Falling Leaf City

Beside a warm campfire.

Aladdin was preparing a late-night snack, which was basically sliced meat sprinkled with Spice and grilled. The Halfling, the native inhabitants of the story, were very good at enjoying life; they would spend at least half of the wealth they gained from adventures on making themselves more comfortable. Furthermore, Halfling didn't spend much time on adventures; they would usually retire back to their hometown after making a fortune. Vivian was already full, and Goria, unusually, let out a burp, then blushed slightly as she entered the carriage.

Soren had a good appetite; the stronger a person's Constitution, the stronger their digestive ability, and his food intake had doubled compared to before.

For example, he always carries jerky with him, mainly to avoid not having time to cook during battles. He can use the jerky to tide him over for a while, and things will be much better after he breaks through to the fourth rank. At that time, his Endurance will be greatly enhanced, and he can go without food for seven or eight days in a row without any problem. He also knows a little about barbecuing. The two of them sat by the fire eating skewered meat. Perhaps because he had a gourmet by his side, Soren unexpectedly unlocked Basic Cooking Skill.

It's already 8 PM.

The basic skills Bread a wide variety, including forging, Profession, and tailoring, in addition to those directly affecting combat abilities. These skills aren't particularly useful, and few people specifically train for them. Weapon forging and armor forging have their limits; to create Transcendent Tier equipment, Alchemy is essential. The most typical example is Wizard's robe. Many high-level robes require special materials, such as the resilient spider silk of the Underdark. Making clothes from this silk is beyond the capabilities of ordinary tailors. As for the Wizard himself, you can't expect him to be proficient in sewing while learning so many other skills.

Therefore, high-level Supernatural Item have always been extremely rare.

Aladdin leaned against the carriage, Pipe, and handed Soren a small bag of tobacco, saying with a smile, "Try Norodoth Family Tobacco; it's the best tobacco from the northern Shire."

Soren didn't refuse, reaching out to take a sliver and lighting it. He rarely drank alcohol, but used tobacco to alleviate pain when necessary. Sometimes it could be used to distract himself from injuries. Halfling tobacco was practically impossible to buy even with money; it was a prized possession of many Wizard, emitting a faint fragrance when lit, which could help refresh the mind when needed. The effect was similar to the incense Goria lit, except that tobacco was mostly a favorite of male Wizard.

Night deepened.

The Halfling spread out a blanket, then rolled himself up and curled up inside to sleep. It was unclear whether he actually fell asleep, as it was difficult for Rogue to fall asleep easily.

The Rogue is the one with the heaviest responsibilities in Adventurer's party. They must remain vigilant at all times.

If a Rogue is ambushed, they'll be the first to be questioned. For a long time, Rogue preferred to travel alone because their missions were incredibly demanding. They had to be at the forefront of dangerous terrain, scouting and dealing with traps. At night, while mages meditated and Warrior slept soundly, Rogue had to remain vigilant, only taking short breaks when things were safe. Having a high-ranking Ranger to relieve them was helpful. Without one, in many dangerous areas, Warrior's night watch was practically useless; they wouldn't even know when the enemy had stealthily infiltrated. It was much more comfortable to travel alone, able to leave or stay as they pleased.

The faint howls of wolves could be heard in the distance.

Soren rested in the carriage. Vivian tugged at his sleeve with her little hand, and Soren smiled and patted her head, indicating that she didn't need to get inside. Although the Halfling were friendly, he wouldn't let his guard down. Even with the Witch's Warding Circle, he felt more at ease keeping watch, otherwise he wouldn't sleep well. The weather was getting colder and colder; winter might arrive early this year. It looked like it would be much colder than usual.

Aladdin gradually fell into a deep sleep; it's likely that what he truly desired most in the journey wasn't a ride, but rather a good night's sleep.

He probably wouldn't dare to sleep peacefully in the wilderness.

Soren sat upright, covered with a blanket, occasionally standing up and moving around carefully. He listened to the sounds in the distance; the wolves had discovered the campfire but wisely refrained from disturbing it. Unless they were extremely hungry, wolves primarily fed on wild animals; attacking travelers would reduce their numbers, making reproduction a difficult task for the pack.

By the next morning, Soren was covered in a layer of white frost.

It's really cold now.

Soren possessed 20 points of Superhuman Constitution, didn't care much. However, when Vivian woke up and saw the frost on his eyebrows, a look of heartache appeared on her little face. She wiped the frost off his body with her small hands, blew on it with her little mouth, and rubbed his hands together, asking, "Brother? Are you cold?"

Soren kissed her forehead and smiled, "It's not cold. This little chill is nothing."

The weather has really changed.

When she woke up in the morning, her Goria frowned and whispered, "Winter came more than a month earlier than usual this year."

Soren nodded slightly, but said nothing.

