Northerners are tall and southerners are short.

This has become a common perception, stereotype almost worldwide in Rigal. Although there were also short people among the northerners and tall people among the southerners, these were isolated cases. On the whole, it is an indisputable fact that the taller the peoples are, the farther north they are.

The harsh Northlands have provided many tall and brave warriors throughout the ages, whether it is the pirates of Dan Lasso, the great swordsmen of Suomir, or the few and far others of the northern part of the Ottolo Empire, who are remembered for their rare but powerful fighting power.

But this physical advantage is not really limited to humans.

Suomir is a well-known wool producer on the east coast, as evidenced by the extensive use of wool in clothing and cloaks. And the merchant ship that Henry and Mira were on when they arrived, after emptying the supplies from the south, would also carry a whole shipload of wool and set sail again.

But interestingly, with such a superior wool industry, Suomir itself does not actually have such a creature as sheep.

The breed, now known as the Aurora sheep, was introduced centuries ago through trade from the Padrosi Empire. The origin is the central plains of the Padrosi Empire, and the hair-producing varieties have been selected and cultivated by the Lamanites for many years. And the scale of the wool produced in the origin of the empire is far from comparable to that of the Suomir kingdom.

It was cultivated here, but it blossomed and bore fruit in the north. At the end of the day, it's all about the characteristics of the animal.

Hunters who hunt regularly understand that foxes, rabbits and martens, which have thick fur, are divided into "summer hair" and "winter hair". As the name suggests, the hot, vegetated summers are naturally shorter, darker hairs, while in the snowy winters, they often have lighter or even pure white coats and longer, thicker hairs to protect themselves from predators and the cold.

The purchase price of winter and summer wool is very different, so hunters often choose to enter the mountains in winter. The same extends to sheep, which have been bred for generations in the colder winters of Suomir, whose coat quality and thickness far exceed those of central imperial origin.

— but that's not all.

Another advantage of the Aurora sheep is closely related to the weather.

That's their size.

The larger the sheep, the larger the area in which they can shear, and like humans, Suomir's sheep are twice as large as they are in their place of origin.

Ectotherms get larger the farther north they go, because their larger size means slower body loss (1), a trait they have evolved to survive in the snow and ice.

The introduction and artificial selection of Aurora sheep is a typical example of the rapid evolution to adapt to this environment, but in the natural environment, it is not surprising that Suomir's species is larger than Padrossi's.

Belonging to the same family of cervids, the sika deer of the empire and the moose of Suomir are almost two creatures when viewed together. The former is small, and even if it is fully grown, it is only about 1 meter tall, which is lower than that of a donkey. The latter can grow to more than two meters tall, and the largest weighs 1 ton, and even Henry looks like a child standing next to it.

This is an example of this, as are the native horses in addition to the deer family, and the common principles are rats, foxes, and birds, and—

Wolf.

“....... I can see why this quest is worth 2 gold and 20 credits. After adding a companion, the two of them did not change their destination, and after they went to the village where Mira had finally learned to pronounce Ka-Pleya-Nero, the first purpose was naturally to find the local village chief to explain his intentions, and then investigate the relevant information.

In areas such as Northern and Southern Aurora, where Lamanites often come and go, the local population speaks the Lamanite language quite well. The village chief was visibly disappointed when he saw that there were only two mercenaries taking over the mission, and one of them was just a girl, but he smiled again when he saw the beautiful brooch and the orange mercenary card.

It's just that after he explained all kinds and found a village hunter to take the three of them to the entrance of the destroyed sheepfold, he saw the huge paw prints on the muddy ground soaked by the overturned sink, Mira rolled her eyes, and the Kaleva next to her was directly drenched in a cold sweat.

"Suomir's wolves, all of them are so big?" The Luoan girl looked at her teacher with a strange expression, and the sage shrugged her shoulders: "No." He crouched down, then took a closer look at the paw prints and reached in with his fingers to gauge the depth.

"It's deep, it's a dire wolf. He said this, and the conversation between the two was in Lamani, and Henry's judgment by a little detail made the eyes of the hunter beside him light up, and he immediately changed from standing with his hands crossed and his face full of suspicion to - by Suomir's standards - much more enthusiastic.

"Yes, if it's a normal wolf, we have a way to deal with it ourselves. But this kind of big one can only invite experts. He said this in a tone that was not very high, while his eyes were still scanning the equipment of the two men—ordinary clothes, armed suits, and Brigun floor armor, and no traps on horseback, although there were two crossbows, but that size could only deal with a creature weighing no more than 50 kilograms.

"Dire wolf?" Not only Mira, but also the inn and pier have been running from place to place, and Caleva, who is going out for the first time, is also curious. Henry glanced at him, then at Mila again, and suddenly felt as if he had an extra disciple.

