He patted her on the shoulder, stroked her hair, turned around, and sat down with a creak of old bones.

"A glass of ale. He ordered a drink.

Lena approached and filled him a glass of ale. It wasn't until she started sweeping the floor that she remembered something: how could this old man know her name?

——

Hubble Furnace lay limply on a mossy boulder, his old dwarven bones had worked hard enough for him to rest.

"I shouldn't have ventured out at all. Looking at the valley beneath his feet, Hubble muttered. His voice was loud, but there was no figure around. Years of solo adventures have developed a habit of talking to himself. He put his hands on his knees and said excitedly, "If I ever have any more adventures, I will be cursed by God!"

For an elderly dwarf who had spent the day trekking in the cool autumn sun, the boulder warmed by the afternoon sun was particularly comfortable to lie on. Hubble lay quietly, letting the warmth of the sun and thoughts sink into his body and mind. He finally got home.

He looked around, searching for familiar sights. The mountains at your feet form a barrier next to the basin, and the entire basin is immersed in the colorful scenery of autumn. The trees in the valley are painted in a variety of autumn colors, with shimmering golden reds blended with the light purple of the Caroli Mountains behind the trees. The clear blue sky is perfectly reflected in the crystal lake. A few wisps of smoke slowly drifted out of the forest, and this was the only evidence that Willow still existed. A puff of light smoke mixed with the fragrance of home slowly enveloped the valley.

After Hubble sat down, he picked up a branch, pulled out the shiny dagger from his backpack, and unconsciously carved it. Since time immemorial, his people have had a desire to sculpt inanimate objects as they wish. Before retiring, he worked as a blacksmith. When his blade touched the branches, his thoughts drifted to the smoke that came out of the chimney hidden in the trees, and his hands stopped moving.

"The stove in my own house has long since gone out. Hubble whispered. He shook his head vigorously, disgusted by his sentimentality, and vigorously picked up the wood in retaliation. He shouted to himself, "My house has been empty for a long time. The roof has started to leak and the furniture has been soaked. Stupid adventure! The stupidest thing I've ever done. After living to be one hundred and forty-eight years old, I should have learned a lesson!"

"You will never learn a lesson, dwarf," a voice in the distance replied him, "even if you live to be two hundred and forty-eight years old!"

Hubble threw away the wood in his hand, calmly swam his hands from the dagger to the handle of the axe behind his back, and looked down the path. It was a familiar voice, the only familiar one he had heard in years. But he couldn't remember who.

Hubble squinted at the path illuminated by the sunset. He saw people strolling along the path, and Hubble walked under the shade of a pine tree to see better. The man's stride exuded a nonchalant grace—the elegance of an elf—but his physique had the strength and thick muscles of a human, and the beard on his face was a characteristic of a human being. Under the green cloak, Hubble saw only the man's brown skin and reddish-brown beard. He carried a longbow on his shoulder, and a sword hung from his waist on his left hand. He wears soft leather boots with the delicate carvings that elves love. But in Candela's world, no elf has a beard...... There are no elves, except ......

"Robert?" Hubble asked suspiciously, as he approached the man.

"Exactly. The man's beard cracked into a broad smile. He spread his hands and picked him up from the ground before Hubble could stop him. The dwarf hugged his friend tightly, but suddenly thought of his dignity, and broke free of his embrace and fell back to the ground.

"Five years have not been enough to teach you what politeness is," complained the dwarf, "especially for a man of my age and status, and you should be like a bag of potatoes for me." ”

Hubble looked at the trail, "I hope this scene hasn't been seen by an acquaintance." ”

"I doubt anyone else will recognize us. Robert said, looking at his friend with interest. "Time is not as meaningful to us as it is to humans, and it has little effect on us. Five years is a long time for them, but it feels like a few minutes for us. Then he laughed. "You haven't changed at all. ”

Not necessarily for others. Hubble sat down against the stone and began to carve again, and he looked up at Robert, "Why do you have a beard? You're ugly enough, aren't you!"

Robert scratched his chin, "Some of the areas I've been to are quite unkind to people with elven blood. This mustache was a gift from my father. There was some sarcasm in his tone, "It's helpful in hiding my bloodline." ”

Hubble muttered a few times, knowing that this was not true. Although this half-elf doesn't like to do things casually, he is not one to deliberately avoid conflict. Wood chips continue to splash around.

"Everywhere I went, I was not kind to anyone of any origin. Hubble took the wood in his hand and began to examine it. "But we're finally home. Those are in the past. ”

"That's not what I've heard. Robert pulled up his cloak so that the sun could not reach his eyes. "Haven's Seeker higher-ups have appointed a guy named Hendrick to take over as the Grand Priest of Vero. This guy and his new sect turned Willow upside down. ”

Robert and the old dwarf looked down at the valley in front of them. The sun was dimming, revealing the houses in the woods. The evening breeze brings the smell of homely smoke. Faintly, you can also hear the mother's call for the child to come home for dinner.

"I haven't heard of anything like that. Hubble said quietly.

"Religious persecution...... Interrogation ......" Robert's voice sounded heavy under the cloak. It's deeper and darker than Hubble remembers. The dwarf frowned, his friend had changed in the last five years, and the elves had never changed!, but Robert was only a half-elf—a violent heir, and in the days after the Candela cataclysm, in the wars that had divided the races, his mother had been given birth to unspeakable things by human warriors.

"Interrogations! It is said that these interrogations are only for those who do not agree with the views of the high priest. Hubble made a disdainful sound from his nostrils. "I don't believe in the God of the seekers—never will—but I don't shout in the streets. Sweeping the snow in front of my door – it's my way of life. Haven's followers are still a group of virtuous and wise men. It's just that this rat poop from Willow spoiled a pot of porridge. It reminds me of another thing, have you found what you're looking for?"