Chapter 213

Under the shroud of night, Ailahaimu exuded a rigid temperament amidst the cold wind.

The Dandong Snow Mountain brought a bone-chilling coolness to this city, yet also bestowed upon it a cold, lonely charm.

This is rarely seen in other places.

Human traces were scarce in the streets and alleys; the occasional sound of footsteps echoing in the emptiness only added to the desolation.

In this era lacking nighttime entertainment, once it reached evening, everything in the city would enter a long pause, and most people would go to bed and fall fast asleep.

But this was not the case for Ailahaimu, where the night occupied a much larger share than the day; it possessed its own unique rhythm.

After all, in a place like this, if one went to sleep as soon as it got dark, one would have to sleep for at least thirteen or fourteen hours or more a day.

Due to climate and geographical reasons, the tavern culture of Ailahaimu was extremely rich.

As soon as it got dark, the numerous taverns on the street would begin to bustle with activity.

Gao De walked on the icy, slippery, and narrow street, observing this small city at the foot of the snow mountain with great interest as he walked.

Actually, calling it a small town would be more appropriate.

Because Ailahaimu was really not big; it didn't even have subdivided urban districts, and the entire city area was concentrated on one street.

On this street, only a few places were still lit up now.

Through the lights, some human figures could be vaguely seen.

From time to time, bursts of clamor would drift out from these lit-up places.

Accompanied by the occasional drifting music, it brought some liveliness and joy to this city that was constantly whimpering in the cold wind.

Those were all taverns.

Gao De carefully examined the signs hanging from the buildings on both sides of the street while moving forward.

After walking for about twenty minutes, almost at the point of leaving this street, Gao De finally saw a target that met his wishes.

It was an old tavern.

But below the tavern's sign, there was also a pitch-black wooden board hanging.

On the wooden board were written a few messy and scribbled characters: "Lodging".

Under the dim light, it appeared hazy and blurred; if it weren't for Gao De having developed an extremely high ability to see in the dark, he really wouldn't have been able to make out these two characters.

Clearly, this was a tavern that included a lodging business.

Turning right from the main street and passing a few dilapidated stone steps, Gao De arrived in front of the tavern's main entrance.

Those were two thick stone slabs; the unusual materials and weight could ensure that they wouldn't creak in the cold wind.

The stone slab door was covered in greasy grime.

And next to the main gate were two large flower pots also made by hollowing out stone blocks.

Inside the flower pots, nothing was planted—in a place like this, ordinary decorative flowers and plants could not survive.

Inside the flower pots, two copper rods were simply inserted; a dried dead mouse was tied to the copper rod on the left.

Wrapped around the copper rod of the right flower pot was a dead venomous snake.

"Venomous Snake and Mouse".

This was the name of this tavern.

Gao De's heart stirred, and without any movement, the stone slab door inexplicably opened automatically, just like the automatic doors of a shopping mall in his past life.

【Opening Spell】.

He strolled inside.

The bone-chilling cold wind was blocked outside by the tavern's thick stone outer walls, and it dissipated quite a bit all at once.

In front of the tavern was a courtyard, where some simple horse-drawn carriages were parked very casually, or rather, messily.

On both the left and right sides were animal pens, where a dozen or so horses were gnawing on the dry and sparse fodder inside.

In the very center of the courtyard was a three-story stone building, which was extremely rare in Ailahaimu.

Dim and yellowish lights flickered inside the stone building.

The stone building was the inn attached to this tavern.

And next to the three-story stone building, there was a flight of stone steps leading downwards.

Vague sounds of clamor and laughter drifted out from within.

Yes, the "Venomous Snake and Mouse" tavern was an extremely rare underground tavern.

The name was quite fitting; venomous snakes and mice, these two types of animals, indeed both dig holes underground, Gao De thought to himself.

Compared to the three-story stone building, this tavern built underground was the "main business" of the boss here.

Gao De thought for a moment, then first stepped into these underground steps.

Walking down these steps for several meters and pushing open an old oak door, a warm atmosphere mixed with the smell of alcohol and food rushed toward him, making Gao De, who had just been walking on the bone-chilling street, shudder all over.

This was a large tavern capable of accommodating hundreds of people; the interior space was quite spacious, with a floor paved with large stone slabs in the center.

Surrounding it were bars and tables and chairs built from snow mountain raw wood.

Behind the bar, a brewer was busy operating ancient brewing equipment.

The walls were covered with all kinds of decorations, including deer antlers, wolf heads, and so on.

In the fireplace in the corner, flames were burning fiercely.

At this time, the tavern was already very lively.

