Yarra’s Adventure Notes
Chapter 638 - 2 Mayor of Icebound Town _1

Chapter 638: Chapter 2 Mayor of Icebound Town _1

"Creak, creak," outside the tavern, several pairs of legs trudged through the deep snow, over and over again. Flawless, smooth piles of snow were marked with footprints like reliefs, stretching all the way to the tavern. Further away, footprints were freshly covered by falling snowflakes, leaving no trace of any human presence. Only an expanse of white snow extended into the distance, merging seamlessly with the snowfall-filled sky.

With a "thud", the door was forcefully pushed open. Wind and snow rushed in, instantly blanketing the tavern with an icy shower. Yes, an icy shower. When the frigid outside air met the warm, moist indoor air, it quickly cooled and condensed, resulting in a rare instance of indoor rainfall.

"Damnit, close that bloody door quickly!" The townsfolk in the tavern cursed loudly. Accustomed to such icy showers, they were not surprised, only annoyed. Usually, they would swiftly open and close the door to prevent such incidents. However, the individuals who entered this time apparently hadn’t grasped this, causing the undesirable situation. The townsfolk, temporarily blinded by the bitter cold, couldn’t make out who had just entered but that didn’t stop their tirades: "Who the hell is it? These kinds of jokes are infuriating. If anyone pulls this kind of joke again, I’ll strip them naked and throw them into the snow pond for three days and nights."

In the nearby towns, indeed some people enjoyed playing such pranks to mess with the people indoors. However, such pranks were only acceptable among very close friends, as they were not generally well-received. Understandably so, for no one enjoys having their warm room invaded by an icy deluge.

The door was quickly shut again, and only then could the patrons see who had entered. More accurately, they couldn’t actually see who came in, as the newcomers were bundled up beyond recognition.

There were six of them that had come in from the outside but only four sets of footsteps echoed. Among the six, four were tall and two were short; one of the short ones was being carried on someone’s back, the other perched on someone’s shoulder. They were dressed in multiple layers of thick cotton clothes. The bottom half of each person was sheathed in sleek leather trousers, which extended downwards to completely encapsulate their feet and boots, tied snugly with resilient cordage to prevent their clothes and footwear from getting soaked in the snow. Their upper bodies were similarly swaddled in thick cotton clothes overlaid with a fur coat, cinched tight at the collar and cuffs to prevent the snow from creeping in. Thick gloves on their hands, their faces shrouded in warm cotton flaps, and even their exposed eyes concealed behind oversized black goggles, there was not a single inch of skin visible. Such attire was not an unusual sight for the town dwellers, being the standard gear for people venturing out in the frosty wilderness. Without such protective clothing, no one dared to step out in the stormy weather. More precisely, even with such attire, very few dared to journey far and wide in such a snowstorm.

"Ha-ha, look what we have here, six unlucky souls." The town mayor, sitting at the bar with a bountiful beard, wiped off the leftover liquor from his whiskers. In his distinctive Neville southern accent, he bellowed with boisterous laughter, pointing at the six who had just come in, "Let me guess, let me guess, where are you folks from? Snow Wind Village? Ice Seal Valley Village? Or perhaps from Palewood Town? What happened over there that sent you travelling in such foul weather?"

In this region, transportation in wintertime was a significant challenge. When emergencies arose in small villages or towns, the only option was to draw lots and send out a few unlucky individuals to neighboring settlements carrying the urgent messages. For the folks who lived here all year round, while they had little fear of freezing to death due to losing their way in a snowfield, the torturous cold all along the journey was inevitable. Hence, the town’s mayor found these poor souls comical.

However, the newcomers paid no heed to the mayor’s jeering. First, they put down the two individuals they had been carrying and then proceeded to remove their goggles, fur hats, and face coverings. Only then did the tavern’s patrons realize that the newcomers were, surprisingly, one man and five women, each with their own attractive charm.

"Whew", spotting the beauties, a few townsfolk, stimulated by alcohol, whistled and laughed out loud, "Ha-ha-ha look at these beauties! Dear ladies, do you want me to warm you up with my body in this chilly weather? Ha-ha."

"Shut up, you imbeciles. Are your eyes and your brain mere decorations? Have you ever seen a village sending women to be messengers? Are you all just complete idiots? Or did brain-eating worms squirm their way into your ears when you were young and gnaw your brains away?" The mayor, who had laughed first, was not laughing now. His face turned serious, as he studied the six newcomers from head to toe. His clever eyes twinkled, and he asked seriously, "If I’m not wrong, adventurers? Or mercenary perhaps? Don’t mind those idiots seeing double from the alcohol. Come, come, have a drink with me?"

