Chapter 181
Chapter 181
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 181
Chapter Title: The True Soul of Elves
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"What a goddamn miserable winter this year too..."
The life of a steppe elf is grueling.
Before coming under the empire's umbrella, they had to resort to raids and abductions just to scrape together supplies and new elves to keep the tribe afloat. Words can't even begin to capture that hardship.
Even now that they're under the empire and don't need to raid anymore, no one can deny it's still a brutal existence.
They endure subzero cold for nearly five straight months, and once the weather finally breaks, it's nonstop migration after migration, day in and day out. Compared to settled folk, it's complicated, exhausting, and just plain annoying.
That's why I found myself muttering under my breath, staring up at a sky that was filthy cold compared to the warm sunlight.
Snow piled up to my knees, and with December and January feeling like hell where daylight lasted less than a quarter of the day, February had arrived—but the weather was still nightmarish.
If anything, it was worse than a steadily freezing winter. The erratic shifts were more unpredictable, and after the long season, the weakened livestock demanded all our attention, wearing us down mentally even more.
Still, it wasn't all bad.
The slight thaw and lengthening days meant it was about time to start wandering elsewhere.
No fresh grass yet, so grazing the herds was out, but the roads to the settled humans' cities would open up.
And today was the day we headed to one of those cities to check the southern plains.
Of course, being able to go and actually going were different matters—only a handful from the tribe could make the trip. But luck was on my side this time; I'd been picked for that select few.
"Hngh..."
It was a very happy February indeed.
No money meant there wasn't much we could actually do in the city, but just looking around was entertaining enough.
Humans had that endearingly naive look about them, there were all those big, tall buildings, and endless variety in goods and food. Even without a specific plan, there was plenty to enjoy.
In a city bursting with such delights, what we steppe elves had been desperately waiting for wasn't food or clothes—it was the newspaper.
To us plains-dwellers, newspapers were pretty much pointless.
By the time one reached us, weeks had passed, and there was never any useful news anyway.
If it had the fun of a novel, maybe—but nah.
Who cared about empire chiefs bickering or the empire's shrine maidens from that church droning on with their boring sermons?
So why did we wait for them?
Lately, the papers had gotten weird. They'd started printing pictures of forest elves.
Not every issue, but every now and then, one would feature a forest elf illustration—and those quietly turned out to be hits.
Unlike us sturdy steppe elves, they looked all delicate and fragile—not great wife material. But the thin, pretty clothes made them sparkle like jewels, perfect eye candy.
Sure, they'd never make a proper first wife, but as a third concubine? Spot on.
That's why the chief blurted out something clueless like, "I could go for a delicate little wife like that..."—and that night, wails echoed from his tent.
Everyone thinks it deep down, but no need to say it out loud.
"Pavel, while we're at the trading post, you grab the newspapers first thing."
"Start digging through from October, right?"
"Yeah."
So the moment we hit the human city, my assignment was snagging papers.
We hadn't come to town since October, so about four months' worth had piled up.
Roughly eight bundles—surely one had a forest elf pic.
"But Uncle Stefan, what if there's no forest elf picture?"
"Then just buy that novel Nadia asked for and head back. Why waste coin on worthless paper with no entertainment value?"
"Got it~"
I took the exact amount from Uncle Stefan for one book and a few papers, pulled my hood low to hide my face, and bounded off toward the bookstore with light steps.
"Shopkeep! You around? If you are, get out here quick!"
I stepped into the bookstore near the gates, threw back my hood, and scanned around for the owner.
"What rude bastard...!"
Before long, a grizzled old human with a fierce scowl burst out from the back.
He locked eyes with me, and his face lit up as he waved enthusiastically.
"Pavel! How long's it been?"
"Too long, Jacob. A whole year—bad luck kept us apart."
He hurried over with a beaming grin, flashing his yellow teeth, and clapped me on the shoulder to show his delight.
"You vanished so long, I thought I'd never see you again before I kicked the bucket."
"Whoa, easy there. You look good for another ten years at least."
"Tch, ten? Five would be a miracle."
"Ha, miracle my ass."
I let out a dry chuckle and rubbed my shoulder.
That punch hit like a young man's—heavy—but the whining...
"Anyway, aren't you out early this year? Something up?"
"Nah, just that this winter was extra vicious. Shortages everywhere, so we bolted the second it thawed."
