Seeing that he was in a good mood, Colin asked tentatively, "This place is...?"

"It’s my wife’s old house. She passed away more than eighty years ago." Salin waved his hand and started walking in the direction of Rommon. "I force myself to come visit her every now and then. Otherwise, the young lady would get bored all alone here."

The other two remained silent.

Colin glanced over. Kase looked like he couldn’t care less, while Orelia’s eyes held a trace of sympathy and guilt.

’Half-Sheepmen do seem to live quite a bit longer than humans,’ he thought. ’Falling in love with one would be a truly painful affair.’

He spoke up, "I asked the Paladins about you. They said no one knows why you come here once a year."

Salin burst out laughing at his words. Once he was done, he said, "Perhaps no one can believe that a dashing old Half-Sheepman is actually just a poor sap shackled to the past."

"I don’t blame them, though. I once aspired to be a wandering philanderer. I’d only been with the young lady for a few months when I started to get tired of it. I had nothing better to do before I left, so I casually mentioned it to her. I never expected that to be the reason I stayed."

"What happened?" Orelia asked curiously.

Salin shrugged helplessly. "I told her I was leaving, and she just smiled and replied, ’Then please go. I knew I fell in love with a Half-Sheepman.’ The moment I heard those words, I knew I was done for. I’d never be able to leave this place for the rest of my life."

"It wasn’t until she passed away over eighty years ago that I could finally go to Rommon for a bit of a respite. Then, forty years ago, this village was abandoned, so now I have to hire bodyguards and the like just to come and see her."

"That must be very difficult."

Colin was reminded of the many stories about mismatched lifespans he’d read online in his past life. The endings to those tales were rarely happy.

The longer-lived partner was doomed to reap nothing but endless bitterness and torment, strangled by their love in the shadows of the past.

"Difficult?" Salin chuckled again. "No, you can’t look at it that way, kid. I won the true heart of a lovely lady. That’s a treasure most Half-Sheepmen will never possess..."

He then went back to singing those bawdy songs from before.

This time, however, the little tunes sounded a bit more pleasant to Colin’s ears.

Under Salin’s guidance, the group was even more cautious on the journey back.

They encountered nothing along the way except for a few scattered, wandering Skeletons and some stampeding wild horses. Such minor troubles posed no threat to the squad; even back when Colin and Kase had first started adventuring, dealing with those Skeletons would have been a piece of cake.

After nearly another full day of travel, when the long queue at the gates of Rommon finally came into view, the tension that had gripped their hearts since the Hobgoblin encounter at last began to fade.

Even the Mercenaries running around with feathers in their hair looked like a welcome sight.

Salin stopped at the city gate. "Let’s part ways here, gentlemen."

"Until next time, then," Colin said with a nod.

The Half-Sheepman hummed a little tune as he turned and headed toward the Half-Sheepman district within the city.

The others also made their way toward the Church of Morninglord.

This time, no one stopped them when they entered the Church. Colin led the others with practiced ease to White Eagle’s office. The Guard at the door didn’t block their path, likely remembering them from a few days prior. It had to be said, the combination of a Half-Orc and a Tiefling was rather memorable.

"Ah, you’re back rather early," White Eagle said. "Judging by the timing, I take it your journey went smoothly?"

"Perhaps... not entirely."

Colin recounted their experiences on the trip. He gave a detailed account of what he’d seen in the Illusion Realm, described the Hobgoblins preparing for war, and mentioned the Dwarf caravan that had been infiltrated by members of the Viper Association.

He had so much to report that, partway through, a Paladin brought them chairs and poured some tea and biscuits that smelled distinctly cheap.

When he finished, Colin swallowed and asked, "What... do you make of all this?"

"Setting aside the vermin from the Viper Association for now, the main trouble is the Orcs, Hobgoblins, and Barbarians. Most of those creatures live in the Underworld beneath the Endless Wilderness. As I’ve mentioned to you before, their civil wars tend to die down every few years."

White Eagle thought for a moment. "However, this is the first time they’ve attempted to build a fortress on the Surface of the Endless Wilderness. They even sent Warg Riders to give long-distance chase... hmm... it’s somewhat unusual."

After a moment’s hesitation, Colin asked about the one thing that concerned him most.

"And what about the things in the visions?"

’When it comes to unusual things, I’ve seen a whole pile of them by now.’

’The real question is why so many things are all becoming ’unusual’ around the same time.’

"It might just be a re-creation of an ancient scene. I heard from Edwin that the ring is connected to an Elf’s memories, is it not?"

Colin nodded dubiously.

"Frankly, this world has faced several cataclysms that threatened its very existence. For example, a mad Legendary Lich once stole Magic that the Ancient Elf Empire had installed upon the stars. This Magic was capable of making every dragon in the world become as frenzied and feral as a wild beast."

"Under the threat of this Magic, he brought many Evil Dragons under his control and unleashed a storm upon the world. The beginning of that cataclysm was much like the situation now. Everyone assumed it was a plot by the Mother of Evil Dragons, which sent the initial investigation in the wrong direction and caused significant problems."

White Eagle took a sip of tea and continued, "Therefore, until we have conclusive evidence, I cannot offer an opinion on those visions."

"Yes, sir," Colin replied with a nod.

’That does seem to be the case.’

’Perhaps the "apocalypse" mentioned by Yenogu the Poison Fang has made me a bit anxious.’

’There’s no need to rush to find some grand reason for all these anomalies,’ Colin thought. ’All I have to do is report the abnormalities I’ve perceived to these guardians of justice. They’re far more experienced than I am.’

"Additionally, a single piece of correspondence doesn’t actually prove you eliminated members of the Viper Association..."

’Does that mean the bounty is off the table?’ Colin’s heart clenched.

He hadn’t felt this tense even when they were discussing the end of the world. The apocalypse was a distant threat, but he really wanted those Gold Coins!

"However, Edwin holds you in high regard, and I trust his judgment of character."

As soon as he finished speaking, both Kase and Colin let out a simultaneous sigh of relief.

White Eagle took two bulging coin purses from his drawer. "One Snake Tail Squad. Bounty: ninety Gold Coins."

Colin took the coin purses, his expression impassive.

’Administering justice feels amazing!’

"Congratulations, then, on a successful trip and for getting what you came for," White Eagle said. "When do you plan to depart?"

"We’ll rest for a day and then set out, sir," Colin replied.