Traveling through The Elder Scrolls: Skyrim

Stein and I headed eastward in the dim morning light. Unlike the narrow valley we crossed yesterday, the terrain ahead was very open and the trees were sparse. This place was close to the snow line, and even in July, there was still a thin layer of ice under our feet.

"Sir, please look!"

I put my hands on the pergola and looked in the direction Stein pointed.

It was a snow-covered ruin. The official road connecting Pale Pass and Newgra Fortress passed by it to the north. The road was almost completely buried. I could recognize it because there was a stone wall as a guardrail at intervals on both sides of the official road. I swept away the loose snow on the top and carefully observed the ice layer on the road that was more than one finger thick. The ice surface was smooth and flat. It seemed that no heavy vehicles such as carriages had passed through it in the recent period.

Stein wandered around for a long time, but didn't seem to find anything worth mentioning. After a short rest, we continued along the official road. The entrance to the Pale Secret Passage was quite a distance away, and even for people like us who walked briskly, it would take a whole day to walk.

The mountain wind blew up the ice and slapped it on my face. The scenery around me was extremely monotonous. In the distance were mountains covered with ice and snow. Under my feet was a slippery official road, and a stream formed by melted snow flowed silently. The best way to kill the fatigue brought by the boring journey was to chat, so I asked Stein about the information of Pale Pass.

"It was only after I followed you that I had the opportunity to come to Mount Jerrol and see the world. Before that, I had only heard about the situation here from my father."

According to my squire, Pale Pass, as a key point connecting Skyrim and Cyrodiil, was once garrisoned by the Imperial Legion. However, as the Empire's power declined, the number of garrisons continued to decrease. Finally, the war with the Thalmor became the last straw, and the few remaining soldiers here were also transferred to the southern front. The lords of Falkreath and Bruma did not realize the seriousness of the problem at the first time, until the bandits began to block the road and kill people, and the connection between the two places was completely cut off, and then they began to dispatch their troops.

The bandits gathered in the mountains and forests, taking advantage of the complex terrain, fought against powerful enemies on both sides of the north and south for more than a year. There was even a rumor in the army of Falkreath that these villains had reached an evil deal with the hunting demon Hircine, and could transform into goats at will, so as to climb rocks and ridges and sneak attack those soldiers who were not careful enough. However, the Skyrim Legion led by General Jonah passed by here when they rushed to Cyrodiil. They were like a tiger among the sheep, and easily recaptured the Pale Pass.

Tagel was a member of the Skyrim Legion, and he quickly passed the news to his father, and the then Lord of Falkreath immediately sent soldiers to take over the pass. Bruma took a tacit attitude towards this, because they did not have enough troops to fight for such an easy-to-defend stronghold. In fact, the Lord was unable to even maintain law and order in the city.

However, Pale Pass has become a burden to Falkreath.

All supplies had to be transported from the hinterland, with baggage trains departing from the Newgra Fortress and entering the Jerol Mountains along a rugged road. Although most of the bandits had been eliminated, there were still small groups of thieves who robbed the roads, so guards were also indispensable. For each transport, at least two-thirds of the food was consumed on the way back and forth, and the defenders could get very little.

Coupled with the adverse climatic conditions, garrisoning Cangbai Pass became more like a harsh punishment. Anyone with some connections would try to avoid this chore. After Danger took over as lord, he gradually reduced the garrison at Cangbai Pass in consideration of various difficulties. When the avalanche occurred last winter, there were only five people left, and they probably did not escape.

As for the Pale Secret Pass, it actually refers to the canyon where the Pale Pass is located. It has now been completely filled with avalanches. Even after more than half a year, it is still impassable. I could only feel the shock brought by the frozen mudslide near the entrance and then return home.

When we passed the ruins again, we were about to set up camp for the night. Although they are called ruins, they are actually just five stone pillars that have not completely fallen down. Each pillar is made of huge stones. The two thickest ones require about six people to hug, and the thinnest one requires three people to hold it. Even though the stone pillars have been broken, they are still more than three meters high. From this, we can imagine how magnificent the buildings that originally stood here were.

"Stein, you said that it is extremely difficult to transport supplies to Pale Pass. Then who built these buildings?"