Under the slightly dim light, a full forty or fifty people were gathered inside.

These locals, wearing thick fur cloaks, gathered in groups of three or five, holding huge horn cups, and on every table was a large mug of golden barley beer bubbling with foam.

The sound of Gao De pushing the door when he entered made many people in the tavern notice, and they subconsciously turned their heads to look.

They saw a young man with a delicate appearance, and knowing he was an outsider, they looked him over a couple of extra times before turning their heads back.

"Another outsider has come."

Someone whispered a comment.

In Ailahaimu, although there weren't many outsiders, there weren't few either, but most of them were crew members who came by ship, all of them big and burly.

An outsider like Gao De who traveled alone, was not old, and was not sturdy in build was still very rare, which was why they took a couple of extra looks.

Gao De ignored these scrutinizing gazes and walked to the bar.

"What is there to eat?" He rubbed his stomach and asked the bartender. The food on the ship was not satisfactory, and Gao De's mouth had long been craving something.

Behind the bar was a bearded big man who was wiping a horn cup with a yellowing towel, the whole person exuding a tough temperament unique to the locals.

Hearing Gao De's question, the big man took a clean horn cup from the side, scooped a large ladle of golden liquor from the barrel, just enough to fill the horn cup, slapped it onto the bar with a 'pop', and then pushed it to Gao De.

"Black beer and roast venison, plus a serving of cod bread, totaling 3 silver and 6 copper."

Gao De reached into his pocket and felt around, then took out 4 silver coins and placed them on the bar.

The big man nimbly collected the 4 silver coins, rummaged in the drawer, gave Gao De 6 copper coins in change, and then shouted to the kitchen in the back, "One serving of roast venison and sturgeon bread."

Gao De put away the change and didn't leave immediately, but instead asked, "If one wants to climb Dandong Snow Mountain, what needs to be prepared?"

Although he had 【Adaptation】, Gao De did not prepare to climb the Eryinlaya Range naked because of that.

If a person does not revere nature, nature will give you punishment.

"Climb Dandong Snow Mountain?" The bartender looked at Gao De with skeptical eyes, but didn't say anything extra, instead answering casually: "Warm clothing must be prepared first, and you also need to buy a waterproof jacket."

"Once you encounter rain or snow on the snow mountain, if you don't have a waterproof jacket, your body won't be able to stay dry, and you will quickly fall into the risk of hypothermia."

"Then you also need a pair of mountaineering boots," the bartender scanned the shoes on Gao De's feet and continued: "First, to protect your feet from cold and moisture, and second, the snow mountain road is slippery, so you need mountaineering boots to provide enough grip."

"I recommend you can go to Old Lame's shop to take a look; his goat-skin mountaineering boots are the best in Ailahaimu."

"In addition, a mountaineering stick can provide you with support and balance, reducing the burden on your legs; ropes and hooks can allow you to fix your body on steep snow slopes; you should also prepare at least one ice claw or ice axe, as there are still many slopes on Dandong Snow Mountain that are covered in ice and snow and are not easy to bypass."

"You also need a sleeping bag, fire starter, a map, some dry food that is easy to carry, and navigation tools; you should also bring some simple cooking utensils and fuel so that you can cook food and hot water when necessary to replenish temperature for your body."

After saying it all in one breath, the bartender finally couldn't help but add one more sentence, "These external pieces of equipment are very important, but if you want to climb Dandong Snow Mountain, the climber's own physical fitness is even more important."

Clearly, he was doubting Gao De's ability.

Gao De acted as if he didn't understand the bartender's well-intentioned reminder, and certainly wouldn't say that his goal was not just to climb, but to cross over.

He picked up the large horn cup of black beer and sat down at a small table that was temporarily unoccupied next to the counter.

After sitting down, Gao De reviewed the geographical knowledge about the Eryinlaya Range he had learned at the Saint Xi En Academy in his mind.

Dandong Snow Mountain, referred to as Dan Peak, is the main peak of the Eryinlaya Range, located in the middle section of the Eryinlaya Range, with the highest rock face height reaching 9000 meters.

As early as thousands of years ago, there were already many climbers challenging Dandong Snow Mountain, successively creating more than a dozen mountaineering routes.

Among them, a complete northern mountaineering route entering the northern realm was discovered and pioneered by a 4th-circle magic user.

And Gao De's goal was this northern mountaineering route.

This was not simple; at least under current technical conditions, if it weren't for the existence of supernatural powers like magic, this would simply be an impossible task.

Of course, for Gao De, who had just been promoted to a 1st-circle magic user not long ago, he mainly relied on his own expertise, not magic.

