Yarra’s Adventure Notes
Chapter 556 - 24: The Dwarf’s Head_1

Chapter 556: Chapter 24: The Dwarf’s Head_1

"They are not bad people." Lina held a plant tuber in both hands, gnawing at it as if it were a pinecone, fell silent for a moment, and then continued: "I can see that, and you guys have seen it too, right? So there’s no need to clash with them over such a trivial matter. Their reaction just highlights their devotion to my lady Denia. I should be happy about it. As for the titles, well, I am a self-exiled sinner of the earth. There’s nothing I can’t say."

Due to the disagreement that occurred when they joined the camp, the awkward Kairom didn’t dwell on it too much. He set up the largest tent for the five of them. To accommodate the habits of humans, a ten-centimeter-thick floor was laid inside. Other than tables and chairs, there were also five assembled beds in the tent, unlike the other beastmen who simply spread out their bedding and rested directly on the floor. This standard of living was quite impressive for outdoor adventuring.

Additionally, there was steaming hot food, spicy spirits, and fresh sheep’s milk. The food was the Beastmen’s favorite, large chunks of sheep meat stewed until tender in clear water, seasoned with freshly picked herbs before serving, and garnished with finely ground scaly leaf flower seeds. To the side, there was a plate of boiled broadleaf grass. When eating, cut several pieces of meat with a knife, wrap it in a broadleaf grass and take a big bite. The leaf itself contained plenty of salt, pairing perfectly with the meat when eaten together. The sheep meat was the main course, but there was plenty of side dishes. The grasslands were never short of fresh vegetables, and each nomadic Beastman had a deep understanding of identifying wild plants. With just an hour of foraging, it’s enough to gather food for a family. So, the adventurers had nearly ten types of wild vegetables on their table. Although the cooking method was merely boiling them in clear water or eating them raw, the tender wild vegetables paired with large chunks of sheep meat made it quite tasty. Perhaps fearing their human companions would not be accustomed to this diet of mainly meat and vegetables, the considerate Beastmen also prepared a tuber. This tuber was extraordinarily sweet, but it’s not commonly found on the grasslands and can be kept for a long time, so the Beastmen only served it when entertaining honored guests.

For a tribe with settled pastures, this type of meal was ordinary. However, for a nomadic tribe, where life was relatively hard, this was already their richest meal. The five of them expressed their satisfaction with the food. Lina and Vivian particularly favored the sweet and soft boiled tubers. They didn’t eat much meat, but half of the dish with the boiled tubers was eaten by the two girls, which left Pannis puzzled about how their slender bodies managed to consume so much food.

Swallowing the last piece of boiled tuber, Lina sighed regretfully and reluctantly pushed away the dish in front of her. She then guzzled down half a cup of still warm sheep’s milk. Although the sheep’s milk’s foul taste can be off-putting initially, once someone gets used to it, it has its own unique flavor. Making a comfortable hum, Lina leaned back in the chair, looking content, and said, "So, as I said, I don’t mind, so why should any of you be angered?"

"Indeed, we all realized that they are not bad people." Among the adventurers, Catherine had the largest appetite, of course, excluding Freya who was forced to diet. Every time they ate, Catherine was seen elegantly consuming her food, while it disappears from the table at an astonishing speed. The architect of this paradoxical scene, Catherine, didn’t show any signs of haste. Each of her moves was flawless, depicting nobility grace and elegance. Even now, when the food required to be eaten by hand was meat and broadleaf grass, Catherine made it look as standard as if she was attending a court banquet. Once she had finished the last piece of lamb in her plate, Catherine meticulously washed her hands in a basin of water prepared next to her, and then responded, "Considering their strength, they could have easily escaped when the beastmen were in danger. Because there were people and livestock from the tribe present, the tailless dogs wouldn’t be diverted to chase after them. The armor they wore would ensure that the hordes of dogs couldn’t harm them within a short period. This way, they could guarantee their absolute safety. But they chose to miss the opportunity to flee and instead helped the beastmen hold the line. How could such people be considered bad? However, their attitude was truly unpalatable. It’s hard to understand; all the dwarves I’ve met were warm-hearted. How come I met such rude guys even before arriving in Kulan."

"I’m afraid you’re thinking too highly of them." Pannis held a sheepskin bag in his hand, the Beastmen’s container for holding liquor, a pungent smell of alcohol wafting from the spout of the bag. He took a large gulp with enjoyment, closed his eyes, and savored it slowly. Since being pulled into the adventure team by Catherine, outside the City of Knowledge, Pannis had rarely had the chance to enjoy himself fully. He used to live a debauched life for over a hundred years, and his body had already become accustomed to the stimulation of alcohol. Now being forcefully stopped, although he could endure it, he would always overall feel uncomfortable. So, this time, Pannis won a rare chance to enjoy to his heart’s content by reasoning that not finishing the liquor would hurt their Beastmen friends’ pride. Of the two large bags of spirits, one had already disappeared, and his usually languid eyes started to shine brighter.

