Tess emerges from the tent and prepares to find her new friend, Hal and his reindeer.

The snow on either side of the door was taller than her head. Akan and the elf got up early in the morning to clear a path, otherwise she, with her size, would have to swim in the thick snow.

Tessy ran forward with ease on the snowy road, which had been trampled by the barbarians, and the sun fell on her, shining her bright red hair, which attracted the attention of many savages, a bright hair color not found in their race.

Tess smiled even brighter at everyone. Some couldn't help but smile back, some turned their heads quickly as if they hadn't noticed her, and some shouted something insolently, causing a burst of laughter, but Testro didn't care. She had just escaped from death, met new friends, and the weather was so good, nothing could affect her good mood at all!

She found Howl. The half-breed was talking to a barbarian woman*, looking nervous and restrained.

Since it's not a pleasant conversation, it's okay to interrupt them, right?

"Hal!" Tess screamed and rushed over.

The woman glanced at her, seemed a little nervous, and walked away without saying anything.

Tess wrinkled her nose, and in addition to the various smells of savages, there was a strange, faint scent on the woman's body that made her feel familiar.

But her attention soon turned to the two reindeer, their thick fluff fluffy and warm from the sun, so that Tess wanted nothing more than to bury the whole of them inside.

Apu and Ada, the names that Tess had given to the two reindeer, seemed accustomed to petite human girls rubbing around them, munching on the dead grass as Tess desperately rubbed the white mane on their chests.

Hal just looked at Tess and smiled. Hal prefers this place to the Blackmane Tribe's camp. While no one was particularly friendly to a half-breed, the atmosphere was more peaceful.

"Who's that woman just now?" Tess teased with a grin, "Howl, you're quite popular with women!"

Hal shook his head nervously, "Don't say that! she's married! she's just my people." Survivor of the Winter Wolf Tribe. She wondered what you had to do with the priest who killed dozens of undead monsters by himself...... Is he the priest Ed had mentioned? He was revered here, and no human had ever been so revered by a barbarian. Hal's tone was one of excitement and awe.

"Oh, that's him. Tess said disappreciatively, not knowing that the barbarians knew that the priest was the brother of an ice dragon. Will you respect him so much?

A certain memory jumped out of her mind, and Tess stopped brushing Apu's hair, and stood in a daze, the expression on her face changed, and then without saying a word, she suddenly turned around and ran away.

Hal looked at her back confused and uneasy, wondering if he had said something wrong.

Tess rushed into the tent and jumped onto Norvi's back.

"Can a barbarian be a necromancer?" she asked as Akan snored loudly.

“...... Haven't heard of it. The elf set aside the scabbard he was repairing, "Did you find anything?" Tess often asked a lot of strange questions. But he could tell from the tone of her voice when she was serious.

"That necromancer in the Weeping Forest, he has a very nasty scent on him. I've never smelled the same in anyone else, but just now, a female barbarian, Hal said he was a survivor of the Winter Wolf Tribe. She also has that scent on her body. Tess wrinkled her nose, she was sensitive to smells.

"Maybe it's just some rare spice that's only available here?" Narya guessed, "Didn't that necromancer spend time in the Ice Plains too?"

Norway nodded: "It should be." He knew that Tess was nervous about anything Anclaland-related, but he couldn't tell a barbarian to be a necromancer just by the slightest scent.

Tess slipped off his back and didn't say a word, she knew it was a bit ridiculous, but the vague uneasiness in her heart couldn't dissipate.

She bit her lip and thought about it. He turned around and prepared to get out.

"Tess!" Norway called out to her, "we'll be out of here tomorrow, and we're courteous here because we're friends with Scott, so ......"

"Don't get in trouble, I know, I know. I'm here like a red-haired fox bouncing on the snow. What else can I do?" said Tess casually and ran out.

“...... Do you want to bet?" said Naria.

"Nope. Norway sighed resignedly, "I'd better keep an eye on her." ”.

The elf caught up with Tess in a few steps, gently tugging at her hat hanging behind her back.

"I'm just going for a walk!" Tess glared at him disapprovingly.

"I'll be with you. ”

“...... I want to go for a walk alone!"

"But I want to be with you. Norway said with a smile.

“...... Well, now we're as striking as the red-haired fox and the big golden retriever dog bouncing together on the snow. Tess said smugly. But it was natural to hug the elf's arm.

