## Chapter 73: Lars Returns
"Hiccup..."
Little Shara, who was excitedly running around the stalls in the market, holding my hand, suddenly let out a cute little sneeze.
Today was Market Day in the Rogue Encampment, so the West District was particularly lively. A large number of villagers from the villages near the Rogue Encampment would gather here to buy or sell. The streets were densely packed with stalls, and many things that were usually hard to find could be easily bought today. The streets were teeming with people, and shouts rose like a tide, presenting a scene full of life.
"Sha La, are you cold?"
Sha La had been feeling down these past few days, so I brought her out to wander around since it was the market today.
"I'm fine, Sha La isn't cold at all." Sha La shook her little pink head vigorously and tried hard to say, but unfortunately, she let out another little sneeze right after speaking.
"Haha..."
Seeing her embarrassed look, like a stubborn duck with a hard beak, I felt both heartache and amusement. I quickly took off my wool coat and put it on her. Sha La looked quite embarrassed when her words were immediately exposed after she spoke, but she didn't forget to look up and give me a slightly shy, brilliant smile.
The clothes were still a bit too big for her, almost reaching her knees, and the sleeves hung down loosely, like someone performing in a play. However, paired with her cute face flushed red from the cold, it was a pleasing sight.
After taking off my coat, a strong gust of wind blew over, and a slight chill surged into my heart, making me click my tongue in surprise – even with the vitality of a Class Changer, I could feel cold? Looking at the surrounding civilians, every single one was wearing thick clothes and leather hats covering their ears. Only then did I realize that, unknowingly, the weather had become so cold.
While I was sighing, a sudden icy sensation came from my nose. I thought it was just an occasional splash of water and was about to wipe it away, but a frightened shout made me stop. No, it should be said that everyone on the entire street paused, as if frozen in place.
"It's snowing, it's snowing..."
I looked up in astonishment, and indeed, in the sky, tiny ice pellets, almost transparent like sand and barely visible to the naked eye, were falling from the sky, hitting my exposed skin and bringing a tingling, icy sensation.
There is no saying here about auspicious snow promising a good harvest. For civilians, heavy snow brings more fear and unease. For most Herdsmen, the land frozen by snow forces them to travel longer and farther distances to feed their penned poultry and livestock, which also means greater danger. The monsters outside might also become restless due to lack of food. It seems the Rogue Soldiers will be busy for a while.
However, it didn't matter to me. In fact, perhaps I should even be grateful for this snow, because when I took Sha La home, I saw those two old rascals, Doug and Gus, guarding the door like Door Gods, with a few snowflakes on their heads, peeking inside the door with quite shifty expressions. It seemed that even Door Gods could very well be fake, shoddy products sold at a discount.
"Doug, Gus..."
I thought I was hallucinating. I rubbed my eyes and found that everything was so real, so I couldn't help but call out in surprise. Unexpectedly, when the two flashy guys saw it was me, their faces lit up, and then they suddenly shushed in unison, signaling Sha La and me, who were about to speak, not to talk.
Something's up?!
"What's going on?"
I quickly walked over, like meeting a member of the underground party, speaking in a low voice without looking sideways. Little Sha La next to me was completely confused. Why did Big Brother's expression suddenly become the same as Uncle Doug and Uncle Gus?
Doug didn't turn his head, just lightly pointed a finger, signaling me to look inside. I quickly leaned my head over.
Holy hell, Lars and Auntie Shari were embracing each other, kissing passionately! This world wasn't as open as my original world. Forget about AV, even kissing scenes were only seen in brothels at most, and they were just brief pecks. It was nothing like this deep affection now. Oh, oh, oh, truly a couple of the new era, unrestrained by worldly etiquette!
"Big Brother, Uncle Doug, Uncle Gus, what are you looking at? Let Sha La see too."
Sha La, who was blocked behind us three, tried to squeeze through, jumping up and down, but couldn't see what was happening inside the door. Finally, unable to contain her curiosity, she spoke loudly. Her clear voice, like a bolt of lightning, finally startled the couple awake. They jumped apart in unison and turned their heads to look at the three big heads at the door that hadn't had time to retract.
"Ahem, what, are you jealous that Shali and I have good feelings?" The thick-skinned Lars couldn't help but cough a few times under our strange gazes before blowing his beard and glaring as he shouted loudly.
Gus whispered, "We didn't say anything!"
Doug whispered, "People who are guilty always speak louder."
I shook my head and said, "The night is long, and I have no intention of sleeping. It seems tonight will be another sleepless night."
Upon hearing this, the other two immediately looked at me with admiration, which earned them Lars's exasperated roar...
After the commotion, the three of us sensibly pulled and tugged at each other and left the Lar Family's house. After being separated for so long, they deserved to have a good reunion.
Walking down the road with the two Barbarian brothers, before I could even speak, the big-mouthed Doug couldn't help but spill everything about their journey over the past six months – especially his own great trial – without missing a single detail.
Their battle with the Countess could be said to have gone very smoothly. With Lars, that powerful person with over 70 Fire Resistance, tanking the sea of fire in the front, killing the Countess was without any danger. However, the Elite Monsters on each floor along the way gave them more trouble. Some were even ones they couldn't afford to provoke or weren't confident against, so they had to quietly bypass them. When the three reached the third floor of the Tower, there was a small accident. The great and heroic Barbarian Doug, in order to eliminate these evil monsters and proclaim the authority of God, accidentally stepped into an Unknown Area and discovered many unknown places. His achievements were comparable to the First Generation Pioneer, and so on. Of course, this was what I heard from Doug's mouth. In my opinion, it was nothing more than Doug getting lost while in pursuit of a group of monsters.
