Arknightcraft Modpack

Nights in Ursus were bitterly cold, and even more so on the snow-covered tundra.

Thanks to the protection of his leather armor, Steven barely felt the biting chill of the Ursus cold. But judging from the way the two people behind him kept pulling their thick winter clothes tighter, this was anything but a comfortable environment.

To his surprise, there was actually a small, lively village in such a harsh climate—and not far from his cabin, no less. If you crossed a hill behind his home, you could see it.

If he had picked a different direction during the day, would he have found it already?

Steven scratched his head awkwardly, unsure how to describe his current situation. It seemed he really was as unlucky as always.

“This is the village where you live?”

As the faint yellow lights of the village came into view, Steven finally felt relieved. He no longer had to worry about wild animals like wolves or bears sneaking up on the two frail companions he was escorting. He pointed toward the village and asked.

“Yeah. If you keep heading forward for a few dozen kilometers, you might run into a mobile city. But that route is sparsely populated and full of wild beasts. If you don’t travel with a caravan, it can be quite dangerous,” Alina explained.

From their conversation on the way, she had come to believe that Steven was simply a traveler curious about local customs. She even pointed him in the direction of the nearest mobile city, sensing that he was the type who couldn’t just stay quietly in his cabin.

A little warning seemed necessary, though Alina suspected that with someone like Steven—capable of building a cabin in such a remote location—wild beasts probably wouldn’t pose much of a threat. His carefree attitude during their journey, as if he hadn’t even considered potential dangers, made it clear: Steven wasn’t afraid of such things.

“Thanks for the advice, but I don’t plan on heading to a mobile city anytime soon. I’ll probably stay here for a while,” Steven said, scratching his head. Alina’s kindness left him unsure how to respond. Her ever-present gentle smile and thoughtful words made it hard to crack jokes or say anything cheeky.

“Why don’t you come to the village for a while? My wife’s bread-making is excellent. Paired with the chicken soup you gave us, it’ll be delicious. And if you go back this late and encounter wolves, it could be trouble,” the elder offered, gesturing to a dimly lit, shabby wooden house at the village’s edge.

Since Steven had generously shared his chicken soup, the elder naturally wanted to return the favor.

But Steven had only come to figure out the route to the village. Visiting someone’s home this late at night felt a bit intrusive. He had no intention of causing trouble for others.

“No need. It’s not that far, and I’m strong enough to handle myself. Hunting is a side hobby of mine, so you don’t need to worry about me. I’ll visit the village tomorrow morning and see if there’s anything worth trading,” Steven replied, waving off the elder’s concern.

Now that he knew where the village was, his goal was accomplished. As for staying over, he felt too awkward imposing on someone late at night.

If this were a Minecraft village, he’d have rung the bell by now and started picking villagers to trade with.

After bidding farewell to Alina and the elder, Steven turned back toward his cabin.

The village wasn’t exactly small, with seemingly over a hundred households. But if you asked Steven to live there, he’d much prefer his cozy little cabin.

Judging by the worn-down houses and the plain clothes of Alina and the elder, this wasn’t a resource-rich village. The conditions didn’t even match up to Rhodes Island’s dormitories, let alone his cabin with its Netherrack floor heating.

“He’s a good neighbor, but he could be a bit less stingy. Sharing some farming techniques wouldn’t hurt,” the elder muttered softly, watching Steven’s retreating figure. The fact that Steven had escorted them back convinced him the man wasn’t bad at heart. His only regret was still those potatoes growing outside Steven’s cabin.

Alina, meanwhile, glanced helplessly at the elder beside her. Her thoughts were clear: it might be a blessing that the elder’s eyesight wasn’t the best.

If he had clearly seen Steven’s peculiar attire, who knows if he’d have invited him to the village in the first place.

After all, Steven’s current appearance bore more than a passing resemblance to the many strange creatures in Ursus folklore.

“I’ll make sure to tell Grandma everything you did today. Just wait to get lectured!” Alina teased.

Alina had mulled over her words for quite some time but ultimately couldn’t bring herself to scold the slightly childish old man. After all, Steven really did seem like a good person. Criticizing the elder too harshly would feel a bit unfair.

Still, the trouble he caused today wasn’t something she could keep hidden from his family.

“Fine, go ahead and tell her. What, am I supposed to be afraid of her? It’s just a basket of mushrooms. I even brought her a bottle of chicken soup, didn’t I?”

Though the old man spoke with confidence, his hunched shoulders betrayed the truth—he wasn’t quite as fearless of his wife as he claimed to be.

