Traveling through The Elder Scrolls: Skyrim

Chapter 216 Return

Helgen Town is now a bustling trading hub, with many people passing through its east gate daily. Some come from Flying Watchtower, some from Newgrah Fortress, and many more, like us, from Riftlands. Both people and goods must be inspected at the checkpoint outside the city gate, pay customs duties, and then be allowed to enter the city. Of course, the Baron of Falkriss is an exception.

At the city gate, Irina stood by the roadside, wearing deerskin boots and still wrapped in a burgundy long dress and a light gray cashmere cloak, though without her ornate belt. She breathed on her hands to warm them and stamped her feet, indicating she had been waiting there for quite some time. After warming herself up, she looked up, carefully observing those entering the city.

The oxcart was parked by the roadside, and I ran through the crowd to her.

"The master is back!"

"How did you know I was coming back today, sister?"

“Mr. Eric received a letter saying that the lord had arrived safely at the Treva watchtower. I’ve been counting the days and figured it should be about time, so I come here every day to wait for a while.”

"How many days have you been waiting?"

"Today is the third day, and we've finally waited for it!"

That silly woman!

In public, Irina resolutely refused to call me "husband." Sylvia was watching from behind, and I didn't dare flirt with her; we could only walk hand-in-hand toward the oxcart.

“We hitched a ride back in Eddie’s delivery truck, but the mountain roads were difficult to navigate, which delayed us.”

"What exactly is in that letter that requires an adult to deliver it personally?"

"Speaking of this letter, I have a surprise for my sister."

"There are so many people here, adults, please don't be indecent."

Silvia stood beside the oxcart, but we were facing the blinding morning sun, so it wasn't until we were very close that Irina's eyes widened in disbelief. Mother and daughter stared at each other, tears welling in their eyes, speechless for a long time. Finally, Irina burst into tears and threw herself into her mother's arms.

Eighteen years of humiliation, fear, loneliness, and longing all dissolved in the joy of reunion, turning into tears.

“Irina, your mother has been traveling for days and is very tired. This is not the place to talk. Let’s go into the city.”

The two of them made quite a commotion, attracting the attention of passersby. I persuaded them to get into the car, and we drove the cattle towards the Helgen Inn. The mother and daughter must have a lot to talk about, so going to Eric's house again wouldn't be appropriate.

Sylvia, who had just cried while hugging Irina, smiled and held her hand, looking her up and down. Suddenly, my mother-in-law glared at me.

"Aren't you a baron? Why are little Amy's hands so rough?"

No, she's only been married to me for two months, so it's not my fault her hands are rough. But Irina does do housework after we got married, so I don't feel like I'm entirely justified in doing so.

"This young baron..."

Eddie's hired men are on the oxcart! Am I supposed to admit to them that I'm a bandit who's been recruited?

“Mother, I managed everything myself when I was at the temple. The master’s new territory has just begun to be rebuilt, and there’s a shortage of manpower. How could he only take care of me? Actually, the master treats me very well. This outfit was bought for me by him. Look at the material…”

I looked at Irina gratefully, but she didn't even look up at me, still showing Sylvia her clothes and jewelry. Maggie, on the other hand, winked at me. It turned out that ever since the mother and daughter got into the car, she had been holding the honey jar in her hands, but hadn't even given it to them when they arrived at the hotel.

"Sigh, this errand has been tough for me, I've been traveling for so many days. But it looks like we'll be staying here tonight. I left the honey in the carriage, remember to give it to your wife. Also, be sure to come find me at the castle before you set off."

That guy left so easily, but I had a lot of work to do. First, I made arrangements with each of the carriage drivers, then asked them to pass on messages to Eric and Eddie, saying I would visit them that afternoon to express my gratitude, and also to bring over the dark elf maid Savira, who was staying at Eric's house. Next, I booked two adjacent rooms at the inn for Sylvia and Irina to rest temporarily. After all that, it was almost time for dinner.

The Nords originally ate two meals a day: a main meal around 11 a.m., which was as lavish as possible, and dinner around 6 or 7 p.m., which consisted mainly of soups and cold dishes, and was relatively light, unless it was for entertaining guests. Eddie, in an attempt to make money, had once tricked Rigel into adding breakfast to the soldiers' meals, but this ultimately failed to become widespread. The reason was simple: an extra meal meant extra money.

However, wealthy merchants and nobles still retained the habit of eating breakfast as a symbol of status. In the present-day territory of Falkriss, two meals a day were considered a vulgar custom among the lowly. And at the most important lunch, not using chopsticks was also considered rude. For example, the lord's father, Baron Taguel, would absolutely refuse to sit down at the table if he did not see such noble tableware.