Then, these guys who couldn't sit still didn't stay long after returning before running out for trials again. They stayed in the Black Moor for nearly three months. Then, they talked about the shifty and timid Saber Cat (an evolved form of the Fallen), the Revived Monster (an evolved form of the Skeleton) that made "clack-clack" sounds when walking, and the strong Night Tribe (an evolved form of the Moon Clan), the overwhelming Blood Hawk (an evolved form of the Vile Crow), and the Ice Cave Worm (an evolved form of the Ice Worm) that frustrated Melee Warriors. Of course, most of the stories were about how the heroic Barbarian Warrior Doug used his wisdom and strength to eliminate powerful enemies one by one. It wasn't until they reached the Inn that Doug said, still not having had enough, "This is only one-tenth of it. I'll tell you the rest properly tomorrow."
Afterward, the two Barbarians rushed into the room and went to sleep. After more than three months of trials, even with their Barbarian vitality, they must have been exhausted. Although Doug's account just now was full of exaggeration and beautified the party, especially himself, by several times, I still heard the danger within, which showed how they had come this far.
However, seeing Doug and Gus looking energetic, I was still very happy. Lars's recovery allowed them to finally pursue their ambitions. In just a few months, the two Barbarian brothers had already leveled up to 13, and Lars had even reached level 14. Seeing their current fighting spirit, while I was relieved, I also felt a bit envious. I wasn't much different from them now, yet I was still just messing around in the Cave. I felt ashamed. It seemed I needed to speed up my pace.
The next day at noon, by the time I returned from the archery range, the two Barbarian brothers had just woken up. Then, after they ate and drank heartily, they went to Lars's house again and didn't return until evening.
In the following days, I still practiced Archery in the North District in the morning, Magic in the Church in the afternoon, and after returning in the evening, I mostly went to Lars's house with the two Barbarian brothers to mooch meals, staying until late at night. Looking at the joyful Lar Family, the spitting Doug, and the smiling Gus, I sometimes even thought how wonderful it would be if this kind of life could continue forever, regardless of trials or saving the world.
Unfortunately, this was ultimately impossible.
This morning, I woke up unusually early. It was just barely dawn. After eating some breakfast downstairs, I went straight to the archery range. I knew that Sister Sharna must have already started practicing there. Her enviable talent, combined with her unremitting effort, was the source of her strength. "Precisely because my talent is good, I should work even harder than others," she would always answer firmly whenever I advised her to rest for a while.
There were already passersby on the road, most of them civilians with worried faces. The sudden snowfall for several consecutive days had filled the streets with news of so-and-so freezing to death last night, and whose tent had collapsed under the heavy snow. The small Herdsmen were considering whether to slaughter their poultry before they starved to death, and the Herd Masters were crying as they calculated how many of their precious poultry would be left when the weather warmed up. The entire Rogue Encampment was shrouded in sorrow, making me fully feel the backwardness of this primitive society – just a small snowfall had already plunged the entire Rogue Encampment into difficulties. If a disaster as serious as a Locust Plague occurred, I really didn't know what Akara and the others would do.
Arriving at the Training Ground in the North District, there were already quite a few people practicing here. My arrival attracted many gazes, especially from the newcomers who had just undergone Job Promotion, who looked at me with admiration. Why was this? Speaking of which, this was the Snow Wolf Mercenary Group's doing. Ever since they vigorously publicized in the Rogue Encampment that I underwent trials alone and, with the strength of just reaching Tier 2, swept away all the monsters guarding the treasure chest on the second floor of the Cave, I immediately attracted the attention of the Class Changers. It's not uncommon for a Tier 2 Class Changer to undergo trials alone in the Cave; most Class Changers can do it. But being able to sweep away the monsters guarding the chest on the second floor, that's enough to give him the title of Expert. Originally, some people were half-believing, half-doubting, but seeing that I was actually with Sharna, who is Sharna? The number one Expert in the Camp. If you didn't have enough strength, would she even look at you? The people who were originally doubtful immediately believed it by eighty percent. As a result, I actually gained a small amount of fame in the Rogue Encampment. Although I was still far behind Demon Lord Level figures like Sister Sharna, at least most Class Changers could remember my name.
However, I was still a new face who had only appeared half a year ago. A newcomer from half a year ago has already reached Tier 2? I believe many people would have this doubt. So I discussed it with Akara. As expected of someone who had been involved in politics for many years, she just smiled slightly, and a plan formed in her mind. Thus, rumors began to circulate in the Rogue Encampment that I was a genius Druid who had undergone Job Promotion at the age of 21 (I am now 23). Because I had spent years outside undergoing trials, most of my supplies were bought in small villages, and it wasn't until half a year ago that I returned to the Rogue Encampment. Moreover, these 'rumors' were confirmed by Akara. This way, in the eyes of others, it took me over 2 years to reach Tier 2, which was considered a decent speed. And the only ones who truly knew the truth, besides Akara and the others, were the three of Lars. They would never betray me.
In any case, the problem caused by my status and leveling speed was temporarily resolved, and I had also gained a little fame. Seeing myself become the focus of attention, it would be a lie to say I wasn't happy.
But it seemed I had forgotten the principle that fame attracts trouble. Just as I was enjoying the reverent gazes and walking towards the archery range feeling complacent, someone suddenly patted my shoulder from behind.