"With 【Spark Spell】, there's no need to worry about fire starter; with 【North-Pointing Spell】, navigation tools can also be saved; 【Water-Creating Spell】 can let me not worry about water sources." "As for ice claws, although 【Cat Claw Spell】 can be used as ice claws when necessary, it is only suitable for special situations, and mana should be saved where possible, so I still have to prepare one."

"Ailahaimu is located at the foot of Dandong Snow Mountain, and given the geographical conditions and climate limitations here, perhaps I can still find the spell formula for 【Skating Spell】 or 【Ice-Walking Spell】," Gao De thought carefully and decided to stroll around the city again tomorrow.

【Skating Spell】 and 【Ice-Walking Spell】 are not rare spells, but rather tend to be functional spells.

And Ailahaimu is undoubtedly one of the places where these two spells can best exert their functional roles.

Just as one can find many shops selling "mountaineering equipment" in Ailahaimu, according to common sense, the probability of these two spell formulas appearing here should also be relatively high.

If he mastered one of these two spells, he would be more confident in this trip to cross Dandong Snow Mountain.

But if he couldn't find them, Gao De wouldn't cancel his plan either.

While he was thinking, the maid from the back kitchen had already walked over with a large plate of roast venison and cod bread and placed it in front of Gao De.

Gao De, who hadn't eaten hot food for a long time, was immediately aroused by the strong fragrance, and as soon as the food was on the table, his eyes lit up.

Picking up a piece of venison with a golden and crispy skin with a fork and taking a bite, the juices exploded in his mouth, perfectly blending with the local spicy seasoning, bringing a sense of heat to his body while adding flavor.

The cod bread also tasted good; the outer layer of bread was baked until crispy, while the cod meat inside was delicate and delicious, the two complementing each other, leaving an endless aftertaste.

"There are more and more young people who don't know the height of the sky and the depth of the earth; a greenhorn who wanted to climb the mountain just came yesterday, and today another kid who hasn't even grown his hair out has come..."

"Is Dandong Snow Peak so easy to challenge? Even the most qualified local guide doesn't dare to guarantee that they can succeed in the challenge every time..."

Just as Gao De was burying his head in eating, several locals a few tables away to his left, who seemed to have heard the conversation between Gao De and the bartender just now, lowered their voices and complained to their companions.

"Didn't bring any weapons, the clothes on his body are so casual, and he even asked on the spot what needs to be prepared for mountaineering; he's clearly a rookie who has never climbed a snow mountain before," another sneered.

"Yeah, that greenhorn yesterday at least prepared everything; this kid is completely here to die."

"Not necessarily, this kind of rookie might be scared off as soon as he gets on the mountain."

"Those who drown are usually good swimmers; instead, it's this kind of rookie who retreats quickly and can survive; those veteran climbers often reach the peak, find they can't hold on, and when they want to retreat, it's already too late..."

Although those locals lowered their voices, they didn't lower them particularly much, as if they intended for Gao De to hear.

Coupled with the fact that the locals' voices were naturally loud, Gao De heard their conversation clearly.

Gao De was not annoyed by their sneers.

Because what the other party said was correct; he was indeed a rookie.

If it weren't for 【Adaptation】, he would never dare to challenge crossing the Eryinlaya Range even if he were beaten to death.

That wouldn't be courage, but seeking his own death.

"A greenhorn who wanted to climb the mountain just came yesterday..." He was more concerned about this sentence.

Although he was a rookie, Gao De still knew that climbers challenging Dandong Snow Mountain mostly traveled in teams so they could look after each other.

It was rare to see someone climbing alone like him even once in several years.

"Ten to one, he's also a magic user," Gao De thought secretly.

Climbing alone, one either has something to rely on, or there is something wrong with their brain.

Clearly, the former probability was higher.

And in this world, for an individual, the greatest reliance is clearly magic.

Since this person was also prepared to challenge the climb alone, Gao De was almost certain that the other party must have quite a few functional spells suitable for mountaineering in their spell reserve.

Thinking this way, Gao De swallowed the last bite of cod bread, then picked up the horn cup and drank the black beer in the cup in one gulp.

Don't say, the taste of this locally produced black beer was really not bad.

The unique rich malt flavor, with a hint of caramel and chocolate sweetness, the taste was mellow and steady, and it also had a certain carbonated feeling, with a very unique flavor.

Subsequently, Gao De put down the horn cup, stood up, walked to the table of locals who had been gossiping about him behind his back, grinned to reveal a mouthful of white teeth, and asked with a smile:

"May I ask, where is the greenhorn you mentioned just now who came yesterday staying?"

(End of chapter)