Currently, these rules only apply to the territory of Falkriss, and Sylvia is unaware of them. I plan to cook a few dishes myself, partly to please my mother-in-law, and partly to respond to her criticism. If a baron like me is going into the kitchen, what's the big deal for the baroness to wash a few clothes?

Eddie himself was in charge of the Japanese food at the Helgen Hotel, and the kitchen helpers were all trustworthy subordinates, who naturally knew me as well. After exchanging a few pleasantries, I followed the light and found the bald man.

"Hey brother, what brings you here? I heard from the guys that you brought your wife's mother back? Don't you need to chat with her?"

"Do they really need me to keep them company? I'll cook a few dishes. These past few days, it's all thanks to you and Eric for taking care of them. I'll treat everyone tomorrow night, and both of your families must do us the honor of attending."

Eddie patted his chest confidently.

"Of course, I'd love for Morey to get closer to my sister-in-law. You wouldn't believe the elegance and poise she has; even Morey speaks to me in a high-pitched voice now. You guys, go out first. Brother, what are you cooking? I'll help you; they're not good enough for you."

"Come on, she's not an easy person to get along with."

Irina has a gentle personality, but she's not easygoing. Specifically, she generally doesn't offend people easily, but she's also rarely willing to compromise. With someone like that, the more distant you are, the more harmonious the relationship becomes. Once you get too close, disagreements inevitably arise. And if the other person is a carefree, straightforward guy like me, it's even worse.

This is why we often had cold wars after we got married. But once distance created a barrier, the beauty returned, so we always made up after a fight. And I have to admit that no matter how much we argued in private, Irina always gave me face in public. So both Eddie and Maggie thought we were a loving couple.

Amidst laughter and conversation, three simple home-style dishes were ready. There was a festive tomato and egg stir-fry, a refreshing stir-fried potato shreds with vinegar, and a side of stir-fried chicken cubes, along with a steamer of xiaolongbao (soup dumplings) and two white steamed buns, plus two bottles of gin mead, which I carried into the room.

"Mother, please try this. It's a dish created by the master. You can only find it in this inn and at the master's house in the entire Skyrim."

"Sister is wrong. It's not the adults' house, it's our house."

Irina smiled, her lips pursed, while Sylvia seemed quite surprised by my attentiveness. I sat for a while, making sure my mother-in-law was satisfied with the food, before retreating to the adjacent room to rest. I probably dozed off for about an hour when I opened the door and Irina quietly sat down beside me.

"Honey, are you hungry?"

What a joke! Haven't you heard the saying, "If the cook doesn't steal, the harvest won't be good"? But then again...

"Where's mother?"

"She was tired and just fell asleep."

I wrapped my arms around Irina's waist and pressed my face against her slightly flushed cheeks, moistened by mead.

"Whether you're hungry or not depends on what you eat."

"Stop it. Honey, I... want to stay with my mother tonight."

“Of course. I will let Savira stay in this room; just call her if you need anything.”

"How about that?"

I knew she wasn't thinking anything good.

"I have appointments. I'm going to see Eric this afternoon, and then I'll visit a friend in the evening. We might talk for a long time, so I'll stay at his place."

Irina breathed a sigh of relief, stood up, and bowed to me.

"Thank you, honey. I...I never thought I'd be able to..."

"Oh dear, my dear sister, we're husband and wife, can you please stop being so formal?"

Tears streaming down her face, she looked so pitiful. Unfortunately, I've never learned how to comfort a girl, so I could only hug her and talk about my schedule.

"Tomorrow morning, we'll visit Baron Horrick. There's not much to do during the day, so you can take your mother around. The market in Helgen is quite charming; buy whatever you like. The money is in this package. If you need more, just ask Eddie; I've already spoken to him. Have dinner with Eric and his family. They've been very kind to us, so we should thank them. I bought a few gifts in Ivastad; if you have time, you can check if anything is missing."

After lingering for a while longer, Savira knocked on the door, and Irina was finally able to break free from my embrace. After giving the dark elf maid a few instructions, I left the inn and headed towards Eric's house.

Hawkes and his two younger brothers arrived in Helgen the day before yesterday. The unfortunate fellow who fell into the water was the second oldest among the men, around fourteen or fifteen years old. He hadn't received his medication in time and developed an infection, causing him to cough incessantly. He had received treatment and his symptoms had lessened somewhat, but he was still under observation in the ward. The other boy, just twelve years old, had been left behind in the comrades' quarters to do odd jobs and run errands, and usually lived in the dormitory that Eric had prepared for his subordinates.

