Clang!
The metal bottom of the pot struck the little stones in the soil with a crisp ring.
The iron pot, fragrant with the aroma of food, landed heavily on the grass.
"Hurry up and eat. I stewed it for ages, so it's definitely tasty!"
The one standing before Xia Nan was a short fellow who only came up to his waist.
A pair of light-brown eyes shone faintly in the twilight; his skin was fair with a rosy flush, and atop his short, curly brown hair sat a soft pointed cap decorated with feathers.
His clothes had the clean, practical cut of an Adventurer's gear, but the color pairing was bright and eye-catching. A closer look revealed small, delicate decorations, such as the clover pattern on his shoes.
Alton.
A Halfling, and also one of Xia Nan's companions on this mission.
He was different from the "Dwarves" Xia Nan had seen, who looked as if they had been flattened and then stretched sideways, solid as tree stumps; nor was he like those Gnomes with big heads and slight bodies.
Halflings were indeed just as small, reaching no more than three or four feet even as adults.
But their bodily proportions were more similar to humans.
At the same time, their limbs were covered in brownish down like little animals.
However, the Alton before him seemed to be a "Lightfoot Halfling" of their race.
That meant there was far less down all over his body, and the only truly fuzzy parts were probably his two legs—after all, he was wearing thick linen trousers, so Xia Nan was only guessing.
"Radishes, honey, and I even added a little of the secret pepper I brought from the village."
"I guarantee none of you have ever tasted this flavor before!"
Alton held the