Half Elf Ranger

Chapter 435 Faith and Obsession

Cold Winter City, on a bustling street near the business district in the lower city.

"It's here." Nolan, a paladin in silver-white plate armor, pointed to a striking golden signboard to the half-elf and sorceress behind him.

"Half-goat tavern? Could it be that the owner of this tavern is a half-goat."

Thorn looked up at the gate of the tavern, which had the elegant words 'Saberman Tavern' written in the common language of the mainland, and beside it was a beautiful signboard with pan flute instruments and bubbling beer mugs.

"That's right, let's go in." Nolan smiled at the two of them, and walked in first.

Thorne and Anderina looked at each other, and then followed the paladin's footsteps together.

Although he had been in Winter City for half a year, it was his first time visiting this tavern, and he could tell from Anderina's eyes that she was just like him.

In the satyr tavern, the dim lighting created a warm atmosphere, but it was not dark and disturbing.

Smoking kerosene lamps hang from the ceiling, and flames dance merrily at the end of the bar, which serves as a makeshift stage.

The cold eyelids hide like jewels

Cold eyes sometimes become gentle

The heavy white blade is also cruel and merciless
The drooping red lips are as delicate as poisonous flowers
……

At this time, a slender pure-blooded elf was playing on a dulcimer. He moved his fingers like flying, and struck the metal strings with a small wooden hammer, playing a melodious tune.

However, Thorne's attention was not on the elf player.

Because he found a little black cat lying there on the iron frame above the fireplace.

This little black cat seems to know how to appreciate music very well. It lies there and wags its tail to the rhythm of the music. Its big blue eyes are watching the performers below with interest, and it nods its proud little head from time to time.

"This little black cat is the mascot of this tavern, and its name is: Indigo." Sensing Thorne's gaze elsewhere, Nolan immediately introduced it to him.

"Indigo? What a strange name." Andrina also noticed the little black cat who knew how to appreciate music.

"If you observe carefully, you will find that the fur of this little cat is so black that it turns blue, that's how it got its name." Nolan pointed at the little black cat and told Anderina with a smile.

Anderina took a closer look, revealing an expression that was as expected.

At this time, the little black cat named 'Indigo' seemed to sense the gaze of the two, and immediately arched its back, bared its teeth and roared angrily at the paladin, its fierce and cute eyes seemed to say that the two were disturbing It's like enjoying music.

Thorne glanced at the kitten lightly, and the howling Indigo was instantly frightened and shrank her head back.

"How about it, is it similar to that pet cat you raised?" Nolan joked to Thorne beside him.

"The one I raised is much more docile than it." Thorne replied casually.

"So gentle, how did you lose it." Anderina continued with a smile.

Paladin Nolan glanced at Anderina in surprise, then remained silent.

"...It was just an accident." Thorne replied vaguely, and then looked at the surrounding environment.

The bar and the ten tables were filled with cheerful patrons who watched the bard raptly and applauded heartily when he bowed at the end of his performance.

Most of the customers in the tavern appeared to be harmless civilians, maybe one or two of them looked like thugs, but they were unarmed except for knives.

Of course, among these customers, there are also a small number of players who survived the disaster in Winter City.

At the same time, Thorne also noticed a human player sitting on his right. He looked very thin and could not be a melee professional, but he was full of confidence in his gestures.

"Could it be a wizard?" Thorne whispered to himself, followed the pace of the paladin, and walked towards the empty table.

"Oh, the incarnation of justice, the heroic paladin, and the beautiful Ms. Nolan, welcome to come again." The three sat down for a while, and a man in a red vest held a glass of bubbling beer. The half-goat greeted him with a smile:
"Three guests, what do you want? The strongest wine, the most fragrant spices, or the most dazzling dance and the most beautiful voice?"

Thorne looked at the goat man calmly. He had short curly brown hair, a pair of curved goat horns protruding from the top of his head, and downy goat cloven hooves on his lower limbs.

Half goats, a humanoid race known as the 'hedonistic prodigal son'.

"Well, let me think about it..." Nolan thought about it carefully, and then ordered: "Give me three empty cups of sighing."

