69novels Chapter 87 Snowman
Chapter 87 Snowman
The next day, as dawn broke.
Luo Lan woke up on the hard bed.
Before me was an unfamiliar ceiling.
Luo Lan slept very soundly last night.
Although Gundam's [Constitution: 25] attribute was more than enough to support Luo Lan to travel day and night for several consecutive days without sleep.
However, it is still necessary to take a nap occasionally, just like a normal human being, to relax.
Luo Lan didn't want to be like a famous "education expert" from her previous life on Earth.
He only slept 4 hours a day, ate popsicles and drank iced soda before going for a run and exercising, which ultimately led to his sudden death.
For a human like us, this schedule is nothing short of miraculous, and it has even spawned a meme challenge called the "Snowman Triathlon".
[This is a classic example of the dangers of overdoing it; one shouldn't put too much pressure on oneself.]
Luo Lan rolled out of bed, stretched her shoulders, and heard a slight thud from her joints.
Pushing open the wooden door of the small house, Luo Lan walked into the corridor and ran into Rom, who was also up early.
The veteran was holding a dry, coarse cloth and was wiping oil onto a piece of leather armor.
Hearing the noise, Rom didn't even look up, continuing to vigorously wipe the leather armor with the rag in his hand.
"You're up pretty early. Let me go drag that lazybones Ollie out of bed... Do you want to have breakfast with us?"
Out of the corner of Luo Lan's eye, she glanced at an open wooden cabinet by the wall, which was piled with more than half a basket of hard, dry bread, and next to it were several earthenware jars containing some sour pickled vegetables.
Luo Lan declined the invitation:
"No need, I plan to go and take a look around the village first."
He naturally wouldn't tell Rom that, thanks to his [Organic Extraction] expertise, he hadn't touched those unpalatable foods for several days.
I then smoothly changed the subject:
"Instead of eating, is there a place to wash up here?"
Rom stopped what he was doing and pointed to the back of the house:
"There's a well in the backyard. But it's currently the month of conflict, the dry season, so you'll have to work a bit harder to draw water."
"Okay, thank you."
Luo Lan nodded her thanks and went to the backyard of the cottage alone.
There is an old stone well in the courtyard with some collapsed edges.
Grasping the rusty well handle, Luo Lan shook it vigorously.
"Crunch, crunch..."
The well pulley made a screeching sound, and it took Luo Lan some effort to finally pull up a bucket of water.
"Splash!"
Luo Lan lifted the wooden bucket with one hand, took off his heavy armor, and poured clean water onto the armor, which was covered with black blood and bits of flesh, simply rinsing away the outermost layer of filth.
Then, I boiled a second bucket of water, washed myself quickly, and finally felt much better.
After cleaning, Luo Lan took out a reflective silver coin from her storage space and casually tossed it to the rag doll kitten squatting by the well:
"Cat, put this silver coin on the table."
That way, when Rom and Ollie have finished preparing breakfast, they will definitely see the money on the table.
This silver coin is Luo Lan's reward to the master and apprentice for guiding them and providing them with lodging for the night.
Although neither Rom nor Ollie mentioned money, Rolan was willing to give it, and there was no other reason than to be happy.
Having been reborn and given a second chance at life, one should do whatever pleases them; otherwise, what's the point of transmigrating?
If he helps others, Luo Lan doesn't mind receiving a reward, such as using holy light to heal people in the tavern in Fallen Leaf Town.
Conversely, if someone helps her, Luo Lan won't be stingy with money, like now.
"bite."
The little white cat caught the silver coin, held it in its mouth, nimbly leaped onto the windowsill, slipped into the room, placed the money in the most conspicuous spot on the table, and then quietly slipped back to Luo Lan's feet.
With her cleaned gear and a quiet kitten following her, Luo Lan walked onto the streets of Gray Rock Village in the early morning.
The sun hadn't fully risen yet, but many people in the village were already up and active.
