foreigner's journey

Chapter 1291 Mutton Soup

The rain was freezing cold.

The girl walked on the muddy road, trying her best to wrap herself tightly around her thin outer garment and tightening the short bow behind her.

The dim candlelight coming through the windows of the surrounding houses was already dim, and the drizzling rain further diluted the light, making it increasingly difficult for the girl to tell whether the road was mud or something else.

It's already the sixth day.

The girl ran around the town trying to seek help from the militia, but was repeatedly rejected by Captain Rumford without hesitation.

It's not their fault, it's that the surrounding environment is deteriorating rapidly, evil spirits are rampant, and demons are rampant.

The militia is already struggling to protect the town and is suffering frequent casualties. How can they have the energy to help outsiders?

Trying to tuck her neck into the collar of her coat, her whole body soaked by the rain, the girl walked on the muddy road in the town with her arms folded in front of her, taking one step forward and one step back.

There were obvious deep wheel marks on the mud, and it looked like the wheels were carrying something heavy.

The mayor, I suppose? You take advantage of the night to deliver things to private houses on the west side of town. Do you really think that no one can hear the hoarse cries of your mules and horses when they are whipped?

The girl curled her lips, then thought of her current situation and she couldn't care less about looking down on the mayor. She couldn't help feeling sad and powerless in her heart.

Finally, relying on her memory, the girl stopped at the northwest corner of an empty square.

In front of me is a relatively small pub. The light coming through the windows on the first and second floors is slightly warmer than that of other houses. Perhaps the pub owner is willing to use candles?
The girl stretched her numb feet, stomped her feet to splash the water and mud, and then looked towards the door of the tavern.

A wooden pole stood next to the door, and the wooden sign on it creaked in the wind and rain, but the words on it could still be barely seen with the light.

The Bull Slaughterhouse.

Knock, knock, knock! The girl sniffed and knocked hard on the wooden door of the hotel.

The already old wooden door made a terrible struggling sound under her hammering.

"Oh my god, here it comes. If the door is broken, you will have to pay for it..."

The door was opened, revealing the face of a middle-aged man with a bald head and a big beard.

When he saw the girl, his angry expression turned into a sad one.

"It's you again, the little girl who lives in the cheapest room... Come in, Leah, you must be freezing."

The boss opened the door and waved to the girl named Leah.

Leia hurried into the tavern, and as soon as she entered, she smelled the hot air mixed with the smell of fire, wine and food.

It seemed to be mutton soup with chili peppers… Leah swallowed quietly and calmed down as soon as she touched her pocket.

That little bit of money has to be saved for use at critical moments.

If we can't find help from the militia, we can only rely on mercenaries.

"Thank you, Mr. Bron." Although Leah had not yet recovered from shivering from the cold, she still politely thanked the tavern owner.

"What's there to thank for? This damn world... Alas, everyone is busy with their own affairs."

Boss Bron locked the door, looked at the girl shivering from the cold, and sighed:
"Go sit by the fire and I'll bring you some mutton soup."

The girl exclaimed in surprise: "I, I'm not hungry..."

"No one will eat it after it's done, and it would be a shame to throw it away, so I'm giving it to you."

Boss Bloom waved his hand without looking back, and turned to the small door behind the bar leading to the kitchen.

Thank you. Leah pursed her lips which were white from the cold and said in her heart.

When I came to the fire, the firewood was piled high. The lower part had already turned into dark red charcoal, while the upper part was still being licked by the flames. Perhaps because the firewood was a little wet, there was a little choking smoke coming out of the furnace.

But Leia didn't care. She sat cross-legged in front of the stove, spread her fingers as wide as possible towards the warm hearth, and took a comfortable breath.

After about ten seconds, Leia recovered a little and looked around.

There were few people at the tables around, and the ones who were there were just drunkards sleeping on the tables.

She looked again at the door which was bolted from the inside.

Normally, how could a pub close its doors during business hours? But that's what the Slaughterhouse did.

There is no way. The situation outside the town is serious now, causing panic among the people in the town. From half a month ago, the Slaughterhouse Hotel has only been open to regular customers to avoid unnecessary trouble.

"Little Leah, you didn't gain anything on this trip?"

Suddenly, a rough voice sounded.

The burly man sitting at the bar turned around and looked at Leah.

"Mr. Nicholas." Leah greeted the burly man politely, then shook her head with a sad face: "I didn't find any help this time either."

The burly man in front of him was about two meters tall, wearing a simple linen shirt and overalls. His bulging muscles almost stretched the buttons of his shirt off.