"I don't know, sir. I never heard of any inhabitants of this place."

The young man was very frank, and then turned around and fiddled with the campfire.

The stone pillars are located on a slightly higher ground, with a steep mountain behind them. The official road comes from the east, turns north here, and disappears into the mountains. Not far to the west is the canyon leading to the Blood Throne Fortress, and to the south is a flat plateau, the size of four or five football fields. No matter when these stone pillars were built and by whom, there is no doubt that this was once a prosperous village.

These stone pillars originally supported what was probably the most magnificent building in the village, either a temple or a council hall. The lower-lying area to the south was probably where the villagers lived.

"Stein, make arrangements when you get back. I need a detailed map of this place, including the area of ​​the open space in front of us, the direction of the mountains on both sides, and the height of the mountains."

"Yes, my lord."

The terrain here reminded me of the Great Wall. I had visited several famous passes in my previous life and was deeply impressed by the amazing creation. Now, it was as if a fantasy appeared in my eyes. A majestic pass rose from the ground, standing between the peaks, facing the pale secret entrance in the southeast. The two walls stretched along the mountain, like two arms outstretched, the left arm protecting the official road under the elbow, and the right arm hiding the canyon behind the city gate. Beacon towers were set up on the city walls. When the smoke was raised, the Newgra Fortress and the Bloody Throne could be seen.

If this pass is completed, there will be no worries in the southern border!

The stone materials for building the city can be transported from the Blood Throne, and the trees in the canyon are just cut down and pulled over to build the house. The only problem is that I don't have enough manpower, but I didn't plan to do it myself. Nan Ya, this guy, has cheated me so many times, this time he should do something.

I was satisfied with this trip to explore the Pale Passage and praised Stein for making the suggestion. The young man was even a little embarrassed by my praise.

As planned, I came to Falkreath again, and under the pretext of celebrating my birthday, I cooked a few hard dishes and invited Donna and Savilla to taste them together. Donna was very surprised. In her impression, her son almost never cooked, let alone came up with these new tricks. Moreover, since he followed his uncle to do business, Rocker was away from home for nearly 300 days a year, and each time he came back, he would never stay for more than five days. To be fair, the relationship between mother and son was very ordinary, but Sunil, as an uncle, was closer.

I took over Locke's body, and still inherited his habit of not being at home, but I was trying to repair my relationship with Donna. Every time the old woman saw me, she never concealed her joy. Perhaps in her eyes, her child not only had a promising future, but also became more mature and sensible. In the past month or so, Lai Mei, who used to be with me, suddenly disappeared, and Donna didn't ask at all, which was somewhat beyond my expectation. Who wouldn't feel uncomfortable when the lies I made up were useless?

After a happy day, I went to visit Rigel as usual, but Riya blocked me from entering the house because "Madam is not feeling well." However, she looked calm and said that Rigel had some symptoms of labor, but it was not a big deal, but it was inconvenient for her to see guests. This made me secretly happy, and my steps became much lighter. Suddenly, I had a bold idea.

I'm going to meet Danger.

Because I was worried that the child's affair would be exposed, I have been hiding from the old fox for a while, but this is not a solution. As the saying goes: You can hide for a while, but you can't hide forever. Instead of being frightened and having wild thoughts all day, it is better to take the initiative and find out what he is saying.

Having made up my mind, I suppressed my anxiety and entered the Howling Wind Bastion.

"Sit down, my child. If you want tea, help yourself."

Danger pointed to the teapot beside him and leaned leisurely on a soft couch.

"I heard from Nanya's steward that you are tinkering with new things again?"

"It's just some trivial tricks, for my own amusement when I have nothing to do."

The old fox laughed.

"You young people are always restless. But this time, you can rest assured that I will not let Nanya Steward rob you again."

"Thank you, sir. Actually, if the bricks can really be fired, I do need the help of Nanya's chief steward. Since we are cooperating, it is only natural that she should get a share of the profits."

Danger seemed a little surprised. But I know very well that with my current financial and human resources, it is not easy to eat alone. With the help of Nanya and her resources, the brick factory can expand rapidly and successfully occupy the market of the entire territory. Instead of eating a small snack alone, it is better to make the cake big.

