abnormal mutation

Chapter 31 The Strange New Neighbor
The next day, the sun shone brightly, a huge, golden-red sun hung high in the sky, exuding an oppressive aura.

The carbonization furnace in the yard hissed and spewed smoke, with Evan and Andrew tending to it, adding fuel every now and then. Luke and Targen went to the East Market to sell charcoal.

The surrounding smoke was too thick, so Roland went alone to the empty frozen harbor to stretch and warm up. He hadn't learned any martial arts or combat techniques; his movements were all just calisthenics and warm-up exercises.

The potion's effects were amazing. The scabs on the small wounds had fallen off, and the new skin was without scars, except for being a bit reddish and tender, just like normal skin. The larger wounds were still a little numb and itchy, with only mild pain.

He felt that using the medication again would be a waste, and he estimated that he would be about 70-80% better this week.

Next to the frozen harbor is the Frost River, which is tens of meters wide. It comes from the southeast, bypasses the town, and extends northwest until it flows into the vast ice sea.

Looking around, apart from some undulations, Roland couldn't distinguish between the frozen harbor, the Frost River, and the snowfield; everything was covered by thick snow.

Digging through the snow, the ice was very thick, at least several meters, and it would be too difficult to break it by hand. The fisherman's hopes were dashed, and he had no choice but to return to the town.

With two newly made mediums in his pocket—a soul-soothing amulet and a fire spider silk pouch—he donned a hat, mask, and gloves, and wandered aimlessly through the town's alleyways with his head down.

No need to worry about stepping in poop or pee; anyone who dares to poop or pee in the open in Ice River Town is a brave soul. Occasionally, a small part might be accidentally damaged by the cold.

Glacier Town hasn't changed much in recent decades. I've heard that the steam revolution is going on a big time outside, but you can't really feel it in the town. There are no steam cars or railcars, only sleds and reindeer carts. It hasn't changed for thousands of years.

He grew up here and knew this place like the back of his hand. With his increasingly sensitive senses, he could easily avoid crowds and eye contact, minimizing his presence.

He didn't go to the northeast gate again, even though he really wanted to check on Caius, but that would be like a criminal returning to the crime scene—it would easily expose him.

The school was in the southeast corner, a community school and a middle school, neither of them very large. It was surrounded by shops like bookstores and stationery stores, and was usually quite quiet. He placed the Fire Spider Silk Sachet in the young teachers' dormitory, where all the young teachers were from out of town and usually left after three to five years.

He secretly threw the Soul-Soothing Amulet into the lamb shop on Cheese Street. The owner was Walter, a bachelor a year younger than him. The two were classmates at community school and had fought, but over the years, their childhood grudges had condensed into a memory, and now they had a good relationship.

The young teacher was highly educated, Walter was strong, and Roland wanted to see which type of person was more suited to be the "chosen working class."

Around noon, Roland returned to Monastery Street and, feeling hungry, unknowingly wandered into Lucky Whitebeard's alley again.

Old Tom lay dozing by the fireplace, a half-empty glass of gin beside him. Little Tom was in the kitchen; only one girl was busy at work in the tavern.

"Roland's here! What would you like to eat?" The girl greeted him with a smile, her rosy cheeks adorned with two dimples.

"Grace, five servings of lamb stew with herbs, to go." Roland smiled and handed her four coins: three 25-cent coins and one 5-cent coin.

"I'll get you some." The girl took the coins without counting them and turned to go to the kitchen.

If it were someone else, she would definitely have spent a long time counting on her fingers, because she's not very good at math, and addition and subtraction problems above ten are difficult for her.

She wasn't a local; her father was a craftsman, and she started working here after graduating from high school. Northerners typically address relatives by their first names, such as uncles and aunts. Outsiders like Grace prefer to call them by their first names, sometimes even between fathers and sons.

The tavern wasn't doing very well; it wasn't peak season, and the main out-of-town customers hadn't arrived yet. Little Tom wasn't busy, so he came out to greet Roland, but didn't offer any discounts.

Both Toms, one old and one young, were very clever. They knew that if they always gave Roland a discount, he would probably not want to come back, so they usually charged the normal price.

"Here comes the herb-braised lamb!"

The girl carried a large food box and took small steps out of the kitchen. The aroma wafted over, a rich meaty scent mixed with rosemary, mint, and turmeric powder.

"My mouth is watering! There's no better mutton in the whole of Ice River Town," Roland exclaimed.

He wasn't just flattering him; compared to the roasted lamb chops, Little Tom's stewed lamb was indeed quite good.

"Haha...you have good taste." Little Tom stroked his beard, quite pleased. "I can't wait any longer, I'll bring you the food box this afternoon." Roland said goodbye, picked up the food box, and hurried away.

He walked quickly and steadily, not because he was really craving the mutton, but because he was afraid it would get cold.

Xiuyuan Street is not long; he arrived home in just a few minutes. The gate to his courtyard was closed, but not locked; it opened with a push.

"Big brother's back." Evan was tending the fire, and the others were there too.

"Come in and eat, everyone." He placed the food box on the table and went to the storeroom to get bread and cutlery.

Luke and the others entered the house one after another, their noses twitching and their eyes filled with anticipation. Targen lifted the food box, revealing a large porcelain bowl inside. Although it was covered, the even richer aroma made their mouths water.

"Wow, lamb stew with herbs! You're amazing, big brother!" Targen reached for the lid, but Luke blocked his way.

"It'll get cold once you open it. Go wash your hands and prepare the tableware," Luke said with a smile.

Evan helped Roland set out the cutlery, and Andrew used a serrated knife to cut the bread into slices.

Once everything was ready, Roland lifted the lid, and the rich aroma of mutton filled the room. The portion was generous, with plenty of soup, far exceeding what could be served to five people—this was Little Tom's usual practice.

"Dinner's ready!"

"Wow……"

…………

In Orencia, a day lasts thirty hours and is usually divided into two rest periods, with at least four hours of rest at noon. However, Glacier Town is an exception, as there is generally no midday rest.

In February, there are only nine hours of sunshine a day, and after deducting meal times, the working hours are already short, so there is no need for a lunch break.

Roland had a habit of taking a midday nap in his previous life, and he still likes to go to bed and doze off for about half an hour.

After his lunch break, with nothing to do and entertainment options scarce in Ice River Town, he dressed neatly and wandered around the town, buying a book about the flora and fauna of the snowfield in preparation for the hunt later.

As dusk fell, he returned to the Monastery Street with his books in his pocket.

As he approached the west end of the street, he noticed from afar that the gate of the neighboring courtyard, which had always been tightly locked, was wide open, with a sled parked in front and two elderly people with white hair tidying up their belongings inside.

He was curious; why would anyone move house in the cold month of February, especially at dusk?

The original neighbors were an elderly couple who took good care of Roland, but they were taken to the south by their son last summer, so the house should have been sold long ago.

The gate to the courtyard was half-closed. As he passed by the gate, he stopped and wanted to say hello, but the two elderly people ignored him and were busy with their own things, moving at a leisurely pace.

He assumed no one had seen him, but when he tried to speak, something felt off. He looked around and suddenly realized the old man wasn't wearing gloves or a hat.

His eyesight was remarkable, and he quickly noticed more details. The door was open, it was dark, and something felt off. The floor was excessively clean, there was no furniture in sight, and there was no fire in the fireplace.

That's unusual. Even if you're not hungry, people still need to keep warm, right?

Thank you for your support, dear readers. Please add this to your favorites and vote for it.



(End of this chapter)