"A breed endemic to the Northlands, larger than the average northern gray wolf. The sage opened his mouth and explained: "Suomir gray wolves can grow to more than two meters in length and a height of about one meter. Although the dire wolf is a little shorter at the shoulder, this is because of the short legs, which actually has a longer body length. Like the saber-toothed tiger, the muscles are also more developed. ”

"So the footprints are also deeper, because the weight is heavier. Mira nodded and continued.

"Saber-toothed tigers, yes, that kind of thing, the one that hunts moose. Despite his Suomir ancestry, Galeva, who grew up in Porusaro, didn't know much about the ecology of the Northlands.

"Dire wolves are very muscular, but because of their short legs, they are not good at running. They usually hunt in groups on large creatures like moose or herbivorous dragons, which can't run fast, and sheep in captivity may seem easy to get their hands on, but healthy groups of dire wolves won't choose it. Because they're smart enough to know that humans are not to be messed with—so that is it......" Henry touched his chin and stood up.

"A lone wolf, probably elderly, was defeated in a group struggle and expelled from the wolf pack, but judging by the footprints, he should not have been seriously injured. The sage looked to the left, although the population was not much larger than that of Avenella, in fact, the total area of the Suomir Kingdom was quite large, and the region of Aurora alone already had the entire kingdom of Avenella, of course, in the past. At this moment, as far as Henry could see, the plain was full of low grass, and farther away the dark green forest was glistening in the sun.

"Whew-is old age still a lone wolf, breathe a sigh of relief. Although the contact time is not long, the young man Galeva is known to the two of them, saying that he is straightforward and fast-talking, and that he is unpleasant, with well-developed limbs and a simple mind.

"Not necessarily. Henry looked back at him and said in a calm tone, "The wounded and detached wolf is often the most dangerous, for it is more ferocious because of despair. In contrast, well-fed and well-fed wolves will not be too hostile. Coupled with the factor of age, animals that can grow up in the cruel natural environment are cunning. Even if it is driven away by its stronger kind, it still has wisdom. ”

"This money is not easy to earn. Henry looked at the hunter, who was also a Suomir, and the other man turned his head away from his gaze.

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6 percent of successful hunting activities depend on information and pre-arrangement, and the remaining 4 percent depend on actual actions.

Improvisation and cleverness only happen in rare cases, and it is foolish and lazy to expect good luck to happen every time, as is the case with a Lamanite fable called "Waiting for the Rabbit", but in some cases the word can be used as a compliment.

There are many things that a wolf hunt needs, first of all, various trap props, which need to be scalded with boiling water and then smeared with grass juice because of the canine's keen sense of smell, and repeated several times with gloves to avoid any smells that would alert them.

After that, you need to prepare bait, and then apply deodorized grass juice to yourself. Finally, lay an ambush in the downwind position, wait for it to be lured by the bait and then be trapped by the trap, go up to restrain it and then kill it.

In order to obtain the whole fur, the final killer is usually made with a spear in close quarters, as it is more difficult to kill it with bows and arrows. The light ones are difficult to penetrate the skull, and the heart is heavily surrounded by ribs. In addition, the trapped wolf will struggle in various ways, and if you have to shoot several rounds to solve it, the skin will be tattered and tattered, and it can only be sold for half the price.

But even so, hunters often carry crossbows. After all, between selling at a high price and saving a small life, except for gamblers, they will choose the latter.

There's a lot to prepare, but it's all based on the premise that they have to find the animal first.

Tracking was not difficult at first, with nearly 100 kilograms of large animals carrying a Euroa sheep in its mouth, leaving traces of blood and footprints that could be easily spotted by any individual. It's just that there hasn't been rain lately, and after the sheep's wounds have dried up, the not-so-soft ground makes it difficult to find any more traces.

But the traces of crossing half of the plain clearly pointed to the west, and it was evident that the old wolf had not yet become dizzy from hunger, and had eaten directly in the sheepfold. Traces stretch from the village sheepfold on the east side across the vast plains, to the dark green boreal forest at the other end. But even though it's a forest, it's not really an ideal place to hide.

Unlike the dense and difficult rainforests of the south, there is little bush and grass on the forest floor in the north, except for a few decaying leaves and dead trees that have fallen naturally. In addition, all of them are towering trees, and you can see far away from the open forest surface.

Three people took the walk - yes, three.

Said to go out with Henry and Mira, and Galleva, who went to Aurora to see Heinzswörm, also joined the ranks. Though the local hunter silently expressed his concern, even if he was sluggish, the eldest son of the young innkeeper knew that he was a layman who would only startle the snake.

But that's exactly what the sages are for.

They did not have the time, the tools, or the manpower to investigate and set a bait trap to lure the old wolf, and with his cunning and cunning, Henry seriously doubted that he would not take the bait.

The trap that has been painstakingly laid will only fail in the end, and it may even flee or sneak up on them after noticing a change in the environment.

But after observing this unconcealable forest, the fact that the old wolf was in despair was also clearly visible. Elderly predators who live alone can be very insecure.

Although wolves are usually endurance predators that run freely, it rarely looks for burrows to hide in such cases.

