abnormal mutation

Chapter 6 A small profit

Glacier Town is located in the northernmost part of the Sid Empire, where the Frost River flows into the sea. The climate is cold year-round, with very short daylight hours in winter and frequent polar nights. It is now early February, and the night is more than twice as long as the day. It doesn't get fully light until 12:30 in the morning and gets dark around 7:00 in the afternoon.

The time system of this world is very strange. A year (cycle) has 16 months, each month has 30 days, a week has 7 days, each day has 30 hours, each hour has 60 minutes (degree), and each degree has 60 seconds (sand).

Roland judged by his intuition that the time it takes for a grain of sand to pass through is slightly less than a second, and it is said that the definition of "sand" is related to the legendary mysticism.

This time system, except for using a sexagesimal system for minutes and seconds, is completely different from his previous life. Even with the original owner's memories, Roland still felt awkward and would subconsciously try to convert the time.

Don't be fooled by the fact that the original owner was only 21 years old; he had already lived for 10381 days, which, according to Earth's calendar, would make him a solid 35-year-old bachelor.

Fortunately, the average lifespan in this world is longer than on Earth. According to official statistics from the Sid Empire a few years ago, excluding unnatural deaths, the average lifespan of the Empire's citizens is around 55 years, equivalent to 90 years for people on Earth, and it is still on the rise.

If you calculate it that way, Roland isn't that old; he's still young.

After consoling himself, Roland took out his pocket watch, which showed that it was a little past 2 a.m., meaning he had slept for more than 20 hours straight. No wonder he was a little hungry.

He decided to eat his fill first before considering what to do next.

He wrapped his clothes tighter, got up and opened the wooden door. A biting cold rushed out and went straight to his bones.

"Ugh... What kind of weather is this? We have to move to the south." Roland doesn't dislike winter, but he can't stand the midday temperatures of minus twenty degrees Celsius, or the blizzards that are more than a meter deep.

While complaining, he quickly poked the iron basin into the snowdrift to clean it, then filled a large basin with snow, pressed it down firmly, and then hurriedly closed the door.

The hunter's cabin was almost empty of firewood, having been devoured by the black wolves. If he lingered any longer, he wouldn't have a hot meal. He also didn't have time to replenish the cabin's firewood, so he had to pass the problem on to the next lodger.

Two large pieces of bread and a piece of bacon were still thrown into the iron pan to heat together, while he used the time to collect his spoils.

The three men ventured deep into the snowfield, their clothes thick and their belongings piled up in a small heap. Roland separated them by value and purpose, packing anything not needed immediately into Ugly Bear's large backpack.

不知名皮质的褐色光面大背包1个、帆布袋2个、钱袋3个、毛毯1张、毛皮雪板3副、衣服若干、水袋2个、水壶1个、火柴4盒、黄铜煤油打火机1个、怀表1块、指南针1块。

Also included are one revolver, one camping axe, one spear-shaped short hunting knife, one feather-patterned bear hunting knife, and one Ulu knife.

三个钱袋都是老式的抽绳袋，罗兰翻了个底朝天，只找到四张一德元纸币，其它都是硬币，50分2个、25分1个、10分6个、5分13个、1分34个，合计6德元84分。

“Poorer than me,” Roland said disdainfully, but he also knew that no one would carry their entire fortune with them.

This is a considerable sum of money; most residents of Ice River Town wouldn't earn that much even after a week's hard work. The De Yuan has strong purchasing power; in terms of the value of goods, its purchasing power is 150-200 times that of the RMB in my previous life.

Having struggled from the bottom for so many years, the original owner was consistently poor, and he understood the hardships of making money better than anyone else.

Roland pulled out a banknote. It felt thick and solid, and the texture of the paper was clearly perceptible. The wear and tear was quite heavy, and the portrait of Sid I on it was barely visible, but the dark green color was still captivating.

'It seems the world's currency-making technology is quite advanced.'

He carefully packed the banknotes and coins separately into the lining pocket, patting them firmly with his hand; the heavy weight gave him a sense of security. His most valuable trophy was probably the Reich Elite II single-action army revolver, in excellent condition, practically new, complete with a belt and holster, and 12 rounds of ammunition. Its original price was over 45 German dollars. Unfortunately, this thing was too hot to handle; without a gun license, he'd be in jail.

Roland tucked it inside his fur coat. The current imperial legal system was corrupt, and the control of illegal firearms was far less than before. If he hid it carefully, there shouldn't be any major problems.

The second item was a brass pocket watch in decent condition. It seemed to keep time normally and its value should be no less than 12 German dollars. The original owner had been eyeing it for a long time, and this time he essentially got it for free.

The third item was a large bear hunting knife with a feather pattern. It was beautifully designed and well-made, and its value was conservatively estimated to be over 10 German dollars. However, Roland did not intend to sell it; he would use it to replace his lost, chipped hunting knife.

Aside from that, other items are quite common in Glacier Town. Fortunately, there are plenty of them, and they are very practical. It would be a real shame to spend money on them.

He carried the important items with him, stuffing everything else into his large backpack. He didn't abandon the pile of clothes and blankets either; every little bit counts. He wrapped them in his fur coat, packed them into a ball, and set them aside.

These items, when put together, are worth nearly one hundred German dollars, seven times the value of Roland's slush fund. There's no other way; with over a dozen mouths to feed, there's simply no way to save money.

……

After the items were packed up, the water in the iron basin started bubbling and gurgling.

Roland sat on a wooden stump and began to enjoy his less-than-delicious lunch, but his mind was wandering.

Today should be noon on February 8th, the third day since the original owner of this body disappeared. He is now facing an important choice: leave Ice River Town to start over, or integrate into this world as Roland.

The original owner had a distinct personality; he was a man who was cold on the outside but warm on the inside. He was full of sympathy for the lower classes, cruel and ruthless to his enemies, and held officials and the wealthy in contempt and hatred.

Despite his own difficult life, he presumptuously adopted several orphans and frequently donated to orphanages, making his already impoverished life even more destitute.

To be honest, Roland had no desire to take on this mess. But if he simply left, the children at "Roland's House" probably wouldn't survive. They were young, lacked skills, and the only one who could do anything had died a few days ago.

Roland wasn't a pushover, but he felt somewhat guilty if someone died because of him.

Actually, leaving isn't easy. According to the original owner's memories, the Sid Empire has been in turmoil for years, with cult activities and independence movements erupting one after another. Everyone is having a hard time, and wandering around without identification is extremely dangerous.

'I'll go back and check the situation first. I have two wolf mercenaries, so I should be able to protect myself.' He really needed an identity to help him integrate into this world.

The original owner knew that there were extraordinary people in this world, but had never seen one. This showed that extraordinary people were mysterious and rare, and those who were rare were noble. Perhaps he was already a member of the privileged class.

After eating and drinking his fill, Roland began tidying up the hunter's cabin. With the help of the two wolves, he cleaned up as much blood as possible, especially his own, shoveling it all into the fire to burn to ashes. This was an extraordinary world; one had to be careful.

After finishing, he used the empty iron basin to scoop out the snow and completely extinguish the fire.

Backpacks and bundles were strapped to the backs of Killy and Freddie respectively, and he set off lightly, carrying only a pair of fur snowboards, and opened the door to go out.

Thank you for your support, dear readers!

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(End of this chapter)