The Frost Kingdom, Arendelle.
Ward came down from the deck expressionlessly, ignored the swearing of the boatswain, took some money and walked towards the tavern.
Wine could numb him.
It made him forget the pain of losing Caitlin, forget the fallen comrades, forget the gloomy undead, forget the ferocious devils. Since the end of the Avatar Crisis, Ward, who was alone, began to self-exile. He lost his home under the attack of the demons, lost his family in the attack of the Gnolls, lost his lover in the scourge of the undead, and lost his friends in the battle to repel the devils. A disaster had taken away everything from Walter, allowing him to quickly grow from a hunter to a terrifying warrior. His body was covered with scars from lizardmen, ogres, gnolls, demons, undead, devils, and even other humans. Fate seemed to have abandoned him, but it also favored him. Ward lost too much, but in the end, he survived the disaster.
He survived a hundred battles.
After completely repelling the devil's army, the nobles invited him to work in the south, but Ward just took his sword and embarked on a journey of wandering.
He was tired.
Not only his body, but his heart was also abnormally tired.
He wandered around the continent for more than a year, went to the Eagle Mountain in the East, went to Snake Island in the South Sea, and finally mixed into an unknown caravan and became an inconspicuous sailor.
"Ward!"
The boatswain of the caravan was very dissatisfied with the seemingly unruly Ward, but before he could speak, the captain patted him on the shoulder and shook his head gently.
Only the captain of the caravan knew who Ward was, because he had seen Ward fighting on the front line in the north.
The pain caused by the Avatar Crisis was being healed by time, and the prosperous Arendelle was gradually recovering from the aftermath of the disaster. Some warriors who retired from the battlefield began to rebuild their families. The pain in their eyes was hidden in the deepest part of their hearts. Only in the dead of night would they sadly recall their fallen comrades in battle.
Humans, Dwarves, Elves, Halflings, Orcs, Lizardmen …
Whether good or evil, they all stood on the same side in the final confrontation. They must drive the devils out of the world.
Everyone had paid a painful price!
More than a year after the end of the Avatar Crisis, Arendelle welcomed a large number of newborns. Many women with children could be seen in the residential area outside the port. Men who had put down their weapons began to rebuild their homes and adapt to the unfamiliar work.
War would only bring destruction, but creation required hands and wisdom.
Ward was like a ghost strolling in the crowd. His beard was unshaven, and he wore a shabby sailor suit. He looked inconspicuous, but people kept a distance from him. He entered the tavern and threw the reward for a flight on the bar. Then, he picked up a wine barrel and walked to the corner. A prostitute glanced at his strong body, but after seeing Ward's eyes, she retreated.
She had met many people.
There was no doubt that Ward was the most dangerous of them all.
There were guards, residents, sailors, and all kinds of people in the tavern. The Avatar Crisis had ended more than a year ago, but there were still people in the tavern bragging about their past experiences. A small southern guard was bragging about how he had killed a tall ogre and how he had followed the army of Mordor to defeat a group of devils. The people next to him listened attentively. Only less than 30% of people came back alive in the final confrontation with the devils. In Arendelle's safe rear, under the protection of the great Princess Royal, many ordinary people had never seen the devils at all.
Ward drank quietly by himself.
He listened to others bragging and talking expressionlessly until all the money was spent. Then he stood up slightly tipsy, walked out of the tavern and walked towards the alley.
In Mordor City, it was not allowed to urinate or defecate in the alley, but the guards of Arendelle did not care. He did not like Mordor City very much. Although it was prosperous, the rules were too strict.
"No! I beg you! … "
Ward, who was peeing in the corner, heard a woman begging for mercy. He glanced up and saw two fierce men dragging a woman into the back alley.
Rats.
There was such a group of people in every city. They did not dare to set foot on the battlefield, but they liked to bully ordinary people.
Ward staggered over, and the two rats who were active underground suddenly became alert. They took out daggers from their waists and said fiercely, "Go away! Drunkard! This is not something you can control. "
Hearing the rat's words, Ward could not help but smile.
A cold light flashed.
In the woman's exclamation, Ward twisted her arm, then lifted her with one hand and threw her directly to the rat next to him.
"Get out of here."
Ward glanced coldly at the woman next to him. She was moderately beautiful, a little plump, not tall, about twenty years old, with a little freckle on her face.
The woman timidly glanced at Ward, who reeked of alcohol. She gently thanked him and ran outside.
