Traveling through The Elder Scrolls: Skyrim

The Sleeping Giant Inn was bustling with noise. Swan had just sung two full songs, and then sang an encore at the urging of a group of drunkards. He was now sipping ale to soothe his throat. Helgi and I checked into a room, ordered some food and drinks, and hid in a corner to watch. I wanted to find out some news about Falkreath, but I didn't want to be too conspicuous. The two guys who opened the inn used to be members of the Blade Warriors. They are key figures in the main storyline of the game. It is said that there is also a dragonborn who stole money and property from the inn and was hunted by the owner. In the end, the game was broken because he could not advance the plot. I rolled up Pola's oathblade and hid it in the tent. If they saw it, it would be very troublesome. Helgi was very confused about the saying "don't show off your wealth". She had never seen money since she was a child. Almost all the materials in the tribe were shared. She couldn't imagine what kind of terrible things some bad guys could do to get money from others.

But she was still a child at heart, and soon she played with Dosi, the daughter of the blacksmith Arvo, and Frodna, the son of Goldo. The three little ones gathered together to tease Frodna's dog. Helgi, who failed to rub the wolf in the dungeon, got great satisfaction in the process of rubbing the dog. I naturally sipped malt wine while looking at the little girl, pretending to be a loving elder brother, but in fact I pricked up my ears to catch the conversations of everyone in the inn. In various games, teahouses and taverns are the gathering places for news, and the Elder Scrolls is no exception. Most of the side quests start from here, but in the other world, it is full of drunkards' nonsense and the bragging of those who were shot in the knee. The fire in Falkreath City has only been burning in the past one or two days. There is no valuable information yet, but there are some ridiculous rumors.

"Do you know why the city of Falkreath was burned?" A man whose tongue was no longer fluent shouted, holding up a wine glass.

"Come on, Embry, drink your wine!"

"Tsk! I have a friend who is an officer in Whiterun! Of course he knows some inside information. Let me tell you, the Lord of Falkreath has offended the Empire!"

There was a sound of gasps in the hotel, and Embry proudly enjoyed everyone's reaction.

"Is the Imperial Army so easy to offend? Skyrim is a province of the Empire! I heard that the Imperial Army originally wanted to rest in Loristed Town before attacking, but Lord Balgruuf ordered them not to disturb the people, so these people just left obediently."

"Isn't it? In Skyrim right now, who else can stand on equal footing with General Tullius and Lord Ulfric? Only Lord Balgruuf has such status."

"That's right! Only Lord Balgruuf can keep the Imperial Legion and the Stormcloaks in line! We can drink and eat meat here, but the idiot Lord of Falkreath, isn't it the civilians who suffer?"

"Cheers to Lord Balgruuf!"

"Cheers to Lord Balgruuf!"

A group of people raised their glasses, and I raised my glass as well. These people... I don't know what to say about them. I heard a different version from Rund. The town of Loristed was badly damaged, the guards were disarmed, the townspeople were robbed, and the imperials leisurely collected the supplies they needed to recuperate. Others can come and go freely in their own territory, but this group of people can actually treat such a huge humiliation as a funeral and make a scene of "we won". Isn't this the most ridiculous thing in the world?

According to the plot in the game, Whiterun is the only city that was severely damaged in the civil war. Except for Ulfric and Ulfric, all other lords surrendered after the strategic locations in their territories were conquered. However, Balgruuf has been wavering between the two camps, neither willing to fight nor willing to surrender. The most outrageous thing is that even though Skyrim has been in such a state, this guy did not make any preparations for the war and allowed the Stormcloaks to set up a trebuchet under the city. That's a trebuchet! Unlike a tank, a trebuchet has no mobility! The "Art of War" says that it takes three months to repair the oars, wheels, and equipment. Ulfric must have made a lot of preparations for the siege of Whiterun for a long time, and he played all his cards openly, and even gave an axe to indicate the start of the war. What was the result? Old man Balgruuf stuck his head in Dragonsreach like an ostrich!

Foolish king!

What is the "great man"?

While the whole country was in turmoil, this young man gained fame.

The people in the inn were full of food and drink, and felt the powerful strength of the Snowman Territory, which was unparalleled. They were greatly satisfied physically and mentally, so they gradually dispersed and went back to their homes. After all, no matter how wise and powerful the lord was, he still had to fight for his own bread. Helgi and the two children agreed to continue playing tomorrow, and then he watched them leave reluctantly. I made a bed on the floor in the room and went to bed early. Since I traveled through time, my principle has always been to "do the whole show". Since my current identity is a hunting brother and sister, I will sell the animal fur on my body tomorrow, and then exchange it for some supplies and arrows. Although the sparrow is small, the town of Ximu has everything. It has its own mill and lumberyard. In the future, we will open up the road to the north of Helgen Town, and it will become a bustling trade node.

The next morning, I held Helgi under my arm and took her away by force. The little girl begged hard, wanting to play with the dog for one more day, but I ruthlessly refused. She left two rows of teeth marks on my arm. We went out of the east gate, went around the north bank of the White River, and then headed upstream into the woods. Frodna and Dorsi waved goodbye to Helgi across the White River, and I was bitten again. Until the town of Creekwood disappeared behind the trees and rocks, the little girl was still angry and didn't want to talk to me, but when she saw that I had put the oath sword on my waist and the longbow in my hand, she followed me honestly. There shouldn't be any powerful special enemies in this area, but we still have to guard against wild beasts such as wolves, bears and tigers.

Fortunately, we finally found the shabby cabin in the woods before dark. Annis sat on a chair at the door in a daze, just like in the game, and did not show any vigilance towards my approach. I guess she must have dealt with many adventurers passing by, and her words are very skilled. But when Helgi came out from behind me to say hello, this woman could no longer sit still.

"Helgi! My dear, it's really you! God of Crows, how did you know I was here? Who is this man?"

I put away my weapon and walked away so that the two of us could talk quietly. On the rocks behind the cabin, you can overlook the rushing White River. On the other side of the river are three guardian stones for warriors, mages, and thieves. In the game, lighting up a guardian stone will activate a state that can increase the growth rate of the corresponding skills. But in a different world where the skill system is invalid, how do guardian stones work? Further south over the mountain is the Pinewood Watchtower. I plan to return to Falkreath from there to try to scout the situation of the Imperial Army, and then return to Helgen Town.

Behind me came Annis's angry rebuke and Helgi's crying. I was a distance away from the mother and daughter, and there was the sound of the White River flowing nearby. Helgi was probably crying loudly. The last time she cried like this was in the bloated man's cave. I guess Annis didn't agree with Helgi following me. The Reachmen originally valued girls over boys, and there was a blood feud between them and the Nords. Helgi was also very talented. Maybe Annis wanted to transform her into a crow hag to take back control of the tribe.

I have no intention of getting involved in their quarrel. As an outsider, it is very impolite to demand people of different cultures and beliefs with my own moral standards and codes of conduct. Even though I am extremely disgusted with some of the customs of the Rich people, I cannot make decisions for Helgi, and I have no right to force her to follow my choice. Maybe it is too much to ask a thirteen-year-old girl to make such an important decision, but I am not her guardian after all. We always have to make choices in life, and we will never know what we may have missed, so there are always so many regrets in this world.

I pretended not to hear anything. It was almost dark, and I took advantage of the sunset to set up the tent and light a campfire, preparing to boil a pot of pine needle tea. Helgi walked towards me, sobbing.

"Aunt Annis wants to ask you something."