Chapter 297 - 296: Sol and Belna

Soldrin accepted Belna’s invitation after a brief hesitation.

He was indeed curious about this elf who suddenly appeared before him, but he really needed a pass right now—although a High-Ranked Ranger had many ways to bypass blockades, crossing safely and legally was much better than those "alternative plans." Besides...

He had been away from home for seven hundred years, and was genuinely happy to see a fellow elf.

"It’s too noisy here; why don’t we go to my place?" Belna suggested, frowning as she glanced around. The rough adventurers and mercenaries, who always tried to cozy up, clearly made this young elf uncomfortable. "I have a nice room at the Ashwhistle Inn."

Soldrin had another place in town, but he figured it wouldn’t hurt to take this opportunity to learn more about this elf, so he gladly accepted Belna’s invitation. The two beautiful elf "ladies" left the little tavern together, while the remaining adventurers and mercenaries didn’t seem to care much about this small incident.

They continued to drink heartily, freely spending their extra copper coins and discussing the past year’s changes at the border and their plans for the upcoming spring. To them, two elves were far less important than the next potential job.

Soldrin followed Belna through the cold alleyways and soon arrived at the Ashwhistle Inn located in the town’s southeastern area.

This young elf lady indeed rented a nice room, a clean and tidy guest room complete with a small fireplace and a coarse carpet—it seemed her financial situation was quite good, or perhaps she had yet to experience the ordeal of running out of travel money in the human world.

"It’s still quiet here," Belna said as she entered the room, throwing a few logs into the fireplace while starting a fire. "Humans really are a noisy race, aren’t they? Oh, I don’t dislike humans, it’s just that sometimes they are too loud..."

"Much quieter than dwarves," Soldrin replied casually, glancing around the room’s furnishings—it showed signs of being lived in, with a lingering scent of elves. "It’s not easy to see silver elves in the northern regions. Did you just arrive here recently?"

Belna finally lit the fire. She clapped her hands and, smiling with satisfaction, replied, "Yes, I just recently arrived. I started my journey from the eastern gate of the Green Wall, traveling along the trade route northward, crossing Typhon’s fertile plains and the Northern Hills, and finally arrived here... But I’m not planning to go further north; it’s too cold, I might freeze to death if I keep going. By the way, Sister Sol, aren’t you going to take off your cloak?"

Soldrin casually removed his cloak, revealing the huntress attire beneath—an excellent ranger could disguise themselves in any situation. The war skirt and tall leather boots were part of his tactical outfit. Soldrin was very satisfied with his disguise skills and still couldn’t understand why Gawain was always so surprised by his cross-dressing for missions. Wasn’t this normal for the job?

He hung the cloak on a nearby hook, then looked at Belna’s outfit and curiously asked, "Are you a druid?"

"Yes, I’m from the Heart of the Forest faction," Belna declared proudly, as a flash of magic glimmered on the talisman hanging from her chest. "My mentor is the Thornheart Master of Moon Valley. My journey was arranged by my mentor."

"Thornheart Master? Is she still taking apprentices? Wasn’t she said to have retired and no longer personally teaching apprentices?"

"Oh, my mentor lost all her retirement savings playing cards with the Moon Valley Seer a hundred years ago, so she returned to teaching and took on eight druid apprentices and forty cooking students all in one go..."

"Why take on forty cooking students?"

"There weren’t enough druid apprentices, and the tuition collected wasn’t enough to cover her gambling debts..." Belna casually revealed these "elf secrets" that might shock outsiders, but to Soldrin, it only felt warm and nostalgic. Many uninformed people often thought elves were inherently rigid, stuck in their ways, with a poor sense of time and lacking communication skills. In truth, elves are a race that truly knows how to enjoy life and entertain themselves. It’s just that most elves are not as expressive and open in their emotions as humans, leading to some misconceptions.

Of course, Belna seemed to be a rather unusual elf—her enthusiasm was like a human’s. Perhaps that’s why her mentor was assured enough to let her travel alone; with her personality, adapting to human society would be quite easy.

"By the way... You know about the Thornheart Master, but you didn’t know she returned?" Belna curiously glanced at Soldrin. "Have you been away from the Silver Empire for a long time?"

"...It’s been a long time," Soldrin nodded. "I haven’t been back in at least six or seven hundred years."

"Ah, then you must go back to visit if you have the chance; the royal city has changed so much. Her Majesty the Queen ordered the construction of a new district, the first expansion of the royal city since the chaotic wave..." Belna said excitedly, but midway through, her attention suddenly shifted, and she scrutinized Soldrin curiously, saying, "Speaking of which, Sister Sol, I’ve always thought your scent was unique... It doesn’t smell like the earth around here; it has a hint of Gold Twin Grass Seeds. Isn’t that a spice traded by Anzu merchants? I smelled it once or twice at a smuggler’s stand in Typhon."

