"Ah, the South, what a lively place it is. Your white feather cloak is truly extraordinary; these rare feathers are not found everywhere," the bartender said in a low voice, his eyes showing a hint of curiosity. "Though Longhorn Town is small, I still know some things that others don't. Your cloak, it's from the demi-gods, made of the feathers of a white phoenix. So, what brings you to Longhorn Town?"

Aria shrugged. "I'm here to find someone. Once I find him, I'll leave."

"Well, you've found the right person," the bartender said smugly. "Tell me, who are you looking for?"

"His name is Neven Everhart. Do you know him?"

"Ah, yes, you're looking for him. He's known by everyone in town," he said, rolling his eyes. "How can I describe him... he's simply incorrigible. Always causing trouble wherever he goes, truly a nuisance."

"Where can I find him?" Aria asked excitedly, surprised to find her target so quickly.

"I'll tell you for thirty silver coins, otherwise, no deal," the bartender said.

"I just want to know where he is. You're quite greedy," Aria said indignantly.

"He owes me a lot of money for drinks. I'm a businessman, not a charity. He hasn't paid his tab for a long time, actually, he's never paid," the bartender said, crossing his arms and bargaining. "Thirty silver coins, not a coin less."

"Well, I'm out of luck..." Aria rummaged through the pouch Lucius had given her, finding plenty of coins. Regardless of whether she knew Neven or not, she had to settle the tab. Aria grabbed a handful of glittering gold coins and tossed them onto the table, causing them to clatter loudly.

"Oh, my lady, you shouldn't flaunt them like that. Aren't you afraid of attracting attention?" the bartender said, eyes gleaming. He picked up one coin, examined it under the candlelight, then revealed a greedy smile. "Coins crafted by demi-gods, look at these exquisite patterns, truly art..."

"Tell me where he is," Aria urged.

"Don't rush, I'll tell you everything," the bartender said, using an empty glass to cover all the coins on the table. "Consider these... a deposit."

Aria gripped her glass, expressing her dissatisfaction, "You said he only owed thirty silver coins, but these definitely amount to more than thirty silver coins."

"He'll just keep running a tab," the bartender replied, squinting, his tone sour. "Don't you want to see him? If you don't hand over the coins, Neven Everhart won't set foot in this tavern again, ever."

Reluctantly, Aria released her grip. Greedy people were always hard to deal with. "You said he'll come here to drink, right?"

"Of course, with the coins, he can keep drinking, as long as you keep footing the bill." He gestured towards an empty table in the corner. "You can wait for him over there. He might show up tonight."

With her large glass in hand, Aria walked over and hung her white feathered cloak on the chair back. It was a cozy corner, right next to the fireplace, providing warmth. It seemed her coins weren't wasted after all, as the bartender brought over a plate of smoked meat and fruit preserves. He also told Aria that she could stay in the inn as long as she liked, and even reserved the best room upstairs for her.

This brought some relief to Aria in the unfamiliar town. She devoured her food eagerly; nothing compared to having a warm meal in the cold winter. She vowed that the smoked meat was the most delicious she had ever tasted, along with the full-bodied hot wine. Suddenly, she set down her glass.Because a man sitting at a nearby table walked over to her.

"I heard you're looking for Neven Everhart," a man reeking of alcohol interrupted, taking a seat. A patch of red scars peeked out from his fur collar, accompanied by a prominent crooked nose.

Aria impatiently grunted in response.

"I advise you not to look for him. He's not a good man; he comes from the land of death," the man warned. "If you want to survive here, you'd better stay away from his kind."

"Hey, you! Back off from her, or I'll kick you out right away," the bartender said, wiping a glass, his eyes locked onto him.

The man grew angry upon hearing this, overturning a chair and sulking back to his table. "Do I look like a bad guy to you? I'm a law-abiding citizen," he retorted. Laughter erupted from the others, with someone jesting, "Didn't you burn down someone's stable just a few days ago?"

"Just a few horses..." he shrugged nonchalantly.

Aria turned her head away, not wanting to hear any more of the group's mockery. Outside, snow was falling heavily, almost covering half of the window. Her thoughts drifted back to Sovereign Bastion, a place she longed to return to. But for now, she had to fulfill Lucius's request and bring Neven back to Sovereign Bastion.

After sitting for a while, the patrons in the tavern gradually dispersed. The candles on the tables melted into puddles of wax, flickering with weary flames. Aria huddled in her chair, feeling increasingly drowsy as her eyelids grew heavier.

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"He probably won't come tonight," the bartender remarked as he tidied up the tables.

"Where would he go?" Aria asked, disappointment evident in her voice.

The bartender shrugged. "Hard to say. He's like a lost soul, wandering aimlessly. I've encountered him outside many times, completely drunk. Given how cold it is in Longhorn Town, it's a miracle he's still alive. But as that man just said, you should stay away from Neven Everhart; he's beyond redemption."

"Could you tell me more about him?" Aria suddenly felt intrigued.

The bartender set down the dirty plates, pulled out a chair, and sat down at a nearby table. "First, tell me, why are you looking for him?"

"I'm acting on behalf of someone," Aria replied.

"To rescue him from his drunken stupor?" he scoffed at Aria.

"To take him to Sovereign Bastion."

"Where?" The bartender's face showed even more intense mockery, as if every word from Aria was ridiculous.

"Sovereign Bastion..."

