Chapter 85

Midsummer Festival.

One of the most important festivals on the Aifala Continent.

The time is the middle of the seventh month of each year (Month of Summer Tide), the day with the longest daylight, which also marks the change of seasons and the peak of summer.

The origin of the festival, in the epic of countless years of disputes and complex contradictions between gods on the continent, is long forgotten.

But people still follow the customs passed down from generation to generation, celebrating the midpoint of the whole year in their own ways.

Banquets, weddings, divination...

Even those hardworking farmers in the fields who couldn't straighten their backs would give themselves a small holiday on this day, accompany their families, and put two more pieces of dried meat in their dinner.

People in Hegu Town were naturally no exception.

"Mission number: 1062, required number of people: 4, already full, next one."

"Why is it 3 silver less? This goblin's ear only has half a piece left, it doesn't count toward the bounty, next one."

"I don't sell 【Adventurer's Handbook】 here, next one."

"No time, next one."

"Next one..."

Bowing his head, ringing the bell tiredly.

Molly lay behind the counter and shouted weakly.

In front of her, there was no movement for a long time.

There was no more noisy chatter from the past in her ears.

Raising her head, she saw that the association hall, which should have been filled with hurried adventurers, was empty at this time.

Only a few staff members wearing Adventurer Association uniforms were chatting and walking toward the door together.

Molly paused.

Then, as if remembering something, the sleepy look on her face, which was originally half-dead as if she hadn't slept for many days, dissipated instantly.

Replacing it was a smile that rose unconsciously on her face as if relieved, and even her eyes had a few more spirits.

"Almost forgot, today is the Midsummer Festival."

On this annual festival, no matter how busy they were on weekdays, the Adventurer Association would give its employees a half-day holiday.

It is said that some branches with sufficient funds and generous high-level management would even give employees bonuses and gifts.

Of course, this had nothing to do with Molly.

As an ordinary receptionist at the Hegu Town branch of the Adventurer Association, being able to get off work early was enough to satisfy her.

As long as she thought that she didn't have to deal with those strange adventurers this afternoon, didn't have to argue with them about why the bounty could be exchanged for the left ear instead of the finger, and didn't have to touch those blood-dripping loot bags, she felt comfortable.

She even hummed a little tune unconsciously when packing things up.

Carrying her bag, she casually greeted her colleagues who passed by, and Molly walked out of the Adventurer Association's door with light steps.

The house she rented was located on the west side of Hegu Town, about a thirty or forty-minute walk from here.

Not very close, but it was cheap.

Honestly speaking, Molly's income was quite good among ordinary civilians.

Just like the proverb circulating on the continent:

"Living next to an adventurer, even the rooster crowing charges gold coins."

Any job related to adventurers and supernatural things had a very considerable income.

Even if it was just an ordinary waiter responsible for serving water and food, if the tavern where they worked often gathered adventurers, the gap between their income and their peers wasn't just one or two times.

Sometimes, the tips received in just one night were more than the rewards of many people working for more than ten days.

Of course, high income also brought huge risks.

After all, they were also drunks, the middle-aged bald, beer-bellied, henpecked Uncle Jack next door, and the half-orc adventurer who had just finished cutting dozens of goblins during the day and still carried blood energy.

The degree of danger was naturally worlds apart.

The former would at most push and shove with you, cursing and denying his previous groping behavior;

And the latter, if you really stepped on some thunder point, and it happened that the other party was drunk...

Then what they wanted was really your life.

However, this had nothing to do with Molly.

Backed by the association, even if she had no combat power at all, no fool dared to make things difficult for her while working.

At this moment, this girl with short hair who had finally gotten a half-day holiday.

Was considering whether to cook for herself tonight or eat a big meal at a restaurant.

"Anyway, it's Midsummer Day, let's go out and eat something good."

"I don't know if Nana has time today, it's been more than a month since we last met, I have to find a chance to get together."

While lost in thought, she happened to be at a road corner and didn't pay attention, almost colliding with a passerby coming from the other side.

"Sorry, sorry!"

Molly's steps were messy, and she apologized hurriedly.

Xia Nan looked at the reckless girl in front of him, his brows furrowed imperceptibly.

But the next second he recognized that the other party was the front desk receptionist he had seen a few times in the association before.

