The First Snow in Faerun's Northern Lands

"Remember! William, little Alos, protect the cellar well! When the Goblins attack, have Mishaer slide the wooden bolt from the inside; that will keep her quite safe while she protects herself." Sailu led the two brothers to inspect their work environment and the key areas requiring protection for the coming winter.

"There is a small fireplace in the cellar that leads directly to the surface. See, right here. You must be careful; small Goblins might try to crawl in through this. One hundred pounds of hard bread, frozen sausages, potatoes, Frozen Blue Lettuce, salt, an iron pot, and a wooden barrel for water—that is enough to see you through this damnably long winter." Sailu pointed out the necessary tools and supplies to the brothers one by one. Of course, he was primarily pointing them out to Alos; William—or rather, Chen Jinyang—did not yet possess enough of everyone's trust regarding his intelligence, with the exception of Mishaer, who had always believed in him.

"Before the Goblins raid, you must clear out all the dry grass in the village; it is best to burn it all so it doesn't become bedding for the Goblins. I will have men dismantle the roofs of those wooden houses, and you can keep the doors and windows as firewood, provided you can hold the cellar. At the same time, I will leave two goats as bait; they will attract the attention of those greedy monsters and buy you a little buffer time."

"Little Alos, take good care of your brother and sister. William, do your utmost to protect Alos and Mishaer." Sailu was like a gossiping old woman, nagging the brothers over and over again.

"Understood, I will do my best to protect everything here." Alos, who looked even thinner and smaller due to the inch of red hair on his head, replied with a cheerful face.

William had not yet mastered the local language; for over a month, he could only understand and speak a few simple short sentences, so he spent most of his time in a daze. However, he did understand Sailu's last sentence, so he used his signature goofy grin to stiffly interject: "Wil...liam... will... pro...tect... A...los, pro...tect... Mi...shaer."

Speaking while biting his tongue like a fool was truly awkward.

William sneered at the way these people retreated to the city as soon as winter arrived. Although he had accepted most of William's memories, he had not yet gained a firsthand, intuitive understanding of the winters here.

The tavern in the center of the village was blocked off by the militia with thick logs, and all gaps in the doors and windows were sealed and nailed shut. All the doors, windows, and roofs of the wooden houses had been dismantled, and the bed frames, tables, and chairs had been cleared away completely. Important items were stored in the cellar, while more valuable goods were loaded onto wagons to be transported back to the city. The wagons were pulled by heavy horses and highland Rothé, while two Northland dairy cows were herded into the wagon beds; two of the four goats had already been slaughtered as an extra meal for the guards, and the other two were left for William and his siblings. As for the remaining medium and light horses, they served as mounts for the strong militiamen and also acted as backup draft animals.

Gnome Village was about fifty miles from Mirabar; it took only one day by fast horse, but three days by wagon. As a village affiliated with Mirabar, Gnome Village and others like it could only enter the city for free during alien invasions or winter, receiving small amounts of free relief supplies and military protection.

To prevent cunning individuals from taking advantage of the system, the Mirabar City Hall stipulated that, under normal circumstances, these winter migrants were only considered true refugees if they entered the city after the first snowfall of early winter; those who returned to the city early had to pay a high entry tax. Therefore, Sailu's caravan usually departed just as the first snow was about to arrive. The snowfall would be light at first but would last for several days; if the caravan left too early, they might spend days or even weeks waiting in the dangerous wilderness, or have to spend a large sum of money, while if they left too late, the roads would be blocked by heavy snow and become impassable.

Watching the caravan disappear under the lead-gray sky, William felt a sense of relief, as if he had escaped a cage and gained freedom. He turned to his little brother, who was equally intoxicated by the release from restraint, and said:

"Alos! Go back and watch Mishaer; I'm going into the woods to chop some more pine." The deep affection between family members meant he no longer needed to disguise himself; after all, a "fool" who barely communicated could not have learned so many common phrases in such a short time, a feat largely credited to his little brother and sister.

