Chapter 66: Unexpected Quietude and a New Alliance

By midday, Alastor’s streets, both grand and narrow, grew somewhat quieter. Both travelers and residents alike were comfortably ensconced in their homes, soundly asleep, gathering their energy for the afternoon’s work and daily routines.

In recent days, the flow of people through Alastor had noticeably dwindled. This was rumored to be due to the deepening autumn, as animals began their preparations for hibernation. To prevent overhunting, the kingdom issued a protection decree each year in spring, winter, and during the third week of autumn, ensuring the stable reproduction of wildlife. Consequently, travelers had departed in droves, returning to their hometowns for the New Year, awaiting the next year to visit again. Over the past few days, the number of bounty notices in Alastor had also significantly decreased; the “Nibelungen” bounty board, once bustling with people, now stood largely deserted.

Alastor’s permanent population hovered around twenty million, yet during peak seasons, this number would at least triple. Comparing the current quietude to the previous bustling atmosphere, Qing Yu still felt a touch of unfamiliarity.

“It’s rare to see Alastor this quiet,” Thrud remarked, stretching languidly as her gaze scanned for delicious food.

“There are so many fewer people on the streets now; it’s finally not so crowded! Now we can play to our hearts’ content!”

When it was crowded, throngs of people were everywhere they went. Now, with the rare decrease in numbers, Thrud naturally yearned to explore everything they hadn’t had a chance to enjoy.

“Aldoran, do you have any ideas?”

Qing Yu leaned onto Aldoran’s shoulder, asking cheerfully.

“As for me, I’d like to explore the mountains.”

Aldoran was quite interested in the group of bandits Roalsa and the others had mentioned. She had long wanted to venture into the mountains, to see if she could uncover any clues.

Qing Yu’s eyes twinkled, immediately understanding that Aldoran intended to search for clues about the bandits.

“Aldoran, you’re so boring! Every time I ask what you want to do, you can never say.”

Throughout the months they had spent together, it was almost always Qing Yu who proposed activities, with Aldoran then fulfilling them. Qing Yu had never seen Aldoran proactively suggest something she wanted to do, and whenever he asked, Aldoran would consistently defer to him.

“I occasionally watch the stars.”

“Aldoran, why are you even more boring than an old man?”

Qing Yu pressed down on Aldoran’s shoulders from behind, rubbing his face against hers.

“How about this? We go to the zoo tomorrow, okay? I remember seeing a zoo poster when I was looking for a doctor for you.”

“Hmm, tomorrow then.”

“Yo! Qing Yu, Aldoran, Thrud, long time no see!”

As they spoke, Thrud’s back was suddenly clapped. Thrud jolted, turning around to find Roalsa, a greatsword strapped to her back, holding several skewers, standing with Eden and Liliya.

“Miss Roalsa, what brings you here?” Qing Yu and Aldoran asked, turning as well.

“Well, aren’t there fewer people these days?” Roalsa explained. “Olivia and the others got three days off, and the blacksmith’s boss finished enchanting my sword ahead of schedule, so I went to pick it up today. On the way home, I just happened to run into Eden and Liliya, so we decided to grab a bite together.”

Although Roalsa had previously mentioned her sword was two meters long, upon seeing it in person, Qing Yu felt it might be even longer, perhaps an additional thirty to forty centimeters. The blade itself was at least forty centimeters wide, glinting with a cold radiance under the sun.

Qing Yu mused that if it were him, he probably wouldn’t even be able to lift the sword. Yet, Roalsa carried it with such ease, chatting and laughing with everyone.

“Miss Roalsa, your sword—”

“How much does it weigh, roughly?”

“Around one hundred and fifty kilograms, I suppose.”

As Roalsa spoke, she handed a bag to Aldoran and the others.

“They’re still warm and taste quite good.”

One hundred and fifty kilograms! Qing Yu shivered, wondering if such a sword could truly be wielded effectively in combat.

Thrud took the bag, and as soon as she opened it, the pungent aroma of cumin wafted out, enveloping them. Inside were skewers of crispy, delicious grilled meat, steaming invitingly under Thrud’s gaze.

“Qing Yu, dear? What are you thinking about?” Eden asked, patting his shoulder. “If you don’t hurry, Thrud, dear, will finish all the skewers!”

Sure enough, Thrud had already swiftly devoured two skewers, and was poised to begin her third.

At this, Qing Yu could no longer afford to ponder. He immediately squeezed beside Thrud and began to feast, while Aldoran, with careful deliberation, took one skewer, nibbling at it in small bites.

“Lady Aldoran, these aren’t spicy, you can eat them without worry!” Thrud exclaimed, her mouth full, to Aldoran.

Thrud knew that Aldoran had never been fond of spicy food.

