Visitors from Longsaddle

Chen Jinyang tapped the hard wall with a pickaxe that felt more like a child's toy, unable to muster any enthusiasm for the work while facing the near-maniacal dwarf. The old dwarf had clearly not accounted for Chen Jinyang's extraordinary physique when preparing the tools, or perhaps Singers simply never expected him to mine much ore at all, treating him instead as a "pet" to bolster his own courage for the expedition. The one-eyed dwarf had no desire for anyone to share in the glory and joy of digging up a mountain of high-quality ore.

However, the dwarf Singers was destined for disappointment today; the excavation site he had chosen was clearly not a location for a viable deposit. By the time Chen Jinyang's fifth pine torch burned out, the exhausted dwarf had harvested only a dozen pieces of low-grade iron ore.

Singers Macluff opened his fanatical, brownish-gray left eye, the pupil webbed with fine bloodshot lines. He struck the hard rock layer with listless blows; the excessive labor had nearly drained the dwarf's stamina, yet he refused to abandon his work. His hoarse voice muttered incessantly, "I can dig up one more! I'll find it soon! Praise the supreme Moradin! Old Singers can still dig up more ore! Praise the great Dumathoin! For letting the earth hold such treasures!"

"Enough, old Singers! That's it for today! We need to head back!" Watching the light on the final torch gradually dim, Chen Jinyang had to speak up to remind his obsessed companion.

Singers roared with dissatisfaction, "No! I can dig up more! Don't you dare try to stop the great Singers from working!"

Chen Jinyang retorted without yielding, "We don't have enough torches left!"

The one-eyed dwarf stopped his work and grabbed the iron flagon at his side, tilting his head back to the opening in an attempt to moisten his parched throat, but not a single drop of ale flowed out. Two hours ago, Singers had already finished the only beverage he brought. He threw the empty flagon down in frustration and croaked a defense, "We still have half a canister of lamp oil! It's enough to support me for several more hours of work!" In reality, compared to 360-degree illumination tools like torches, a bullseye lantern was ill-suited for mining. People preferred using it to light the path ahead while traveling; this tool, meticulously polished inside to direct light toward a single exit, could provide directional illumination up to sixty feet long and twenty feet wide.

Chen Jinyang took a low-quality waterskin from his magic bag and handed it to the old dwarf. Singers, whose throat felt like it was smoking, snatched the skin, raised it over his head, and poured the cool, sweet water down his throat, even spilling nearly half of it over his head, where it mixed with the dust on his body to coat his face and beard in black mud. "The remaining lamp oil is only enough for us to make the trip home! And you're already starving! You need to rest!" He continued trying to persuade the dwarf, who had sobered up slightly after being dampened by the cool water.

Singers still stubbornly refused, "Absolutely not! I will never give up! Besides, as long as you have food, it's fine! Give me another piece of bread!" Chen Jinyang truly wanted to slap this old bastard to death! During this long mining trip, the old dwarf Singers hadn't brought anything to eat or drink except for a small flagon of ale. Long periods of idleness and his excitement from last night had made him completely forget about thorough preparation. Now, this old guy was actually asking him for food. He was just a hired apprentice, and Singers was the boss paying the wages; there was no logic in the world where an apprentice was responsible for the boss's meals.

Chen Jinyang suppressed his anger, took out a piece of hard bread, and said to the dwarf, "Listen, old Singers! I can give you the bread! But we must head back immediately!" Singers' small eyes followed the hard bread greedily. He tilted his head cunningly and probed, "I can go back, but only if you accompany me here again next time!" Eager to return home, Chen Jinyang agreed to the dwarf's demand without a second thought.

The dwarf, chewing the hard bread in large bites, watched Chen Jinyang pack the tools and probed again, "Accompany me here to dig two more times! How about it?"

Since he was already coming once, coming twice made no difference. After packing the tools, Chen Jinyang said helplessly, "Fine! I'll come with you!"

The excited dwarf quickly finished the bread, grabbed the handles of the cart with renewed vigor, and Chen Jinyang pulled a rope in front, stepping onto the tunnel home by the light of the bullseye lantern. Old Singers shouted as he walked, "Macluff returns laden with spoils (in reality, even the stupidest normal miner in Mirabar would have harvested more in an hour than he did today)! Tomorrow he will harvest even more! William! Oh! You really are a good lad! I knew I wasn't wrong about you! How about you work three more trips with me?"

Chen Jinyang replied listlessly, "Whatever you want!"

"How about five trips?"

"Do whatever you like!"

"How about ten times? A hundred times?"

