Chapter 55: Alton

*Clang!*

The metal bottom of the pot collided with small pebbles in the soil, letting out a crisp sound.

The iron pot, radiating the aroma of food, landed heavily upon the grass.

"Eat up! I've been stewing this for ages, it's definitely delicious!"

Appearing before Xia Nan's eyes at this moment was a small figure, barely reaching his waist.

A pair of light brown eyes shimmered slightly under the reflection of the twilight sky; their skin was fair and flushed, and atop short, brown curly hair sat a pointed soft cap decorated with feathers.

Their clothing was the simple and efficient attire of an adventurer, but the color coordination was striking and bright; upon closer inspection, one could see small, exquisite decorations, such as "four-leaf clover patterns on the shoes."

Alton,

A halfling, and one of Xia Nan's companions for this mission.

Unlike the "dwarves" he had seen before—who were solid like tree stumps, looking as if they had been flattened and stretched horizontally—he did not resemble those gnomes with large heads and light bodies.

Although halflings were similarly short, with adults standing only three or four feet tall, their body proportions were much more similar to humans.

At the same time, their limbs were covered in brownish-tan fuzz, much like small animals.

However, the Alton before him seemed to be a "Lightfoot Halfling" of their race.

This meant they had far less fuzz across their bodies; the fluffiness was likely limited to just their two legs—Xia Nan could only guess, given that they were wearing thick linen trousers.

"Carrots, honey, and I even added a bit of the secret pepper I brought from the village."

"You definitely haven't tasted a flavor like this before!"

Alton held the pot lid in one hand and rested the other on his hip, his smiling face full of pride.

Xia Nan hurriedly took a few bites of the jerky in his hand, pretending to be nearly full, while mentally recalling the information he had gathered about "halflings" from various places during this period.

Unlike dwarves, who had numerous subspecies such as "Hill Dwarves," "Mountain Dwarves," and "Gray Dwarves" based on factors like environment and clan origin, the halflings of the Elphara Continent were mainly divided into two types: "Stouthearted Halflings" and "Lightfoot Halflings."

The former had denser hair and slightly sturdier builds.

Enthusiastic about a comfortable domestic life, they often chose to settle down in one place and live there for a long time.

Harmonious neighborly relations, a warm fireplace, and a freshly baked walnut pie were the things Stouthearted Halflings pursued.

In contrast, Lightfoot Halflings were more passionate about long journeys.

They did not deliberately pursue a specific goal, but rather enjoyed all the interesting things encountered during the process of travel.

In the vast majority of cases, those willing to leave their communities to become adventurers wandering between various tasks were only of the "Lightfoot" breed.

It is worth mentioning that, compared to the love-hate relationships between the various "subspecies" of the major races on the continent, the relationship between Lightfoot and Stouthearted Halflings was very good.

Though conflicts occasionally arose due to their differing pursuits, given their family-like way of interacting as a race, it was merely like the daily bickering between siblings and was never serious.

In the end, he couldn't avoid it.

When Alton opened those large, sparkling eyes and looked at Xia Nan with a gaze full of anticipation and a desperate desire for approval...

He still agreed to take a single bite.

*Hiss—*

The taste was unexpectedly good.

The complex and diverse seasonings mixed together, to some extent neutralizing each other's conflicting flavors, leaving only a gentle and comfortable aroma in the orange-red broth.

Coupled with the meat chunks, which were stewed until tender with a perfect balance of fat and lean, and the radish slices soaked in the broth...

With a look of slight surprise in his eyes, Xia Nan gave Alton a "thumbs up" gesture and praised him

"The taste is indeed good; it's not much worse than the food in a tavern."

In response to Xia Nan's praise, Alton lived up to his racial characteristics by maximizing the emotional value.

He laughed happily and heartily

"Hahaha, thank you! It's not *that* good, though."

While adding two more scoops into Xia Nan's bowl.

It wasn't that Xia Nan had any prejudice against Alton; it was just that over the past two days, the personality the other had displayed was simply too "vivid."

Like most Lightfoot Halflings, he was easygoing and open, full of curiosity about everything encountered on the road, and eager to try all sorts of new things.

Whether it was the specific mechanics of a wheel or the daily fodder costs of a packhorse...

From the front to the back of the caravan, almost everyone had been pulled into a chat by his enthusiasm.

He had tried driving a carriage and had even learned trap-setting techniques from an adventurer who possessed a relatively kind attitude, though the final results often fell short of expectations.

He was even a bit superstitious—

Xia Nan had personally witnessed Alton removing his hat to bow toward an inconspicuous bush by the roadside.

According to him, this was a gesture of respect to one of the halfling deities, the Goddess of Nature, "Shira Perilore," who held authority over agriculture and climate.

In short, although he seemed a bit strange at times, Alton, at least for now, seemed to be a decent person.

*Gulp—*

His Adam's apple bobbed.

Xia Nan scooped two bites of the stew into his mouth, chatting casually with Alton beside him.

"So, do you believe in your race's Goddess of Agriculture?"

There were many gods on the Elphara Continent, and the various pantheons were incredibly complex, with many overlapping authorities.

The halfling race alone was protected by seven deities governing different domains.

They called this the "Hergon" pantheon.

—"Hergon" was the halflings' self-designation, originating from rural slang before gradually spreading across the continent.

Xia Nan was therefore somewhat curious about how the halflings themselves viewed these direct deities, who were as intimate as parents yet difficult to reach.

Unexpectedly, in response to Xia Nan's confusion, Alton shook his head.

The family-like social structure of the halflings led them to treat the deities protecting their race as members of the family.

Under such circumstances, it wouldn't be quite appropriate for halflings to offer up their entire devotion as priests from the outside world did.

"So, you..."

Just as Xia Nan thought the other person, like himself, had no deity they believed in...

Alton suddenly gave a slight smile.

He took a metallic-glinting coin from his waist pouch.

*Clink—*

With a flick of his fingertip, the coin bounced high into the air.

Spinning, falling.

Alton opened his fingers; in his palm, the coin landed face up.

Revealing the pattern engraved on its surface

A long-haired woman with a blurred face, though a faint smile could be discerned at the corners of her mouth.

"The Lady of Smiles,"

The Goddess of Luck, who held authority over "Fate"—

【Timora】

(End of Chapter)