Chapter 282: Scene 62 Chablis_2

“Brand, is it here?” she asked.

“Yes,” Brand responded with a nod. “This is Chablis. The name ‘Chablis’ was left by the Silver Elves and it means ‘Sweet Hills.’ It seems we are in luck; Madara’s undead have probably not passed through here. It remains as serene as ever.”

However, he thought to himself that it was not surprising; Instarlon would certainly choose more prosperous regions to advance through.

No doubt that Black Knight circumvented Brags, this tough nut, to take advantage of Rangdenier. Of course, he would not venture into these remote Chablis Hills for no reason.

Moreover, these were ‘stories’ that had already happened in history. Brand felt confident.

“Are there any local delicacies in Chablis?” Miss Merchant immediately asked another question.

“You can try the mountain people’s hot pot.” Brand turned to look at the girl he adored and smiled indulgently. “Ever since we left Majitan, Little Roman, you seem to have become more and more gluttonous. Be careful not to gain weight.”

As soon as Roman heard this, her eyebrows shot up immediately, and she hurriedly defended herself, “I… I won’t get fat! I’m just eating a little bit.” But her words sounded more like self-consolation. She secretly measured her waist with her hand, and her brows furrowed.

It seemed the conflict between good food and gaining weight troubled her, making her unable to decide.

“Sir Knight, does this place have the ‘Sage’s stone tablet’ you mentioned?” came the question from behind. Antitina rode a sleek black horse whose coat resembled satin. Over the recent days, the girl’s complexion had gradually become rosier, a stark contrast to the pallor she exhibited when she first met Brand. Though the journey had been arduous, at least she no longer had to worry about the next meal daily.

Tied to her saddle was a long scroll case. Inside were not just her intellectual creations and most treasured possessions, but also Brand’s most valued treasures. He had insisted on bringing Antitina along because of the parchments filled with various drawings.

The girl coughed twice and lifted her head to gaze at the clear sky, murmuring, “It’s almost October.”

“Don’t worry. No one should have beaten us to it this time.” Brand knew what the girl was referring to.

They had left Brags over a month ago. The news of the ceasefire between Erune and Madara had spread to every Noble Council in the south by the end of August. By then, they had just arrived in Rangdenier and initially settled in the ‘Forest City’ of Majitan, the capital of this count’s domain.

Brand had hoped to find the Sage’s stone tablet in the Forest of Mist west of Majitan, but as it turned out, as in the past games, the Northwind Church had already obtained it. Brand had no connections with the Northwind Knights of Count Rangdenier. After lingering for some time, they had no choice but to leave.

However, during their time in Majitan, Brand introduced Roman to the local specialty, a kind of honey dessert. As a result, Miss Merchant developed a keen interest in local delicacies wherever they went.

Thinking of this, Brand couldn’t help but smile slightly, but suddenly, he was reminded of the twelve-month coup. There were only two months left. He thought he certainly couldn’t make it in time, and could only leave it to the future Regent King Princess and the girl from Buqi countryside—

Frey.

He believed that, by now, Frey had arrived at the Royal Knight Academy within the Princess’s private territory. He just didn’t know the extent of the external tensions. But there were limits to what a person could do. He didn’t have the resources to engage in the dukes’ games. At present, Brand’s major task was to continue to grow stronger. And speaking of strengthening himself, he couldn’t help but think that by this time, Reto and his group should have already entered Anlek Province.

“Are we to look for the stone tablet here?” Antitina asked.

“Yes, there’s a Silver Elf ruin to the north. The stone tablet is rumored to be in the ruins,” Brand replied. He thought to find a guide since he was well-versed in the area’s background but had never been to Chablis. Therefore, he didn’t know the exact location of the Balrog-Saint Gilles Ruins.

However, the ruins were inhabited by a group of Lizardman bandits. He doubted it would be as easy as he imagined. In the past game, the Balrog-Saint Gilles Ruins were a level 23 instance, although far below the Golden Magic Tree’s Forbidden Garden, there was no shortcut.

After a moment’s thought, he decided to head into the town first.

…

The three of them descended the gentle hillside and entered Chablis in less than half an hour.

In fact, Chablis Town was quite different from most southern towns in Erune. The mountain people had built this town in the mountains — not an easy task. They followed their ancestors’ wisdom, piling stones to level the slopes, so the town always layered up the mountain foot like a stone fortress.

If one were to use a single impression to describe the town, it would be ‘stairs,’ a myriad of interlocking steps. Buildings lined the rising platforms, and these narrow, elongated stairs connected the staggered platforms.

The area still retained the original southern mountainous scenery of Erune. The mountain people used little magic, constructing stone-carved lamp posts along the stone steps. Hollow sections within held firebowls, replacing oil lamps or magic lights.

Brand remembered that Chablis had only one tavern, an inn called the ‘Chablis Lantern Grass.’ Chablis players’ forum section bore this name, which made him remember this legendary inn.

The inn was legendary because it was essentially the home for all adventurers, mercenaries, and players in Chablis. Its appearance resembled a spacious hall, with guest rooms underneath. Travelers gathered in the upper hall to exchange news. Such inns existed only in this southern town of Erune.

As they walked into the small town, Antitina and Roman didn’t notice anything unusual, but Brand immediately sensed something odd.

He carefully observed from the horseback, noticing people dressed differently from the local mountain people’s traditional attire passing by, mostly strong and vigorous men who occasionally glanced at them suspiciously. Brand instantly recognized these people — travelers, adventurers, mercenaries, and monster hunters.

These people were common throughout Vorn, but…

For a place like Chablis, it seemed like there were too many of them.

This wasn’t the Chablis from the past games, where many players gathered.

(To be continued, for more chapters, please visit www.qidian.com. Support the author and legal reading!)