"Old thing! Why don't you just die! I'll strangle you right now!" Unable to endure any longer, Chen Jinyang finally snapped, and he and the insatiable dwarf tumbled into a scuffle. The two of them disappeared into the darkness, bickering, while a pair of cold, sickly green eyes flickered at the original mining site, staring in the direction they had vanished for a moment before the "thump! thump!" of rhythmic striking began once more.

When the last half-ounce of lamp oil burned out, Chen Jinyang finally dragged the exhausted dwarf back to the narrow, sloped passage where they had started. By the time he had settled the sleeping dwarf and walked out of the smithy, the sky was already filled with stars. Recalling the day spent idling in the dark underground tunnels with an old child, Chen Jinyang shook his head with a bitter smile.

Strolling through the chilly streets, Chen Jinyang stepped into his partially open home. Phinia and Alos were not yet asleep; the two had been waiting for his return. As for Mishaer and the elven girl Aelf, the two "little rivals" were curled up together, fast asleep on the soft Winter Wolf fur bedding. Even in her dreams, the little girl hadn't forgotten to wear her little "treasure," while the little elf was unconsciously sucking on one of her own slender pinkies.

Chen Jinyang stopped Alos and Phinia, who were excited by his return and about to speak up. He waved his hand and led them to another room. Alos spoke impatiently, "William! Someone from Mr. Elrago's family came! It was a mysterious mage! She came here today! My god! This is the first time I've seen a real mage!" A low-level mage on an adventure would usually never reveal their identity easily, as it was too easy to invite unnecessary danger and trouble; except for experienced veterans, it was difficult for ordinary people to distinguish them—unless, of course, they were arrogant, reckless fools. A powerful mage with an outstanding temperament rarely appeared before people, so ordinary folks knew little about mages, leaving only impressions of mystery and power through rumors, and perhaps, for some, erudition and wisdom.

Chen Jinyang asked with some surprise, "Oh? Someone from the Habel Family came? She was here? What did that mage say?"

The young boy shouted excitedly, "It was a beautiful lady! A pretty mage lady! Oh! She was so beautiful and moving! I almost suffocated when I saw her! Brother! Do you know? Oh! The beautiful Miss Bella!" The incoherent Alos's thin face flushed red. Chen Jinyang looked speechlessly at the love-struck little guy—it was just a woman, was there any need to be this excited?! "Oh! Right! She said she would come back tomorrow! William! Will I be able to learn magic from Miss Bella in the future? Oh yeah!"

Chen Jinyang flicked the overly excited boy on the head. He scolded the little guy, who was rubbing the painful spot, "You have no ambition! Why get so excited over a mere female mage? Go! Go back to sleep! We'll talk about it tomorrow!" After shooing the boy back to bed, he led a yawning Phinia back to the bedroom on the lower floor. As the dream faded without a trace, Alos glanced at the closed door and returned to his own bed, dejected.

The next morning, a refreshed Chen Jinyang woke up to continue his daily routine. When he returned home from outside the city, several people were already waiting for him. The female magistrate Sunderland Starglim, the mercenary leader Gosa, and a short, blonde girl. Sunderland tilted her head and gave Chen Jinyang a mysterious smile, while Gosa greeted him awkwardly, "Hello! Mr. William!" Chen Jinyang responded with a smile, "Haven't seen you in a few days! Gosa! How have you been doing lately?"

Gosa, feeling a bit flattered, responded repeatedly, "Fine! Fine! Mr. William! This lady is..." The mercenary leader pointed at the stranger, preparing to introduce her. But the girl rejected Gosa's intent; she stepped forward and announced arrogantly:

"I am Bella Daelry Habel, daughter of Daelry, the leader of Longsaddle! Big guy! You're that idiot William? I don't see anything special about you! Except for being tall." Every stranger who spoke to Chen Jinyang was unaccustomed to looking up at him, as it was somewhat uncomfortable. Anyone looking up felt this man had a sense of oppression, especially with his fearless, almost contemptuous gaze.

The girl's words made Gosa cough, while the female magistrate lowered her head and smirked, winking at the girl. Bella's eyes were both green, but one shone with a fierce brilliance, while the other was gray and dull. However, this pair of strange eyes did not detract from her appearance; instead, they added a peculiar charm. When she spoke, the bright eye would flicker with light.

Chen Jinyang looked down at the short girl with a strange gaze, making Bella feel completely uncomfortable. She demanded fiercely, "What are you looking at? Am I funny? It was just a magical mishap that damaged one of my eyes! Even if my height was reduced by a foot (though my weight didn't decrease!), I'm still a good girl! Idiot William! Stop looking!"

At this moment, a crisp voice responded angrily, "You're the idiot! You hateful, mismatched-eyed, short-legged, fat lump!"