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Volume 5 Dance of the Ice Dragon Chapter 2 Village in the Valley

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    They were almost thrown off the ship.

    ? Okay, that¡¯s okay.  Just as the niggas don't want to see the white devil, they don't want to walk with the pirates anymore.

    They walked forward on the snow-covered frozen mudflat, one foot deep and one foot shallow, supporting each other.  Although the sky is slightly clearer, the cold wind is biting, which makes it unbearable for most people who have been in the country of midsummer for a long time.  The white breath exhaled by the alchemist obscured his vision, and his vision was blurry. He could not see the road, and found that he could not feel the existence of his arms and legs at all.

    "I'm so cold." Nymeria's petite body was shivering, her face was red from the cold, and she could hardly walk.  "Yahan, I'm cold." Her look was pitiful.

    The captain of the guard picked her up and wrapped her in his own clothes.  He was the one suffering from the cold.  But even the strongest warriors could not last long.  They hadn't had a good meal in a long time, let alone a good night's rest.  Every one of them was at the end of their strength, and they were walking against the wind in the wild cold wind of the North.

    ¡°Where should we go, Iverra?¡±

    The rolling mountains standing in front of them presented a colorful and magnificent scenery in the dim sunlight.  However, for their group of exhausted travelers, it was an insurmountable barrier.

    ¡°Go north,¡± Ivira said, ¡°keep going.¡±

    "How are we going to get there? There are huge mountains in front of us." Leo asked, "Do we need to climb over them?"

    ¡°There¡¯s no need to go over mountains and ridges.¡± Iweila looked away and exhaled a white breath.  "If I remember correctly, there is a small village near Dolphin Bay, just below the foot of the mountain." She pointed ahead.

    Leo looked as hard as he could.  The frozen tundra stretches forward with no end as far as the eye can see. It looks lifeless, except for a faint tree line at the foot of the mist-shrouded mountain.  He didn't know what those people did for a living, but her memory was correct, he prayed.  They really can't afford any more trouble.

    They walked slowly, stumbling forward among the mud and countless rocks.  It wasn't until it got dark that they finally spotted the shadow of a wooden archery tower in the embrace of a sharp cliff.

    Thank God.

    They involuntarily quickened their pace.  All around, mountains of ice and snow stretch continuously.  However, among the dark moss, a compacted black soil road mixed with gravel is particularly conspicuous.  The clear and fresh ruts on it are no less a gift from the gods to them.

    The village is right in front of you.

    Unexpectedly, the wooden gate of this remote mountain village was closed tightly. The militiamen on the archery tower looked at them with hostility and nocked arrows on the long bows in their hands.  He seemed to be extra cautious and wary of them.  It's like they are bandits, robbers, and their enemies.

    ¡°Stop!¡± the militiamen wrapped in thick furs shouted at them, longbows aimed at them.  "Otherwise I will shoot!"

    The familiar words, despite the thick accent, were enough to bring tears to their eyes.  But the other party's appearance didn't look like a welcoming gesture at all.  He stood on the arrow tower, as if he wanted to sound the alarm.

    "What happened here?" Leo asked.

    "Don't go any further!" the militiaman screamed nervously, the howling cold wind swirling, dragging his voice echoing over the mountain village.  "This is not something you should know! I said, stop it!"

    Leo raised his hands to show that he was not hostile.

    The militiamen were panting heavily, their bowstrings stretched tightly.  "Who are you? Tell me your name."

    Who are they?  "A group of refugees." Leo pointed out to him with a wry smile.  "There are both men and women among us, and we are all injured and seriously ill. Do we look like robbers?" He pulled on his clothes to show the other party.  He was dressed in a mess of colorful clothes and a tattered blanket wrapped around him.  "No matter how you look at it, we seem to be the ones being robbed."

    Indeed, they are dusty and have dull eyes.  Drowsiness and fatigue are evident.  The militiamen lowered their bows and arrows.  "Butbut, there are too many of you." He said awkwardly.

    "Okay, let us go in." Iwela pleaded, "We need rest, and we need a doctor, or a priest."

    The other party looked at them for a long time.  "Keep your weapons safe," he said at last. "Don't do any tricks in front of our eyes. Open the door and let them in."

    The door slowly opened with a creaking sound, and what came into view was a low, thick house made of wooden piles and frozen soil.  The architectural style here is completely different from that of Midsummer Country, but the white-skinned faces are enough to make them feel friendly.  ?The people in the small village below showed a kind of wary alienation towards their arrival. They looked at them from a distance on the roadside, with curiosity, uneasiness, and inexplicable hostility in their eyes.

    ¡°Is there a hotel here?¡±

    "Yes." The militiaman who led the way, or was monitoring them, replied.  "Go straight along this road. There is a sawmill inn next to a sentinel pine. But the village chief probably wants to see you first."

