The wolf meat was sliced into long strips of boiling water, and soon it turned a pearl-white color. The crowd sat around the fire pit and watched the strips of meat roll in the water. With a bit of fishy meat aroma rising with the mist. Everyone couldn't help but take a deep breath, and the gluttonous insects hibernating under the tip of their tongues seemed to be hooked into their nests. Due to its unique geographical environment, the northern region has developed an ecosystem that is difficult to replicate. Elsewhere in Pande, bear's paw is a rare ingredient. But in Livingston, even the most seasoned chef will refuse to cook the ice bear paw – no matter how you deal with it, the meat will always have a disgusting sour smell in it. On the contrary, the snow wolves galloping on the ice fields are the opposite of their distant relatives in the mountains and forests, and the meat is quite delicious, whether it is simply cooked or grilled, it has a full flavor. However, the snow wolves are the most powerful predator in the north, and no hunter dares to provoke the wolves alone. Even the daring Livingston Ranger needs to act as a squad, maneuvering with wolves on the ice field for several days and nights before it is possible to hunt a lone snow wolf. This also makes snow wolf meat a unilateral monopoly of Livingston's military, which can earn a considerable amount of income for Livingston every year.

The meat was quickly cooked, and everyone was given a steaming spoonful of broth, as well as a wolf meat. The mercenaries have been gnawing on the black bread that has been frozen hard for several days, and at this moment they finally saw a trace of meat, and they wanted to swallow the bowl, but they were afraid of the hot heat, so they could only hold the bowl, blow with their eyes, and then take a small sip, regardless of being burned, and hurriedly stretched out their tongues and fished them along the lips stained with soup. For a moment, the fire was full of grinning men holding bowls. A pot of broth quickly bottomed out. Salamatan came back with some more snow and prepared a second pot.

Anson held the bowl and watched Salamano stir the snow in the pot: "Give a bowl to that Misty Mountain captive, right?" ”

Salamane paused, and snorted through his nose: "It's good to leave her a little life, and give her soup?" There are no doors! ”

"That can't be said," Anson said, putting down the bowl in his hand, "the captives deserve mercy. She deserves to be treated as a captive. What's more, there are two wolves here, and this bowl of soup and one meat are not bad. ”

"The treatment is, no!" Salamatan smacked the rim of the pot hard.

"Anson," someone patted Anson on the shoulder, "you can't have a crush on that misty mountain girl, do you?" It's not for me to say, most of the women in the Misty Mountains have rough skin, large pores, and violent tempers. That can probably hit you two with one hand. It's still too late to empathize. ”

The crowd burst into laughter. Anson blushed and argued in embarrassment: "These are two different things! Should a captive be hungry? ”

"Anson has a point." Amidst the laughter, a calm voice interjected. It was Estheu, who had not joined the clique by the fire pit, but sat cross-legged on the edge of the firelight, half of his face hidden in the shadows. Kia sat across from him, drawing something on the snow with a pine branch. The broth of both of them had been drunk, and the empty bowl was at hand. Esso's words duly quieted the mercenaries. Already in the previous encounter with the Raiders, Essho had used his strength to establish absolute prestige in the team. Mercenaries revere power, and a person's right to speak is often proportional to their strength, especially among the mercenaries in Silverlake Town. "It's not bad for this bowl of soup and a piece of meat." "When the next pot is ready," said Esher, "Anson, you send a bowl to the captive." ”

"Good!" Anson's eyes lit up.

……

"This is our approximate route, already very close to Poimburu, and we are expected to arrive at noon tomorrow." Kia stuck the pine branch in his hand in the snow, "Although we have encountered several raiding squads along the way, the size of any one will not be inferior to the one we defeated at the beginning. But none of them chose to clash with us, perhaps the white wolf skin played a role. Kia glanced at the carriage not far away, "As a noble lady and a member of the Empire, she already knows too much. ”

"I'm still wondering, why are you asking me to support Anson?" Essho asked.

"Originally, I wanted to come on my own, but after the encounter in Val Snow Plain, there has been a serious imbalance between you and me in this team. They won't necessarily obey me. And these days, there are not many people who still uphold the spirit of chivalry - not to mention that Anson is not a knight yet, he is not even a nobleman with a surname. "Chivalry is not naïve, it is a rare virtue, but it is worthless in war." ”

"Even you believe in the knights?" Eshu frowned.

"Chivalry is not something Madigan has made up. The earliest form of chivalry, also known as the Eight Virtues of Knighthood, can be traced back to the Charter of Valides, written by Pander Kavala himself, which occupies a considerable part of the charter. Humility, honor, sacrifice, spirituality, loyalty, valor, mercy, justice," Kia shrugged, "these sixteen words always make my blood boil when I read them." But I can't live like Anson with chivalry as my life—I can't pass the level of loyalty alone. Kia pointed to himself self-deprecatingly, "I, a native of Sarion, have a father who was the Duke of Marions, but I have traveled all the way to Livingston to work as a mercenary. Who would dare to believe it? He shook his head, "That's what I respect him the most." If you hadn't seen it with your own eyes, it would have been hard to believe that there was such a simple guy among your peers. ”

"It can also be said to be naïve." "You just said that virtue is worthless in war. Sooner or later, he will be killed by his own naivety – or rather virtue. ”

"People can't stay the same, they will grow, at least they will find a balance between ideals and reality." Kia smiled wryly, "Anson and you are two extremes. You are an absolute realist, but he is an out-and-out, extremely pure idealist. ”

"You know I have ideals, don't you?" Esher said.

"Idealism is not the same thing as idealism." Kia shook his head helplessly, "This is what the teacher told me, but this is difficult to explain. I also don't know much about it, the teacher didn't elaborate on it at the beginning, but just asked me to go to the Pander continent more and walk around, so I will naturally understand. ”

Before he could say something more, a scream suddenly rang out, like a raven soaring into the air.