Yet, even so, Aldoran found the taste a little too intense for her palate. After finishing just one skewer, she handed the rest over to Qing Yu and Thrud.

“Aldoran, you’re better so quickly!” Roalsa exclaimed, patting Aldoran’s shoulder after the skewers were passed around. Turning to Eden, she gave him a thumbs-up. “Eden, you’ve really got a knack for this!”

“Indeed, thanks to Eden.”

Aldoran nodded at Eden, offering her gratitude.

A problem that even the city’s doctors couldn’t solve had been so easily resolved by Eden. Roalsa surmised it must be due to Eden’s peerlessly rare golden apple.

Eden playfully stuck out his tongue and smiled.

“By the way, Aldoran, do you all have any plans? If not, let’s go eat something together; consider it a celebration of your recovery.”

While Qing Yu and Thrud were wolfing down their food, Roalsa asked Aldoran, who merely shrugged.

“We were also planning to have lunch.”

“That’s perfect!” Roalsa chimed. “Olivia just told me about a great specialty snack shop. We can all go check it out together.”

After the ordeal of that infamous bowl of chicken soup, Aldoran and the other two were desperately craving some real food. Hearing Roalsa’s suggestion, it was, of course, the best possible outcome.

****

After a hearty meal, the psychological shadow cast by that infamous bowl of chicken soup was finally swept away. Walking down the street, Qing Yu recounted the entire chicken soup incident as a humorous anecdote to Roalsa and the others.

“Speaking of which, Qing Yu, was your chicken caught in the mountains?”

After Qing Yu finished his story, Roalsa casually inquired.

“Yes, it was a wild pheasant freshly caught from the mountains.”

Qing Yu replied, oblivious to the sudden shift in Roalsa’s expression. One moment, she had been jovial, chatting and laughing with everyone; the next, her face grew solemn.

“I see,” Roalsa murmured, lowering her gaze and pondering for a few seconds before patting Qing Yu’s shoulder.

“Hunting has been prohibited in the mountains for the past few months,” she explained. “Qing Yu, you really shouldn’t buy wild pheasants anymore. If you want to eat chicken, you can buy it from a specialized farm. While it might not compare to mountain-caught, it still tastes good.”

“Huh? Hunting prohibited?”

Qing Yu, Liliya, and Thrud exclaimed simultaneously.

Seeing the astonished faces of the three ‘legal illiterates’, Roalsa had no choice but to take the time to explain the kingdom’s annual hunting prohibition act once more. At the end, she didn’t forget to offer Qing Yu and the others a few words of advice.

“So, to avoid any misunderstandings, you shouldn’t engage with anyone selling creatures from the mountains. Inform the patrolling knights promptly, and they will handle the situation.”

“I see! So even in another world, there are laws protecting wild animals!” Qing Yu exclaimed, astonished.

He had imagined Midgard to be just like those novels and anime, full of monsters, where people fought them day and night.

He never expected it to be so peaceful and harmonious, aside from the absence of so-called heroes and demon lords. There were even laws protecting wild animals and magical beasts, making it almost identical to Earth, except for the numerous other intelligent races and magic. Coupled with what Aldoran and Roalsa had previously mentioned about giants, Qing Yu couldn’t shake the feeling that if things continued this way, he might encounter a ‘Giant Protection Organization,’ ‘Anti-Giant Discrimination Group,’ or even ‘Environmentalist Harpy Youth’ during his future travels.

“Another world? What’s another world?” Roalsa, of course, couldn’t know Qing Yu’s inner thoughts, and looked at him in confusion.

“Ah, no, no, nothing, nothing,” Qing Yu waved his hand, deflecting the question and quickly changing the subject.

“Speaking of which, Miss Roalsa, how is your investigation progressing?”

“The investigation? It’s going well, quite well. The support troops I requested from the neighboring city have arrived. In about three days, we’ll hold an operational meeting to discuss the findings and then conduct a large-scale search of the mountains.”

“Can we go too?”

Eden suddenly tugged at Roalsa’s skirt, then smiled at Aldoran and the others.

“Perhaps I can deal with the poisonous gas.”

At these words, Roalsa immediately fixed her gaze on Eden.

It was an undeniable fact that Eden had cured Aldoran, a condition even the most skilled healers couldn’t remedy, in just a single day.

This alone was sufficient proof of Eden’s capabilities.

“Of course you can. I’ll inform Olivia.”

Thus, almost without a second thought, Roalsa agreed to Eden’s request, eager to see just how capable this young man truly was.

This also perfectly aligned with Aldoran’s intentions; if Eden truly had a solution, it would undoubtedly save them a great deal of trouble.

Under the midday sun, they all agreed to meet at the Knights’ Order in three days.