Snow-covered hills, red-tiled roofs and yellow walls, and pale blue fields.
The carriage traveled along the winding country roads, the fields exuding the fresh, sweet scent of melting snow, and the sea of clouds embracing the stone walls of the town's houses.
Todd stuck his head out of the awning, enjoying the gentle spring breeze on his face. What he saw was like a dreamlike fantasy from a novel or movie, like a masterpiece painting that had stood the test of time. All of this was unimaginable for modern people living in concrete jungles.
The coachman, who had received a high reward, was in an exceptionally good mood. He made the normally dull and boring topics of farming anecdotes, festival celebrations, and aristocratic conversations in the Silver Ring Kingdom come alive and full of laughs.
Karin listened intently to the driver's witty remarks, laughing uproariously from time to time, completely forgetting her earlier unpleasantness.
As if to allow the guests to better appreciate the beauty along the way, the driver deliberately slowed the horses. The journey from Baima Post Station to Shouwang Town took a full forty minutes.
Upon reaching their destination, Todd alighted from the carriage, reached out to catch Karin, and gazed at the towering mountains and fortified castle in the distance.
Watchtower is located right next to the Falling Star Mountains. It was built in the 366th year of the Christian calendar, and its history even predates the Silver Ring Kingdom.
Originally, there was no fortress here, only a military camp and a wooden fence surrounding the camp. At that time, this place was called a "watch post".
Over the next few centuries, in order to defend against the barbarians from the northern mountains and snowfields, successive kingdoms and the Church of the Father jointly built fortresses and other defensive works, and stationed troops here. As the number of soldiers in the fortresses increased, the families of the soldiers and itinerant merchants who saw the opportunity gradually gathered and settled on the side of the fortresses, forming the present-day 'Watchtower Town'.
Todd got off the carriage, walked out of the post station, stretched, and looked up at the road ahead.
The entire town is built on hilly terrain, its buildings undulating gracefully with the contours of the land. If Watchtower Fortress is a model of solemn and dignified architecture, then Watchtower Town is an artistic masterpiece that blends commerce and culture. The town's planning and design are excellent and exquisite. Although you can explore it all in half a day, it has everything you could possibly want: bustling pubs, ancient churches, tranquil gardens, lively markets, and all the amenities and entertainment you could imagine. No wonder it's Karin's top choice for travel.
It was almost 11 a.m., and the two, who were starving, first needed to find a place to eat.
Walking slowly down the shopping street, Karin stood in front of an upscale tavern called "Lidor," its decor exquisite and its accessories ornate. She pressed her right index finger to her lower lip, watching the customers coming and going behind the bar. After tilting her head and thinking for a moment, she turned and pointed to a mobile stall in the middle of the street selling "seafood pancakes" (a type of flatbread filled with seafood, minced fish, and vegetables) and said, "I'll have that."
Todd touched the bridge of his nose, laughed, took her hand, and entered the "Lidor Tavern" without saying a word.
They found a table near the window with excellent lighting and ventilation. Under Karin's surprised gaze, the other person pulled out a chair and invited the girl to sit down first.
The waiter quickly came to the table, looked at both of their clothes, raised his eyebrows, put down the wooden menu, placed his finger at the bottom, and said, "Today's special is 'Potato Fish Fillet'."
Without making a sound, Todd picked up the menu and handed it to Karin, indicating that she should decide.
This unusual behavior made the waiter glance at the girl a few more times.
The elaborate descriptions of the dishes and the exorbitant prices listed behind them dazzled Karin, leaving her speechless and frozen in place.
Reluctantly handing the menu back to the other side, the girl subtly made a gesture, hoping to leave immediately.
Picking up the wooden board and pretending not to have noticed the other person's movement, Todd began to place the order: "The appetizer soup is fish and mushroom soup with sour sauce, the cold dish is pickled herring, the main course is lamb with mashed potatoes with bay leaves, and for dessert, we'll have baked apple pie. By the way, what brands of aperitifs do you have here?"
The waiter was stunned, perhaps not quite understanding, or perhaps unable to keep up with the customer's pace of speech. He quickly apologized in a low voice, "Excuse me, sir, could you please repeat that..."
After ordering, Karin stared in disbelief at the table across from her and whispered, "Have you ever been to a place like this before?"
In his past life, Todd would accompany representatives from the sponsoring company of his research project to Western restaurants almost every week to report on the research progress and compare financial statements. Frankly, he preferred the delicious and visually appealing Chinese food to such formal settings. Of course, he couldn't tell her this, and could only smile and shake his head: "I've only heard it from others."
The girl was skeptical, her face full of questions.
The food was served quickly. Todd picked up his knife and fork, naturally using the fork to hold the meat from the left side, and then using the knife to cut the meat along the right side of the fork. When using the knife, the strength of his shoulder, the curve of his wrist, and the height of his elbow were all just right.
The customers who were originally sitting at the table next to him, dressed as vendors, saw this impeccable set of dining etiquette and unconsciously imitated the use of knives and forks, even slowing down their eating speed.
Todd looked across at Karin, who seemed a little lost, staring at the lamb chops in front of her. She gestured with her knife and fork but didn't know where to start.
He moved the other person's plate slightly closer to himself, gave her a reassuring look, then picked up the spare knife and fork, carefully cut the food into small portions for her, and handed it back.
The girl lowered her head, pursed her lips, and gave him a grateful look.
After finishing her meal and leaving the pub, the girl let out a long sigh of relief, raised her arms high, twisted her waist, and said with satisfaction, "It was delicious! The cooking is so much better than Uncle Bogo's at the circus!"
Todd gazed at her slender figure, feeling the warmth of the sunlight, closed his eyes, and sighed inwardly. He couldn't even remember the last time he had enjoyed such a peaceful and carefree life...
Taking the hand of the person beside her, Karin happily pointed ahead: "I know there's a puppet show stage over there in the square! They put on different stories every day!"
Todd looked at the little hand in his palm, smiled and nodded. Just as he was about to take a step, a familiar figure suddenly brushed past him.
Gray monk's robe, aged steps, hunched body.
A sudden thought struck him, and he stopped in his tracks, looking back in astonishment, only to find that the figure had vanished from the crowd.
Noticing his strange expression, Karin turned around and looked behind her, asking, "What's wrong?"
Todd frowned, took another deep look at the street in the distance, and shook his head, saying, "It's nothing, maybe I'm seeing things..."
They quickly forgot about the incident and walked into the square chatting and laughing.
In the distance, the mountain ranges, their peaks covered in snow, were shrouded in dark clouds, casting long shadows.
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