And based on this, considering the territorial consciousness of the desperate creature, if it kills directly in front of the door, it will obviously go crazy and try to attack the intruder.

Naturally, this was a runaway plot that the hunters tried to avoid in every possible way, and Caleva and Mira were also drenched in a cold sweat after hearing about Henry's plan. But the sage was still calm, and as if he could see the flowers in the empty things, he easily found the right traces on the chaotic ground and tracked them down.

The three of them walked on foot for quite some time, but when they approached an area with more complicated terrain, the strong fishy smell in the air suddenly made Henry's eyebrows furrow.

He waved his hand to signal the two behind him to slow down, then turned around and whispered, "Squat." ”

The young porter and the girl of Luo'an, who obeyed the sage's instructions, followed him nervously, and continued to slowly move forward under the cover of the complicated terrain, and the smell of fish in the air became stronger and stronger, but it didn't smell like blood or anything like that, but rather a bit like the smell of fish and the smell of human bodies.

"It looks like it's gone, and it's time to stand up. Henry, who had only put on his sword after entering the forest, had put his hand on Krammer the whole time, and did not let go until this moment. Naturally, Galeva complained a lot about the big sword, but he didn't dare to speak under the nervousness.

"Whoa, Tamai, oh—" Kaleva burst out his native language in fright, but in the next moment he reached out his free hand to cover his mouth.

"Who did this?" the well-informed Luoan girl, whose face was obviously much better, was still relatively calm, she pointed to the corpse on the ground, and then asked Henry.

The two-meter-long dire wolf has a gray coat, and from its strong limbs and claws, it is indeed a very terrifying apex predator, but it is already dead at this time, and even its corpse is hard. The cause of death is obvious, and it has to do with the head that was beaten with a sunken chin that was crooked to the side of the face.

"Look at that. Henry pointed to a large footprint on the fallen leaves, and Mira sniffed her nose before resisting the urge to retch.

"It stinks. ”

"Yes, giant?" said Caleva, who looked over as well, and though it was surprisingly large, it was clearly the remnants of the humanoid.

"Well, with a stick, the poor old wolf has stumbled into the giant's territory. Henry said this, and then, in the midst of Galeva's eyes widening and Mira's surprise, one hand lifted the 100-kilogram dire wolf and carried it on his left shoulder, so as not to interfere with the hilt of the greatsword.

"Why didn't it pick it up?" Mira gestured to the sheep on the ground, and she used "it" instead of "he", because the intelligence of the giants is not very high, and human society generally considers them to be a barbaric race that is as difficult to form as the goblins.

"Do you smell the fishy smell in the air?" Henry nodded to wake her up. "Ahh

"Hey-" It was not difficult for the porter-turned-young man to carry a sheep, but he subconsciously learned that Henry carried it on his shoulder, but the dire wolf was killed by a blow to the head, and the internal organs of the sheep that had been disemboweled and disemboweled for more than half a day fell on him at once.

"Uhh Mira rolled her eyes, and Henry shrugged.

"Make a stretcher and pull it out. He said.

There was no need to stop and observe the footprints on the way back, and the time spent was much shorter. Seeing that they had solved the problem so quickly, not only the shepherds, including the village chief, but also the other herdsmen in the village also ran out to watch, but after seeing the tragic situation of the wolf's head, they all changed their faces one by one. Many began to whisper to each other.

"Ah, I know what you're thinking. The sage looked around at them with half-squinted eyes: "Don't say that if we didn't kill it, we will breach the contract and not pay the money." ”

"You all know that there are giants in that forest, so you haven't gone in to investigate. ”

"And it's not clear that it's a dire wolf, this information is hidden and not explained in the mission, this is obviously trying to trick people, right?" He ruthlessly broke it directly, which made many people look away again. Behind her, her face had improved a lot, and she was a little stunned when she looked at this scene, while Mira next to her just shook her head slightly.

"You-" "Step-" The sage took a step forward and moved to reveal the hilt of the greatsword on his right shoulder.

"-Woo-woo-" The villager, who was obviously trying to bargain for the full two gold and 20 silver coins, changed his face, as did the others.

"Ha, hahahaha, no, no, no, there's no such thing-" The previous village chief suddenly laughed dryly: "You are also from Suomir, why didn't you say it earlier, this little brother here is dirty, come on, come on, take a sauna, although it is summer, it will be very comfortable to wash!" he said, first in Lamani and then in Suomir, and the other villagers also reflected and began to huddle for Kaleva to the bathroom on the other side.

The young man looked back at the two of them in a bit of confusion, Mira waved at him to signal that he was okay, and everyone left as quickly as if fleeing death.

"What a terrible adult. Mira said, but her eyes were on the villagers, not Henry.

"The so-called land of fairy tales, in fact, is just like that. The sage shrugged.

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Notes: (1): The thing mentioned here is also known as "Bergman's Law", which states that organisms of the same species will become larger and closer to spherical in size in the cold zone.