In the Holy Kingdom, humans hold absolute dominance, while subhumans also exist, but their proportion is not large.
But in this remote village in a "no man's land," the villagers come and go from a diverse range of ethnicities.
Lizardmen were mending fishing nets, burly orcs were carrying logs by, elves with pointed ears were drying herbs in front of their doors, and you could even see several bearded dwarves gathered together smoking pungent tobacco...
Luo Lan, this "outsider" dressed in full heavy armor, was extremely conspicuous walking on the dirt road.
The busy villagers all stopped what they were doing and turned their gazes to Luo Lan.
But these gazes were mostly probing, and did not reveal any malice.
Under the "watchful eyes of everyone," Luo Lan walked along the dirt road to the center of the town.
A two-story wooden building with a sign that reads "Broken Sword and Wine" stands by the roadside; this is the only tavern and inn in the village.
Luo Lan reached out and pushed open the wooden door of the tavern.
The air in the tavern was filled with the smell of fermenting ale from the previous night and the charred smell of burning pine.
Upon hearing the door open, a rather gruff, loud voice boomed out:
"Who is it, coming to drink so early in the morning? We're not even open for business yet!"
Luo Lan looked in the direction of the sound and saw a plump, sturdy orc proprietress with dark brown skin standing in the tavern.
She was gripping a rag with faded edges that was almost falling apart, and vigorously wiping a square table covered in grease.
Hearing the door open, she turned to the side and looked back, her gaze falling on the entrance of the tavern.
"Oh? There are outsiders in this run-down village?"
The proprietress threw the rag she was holding onto the table and looked the white-haired knight up and down with a hint of surprise.
Luo Lan looked around the empty hall:
"Uh, hello... I heard from Rom that this tavern is also an inn?"
Upon hearing the name "Rom," the proprietress's eyes softened slightly.
"Oh, so it was that deadbeat Rom who introduced you. Come with me, I'll show you the room."
The proprietress led Luo Lan and strode towards the old staircase on one side.
The shop has a large hall on the first floor used for drinking and eating meat, while the second floor is divided into several rooms, resembling a hotel.
This architectural structure reminded Luo Lan of the taverns and guesthouses in some remote scenic areas on Earth in her previous life.
Walking to the middle of the second-floor corridor, the proprietress took out a brass key from the jingling iron ring at her waist.
She inserted the key into the lock, twisted her wrist, and with a click, opened the wooden door, then stepped aside to make way.
"Take a look for yourself. If you're satisfied, it's 60 copper coins per day... If you stay for more than a week, it's 50 copper coins per day."
This is a relatively spacious guest room.
The floor is covered with thick solid wood flooring, which is very stable to walk on.
In the center of the room stood a large, solid wood bed with worn carvings, covered with thick, starched linen bedding that smelled of being dried in the sun.
In the corner stood an old washstand with a chipped brass basin on it.
What's remarkable is that there's a narrow window in the room, which lets in the faint morning light from outside, and outside the window is a vast and desolate landscape of a gray rock canyon.
Luo Lan walked around the room and nodded in satisfaction:
"I'll pay daily, I probably won't be staying long."
Barring any unforeseen circumstances, Luo Lan was simply passing through Gray Rock Village to resupply and rest.
According to Luo Lan's own calculations, he would leave this place in two days at most, cross the wilderness, and continue towards the territory of the Emerald Council.
The landlady's loud voice echoed in the corridor:
"Alright. Daily payment it is. Although our place is small, the bedding is changed every day to ensure it's clean. It's 60 copper coins a day, plus a 40 copper coin deposit, totaling 1 silver coin."
Luo Lan didn't say much, and directly took out a silver coin from his storage space and handed it over.
The landlady took the silver coin, tossed it in her hand to confirm it was genuine, and then tossed the room key to Luo Lan.
"Remember, don't lose the key."
After the handover was completed, Luo Lan followed the proprietress down the stairs again.