Chapter 838 - 823: Commission

Chapter 838: Chapter 823: Commission

The setting sun fell, casting its rays on Bai Nian Village nestled in a slope surrounded by mountains on three sides.

Though called a village, at a glance, it resembled a mountain fortress. Stone walls built from the foot of the mountain meandered upwards along the terrain, standing about a meter high. The top of the walls was embedded with broken porcelain pieces and iron brambles, and two crude wooden watchtowers stood at the corners.

Since the fall of the Orelian Dynasty, two hundred years had passed since the remnants of humanity were driven south of the Red Ridge Mountain Range.

Although the Empire did not annihilate humanity completely, the few emerging human cities were built further south, away from the Empire’s borders.

Human villages like Bai Nian Village, established near the Empire’s border, could not hope for protection from distant cities far beyond the horizon.

Villages without the ability to protect themselves were long trampled by various beasts.

At this moment, besides the militia responsible for vigilance, a couple was guarding the gate of the village.

The man stared silently down at the forest, while the woman stood next to him, twisting the corners of her apron, wiping away tears again and again.

As the sun sank lower, the light in the man’s eyes gradually dimmed.

"Dad! Mom!"

A shout startled the couple.

A little girl, covered in dirt, ran out of the forest quickly, with Link following behind, stained with dark red blood.

"Leah! Oh my God, my baby, you’re finally back!" The woman rushed forward, embracing the girl, frantically checking her arms and legs, her heart aching over the scabbed wounds on her body.

"It’s okay, it’s okay!" The girl pulled half her head out of her mother’s embrace, "Big Brother Link gave me an amazing potion! Mom, let me tell you, Brother Link is super amazing! He took down a bear taller than the stone walls at our village gate! And a pack of Wind Wolves, he chased them all away by himself!"

As she spoke, her eyes sparkled with stars, full of admiration.

Leah’s father also sighed in relief. However, instead of looking at his daughter first, he walked over to Link and bowed deeply.

"Thank you, if it weren’t for you..."

Link waved his hand, took out a roll of parchment from his arms, and handed it to the man: "Instead of saying these things, why not help me settle the task with the village chief before the sun goes down? That old man goes to bed once the sun sets."

...

At night, in Leah’s home.

The firewood in the fireplace burned vigorously, warming the whole house.

Link sat by the table, holding a cup of milky white wine, and took a big swig.

"Ahh—ha! Refreshing!" He shivered, with a bit of white wine stain on his lips, wiped off casually with his sleeve, "The [Delicious] skill is truly the greatest treasure."

In villages like Bai Nian Village, far from the main human activity areas, there are usually unique productions nearby.

The specialty here is the Snow Fruit, a fruit with [Delicious] traits, producing wine as thick and white as milk, rich in taste and with a lingering aftertaste.

Link made trips to this village every now and then, mainly for this taste.

As for the extermination quests accepted along the way, they were incidental; he’d do them if they were available, if not, no big deal.

Bai Nian Village doesn’t lack money; Snow Fruit Wine is pricey outside, but there’s rarely ready commissions in the village, Adventurers find the returns unstable and don’t come easily.

Link is different; he just wants to kill monsters, where to kill them doesn’t make much difference.

These days, diving into the forest, it’s hard not to encounter Demons.

Link poured another cup, drinking to his heart’s content when the door was gently pushed open a crack.

Leah poked half her head out, with her hair scattered, eyes bright crystal, peeking inside.

"You little quest trigger, it’s been two times, yet you’re restless all day, sooner or later you’re going to be snatched away by some Demon again." She had just sneaked out from her room, and Link had already noticed.

"What trigger?" Leah tiptoed through the door crack, tilting her head after getting in. Seeing Link didn’t intend to answer, she moved a chair by herself and sat next to Link, "If it’s dangerous, Brother Link would rescue me, right?"

Link glanced at her: "I never said that."

Leah didn’t mind and started her 100,000 whys mode.

"Brother Link, why are you so amazing? You’re much better than Uncle Torun in the village."

"Brother Link, have you been to other places? What are they like?"

"Brother Link, have you seen the sea? Mom said the sea is a lot of water..."

Link answered a few sentences initially but later got annoyed by the questions and pretended to be deaf and mute.

Until—

"Brother Link, can I be your wife?"

"Pfft—!" The milky white wine sprayed across the table, "Who taught you, kid, to speak like that?"

Leah crossed her arms seriously: "But I also want to go places like Brother Link, being Brother’s wife means I can go together, right?"

Link awkwardly wiped his mouth clean: "Don’t think of such silly things, NPC number twenty-two, you’d better stay in the village and honestly inherit your dad’s brewing skills."

After saying that, regardless of Leah’s displeasure, Link firmly picked up the little kid and sent her back to her room, threatening her to sleep, or else he would let her father deal with her!

Link finally gained some peace for the second half of the night.

"Really... why make these NPCs so realistic..."

...

The next day, quite a few people gathered at the village entrance, the old and young alike, all came to bid farewell to Link.

Leah was held by her father, standing at the front of the crowd, her mouth pouting high, still sulking over last night’s incident.

As Link was about to leave, the old village chief, supported by others, emerged from the crowd, moving slowly, speaking slowly: "Lord Link, you’re heading west this time?"

After receiving a positive reply, the old village chief drew out a roll of parchment from his sleeve and handed it over: "That’s just right. Please carry a message to Qingquan Village in the west, urge their merchant caravan, it’s half a month late already, there’s quite a bit of wine stored in the village, and the salt is running low..."

Link knew that the old village chief was referring to the caravan, led by Qingquan Village, banding together with nearby villages to take their specialties south to trade in the big cities.

Since it was on the way, he had no reason to refuse.

Seeing that Link was really about to leave, Leah immediately forgot her anger, rushing over with reluctance.

Link’s quick reflexes kept this NPC, who was still talking about wanting to be his wife last night, at an arm’s length. The little girl’s hands waved in the air, unable to reach him. Her mother quickly came over, apologizing, while pulling her back.

...

After Link’s departure, Leah lay on her home’s windowsill, gazing into the direction where Link disappeared, sullenly saying: "I want to go outside too."

Her mother patted her head: "No, outside is very dangerous."

"Then why do we live in this dangerous forest?"

"Because our ancestors were defeated by the Demon King and driven out of the stable and prosperous Central Earth..."

Mother retold the story everyone knew, but Leah still didn’t want to give up.

Suddenly, a clear clang of a gong rang out at the village entrance, cutting her mother’s words short as she looked in that direction. Before long, she and Leah’s father went out together.

Leah stayed alone in the house, her mind replaying the scene where the old village chief entrusted Link with the task.

She snuck into her father’s room, found a blank piece of parchment, and took a feather pen, then lay on the table, writing a "commission" stroke by stroke based on her memory.

The handwriting was wobbly, several places had mistakes, with scribbles and corrections. When she couldn’t write some words, she simply drew a little picture instead.

But she was satisfied; with this commission, Brother Link could help fulfill her wish.

What’s still missing?

Leah thought for a while, then rushed into her room and fetched a Copper Plate from under her bed, which she had found on the ground at home.

She carefully rolled the Copper Plate into the parchment, tucking it inside.

Hasty footsteps sounded outside the door, it was mother returning.

Leah quickly hid the "commission" for gathering the Demon King into her clothes, afraid of getting scolded if discovered.