Chapter 212

When they went out before, it was because they encountered an extremely abnormal number of wolves that both Goodwin's parents were buried in the snowfield.

About an hour passed after leaving the village, and everyone came to a coniferous forest.

In the cold snowfield, only this kind of cold-resistant trees can barely survive. A few people with axes came out and began to chop down the books in the coniferous forest and collect them back for daily use of making fires for cooking and heating. use.

Others were on alert around the coniferous forest to see if they could catch any prey.

This lasted for three hours, and the woodcutter changed one group after another. Even Orson went up to chop wood for half an hour. In order to prevent the villagers from suspecting him, he did not deliberately cut his wood in front of everyone. His strength was revealed, but he was just a little more efficient than ordinary people.

Even so, he still got the approval of the old village chief.

The old village chief came to Orson and looked at him with a slight sweat on his forehead, without hiding his admiration.

"Young man, you are very skilled. Do you usually work less?"

"It's all just brute force." Orson wiped his sweat and said casually.

"By the way, old gentleman, I haven't asked your name yet. My name is Orson. What's yours?"

"Me? You can call me Ilyich." The old man said, took the ax from Orson's hand, handed it to another man who was resting, and then started chatting with him.

"You said you were a folklorist earlier, right?"

"Yes." Orson nodded.

"Then I can't talk to you now. Tell me, what do you want to know?"

"Well... we may have to talk for a while." Orson said this, straightened out his thoughts, and then said:

"First of all, the climate and environment in Lapland are really harsh. Even if you move four to five hundred kilometers south, the climate and environment will be much better. Haven't you people in the village thought about moving south?"

"Moving south?" Irich heard Orson say this, touched his beard, and then shook his head.

"Of course there are people in our village who have thought this way, but most people don't think so."

"If we are used to warmth, then when we encounter severe cold or wind and snow again, we will no longer get used to them. Instead, we will hate and hate them, so of course we will not want to leave."

"Why? Obviously you don't have to do this." Orson asked doubtfully. "Of course I appreciate and respect your good character of enduring hardship and standing hard, but...you don't have to bear this kind of hardship."

"Really?" Ilyich said, shaking his head.

"I don't think so."

"Why?"

"The generation before me and the generation before me have been instilling a truth into us since childhood, and they have always let us pass it on."

"The environment in this world will never remain static. When the environment becomes harsh, only those who have adapted to the harsh environment in advance can withstand the difficulties and survive."

Saying this, Ilyich looked at Orson and pointed at the coniferous forest.

"Take this forest as an example. During the two warmest months of the year, when the heavy snow melts, they will take advantage of this limited time to take root and grow, so that they can withstand the severe cold and wind that will follow. Snow. If it were replaced by your southerners’ trees, they wouldn’t be able to withstand it, right?”

"This kind of tree can still survive in the south, but what about the trees in the south in the north?"

Of course Orson also understood this simple truth, but Orson still asked in confusion:

"Of course I understand what you are saying, but there is one thing I still don't understand. Are you so sure that in the future, the environment will be so bad that even humans cannot survive?"

"Yeah." Ilyich nodded. "Be prepared for a rainy day, that's what you southerners say, even though it never rains in the snow. We are not like you who can cultivate so many powerful magicians and warriors. They have good physiques and may be able to survive when the environment deteriorates in the future. They can survive, even better than us, but there are also a very large number of ordinary people in the south, right? "

“We don’t want to be like them and have to survive here.”

"..." Orson fell silent after hearing this.

He already had a certain understanding in his heart.

The concepts rooted in Ilych's heart, and even in the hearts of all local Laplanders, are probably related to their beliefs.

Perhaps the gods they believed in once issued an oracle. The content of the oracle was that an apocalypse would break out in the future and the environment of the entire continent would deteriorate. In this case, only by adapting to the changing climate in advance can we survive in the future. Survive, which is why most Laplanders are unwilling to go south.

But there may also be a human element to it.

That was the political factor in the South.

When you go to the south, you not only have to be controlled, but you also have to be discriminated against.

Orson is familiar with history books and knows about the past of the Dukedom of Lucia.

In order to launch his own war of conquest, their talented and ambitious Duke levied countless taxes and taxes to support his army.

Harsh government is fiercer than tigers. Perhaps compared to being oppressed to death in the south, the reason why many outsiders come here is actually because of policy factors.

Afterwards, in order to prevent their descendants from going south to suffer, they probably weaved this white lie.

I’m afraid the specific reasons will have to be

Keep asking.

When Orson was thinking about this, just as he was about to ask about religious beliefs, a wolf howl came from deep in the woods.

It was getting dark, and everyone was preparing to return to the village after finishing this batch. They had caught a lot of wood and prey, enough for the next week. However, at this time, the wolf pack set their sights on the villagers.

After the wolf howls, more than a dozen wolves rushed out of the woods at once, and behind them, there seemed to be countless companions.

Ilich stood up instantly, holding the hunting knife on his waist and standing at the front of the team, nervously watching the movements of the wolf pack in front of him.

Chapter 12: Three Wings

The wolf pack and the villagers confronted each other, and neither side chose to take the initiative.

The two sides confronted each other for several minutes, and no one dared to let down their guard.

It was at this time that another wolf howl came from behind the wolf pack, and then the wolf pack in front of the villagers turned around and retreated back to the woods.

It was also at this time that the people in the village breathed a sigh of relief.

Although humans are much bigger than wolves, in such harsh areas, even a common wound infection may kill a person. Therefore, everyone tried not to fight as much as possible, and just confronted the wolf pack, not interfering with each other.

At this time, the pack animals from the village also came over with wooden carts. Everyone put the supplies on the carts and then walked back.

Orson also rushed to Ilich at this time.