"Thinking too highly?" Catherine asked doubtfully, "Did you discover any problems?"

"Do you remember those two horse-drawn wagons?" Pannis asked slowly, "The empty one used to block the hole in the camp, I took a close look, and there was one more in the camp, making it two in total. I don’t think those three dwarves would be driving two empty wagons on the grassland just for fun."

"You mean, there’s cargo on their wagons?" Catherine asked with a frown, "You think that they were hampered by their cargo and couldn’t move even if they wanted to?"

"What else?" Pannis responded with a tease, "Could it be that they were weighed down by the empty wagons?"

With clenched teeth, Catherine swung a fist at Pannis and irritably said, "Even if it’s so, if they wanted to secure their safety, they could have escaped first and come back after the tailless dogs dispersed. Tailless dogs aren’t bandits; they wouldn’t be interested in the goods on their wagons unless it was meat. Are you trying to tell me that three upper-rank dwarves are risking their lives against tailless dogs for two wagons full of meat?"

"I never said that." Catherine found that Pannis’ expression after finishing his drink particularly infuriating, and his words had a similar effect: "However, if it were me, I wouldn’t want to turn into a horse, pulling my own cart back to the Mountain Country. So, in order not to turn myself into a horse, I’d always find a way to keep the original horse working for me. Eh? Don’t you think the same, or do you prefer to pull the cart yourself? Such a preference is too strange."

"Sigh." Freya could not bear to watch the forthcoming tragedy, and she turned her back to Pannis together with Lina. Slightly raising her head to watch the top of the tent, she sighed in a pitiful tone: "Humans are such strange creatures, why are there always individuals not cherishing their own lives? Life is so valuable, like gold sand in a river, which gleams brilliantly only after countless years of erosion. Why don’t some understand to value it? You humans... Ah."

Vivian, after a day’s jolt, relaxed after she had eaten, now sleeping on Lina’s lap. Even so, she still instinctively wielded her magic staff and casually knocked on Freya’s head, interrupting her lament. As a result, the tent became a chaotic mess. It wasn’t clear what some people had done, but it inexplicably turned into a chase with Pannis as the target. After several minutes of commotion, Catherine coughed lightly, halting the farcical scene the five of them were all too familiar with and loved.

"I understand what you mean now." Catherine regained her usual seriousness, nodding: "You have a point, they are, after all soldiers, if they received an order to protect the goods then they would have to stay and defend. It seems that they do take their goods or, should I say, mission very seriously judging by their initial guard towards us. Back then, it didn’t seem like it, but now that you mention it and I think about it carefully, they were indeed on the highest alert towards any stranger. Hmm, this also explains why their reaction was so intense. This is because they viewed us as enemies due to Lina’s symbol. But they are so peculiar, just assuming things so easily, aren’t they?"

"Hehe, dwarf brains." Pannis laughed a few times to himself and explained: "In the elf settlement, this serves as an insult specifically used for those brash and rigid-minded idiots. Many dwarfs are like that, hard-headed like rocks. Although they act like fools unable to see things clearly, they stubbornly stick to their beliefs once they have decided on something."

"You’re a bit harsh there," Catherine scolded Pannis with a punch, unable to suppress her laughter: "Don’t group all dwarfs together, I think most of them are quite alright."

"That’s because you only know the minority," Pannis rolled his eyes: "And you got it all wrong. Most dwarfs have dwarf brains, only a minority are considered good. Sometimes I just want to crack their heads open to see if they’re filled with anvils and ore."

"That’s enough." Catherine sighed with a laugh: "Are you still angry about Lina? Even though they are doing it for their own mission, they are nonetheless risking their lives to help the Beastmen. Although they may be a tad bit dim, they are not bad. You should stop cursing them."

"I’m not angry, not angry at all." Pannis squinted, giving a sinister smile: "They’re already in deep trouble, really deep trouble. If it wasn’t for their rudeness, I might have tipped them off. But now, well, even if I did, they wouldn’t believe me. Might as well pretend I didn’t see."

"Deep trouble?" Catherine became serious: "Despite our differences, we should still warn them if there is a problem."

"Don’t worry, I know what I’m doing." Pannis squinted and claimed: "I will make sure they won’t face any life-threatening danger. As for the rest, hehe, they will definitely come begging to us with tearful eyes."

"Forget it. I won’t bother with you anymore." Catherine sighed helplessly, tacitly agreeing with Pannis’ actions. (To be continued. If you like this work, feel free to visit qidian.com to vote for recommendation and monthly tickets. Your support is my greatest motivation. Mobile users, please visit m.qidian.com to read.)