The back alley soon quieted down.
Ward picked up the fainted rats with one hand and walked deeper into the darkness. He had been to many places and knew how to deal with these rats. This bit of entertainment might be a rare relaxing pastime for him. The peaceful life that his countless comrades had exchanged for with their lives should not be destroyed by these insignificant trash.
…
The night passed.
The next day, Ward lay lazily on the goods by the dock, basking in the sun.
He had run out of money.
The sailor's pay was not much, and it was only enough for two days at most. The warm sea breeze blew, and Ward narrowed his eyes to recall the past until a shadow was reflected in front of him. There was a person, a woman, standing beside him and looking at him.
The woman from yesterday.
She was wearing a shabby linen dress and holding a small child in her hand, about five or six years old. The woman's expression was a little uneasy, but the child poked his head out to look at him, not afraid of strangers at all.
"What's the matter?" Ward opened his eyes and looked at her.
The woman looked uneasy and said, "Thank you so much for yesterday. Don't you have a place to live? If you don't mind, you can stay at my house for a few days. You can move out when you find a job. "
Her eyes were clear, and there was only pure gratitude.
Ward looked at the woman. Obviously, she thought of him as a down-and-out sailor. Many sailors would sleep on the streets when they spent all their money and couldn't find a job. He just didn't like the smell in the cabin.
Ward was about to shake his head and refuse, but soon his eyes narrowed.
He saw a figure poking his head out in the crowd.
Rat.
He couldn't help but glance at the woman in front of him. Her clothes were shabby, she didn't have any jewelry, and she had a child. She didn't look like a rich person. Such a woman shouldn't attract rats except for a little beauty, but there were many more beautiful women around the tavern. Why were these rats chasing after her?
Soon, Ward nodded.
The caravan would stay here for three days to sell goods. Maybe he could also have some fun.
The woman's house wasn't big, but it was clean and tidy. The furniture was old, but it was wiped clean. There was needlework inside. This was a diligent woman.
The location of the house was very special.
Although it was close to the edge of the dock, there was a lot of construction going on next to it. Ward understood the reason at a glance.
Arendelle was expanding, and this place would soon be expropriated and demolished. This could get a lot of money from the City hall and a new place to live. This money was enough to move many rats. This city was learning from Mordor City, but it was clear that there were not as pure laws as Mordor City. The rats wanted a piece of the pie, and there might be the support of the nobles behind them.
"Where's the child's father?"
Ward looked at the old house. It was already a bit old.
"Dead." The woman's expression was gloomy, but then she raised her head stubbornly and said, "He died on the battlefield in the south. He was a hero. Not a coward who ran away … "
There was obviously a story.
Not everyone had the courage to fight against the devil. Ward had seen many deserters, and even executed some himself.
Ward didn't answer. He just found a clean place to lie down and bask in the sun.
"You must be hungry." After saying that, the woman's expression became gloomy again. Her eyes were red. Although she stubbornly said that her husband was a hero, the news sent back by the army was that her husband was a deserter. Perhaps she already believed it in her heart, but she had to insist in front of the child. She couldn't tell the child that his father was a coward.
The woman quietly wiped the corner of her eyes and said softly, "I'll go make something for you to eat."
Ward didn't answer, nor did he look down on her. He knew how much courage it took to face the devil on the battlefield. He also felt fear, but in the end, he defeated it and chopped off the head of the pit fiend with his own hands.
His comrades were all dead.
He was the only one who survived. The conversation just now made Ward recall those familiar faces.
There were many heroes who shone like stars in the Avatar Crisis. Ward wasn't one of them, but they also fought on the frontlines. Countless comrades were buried on the battlefield. The disaster was over, but the pain left behind was still buried in the depths of these survivors.
"Do you know martial arts?"
The little boy next to him looked at him, as if he wanted to reach out and touch his sword. Such a big child wasn't afraid of strangers at all. He was a brave little fellow.
Ward took the sword and tossed it over, nodding, "Be careful. Don't hurt yourself."
The little fellow curiously grabbed the sword hilt, but his face was red and he couldn't pick it up. Ward couldn't help but laugh. The little boy looked up and said, "Can you teach me martial arts?"
"Eh?" Ward lowered his head and looked at him, "Why?"
The little boy looked at Ward seriously and clenched his fist, "This way I can protect my mother! There are many bad people who bully us and want to steal our house! "
Ward's calm face finally showed a hint of emotion.
… …
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