The six people clearly had no interest in engaging with the crude, inebriated townsfolk. The five girls didn’t even spare them a glance, directly walking towards the inviting mayor. Only the blonde man cast a glance with a vague, nonchalant smile. Suddenly, those men felt a wave of indescribable dread. It was the same feeling as being targeted by a pack of ferocious snow wolves, as their backs turned cold and they bowed their heads in silence.

"Adventurer, I am Captain Catherine." The black-haired girl walked straight to the bar, flicked a silver coin at the bartender, briskly picked up a large mug of strong wine he just poured, and clinked it against the big-bearded mayor’s glass. "To the abundant harvest after the major snowfall, cheers."

"To the abundant harvest after the major snowfall." The mayor hesitated, rubbed his beard and burst into laughter. He and Catherine tilted their heads back and drank all the strong wine in one gulp, turned over their glasses and slammed them on the bar, and gave Catherine the thumbs up. "Well done."

Catherine rubbed her mouth with the back of her hand without any pretentiousness, and gestured to the bartender for her and the mayor’s glasses. Before coming here, the young knight had researched a great deal to understand the character and etiquette of the people in the southern Snowfield, which allowed her to handle the mayor smoothly and earn his goodwill. A gulp of strong wine went down her throat, sending a intense stimulation from the mouth to the stomach. A warm feeling emanated from the stomach, slowly spreading to every part of the body. Catherine exhaled a breath of alcohol and said with a faint smile, "This snow has been falling for a while now, hasn’t it?"

"Thirteen days." The mayor said: "It’s unexpected that in such a huge snowstorm, adventurers would come to our little town. Are you planning to venture into the Magical Beast Forest in winter?"

"Yes, some things can’t be delayed any longer, it’s better to complete them a day earlier." Catherine nodded and said: "But with such heavy snow, it’s unrealistic to continue heading south. Do you have any idea when this snow is likely to stop?"

"Who knows." The mayor took another sip of strong wine and grumbled, "Damn, haven’t experienced a snowstorm this long in over a decade. If it continues for a few more days, some houses might not hold up."

"Houses?" Catherine asked curiously, "Oh, you mean the snow might collapse the houses?"

"Yes, my town, I don’t want to see anyone freezing to death because their house collapsed." The mayor sighed and said: "So not only are you all in a hurry, we are also hoping for the snowstorm to stop soon. However, according to the elders in the town, the snow should stop in another two or three days, then we might have a few days of good weather."

"Really? That’s the best news I’ve heard in a month." Catherine breathed a sigh of relief, while holding her glass she said: "You all must have it hard, living in such an environment, it can’t be easy."

"Hahaha, that’s where you’re wrong, this place is actually quite nice." The mayor burst out laughing, and shaking his head, he said, "You don’t really understand this place, young lady. It may be cold here, but the land is fertile enough. If the farming season is taken advantage of during the summer, the food produced in four months is enough for the town to eat for a year. Moreover, people often go hunting in the winter, there are many wild animals on the snowfield during winter, and the game we hunt is very abundant. There are also plenty of furs to ward off the cold, life here is not bad at all. As for safety, as long as you don’t stray too far from the town, you generally don’t face threats from magical beasts, it doesn’t affect the normal life of the town. Each winter leaves a lot of surplus fur; by the next summer, a lot of merchants will come to town to buy them at high prices. We don’t have to leave the house to earn a lot of gold coins, life is very laid back. After getting used to life here, even if asked to move elsewhere, we wouldn’t want to; everyone would feel out of place."

"I see." Catherine listened with great interest to the mayor’s proud boasting, and after he finished, she said with a smile, "Are all the villages on the Snowfield like this?"

"Well, they’re mostly the same." The mayor nodded and said, "But there are exceptions. Some young people in town don’t like this quiet life and always want to go north to try their luck. Young people, being energetic is a good thing, no one will blame them. Furthermore, when they’ve had their fill of fun in the north, most of them inevitably return to the town, after all, this is their home." (To be continued. If you like this work, please go to qidian.com to vote for recommendations and monthly tickets. Your support is my greatest motivation. Mobile users please browse m.qidian.com. )