The cold wind mixed with fine snow slapped on the face. Although the empire is located in the center of the continent and belongs to the southern region compared to Kislev, the entire northern province of the empire still has snowfall in winter. Depending on the climate, it will be heavy in some years.
A significant cooling. According to historical records, in the coldest years, crops failed, leading to hundreds of thousands of people starving to death and freezing, causing hungry people to flee everywhere, causing large-scale chaos within the empire... Such things are not unheard of. Rhodes
I can only lament that human beings are so fragile and insignificant in this world.
This is almost survival in the cracks. One of the slogans of the empire's human army - fight for the right to live. It is a portrayal of this desolate situation. As for those who shout for glory and fight for freedom, they are just
Beautiful slogans shouted by noble knights wearing gorgeous armor. Most people just want to live...
Next to Rhodes, the wood elf Aliria tightened her cloak and murmured cursing the weather. She could have sat in the enclosed carriage provided by Maximian, but when she saw Rhodes riding a black horse
, when walking at the front of the team, her stubbornness prevented her from hiding in the warm carriage alone and watching others riding outside. Instead, like Rhodes, she resolutely rode and walked at the front of the team.
Of course, what she didn't know was that the human warrior beside her was not an ordinary human being. The blessings of the three gods of Kislev gave him an extremely cold-resistant physique...
"You should get in your car and warm yourself up. There's no need to go up front with us men. I don't mean to offend you, miss, but you really should stay in your car. Everyone's physical condition is different. You've been
I'm afraid of the cold, I can tell."
Riding on horseback, Rhodes turned around and said to the wood elf.
Aliria didn't answer. She continued to wrap herself in the cloak. The cold weather made her little face even paler. A trace of white mist exhaled from her nose and quickly dispersed in the air.
"Is that big bird your pet? It's been following us for the past two days."
In order to ease the awkward silence, Rhodes changed the subject and pointed behind him. Unexpectedly, this angered the wood elf...
"It's not a pet! It's not a big bird!"
Aliria shouted angrily, causing the imperial soldiers behind her to look confused.
Rhodes quickly apologized——
"Okay, okay, not a bird, not a pet."
"It is my partner and comrade-in-arms. You'd better respect it."
Aliria said her harsh words, kicked her spurs, and continued walking forward.
For a moment, Rhodes remembered the first time he met this wood elf, a fight in the forest outside Elengrad. At the last moment, he was about to capture the wood elf shooter alive, but a giant eagle suddenly appeared.
, slapped himself away, and also rescued the elf. This bird of prey in the sky should be the giant eagle that followed Aliria back then. But why didn't it follow Aliria north to Norska?
I don’t know if I click on Rhodes. Could it be that the giant eagle can’t fly across the Sea of Claws?
"Is there any chance that my partner can compete with your partner?"
Rhodes followed and continued to joke. The journey was boring, and teasing the wood elf lady was the only fun. The white bear Ursock on the side also cooperated, looking at the horseback man with a peaceful expression.
Wood Elf Ranger on.
Aliria remained silent again. She turned her face away and urged the horse to run forward. She didn't want to pay attention to these boring humans.
"Okay, come on. Let's get down to business. Are you traveling alone?"
Rhodes cleared his throat.
"Have you met other elves?"
Aliria asked in return.
"Okay... then, why don't your tribesmen join you?" The wind blew up the cloak behind Rhodes, and the huge manticore cloak trembled in the cold wind, making trembling sounds.
"Compared to my adventurous actions, they prefer to stay in the forest. They believe that the king of the forest will lead them to defeat all invaders, and the forest is their irreplaceable home. This has been the case for thousands of years.
My people believe this is the law, just like the soul of the forest, coming back from the dead and reincarnating again and again."
Alyria said, looking deeply into the distance. In fact, sometimes even she felt lost and confused. Does what she is looking for exist? Is there hope for the result she expects to happen? The more
The more she explores the outside world, the more insignificant she feels. Like a small boat floating in the ocean, drifting with the current. It seems as if her destiny is held in the hands of a powerful, invisible force. Or maybe, the entire
Wood elves, and the entire Athel Loren forest are also controlled by an invisible force? In short, after experiencing so much, Aliria only feels that she is so weak and helpless in this world.
"This is normal. The fear of the unknown world stops us from moving forward."
Rhodes shrugged and said.
"No, it's not fear, it's isolation." Aliria said, "In the forest, my people have been living the same life for thousands of years, with almost no change for thousands of years, but the outside world has been turned upside down.
"
Alyria's lips twitched. Rhodes knew that she had recognized some reality, but she refused to admit it. The pride hidden deep in her bones made her still unwilling to let go of that attitude.
"Maybe you should go back and tell your tribe what happened outside."
Rhodes said.
"It's not that easy. They won't believe what I say, and they might even arrest me and put me in a wooden prison."
Aliria's eyes dimmed.
"In fact, the reason why I went out alone was because I went against my father's will."
"They don't understand you..."
Rhodes comforted.
"It's like the people in the Empire don't trust you."
Aliria turned around and said, with a rare slight smile on her lips. It should be said that it was more of a bitter smile.
"You and I are both aliens who are not understood by others. However, we are not really aliens. It's just that we see things that they don't see."
Rhodes smiled and continued to move forward on horseback. The Imperial soldiers behind him were just wondering, when did this Kislev man become so close to the Wood Elf Ranger? They had been together for less than a month, and they were at most side by side.
We had fought once, but we often chatted together. There seemed to be endless things to talk about. Some soldiers wanted to go up and eavesdrop, but their high degree of discipline allowed them to suppress this idea and continue to perform their duties as soldiers.
"Time will prove that we are right. Just like this time, the barbarians will eventually invade, no matter whether these imperial nobles believe it or not. If they don't believe it, they will definitely pay the price."
Aliria looked sullen.
"No, we cannot afford such a price. This status quo cannot continue."
Rhodes sighed. Of course, only he knows this worry.