"No! I don't need Alos to watch me, I want to go out with you!" Before Alos could answer, a crisp little girl's voice rang out from behind. Mishaer, wrapped in that self-warming fur, with the Horn of Kor atop her little head, shuffled out of the wooden house on her bare feet. This was the first time she had stepped out of the house since the weather began to turn cold.

"Mishaer, be good! There are monsters in the forest!"

"I won't! Brother William will protect me!"

"Mishaer, it's too cold outside; you'll catch a chill."

"I have my warm fuzzy skin (referring to the fur), I'm not afraid of the cold, it just smells a little funny." The little girl showed off the beautiful silver-gray fur like a treasure, though she couldn't help but wrinkle her small nose.

"I just want to go! William--!"

Seeing Mishaer's pitiful look that said "I'll cry if you don't let me go," the two brothers helplessly conceded.

After locking the village gate, William carried his wood-chopping axe, the iron pot, a sleeping bag, and the canvas tent, while holding Mishaer, who was bundled in fur, in his arms. The little one was restless, twisting and turning, shouting and calling out from time to time; her life of being bedridden and hidden from the sun made her feel incredibly excited about everything she saw in the wild. Little Alos carried a portable backpack containing salt, seasonings, potatoes, and tableware, wrapped in a wool blanket. He was also looking around excitedly; even though he had awakened his Fire Bloodline and his physique was more cold-resistant than an ordinary person's, the frail Alos still couldn't move through the wind and snow in just a thin jacket like William.

Since they had decided to go out, William planned to take the two little ones for a picnic in the snow. The star of the picnic would be potato stewed with fish; of course, it would be even better if he could catch some Northland rabbits or snow chickens, as fish and potatoes were not a very common combination. A pot of fresh, hot soup in the cold winter would definitely make the three of them return satisfied, especially since their meals for the past month had been nothing but roasted meat and bread.

William's intended destination was near a small creek not far from the logging site. A month of hard training had greatly increased his strength, and he had enough confidence to protect his family in the dangerous jungle.

"Alos! Look! What's that?" Seeing a squirrel or a raccoon could make Mishaer shake her little head and scream with excitement, and William had to reach out to steady the Horn of Kor to keep it from falling off the little girl's head.

On the way, a beautiful Snow Pearl Chicken passed by and was shot down by William with a dagger. The little girl looked at him with surprised eyes, seemingly unable to understand how the dagger had flown out.

When they reached the creek, William found a flat spot and set up the camping tent; the thick canvas, lined with cowhide, could block most of the cold wind. Mishaer sat inside the tent, sitting on the sleeping bag, watching her busy brothers with joy.

"Alos, you go clean the pearl chicken, I'll build the campfire and set up the pot." William instructed.

"Me! Me! What do I do?" The little girl raised her small hand, volunteering with hope.

"Mishaer is in charge of watching who does the best job and clapping to encourage them."

Alos took the dagger his brother handed him, carried the prey to the creek, and began to pluck and gut the chicken. William chopped some pine branches, built a campfire frame, and gathered many thick branches, lighting them with a flame from his palm. Mishaer clapped her little hands and cheered excitedly from the side.

William fetched river water, scrubbed the iron pot clean, and set it over the campfire to boil the water; the Northland river water was clear and clean, essentially pure natural mineral water. The iron sword he had snatched from the Goblin leader had been sharpened by William until it was bright and clean; he used it to whittle a few branches into a stand and carved two spears as backups. One should not underestimate the dangers of the wild; beasts, monsters, and alien bandits could pop out at any time. William had encountered them five or six times during his month of training, though, of course, the unlucky ones were certainly not him—let us offer a moment of silence for those poor, blind fools.

Alos returned with the cleaned pearl chicken, and William used his iron sword to slice the meat into small pieces, tossed them into the pot, sprinkled in an appropriate amount of salt, and cooked it over the roaring fire. Then he washed the potatoes he had brought, peeled them with his dagger, and cut them into chunks.

The soup in the pot gradually rose and churned, sending up mists of steam. William added the potato chunks and seasonings at the right moment. Alos and Mishaer greedily sniffed the aroma of the boiling chicken soup, laughing and playing around the campfire; the warm flames made their two little faces glow red.