    "I'll go with you to see him." Leo said, telling the others to go to the hotel to settle in. "I'll come back to you soon."

    They walked forward for a short distance, and saw several wooden houses with triangular roofs that stood out among the low rammed earth houses. According to the militiaman who led the way, the village chief lived in one of them, while the other belonged to  A highly respected elder in the village.

    ¡°Here,¡± Iweila asked, ¡°Does the Andal Church have a church here?¡±

    "There is a small church." The militiaman pointed in the direction opposite to the houses. "Behind that, there is a small square and a wooden statue. You can't miss it. But instead of counting on the priest,  Might as well call a doctor. Your companion looks like he needs some physical conditioning, not some inexplicable magic."

    Leo followed the militiamen.  He knocked on the door, and then an old voice sounded inside.  "Come in." The militiaman opened the door. "Go in." He said.

    There were tallow candles burning in the room. There was a pot filled with water on the fire in the middle of the hall, and a bottle of wine was being warmed.  The air is filled with the scent of dried meat.  A white-haired old man was sitting by the fire. Hearing the noise made by Leo, he raised his head.

    "Ah, Traveler." The village chief's face is full of wrinkles and age spots, but he speaks clearly and in a loud voice.  "Visitors from afar, you are welcome." He said, "Sit down, please feel free to do so."

    Leo sat down opposite him, and the village chief poured him a glass of wine.

    "Thank you." He picked up the wine glass and took a sip. The scalding temperature and strong burning sensation spread from his mouth down his throat to his abdomen, all of a sudden dispelling the bone-chilling chill.  He let out a sigh of contentment and put the cup down.

    The village chief filled another bottle of wine for him.  "Where are you from?" His eyes shone with wisdom.  "We haven't had visitors here for a long time. Heavy snow has blocked the mountain road - that's the only way in and out for us. You don't look like refugees, do you? Our guests."

    Leo knew that he could not hide it from the old man in front of him, so he had no choice but to tell the truth.  "We came from the sea," he sighed. "The storm destroyed everything and we were thrown overboard to fend for ourselves."

    "I smell it." The old man smiled with satisfaction.  "You all smell like fish. Your plight is sad and worthy of sympathy. But how did you find this place? It's so far away from the beach the swamps and mire will drive you crazy.  Lose."

    "Some of us know the way." Leo suddenly felt that the village chief's eyes looking at him became less trusting, full of doubts and vigilance.  "She's a Maester. She's been here."

    "Bachelor?" The village chief nodded, "She is a young lady? Where is she now?"

    "She went to visit the pastor of the church." Leo replied, "Some of my companions are injured, and some are suffering from cold."

    "Yeah." The old man responded in a muffled voice.

    The firewood crackled, and sparks jumped out of the fire pit from time to time, and then fell on the stone bricks and were extinguished.  The room was as warm as spring, and the rising smoke was so lazy that it made people sleepy.

    After a moment of silence, Leo spoke, "Old sir, I have a question."

    "Go ahead." The village chief nodded, "I'll tell you everything I know."

    He moved his buttocks in the chair and straightened his body.  "What are you guarding against?" he asked, "Did something happen here?"

    The old man chuckled, "That's two questions for you."

    "But they just need a common answer." Leo said.

    "Hmm." The old man was silent for a while, seeming to be thinking about how to answer.  "As you can see," he began hesitantly, "on snowy days, there are always some beasts that are about to starve to death and freeze to death wandering around the village, ready to eat the lone people at any time. They are deadly, and  I can never get enough to eat¡­¡±

    He was thinking about it, Leo was clearly aware.  "I admit that sometimes humans are more vulnerable than beasts, but bandits will make you feel like a powerful enemy, and bandits can force you to gather all the resistance." Leo commented, "But none of you did this.  You are just questioning us, interrogating strangers from outside.¡±

      The village chief lost his good tone, "You think too much, guest." He said coldly.

    "Your intention is too obvious." Leo pointed out.

    The old man said nothing.

    "It doesn't seem peaceful here. Everyone here has a special look in their eyes." He said, "The uneasiness is more than hostility, and the worry is obvious. Something must be related to the stranger who comes by chance, right?"

    "You have a pair of keen eyes." After a long silence, the old man finally spoke.  But he did not respond directly to Leo's question.  "Curiosity will do you no good, guest. However, since you want to know the ins and outs, let me meet the 'bachelor' you call him first." The old man grabbed the crutch beside him and stood up tremblingly.  He stared into Leo's eyes and said with warning, "If she is really a bachelor, then I, like you, have countless confusions waiting to be answered. I will answer your questions carefully at that time.  .¡±
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