After a few hours, the snow finally lightened, and the four dragons slowly lifted everyone into the air and flew south in a line. Fern stood at the foot of the hill and watched his companions leave until they disappeared from sight. Most of the food was left for him, as the village could be found quickly by riding the dragon, while Fern was left on his own two legs, and it was unknown when he would be able to find the village for supplies.

Fern tightened his cloak, then picked up his wrap and set off on a long journey alone. The vast white land was bleak, and such a prolonged snowfall was extremely rare for Tempe, so people took refuge in their houses, and their daily activities were saved, and there were almost no people on the main roads. This was both a good and a bad thing for Fern, the good thing was that he didn't have to guard against passers-by for bad intentions towards him, and since the fall of Sarah, Wallis's security has been getting worse and worse, and robberies have happened from time to time. Bad things he couldn't find anyone to ask for directions, and he couldn't exchange food with passing caravans. Seeing that the food he carried with him was getting less and less, Fern began to break the ice in the frozen stream, using a hook made of wire to reach into the icy water to catch fish, so that his food could last a few more days.

Fortunately, the further south he went, the snow-covered ground gradually decreased, and three days after the departure, a large area of land appeared before Fern's eyes. It was still overcast, but at least it wasn't snowing anymore, and a farm could already be seen in the distance. Of course, Fern would not let go of this opportunity and immediately walked towards the farm.

The farm was tended by a family, the man was wiping the horses, his two sons were helping, a little daughter was sitting and she was embroidering something, and the hostess was not present, perhaps in the house. When they saw a stranger suddenly appear, they all stopped their work vigilantly, and the man picked up the iron fork next to him and greeted him. "It's rare for people to patronize this place. ”

"Is this any different?" said Fern with a casual nod.

The man shrugged, but kept his eyes on him. "We used to wear only a shirt at this time of year, but now we still have to wear this thick coat, and you can see the fields around here, which were covered with a lot of snow the other day, and the snow has stopped showing a little bit in the past two days. ”

"It's not a good situation. Fern walked a few paces away from the man and stopped. "I'm a traveler passing by, but I didn't expect the weather to change so much, I didn't find any villages to replenish along the way, and I was running out of food, so I don't know if I can buy you some food. ”

The man put the iron fork on the ground and propped his hands on it. "You're right, it's not normal, but it's even worse for people who travel in this weather. As he spoke, his two sons leaned over, and it could be seen that all three of them had worked on the farm all year round, and their bodies were very strong, no less than ordinary warriors.

Fern spread his hands. "I'm not here to find trouble, if you want, I can pay a high price, the world is not good now, knowing too much is not good for you, it is most suitable to pay for it with one hand and deliver it with the other. ”

The man looked Fern up and down for a moment, and he saw the bulge at the end of the mercenary's cloak. "Well, as long as you're willing to pay. He instructed one of his sons, who ran back into the house, and after a while ran back with a pile of food, and threw it in front of Fern. "These two gold coins, love or not. ”

Fern stepped forward and looked at it for a few moments, then looked up and swept over the freshly wiped horses. "And the horse, that's ten gold coins. ”

The man's eyes widened. "Say it again, how many gold coins?"

"Ten. ”

"But the horse is just ordinary...... the other son said in surprise, but was immediately interrupted by his brother.

"I'm still on my way, and this is the only chance I have, and I guess you'll soon have to move to the city, where money flows. Fern crossed his hands over his chest, waiting for an answer.

"As long as you really have so many gold coins. The man turned and walked towards the horse.

Fern followed, watching the man show him the various parts of the horse. "Alright, saddle it, that's it. ”

The man took the saddle and began to fix it on the horse's back, and his little daughter came over curiously, and asked Fern in a low voice, "Hello sir, my brother said that you are from the north, is it colder than here?"

Fern turned his head and saw the little girl, her head was only near the mercenary's waist, the man looked at it nervously, the movements in his hands also stopped, his two sons also clenched their weapons, ready to rush over at any time, the eldest son sternly lectured, "Jenya, come back to me quickly, don't disturb Dad to talk about business." ”

But the little girl ignored her brother, and still stared at the stranger with wide, eager eyes, and Fern half-crouched down so that the little girl could see his own eyes. "Farms need to rest when winter comes, and it's winter on the farm in the north, and it won't be long before here. But when the winter is over, it will be back in operation and you will be able to live happily with your parents and your brothers. When winter comes, go to the city with your family to rest so that you can work more energetically when you return to the city in the future. ”

"Can we really get back here?" the little girl seemed to believe Fern's words.

"Of course, Jenya, you will be able to come back when the winter is over, the wind is good, and the spring flowers are warm. Fern squeezed out a smile.

"Great, thank you, kind sir. The little girl happily took three steps and ran back into the house.

The man breathed a sigh of relief and led the horses over. "Thanks to your words, she would have been even sadder, she's been asking me the same question all these days, and I don't know how to answer her, and it's as if this damn winter will never pass. ”

Fern nodded slightly, and tied the salute to the sides of the horse's back. "Thank you for your food and horses. As he spoke, he put ten gold coins into the man's hand. "Good luck, then. ”

The man glanced at the gold coin in his hand, clenched his fists, and finally stretched out his head from the brow that had been tightening just now, and he even felt a little guilty about his rude attitude towards this stranger before.

Fern led the horse and turned away, the voice of his eldest son ringing behind him. "Is everything you said to Jenya true, and can winter really pass?"

Fern paused in his footsteps. "As long as we all believe it's true and work hard for it, then it's true. After saying that, he left without looking back.