brown.
There was an empty seat at the table near Uriel, and a large ball of candles seemed to be lit opposite. After careful observation, the apprentice confirmed that it was a humanoid creature with orange-red skin. It waved its hand towards him and picked up the wooden cup containing wine.
Something is wrong. Uriel suspected that he was not awake at all. My dreams are really colorful. But under the attention of all the weirdos, he felt in a dilemma. The apprentice racked his brains to remember how to wake up. Sleeping on the bus can easily lead to missing your stop, and you may even be fined afterwards. There's no benefit in sleeping on it.
"Are you okay?" The waitress asked across the bar, "Are you okay, sir?" She probably looked a little worried.
"I...it's fine." The apprentice almost bit his tongue. The waitress seemed to be just a waiter. She wore a pair of round glasses, a black coat, a red plaid apron, and two carrot-like braids hanging on her shoulders. It's just that the color of the hair is too bright, and the apprentice feels that he can't take his eyes away. No. You can't be so careless. Didn't Debra say she was some kind of ticket inspector?
He suddenly remembered that he had boarded a strange train. Ticket collectors and speeding trains... For the sake of the Knox gods, Uriel blinked, has this ever happened to me? how can that be possible? I'm so tired.
"You look so ugly. Do you have a fever?" The waitress's voice suddenly came close to her ears. The apprentice's heartbeat seemed to skip a beat. He leaned against the door and pressed his hand against the bones of his back. "You...are you afraid of me?" Her guess was not entirely correct.
Uriel didn't answer, even though he could tell that the waitress was a little sad. Of course, a normal person shouldn't be afraid of a young girl, but he has encountered so many strange things recently that he has no time to distinguish them. Everyone behind the table—no, every strange creature—was staring at him. The apprentice swallowed his saliva and couldn't express his feelings. I'd better stop thinking about it.
"Sorry, I went to the wrong place." Without waiting for a response, Uriel immediately opened the door and rushed out of the room.
…
Painter took a gulp of wine, glanced back at the bewildered girl at the bar, and casually asserted: "Leave him alone, Cecila, he will definitely not come back."
The guests all agreed, trying to comfort the bewildered Cecilia. Otherwise, she really thought she had scared away the guests. Gradually, the atmosphere in the bar became lively again.
Click.
Suddenly, the door flew open and the noise stopped. People all looked at the door. A head poked out from the gap: "I'm sorry, can I ask... is this Fafrank Avenue?"
The girl blinked and nodded. But when she opened her mouth and was about to say something, her head suddenly shrank and the door closed again. The wind chime jingled and hit the doorknob.
The big-nosed dwarf coughed twice and shrugged nonchalantly. "Ignore him." The guests at the same table with him laughed teasingly, and Cecilia also turned her blank eyes to him. "Just a daredevil. Too young to walk into the wrong door on the street. I'll bet he can't even find where he is in Fafrank."
At this time, the wind chime shook violently until it fell to the floor with a clang. People silently closed their mouths and focused on the turning handle. Cecilia held her glasses with one hand and held her breath.
Immediately afterwards, they watched the old wooden door hit the wall with a bang. The young man turned back frequently in fear while crawling through the door, as if there was a ghost chasing him behind him.
The apprentice shouted at the top of his lungs:
"This is Fafrank Avenue, 181 South Block?!"
His voice is really loud. Painter stared at him dumbfounded, speechless. Immediately afterwards, a burst of cheers erupted in the restaurant, and the orange creature near the door laughed wildly and clapped with the people behind it.
"So what?" someone in the hall answered.
Uriel blurted out without thinking: "This is my home!"