“Sure, Grandpa, but you should really stop wandering into that forest. It’s only thanks to Mr. Steve’s kindness that nothing bad happened. If you were in danger, we’d all be worried sick,” Alina said with a helpless smile, but her tone was sincere.

The direction of Steven’s cabin wasn’t quite right. According to the village hunters, the wildlife in that area had mysteriously dispersed, making it a place they rarely ventured into.

Unlike Steven, her grandfather wasn’t exactly strong or robust. If he did run into trouble, escaping might not be an option.

The old man opened his mouth to argue but stopped short when two figures emerged from the village, hurrying toward them.

Even so, the old man couldn’t deny the reality of their situation. Crop yields were getting worse, and if not for the hope of foraging some wild mushrooms to trade for food, who would willingly risk going to such a place?

To make matters worse, the so-called “search squads” that claimed to be hunting for Infected frequently raided their village under the guise of their mission, further squeezing their meager resources.

Of course, everyone understood this unspoken truth, so there was no point in dwelling on it.

“Grandpa, you’re finally back! Grandma’s been nagging so much she’s nearly made me deaf,” said one of the figures—a young girl. She left the other elder’s side and quickly stepped forward to help Alina support the old man, sneaking in a quiet complaint.

The older woman rolled her eyes as she caught up, then, when she arrived in front of them, thrust a thick fur coat into the old man’s hands.

“You’re nothing but trouble! You even dragged Alina into apologizing to someone on your behalf. And look what happened—no mushrooms, and now you’ve returned what wasn’t yours. Didn’t you say yourself not to take things that don’t belong to you?”

Her words were full of reproach, but as she spoke, she took the old man’s dry, cold hand in hers and began leading him toward the house, where the stove was still lit.

“Yes, yes, it’s my fault,” the old man admitted sheepishly, the bravado he had shown earlier completely gone. He scratched his head and grinned foolishly. “But the young man living there—he’s a decent guy. He even gave me something good. You’ll see when we get home.”

He chuckled as he held up the water flask in his arms for her to see, looking almost like a mischievous child showing off his loot.

Alina, now walking alongside the young girl who had come out to greet her, watched the two elders ahead of them with a warm smile.

“You should’ve waited for me to come back before heading out. What if something had happened?”

The white-haired girl beside Alina, whose head was adorned with peculiar, curved horns, glanced at her and spoke in a slightly reproachful tone.

“I believe there are more kind people than not on this land. That gentleman was just as kind as I hoped; after all, he was the one who helped bring both Grandpa and me back,” Alina said, holding the still-warm flask in her arms. The thought of Steven—a strange-looking man with an odd head but an undeniably friendly demeanor—made her smile curve even further.

“That’s only because your kindness brought you luck this time. But that doesn’t mean you’ll always escape harm,” replied the sharp-dressed, confident young woman walking beside her, her attire distinctly out of place in the modest village. She rubbed her temple, clearly exasperated by Alina’s optimism.

“Maybe. But what can I say, Talulah? If you hadn’t snuck off to the city, I wouldn’t have had to make such a decision because I couldn’t find you.” Alina spoke the other girl’s name gently, shifting the blame to her for leaving without notice.

“Oh, so you’re blaming me now, huh? Even though you’re the one who made the mistake, you’re pushing it on me? Sounds like someone’s holding a grudge against me.” Talulah raised an eyebrow, pretending to be upset. Then, with mock indignation, she poked Alina’s slender waist with her finger, making her squeal like a startled deer.

“Stop it! I just mean that if you’re worried about me, you should also consider that I’m equally worried about you. At least I tell Grandma and the others what I’m doing. Can you honestly say what exactly you went to the city for?” Alina dodged Talulah’s playful attack with some difficulty and then answered seriously.

“…”

Talulah fell silent. The things she had been doing weren’t something she could share with these kind, innocent people.

“Anyway, let’s focus on your situation first. That gentleman you mentioned—he really brought you back out of pure goodwill and didn’t ask for any compensation? Is he a local from Ursus? I thought that area was just barren snowfields. When did someone suddenly start living there?” Talulah deftly changed the subject back. She didn’t know much about the situation, only that Alina had accompanied her grandfather to return some potatoes he had secretly taken.

“No, he didn’t ask for anything. He was very kind. If there’s anything strange about him, though…” Alina frowned in thought before looking at Talulah with a puzzled expression, seeking her input.

“Do you know of any race on this land that wears a glowing pumpkin head as a helmet?”