"Village Chief Ilich, what happened just now? Why did the wolf pack retreat?"

"Sometimes it happens. If we have fewer people, the wolf pack may attack, but we have so many people here that the wolf king has to consider whether he will be swallowed up by other wolf packs around."

Ilich walked on the snow and answered with a smile.

"Don't think that wolves are a group of beasts. Their brains are no stupider than humans. Like humans, they like to stick together and have their own tribe and territorial awareness. They don't recognize other wolf packs."

"Of course I know this."

Orson nodded to show his understanding.

If there had been a fight just now, it would have been normal for the villagers to suffer losses if Orsen had not used some strength. It was also a good thing for Orsen to avoid fighting as much as possible.

Then Orsen followed the team back to the village in silence. At the entrance of the village, people unloaded the supplies on the cart pulled by the pack animals.

The firewood on this large cart weighed at least a thousand pounds, which was quite strenuous for the pack animals. When it was transported to the home, each household could only get about fifty pounds of firewood. Therefore, most people spent most of the day in the large room in the village for heating and eating except going home to sleep at night, which could save firewood consumption.

As for the food that the villagers on the way back had more or less in their hands, for a village of forty or fifty people, they could not eat it for long even if they saved it.

Therefore, frequent hunting was considered daily life here.

The collective system was also the optimal solution for the system here.

When Orsen saw that every household only left a little firewood in their room and moved the rest of the firewood to a large house in the center, he roughly knew the living conditions of this village.

It is the best solution under the current environment. If they are determined to live here forever, then they can only do this.

Of course, when everyone returned to the village, it was already dark. Orson saw that the only place with light in the village at the moment was the house where he was staying temporarily. After saying hello to the village chief Ilich, he returned to his temporary residence.

As soon as he opened the door, there were many more people in the room than during the day.

In addition to the children, many elderly people also gathered here. Orson was not unhappy about this, but it just achieved his goal.

Leaving Elsa and Olivia here was also the right choice. The two of them played their social skills and were chatting with an old woman here at the moment. The children also gathered around the two.

After seeing Orson open the door and come in, some people obviously felt a little embarrassed and avoided their eyes.

Orson didn't say anything. He stood at the door. Seeing this, Olivia also stood up and came to him.

"Back?" She said so, walked forward, and gently brushed the snow off Orson's clothes.

"Yeah." Orson nodded.

"Did you get any useful information while hunting outside?"

"A little, but I didn't ask in detail. I'll tell you in detail after dark."

"Okay." Olivia nodded.

After checking that Orson's clothes were not wrinkled, she looked up at Orson with satisfaction. "No accidents?"

"Yes, but it's not a big problem. We encountered a pack of wolves, but the wolves didn't attack. I guess they were afraid of us."

"Okay, you haven't eaten for so long since you went out." Olivia said this, turned around, and handed Orson a bowl of soup on the stove. "I left a bowl of broth for you. Sorry, the environment in the snowfield is like that, there are not many seasonings, just make do with it, and I'll make it for you later. You can eat as much as you want."

"That's what you said." Orson took the bowl with a smile, and then drank the soup in it.

Olivia saw Orson's actions and showed a helpless look. Then she took out a handkerchief from her arms, handed it to Orson's mouth, and gently wiped the corners of his mouth.

At this moment, in the house, except for Elsa who kept staring at the two people's affectionate behavior, everyone else gathered around the old woman and listened to her story.

This old woman seemed to be a veteran in the village. The wrinkles on her face showed her longevity like the rings of an old tree.

At this moment, she was telling the children the story of the snow monster. While listening to the story, Elsa watched the interaction between Olivia and Orson. For some reason, she felt a little dissatisfied.

At this time, the two were still flirting.

Humph, they are worthy of being an engaged couple. They are really a model couple.

It seems that even Elsa herself did not realize that she had a little jealousy and envy. However, a term came to Elsa's ears at this time.

"Children, guess who drove the snow monster away in the end?"

"Grandma Shernie, you have told us this story ten thousand times, and my ears are about to be callused!" A child complained.

"Oh, is there? Then I will continue."

"The god with three snow-white wings couldn't bear the snow monsters wreaking havoc on the snowfield, so during the day, while the snow monsters were resting in the cave, he buried the snow monsters in the cave with an avalanche. Since then, no snow monsters have ever bothered us again."

The god with three snow-white wings?

Hearing this information, Elsa pricked up her ears instantly.

Listening to the description of old lady Sherni, it seems that this creature is similar to the angels in the Imperial Church, but the angels have two snow-white wings and a halo on their heads.

Could it be that when the legend came here, it was changed by the locals?

But why do they emphasize that there are three wings?

Elsa had no intention of being jealous of the intimate behavior between Olivia and Orson, so she pricked up her ears and continued to listen.

"Grandma Sherni, you always say it's a god. Does that god have a name?"

"Silly child, a god is a god. How can it have a name?"

Chapter 13: Communication Method

Elsa didn't stand up until the old man finished telling the story.

Then she came to the door.

Osen simply drank the remaining broth and walked towards the big house in the village. There were still some things he hadn't asked Ilich.

"Elsa, what's wrong?" Olivia asked puzzledly as she saw Elsa coming over.

Elsa glanced at the door and then shook her head.

"It's not a big deal, but I just heard some of the content of the story when the old woman was telling the children a story."

"For example?"

"The snow monster, and the god with three snow-white wings."

If there is no local historical record, the folklore survey in many places needs to start from the local stories and legends, because the legends passed down by word of mouth often mean something very important. Although they have been adapted by countless people for many generations, some historical facts can always be inferred from them.

Olivia heard Elsa say this, touched her chin, lowered her head and thought, and when she raised her head again, she seemed to have understood it clearly.

"What did you guess? Tell me." Elsa asked curiously.