"Sigh empty, okay! Three guests, please wait a moment." The half-goat walked towards the counter with two hairy goat hooves.

Vaguely, Thorne also heard the cheerful poetry whispered in his mouth:

The treant breaks the branches and slowly gathers the leaves,
The happy girl has already loosened her clothes.

My song uplifts like a summer night breeze,

Don't wait for a moment and don't wait for an empty chest to sigh.

……

"Just tell me if you have anything to say." The three of them were obviously not talkative people, so Thorne broke the silence first, looking at the paladin sitting across from him and asked straight to the point.

Andelina glanced at Thorne, remained silent, and then looked at the paladin of the suffering god with interest.

Just like last time, her appearance hasn't changed much. Although she doesn't have the alluring look, she now looks extremely beautiful and strong. Under the dim light, her whole body is vaguely covered with a faint sacred breath.

The only difference is that her long black hair, which was originally loose, has been cut into short hair that reaches the ears, which is a little less dignified, but a lot more sassy.

In this world, long and beautiful long hair is extremely rare, because it is a symbol of a woman's status, representing that the owner of the long hair is a free woman who belongs only to herself, and also represents that she is an unusual woman. woman.

This is also the reason why Andelina has always maintained such a hairstyle.

Because ordinary girls among the original residents would braid their hair.Ordinary married women cover their hair with a millinery or turban.Ladies of high birth, including queens and empresses, wore their hair curled in various styles, while female warriors, like the paladins before them, had their hair cut short.

Only women in the caster system keep their hairstyles natural and emphasize their independence.

"Although I don't know how the two of you entered the city of Winter, I think you should feel the strange phenomenon that has happened in this city recently." Nolan shook the light blue liquid in the glass casually, looking Seriously.

"I know that Winter City is closed and no one is allowed to enter, but there is no restriction on people who can go out." Thorne glanced at a dwarf who was arguing with a halfling not far away, and said truthfully.

"Just yesterday, the Temple of Knowledge in the Temple District suddenly gave up on Winter City and prepared to evacuate all members." The paladin was silent for a moment and said slowly.

"There is such a thing." Thorn and Anderina looked at each other, both showing disbelief.

What does temple evacuation mean?
It means that the Temple of Knowledge has given up the city's faith.

From this, it can be seen that there is definitely something big going on in this city.

Oghma, the god of knowledge, is a deity of such great power that it is easy for him to predict certain fragments of the future if he chooses.

Moreover, as the archbishop of the temple, it is impossible to decide the fate of a temple without authorization, that is to say, the archbishop is likely to receive the oracle.

"Half a year ago, Winter City suffered from the incarnation of the King of Gnolls and the opening of the abyss crack. The absolutely neutral Temple of Knowledge not only did not give up, but also sent the Knights of the Temple to assist the army of Winter City to clean up the enemy, but now they directly choose Run away." Paladin Nolan looked at the fine wine in the glass, and suddenly felt a sense of dullness.

"Then what do you mean?" Thorne asked calmly.

He seemed to have guessed what the paladin's real purpose was looking for him.

If it is as he guessed, he is thinking about how to reject it, and then let her give up this stupid idea.

However, after thinking about it, he found that he had no way to convince her, because she was a paladin, that's all.

"I want to evacuate from Winter City with the civilians in the lower city and the slums." Paladin Nolan looked around, sized up the full house of guests, and expressed his true thoughts.

"Do you think anyone will listen? What do you expect? Your noble paladin status?"

Thorne looked around at the guests below the stage who were wildly cheering for the bard, as well as the bard bowing down to thank him, and said coldly.

Anderina, who was sitting beside her, was startled when she heard Thorne's tone, and looked at his cold expression in puzzlement.

Because this look reminded her of the scene when the two hadn't met.

In short, she doesn't like Thorne's indifference to everything.

"Whether they listen or not is their business. At least many people in the slums are willing to follow me." The paladin didn't care about the ranger's attack, and looked at him seriously.