Soldrin was somewhat surprised. He knew the silver elves had keen senses, but Belna’s level of scent identification was extraordinarily sharp. However, remembering that she was from the "Heart of the Forest faction," the most plant-attuned druids, he was no longer as astonished: druids of this faction are highly sensitive to spices extracted from plants.

"I stayed in Anzu for a short time," Soldrin nodded, "which is why crossing the border was particularly difficult—the Typhon Soldiers are especially cautious of anyone coming from the Anzu direction, even elves."

"You really stayed in Anzu?" Belna widened her eyes, her face full of delight. "Did you hear about that amazing legendary hero of Anzu, Gawain Cecil, coming back to life? Did you see him?"

Soldrin’s heart skipped a beat, but his expression remained calm: "I came from the eastern region of Anzu, so I’m not too sure about this matter—though I have heard that after his revival, he established a developing new region near the Dark Mountain Range."

The intelligence about the developing new region of Cecil has already spread, and there was no need for secrecy. However, unless necessary, Soldrin did not intend to reveal his connection with the Cecil territory—even in front of his own people.

It’s not excessive caution, but a sense of responsibility. He knows he is currently on a mission and has a sensitive identity. To avoid unnecessary trouble, at least until he returns to the Cecil territory to report back to Gawain, he must maintain such vigilance.

Belna, however, didn’t mind Soldrin’s vagueness. She just murmured longingly, "A hero of the founding who has come back to life... it’s just like the stories told by bards. I really wonder what kind of person he is. It’s said that Gawain Cecil even knew Her Majesty the Queen. By the way, although you haven’t seen him, you must have heard more news than I did in Anzu, right? I heard that the revived hero not only established a new territory but is also planning to reclaim the entire southern borders of Cecil’s Land? And he’s forming an army for it, is that true?"

Forming an army to reclaim the southern borders—clearly something exaggerated by adventurers and mercenaries. Although Soldrin himself also found it plausible that his old friend would raise an army, he knew Gawain’s main adversaries would be those monsters emerging from the wasteland. So he couldn’t help but shake his head: "It’s mostly rumors; I haven’t heard of any signal suggesting Duke Cecil intends to fight the Anzu aristocrats."

Belna frowned, contemplating: "Oh... but I always feel it’s not surprising if he fights with the aristocrats in the Anzu Kingdom, especially those in the southern borders. After all, the entire southern borders used to be his fief, and now the Anzu Southern Territory Lords are essentially occupying his land."

Soldrin did not comment on this, yet Belna’s questions continued unceasingly: "By the way, Sister Sol, if Duke Cecil really did fight with the southern borders’ aristocrats, would he win?"

"How would I know?" Soldrin couldn’t help but smile wryly. He thought this young elf girl in front of him was overly curious about the human world—even more so than he had been in his own youth, during his travels.

But perhaps back then he had focused all his attention on searching for hair growth tonic and hadn’t paid much attention to other matters...

Soldrin shook his head, dismissing irrelevant thoughts, then changed the topic to the weather to divert Belna’s attention: for safety’s sake, he didn’t intend to continue discussing matters related to the Cecil territory anymore.

After some idle chatter, Soldrin stood up to take his leave.

"Oh? Sister Sol, you can stay here," Belna offered warmly, "This room is originally meant for two people—and it’s already dark outside now."

Soldrin was a person of principle, and he didn’t plan to get too close to Belna: "I have a place to stay, and I’m not used to sharing a room with others."

"Alright then..." Belna nodded, "Let me see you off..."

Soldrin declined her offer graciously: "No need, you haven’t quite adjusted to the cold northern weather. Better stay here and warm up by the fire. How about we meet at the inn tomorrow at noon?"

"Sure, it’s a deal."

"It’s a deal."

After leaving the Ashwhistle Inn, Soldrin looked into the deep night ahead and took a deep breath.

The cold winter air of the northern parts of the mountain range filled his lungs deeply and was exhaled slowly, carrying away some warmth and clearing his mind.

"At least the issue of the pass is resolved..."

In the room of the Ashwhistle Inn, Belna came to the window, letting the cold night wind blow on her face through the gaps of the windowpanes, her eyes following Soldrin as he disappeared into the night.

"Sol... hmm..."

Belna murmured softly, then turned away from the window and walked towards the warm fireplace.

The rustling sound of vines and roots brushing against each other accompanied her footsteps in the room.

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