The new hunting suit has narrow sleeves and a short coat, with a silver base and red edges. The workmanship and materials are very fine, but it doesn't fit Winters a bit.
Probably because the tailor hopes that the wearer can eat well, sleep well, and gain weight, hunting clothes are made a little looser.
However, for a long time, Winters neither ate nor slept well. Therefore, he was much thinner than when he just returned from the wasteland.
"Hmm." Anna looked at Winters in confusion, standing next to him for a while, standing far away for a while, and even walked around Winters several times.
Finally, Anna came to a conclusion and asked with a smile: "Why do I feel that you are a little more handsome than when we first met?"
Winters didn't take it seriously, because in Hailan, he was compared with his peers who were dressed like butterflies; while in Plato, most of the men around him were rough and unkempt men.
"Only a little bit?" Winters stretched his clothes and asked jokingly: "How about comparing with Lieutenant Colonel Moritz?"
Anna carefully smoothed the wrinkles on Winters' shoulders and said, half in relief and half in defiance: "He is not as heroic as you."
"……Thanks."
Anna returned to the inner room, and after a while, she walked out happily holding a "half-folded wooden board".
Seeing the board in Anna's arms, Winters immediately guessed what Ms. Navarre wanted to do.
Winters took four or five steps back, knocking over several objects: "Next time! Next time, okay? Give me a little more time, at least tell me in advance so that I can be mentally prepared!"
"Next time? You have only been a model for me once, and it was in Hailan!" Anna has already entered the state: "Don't look at me, turn your head away; put your right hand in your arms and don't move around. Well, the light is a bit dark .Can the skylight be opened?”
…
In order to allow Anna to record inspiration anytime and anywhere, Winters imitated the structure of an atlas and made a set of easy-to-carry drawing tools.
Although she still couldn't solve the paint problem, Anna felt like she had found a treasure and couldn't put it down.
Traveling and recording all the way, Winters' letter box has been filled with Anna's drawings: starry sky, cold and lonely wilderness, high-leaping antelopes, profiles of soldiers staring at the campfire...
Those involved - including Anna herself - don't yet realize that they are making history.
When Anna faced the rising sun and concentrated on sketching the ups and downs of the earth, Anna Navarre became the first painter in recorded history to enter the wilderness to collect scenery and leave behind her works.
…
The outside of the felt tent suddenly became very lively, with people shouting and laughing.
"I'll go out and take a look!" God-given opportunity, Winters fled out of the felt tent and deliberately shouted loudly: "Who is making the noise?"
Of course it's a little lion.
The little lion was very happy to find that Winters actually took a bath and changed clothes. "You already know?"
"Know what?" Winters was confused.
Without waiting for the little lion to explain, Vashika dragged someone and forced her way to Winters.
"Centurion!" Vashika's joy was beyond words, and he shouted at the top of his lungs: "Look! Who's back!"
When he saw the face of the person holding Wahikar clearly, Winters was also extremely surprised: "Bell?!"
"Yes!" Bell grinned, but there were tears in his eyes: "It's me!"
"Why are you crying?" Winters hugged the little hunter, rubbed the latter's hair vigorously, and sighed: "You have grown so much! I almost didn't recognize you! Where is the little guy?"
After the Battle of the Great Wilderness, Brother Rhett, Bell, and Charles planned to collect Winters' body, and finally reunited with Winters who was still alive. When Winters returned to Plato, Bell chose to stay in the wasteland and continue to learn how to become a [Beast Spirit Speaker] with the Great Shaman.
Compared to when they parted, Bell was at least an inch taller at this moment. Not only was his height close to Winters, his body was also visibly stronger. Although he has not completely lost his childishness, he is no longer a "little hunter", but a true "hunter".
"The little guy is in the camp to the north. I don't dare to bring him here for fear of scaring the horses." Bell wiped his tears and announced the good news quickly: "You will definitely be shocked! The little guy is already a big guy! When he stands up, he is taller than a horse..."
Because Winters did not allow Bell to name the cub, the cub has always been simply called "the little guy." As time went on, the cub decided that "little guy" was his name, which was unexpected.
Other people who were loading their cars behind the camp heard the noise and gathered one after another.
When Pierre saw Belle, he rushed over and gave him a bear hug. The two of them cried and laughed.
Veterans who had experienced the Battle of the Great Wilderness also stepped forward to hug Bell - Bell had been Winters' messenger, and all of Winters' old subordinates knew the little hunter.
Comrades who have lived and died together meet again after a long separation, and everyone has thousands of things to say in their hearts. In the end, they just held each other's hands tightly and silently patted each other's shoulders.
Even old Sergey, who thought he had a heart of stone, watched this scene, cursed, walked to a deserted place, and secretly wiped his eye sockets a few times.
"I won't delay your reminiscence." The little lion looked disgusted. As an outsider, he couldn't stay for a moment. He just wanted to leave after saying a few words: "Montagne, I will come to see you tomorrow. Remember to prepare in advance."
