Chapter 149: Meeting an old friend in a foreign land

Chapter 149: Meeting an old friend in a foreign land

Pawa walked down from the deck of the sailboat and pulled his hood.

The southern sun was warm, and the ground was soft and clean gravel. The sea breeze carried a faint salty smell.

Pawa looked around at the other people.

The adventurers carrying their luggage walked together, carrying bows and shields, with different accents and skin colors. Most of them were wearing soft leather armor, with swords and knives at their waists, and they couldn’t wait to head into the forest as soon as they got off the boat.

The sailors were sitting in twos and threes, resting and eating pickled grapes on the shore.

Under the shadow of the sailboat, there was a scholar with sun-darkened skin. He set up a wooden drawing frame, covered it with a roll of parchment, and sketched a map of this new continent with charcoal.

There was also an apothecary carrying a medicine box, picking various herbs on the outskirts of the forest.

In addition, there were three dwarves engaged in conversation.

Pawa had dealt with the dwarf clan before. They settled in the fortress outside the ghost city of Sanilo, and each of them was a skilled blacksmith, but they didn’t have a good tolerance for alcohol, yet they loved to drink.

When the three dwarves boarded the ship, they argued with the captain, leaving a deep impression on Pawa.

The captain believed that each dwarf was wearing a bronze armor that weighed as much as two to three people. So each of them had to pay double the fare.

After the dispute, the dwarves helped the captain repair a batch of ironware and improved the captain’s half-armor. The captain not only waived the fare, but also gave them a jar of wheat beer.

Pawa looked on with envy.

Having a good craft, one would never go hungry wherever they went.

At the moment, Pawa caught the attention of the dwarves.

One of the dwarves came over, gesturing to him and pointing ahead, "You?"

"Me, me, me."

The dwarf first pointed to himself, then to the other two companions beside him.

"Over there."

The dwarf then pointed to the forest ahead.

Pawa understood what the other party meant.

So he also used his fingers to point to the three dwarves and himself, then turned to the forest, "Together?"

The leading dwarf laughed heartily, "Yes, yes!"

They wanted to team up with him.

Pawa didn’t understand why, was it because he was dressed in black?

This was a symbol of having studied at the theological academy. However, he did not have the qualification to wear the Holy Flower on his chest, because for five consecutive years, Pawa had not passed the final theological exam.

Instead, the "History of Salt City" written by the prophet Dorennunu was something Pawa read with great interest and could recite fluently.

Every segment in it was etched in Pawa’s mind: the fierce hundred-year battle outside the castle, the solemnity of the gods subduing the blood knights, the grandeur of Salt City’s establishment, the pride of the city’s lighthouse, the excitement of the twin cities... and even the brutal and painful era of slavery.

After failing the theological academy exam for the sixth year, Pawa was expelled from the academy.

He could not wear the Holy Flower, as it was the symbol of an official scholar. He was still an apprentice, only able to wear the black clothes representing his time at the theological academy.

Pawa was determined to write stories for everyone, just like the prophet Dorennunu, so that more people could see and hear.

...

In the ancient beer theater of Yao City, Pawa listened to everyone talk about the ghosts that haunted the theater. People said that it was the spirit of the genius inventor Mu Ke, who had died in the theater.

Mu Ke had lost to the previous generation’s prophet, Hamira, here, and his spirit had refused to leave.

It was said that if you played tribal war flags in the theater, you would sometimes hear Mu Ke’s laughter.

Pawa learned to play tunes with cow horns and conch shells in the theater.

All he could say was, "Let’s wait for them to leave, then we’ll go have a look."

...

Two days later, Pawa and the dwarves made a ragged escape from the forest.

The forest wolf pack behind them bared their teeth and snarled, their green eyes flashing with ferocity. Being stared at by all those eyes made Pawa’s scalp tingle.

He knew very well that this was the wolves’ final warning.

Seeing that they had calmed down, the wolves gradually turned and returned to the forest.

The three dwarves and Pawa started a fire on the beach. Relying on his islander’s survival skills, Pawa caught fish from the sea and found fresh water in a puddle, managing to fill their stomachs for the moment.

That same day, they saw many adventurers scrambling out of the forest. Some fled straight back to their sailing ships, others cursed and swore, but none dared to venture back into the woods.

Seeing this scene, Pawa and the others felt a little better.

In the middle of the night, a man approached their fire.

He looked exhausted, with many scars on his face and hands. He wore tattered bronze armor and carried a hammer, his style quite similar to that of the dwarves.

"May I warm myself by your fire?"

A pure Salt City accent.

Pawa looked at the three dwarves, and they had no objections.

So the stranger sat down cross-legged.

Pawa felt that the man’s face looked somewhat familiar.

A distant memory was suddenly stirred.

Pawa paused, then excitedly said, "Are you Mr. Copper Sea, the liberator of slaves? You saved me once, you might not remember, but I’ve always remembered your help..."

Copper Sea was taken aback, his smile tinged with melancholy.

"This forest is now occupied by wolves, giant lizards, and treants; there shouldn’t be any slave traders here. They’re cowards at heart, not bold enough for that." Pawa handed Copper Sea a grilled fish.

The two chatted idly for a while, and Pawa, without realizing it, went on and on.

He recounted Copper Sea’s exploits as if they were his own: the naval battles at sea, the three raids on ports, the burning of lighthouses, the defeat of slave formations...

"It’s all in the past."

Copper Sea slowly gnawed on the grilled fish, changing the subject: "I’ve discovered an interesting creature on this continent. Would you like to go see it with me?"

"She calls herself the ’Lake Fairy.’"

"But she can’t fool me; she’s actually a tree demon. I just don’t know why she likes to linger by the sea."

Pawa saw the three dwarves eager to go, and he cautiously asked, "Is that tree demon dangerous?"

"It’s hard to say."

"If someone is willing to be her husband and tell her stories every day, she’s willing to give him a lot of treasures. I think..."

Copper Sea looked at Pawa.

The three dwarves also turned their gaze to Pawa.

"Why are you all looking at me..." Pawa frowned.

Telling stories every day?

There’s a limit to human stories, right?

How could that possibly be done!