On the Fasha Plain, the just formed an invincible alliance army
Ancient giant dragons roared
Angels soared across the sky
The elves' magic staffs and longbows shone brightly
Dwarves formed the strongest copper walls and iron bastions
Even devils from the Molten Fire Underground
Were moved by the Savior, fighting for justice and against Chaos
All owing to Ludwig
Dozens of cleansed heads of Demon Princes and Divine Favored hang on the empire's walls
Proclaiming his supreme glory and great achievements
Victory cheers resounded through heaven and earth
Everyone elected him as the new Emperor of the Empire
All owing to Ludwig
Chaos rolled back home
Peace once again descended upon this land
The people lived and worked in peace and happiness
Hymns to the deities rang out once more
All owing to Ludwig"
The minstrel sang the stirring epic with fervor, unnoticed by anyone that a new guest had arrived at the door of the inn.
Until a wind chime rang, drawing the attention of all in the inn, the man stood at the door, having fully listened to the magnificent epic, only then did he push open the door. The story of Savior Ludwig was one known by everyone across the continent; this great former country noble, later the New Empire Emperor, relied on formidable strength and assertive maneuvers, along with outstanding political wisdom, to reunite the already destroyed Old Empire and ultimately defeat the Chaos Army. The New Empire was re-established from the ruins of the Old Empire, with Ludwig as its founding emperor.
"Excuse me, is there a room available?" In the gaze of everyone, this man spoke. As many had anticipated, his voice sounded very young.
"An outsider?"
"No rooms left, outsider. We are about to close. Please, go back."
"Closing! Closing!"
The patrons half-jokingly, half-seriously shouted. The small town was not very welcoming to outsiders, and this unfamiliar face was met with some resistance from the patrons.
"You all... shut up! Amid this weather, is it easy to get a guest here? You damned fools are always stopping me from doing business!" The landlady's shout interrupted the patrons' actions, and then her round face immediately showed a smile: "Yes, we have plenty of rooms available. Just you alone?"
"Yes, just me. Also, please prepare dinner for me!" The young man went upstairs to put his things down, then came to sit at the bar. He ordered rye bread, boiled peas, barley wine, and a large piece of roasted lamb, valued at twenty copper coins.
"Minstrel sir, give us a new story to listen to."
"What kind of story would you like to hear?" the minstrel said with a smile. "How about I tell you a story about the Brittania Founding Knight King?"
"We all know that one already!" The patrons indicated they had heard this one too.
"A story about the war between the green skins and the dwarves?"
"That's not interesting!"
The patrons and the minstrel began loudly discussing; some wanted to hear war epics, others love stories, and even some wanted tales of deities. The requests varied greatly, leaving the minstrel somewhat at a loss.
"How about this, we have the minstrel sir tell us a new story, the legendary story of our Nord Kingdom's young hero, 'Great Hammer' Laine. How about that!"
"Good, good, good! That's great!"
"That's the one we want to hear!"
The man only kept his head down to eat, spending a little more money to have the landlady bring some butter for the bread. After finishing his dinner, he excused himself and returned to his guest room.
He booked the best room in this inn. In the inn, the worst accommodation, of course, is the large room, filled with simple beds made of burlap and straw. The slightly better single rooms are either double or single, also containing only a simple bed and a corner with a bucket of water — not for drinking, but for convenience.
His room had a soft bed, a table, a chair, and even a separate compartment for washing, with a small window. After returning to his room, Laine gently pushed the window open, looking at the heavy snow outside: "I wonder how long this snowstorm will last..."
At this moment, the bracelet on the man's wrist suddenly flashed with a soft white light. He was not surprised at all and pressed the gemstone on the bracelet, and a majestic voice came through.
"Laine, have you found Belte's whereabouts?"