He didn't intend to make things difficult, nor did he say much.

He just nodded lightly, tilted his body, and brushed past the other party.

It had been more than half a month since he returned from Kalanfur.

Nothing to say,

eating, sleeping, training, listening to adventurers bragging in the tavern, occasionally picking two combat technique books at the grocery store...

These were all his activities during this period.

Stable, peaceful, and without any ripples.

The money he had on him and in the bank totaled 152 gold, 7 silver, and 3 copper.

Compared to the wealth after the second mission, it had risen slightly, but not too much.

Excluding daily living expenses, the expenditure was mainly in equipment and props necessary for adventure:

The fire oil bomb was used during the battle with Ingram, and the effect was good. It had miraculous effects on enemies like insect swarms, so he went to the grocery store to replenish a jar;

The light plate armor stripped from the Sheriff was also modified at "Rock Hammer" Ba'en's place, and the appearance couldn't tell the previous look at all, completely eliminating the hidden danger.

At this time, it was worn outside the chain mail shirt that had been repaired.

Double protection, but not bloated.

It wasn't the heavy plate armor covering the whole body in the blacksmith shop, the size was similar to ordinary chest armor, and wearing it on the outermost layer was like wearing a metal vest.

The weight of the two pieces of equipment added together was just right with his current physical fitness, and wouldn't affect daily actions and battles.

There was only one thing that wasn't very convenient...

It was currently the hottest time of the year, and he was wearing these two pieces of iron armor, paired with the lining underneath.

It was fine in the town on weekdays, and there was no strenuous activity.

If he went to the wild later, I'm afraid he would be sweating all over after moving a little and waving his sword.

"I don't know if the enchanted equipment used by those high-level professionals has the effect of controlling temperature."

Otherwise, when he changed into full heavy armor, he would go on a mission for ten days and a half months, and he would be stewed in the iron can.

Xia Nan walked alone on the street, his thoughts gradually spreading.

Suddenly, a burst of cheers came from the side of the road.

Turning his head to look, he saw a brand-new western-style building decorated with flowers and mistletoe at the door, where a man and a woman were hugging each other, surrounded by friends and relatives clapping and booing.

The man had a happy smile on his face. Although he wasn't carrying weapons, one could tell from his tight leather armor and neat, fierce temperament that he should be an adventurer.

The woman seemed not to be used to the occasion, just shyly burying her head in her lover's chest, her long hair hanging down, making it impossible to see her face.

Midsummer Festival was also a festival of romance and engagement.

Friends becoming lovers, couples becoming husband and wife... Expressing love to their sweetheart on this day was said to receive the blessing of the 【God of Love and Beauty】, "Shuni."

Xia Nan silently withdrew his gaze, his expression calm.

Come to think of it, he had also had a few green emotional experiences during his student days in his previous life, but because of various reasons, most of them bloomed briefly like fireworks and then quickly disappeared into the pitch-black night sky, ending without a problem.

After working, he was busy day and night, and when he got home, even the dogs in the community were asleep. When he opened his eyes, there was endless work, and he had no energy or time for social interaction.

If it were in the past, facing the newcomers in front of him, he might have produced envy and yearning in his heart.

But now he was exceptionally calm.

——Improve combat power, eliminate the anxiety caused by insufficient strength in his heart.

The direction that gradually became clear after crossing, just like when he first entered the company after graduation, gave him a clear goal to strive for.

His pursuit of other things faded away.

"Time to practice sword."

The night grew darker, and the dim, gloomy twilight rose from the horizon, shrouding this border town by the Mist Forest.

Sweating profusely, even the hair strands on his forehead were condensed by sweat.

Xia Nan panted and walked on the way back to the hotel.

Normally, for ordinary training, and in the hot summer, there was no need to be fully armed like he was now.

Just wear thin clothes, bring weapons, and go light.

But considering that he had never had the experience of wearing two pieces of defensive equipment at the same time, thinking of taking the opportunity to break in the newly acquired plate armor early, he didn't feel tired and practiced hard for a whole afternoon in the hot weather.

Sweating a little now was better than bleeding in a mission later because he wasn't familiar with the equipment.

Pondering what to eat for dinner, a burst of intense firelight suddenly entered his eyes.

