"Ring-ring-ring!"
A frantic ringing cut through the night.
A wooden bowl fell to the ground, and the half-finished orange-red stew inside splashed across the meadow.
Hum—
With the crisp sound of steel being drawn and metal trembling, an iron-gray cold gleam flashed through the air and vanished.
The next second, the Beheading Longsword was already in Xia Nan's hand.
Beside him, Alton reacted just as quickly.
A moment ago, he had still been grinning as he shared stories of his hometown with Xia Nan, but the instant the bell rang, his expression froze sharply.
His two short legs moved so fast they nearly left afterimages.
In a few nimble shifts and leaps, he had already jumped onto the roof of a roadside carriage.
As he looked toward the direction the sound had come from, a miniature, finely crafted Lute had appeared in his hands.
Halflings were cheerful, warm, and lively by nature, but that did not mean they were fools who could be bullied at will.
The strong sense of responsibility in their hearts often allowed these Shorties to display outstanding courage and firm resolve far beyond their stature when defending their friends, family, and villages.
Their small, unburdened bodies also granted them Agility beyond ordinary people, as well as stealth and concealment abilities similar to those of a Wanderer.
In truth, the fact that a Lightfoot Halfling could receive permission to leave the extended family within his community and go out as an Adventurer already proved Alton's ability.
The reactions of the other adventurers around them were not much worse.
After a clatter of pots, bowls, ladles, and basins hitting the ground, in just a few short seconds, the guards had already gripped their weapons and taken their positions according to the formation arranged in advance.
Only then, after