Traveling through The Elder Scrolls: Skyrim

"As soon as I saw Rigel, I guessed it was your girl. She was only this tall the last time I saw her. Haha, she's a grown-up girl now. We're all old. You have a great daughter, she's promising, much better than my useless boy!"

The two veterans hadn't seen each other for more than 20 years, but the comradeship forged on the battlefield was different from ordinary friendships and could stand the test of time. Tager was busy reminiscing with his father, leaving the rest of us aside. It was Danger who came out and asked us to rest in the hotel first, saying that the lord had arranged a banquet in the evening to welcome everyone.

Noel was in no mood to rest. He dragged Rod and me around the city to investigate. We questioned the Mathis couple and the survivors of that night, checked the previous residences of Schooner and Sinding, and learned about the progress of the search from the hunters. Unfortunately, too much time had passed and there was no trace of the werewolf.

"It would be great if we had a dog. I saw one outside the city before. It was very strong and brave. If we could catch it..."

"Isn't it a little late to catch the dog now?"

Noel frowned and stopped our quarrel. "We can give the dog-catching method a try. We should give it a try. Besides, I plan to go out of town with the hunters tomorrow. Can you please help me contact them?"

The days in winter are extremely short, and the sun quickly hides in the black pine forest. Tecora was sent by Danger to invite us to a banquet. The curfew was only enforced for ten days. Although Danger arranged for people to build a simple wooden wall in the north of the city and Schooner did not appear again, the residents were already frightened and closed their doors at dusk and stopped going out. The business of the hotel was also greatly affected, causing Varga to sigh all day long.

The lord's longhouse was brightly lit, with all kinds of appetizers and fine mead already laid out, and a bard playing the lute in the corner. In addition to Dad, Nanya, and the Stuhn family, there was also the family of Baron Sengard, who had been stationed at the Sunshine Garden Fortress. Sidgel sniffed here and there like a rat stealing oil, and then ate and drank as if no one was around. With the sound of his chewing and drinking, Tagel began to give a speech.

He first recalled the past when he and his father fought side by side in the Imperial Legion, especially when the other party saved his life at the cost of a broken hand, but did not use this as a threat, instead he kept his name and lived in poverty. He also told the story of Rigel who was fearless in the face of danger and bravely rescued Sidgel and Danger during the werewolf incident. The clever bard sang "The Warlike Age" in a low voice, and his voice was just right to suppress Sidgel's noise, but not to distract from Tager's speech. Since the two families were life-and-death friends for generations, the marriage between their children was natural and natural. These nobles not only spoke clichés, but were also particularly good at rhetoric. Tager's speech had a sense of rhythm, which matched the poet's accompaniment, as if taking us to experience those wars in person.

When the speech ended, the main course was served. A huge wild boar with an apple in its mouth was roasted and carried in by six servants. The chef came forward and cut the wild boar's back with a sharp kitchen knife. The crispy pig skin burst into a crackling sound, and the white fat separated to the left and right. A burst of hot steam rose and the fragrance filled the room. With a few crackling sounds, the wild boar's ribs and spine separated. The chef reached into the belly with both hands and pulled out a lamb that was also crispy on the outside and tender on the inside. Everyone present applauded. The chef bowed slightly in return, flipped his hand to break open the lamb's belly, and like a magic trick, there was a chicken in his left hand and a rabbit in his right hand. Then he bowed deeply to indicate that his performance was over.

The next step is to shake open the cheeks, raise the back teeth, and in one word: eat! The Nords' banquets are not so torturous. The more the diners devour, the more it shows that the chef's skills are superb. At one time, more than 20 hands reached forward and tore the meat. Danger's big beard was shining with oil, but it did not prevent him from tearing an elbow while pointing other parts to Tecora to cut for him. Baron Sengard held up his little granddaughter and almost stuffed the little girl into the pig's stomach, just to pick out a tender and juicy tenderloin. The female knight Riya stepped forward, pulled out a dagger from her waist, cut the wild boar's heart, and then respectfully presented the piece of meat to her father, but her father asked her to help little Lucia grab a chicken leg back. Naturally, I was not willing to be left behind, and I ate ribs and arched my mouth, and drank honey wine. Naturally, there was plenty of toasting during the banquet. Baron Sengard, who had lost his territory, was not at all restrained and frequently toasted the nobles. Sidger was drunk early on and slipped under the table several times, only to be pulled out and put on the table by Ria and Tecora.

Thinking about the refugees outside the city who had no food or clothing, it was really like "rich people enjoy wine and meat, while people on the road freeze to death." I held up my glass and looked at Danger. We both left the table and went to the corner.

"The Lord's body?"

The old fox shook his head and sighed, "It's not getting better yet. Ilandul came to check on him this afternoon, but his recovery spell didn't have much effect."

"What do you think of Lord Balgruuf's reply, my lord?"

"Lord Balgruuf has always been prudent. He must have considered the risks of fighting against the Empire. It is understandable that he is unwilling to follow us and be the first to do so."

"Then we won't be the first to do so. As long as the status quo is maintained, the choice will still be made by Whiterun. Lord Ulfric and General Tullius will not allow him to sit on the fence."

"That's what I meant. The knighthood ceremony will be held tomorrow. You should accompany the Baron to Helgen to settle down first and come back quickly. We will hold a meeting before the end of the month to analyze the situation."

"Okay. How are you going to deal with the refugees outside the city?"

Danger raised his eyebrows. "Those Reachmen cannot be trusted. There might be Forsworn spies among them. I cannot allow what happened in Markarth to happen here."

"I don't know if there are any spies, but there are old friends of the Baron among the refugees. The Baron is from Rich. Besides, it's freezing cold, and with so many people gathering outside the city, it's easy for something to go wrong."

There are hundreds of refugees. Although they are unarmed and mostly old and young, it would be a serious matter if a plague breaks out. The city walls cannot block bacteria and viruses. How could Falkreath escape?

"I will send someone to identify them tomorrow. The Nords can come in. We don't have extra food to feed the Reachmen."

I glanced at the bread on the table. It was not for eating, but for use as a plate and napkin. The thick slices of bread had absorbed all kinds of gravy and were spread out in a mess.

"Okay, okay, give them the bread too."

"We need tents."

The old fox glared at me fiercely, nodded reluctantly, and ordered someone to find Nanya's steward. I repeatedly urged Nanya to arrange for people to distribute tents and food today. If they were delivered one day earlier, perhaps more lives could be saved. I planned to discuss with my father to settle these refugees in Helgen.