His sleeves were rolled up to his elbows, revealing intricate tattoos on his exposed forearms. Coupled with his rugged features and thick white beard that almost reached his chest, when Leah first saw him she thought he was a barbarian from Mount Arreat.

But Mr. Nicholas said he was just a wandering merchant, a poor businessman who was chased by a monster and lost all his goods.

Nicholas was holding a teacup, which a normal person would need to hold in his hands, but in his hands it was just a small wine glass.

"Little Leah, don't go out lately. This world is not right."

Nicholas sipped the hot water in his teacup and said incoherently:

“It’s especially dangerous now.”

Leah looked worried: "I know there are evil spirits and demons everywhere outside, even the militia..."

"No, I'm not talking about these monsters, I'm talking about the real [Monsters]."

Nicholas put down his teacup, his face serious:
"Just this morning, someone found a corpse around the southern trail outside of town. It was a female demon hunter who had been dead for some time."

Leah was surprised: "Demon Hunters? I've heard of these people. They are experts in dealing with demons! But how could it be..."

"Six days ago, the skeleton of a barbarian warrior was found near the church. It's very fresh."

Nicholas scratched his white beard, then pulled a crudely made pipe from his pocket: "Something is preventing [help] from coming here."

Leah looked at Nicholas suspiciously, her face puzzled.

Nicholas snorted and said no more. He just picked up his pipe, stood up and walked towards the guest room on the second floor.

The stairs creaked as if they were weighed down by too much weight.

Soon, the steaming mutton soup brought by Boss Bron temporarily dispelled Leah's confusion.

Just as Leah was drinking mutton soup and whispering information with Boss Bron, the wooden door of the tavern was suddenly slammed.

Boss Bron touched his bald head and said in surprise: "How can there be customers coming in this horrible weather?"

As he said this, he was about to go over and ask about the situation.

Leah also leaned over curiously and looked towards the gate.

At this moment, there was a noisy sound suddenly coming from outside the door, like a group of people arguing.

"Why are you knocking on the door so hard? What if the person inside gets angry and doesn't open the door?" This was the response from a young man with a slick voice.

"Stop talking nonsense! How can there be a pub with its door closed? It looks so dishonest at first glance. I'm going to put an end to this evil trend!" A rough and powerful male voice.

"Let me come, let me come. If a beautiful girl knocks on the door, I will definitely answer...Ahhhh! Who touched my butt!" This is the energetic voice of a girl.

"You seem to be unable to distinguish the strength of whipping and stroking? Do you want me to help you deepen your impression?" The girl's voice was as cold as porcelain.

"I think everyone can speed up the process a little. I'm very cold and hungry now!" The young man's voice was weak and seemed very annoyed.

"Did you hear what the boss said? Let me do it!" The energetic girl seemed eager to try.

"Shut up, it's too noisy." A new voice appeared, a somewhat impatient middle-aged baritone.

"Haha, it's great that everyone is so energetic even in the rain." The gentle female voice soothed the atmosphere.

Knock, knock, knock! This time the knocks on the door were even rougher than before.

There seemed to be a group of troublemakers outside the door. Boss Bron swallowed nervously and shouted in a trembling voice: "There is only one room left in the hotel, and it can't accommodate so many people! You, you should move to another place!"

As soon as he finished speaking, the noise outside the door suddenly disappeared, leaving only the sound of dripping rain.

If he was just afraid before, now Boss Bloom's face turned pale with fear.

At this moment, many horror stories about evil spirits coming to kidnap people flashed through his mind, and the protagonists all ended up in a miserable way without exception.

Dengdengdeng.

This time, there was another knock on the door, but this time the knock was much more patient and polite.

There was no other way. It would be really inappropriate if he didn't open the door. Boss Bloom tremblingly pulled the bolt and opened the door a crack.

Then the wind and rain outside suddenly pushed the door open, not only knocking Boss Bloom to the ground, but also bringing moisture and coldness into the tavern hall.

Sitting by the stove, Leia subconsciously lifted the dinner plate to block it in front of her. When the strong wind died down, she opened her eyes and looked towards the door.

There was only a lone figure standing outside the door, and the previous voices seemed to be just a common hallucination of the people in the tavern.

The man was about 1.85 meters tall, wearing a dark waterproof hooded cloak. His chin, which was not covered by the cloak, was smooth and beardless. He raised it slightly as if he was sniffing something, and then he grinned.

"Aha! Mutton soup!"