"Fair enough. More snow and colder than last year too. Must've been rough."
"Don't remind me—tents collapsing in the storms, herds freezing left and right."
"Tsk tsk. Horrific."
"Ugh... yeah."
I shuddered, recalling the time I had to patch a tent in a blizzard.
If winters keep being this hellish, maybe ditch the nomadic life altogether...
"Enough grim tales. Got any novels or papers worth our time?"
"Perfect timing—the latest papers have a forest elf pic. Stocked extras thinking of you lot."
"No way! Hand 'em over!"
A paper with a forest elf right when we showed up.
Grinning ear to ear, I trailed Jacob as he headed to fetch them.
Behind the counter, he reached into an empty shelf space and pulled out two bundles, handing one straight to me.
I snatched it and carefully flipped through page by page so it wouldn't tear, hunting for the forest elf illustration.
As always, it was smack in the middle.
"Ah!"
Spotting the corner of the black-and-white drawing, I gasped and unfolded the paper wide.
As the sheets parted, the full-page image gradually revealed itself.
And when it was fully spread, the elf's entire figure came into perfect view.
"Uh...?"
I felt like I'd been smashed in the head with a hammer.
That day, gazing at the forest elf in the paper, I learned what the true soul and style of an elf really meant.
Forgot even to buy the novel—I tossed the coins at Jacob like they burned and raced back to Uncle Stefan. Without a word, I spread the paper wide before the elves, showing off the forest elf's dazzling look. "Whoa~ A female elf, and she's badass." "Man~ Just stick a smoke in her mouth, and she'd be top-tier bride material." "Look at those firm thighs—bet she'd ride a horse like a dream." "This is where we'd lost the true coolness of elves all along." The reaction was explosive. We hurriedly grabbed what we needed and whipped the reindeer into a frenzy, galloping back to the plains. Then we barged straight into the chief's tent. "Chief! Before we start nomading, send us to the imperial capital!" "Even one day sooner!" "What the hell's this racket in the dead of night? Did the city drive you all mad?" The chief, who hadn't seen the forest elf yet, stared at us like we were idiots. Understandable—he was still one of those blind elves whose eyes hadn't been opened. "We're not mad. We just rediscovered the soul and style elves had lost." "Hah, another forest elf pic in the paper?" "This is bigger than that—it's huge!" "Pavel, words can't capture the beauty. Show the chief the paper." "Right." "Sigh..." At Uncle Stefan's words, I handed the paper right over. The chief took it with half-lidded, weary eyes, sighing deeply as he slowly flipped through. "Hmm..." He paused on a page, frowning as he peered closely. "Mm..." His face relaxed, lips parting. "Whoa..." Admiration burst out as a huge smile bloomed across his face. "Now that's a real elf. Forest elves can pull off style like this? Thought they were all just frail pushovers, but elves are elves!" "Right? Imagine riding around on a horse or reindeer in summer duds like that—killer." "Just walking in it would slay. Stefan, when's this paper from?" "Early February... so about two weeks old." "Two weeks? That's fresh!" "Exactly—gotta head to the capital ASAP. If others spot this outfit first, we won't get our hands on it." "Mm... true, but..." At the mention of the capital, the chief's relaxed face hardened again. "Why not just copy it ourselves? Looks mostly leather—we can handle that." "Better to see the real thing for copying, and we don't know the pants or shirt material. Especially the pants—never seen that fabric before..." "Hmm... Can't we just use cotton?" "Ow! Plain cotton? No way—it'd kill the pants' unique vibe!" "Well... the material might matter..." Our persuasion softened the chief a bit. His furrowed brow showed he was starting to waver. "The capital's too far, no? Weather's not fully thawed—round trip's no joke." "If we don't go now, when will we make it?" "Right. Need the materials and samples by end of spring to wear 'em in summer. Delay, and we'll be nomading before we learn anything." "Urgh... good point." The chief stroked his chin, staring into space with a grave look. "Hmm... yeah, knowing how it's made would be best... Stefan?" "Yes." He turned to Uncle Stefan, frowning as he spoke. "Can you be back by mid-April?" "Of course. If it drags, we'll just scout the materials and bolt." "Alright... then prep to leave for the capital tomorrow. You two, plus one to learn the crafting—three should do." "Got it!" "Yep!"