Encountering Hot Springs Again

"Huh? A village?"

A middle-aged man sat on the threshold of the abandoned hut, holding an old pipe in his hand, unlit. He looked up, squinted at Frieren who had asked the question, and then gazed at the even more dilapidated outline of the houses in the distance.

"How nostalgic," he sighed, his voice carrying the calm of a distant memory being stirred up. "After the hot springs dried up, adventurers stopped coming. Without business, people gradually left. In the end, only these few huts that hadn't completely collapsed remained."

He gestured vaguely at himself with his pipe.

"I'm the son of the former Village Chief. Now... I'm basically the one who looks after these few huts."

Frieren's ears turned before she could react. Her emerald eyes blinked, staring at the middle-aged man, then slowly narrowed. A distinct curve of disappointment appeared at the corners of her mouth, and her entire face scrunched up, like a cat that had discovered a treasure chest containing only stones.

"What a pity, Lady Frieren."

Fern stood beside her, his pale purple eyes sweeping over the desolate surroundings, and he pursed his lips slightly.

"I thought I'd be able to soak in a hot spring. Even though the previous town was also in a volcanic area, they didn't have any hot springs."

"Exactly." Frieren crossed her arms, her long, silvery hair swaying slightly with her dissatisfaction as it cascaded over her shoulders. "Human villages always seem to disappear without a trace. My village, on the other hand, has been perfectly fine for a thousand years."

She paused, and the regret in her voice became more specific.

"What a pity. We've been to the hot springs here before; the water temperature was just right, and soaking in them was very comfortable. This place is already quite centrally located in the volcanic area."

Just then, a few little boys who had been peeking around nearby crept over. Their clothes weren't new, but they were thick and neat, without patches, suggesting they were relatively well-off in this remote, abandoned village. They glanced at Frieren and Fern, whose expressions were indifferent, and finally their gazes settled on Lowell, who was of the same sex and looked more like an "ordinary person."

A bolder boy, about seven or eight years old, looked up, his eyes sparkling.

Are my older brother and sister adventurers?

Lowell looked down at him and smiled gently.

I guess so.

"Those older brothers and sisters must be really strong!" another child chimed in, their voice brimming with excitement. "I know there's actually a secret hot spring up in the mountains! But it's just something the older folks talk about, and it seems really far away... and the road is difficult to travel. But those older brothers and sisters look amazing! They'll definitely make it!"

Lowell's gaze lingered on their healthy, rosy faces, which were covered in a bit of dirt, before sweeping over their clothes, which, though not fancy, were thick enough. The corners of his mouth curved into a deeper smile, and he reached out to rub each of their little heads.

"You have such a sweet tongue," he said casually. "Here, take these because you called me 'brother' and 'sister'."

He flicked his finger through the air, and several sets of neatly folded, soft cotton-padded clothes and thick cotton socks appeared in his hands. The clothes were of ordinary style, but made of solid materials, and looked warm.

"I remember that even here, it gets quite cold in the dead of winter. Hey, this is a reward for you guys being so cute and for telling us about the secret hot spring."

The children gasped softly, eagerly taking the gifts, their faces flushed with excitement. The middle-aged man also stood up, rubbing his hands together, his voice lowering slightly:

"Thank you so much, adventurers! You've gone to so much trouble..."

"It's alright. Even if I were the richest version of Lowell now, I wouldn't be short of money." Lowell waved his hand.

Several boys couldn't wait to squat down and try on the new socks. The thick cotton socks covered their still slightly dirty little feet, and one of the boys immediately let out a satisfied "Mmm," even jumping up and down a couple of times on the spot.

"So soft! And so warm!"

The woman next to him laughed and patted him on the back.

"It's too early to wear it now; it's not cold enough yet. Take it off and put it away; wear it again in a few months."

The child chuckled, touching the top of the sock with a hint of reluctance.

"It's a bit hot... but it feels so good, it's all fuzzy inside."

Having ascertained the general direction of the secret hot spring, the group left the abandoned village and followed the path, almost entirely overgrown with weeds, pointed out by the children, up the mountain.

The road was indeed difficult to walk on, with loose stones and tangled tree roots everywhere. The distinctive sulfurous smell of the volcanic region was faintly present in the air, seemingly a little stronger than at the foot of the mountain.

After walking for a while, Fern spoke. Her voice was clear and steady in the quiet mountain forest.

"It was the same with Ubel before. You passed through many villages and gave them clothes, cotton-padded clothes and socks, too." As she spoke, her fingers unconsciously twirled the cuff of her mage's robe. "Is cotton really that good? I touch the clothes I'm wearing, and it feels... not much different."

Lowell pushed aside the thorny branches that blocked the path to let Frieren pass first, before glancing at Fern.

"Your mage robes are specially treated, with spell resistance, and the material is also of high quality—it's a special magical fabric. One piece can be exchanged for a lot of gold coins, so of course it feels comfortable to the touch. Comparing it to your undershirt, you naturally won't notice much difference."

He stepped onto a slightly more stable rock and looked out at the increasingly steep mountain path.

"But in those days, most commoners wore socks made of coarse wool or linen. Those worse off went bare-chested when it was warm and wrapped themselves in rags when it was cold. The villagers we just saw were dressed neatly, so they must be well-off. It seems the nobles or garrisoned knights in the area are quite responsible, with few monster incursions, and they can manage. Even so, pure cotton clothing is not something they can afford to enjoy casually."

He looked away, his tone flat, as if he were stating something perfectly natural.

"Pure cotton socks are highly absorbent, allowing sweat to evaporate quickly without feeling stuffy against the skin. They're breathable and comfortable to wear. The material is also soft and feels comfortable against the skin, unlike some coarse linen or inferior wool that can cause itching or even chafing. They retain warmth in winter and don't easily become sticky or smelly in summer. A good pair of socks makes a big difference for people who are constantly on the move or working."

Fern listened quietly, her pale purple eyes gazing at Frieren's swaying silver-white hair.

"Have you already seen so far into the future?" she suddenly asked, "Even knowing what kind of socks people will wear a thousand years from now?"

Lowell paused abruptly, then chuckled and scratched the back of his head.

"Haha... Yeah, yeah. After all, it's my ability, haha. I can see pretty far, and I know a little bit about all sorts of random things..."

He abruptly changed the subject, speaking a little faster.

"Anyway, they got new socks, so what did they do with the old ones? Naturally, they put them on Zhuanzhuan (a shopping platform), Zhuanzhuan—"

"Alright, Lord Lowell," Fern interrupted calmly, his voice devoid of emotion but crisp and decisive at the end, "Please stop saying things that are incomprehensible."

Lowell pursed his lips and swallowed the rest of his sentence.

"Tch, boring."

Frieren was walking ahead, turned around, her emerald eyes curving into crescents, her face bearing an undisguised, amused smile.

"Keep going, keep going," she urged, her tone light and cheerful, "Put it on the spinning wheel~ and then what?"

Lowell's eyes lit up, and he immediately continued.

"Hehe~ Then you can sell it to someone who needs it, or get the one you want at a good price on Zhuanzhuan..."

"Lady Frieren," Fern sighed, her pale purple eyes turning to her master, a hint of helplessness in her voice, "Don't spoil him like this."

Frieren turned around with a grin and continued walking uphill, her voice drifting on the wind.

"What does it matter? He treats me like a child, so I sometimes treat him like a child too, and he's happy about it."

Liletta, who was at the back of the group, did not respond to the conversation ahead.

Fern was silent for two seconds, then gently shook her head and said nothing more. She quickened her pace and followed.