At night, in a spa village, in a tavern.

Villagers unwind with alcohol after a hard day's work, whisper to each other, ask each other about the types of crops they have planted this year, or look forward to the golden harvest that will be abundant in autumn.

In this casual chatter, a glass of two or three copper coins of ordinary rye beer is enough to keep them drinking all night, and if it is accompanied by a piece of cheese or pickled cucumber, life could not be better. If anyone can add a plate of cured meat and smoked sausages, they will surely win money in the field gambling today.

Alcohol is something that is needed in all professions. It's not just adventurers who love it, farmers usually love it too. It dulls the brain and forgets sorrows, but it makes the tongue flexible and facilitates conversation.

"Hey, Duruk, I say, are all the monsters on the other side of the hot springs?" asked a villager wearing a wide-brimmed felt hat and a light gray coarse linen robe.

The subject was wearing a cotton vest of no apparent color, and a dirty leather suspender apron over the waistcoat. His thick arms rested on the dining table in front of him very casually, but the table couldn't stop 'creaking'.

The weather was still a little cold at this time of year, especially at night, but the simple clothes of this man did not make the other villagers around him feel strange, and everyone seemed to be accustomed to it.

"Hmm...... You're asking about the monsters at the hot springs. The man named 'Duruk' groaned, "Truth be told, those monsters do deserve to die. Oh, you're going to ask if they're all settled? Well......" He picked up his glass and took a hard sip of rye beer, then put it down and wiped the beer bubbles from his beard casually.

His mouth was full of beard, disorganized, as if it had been repeatedly burned by flames, with the smell of smoke and charcoal.

"What is this! The questioner was somewhat dissatisfied with Truruke's posturing.

"Hurry up, don't beat around the bush!" the other villagers urged as well.

Although the person being questioned was of average height, his body was extremely strong, and the muscles of his body were protruding and bulging, hard and solid, with a metal-like luster. However, the surrounding villagers did not feel any fear from this, and they all stretched out their heads to stare at the sturdy fellow sitting in the middle of the tavern, waiting for his answer with expectant expressions on their faces.

"Those monsters, it's settled......" Duruk gave a vague answer, continuing to whet everyone's appetite.

"Ha, what does it mean to be 'yes'? solution is solution, not solution is not solved, 'yes' solution, what is the result?" The questioner was not satisfied with the answer, "You are really, if you could speak as simply as iron." ”

"It would be nice if you could pay in the same hurry as you did when you asked a question. Duruk sneered, "You still owe me three silver and twelve bronze, and your hoe, sickle, and shovel have all been repaired by me at least three times, but you have not paid for them once." Yes, not even a single copper coin has ever been given to me. ”

"Next time, hehe, pay next time. The questioner's expression was scornful, and he was defeated in the exchange of words, hiding in the corner and not speaking, but the curious expression on his face did not diminish at all.

At this time, the tavern owner at the counter personally took a large glass of beer, walked towards Duruk with the glass, and placed the beer glass printed with the hot spring pattern in front of Duruk.

"Tell us about it, Duruk. The tavernkeeper spoke, "The boys who came back had nothing to tell about the outcome of the whole thing, except for their bravery and monster-killing exploits, and even a few of them had contradictory accounts. Alas, I wish that Jazz would train them and exercise their brains, or at least make these young people smarter. ”

"But the smart guy won't stay in the village. "The smarter the mind, the more ideas it contains, and 'farming' is obviously the least appealing of those ideas." ”

"But it's also the safest one. The tavernkeeper retorted, "Anyway, it's safer to wield a hoe than a sword, there's no doubt about it." 'If the monster doesn't provoke you, then don't take the initiative to provoke the monster'. Proverbs have been handed down from ancient times to the present, and there is some truth in them after all. ”

"But what if the monster finds you?" asked Duruk, "just like this time." ”

"The strong resist, the weak pray, what else can be done. The tavernkeeper looked at it widely, "Anyway, have you wiped out the monsters this time?" he asked again.

Duruk did not answer immediately, but looked at the oak wine glass in front of him, and then poked his head out and sniffed into the glass. The sweet, malty flavor of this beer is strong and prominent, and it does not have the lingering light bitterness of rye beer.

