Game of the World Tree - Chapter 273

273. Chapter 271: Ximu Town and Guards

The Holy Mania Empire, Maple Leaf Territory on the southwest border.

As the frontier of the empire, from the map, Maple Leaf Territory is like a sharp knife protruding from the dark mountains, crossing the Vimur River and diagonally inserting into the junction of the Elf Forest and the Kingdom of Aris.

In fact, as early as a thousand years ago, this place did belong to the original Elf Forest. There are still many elven relics left in the territory, which has become a good place for some nobles and tourists to play…

Southwest of Maple Leaf Territory, Ximu Town.

The winter sky is extremely blue, and the biting cold wind makes the frozen windmills at the entrance of the town creak. There is still a lot of snow on the houses built of bricks, stones and wood. The

smoke from cooking in the old alleys is faint, and the aroma of bread and barbecue wafts out, and the sound of children playing and fighting can be heard from time to time.

At the entrance of the town, the sentry post where the guards are on duty.

The bonfire danced in the crackling of dry wood. Two guards in leather armor sat around the fire, one fat and one thin. They drank turbid beer drunkenly while roasting a plump rabbit they had just caught in the wild. They were so happy.

“Burp… is it done?”

The short and fat guard burped.

He looked at the brown and oily rabbit meat with an attractive aroma, and then couldn’t help swallowing his saliva and asked expectantly.

“Don’t worry, roast it a little more! It tastes better!”

The thin and tall guard who was in charge of roasting the rabbit rolled his eyes, took out a small bag, opened it carefully, and revealed some fine salt.

He took out some with a pain in his heart and sprinkled it on carefully:

“Add some salt, it tastes better.”

“Burp–“

The short and fat guard looked at the golden and oily rabbit meat, and his eyes became more and more straight.

While the two were roasting the meat, suddenly, the copper bell hanging on the side of the sentry post made a series of crisp sounds.

The tall and thin guard who was grilling meat looked back, and then his eyes became serious:

“Huh? The trap was triggered!”

The short and fat guard was excited:

“Huh? Another wild beast was caught?”

He swallowed his saliva subconsciously.

“I don’t know, it could be a monster. Recently, many monsters have run out from the direction of the Elf Forest. There may be big ones. We are not professionals, so we have to be careful…”

The thin guard shook his head and then pursed his lips:

“Let’s go, take the equipment and go and have a look together.”

“Then… rabbit meat.”

“Leave it here first, I’ll be back soon.”

“Well… okay.”

The two put on their helmets, picked up their weapons, and then walked out of the sentry post.

They walked along a hidden rope to the outside of the town…

The wild land was covered with thick white snow.

The traps set by the two to catch prey were also hidden in the snow.

For some reason, there are many more wild animals active outside the town this winter than in previous years, and there are many monsters that were originally only heard of in the Elf Forest.

Earlier, Ximu Town was even hit by a beast tide.

Therefore, considering safety, the town specially set up such an observation post.

The trap is for warning on one hand, and also a hunting tool on the other.

The bitter cold wind blew away the drunkenness of the two men. They clenched their weapons, held their breath, and cautiously moved towards the trap…

and soon, they saw a figure caught in a trap.

However, this was not a beast, but a human.

It was a human male who looked to be in his fifties, thin, with messy hair, and was wailing while holding his leg caught in the trap.

He was dirty and extremely embarrassed, shivering from the cold, and his clothes were tattered and stained with blood. However, it was vaguely recognizable that it was a butler’s uniform, and it was made of good material that only big men could afford…

Human? !

The two guards opened their mouths wide.

And when they saw each other’s faces clearly…

“Master Anders?! Why is it you?! You escaped from the black dragon?!”

The thin guard looked surprised.

“Master Anders? What happened to you? How did you lose so much weight?!”

the fat guard said in surprise.

Anders:…

“Don’t mention it! Quick! Help me get this trap open. I don’t know which bastard set it at the entrance of the village! Damn it! Don’t you know it might hurt someone by mistake?!”

Anders cursed, but… a little weak.

It’s winter now, and it’s on the border. Apart from those smugglers, who would come from outside the town?

The two muttered in their hearts.

