The cold wind was biting.
A layer of white frost had settled on the ground of the Star Dragon Outpost, causing the earth to crack slightly with the freeze.
Linde tightened his fur coat, squinting against the cold wind.
"Sir!"
At the garden gate, Soldier Leo's nose was red from the cold.
"Mm," Linde nodded, crouched down, and began to sift through the soil. After checking for a while, he said, "It's getting colder. Find more dry grass and weeds to lay down. If we can't find any signs of wolves..."
"Understood!"
When Linde first arrived, the territory had very little food. He had discovered a dozen sprouting potatoes, so he cut them up and carefully chose a spot to plant them.
Now, the potatoes had managed to withstand the biting cold. While this didn't mean Linde could rely on them to survive the winter, it did help to increase their food supply.
After giving some final instructions, Linde left the garden.
He continued to patrol his territory. This was an outpost with five buildings and a large open area, surrounded by towering city walls. Before the shattering of the Magic Ring, this place had served as the kingdom's border, primarily responsible for defending against external bandits and wild beasts.
After the shattering of the Magic Ring and the collapse of the national power structure, this had truly become a forgotten place, with only scavengers and wolves remembering the Star Dragon Outpost.
He arrived at the western wall of the outpost.
A large hole had opened in the wall overnight, and four soldiers were busily picking up stones, wood, and other debris to fill the gap.
It was too cold, and their hands and feet were numb, making their work slow.
"Sir!"
The four turned upon hearing his footsteps, looking at Linde as he approached.
"I had Old Peter brew some soup. We'll have it later to warm ourselves up," he said, standing at the gap to glance outside.
The dense forests from his unfamiliar memories had vanished, leaving only an endless wasteland. The shattering of the Magic Ring not only stripped the flying and ground-bound powers of the strong but also robbed the land of its vitality.
However, Linde didn't need to worry about the end of the world or the shattering of the Magic Ring; his immediate concern was that the wall on the west side of the Star Dragon Outpost had suddenly collapsed last night, causing anxiety among the few people inside the outpost.
Without sturdy walls, there would be no sweet dreams.
After completing his patrol, Linde returned to the small cabin, casually shutting the door behind him, effectively shutting out the cold wind with a solid thud.
A pot hung over the campfire, with ingredients bubbling and swirling in the steaming broth.
Old Peter immediately served Linde a bowl of hot soup. "Sir, have some hot soup to warm up."
Linde took off his gloves and accepted the bowl, cradling it to warm his hands. He sipped the hot soup, and after a few mouthfuls of steam, he finally began to feel warm.
After a while, Leo, who was laying down straw for the potatoes in the garden, and the four soldiers repairing the wall came back. The remaining members were on lookout, and there were only ten people in total at the Star Dragon Outpost, including Linde.
But no one dared to relax. The times were different now, and a moment's carelessness could allow lurking monsters outside the outpost to break in, leaving them truly homeless.
"Hurry, Old Peter, soup! Brrr! I'm freezing!" One of the newcomers shouted, removing his gloves and rubbing his hands vigorously, before leaning closer to the fire to warm himself.
Old Peter quickly served soup for the others and refilled Linde's bowl.
The group each held their bowls, slurping up the soup.
No one spoke, focusing intently on their meals.
Linde was contemplating his survival plan for the future. Getting through the cold winter was just the first step; he needed to ascertain the current situation of the kingdom. If he could get in touch with the family of this body, not to mention inheriting the estate, it should be possible to trade for a couple of bags of wheat, right? It would be even better if he could exchange for some charcoal and cured meat.
Currently, the most important thing was to track down the local pack of wolves, preferably capturing any stragglers.
Wolves were valuable; they had much to offer.
The meat was edible, the fat could be used for cooking, or stored for making torches and burning pots as weapons. Even simply making soup with it would be delicious.
The pelts could be taken to the nearby town for sale, especially in this weather, where furs were in high demand. Trading for food shouldn't be a problem.
However, he believed that if he was starving and eager to hunt the wolves, they were equally focused on him.
"If it comes to it, I'll have to take people out to search. Waiting is not an option."
"Sir!"
The door was suddenly pushed open, and a head wearing a kingdom infantry helmet poked in, bringing in a gust of cold air.
The temperature in the room dropped sharply, and the fire under the hanging pot sputtered and shrank.
"What's going on?" Linde stood up.
The others also put down their bowls, anxiously reaching for the hilt of their swords.
"We've caught someone who slipped in... a person, or maybe a scavenger. You need to see for yourself."
Linde frowned. His worst fears were coming true; those creatures would eventually set their sights on the Star Dragon Outpost. It just happened to be when the wall had collapsed overnight, leaving a large gap.
"Let's go take a look!" He quickly walked outside, and the others hurried to follow, not waiting for their hot soup.
From a distance, Linde could see the scavenger the soldier had mentioned. In such cold weather, the person was clad in nothing but a ragged piece of fabric wrapped around their waist, curled up against the chill.
Their body was emaciated, resembling a stick.
Bright, glaring green hair adorned their head, and their face was contorted, with features that seemed to have a mind of their own, each growing in its own peculiar direction.
"Sir!" The soldier guarding the suspected "scavenger" held his sword high, ready to strike at a moment's notice, and said to Linde, "I just saw him sneak in through the wall, but I didn't expect him to be able to speak."
"If he can talk, then he's not a scavenger. We all know that when you crack open one of those monsters' skulls, there's nothing inside!"
Linde turned to look at the "scavenger" who was crouched down with their head tucked, and he noted how the face was even uglier than that of a scavenger. However, there was no doubt that this person was alive.
The bright green hair caught Linde's attention. From what he understood, only the descendants of certain ancient families possessed such peculiar features. It was possible that this individual was a descendant of trolls.
"I am Linde, the lord of the Star Dragon Outpost," Linde said, looking down at the person. "Who are you?"
His hand rested on the hilt of his sword; he would draw it at the slightest hint of movement.
As a lord, he had to prioritize his own safety first.
To his surprise, the stranger did not answer but instead lifted that strange face to look at Linde. "Wow! This NPC is kind of handsome."
"Huh?" Linde was taken aback; it sounded like he had just heard something extraordinary.
The stranger began to introduce himself: "Um, hello, sir! I am a knight guided by the divine, prepared to spread fire and save the world. My name is 'White stockings Lover' It's just too cold outside, so I stealthily crawled in through the hole in the wall. I am definitely not a scavenger; I just... naturally have distinctive features, which are a sign of the Sun Knight in my homeland."
As the stranger spoke, Linde suddenly saw a previously spinning page from his mind materialize into a clear image.
["Doomsday Magic Ring"]
[Forum Home] [Discussion Area] [Announcements]
Currently, there is only one official announcement, stating: ["Doomsday Magic Ring" Closed Beta Version 1.01, 3000 slots have been issued, testing begins today.]
The entire official website was empty and desolate, but Linde's spirits lifted at the news.