noffsinger Chapter 6: Outsider
Chapter 6: Outsider
Foreigner?
Others couldn't see the expression on Old Village Chief Tik's face, but only he knew how unwelcoming he was to outsiders.
However, even so, as a shrewd old man who had lived for over 70 years, he would not show his true emotions on his face. After adjusting a kind smile, Tick met this "new" outsider.
When he met the two of them, Tick was still taken aback.
What's this chicken thief doing here?
However, when he turned his gaze to Lin Tian, his expression became even more serious.
Is that tiger skin around your waist?
Tiger skins are nothing to nobles or merchants with a little money, but in a village of only about 100 people, they are extremely intimidating.
Black Forest Village is located right next to the edge of the Black Forest, which is where the village's name comes from. However, the villagers do not want this name because wild animals often come down from the Black Forest. At night, it's alright, as the firelight keeps the wild animals away.
During the day, they couldn't even get close to the edge, for fear that some wild beast might rush down and kill them. Later, they killed several wild beasts, all kinds of wild beasts, but new ones always kept appearing, and many of their young men died as a result.
Therefore, the Black Forest was designated as a forbidden area by their village, and no one was allowed to approach it without permission. Even Norn had to ask permission repeatedly before he was allowed to go there to collect herbs.
Now, this person is wearing a tiger-skin skirt around their waist, and they came from the direction of the Black Forest.
These two people........
"Hello, you must be the village chief. My brother and I are passing through and would like to stay here for the night. Do you have any spare rooms available so we can rest? We will pay you accordingly."
Lin Tian repeated the same story he told the village chief at the village entrance, then turned his gaze to the wolf swordsman standing to the side.
The wolf swordsman understood immediately. He then placed the pack on his back on the ground and untied it, revealing fresh chunks of meat inside. The meat had smooth cuts, and judging from the way it was throbbing, it must have been recently obtained.
Seeing this, Tick was more worried than pleased, feeling that these two outsiders were not good people either.
He didn't believe that ordinary people could go out to find relatives with just two people; they must have some skills. The meat looked extremely fresh, so it must have been cut not long ago. However, there was not a trace of blood from slaughter on these two people, so they must not be ordinary people. And the more extraordinary they are, the more careful one must be.
Unlike the villagers, Tike was from out of town and had seen far more of the world than the native inhabitants. He knew the world was treacherous, and in this chaotic world, the more powerful one was, the more...
“Oh, I see. Of course we welcome you, but you two young men don’t look like ordinary people. This humble place is not quite worthy of you. How about this, if we go a little further ahead, there is a small town that governs more than a dozen surrounding villages. The town is extremely prosperous, not much different from the big cities deep in the kingdom. If you two don’t mind, I can have someone take you there. Let’s set off now and get on an oxcart. We can arrive before dark.”
"I see that you are tall and strong, brother. You must not be an ordinary commoner. There are also many high-ranking officials and nobles in that town. If you ask me, your relative may be one of them, hehe."
While praising the two men's appearances, Old Tick subtly declined their offer, his polite tone suggesting he genuinely regretted that they couldn't stay the night.
The old man is scared.
Lin Tian narrowed his eyes slightly, paused, and then spoke in the same polite tone:
"No problem, no problem. We're just waiting for ordinary people. Village chief, you don't need to worry that we're bad people. My father was a hunter, and my brother and I have learned a few skills. When hunting, we inevitably get covered in blood, so we may look a bit scary, but we're actually very kind-hearted!"
Lin Tian could tell that Tike was afraid he would cause trouble here and wanted him to stay away from their village, but Lin Tian naturally wouldn't do as he wished. He came down the mountain to investigate the surrounding area, so how could he leave the Black Forest, which was closest to him, unexplored? As for the town, Lin Tian was somewhat curious, but he wasn't in a hurry.
"this........"
“Village chief, are you having some difficulties? It’s alright. We don’t need to stay overnight. We just need to stay here for a while and rest. Later, we can find a good place outside the village to make do.”
Seeing that Tike remained silent for a long time, Lin Tian was not annoyed. After saying this, he made a gesture as if to walk outside.
"and many more!"
"Ok?"
"......"
"Is there anything else, village chief?"
"No trouble at all, no trouble at all. You two brothers have traveled a long way to get to this village, so it's impossible for you to stay outside. How about this, I have a spare room in my house, if you don't mind..."
"Of course not, not at all!"
Lin Tian's eyes lit up at this, and without giving him a chance to back out, he took the bag of fresh meat from the wolf swordsman and handed it to the village chief.
"It's just a small token of my appreciation, please accept it as payment for the hotel room!"
"No, no, no!"
Tick waved his hands repeatedly. These two didn't look like good people, so how could he dare to take their things?
However, Lin Tian did not pull his hand back. Instead, he forcefully pried open the village chief's hand, stuffed the package of meat into it, and then said with a smile:
"Lead the way, village chief."
Looking at the smiling man in front of him, Tick felt he had made a mistake.