Chapter 154: Chapter 153: Defenders at the Edge of the World

"What do we do now?" Kase asked.

"Edwin gave me the password for the rendezvous." Colin cleared his throat and knocked on the cellar door.

Just as he was about to say the password, he remembered that it was a bit...

"Password."

A voice came from within the cellar.

"You need a password? Can’t you tell we’re on the same side?" Colin said.

"So unprofessional. The password is ’Shove the long loaf into the hot oven,’ and I’m supposed to reply with ’Thrust the hairy broom into the black chimney.’ That’s how you get the door open!"

’That was close,’ Colin thought, relieved. ’I almost had to say that stupid password.’

The cellar door opened from the inside, and the Wandering Poet continued, "Forget it. If it weren’t for the fact that weirdos traveling with a Half-Orc and a Half-Demon are basically unheard of around here, I never would have opened up! Alright, get in, quick."

Colin, Kase, and the others then entered the cellar.

It looked like an ordinary storage room, filled with vegetables, cured meats, and the like. Then, the Wandering Poet moved a few wooden crates aside and opened another trapdoor, leading the group down to the next level.

Below the trapdoor was a very cluttered room.

In the center of the room was a large table covered with a map. Supplies like Armor, food, and weapons were scattered in the corners.

"Have a seat. There are usually eight of us here, but everyone’s out on assignment. You know, rescuing trapped miners, monitoring Giant movements, relaying critical intel... We’re swamped. My goodness, the higher-ups really need to send more people," the Wandering Poet rambled on while clearing trash from the tabletop.

’This guy’s a bit of a chatterbox,’ Colin grumbled internally.

"Alright, you’re here to find the missing squad and help the Orc Tribe migrate, right?"

"Yes."

The Wandering Poet swept the clutter off the table, revealing a map of Snow Deer Valley—a map Colin had copied before setting out.

At a glance, the southern and eastern sides of Snow Deer Valley were part of the World’s Roof mountain range, while the west and north faced a sea full of floating ice. Snow Deer Ridge, where they currently were, was on the western side of the valley, and Kase’s tribe was in the far eastern corner.

It was also worth noting that the space between Kase’s tribe and Snow Deer Ridge wasn’t empty. It was inhabited by several uncivilized Barbarian tribes, a few of which even had trade agreements with Snow Deer Ridge.

So, the powers within Snow Deer Valley, arranged geographically from west to east, were: Snow Deer Ridge, the Barbarian Tribes, and the Orc Tribe. 𝒇𝒓𝙚𝒆𝔀𝓮𝓫𝒏𝓸𝙫𝓮𝓵.𝓬𝙤𝙢

"This is going to be a long journey, brothers," said the Wandering Poet.

’Finally getting to the point,’ thought Colin, who was hoping to score some free stuff. He said, "I know. Mister Helder said we could get some support."

"Of course. Since there might not be any support along the way, we’ll provide you with a sled and six sled dogs, plus plenty of food, and the necessary potions and intel."

’So much stuff?’

Colin immediately perked up.

"For the sled and food, just go to the local sled shop and tell them you’re with us. I’ve already spoken to them. As for the potions..." The Wandering Poet trailed off as he rummaged through a corner of the room, producing six vials of different colored potions.

Colin looked down.

Three of them were Weak Healing Potions, and the other three were Extremely Weak Cold Resistance Potions.

[Extremely Weak Cold Resistance Potion / Ordinary Magic Potion]

[Cold Resistance: The user gains a Shield that can resist three points of cold Damage. The Shield refreshes every six seconds. Lasts for one minute.]

A Cantrip only deals about a dozen points of Damage at most. This Potion can resist three points of cold Damage every six seconds, which is already an astonishing effect. It would definitely be a game-changer against enemies who use cold attacks.

As for the Weak Healing Potions, they were even more useful. They would definitely come in handy for treating severe bleeding from injuries.