"Those are just minor matters. I am not bothering you because of the ownership of a few Septim."

"Oh? Then, tell me about your great story?"

The old fox straightened up.

I reported on my visit to the Pale Secret Passage a few days ago, and told him about my plan to build the city, and gave him a detailed introduction to the design ideas of the city gates, city walls, and beacon towers. Danger did not interrupt me, but tapped his thigh with his hand. After I finished, he thought for a while.

"How long do you estimate it will take to build this castle?"

"It will take at least five years to complete the whole project. But we can build it in stages. The most important part is the city gate. First, cut down trees nearby, build an outline, and clear a road. Then replace the wood with stone. The removed wood can be used to build houses and fortifications. Then choose suitable locations on the ridges on both sides to set up sentries, and then transform them into beacon towers. Finally, connect the city gate and the beacon tower with a stone wall, and the project will be complete."

"This is a serious matter, I cannot make a hasty decision. How about this, you accompany the Nanya chief steward to conduct a field investigation. If she agrees with your idea, then this matter can be done."

After the old fox sent the maid Tecora to invite Nanya, he came to my side.

"Madame Nanya is a bit stubborn. She will do whatever she can to accomplish what she has set her mind on. Of course, all high elves are stubborn, so she is not targeting you. But you don't have to be wronged every time. You two are on the same level. As long as you stick to your position, she can't do anything to you."

Danger patted my shoulder and waved behind me.

"Ah! Nanya, you're here so quickly. Please sit down. Locke just made an interesting suggestion..."

Three days later, I entered the canyon east of the Bloodthrone Fortress again. In addition to Stein, I was accompanied by Nanya and a maid of fifteen or sixteen years old. The matron of Falkreath was dressed in a tight suit and looked neat and capable, totally different from the dignified and steady lady she usually was. We lingered at the destination for four days, carefully measuring the area of ​​the open space and drawing a detailed map.

Nanya even specifically requested to climb a nearby mountain to observe the terrain. As for the origin of the ruins, the chief steward said that he was only a hundred or eighty years old, with little experience and knowledge, so naturally he had no idea. In general, she agreed with my plan and said that we should organize people as soon as possible and lay the foundation before the summer is over. In order to avoid the difficulty of the work after the ground freezes in winter.

Danger's amiable attitude made me feel more at ease. I realized that I had not received any news from the outside world for nearly a month. Lydia's information must have been sent directly to my father, and Lund probably did not send a letter for confidentiality reasons. But Eric did not make any move either, which was unusual. Treva's watchtower was not very far from Falkreath, and Starleo was anxious to rescue his family, so he would definitely not agree to him staying put for a long time.

I hope something went wrong.

Plus, I got news about Silver Hand from Eddie, and I should share it with him as soon as possible, so I planned to go to Helgen.

But unexpectedly, as soon as I walked out of the door, I saw Eric rushing towards me with big strides.

"Eric, I was just about to..."

Without waiting for me to finish my words, he grabbed my arm and dragged me back into the house. He looked around, then closed the door, took out a crumpled piece of paper from his pocket and threw it in front of me.

It was a short note, with a handwriting that was familiar to Rigel.

"Dear Angie, I am very happy to hear that you are pregnant. I wish you and your baby good health. Please take care of yourself, especially in the first three months. If you need anything, please let me know and I will do my best to prepare for you. The reason why I replied to you after so many days is that I had the symptoms of labor and I was not energetic enough. Now, I can finally share this good news with you."

My palms were sweating slightly and my wrists even started shaking uncontrollably.

"Yesterday, on the eighth day of the last month, I gave birth to a boy. The midwife said that although I was a little premature, fortunately the baby is very healthy."

Rigel was not born prematurely. If the date I calculated was correct, her pregnancy was probably around forty-one weeks, which could even be considered a little late.

In any case, mother and child are safe. It was just the last sentence that made me feel relieved again.

"Lord Danger decided to name the child Sunil. Coincidentally, he has the same name as Lockeel's uncle."

Rigel capitalized the word “just right.”

I just felt a cold sweat sliding down my back.