Midsummer Festival had a long history. Although the understanding of the festival itself was roughly the same, specific customs had considerable differences due to people's race, region, and even belief.

For example, believers of the Sun God "Amanata" often walked out of the church on this day, looking for an open space without cover to bathe in the sun;

While the gray dwarves in the Underdark held large-scale forging competitions and threw the losers into magma to please their god, the 【Exile】 "Ladug."

Hegu Town, as a border town located near the Mist Forest, possessing an Adventurer Association, and having a large number of bottom-level adventurers living and active all year round.

After years of development, it naturally gradually formed its own customs on this day of the Midsummer Festival.

"Clang... clang... clang..."

The long bell ringing from an unknown place rippled through the street.

Wrapped in heat waves and burning wind, the huge firewood piled up by trees made a "crackle" sound under the burning flames, and the curling thick smoke rose and spread to the depths of the clouds.

In the center of the town square, in the open square.

A huge bonfire was burning.

Different from the lively noise in other parts of the town, people of all kinds gathered around the bonfire, and the atmosphere was rare solemnity and seriousness.

Even those free and unrestrained bards who didn't consider their thoughts at all on weekdays and would pull their instruments and sing loudly when the mood was right, at this moment, also put down the instruments in their hands and stood quietly by the fire.

Xia Nan slowed down, carrying his double swords, and carefully examined the scene full of exotic customs in front of him.

The dwarf, as sturdy as a tree stump, swayed his beard braid that almost hung to his thighs, poured the strong wine in his hand into the flames, his expression dazed;

The half-orc with green skin and two protruding canine teeth threw the metal fragments in his hand into the depths of the fire, muttering vague words with a heavy accent, as if praying to the god he believed in.

Xia Nan even saw that "Rock Hammer" Ba'en, whom he had just met not long ago, was also standing by the bonfire at this time, clutching a finely crafted lady's necklace in his hand, his rugged face full of mourning and sorrow.

The timing and scene were not very suitable, so he didn't intrude and disturb.

Around the fire pile, besides adventurers, there were more ordinary civilians in the town.

The elderly farmer with dark and rough skin and simple hemp clothes trembled and untied the grain bag in his hand, only a layer of plump wheat grains covered the surface, and the rest were small stones;

The girl with a ponytail and a pretty face threw the fabric in her arms into the fire with both hands, the firelight reflected in her crystal-clear eyes, and seeing it gradually turn black and burn out, her eye sockets turned red.

Dispelling hatred, removing bad luck, mourning the deceased, hoping for a good harvest...

The rising firelight contained people's most simple and sincere emotions.

Xia Nan stood in the corner of the square, looking at the giant fire pile as tall as a house in front of him.

After a moment of hesitation, he still had the thought.

Although he respected the customs of this place, he wasn't the kind of character who liked to join in the fun, and there was no sense of ritual in his daily life.

He rarely celebrated because of a specific festival.

But after all, he was in a fantasy world with many gods.

Sometimes, appropriate participation wouldn't do him any harm.

Thinking about it, he rummaged through his waist bag and found a shriveled money bag——from Ingram, the coins inside had naturally been emptied long ago.

He threw it into the fire pile with force.

He muttered in his heart:

"Everyone is a bitter person living in the town, don't blame me, don't go to your god to complain after you die, try to be a good person in the next life."

For some reason, even though his movements and expressions were normal, Xia Nan felt as if he were disposing of stolen goods.

He touched the lucky coin placed close to his body on his chest, and the hard touch from his fingertips made him feel at ease.

Just thinking about leaving, out of the corner of his eye, a sturdy figure suddenly flashed.

A tall barbarian wearing a wolf skin fur cloak.

Seeming to have just arrived in Hegu Town, he looked around.

The uneven bone tooth necklace around his neck collided and knocked, making a crisp sound; the wolf kiss overlapped on his chest, and the frosty white fur extending to both shoulders seemed to grow from within his body.

In an instant, looking at the figure in front of him, Xia Nan seemed to have returned to that small wooden house on the outskirts of Kalanfur, his eyes dazed.

As if standing in front of him was a hungry winter wolf searching for prey on the howling cold wind snowfield.

He turned and walked away decisively, walking toward the tavern.

(End of chapter)