... Overall, the North is a giant cesspit right now. Every race and every faction wants a piece of it, so it's quite chaotic.
Listening to Mo Di's unrestrained remarks, Elena was already in a daze, her unconsciously rubbing fingers having stopped.
'What kind of world have I actually come to?'
Dragons caused disasters in the sky, various lords launched rebellions on the ground, and even the underground was not peaceful, with many restless foreign races lurking.
Could she, with her small body, survive?
Elena was therefore frowning, adding a touch of melancholic elegance.
Right, this Mormontis looks like no ordinary character. He dares to speak so boldly, belittling important figures including the Frost Ember Territory Lord, the Dark Elf Matriarch, and the Frost Tower Mage Academy Headmaster.
He must be very strong, right?
"Mormontis, I want to ask, what are you planning to do in White River Town?"
He must be planning something big.
"What else could we do? Just a small business."
Mo Di laughed, patting the box beside him, "These are the goods we're preparing to sell. Ultimately, we're just an ordinary mercenary squad, occasionally working as merchants."
He wasn't wrong in saying that it was a small business. It meant they took action, and the bandits provided gold and treasures.
"Eh?" Elena was incredulous. Putting everything else aside, she didn't believe that these three black-robed figures, who hadn't spoken a word and were as cold as ice, were ordinary mercenaries.
Would ordinary mercenaries have such discipline?
"Mormontis looks so strong, is he really just an ordinary mercenary?"
"Of course, compared to court mages or outstanding Frost Tower Mage Academy graduates, I'm just a small fry at best, without their kind of power."
Mo Di looked sincere, but he forgot he was wearing a helmet, which truly wasted his superb acting.
"I see..." Elena was inevitably disappointed, but she didn't blame Mo Di for it.
'Regardless, he helped me. Taking me to the nearest human town is already doing more than enough; I shouldn't ask for so much.'
She fiddled with her fingers, lowered her head, and noticed that her clothes were a bit thin and not of very good quality.
She had been busy gathering useful information earlier, causing her to overlook this point. Now that she realized it, she suddenly felt a chill.
Especially her bare feet, which were already purple from the cold, were pressed tightly together, and her toes were curled up.
Mo Di noticed her unnatural expression, lowered his head slightly, and immediately understood.
After thinking for a few seconds, he bent down, took a set of clothes he had gotten from the bandits out of a box, and handed them to Elena.
"This..." Elena's face was flushed, whether from the cold or some other reason.
"Just wear it for now, it's just a set of fur clothes anyway."
Mo Di had kindness, though not much, but he did in such trivial matters.
If it involved major matters, then his kindness would truly surge.
And he would replace the critique of language with the critique of weapons.
"... Thank you, I will definitely remember your kindness." Elena, blushing, took the clothes and, without delay, put them on.
Dressed in a full set of fur clothes and shoes, she immediately felt much warmer, and her gaze, as she secretly peeked at Mo Di, held a hint of curiosity.
Curiosity about what kind of face lay beneath his helmet.
Mo Di naturally noticed her gaze, but didn't pay much attention.
After all, with his terrifying and ferocious appearance, it was hard not to attract attention.
What he wanted was precisely this kind of awe-inspiring effect on the enemy, to make them crumble before the fight even began.
"We're almost at White River Town. Once we reach the town, we'll go our separate ways."
The outline of a town had already appeared in the distance. Mo Di glanced at it and then withdrew his gaze.
"The four of us are mercenaries, and it's simply not appropriate for you, an ordinary person, to be with us."
"I see... I understand, thank you for bringing me here."
The girl forced a smile, her tone seemingly tinged with disappointment.
'What is she expecting?' Mo Di vaguely sensed her disappointed mood, pondered for a moment, and came to a conclusion:
'I understand everything now. It's probably that without me, this strong man, she feels insecure.'
But what of it? He couldn't possibly carry around a clueless burden.
To stay by his side, she would at least have to prove her usefulness, and Elena clearly couldn't.
Giving Elena, this suspected visitor from another world, some survival supplies was already doing more than enough.
"Catch." He tossed a small pouch to Elena.
"What is this?" Elena caught the pouch, not opening it immediately.
"Some currency, and something to help you, this amnesiac girl, live well."
Mo Di also gave her a sword and a crossbow, as well as a quiver full of crossbow bolts.
All of it was scavenged from the bandits, not a single penny spent, pure zero-cost shopping.
"Elena, if you want to survive in this world, you must remember my words."
His voice became serious, as if imparting a profound maxim: "If someone tries to harm you, disregard their identity, disregard what they say, and just kill them."
"Regardless of gender, if they're good-looking, you must be careful, especially those dressed in overly flashy clothes. You'd best stay away directly. If they pester you, just kill them."
"And..."
He rambled on for a long time, never straying from the word "kill" throughout, leaving Elena utterly shocked.