After Aladdin woke up, he stretched out for a while, then started looking for firewood to cook porridge. He had all the necessary tools. After a simple meal, the group continued their journey. Perhaps because the road ahead had been cleared by caravans, they didn't encounter any monsters along the way. This journey lasted for two days, until they finally reached the vicinity of Falling Leaf City on the fifth day.

This is the territory of the Half-Elf.

Half-Elf are very common here. They have slightly pointed ears, a more slender and agile physique than humans, and noticeably more handsome and beautiful faces. However, most Half-Elf have undergone multiple crossbreeding, with a large proportion of human blood and a smaller proportion of Elf blood. The villages are similar to those of humans, but with many more Arrow Tower and sentry posts. Longbowman are abundant here, even more so than Elven Race, because Elf are not as strong as humans, and although they are very agile, they tire easily when using Longbow.

Human strength is sufficient, but skill is lacking; training Longbowman takes far too much time, making them far inferior to crossbowmen and ordinary archers.

Half-Elf combine the advantages of both, possessing considerable strength and inheriting the Elf talent for archery.

Almost every village here has Longbowman. Some towns even have Longbowman Guard. Of all the Half-breed, Half-Elf are the best off. Others, like Orc, are now either Slave or wandering aimlessly. The area is very xenophobic; Half-Elf are generally hostile to any non- Half-Elf creature, watching outsiders with suspicion. This is because they once faced the same rejection in both human and Elf societies.

So-called racial harmony is nothing more than a slogan preached by idealists.

Soren and his companions did not linger and headed straight for Falling Leaf City Falling Leaf City, finally arriving on the sixth day of their Travel.

"Alright. I'm going to the Iron Dwarf' side now."

The short, Halfling jumped down from the carriage, waved to Vivian, who was about his height, and then walked away with a carefree air. "Goodbye, lovely little girl. Goodbye, esteemed Witch. Goodbye, fellow traveler."

"If you ever Travel to the Shire, I'll treat you to grilled Sturgeon."

It's perfectly normal for them to be separated.

Even the longest-lasting Adventurer teams will eventually have to part ways.

Vivian's expression showed a hint of disappointment, but she quickly recovered, smiling as she sorted through the gifts she had received, her little face full of joy. She actually quite liked the Halfling, because the other child gave her a sense of companionship. Compared to the other children, she seemed too smart and mature. So only the Halfling, who appeared to be an adult but was the size of a child, gave the little girl the joy of meeting a friend.

Falling Leaf City has Elven Race style.

Most of them believe in the Elven Pantheon, while a small minority follow other faiths. Half-Elf also have their own Deity, but these are extremely weak, possessing only minor Quasi-Divinity Deity unable to provide them with protection. Falling Leaf City is filled with phoenix trees, which shed their leaves in autumn, creating a picturesque scene. They worship the legendary Phoenix, and thus they also adore the phoenix trees.

The Phoenix has many names.

Monk like to call it the Phoenix, priests call it the Sun Bird, and Wizard name it the Ash of the Arcane.

It existed during the Arcane Empire period.

After that, they became extremely rare. More elusive than Deity, more powerful than Dragon. It is said that the God of Fire Elements, possessing Greater Divinity in the Elemental Plane, extended an olive branch to them. These beautiful yet deadly beings have long since departed this world. Legend has it that the skies they flew through left behind dazzling flames, and when they landed, everything turned to ashes. The flames on their bodies only extinguished at the moment of death. This holy flame could inflict hundreds of points of holy Fire Damage per second.

Therefore, they are beautiful but should not be approached.

Falling Leaf City has two iconic buildings. One is the Phoenix sculpture in the central square, a 30-meter-high, 20-meter-wide sculpture with outstretched wings. The other is a domed tower over 300 meters high, which is the territory of the Autumn Leaf Council, the Spellcaster' council within the Half-Elf community. But these are not the most eye-catching things. What is even more striking is an iron pillar on the domed tower, radiating a silvery-white light that is somewhat dazzling when viewed closely in the sunlight.

That was the radiance of Mithril; that pillar that looked like a lightning rod was actually the legendary Magic Crystal Cannon.

In the imagination of mortals, the Magic Crystal Cannon should be a very heavy cannon mounted on City Wall, just like the cannons used Gnome Dwarf in stories. In their imaginative minds, it is difficult to determine what the legendary Magic Crystal Cannon looked like. They can only imagine that Wizards Council load something called a magic crystal, then use a spell to activate it and fire, followed by a thunderous roar as the Magic Crystal Cannon instantly brought down a Dragon.

Uh-huh.

That's the feeling; just thinking about it is so exciting.

But that's not actually the case. The Magic Crystal Cannon's attack doesn't follow a parabolic trajectory; it strikes in a straight line. Placing it on the City Wall is just for show; one shot could wipe out your own troops. It originated in the Arcane Empire era and was used in conjunction with Floating City. Its maximum attack range is one thousand kilometers, allowing it to deliver a Destruction blow to targets from an air superiority point.

Oh, right.

Its full name is Magical Crystal Superconducting Pulse Cannon.