"Wait a minute." Winters hurriedly called to the little lion: "What are you talking about?"
"What else could it be? Of course it's tomorrow's hunting!" The little lion looked at Winters' hunting clothes up and down and asked in surprise: "You don't know? Then you prepared so formally in advance?"
There was a commotion in the camp, so Winters pulled the little lion into the tent.
"I don't know what you're talking about," Winters said bluntly, "so I want you to explain it from beginning to end."
"Didn't anyone tell you? My eldest brother is going to invite you to participate in tomorrow's shooting hunt." The little lion couldn't laugh or cry: "Looking at your dress, I thought you already knew about it in advance!"
Winters frowned slightly: "Can I, an outsider, participate in the Red River Tribe's hunt?"
"If I have to say it, hunting is usually only attended by members of the headquarters. But who said this is the 'Red River Department' hunting?" The little lion said easily: "You are a distinguished guest of the Red River Department. The White Lion has extended an invitation. Others No one has the right to disagree.”
…
"This is the situation." Winters gathered his men together and briefly explained: "The Red River Department invites us to participate in tomorrow's shooting hunt."
The temporary meeting place was silent, and everyone was somewhat surprised.
Vashika was outspoken and asked in disbelief: "That means... we can also enter that hunting circle?"
"What nonsense are you talking about?" Old Sergei quickly told his son to shut up, and added on behalf of Winters: "The barbarians want to invite the tribunes! Not us. How can we be allowed in?"
…
In fact, when the little lion came to invite Winters, the Tiefeng County delegation was packing their bags and preparing to go home.
Winters came to the Red River Department with the expectation of arduous negotiations. As a result, the most important goal of the trip (the exchange of prisoners) was successfully completed in an unexpected way.
The White Lion assigned two archery officers to take charge of the remaining two secondary targets: trade routes and iron mines.
The archery officers of the Red River Department are very active in trade routes, but they are not interested in the possible iron ore. They only agreed to provide Winters with ore samples and declined Winters' help in "field exploration."
Now that his goal has been achieved, Winters doesn't plan to stay long - he can't wait to dig for gold.
When he was looking for gold a few days ago, Winters almost dug through that valley. The nights are long and the dreams are long. Who knows if some Hurd will happen to discover new soil where the gold is hidden? The sooner you dig it out, the safer it will be.
So as soon as he returned to the camp from Qingqiu, Winters told his men, "Have a good rest tonight and set off tomorrow."
Some quick-handed members of the mission had to reload the things they had just unloaded from the carriage. They were busy when the little lion arrived.
…
"Then do you want to participate?" Pierre asked calmly.
Winters looked in the direction of Qingqiu.
As the sky grew dark, the hunters guarding the felt wall lit torches. Winters couldn't see the scene inside the hunting circle, but the beast's whining one after another became increasingly clear.
"I'm not going to participate," Winters replied.
"Oh." Vashika looked downcast, and the others couldn't hide their disappointment.
For such a grand event, it would be a pity to only watch and not participate in it. Everyone felt a little empty in their hearts.
Seeing the heartbroken looks in his men's eyes, Winters sighed: "If you want to participate, I will accept Little Lion's invitation. According to him, if I enter the hunting ground, you can enter the hunting ground as my bodyguards. "
The members of the mission instantly changed from clay sculptures to living beings, their faces flushed, and their breathing became rapid involuntarily.
Vashika stammered when he spoke: "Really, really...really?"
Old Sergei no longer bothered to teach his son a lesson. Although he was still worried about his inferiority, old Dusak could no longer suppress his excitement: "Can we really participate? Sir?"
"Of course." Winters smiled freely, but also a little hurt: "We should never have the chance to see such a spectacular hunt again. If you want to have fun... just go and have fun. Just remember that we are Outsiders, do not come into conflict with the Hurd Hunters.”
The crowd cheered.
"Can we only use bows? Can we use muskets?" A smiling Vashika shouted and asked: "What should I do if I don't know how to use bows and arrows..."
At the same time, the veteran from Wolf Town saw the opportunity and began to tell the story of "Blood Wolf Hunting Bear" to the crowd.
"You're talking nonsense!" Old Sergei yelled.
"Why do you think I'm talking nonsense?" The storyteller was unconvinced.
"I was there when Tribune Montagne hunted bears! Why didn't I remember you!" Old Sergei said proudly: "Let me tell you, this was actually how it was at that time..."
Amidst the noisy memories, longings, laughter and curses, Winters quietly left the temporary venue.
"A rare opportunity." Anna caught up from behind, took Winters' arm, and asked in a low voice, "Why don't you want to go?"
"I'm too lazy." Winters replied with a smile: "I don't like hunting."
The night is dark, Qingqiu disappears into the darkness, and the stage carefully prepared by Akagawa is about to usher in the final performance.