"Barley?" Duruc asked. "You're a rare and generous guy. "He seems to have a bad taste, and he enjoys the feeling of making the people around him anxious and crazy.

"It's not just barley, it's whole malt beer without any trimmings, it's a waste to give it to someone like you who doesn't know how to drink. The tavernkeeper sat down across from Duruk, "Aren't you, the captain of the militia, who are here instead of attending the knight's banquet tonight, just to show us off the first-hand information you have?" Say it quickly, put it off any longer, and wait for Sir Yarman to announce the outcome of the matter himself to-morrow. ”

"Militia captain, I just have some strength. To be honest, I don't like this position, I actually prefer to strike iron to fight, you are right, it is safe to farm, and the same is true for striking iron, but being a militia is not among them. The youngest son of the old Baker family is very accurate in archery, but this time he was covered with hot water, and he doesn't know how he is being treated in Garano now. ”

Duruk sighed, "These are all things that can't be helped. Sir has given me this position, most of all because it will give me an extra 60 silver coins a month, which is the main thing, otherwise I would have to knock on the windows and ask for the money you owe. ”

The questioner who spoke first shrunk his neck in embarrassment, but still did not leave, but put his ears up and continued to listen to Duruk.

"There's a reason why I say 'sort of' eradication. Duruk announced the results to the people around him, "The monsters in the four smaller hot springs have been completely cleared. Whether it's the steaming boiling water elementals or the demon bats that have broken into the village and hurt people, we have eliminated not a single ......one!

When Duruk said this, he habitually sold the lawsuit again.

"How's the biggest hot spring?" asked the tavern keeper helplessly.

Duruk took a sip of all-malt beer, raised his head and looked around, and found that everyone's eyes and attention were on him, before Shi Shiran said, "The largest hot spring, the demon bats in it have also been wiped out." There should not be a single demon bat in the whole hot spring, at least Sir Jarman, with a few guys on horseback, patrolled around the hot springs for a long time, but no more was found. ”

"That's good. Everyone breathed a sigh of relief.

"My house was visited by those monsters, and it was still in the middle of the night. One villager said with trepidation, "At that time, the devil bat was squatting on the edge of the window of my house, looking through the glass of the window into the house. It was still a full moon that day, and the monster was very clearly seen by me in the moonlight. I tell you, the monsters are not tall, they have wings, they look a little like people, they look a bit like bats, and they look like little devils. My wife and I were scared half to death, and we were all hiding in the corner and not making a sound. ”

"Didn't make a sound?, then how did I hear the screams coming from your house in the middle of the night?" asked another villager who seemed to be a neighbor.

"Alas, it was from my daughter. "When she got up in the middle of the night, she saw the monster and started screaming for her life, the sound that pierced my eardrums and nearly shattered the window. Believe me, if I hadn't covered my daughter's mouth in time, not only the windows of my house, but yours would definitely not have been able to save them. Luckily, the monster was scared away by my daughter's screaming in the end. ”

"When your daughter shouts, her voice is indeed high and high. ”

"She's got it!" the others chimed in.

After the discussion had subsided a bit, the tavernkeeper turned to Duruk and asked, "The demon bats have been wiped out, but what about the steaming water elementals?"

"They were also sent back to their original planes. Duruk replied, "There are actually five boiling water elements in the largest hot spring, but after a hard fight, those boiling water elements are still broken into ordinary water by us, all of them! Of course, it is mainly the credit of Sir and Dennis Knight." ”

"Why do you say 'sort of' when they're all wiped out?" asked the tavernkeeper curiously.

"When Knight Dennis shattered the last of the boiling water elementals, we began to cheer and prepare to celebrate the victory, but the hot springs suddenly boiled. ”

Duruk's expression changed, as if he was reminiscing, "Although the hot spring has been boiling all this time, the bubbles that are constantly tumbling in the hot spring at that time are getting bigger and bigger! At that time, the water was as turbulent as the sea, giving people the feeling that something huge was about to emerge from the extreme depths under the hot spring!"

......