Chapter 119: Halflings

Halflings were a rare race, and also a very popular one. They lived in the Shire mountains up north. They were not tall, but every Halfling was a food lover. These little folks were born cheerful and liked to travel. Most travelers enjoyed meeting them.

“Halflings?” Su Lun raised his eyebrows and said with some surprise.

“Hey! Hello there, can you give me some food to try?” The Halfling waved at Su Lun and said.

Heatherway looked at the Halfling with a smile. She was also seeing this race for the first time. With such a small stature, any patch of thick grass in this northern wilderness could hide him completely. Unless he jumped up, no one could see him. No wonder they became Rogues; their talent was right there.

Su Lun nodded in agreement. The Halfling acted as if they were old friends and walked into the stone room. His steps were light and nimble, and he seemed quite capable. He sat down lightly by the campfire and said cheerfully, “It’s the blessing of the Goddess of Fortune. I’ve been walking alone in the Northern Wasteland for many days, and I can finally take a break.”

“Hello, friendly traveler.”

“Hello, respected Witch.”

The Halfling finished his greetings smoothly and then introduced himself: “My name is Frodo, Frodo Finewine Eglath, a gourmet who travels around the world.”

“I’m very glad to meet you here.”

Heatherway was very curious about the Halfling. Her big round eyes looked him up and down. Frodo was not angry. He looked at Heatherway with a smile and playfully winked. Then he put on a starving expression and said, “Respected Witch, could you please take pity on a Halfling who hasn’t had a proper meal all day? Could you give me something to eat? I’m about to starve to death.”

“Haha, here you go.” Heatherway chuckled, then took out a plate and a pair of chopsticks and handed them over. The little girl was getting mischievous now. After handing over the chopsticks, she had no intention of teaching him how to use them. Instead, she took on the attitude of watching a show.

Frodo was a bit confused by the chopsticks. But facing delicious food, he didn’t care too much. He grabbed the chopsticks and tried to pick up the fried tenderloin, but failed several times.

“Alright, Heatherway.” Su Lun glanced at Heatherway, who was trying hard not to laugh, and shook his head. He picked up the chopsticks and demonstrated how to use them for the sweating and anxious Frodo.

As a Rogue, Frodo’s fingers were very nimble. After just watching twice, he successfully learned how to use the chopsticks. He was much better at it than Heatherway.

Using the chopsticks to pick up a piece of fried dragon tenderloin, Frodo couldn’t wait to take a bite. Then he savored the food with an expression of enjoyment.

Halflings were a very cheerful race. They loved good food, tobacco, and fine drinks. They also loved parties and hated boredom. This was a naturally optimistic race. Unlike the stubbornness of Dwarves, Halflings had gentle personalities. Of course, they also had strong curiosity and a clever wit.

They received favor from many gods and were also a race that respected the gods. They were much more devout than humans. Even when facing some weaker gods, they would show their respect.

Halflings loved good food, so many Halflings traveled around the world. These little folks were naturally very agile. Plus, they had small builds. Compared to humans, they were natural Rogues. Relying on their strong ability to escape danger, they showed courage and curiosity that other races couldn’t match.

Of course, these little folks also liked money a lot. But unlike misers, they also enjoyed spending it. And as Rogues, these little folks often did some petty thievery. They liked to use their cleverness to solve problems, such as playing tricks on inn bills.

In most cases, these little folks easily gained favor from other races. Of course, even if they met bad people, their agile skills allowed them to escape easily.

This race didn’t commit big mistakes, but had many small flaws. They loved good food, tobacco, and fine drinks. They didn’t have their own country. In their homeland, these Halflings lived in villages. They were protected by the Halfling Guardian Goddess Yondolla, an ancient deity of great Divine Power.

Under her protection, Halflings had thrived for countless years. Their strong curiosity often led them to do reckless things. This race frequently appeared in epics and legends. They were often the good companions of the story’s hero, excellent Rogues who helped the protagonist complete their quest.

Basically, every Halfling was a great chef. Having someone in the team who was skilled in scouting, traps, theft, and cooking was very popular. Besides these, Halflings had another characteristic: they liked to brag. Because they traveled to many places, these Halflings were well-informed. So it was common to see some Halflings boasting about their experiences to others.

“Wow, this is really delicious.” Frodo swallowed the fried dragon tenderloin and kept using all sorts of praising words to describe it. “This way of cooking is the first time I’ve seen it. Although the ingredients used are simple, I must say, the food is made really well!”

“And this kind of tableware is also very novel. It’s very convenient to make and more flexible to use than a fork. You are the best cook among the humans I’ve met, really, I swear!”

“Frodo, are you traveling in the Northern Wilderness?” Su Lun asked with some curiosity.

“Of course.” Frodo swallowed the meat in his mouth and said, “I came here to look for spices. Last time I met a Caravan. That Caravan accidentally obtained some spices. I bought them and tried cooking with them. The taste was fantastic.”

“But when I wanted to buy more, the merchant didn’t have any left. Finally, he said he bought them from someone else. He heard that person found them in the Northern Wilderness.”

“So you came to the Northern Wilderness alone just to find that spice?” Su Lun looked at the Halfling speechlessly.

“Of course. Isn’t such a delicious spice worth taking risks for?” Frodo said with conviction. Others might not know, but Su Lun knew that these Halflings would really do such things.

“By the way, what meat are we eating? Why have I never tasted it before?” Frodo suddenly asked.

“Your luck is good. This is Frost Wyvern tenderloin. How does it taste?” Su Lun said with a smile.

“This is dragon meat?” Frodo looked at Su Lun in surprise, his face full of disbelief.

Su Lun shrugged: “Of course. Don’t you feel that energy in your body? Eating dragon meat can improve your physical condition.”

“It really is dragon meat!” Frodo looked at Su Lun and Heatherway in amazement: “You slew a dragon?”