Halfling! (Bonus Chapter for Alliance Leader Bamao)

"That's right!"

Aladdin took a deep Pipe on his pipe, exhaling a fist-shaped smoke ring. His expression was incredibly complex as he said in a deep voice, "Back then, there were a full twenty terrifying Ogre surrounding me. Their arms were all as thick as my waist, and they wielded huge Morningstar. The sharp sound of them swinging them was terrifying. If they hadn't been careful, they would have smashed my head to pieces..."

He brandished Pipe pipe, gesturing with his hand to indicate the size of the Morningstar, and even pretended to wipe away a bead of cold sweat. His voice suddenly lowered as he said, "The situation was incredibly dangerous. I desperately Dodge their attacks, several times they just grazed my clothes. But thank Goddess of Fortune, those slow-witted behemoths didn't hit me once; instead, I managed to slash their thighs with my short sword... I spotted a wooden barrel ahead... so I ran towards it as fast as I could..."

"This arduous battle lasted a long time!... Finally, these bulky creatures ran out of energy and I defeated them one by one... Hmm. Then I calmly left the Ogre's lair..."

It must be said that he is a very good storyteller.

Although he knew Soren was exaggerating, he couldn't help but find it amusing. Even Goria leaned closer, listening intently to his boast. The number of twenty Ogre, after adjusting for exaggeration, was at most four or five. Perhaps because of their small stature, Halfling liked to use exaggerated metaphors. Vivian, on the other hand, listened attentively. The little girl quite enjoyed listening to stories, especially those about Halfling who were about her height. Halfling stories were particularly relatable to her. Halfling tales were popular among human children because they could imagine themselves as Halfling in battle.

Time passed quickly like that.

Perhaps because of the addition of a lively Halfling, the journey was much more cheerful. He would occasionally tell Vivian stories of his past adventures. Although the stories were somewhat exaggerated, it was clear that he had indeed traveled to many places and encountered quite a few formidable opponents. Soren couldn't determine the other's class level. However, Aladdin seemed to be Rogue of at least the third rank, and appeared to be skilled in mechanical contraptions and Alchemy, as he had given Vivian several exquisite trinkets.

They were all things made using Alchemy combined with mechanical skills. It was evening.

Soren untied the horses and let them graze while he began preparing dinner.

Aladdin volunteered to let them taste the culinary skills of the world-traveling gourmet. Soren, however, was somewhat nostalgic for the food made by the Halfling. Seeing Vivian's longing expression, he immediately nodded in agreement. There was a river next to their lodging. The Halfling quickly pulled out several sticks from his bag and assembled a fishing rod in the blink of an eye. He first set up a campfire, took out a small pot, filled it with water, and then took out some mushrooms and Spice.

"I picked these in the woods today, and they taste delicious."

Aladdin poured some fine salt from the small packet into the pot. Then, carrying his fishing rod, he walked towards the river, saying as he went, "Just wait a moment. I'll catch a fish once the soup boils; I'm the best fisherman in our hometown."

Vivian followed him curiously, Goria also came over with great interest.

Aladdin glanced at the little girl beside him, smiled, and said, "Want to give it a try? I have a fishing rod here!"

"Mmm." Vivian nodded her little head quickly.

So the Halfling took out a few more sticks, reassembled them into a fishing rod, and handed it to the little girl. Vivian held the fishing rod with her fair little hands and, imitating Aladdin, baited the hook and cast it into the river.

The Halfling glanced back at the campfire, then sat down by the river and continued bragging, "In my hometown of the Shire, there's a fishing tournament every autumn, and the first-place winner gets a really good prize. Basically, as long as I'm back home, I'm guaranteed to win the fishing tournament. So when those guys heard I was going on Travel, they were immediately overjoyed and eager to take the title this year."

Soren had heard countless Halfling boast that they were the champions of the fishing competition.

He probably won the fishing competition before, but it's hard to say whether he wins it every year. Besides, the fishing competition is part of the Halfling Autumn Festival, and every Halfling village holds such a competition.

Aladdin, the Halfling, was still recounting his most glorious feats, boasting about how many fish he had caught, when Vivian's float twitched. The excited little girl immediately gripped her rod tightly and whispered, "Elder Sister Goria! Come quick! A fish has taken the bait!"

Goria, who seemed to have little experience with fishing, walked up behind her with great interest and whispered, "Don't rush, wait a moment, it hasn't taken the bait yet."

The noble Northern Witch rarely prepared food herself; if she needed fish, someone would bring it to her immediately.

"Don't rush."

Aladdin glanced over and exclaimed in surprise, "Lucky little girl, slow down, it looks like a big fish!"

Soren is setting up a fire to prepare grilled fish.

Suddenly, Vivian's loud shouts echoed from the riverbank. Her small body was dragged forward a couple of steps by the fishing rod, Goria immediately reached out and hugged her. Then, both of them started shouting and yelling. The Halfling nearby were also yelling, saying something like, "Slow down, let it go a little, and pull it over slowly." Soren smiled and glanced over before slowly walking over. Vivian's cute little face was flushed, and her breathing was a little erratic. She was tightly clutching a thirty-centimeter-long river fish, holding it up to Soren with a treasure-like expression, excitedly saying, "Brother, look! Vivian caught such a big fish!"

This fish probably weighs close to 1 pound.

Such a large river fish has considerable strength in the water, and it's not easy to catch it. If you're not careful, the fishing line will break. Soren glanced at Goria next to him and noticed the smile on her lips. He immediately realized that she had used the Mage Hand; otherwise, it would be impossible to catch it without some skill.

Soren reached out and patted her little head, then took the river fish and said, "Well done, Vivian! It's all up to you today!"

The little girl nodded happily, her face beaming with joy.

She is easily satisfied; even the smallest, most interesting things can make her happy for a long time.

Soren pulled out his Dagger and cut open the fish's belly. Vivian, meanwhile, continued fishing intently, muttering to herself that she hoped the fish would bite soon. Perhaps she was particularly lucky, because she caught her second fish almost immediately. In contrast, Aladdin, who had been boasting and recording his catch for a long time, hadn't caught a single fish. When the little girl finally caught her third fish, he finally started to lose face.

He put down his fishing rod, jumped into the river with a splash, and disappeared for a while before popping his head up, clutching a large fish in his hand. He held it high towards Vivian and laughed, "I caught it! I caught it!"

The two people present were speechless for a moment.

They didn't have much to eat, so the Halfling put away their fishing rods. Seeing that the little girl looked like she wanted more, they simply gave her the other fishing rod.

Then he began preparing dinner, taking out packets of seasoning from his pocket.

Part of the food was used to make fish soup, and the rest was used to grill fish. Soren even smelled a fragrance similar to cumin. Halfling are the most skilled race in cooking, and many rare seasonings are only available to them. It has to be said that his cooking skills were truly excellent. This meal was probably the most delicious Soren had eaten since coming to this world. Vivian ate until her little belly was bulging, Goria also sampled quite a bit. It seems that his title of gourmet was not just boasting; his culinary skills were definitely at a master level.

This is the third day of the Travel.

Soren encountered a Halfling gourmet whose destination was the High Mountain Fortress, where he intended to sample the Iron Dwarf ' Flame Firewine.

They will travel together to Falling Leaf City before parting ways.