Fairy Tale: Little Red Riding Hood's Wolf Mentor

Chapter 30: Fierce Sun and North Wind
"Huh? God's bet, why is it this?!"

When Lake heard this answer, her expression froze.

She had no idea why a god who sounded so powerful would do such a thing!

"Could it be that the wizard... is deceiving you?"

The Poro on the side was even more shocked. He finally couldn't help it and asked the old woman:
"But like this... wouldn't it be easy for Lieyang to win? Why is it..."

"Your dog can... talk?"

The old woman was shocked, but this world had wizards, magic, gods and so on, which made her psychological endurance much stronger.

She sorted out her thoughts and continued:

"Yes, heat certainly makes people take off their clothes more easily than cold. That wizard is indeed a capable person."

The old woman shook her head. "But as I said, the gods don't care what people think! We asked the wizard to persuade the gods, and he agreed, but—we failed."

"The gods won't listen?"

"That wizard wanted to judge, just as you thought. He used all kinds of reasoning to persuade, hoping to rule Lieyang's victory and put an end to their competition.

But in the end, he was killed by the angry north wind!"

"The wizard was... killed?"

Hearing this, Poro and Lake felt a chill in their hearts.

"Yes, the death of that powerful wizard is like stepping on an ant. The gods' gambling game is not something mortals should step into!"

The old woman's voice trembled a little, "Little girl, guess what happened next?"

"I can't guess..."

Lake whispered, but looking at the current situation, she could guess that it was not a good thing.

"Their bet has changed. Now, they want to compete - who can make more people take off their clothes!"

"Why? It's obvious that no matter how powerful the north wind is, it can't be stronger than the blazing sun!"

Lake exclaimed in surprise, "People only wear more clothes when it's cold!"

"No, child, you are wrong!"

But at this moment, the old woman's smile faded, and a terrifying expression appeared on her face. "The North Wind is not stupid, He is not playing a losing game!

You might think that you only take off your clothes when you’re hot, right?

I used to think so too -

But... people, when they are extremely cold, will take off their clothes!"

"Ah? Then why?"

Lake's blue pupils widened. The old woman's words overturned a lot of her common sense and made her thinking a little confused.

"I didn't believe it at first, until... I saw a man who was about to freeze to death. His face was dark blue, and he forced a strange smile. In the cold wind, he slowly took off all his clothes, then collapsed—and never got up again!"

In the sky, the sun's rays are still warm.

But both Lake and Poro felt the despairing chill in the old woman's words.

The knife can be blocked by armor.

Arrows can be defended with a shield.

But what if it were extreme, pervasive cold? What if it were a terrifying, all-encompassing fire?
"Puro, maybe... we should change direction?"

"Yeah, I don't want to be roasted by the sun or suddenly frozen into ice."

The Poro shook his head, thinking back to the map.

Perhaps, this world is much crazier than I imagined!
……

Not far from the road, there is a large village.

"Goodbye, aunt!"

Lake waved, and the old woman with a leg injury also forced a smile.

She took out a few copper coins from her bosom and wanted to hand them to Lake, "Little girl, you saved my life, but these are all I have..."

"No, Auntie, we have money."

Lake smiled and politely refused the old woman. She understood that such a poor old woman needed the limited money much more than she did.

Then she looked at the direction and walked with Poro towards a more remote house at the back of the town.

"Polo, people from the Kingdom of Sinuo, their home is in this direction, right?"

"It should be fine. The villager at the entrance said it's in the south, but the specific location...would you like to ask?"

"Yeah." Lake nodded and walked towards a villager who was resting on the side of the road.

"Uncle, can I ask... where does the uncle from your village who went to the Kingdom of Sinuo live?"

The villager was stunned for a moment, thought for a moment, then slapped his thigh and said:

"Oh, you mean Hans? What do you want to see him for? Little girl, you must be from outside, right? Let me tell you, Hans is a little stupid...!"

"Uh, uncle, we just want to find a guide to the Kingdom of Sinuo."

"Oh, I see. Why didn't you say so earlier?"

The villager waved his hand somewhat disinterestedly, pointing to a dilapidated hut behind the village. "Then he is the most suitable one in the village, especially... now."

Both Lake and Poro were a little confused, but they thanked the villagers and walked towards the dilapidated hut.

When they reached the wooden house, Poro and Lake heard some regular sounds.

"Puro, do you hear that?"

"Hmm, it sounds like scratching the ground, behind the house."

Walking around the wooden house, Poro saw a haggard and skinny man under a tree, waving a hoe in his hand and digging a hole in the ground.

Next to the pit, there was a thin wooden coffin lying flat.

On the other side, opposite the new pit, there is already a grave mound.

Poro and Lake did not disturb the man, but stood aside and watched quietly as the man pushed the coffin into the dug pit and then covered the pit with soil.

Finally, the man sat cross-legged on the ground and stared at the two graves for a while.

It was not until the sun was about to set that he turned his head and looked at Lake and Poro who were lighting a fire at the door of their house.

"Ma'am...are you here to see me?"

"Well, I heard there's a man in the village who's been to the Kingdom of Sinuo. His name is Hans..."

"Yes, that's me."

The man, with two dark circles under his eyes, nodded and acknowledged his identity. "What do you want from me?"

"My Poro and I want to go to the Kingdom of Sinuo, but the most common road is blocked by the Scourge. We need to find a guide who knows other paths."

Lake said seriously.

"Puro?" Hans was a little confused.

"Mr. Hans, my name is Poro."

The Poro raised his wolf claws and spoke.

If I really invite this man to be my guide, he will inevitably hear me talking to Lake. I can't... just sit there silently like a dog, right?

"You can talk?!"

Hans' eyes widened, but soon a trace of sadness covered them. "Never mind. It doesn't matter anymore. You should have seen... I have nothing left now."

"Sorry, uncle, I didn't know before I came..."

Lake lowered her head and looked at the two graves. She felt a little embarrassed. "If it's difficult, we can find someone else."

The skinny man shook his head:
"How much do you pay?"

Then, Lake was stunned for a moment and took out a few gold coins from her bag.

These were all taken from the bishop's room before leaving. After all, in the wild, you rely on hunting skills, but in human society, you rely on money.

"Uncle, is this enough?"

Hans looked at the gold coins in surprise.

He reached out to take it, opened his dark-rimmed eyes wide, and looked closely at the patterns and colors on the gold coin against the firelight.

Then, he fell into deep thought.

After a while, he sighed and returned all the gold coins to Lake.

"Isn't that enough? I can still..."

"No, it's too much. The guide can't afford that much money."

"How much...will it cost?" Lake was a little confused.

"No need for money, let's go tomorrow to the Kingdom of Sinuo. I will be your guide."

Hans stood up shakily, leaning on his digging shovel, and walked towards his house. "Stay in my house for one night. After that... just don't let me starve to death on the way."

(End of this chapter)