Beside them, the three silent Others nodded secretly.
So the human world has so many rules, they've learned, they've learned.
"... That's pretty much it. Have you remembered it all clearly?"
"Remem—"
"It doesn't matter if you don't remember clearly, just remember 'kill' and you'll be fine." Mo Di shrugged.
Elena's words, which she was about to utter, stopped in her mouth, and she didn't feel it appropriate to ask anything further, lowering her head to examine the pouch he had given her.
Inside were some coins, gold, silver, and copper, heavy in her hand.
There was also a small booklet, with "Basic Swordsmanship of the Wandering Swordsman" written on the cover.
She had thought it was a swordsmanship instruction manual, but when she opened the first page, she saw this content:
【One, as a wandering swordsman, one must naturally be unscrupulous. Use poison if you can, use a bow and crossbow if you can, the sword is always the last resort.】
【Two, the essence of poisoning... recipes...】
【Three, small tips for stealth and theft...】
【...】
Is this really a swordsmanship instruction manual?
Elena's expression was blank as she flipped through, finally finding the swordsmanship tutorial on the last two pages.
【... The core essence of swordsmanship: When an enemy is competing with you in swordsmanship, take them by surprise and pull out a hidden weapon to shoot them.】
No wonder it's a wandering swordsman. What proper swordsman would use such methods?
For a moment, her gaze at Mo Di became much stranger.
The carriage quickly reached White River Town and was stopped by soldiers stationed by the outer wall.
"Who are you?" Harov vigilantly watched the carriage, his gaze momentarily lingering on Mo Di, who had just jumped off, and Elena beside him.
"Mormontis, a mercenary, here to purchase some supplies in White River Town, nothing more." Mo Di replied.
Harov stared at his helmet, trying to see the expression behind it, but saw nothing, so he could only look elsewhere.
Immediately, he noticed the shoulder armor of the man in front of him.
Unlike most knights, this tall man wore a pale skull as his shoulder armor, and that skull, without a doubt, every Northerner could recognize at a glance what creature it came from.
"That's a Wendigo's skull! You killed a Wendigo!"
Harov's vigilance quickly turned to shock and reverence. For Northerners, nothing was more glorious than hunting a Wendigo.
Oh, actually there was something, and that was hunting a dragon.
"Yes, when I first encountered this Wendigo, it actually tried to eat people in front of me."
Mo Di began to play the role of a monster hunter filled with a sense of justice. He took off his helmet, revealing his resolute face.
"My inner sense of justice wouldn't allow me to stand by, so I took my axe and fought that Wendigo. In the end, I successfully killed it and made it into a trophy."
He patted the Wendigo skull on his right shoulder and then showed his Wendigo cloak.
After a glance at these two Wendigo trophies and his warrior-like face, Harov's trust in him grew immensely.
People who act like this and look like this are generally not bad people.
"I believe you, but what about her? Is she also one of you?"
Harov then pointed at Elena, who was currently staring blankly at Mo Di's face, not knowing what she was thinking.
"Her? She's a civilian we met on the road. She seems to have lost her memory. We took pity on her, so we gave her a ride and brought her to the nearest human town."
Mo Di glanced at Elena. Elena, who had been pointed out, immediately came back to her senses, her face red to the roots of her ears.
"I see," Harov looked at her with pity, "However, White River Town isn't peaceful lately. Many people have witnessed the presence of dragons.
And every night, terrifying roars always come from the nearby Winter's Throat. It's suspected that a dragon is lurking there. You'd best leave quickly."
Dragon?
Elena's face showed a surprised expression. She hadn't expected there to be a dragon near this small White River Town.
'According to typical game settings, shouldn't the first town I encounter be a starter village? How can there be a dangerous creature like a dragon nearby?'
She looked at Mo Di, her gaze lingering for a moment on his strong and handsome face, and a guess formed in her mind.
'Could this also be part of the beginner's guide?'
In her guess, that dragon should just be making a cameo appearance, and Mo Di, this reliable big brother who clearly looked like a beginner's guide, would probably perish with the dragon, thereby guiding her towards the path of dragon-slaying... And Mo Di's next sentence confirmed her conjecture.
"To be honest, besides replenishing supplies, another purpose for us coming here is to prepare for dragon hunting."
Quack, big brother, I don't want you to become a prison brother!
Elena's eyes widened, and so did Harov's.
If anyone else had told him this, Harov would have just thought the person was drunk and boasting.
But this person in front of him was different. This was a human who had hunted a Wendigo, a powerful monster hunter.
Just looking at the door-sized greatsword on his back and his full armor, one knew he was no ordinary person.
Dragon hunting might not be impossible for him.
Harov pondered for a moment and then made a decision: "Please enter the town and wait for a moment. I will go and inform the mayor."