"Walking at night... well, there's always a sense of danger in it."

“But this is Salivia, I shouldn’t feel this way. But to be honest, I am a little nervous…” Smed continued, arms crossed.

Upon hearing this, Dingle couldn't help but recall the scene he witnessed at dusk when the Storm Special Combat Team captured the rebels.

With the city under martial law, the atmosphere in Salvia is indeed tense and carries a strong sense of danger.

But amid the dire situation of continuous setbacks on the front lines, it seems that only in this way can the further spread of panic be contained.

Not long after Smed said that, Huffman reached into his pocket and quickly pulled out a small rectangular iron box.

Huffman's move immediately caught the attention of Smythe and Polk.

Under his watchful eye, Huffman opened the lid of the tin box, and when the contents were revealed, Smythe's previously somber expression immediately turned to surprise.

"Where did you get this?!"

Inside the tin box, several rolled cigarettes were neatly arranged.

“Of course I made it myself.” Huffman said, picking out a stick and offering it to Dingle, but as soon as he reached out, he nervously asked:

"Colonel, is it alright for you to smoke here?"

Dingle looked at the cigarette offered to him, shook his head and said, "Thank you, but I don't have that hobby."

"But it's fine for you to smoke here; there's no rule against smoking outdoors in Salvia."

"That's good, but are you sure you don't want one? It can relieve stress." Huffman waved his hand.

"No need," Dingle shook his head again.

“Okay.” Huffman had barely agreed when Smyth had already impatiently stretched out his hand:

"Brother, I really need this right now."

“I took this out because I knew you needed it. This is my last tobacco.” Huffman put the cigarette in his mouth, took out two more, handed one to Smyth, and tossed the other to Bokar.

"What a good brother."

Smed immediately pulled out his flint after taking the cigarette, while Bokar nodded and smiled at Huffman after taking the cigarette.

With a "snap," Smed lit a cigarette, took a deep drag, and then quickly brought the lit cigarette toward Huffman.

Huffman, with a cigarette dangling from his mouth and his hand shielding the wind, lit the cigarette Smyth offered him and took a shallow drag.

"call--"

Smed exhaled a long puff of smoke, his face beaming with smiles, even his eyes were squinting.

"Ah, that feels so good~" he said lightly, his face full of contentment.

Huffman exhaled a puff of smoke and said, "This is tobacco from my hometown, that's all."

"Good tobacco, Huffman. Does your family grow tobacco?" Pokar asked, pouting with a cigarette dangling from his lips.

Looking at the three men's relaxed expressions, Dingle found himself feeling lighter as well. At that moment, Huffman said:

“No, although my family are all farmers, we mostly grow crops. However, my father specially planted a small plot, a very small plot, just for family use, not for sale. You know, this is…” He stopped talking.

Bokar and Smail understood each other perfectly, and Smail chuckled and said:

“My family is in the ironware business, so I can only ask my father for iron blocks, but what good are they?”

As soon as he finished speaking, Pocaré laughed and said, "My family runs a bakery, and my mother likes to stuff bread into my mouth."

"Alright, alright, keep it down, don't attract those guys," Huffman said sternly, waving his hand.

“Yes, yes, yes.” Smed nodded repeatedly, then took another deep breath, his gaze falling on the silent Dingle.

"Sir? I hope you weren't choked by the smell. Even non-smokers can't smell it..."

Dingle shook his head: "It's alright, I'm used to it. People in my family smoke a lot too, much more smoke than you guys exhale."

"That's good."

The three of them took one drag of their cigarette after another, and soon finished one. Huffman generously offered them another cigarette, and after taking another drag, the three of them had completely calmed down.

Huffman exhaled a long puff of smoke, his gaze already somewhat unfocused:

"You know, only my father could grow such good tobacco."

Smed nodded in agreement, looking at the cigarette in his hand and saying:

"It's not pungent, the flavor is quite strong, and it has a good aftertaste. Even I, an old smoker, felt a bit dizzy. It's very good. It must be a good variety of tobacco, good soil, and the right time to dry it to produce such good tobacco."

Bokar squinted and chimed in, "Indeed, Huffman. Where are you from?"

Huffman took a light inhalation, and after slowly exhaling, said:

"Coronso".

Smed's wrist stiffened as he was putting the cigarette to his mouth, Bokar froze as he exhaled smoke, and Dingle, who had been listening quietly, turned to look at Huffman, his expression somewhat stiff.

Huffman, however, was still looking at the cigarette in his hand, surrounded by smoke, with the oil lamp at the entrance of the carport behind him flickering.

"Hiss—" He took another drag and continued:

“My family’s farmland is right next to the Mitia River. The tobacco is planted under a row of willow trees along the riverbank, but of course it’s not there now. It can only be planted in May, so before that, crops will be grown on that land.”

"It's February now, my father should be planting early spring vegetables, like radishes, peas, cauliflower, and so on..."

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