"These are all things we brewed ourselves, so the effects aren’t great. A single Potion like this would only sell for ten or twenty Gold Coins in a potion shop, and even less on the secondhand market. But they’re usable, I suppose."

The Wandering Poet said, "Don’t you guys have Medicated Bandages? Just pour these into the glass tubes inside them. Then you can just pull them out to use during a fight."

"This is already a huge help," Colin said.

He quickly gathered the items from the table. He was already sick of carrying his luggage on his back, and having a sled would make things much easier. This journey would definitely be a lot smoother.

"Also, to be honest, we don’t have much useful intel," the Wandering Poet said. "To put it simply, a lot of Undead have suddenly appeared around the World’s Roof."

"Undead?"

"That’s right. A horde of Skeletons that were sleeping in the ice and snow. We don’t know what they are, exactly," said the Wandering Poet. "Moreover, the Magic Net in that area is in a bit of a chaotic state, which is probably why the Communication Crystal Balls aren’t working. This also means the squad that went in before is very likely still alive, just unable to get out for some reason."

Speaking of Skeletons, Colin was reminded of those cheap knockoffs in the Endless Wilderness.

’Those things were slow and only a threat in large groups. These should be fine... right?’

"What about the Frostland Druids? And the other monsters of the Northern Lands? Have they shown any unusual activity lately?"

"We haven’t heard anything about them. Those things have probably all run south."

"Then how do we deal with the common monsters of the Northern Lands?" Colin pressed.

The Wandering Poet hesitated for a moment before continuing, "Well... we’re just scouts, brother. When it comes to topics like how to fight these monsters, we’re not much help... you get me? Besides, the locals here don’t go deep into the snowfields, so there’s very little intel on powerful monsters."

’That makes sense. If they knew the weaknesses of the monsters here, Thousand Masts City wouldn’t have been so reactive in the face of this winter disaster.’

’But even if the residents don’t venture into the snowfields, the monsters must attack the villages sometimes, right? They should be able to get some intel from that.’

Believing the man wouldn’t lie to him, Colin pushed the question to the back of his mind.

He nodded. "Alright, that’s all I wanted to ask."

"Then that’s all I have to say," the Wandering Poet said. "Good luck to you."

After a moment of silence, the Wandering Poet spoke again. "Can I see your rings?"

Colin slipped off the Seal Ring that represented his status and handed it over.

"Glory New Blood..."

The Wandering Poet took the ring and carefully examined the pattern on it. "I’ve heard only the best new field agents receive this ring. Maybe you’ll be promoted to Tier Four soon."

"If you perform well, you might even get into the Gray Squad. For the ’Shield of Thousand Masts’ to personally ask us to assist you... you’ve got a bright future ahead of you, brothers."

"That’s all in the future," Colin said politely.

"A shame I’m just a Tier Five ’Abyss.’ All of us here are." The Wandering Poet sniffled and handed the ring back to Colin. "To be honest, I don’t really like this tier name, but my abilities are what they are."

"It must be tough carrying out missions here. I’m sure you’ll be able to raise your tier too," Orelia said, encouraging him.

"Well, I’ll be. You’re quite the smooth-talker for a Tiefling. But even if it’s tough, there’s nothing to be done. There are over a thousand people in this town. We can’t just abandon them. There are no Adventurers here, so someone has to do the work."

’That’s about right,’ Colin thought.

’Judging by their work, these Five-Stringed are basically just Adventurers who don’t get paid.’

’They get some financial support, but overall, it’s definitely a losing venture. And it’s incredibly dangerous.’

The Wandering Poet said, "Besides, this place isn’t even that harsh. We have people in the Underworld monitoring monsters like the Drow and Gray Dwarves. Now that’s a sunless nightmare. If you get into real trouble down there, there’s no chance of being rescued."

"Alright, I’ve said my piece," the somewhat talkative Wandering Poet said. "Good luck, gentlemen."

"Good luck to you, too."