However, they moved quickly and helped Anders get out of the trap…

The other party was the lord’s steward, a high and mighty figure!

After getting out of the trap, Anders limped to his feet, and at this time, his stomach made a loud rumbling sound.

“Gurgle~”

Anders’s old face, covered with stains, turned slightly red.

He coughed a few times and asked,

“Is there anything to eat?”

The two guards looked at each other and were about to answer, but Anders sniffed and his eyes lit up:

“What a smell, it smells so good.”

Guard: …

…

The outpost in Ximu Town.

Anders sat in front of the campfire, wolfing down the golden and fragrant rabbit meat, his mouth and hands were greasy.

Seeing him look like he hadn’t eaten for a month, the two guards looked at each other and were speechless.

The thin man was fine, but the fat man was staring at the rabbit meat that Anders was eating less and less.

Finally, the thin man pulled his sleeve and he looked away.

“Ahem…”

Anders seemed to be eating too fast and suddenly choked. The thin guard saw it and handed him the beer bag of the fat guard:

“Master Anders, please eat slowly and drink a little to smooth it out.”

He said.

Fat guard: …

Anders did not refuse.

He grabbed it and gulped down a big mouthful.

But soon, his face changed and he vomited all the wine he had drunk with a “puff”:

“This is beer? How much water is added? It’s so hard to drink!”

The thin guard was fine, but the fat guard was unhappy.

He pouted and muttered:

“Beer is so expensive… How many times can I drink it without adding water…”

“Huh?!”

Anders’ expression suddenly became unfriendly.

The thin guard was startled.

He quickly pulled the fat guard behind him and said to Anders with a wry smile:

“Ahem… Master Anders, you know that we are in a frontier town, and we are short of money. It’s good to have wine to drink. Please bear with me.”

After hearing his words, Anders’s expression eased a lot.

He took another bite of the rabbit meat, restored his original high-handed attitude, and praised:

“The rabbit is well roasted.”

“Thank you for your compliment.”

The thin guard replied.

However, even if he deliberately made a high-handed attitude, Anders’s current appearance was really embarrassed, and it looked a bit funny.

And looking at the other party’s embarrassed appearance, the two guards also felt a little happy in their hearts.

You know, a few months ago, this steward came to the town as a tax collector to collect taxes.

He was like the nobles in the city, very greedy, and the townspeople disliked him.

At the beginning, when this guy was kidnapped by the black dragon, many people applauded.

Of course, they didn’t dare to say these words.

Moreover… many townspeople were also captured along with Anders.

Thinking of this, the thin man could not help but ask:

“Master Anders, what about the others?”

“What others?”

Anders was slightly stunned.

“That is… the ones who were captured by the black dragon with you.”

“Them…”

Anders’ eyes flickered slightly, and then he sighed:

“Don’t mention it.”

“Ah… we got out of the control of the black dragon, and when we came back, we encountered a beast tide and got separated.”

“I ran in the wrong direction when I was escaping, and I didn’t know the way. I finally got back today… Why, didn’t the others come back?”

The two guards looked at each other, and their expressions became serious.

The others… did not come back.

However, when Anders mentioned the beast tide, they knew it was not good.

In recent months, the surrounding monsters have been restless. If they really encountered a beast tide, it would be really… dangerous.

You know, a few months ago, no one knew what the monsters in the Elf Forest encountered, and suddenly rushed out like crazy, causing a lot of damage to Ximu Town.

Fortunately, the attacking monsters were of a lower level and no casualties occurred.

However, in winter, if there is a beast tide, powerful monsters will appear!

Thinking of this, the two guards were very sad.

If they really encounter a beast tide… they will be dead or alive.

Anders has come back, but the others have not come back yet. I am afraid… they will never come back.

“God of Eternity…”

The fat guard drew a sun symbol on his chest, looking a little depressed.

Among those people, there were also his friends who he had played with since childhood.

“God of Eternity…”

The thin guard also sighed and prayed silently.

For a while, the small sentry post fell into silence.

Anders’ eyes flashed and he breathed a sigh of relief.

He swallowed and continued to eat rabbit meat.

The two guards stared at the campfire in a daze.

At this moment, the warning bell rang again…

————

Well, today is not short, should I get a monthly ticket?

(End of this chapter)