This older brother, who was very friendly, took care of the patient day and night, even sleeping in the ward at night. When he saw me, he was extremely grateful. He explained that he had reached a preliminary agreement with a friend, and because it was a long-term deal, the friend's offer was only 60% of the market price.

How does he usually process the brine?

"This is a bit troublesome. Your Excellency, you may not know, but this stuff is poisonous. It makes people feel nauseous and vomit, and even livestock shouldn't eat much of it. Only alchemists with ulterior motives would buy a little. In short, if it were by the sea, it could be easily eliminated, but in his place..."

"I don't want to know his location, I just want the brine. Ask him about the price, the cheaper the better."

Hawkes looked embarrassed.

"Uh... Your Excellency, you are definitely not an alchemist, and you certainly don't have any ulterior motives... You're helping him solve his problem, so he should lower his price."

"Then you go and talk to him. Whatever price he offers is yours, how about it?"

"How could I possibly take advantage of the Duke..."

I patted his shoulder.

“Your family urgently needs money, and I’m not exactly flush with cash myself. It’s a good thing that someone else is funding this. Don’t feel like you’re getting a bargain; I need that stuff. Just have him dry the brine, let it solidify, and then send it over.”

"Understood, I won't tell him it's what you wanted."

You don't understand anything. This guy probably thinks I'm going to harm someone.

Hawkes didn't dwell on the matter. On his way home, he made his way through all his old connections, from Flute Town to Helgen. Besides the salt smuggler, there were grain and vegetable dealers, clothing weavers, and vendors selling everyday items—reportedly everything from cups, plates, and bowls to chamber pots and toilets. The only thing missing was any weapons or armor—the Companions' equipment was specially supplied by the Sky Forge.

These people were also told that his two younger brothers would be handling business from now on.

"Tell your brother not to rush into anything, but to take care of his health first. And you too, be patient, Nigada, your time will come."

"Don't worry, my lord, we brothers know who we're working for."

I nodded and patted him on the shoulder again.

Krako Whitemane is a cunning old fox, but since your Companions aren't a monolithic group, don't blame me for planting spies within. Eric is an open mole, Hawkes is a hidden mole, and there's Madeline, whose recovery is uncertain. When the time is right, it's not impossible to get Yuevaska to listen to me.

The second day's itinerary went very smoothly. As long as Irina was willing, these social events could only end with everyone enjoying themselves. After setting off again, Maggie once again felt the urge to go boating. Since Lake Irina was no longer a place of heartbreak, I was happy to let Old Niu rest for a few days.

A light drizzle was falling, yet the three women were enjoying the view on the deck, seemingly oblivious to the rain. My wife had been "possessed" by my mother-in-law for days, with no sign of being returned. But that was fine; it gave me time to sort out my thoughts.

My target has always been the town of Loristed, located in the north of my territory. Besides its importance in terms of grain production, the most crucial factor is that it's the gateway to the Richi Territory. The reason I haven't been able to launch a large-scale search for Helgi since his disappearance is because the main force can't enter the Richi Territory.

But the trip to the Blacklight Tower added another task to my schedule: to go to the southern territory of Falkreath to hunt down Esmoridae's enemy, the Sichuan orc mage, Ba Shi. I've been trying to find out about him from Sylvia and Maggie these past few days, but like the raven witch Camilla, they couldn't offer any valuable information.

The most troublesome thing is that these two matters are in the south and the north respectively, making it impossible to attend to both at the same time; a priority must be given. If your god-sister and sister-in-law both fall into the water, which one should you save first?

Let's not dwell on things we can't figure out for now. After all, before these two goals, there's a smaller, more pressing objective—the bandits in the hilly area north of the village.

My trip to Rift Territory was rather slow, taking almost half a month. By the time I returned to Granite Village, it was late spring, the Rain Hand month, which is April. Lund had already led the villagers to complete spring planting, and the focus had shifted to further increasing the population and reclaiming wasteland. Lydia had selected forty soldiers and officially begun tactical training. During her report, she seemed somewhat unsure of herself, saying that this force would probably struggle to demonstrate its combat effectiveness in the summer.

This was within my expectations. The training exercise in Helgen was aimed at the existing army in Falkriss territory, so it was very effective. This time, however, we have to start from scratch. These things cannot be rushed. If the troops are not properly trained and sent into battle, it will endanger lives.

But there was something unexpected. I stared at Ajis in front of me.

"You mean, almost two months have passed without any clues being found?"