After resolving the issue with the wolves, Lancelot and his companions had no more obstacles on their journey. Around noon, the road ahead forked, and a sign directed them to turn right towards the hills, where their destination was faintly visible through the mist.
After less than ten minutes of walking, Raventown came fully into view. From its appearance, the town resembled an ancient fortress hidden in the mountains, with stone walls reaching twenty feet high, which looked incredibly sturdy. Several tall towers connected to the walls stood like silent watchers, guarding against the dangerous forest; however, at this moment, only black ravens were perched on them, having been the first to notice the arrival of the group, now making noisy calls from the tops of the towers.
As the party approached the perimeter wall, the air seemed to warm slightly. The road was cut off by the town gatehouse, above which the words Raventown were carved unevenly, with the characters severely weathered. Though it was noon, the iron-clad double doors were tightly closed, warding off wolves, fog, and unknown dangers from the outside world and clearly denying entry.
However, as the group approached, the large doors opened with a harsh creaking noise, and a familiar figure appeared before them—Soveris Nightwind, the leader of the attackers from the day before, was standing in the middle of the gate to welcome them.
"Nice to see you again, Sir Lancelot, and all you brave Adventurers," Elves greeted them warmly, "Welcome to Raventown."
"Pleased to see you, Sir," Lancelot dismounted and bowed in greeting, "It seems you knew we were coming?"
"Of course, the ravens informed me ahead of time. They even mentioned that you encountered a little trouble on the way, but I knew those wolves wouldn’t pose a threat to a group like yours," the brunette-haired Elf said with a smile, gesturing politely for them to follow, "I’ll take you to the only place in town suitable for entertaining guests. You must be hungry, lunch is ready."
"What’s the deal with this land," grumbled Bruto, following behind Lancelot, "seems like someone is monitoring our every move..."
"Ah, please don’t misunderstand, it’s not aimed at you," the Elf quickly explained, "We keep an eye on all unusual activities nearby, so we aren’t caught off guard by enemies. In this cursed land, caution is a necessity for survival."
"But you welcome us with open arms," Lancelot asked curiously, "why?"
"Take a look around," the Elf stopped and turned, "tell me, what do you see?"
Lancelot turned his head, surveying the quiet town. Most of the townspeople’s houses were small wooden cottages with stone chimneys and thatched roofs, each with a vegetable garden nearby and pens for chickens, rabbits, and pigs, making them seemingly self-sufficient. Some of the townsfolk stood at their doors, eyeing the group curiously, comprising mainly of Elves and humans, as well as hybrids of the two races.
"I see a beautiful town," admitted Lancelot, "I wouldn’t have believed such a place existed in the Demon’s Domain if I hadn’t seen it with my own eyes."
"And I see countless families, husbands and wives, parents and children," the Elf turned its head and continued towards the higher part of the town, "In that Dungeon, I saw one of your companions embrace his father, who wore prison clothes. Thus, I also understood your purpose here and deemed you trustworthy, because only truly noble souls would risk their own safety to help a friend and come to this Cursed Land to rescue a loved one."
"Haha, you Elves sure have a way with words!" Bruto said cheerfully, "My big brother’s character really is beyond reproach; you can safely entrust him with gold, gemstones, and even your wife!"
"The first two options are fine, but what’s with the last one?" Lancelot looked at the Dwarf helplessly. "To entrust something to me, you first need to have it, right?"
"I have no hopes for this rascal," Barrend said huffily next to him. "Just don’t bring me a beardless Gnome!"
"Hahaha, they say it takes a hundred years to become friends with a Dwarf. It seems I have no issues with my judgment of you, Sir."
Following the Elves, the group arrived in front of a rather large wooden longhouse. Although there was no sign, the wolf’s head hanging on the door and the clinking of mugs coming from inside told them they had arrived. Before pushing the door open, the Elf turned back to the group and said:
"You can tie up your mounts anywhere you like; we don’t have thieves here... Of course, if they want to wander around on their own, that’s fine too, as long as they don’t cause any damage."
"Did you hear that?" Lancelot stroked the long face of the large black horse. "Can you promise to behave?"
"Alright, suit yourself." For some mysterious reason, Lancelot understood what Nightmares was trying to convey, "This beast wants to roam around outside the town... Let’s not worry about it, let’s go in."
Soveris smiled knowingly and turned to push open the tavern’s gate. Outside the half-open door, the world was silent, cold, and unwelcoming, but inside the tavern, it was a completely different scene. Round tables were laden with rich food, flames danced excitedly in the fireplace, and farmers in coarse clothing chatted happily, occasionally clinking their frothy mugs of beer.
For experienced Adventurers like Lancelot and his companions, it was just an ordinary countryside tavern. However, at this moment, being here brought a wave of long-missed relaxation that they hadn’t felt yesterday at the Wolf King’s Den, which was too upscale and not suited for these travelers accustomed to braving the elements.
"Old Black Bird! You here?" the bartender behind the bar noticed the new arrivals and warmly greeted them. "Are these the guests you mentioned? Sit over there; I’ve saved you spots!"
"Thanks, Ollie!" the Elf waved back, "Bring the lunch over, put it on my tab!"
"That’s Ollie Buckman. Ever since the first Buckman arrived in Raventown over two hundred years ago, his family has been running this tavern," the Elf said as he led the group to a table. "In this sunless place, Buckman’s homemade beer is one of the few things that can warm your soul, and unlike the cursed pastries sold by witches, it absolutely has no side effects... apart from those caused by excessive drinking."