That evening, the bounty hunter and the boy sat side by side at the counter of the Green Raven Tavern as usual, drinking and chatting.

Nossa took a sip from his glass as usual, and then spoke, "Jude, we can begin to experience the life of a bounty hunter. ”

"Beginning?" Jude turned to the side and looked at the bounty hunter with some confusion, "Haven't we been experiencing it for the past two weeks?"

Nossa stared at the wine cabinet directly in front of him and shook his head to himself: "These daily chores are not the life of a bounty hunter. ”

"Uh...... And what are we going to do next, something special?" the boy stared at the grey cocktail in the bounty hunter's hand, which was called "Twilight" on the price list, and Nossa had a soft spot for it.

"I took the commission. Nossa shook the cloudy wine in his glass slightly, his eyes still level, and he added, "We're going to Snowfell in the north and kill a man." ”

"Murder, didn't you say that you don't usually take that kind of commission?" Jude recalled Nosa's original words, staring at the bounty hunter with some suspicion.

Continuing to shake the cloudy wine in the glass, Nosa shook his head again: "This time is different. The man's name was Mordres, and he was a necromancer. Recently, he has used evil necromancy to wreak havoc in the North, awakening the spirits of the ancient dead and harming the people of the Snowfall. ”

Necromancer, Jude had only heard of their existence in lore before. It is said that such people are the embodiment of calamity by resurrecting the dead, depriving the living of their lives and souls.

"It turned out to be a crime-ridden bastard. The boy immediately understood the bounty hunter's reasoning, "He must not be allowed to harm more people." ”

However, Jude was under Jude's impression that Necromancers were of equal height as Mages, and that powerful individuals among them could even manipulate armies of the undead and destroy a kingdom.

However, Nosa is a seasoned witcher, and he is so powerful, he should be sure to accept this commission.

Despite convincing himself, Jude looked at the bounty hunter with some hesitation.

"Don't look at me like that," Nosa could feel the boy's gaze without turning his head, "I know you're worried about something. This is the first time I've taken you to complete the commission, and I'm naturally sure. ”

"But," added the bounty hunter at the moment, "no mission is infallible. ”

-

Jude sat at the end of the carriage and watched the sun set over the horizon.

The sun was closing its last rays, and darkness was eroding the sky from the east.

Since the autumnal equinox, the days have become shorter and the nights longer, becoming more pronounced further north.

It is said that in the northernmost part of the kingdom there is a castle called "Nighthold", where the long night will stay forever during certain times of winter, and the light of day will not be seen all day.

Just hearing and imagining it was terrifying: how would people live in the cold and long nights?

The Northland is indeed uninhabitable, and Jude has learned this since he set foot in the White River tundra.

The date is still the 13th of the Divine Month, and it is still a cool autumn in the west, while in the north, frost is already in the sky and fields.

The White River (The_White_River) is said to be an inland river that runs through the tundra, so it is said that it got its name from the pure white scenery when the snow covered in ice during the ice age, but it is still not the season when the river is covered with snow and ice.

It is said that the Northland has not been settled by humans for a long time, and the indigenous people here are known as the Soldat, who are tall and strong, and live by fishing, hunting and gathering. From the Mélente Forest, across the White River tundra, to the Northridge, there are Sodan people, who form tribes based on their clan and faith.

During the journey to Snowfall, Jude read the part of Mr. Stanshu's notes about the Sodans. These primitive savages believed in four great animal gods: Ansor the bear, Krasis the wolf, Ban'Thaory and Zin'Siroth.

In the oldest legends of the Sodans, the ancestor of the Sodans, Gagner the Dragon Seeker (the_Dragon_Chaser), joined four legendary animal gods: Ansok the Winter Bear, Caysis the Ice Wolf, Bansar the Snow Leopard, and Sinsyros the Coldowl, to defeat the evil white dragon Hermdolas and save all the living creatures of the Northlands. Since then, these four great animal gods have made a promise to protect the Sodan people forever.

The boy didn't believe in these exaggerated myths, but they were recorded in Mr. Stanxiu's notes, and it was true that these things happened in ancient times, so Jude reluctantly accepted them.

Compared to the legend of the Sodans, the story of the exiles in the north as a story of the current era seems more realistic.

The teacher's notes don't record what happened in the last ten years, but Jude had heard a little about it.

When he was a child, he knew that due to the turbulence of the times, some residents of the western border were displaced, and in order to escape the scourge of war, they resolutely set foot on the green and yellow land of the white river tundra in the north.

While in Lanlens some time ago, the boy heard more about the exiles in the North.

When the first immigrants set foot on this icy frozen soil, the bitter cold of winter enveloped them. Wheat could not be grown in the west, and they lacked food, clothing, and materials to build their houses...... The exiles in the north are left with little to nothing and are in a difficult situation.

However, they soon discovered a miraculous natural crop – the North Wind Cotton. This is not only the product of the Northland, but also the settlers found hardy winter wheat, abundant veins of moonshine iron[1] and high-quality stone here.

Later, when the kingdom's envoys came to this frigid tundra, they were surprised to find that the immigrants had not frozen to death, but had built a magnificent snowfall city.

The north-wind cotton soon spread to the west, and the white river tundra was incorporated into the kingdom's territory. The leader of that group of immigrants, Stoudemire Wolensis (Stradmire_Voluncis), was made Marquis of the Frontier and became the first lord of Snowfall.

And now, Jude and Nossa are entrusted by the Marquis of Snowfall to go to his territory to eliminate the necromancer Mordris who has been doing evil for a long time.

As the boy reviewed these messages from the north, the setting sun had completely sunk below the western horizon, and the stars were shining brightly in the clear night sky.

Tonight, the moonlight dimmed, and Jude looked up at the southern sky, trying to find the legendary "autumn quadrangle", but to no avail.

It is said that the starry sky can be recognized at all times, but nowadays only astrologers can do it.

But it would be interesting to take a casual look, and Jude continued to observe the night sky, waiting for the convoy to stop and set up camp.

-

[1] Moonlight Iron (Moonlight_Iron): Meteorite iron, produced mainly in high latitudes (such as the North), pure natural iron, capable of crafting tools, weapons, and armor with excellent performance. It has a certain degree of demonic conductivity and can be processed into moon steel (Lunar_Steel), but very few people still master this skill today.