Chapter 347: Idar

"Auntie, you seem to have a bad impression of that foreigner named Idar?" Joan asked tentatively.

"I really don't have a good impression of him."

Aunt Barbara handed Joan a basket full of bread, butter, ham, cheese and kitchen utensils, and said angrily:

"That Idar came to Delin Town more than half a month ago. I've seen a lot of foreigners, but none of them look weirder than him."

"That guy's complexion is as yellow as beeswax, barefoot, bald head, not even a beard and eyebrows left, like an egg that has been peeled off its shell, he looks about 30 years old, surrounded by a group of people A thick and airtight cloak, do you think this man is weird?"

"It's really weird. Doesn't his cloak have yellow and black stripes—like the stripes on the belly of a wasp?" Joan asked.

"That's right! It's that kind of cloak!" Aunt Barbara nodded resolutely, and continued, "This man calls himself a 'naturalist', but judging from his speech and behavior, he really doesn't look like a scholar. Spent most of the time in town at the Golden Trout Tavern, asking everyone for news about Beaver Village."

"Gods behold! Beaver Village was smashed into ruins by a meteorite as early as last winter. No one survived. It's so tragic!"

Aunt Barbara put down her needle and thread, and sincerely prayed to the Goddess of Fate to bless the safety of Delin Town and never suffer the bad luck of Beaver Village.

"Auntie, why did that Idar want to inquire about the Beaver Village? What does it have to do with him?" Joan couldn't help asking.

"I'm not too sure about this. I heard that that strange man seems to be very interested in the meteorite that destroyed Beaver Village, and he didn't hesitate to spend a lot of money to collect meteorite fragments."

"But if someone actually showed him the meteorite fragments he picked up, he would shake his head and say it wasn't what he wanted, and because of this, the idle little rascals in town who dreamed of making a fortune all day were very annoyed, Ask him what the meteorite fragments he wants look like."

"Later, the man described it vividly, saying that 'the shape is like a solidified teardrop' and 'the texture is crystal clear'..."

"It doesn't look like a meteorite fragment, it's clearly a gemstone. No wonder he willingly offered 3,000 Gold Duga to buy it!"

"The outsider wandered around in the tavern for several days, but he still couldn't get the strange stone he wanted. Later, he relaxed the reward standard. If anyone can provide clues to the mystery of the destruction of Beaver Village, he can also get it from him. A reward of up to 10 gold coins."

When Aunt Barbara said this, she seemed to suddenly think of something, grabbed Joan's hand, and looked at him nervously.

"If you didn't mention it, I almost forgot that this matter has something to do with you!"

"What does this have to do with me?" Joan asked knowingly.

"What do you think is a good thing that hangs around in the tavern all day? It's either lazy or rascal! These wicked people dare to say anything in order to get some money for drinks!"

"One of the drunkards, probably drunk and stupefied, actually talked nonsense to the outsider. The only survivor of Beaver Village was a little Asa girl named Kandy, who was taken by you who happened to pass by Beaver Village last winter. Go back to Delin Town, live for a while and then leave..."

"Joan, that nonsense drunk, didn't cause you any trouble?"

Aunt Barbara asked worriedly.

Joan shook his head, barely pretending to be nonchalant.

"It's nothing, you go on, where did that foreigner named Idar go?"

"The man stayed in the town for less than a week, and he didn't seem to have gained much, so he left in early August."

"During the time he stayed in the town, he posted reward notices in every shop, and he also left a mailing address. Anyone who has news of the meteorite's whereabouts in Beaver Village can write to him, promising a big reward."

"His mailing address, can you show me?"

"Here, just write it on it."

Aunt Barbara took out a note from the cupboard and handed it to Joan.

"Red Tomato Tavern in the port area of ​​Layton, hand it over to Idar for collection..."

Joan read the address silently and kept it firmly in her heart, predicting that this address would come in handy in the future.

"It would be fine if that weirdo was just inquiring about news in the town, but then another strange thing happened, it's a bit scary to say it!"

Aunt Barbara lowered her voice with a secretive expression.

"What strange thing?" Joan asked curiously.

"One night just two weeks ago, Old Bell, a shoemaker in the shop next door, came back from the tavern and saw a huge wasp flying across the night sky on the way!"

"The two front paws of the giant bee were still holding a naked man. Old Bell rubbed his eyes and took a closer look—it's not that foreigner named Idar!"

"Old Bell was so frightened that he almost peed his pants, so he ran home and told his son and wife about it, and his wife told me the next day... The story quickly spread throughout the town."

Joan nodded.

Now that the news was known to Aunt Barbara, it was only natural that it would spread throughout the town within a day.

"At first we didn't believe what Old Bell said, thinking that he was drunk and talking nonsense, but it was strange to say that after that day, Idar disappeared mysteriously, and no one in the town saw him again."

"What's even more strange is that shortly thereafter, a pest plague broke out in the town, and many huge pests that had never been seen before emerged out of nowhere from the nearby farmland."

"The autumn harvest is about to begin. Mayor Tyndale and Mr. Flint hastily summoned the militia to try to eliminate the strange insects that destroy the crops in the field as soon as possible."

"Strange bugs are not so easy to deal with. Many militia boys were injured in the battle, and they haven't completely killed the pests so far. On the contrary, Tyndale and Flint's own sawmills and forges were also plagued by insects... ..."

"Now, people in the town are beginning to suspect that the plague of bugs is related to that mysterious outsider—since he can control giant wasps, hey, maybe he can control other strange bugs as well!"

said Aunt Barbara grumpily.

It's understandable that the sawmill had a plague of insects, but why is there also a strange insect infested in the forge?

The more Joan thought about it, the more he felt that this matter might not be simple, so he secretly decided to go to the forge and sawmill to investigate tomorrow.

After bidding farewell to Aunt Barbara, Joan returned to her new house with a basket full of food and daily necessities.

The night was getting dark, Joan lay on the new bed exuding the fragrance of wood and could not sleep for a long time.

He has no attachment to the old house that has been in disrepair, drafty in winter, and leaky in summer, but it is not only his own house, but also the place where his parents lived before their death.

Joan slept in that old house, and occasionally he could feel the breath of his parents surrounding him, which made him feel warm and at ease.

As the house was burned down, the last trace of his parents' life in this world was also erased. He lived in this brand new wooden house, slept on a strange bed, and could no longer experience the warmth of home—— Even if it's just an illusory warmth woven with memories and imagination.

Instead, what filled his heart was an unprecedented sense of desolation.

Thanks to the book friends for the rewards this week: tce, 700 starting coins; Yuan Hatsune, 500 starting coins