As an NPC, having a lot of skills is quite reasonable, right?

Pushing open the heavy oak door of the Ash Stove Inn, a wave of heat mixed with the aroma of wine hits you.

The lobby of the Ash Furnace Inn was more crowded than I had imagined; there were more adventurers than refugees in the hall.

Moen pulled his hood down low and found a corner to think about his escape plan.

"We'll leave as soon as we're resupplyed, no matter what."

Moen made up his mind that although the talisman offered free lodging, he would rather freeze in a tree hollow in the wild than be buried with Nohanville.

He ordered a serving of black bread and a glass of warm water from the innkeeper, and then asked to pack some food from his own bag.

The food was served with a key, which I suppose was for the rooms randomly assigned to the refugees.

Moen then quickly recalled the location of the nearest major city to Nohanville in his mind.

Just then, the previously noisy hall suddenly became quiet.

Moen subconsciously looked up, his gaze passing through the crowd and settling on a long table not far away.

There were several injured elderly people and children gathered there, and among them, a young girl dressed in light silver armor was kneeling on one knee, skillfully wiping the forehead of a child with a fever.

The girl was probably eighteen or nineteen years old. Her long, dark brown hair was tied into a neat high ponytail at the back of her head, and a slightly curled fringe was pasted on the side of her fair cheek.

Her features were extremely beautiful, especially her golden-gray eyes, but even when she was doing something as gentle as taking care of someone, her expression remained stiff, making people hesitant to approach her.

"That's Arya Velesa."

The whispers of those around him reached Moen's ears.

"I'm telling you, you can see her if you come here."

"Tsk tsk, I heard that the wolf blood wine we're drinking was all provided by her out of her own pocket for those refugees."

"Ha, it's probably just a show put on by the church."

"Shh, do you want your tongue cut out? That's a Judgment Knight!"

[Name: Arya Velesa]

【grade:??】

The level description is not visible; Arya is at least 10 levels higher than Moen.

Moen looked away and stared down at the half-eaten piece of black bread in his hand.

He wasn't going to waste his emotions on this NPC who was destined to die.

However, a light footstep stopped in front of his desk.

Moen looked up and met those golden-gray eyes.

Arya stood quietly in front of him, her gaze sweeping over his left arm, which was wrapped in a simple strip of cloth, and then over his pale, bloodless face.

She didn't speak, but took out a small bottle of pale green potion from the storage pouch at her waist and gently placed it on the table.

"Drink it." The voice was cold and clear, sounding like a command.

Moen paused for a moment, then said, "Thank you, sir, but I have no money."

"The church will reimburse you," Arya uttered succinctly, then turned and walked to the next table of homeless people without pausing.

As Moen held the still-warm vial of medicine, a crack appeared in the icy resolve that had formed in his heart, but it was only a crack.

"Good people always die the fastest."

He tilted his head back and downed the medicine, feeling his strength returning, and his escape plan became even more determined.

If you don't go now, when will you wait?

Moen had just grabbed his backpack and stood up when the hotel door was suddenly kicked open.

boom!

A messenger, covered in snow, rushed in and shouted, "Attention everyone! The blizzard level has been raised to catastrophic! To prevent anyone from getting lost in the wilderness, the entire town of Nohanville is under lockdown from this moment on. No one is allowed to leave the town!"

The hall erupted in chaos, while Moen stood frozen in place; his escape plan had failed before it even began.

He slumped back into his chair, his mind blank for a moment.

"Wait!" Moen narrowed his eyes.

At this point in time, Nohanville's intelligence was severely outdated. They thought they were facing only an ordinary beast tide, so they adopted a conventional defensive strategy.

However, Moen knew detailed information about this beast tide, and if he made arrangements now, he might be able to change his inevitable fate.

He turned his head sharply and looked at Arya, who was preparing to leave not far away.

Moen took a deep breath, pushed back his chair, and strode over.

"Lady Arya!"

The shout sounded particularly abrupt in the quiet hall.

Arya stopped and turned her head slightly, looking at the refugee who had just given her the potion with a puzzled expression.

Moen steeled himself and walked up to her, trying to make his voice sound calm: "I have very important information to report to you regarding this beast tide. Could we... discuss this in private?"

The air froze for a second.

Immediately afterwards, bursts of laughter came from the mercenary table next to them.

"Hahahaha!" A burly adventurer slammed his hand on the table and stood up, pointing at Moen and sneer, "Hey, you beggar over there, have you lost your mind? You think you can teach Lady Arya how to do things?"

"Those who want to scam bounties should know their own limitations."

"Go back to your corner and stop insulting adults with your foul mouth!"

Arya ignored the mockery around her. She looked at Moen quietly, her gaze sweeping over his tattered clothes and his body devoid of any magical energy.

"I'm sorry, but if you're looking to claim the church's bounty for information about the beast tide, you can go to the Knights' camp to find out more." Arya's voice was flat. She nodded politely, then turned and pushed open the door to leave.

She's leaving.

Moen's heart tightened as he watched the departing figure.

"Let's give it our all!"

He took a sudden step forward and stretched out his right hand to stop Arya from leaving.

Arya's instincts as a Judgment Knight allowed her to react the instant Moen got close.

Without even turning her head, she instantly grabbed Moen's outstretched wrist with her left hand, used her waist to exert force, and lowered her center of gravity.

The next second, she could throw this reckless scoundrel to the ground and break a few of his ribs.

However, just as Arya was about to exert her strength, Moen's urgent voice, piercing through the gaps in the snow, precisely reached her ears:

"As the commander of this beast tide, if you miss possible intelligence and the city falls and your people perish, I wonder if you will regret it then?"

For people with a strong sense of morality, moral blackmail should be used.

Upon hearing Moen's words, Arya's previously fluid movements froze instantly.

What if not heeding the information from the man in front of me leads to the outcome he predicted?

Taking advantage of Arya's brief pause, Moen, enduring the excruciating pain that felt like his wrist was being crushed, spoke again: "Now, can we talk, Lady Arya?"

Arya slowly released her grip, and a few seconds later, she took a deep breath.

"Okay, then let's go to your room."

???

The entire hotel lobby fell silent instantly.

Go to his room? The genius of the Ring of Judgment, the noble knight of judgment, not only did he not punish a vagrant after being bumped into by him, but he also wanted to go to his room for a private talk?

Arya completely ignored the surrounding noise; based on her previous thoughts, she decided it was necessary to listen to what Moen had to say.

Under the gaze of countless incredulous eyes, she followed Moen step by step up the stairs to the second floor with a cold face.

"Bang." The door slammed shut, shutting out the noise from the outside world.

Only the man and woman remained in the small room.

Arya didn't hesitate at all; she pulled over the only chair and sat down, placing her hands on her knees.

"Now, tell me your intelligence."

She spoke calmly and directly to the point:

"If you're talking nonsense, I'll throw you right out of this window."