"Then what? Where do you take a group of unarmed civilians? To be eaten by humanoid creatures in the Emerald Field, or to serve as rations for ferocious animals in the Black Pearl Forest, or to be sacrificed to the devil sahuagin in the deep sea." Thorne hit the naive paladin expressionlessly again, speaking in a colder tone than before.

Andrina looked at him worriedly while holding one of his hands under the table.

When she noticed that the back of her hand was being gently patted by the other hand, Anderina instantly understood what he meant, so she immediately remained silent obediently.

"So I need your help, Thorne." Paladin Nolan looked at Thorne and explained to him: "I originally planned to ask the believers of the God of Suffering in Deep Rock City and the monks of the White Rose Monastery to help me put The civilians of Cold Winter City escorted them to the Silver Pine Plain, but the distance is too far, and when Deep Rock City receives the news, I’m afraid it will be too late.”

"Then that's why you were hunted down by the Thieves Guild?" Anderina couldn't help asking with concern.

"That's right, I originally planned to use their channels to help me deliver news to Shenshicheng. Who would have thought that these people have no good intentions." Nolan said happily: "However, what I didn't expect was that I would meet Here you go."

Hearing the paladin's narration, Thorn's expression eased a lot.

In order to save these civilians, she, as a paladin, would not hesitate to connect with members of the Thieves Union, which he never expected.

If it's the naive Dragonborn paladin Peo, I'm afraid he wouldn't just throw it over with a Detect Evil, and he'd be tossing about in the Thieves Guild directly.

"You mean to let me escort these civilians to the Emerald Field with you, right?" Thorne thoughtfully guessed the true thoughts of the paladin.

"That's right, that's what I mean, I hope you can..." Nolan nodded vigorously.

"It's impossible, stop delusional!" Thorne interrupted her directly, and then turned his gaze to Anderina beside him.

"The five towns established by our compatriots in the Emerald Fields have already issued a decisive battle against the hobgoblin Hruk in the Forest of Tranquility, so we cannot and have no time to accompany you to escort these civilians out of the city." Andelina Immediately understood Thorne's meaning, he explained softly to the paladin.

"It's like this..." Paladin Nolan's clear and flawless eyes dimmed a bit, and obvious disappointment appeared on his pretty face.

"Nolan, don't be stupid, come with us to Fallstown, you can't save anyone here at all." Andrina once again saw the meaning in Thorne's eyes, and immediately took advantage of the situation to attack the paladin. Persuasion said: "Here, you will only lose your life in vain, so you must do what you can."

"I am a paladin who is inspired by fate." Paladin Nolan said slowly.

For a moment, Thorne and Andelina seemed to see the sacred light around her suddenly brighten up a bit.

"It is my duty to protect women, children and civilians. Besides, I am also a paladin of Irmat, the god of suffering. It is an honor for me to die for the correct belief, no matter what pain or suffering I suffer. I will stick to the correct principles without wavering.”

Paladin Nolan held a silver holy emblem engraved with the pattern of 'pale hands bound by red rope' in his hand, and said with a firm expression.

"Forget it." Thorne stopped Andelina who wanted to continue to dissuade him, and shook his head gently.

Then he got up from the chair, looked at Nolan, a paladin with firm belief, and his expression eased a lot: "I'm very sorry, what I said just now was a bit too impulsive."

"It's okay, I don't care at all. Since you have your own things to do, I won't bother you."

Nolan got up and smiled at Thorne, then put the holy emblem in his hand on his chest, and sincerely blessed: "May the God of Suffering protect you and provide you with the courage and strength to continue."

"Thank you for your blessing." Thorne saluted earnestly, pondered for a moment, and said, "I will notify the lord of Twilight Town, which is the closest to Winter City, and try my best to persuade him to send someone to come here to pick you up, and I hope... in time Bar."

After finishing speaking, he glanced at the familiar paladin girl again, and led Anderina out of the tavern without looking back.

A paladin has three weapons: passion for the best, will to uphold the law, and power to fight evil.

Without faith and justice, they will soon fall.

Facing this persistent paladin, Thorne had no way to persuade her to leave.

They were a great group of people and a pathetic one.

Because they have no place for evil, but evil is part of the world.

…………

(End of this chapter)