But fire is a double-edged sword, he must make haste.
"Miss Roman, follow me." Sophie casually pulled down a roll of sausages from the ceiling and then led the merchant lady towards the back door. It wasn't because he was craving them, but because stocking up on basic food supplies before an escape had almost become an instinctual reflex for players of 'Amber Sword'.
The fire was growing more intense, the surroundings becoming a sea of flames, smoke filling the air, and the temperature rising rapidly. However, Sophie quickly felt for the small food delivery door he remembered — he pushed it, but it was locked.
Sophie coughed, and the merchant lady behind him was already coughing severely. He calmed himself and continued feeling downward, quickly finding the metal latch. He was just about to open it when he hesitated.
He remembered something else.
…
"Frey!"
Perhaps for the residents of the Elson-Golan Mountains, the stars in April and the May night sky didn't look much different. But starting in late May, the temperature gradually rose. Looking down from the gentle slopes of the Yu Song Mountain Range, since early summer, it was a sea of red and white flowers. In times of peace, this was the most serene and peaceful countryside in all of Erune, though it had been ravaged by war for hundreds of years.
The girl looked up, the summer night sky crystal clear like it was made of crystal - from west to east, a bright band of light spanned the entire sky, passing through various constellations from myth and legend.
She was standing at the village entrance, looking up toward the other side of the mountain. Frey was a bit worried, especially unsettled by the loud noise she heard earlier. Hadn't there been recent reports of undead activity nearby? Could it be...?
Hearing the shout, she turned her head and was surprised to see a youthful boy running out from the village entrance, hurriedly running to her side and bending over, gasping for breath.
"What's wrong, Little Phenix, what happened?" The girl's voice was gentle and clear.
"Did you hear that sound just now?"
"Yes, that's why I came out to take a look," she couldn't help but glance again toward the direction up the slope, "I'm really worried about Roman. Her aunt also went to a nearby town... I heard it's not very safe lately. I asked her to stay at my place for a couple of days, but she didn't agree."
The boy looked up at her, his eyes wide open——
The girl's light brown hair was neatly tied into a long ponytail behind her head, highlighting her valiant posture. She wore a tight-fitting gray-white leather armor, with a thick cotton shirt underneath, and a badge on her left shoulder — an abstract pine leaf painted on it with black paint.
She also carried a short sword at her waist, a Western European medieval short sword, with a flame emblem on the iron plate of the sword guard.
If Sophie were here, he would have recognized the outfit at a glance — Buqi's militia. The Golan Black Pine was the most common tree species in the Elson-Golan Mountains and was also the insignia of the local troops in Buqi.
However, the guard team was well-equipped with uniforms, while only the local militia would wear this type of gray-white leather armor sewn from the fur of gray-haired cattle.
In Erune, every young person in the locality would regularly receive militia training, which usually started at the age of fourteen and took place between October and March each year, continuing until they were nineteen. Trained youths and even adults could serve as militia at any time in peacetime, and became a crucial reserve force in wartime. Therefore, since the Thunder Year when this decree was issued, militia training had become one of the most important military measures in Erune.
"That guy doesn't live over there as well, does he? I heard he served as a militia in Brags." The boy asked, somewhat puzzled.
"Hmph, city folks can't be trusted," the girl flicked her long ponytail back and couldn't help but frown, "It's precisely because that guy is there that I'm worried!"
"You're prejudiced, Frey big sister."
"What do you know… Forget it," the girl scolded, not turning her head, "Alright, hurry up and speak if there's something, boys shouldn't be talkative like girls!"
Little Phenix shrank back his neck, "Do you know, Captain Madden has ordered the guard team to assemble!"
A trace of surprise flashed in Frey's bright eyes, "Captain Madden? How do you know?"
"Breson told me," replied Little Phenix, blinking his eyes, "When I came out, he was already on his horse heading to report to the guard team."