Watching the carefree smiles of his brother and sister, William's heart felt more relaxed than ever before, a tranquility he had never known in his past life filling his soul. He suddenly felt a slight coolness on his face, looked up at the deep sky, and saw crystalline snowflakes falling from the sky, drifting down to the earth.

It's snowing.

The two little ones, who also noticed the falling snowflakes, looked up excitedly, gazing at the sky with a mixture of surprise and curiosity. Although the two children had seen snow before, they had never focused on its beauty like they did today, rather than fearing its harshness.

William opened his palm, catching a snowflake, and watched it melt into a trace of coolness, ripples spreading through his heart.

The first snow of the Northland!

The stew in the pot was cooked through, and the rich, fragrant aroma of meat wafted over, making the three siblings drool. The two little ones stared longingly at the chicken soup churning in the iron pot, their little mouths incessantly whispering: "Is it ready? Is it ready?"

"Alos, Mishaer! Dinner time!" William stood up, took out the cleaned tableware, and began to serve them.

The bowls were carved from wood, the forks were made of polished animal bone, and the soup spoons were also carved from hard wood. William ladled half a bowl of chicken soup into each person's bowl, then used the wooden chopsticks he had just made to place a few pieces of tender, cooked chicken into their bowls.

In reality, the chicken soup was not perfect, but the little siblings, who hadn't tasted such delicious food in a long time, slurped it up regardless, not caring that the hot soup was scalding. They gasped and puffed, but refused to stop.

William watched the two little ones with a smile, occasionally taking a sip of the hot soup himself. The savory chicken soup was perfectly seasoned, spicy and delicious, and as he drank it, a warmth rose from his stomach, spreading through his whole body and making him break into a light sweat.

The pot of soup was finished to the last drop, and the succulent chicken and soft potatoes were eaten clean. With their little bellies bulging, the siblings lay comfortably in the sleeping bag, humming as they rubbed their stomachs. William slowly chewed the chicken bones into powder and swallowed them bit by bit; he needed to replenish a large amount of calcium, as his rapidly growing body required massive amounts of nutrients.

After the meal, William scrubbed the iron pot and tableware and packed them into his portable bag. He stoked the campfire until it was roaring, then took his wood-chopping axe and found a pine tree as thick as a man's embrace, starting to chop with a rhythmic "thud, thud."

Alos also climbed up with difficulty, taking his iron sword to search for pine branches about an inch thick among the fallen limbs; he was a diligent little fellow. As for Mishaer, the little girl, lacking stamina, was already lying in the sleeping bag, snoring happily.

The snow fell harder and harder, the sky grew darker, and the temperature dropped further. A layer of snow an inch thick had already accumulated on the ground. The campfire seemed unable to withstand such cold, flickering weakly in the falling snow. The only good news was that there was no wind; otherwise, this hellish weather would have been even more bitter.

Unable to endure the cold, Alos retreated back into the tent. After William chopped down two large trees, he looked at the sky and felt it was time to return.

He removed the crowns of the two pine trees, leaving some side branches, then laid the trunks side by side and tied them tightly with hemp rope. William laid sturdy pine branches across the branches he had specifically left behind, tied them tight with thin hemp rope, and, combined with the vertical forks he had left, formed a small, roofed platform.

William laid thick, soft pine branches on the small platform, then placed the sleeping bag on top, and covered it with the canvas tent he had brought as a backup. A simple yet warm snow shelter was complete.

He beckoned the two little ones to sit on top, then extinguished the campfire and tidied up all the miscellaneous items. William then dragged the treehouse, striding toward the village. The thick, heavy tree trunk carved through the thin layer of snow and the mud beneath, leaving deep furrows that were soon covered over again by falling snowflakes.

Lanwo: A vegetable in the north of Faerun similar to a white radish, featuring blue veins on its leaves and a large tuber. It lacks the spiciness of a white radish and tastes fresh, tender, and crisp. It can be grown in both spring and summer and is the primary green vegetable for the locals during winter (not a lettuce).

Seasoning: A spicy, numbing powder made from a nut similar to pepper and leaves with a pungent flavor.