"I still think the woman is suspicious. She couldn't help but speak after taking a few steps, "She's asking Hal about our relationship with Scott!"

"It's no surprise that anyone here wants to know more about a mysterious and powerful human priest. ”

"She was nervous when she saw me!"

"She's inquiring about us, and of course she's nervous to see you running over suddenly. ”

"But the smell of her body is really strange. "No one would take that smell as incense, it smelled unpleasant." ”

"Then maybe it's some kind of herb...... But it was impossible to prove that she was related to the necromancer. Tess, if she doesn't use spells in front of people, even priests and paladins can't tell if she's a necromancer. ”

"I know, I know. Tess replied nonchalantly, her eyes lit up, "Shall we ask her!"

“...... Ask her if she's a necromancer?"

"Of course not. Tess smiled mysteriously, "We're going to have a conversation between women!".

Faced with the suspicious and wary look on the woman's face, Hal swallowed nervously. Tess dragged him over and said she just wanted him to be a translator, but he had a gut feeling that things wouldn't be that simple - these humans were always mysterious and confusing.

What's more, a woman doesn't need a translator at all, even though she doesn't say a word. But judging by the look on Tess as she spoke, she could at least understand the lingua franca.

"There's a scent in you that I've never smelled before," Tess lied without changing her face, "Do you have any precious spices? Would you like to tell me where I can find that spice, or sell me a little bit of it. ”

The woman shook her head quickly, looking a little nervous.

"Oh, don't do that, good things should be shared, I'll give you a good price, or......" Tess took out a necklace from her bag, and the whole circle was a small rose twisted from gold wire, and in the center of each flower was inlaid with an aquamarine, which sparkled in the sun.

Tess handed the necklace over, and the woman took it almost involuntarily. Even if there are secrets hidden in the heart. Her gaze was completely drawn to the beauty of the creature she had never seen before, and even Hal's eyes followed the light of the gem without blinking. The craftsmanship of the silvertooth dwarf was already very exquisite, and the barbarians on the ice field had never seen such a beautiful ornament, and the light reflected by it attracted even more people to look at it with amazement and envy. Carefully reach out and caress each dazzling facet of the gemstone.

Norvi's gaze drifted back, he knew what Tess wanted to do. Now, they were squeezed in the middle by a crowd of people, and the little Tess seemed to be pushed by the people behind her, unsteady on her feet, and staggered and pounced on the woman.

The woman jerked her away as if awakened, and rudely threw the necklace over her head. Turned around and squeezed out of the crowd.

"Oh, even if you don't want to change, you don't need to. Tess grumbled and held the necklace high again, "If anyone has a precious and rare spice in their hands, only found on the ice field, welcome to exchange it!"

It took a while for the crowd to disperse. Tess traded the valuable necklace for a bag of real spices, white plant seeds, each the size of a grain of rice, very hard, shaped like a small leaf curled inward. There are purple streaks on the surface, and the taste is strong and pungent, but if you take out only a small amount and smell it from a distance, it has a unique aroma that is slightly spicy and refreshing.

"How much can I sell this to Master Ed Singall, the son of a spice merchant?" said Tess triumphantly when he returned to their tent, "I got it in exchange for the gift he gave me!"

Norway held out his hand to her: "Take it out." ”

"What, are you really going to sell spices instead?" Tess tossed him the bag of seeds.

The elf casually set the seed aside and reached out again without a word, looking directly at Tess.

The red-haired thief pursed her lips and pulled out a roll of something oddly colored and looked like a wide leather rope, the only suspicious thing she had touched when she took the opportunity to fumble around the woman—for she couldn't figure out what it was.

Curious, she ripped it open, it looked like the skin of some animal, a dull grayish-white color, smooth on one side, but rough to the touch, not very elastic, and not very strong in appearance, making it impossible to guess what it was for.

"That's the smell!" Tess was sure, the leather rope emitting a disgusting, fishy aroma stronger than that of a woman.

"But what the hell is it?" she guessed.

Norvi's expression grew solemn, and he snatched the thing from his hand, unfolded it in the firelight, and looked at it carefully, the edge of one of the sections was stained with another color, and he dipped it with a little water, and after rubbing it a few times, it left a light dark red mark on his finger.

“...... Blood?" Tess sniffed close to his fingertips, frowning with a very bad premonition, and the elf's face made her feel even worse.

"If what I've seen is correct...... Novi said slowly, "it's human skin. ”