After a burst of laughter, the bartender wiped the tears from his eyes. "Your friend must be pulling your leg, sending you both to that ghostly place. Or... you and that friend surely have some unresolved issues."

"I owe him a favor, so here I am. I must find Neven," Aria remained serious, even a little angry at the bartender's ridicule.

"You're here to repay a debt," the bartender picked up a bitten fruit, wiped it on his clothes, then chuckled as he ate. "Though people in Longhorn Town seldom call it Sovereign Bastion anymore, that's a name from long ago, I heard my grandmother mention it when she was alive. Now, we all call it the Deathlands, don't ask me why, it's terrifying in there, nobody wants to go in, let alone you..."

These words reminded Aria, and she touched the amulet hanging from her chest. It was the only thing capable of traversing the demi-god barrier. "Are there still people alive in there?" Aria asked.

"It's impossible for anyone to be alive," he said firmly. "The folks in Longhorn Town will have to evacuate sooner or later. If the barrier weakens one day, we'll all be doomed." After getting up to continue clearing the dirty plates, the bartender said, "But, it's your choice. If you want to march to your doom, no one can stop you."

Suddenly, the sound of hoofbeats outside caught their attention. The bartender looked out the window, cursing angrily. "Damn it, that guy let the horse run loose..." He put down the plates and rushed out of the tavern. Aria followed suit, her horse still inside.

The man with the crooked nose whistled triumphantly at them, driving the galloping horse into the blizzard and disappearing.

"Don't go, I'll fetch the horse back," the bartender shouted at Aria, then chased after them.

The snowflakes poured into her skirt with the fierce wind, making Aria shiver in her thin dress. As she casually glanced at the corner of the wall, something caught her eye. Despite being covered in thick snow, the distinct outline revealed a person sitting against the wall.

She walked over in the snowstorm,and as she suspected, a tangle of disheveled short hair emerged from the snow.The person hung their head low, dressed in a coarse shirt, their exposed hands frozen stiff and purple, their chest barely moving—on the brink of freezing to death.

Not long after, the bartender returned leading two horses through the wind and snow, one of which was Aria's white steed."If I see him again, I'll give him a piece of my mind. Damn scoundrel... Don't even think about coming to the inn for a drink again," he bellowed, while retying the reins and cursing under his breath.

"Help me, quickly," Aria shouted. She was freezing and struggling to move the man, who was on the brink of death.

The innkeeper cursed again, saying, "I should keep a wolf at the door, you know why? He'd never want to sleep on my doorstep again."

"He's freezing to death; we have to get him inside," Aria said, her voice filled with concern.

The slender innkeeper struggled to pull a man much larger than himself. Rolling up his sleeves, he dragged the man, who felt as heavy as a stone. Aria offered to help but was refused by the innkeeper. "Just open the door for me; I can manage," he said as he stumbled into the house, gasping for breath, and shut the door behind him. The frozen man lay motionless on the ground, so still that Aria feared he might already be dead.

"For the sake of the coin, I really did my best. If he dies, I won't refund a single coin," the innkeeper gasped for air.

"You said he's...?"

"You didn't recognize him? Neven..." The innkeeper forcefully turned him over. "See, no one else would willingly freeze to death outside except him."

In the dim candlelight, Aria saw his face and recoiled in horror, taking two steps back. She could hardly believe her eyes. "He's not Neven; he's a follower of Thanatos," she whispered.

"He is Neven," the innkeeper insisted, crouching down and roughly smoothing out the man's hair. The nightmarish face became clearer, lacking the long, sinister scar. Aria approached and examined the face carefully; it was smooth, without any trace. But aside from the lack of a scar, it was identical.

"For the sake of the coin, I'm reminding you, he's not a good man," he said, patting Neven's face, eliciting a groan. "See, he's not dead yet."

The bartender left Aria a room key, it was for the guest chambers at the back of the second floor. Aria had no intention of going upstairs to sleep; she wanted to wait for Neven to wake up and understand what was going on. What was even more bewildering was that Lucius had instructed her to find someone who looked like Thanatos.

Aria furrowed her brow, feeling a sense of fear unlike anything she had experienced before. If she had lived for over two hundred years, could Thanatos also still be alive? The sight of this face before her brought back many memories, yet everything had silently crossed over a century.

Neven groaned softly, moving his bruised hand. Aria sprang up from the ground, grabbing a wine glass and then switching to a nearby larger tray. Her heart raced; if Neven truly was Thanatos, she swore she would seize the opportunity to end him while he was still unconscious.

"I'm... ugh... awake..." Neven struggled to sit up, still keeping his eyes closed and exhaling a strong scent of alcohol.

"Are you Thanatos?" Aria barked, raising the tray menacingly.

"Thana... uh... I am..." He raised his eyebrows, searching for his voice, but a wooden tray loomed over him, crashing down, and he lay back down.

"You're...!" Aria tensely interrupted, wishing she could strike him a few more times.

Neven lay on the ground, rubbing the bruise on his forehead, then turned his gaze back to Aria. "Are you... are you crazy?" he weakly asked.

"If you don't want me to end you, you better tell me who you are. What's your connection to Thanatos?" Aria threatened, gesturing with the tray in her hand.

Neven stared blankly for a moment, his expression turning innocent, then he struggled to his feet, leaning against the table unsteadily. "I don't know... anything... about Thanatos..."

"How is that possible? How can you look exactly like him?" Aria stepped back, still tense.

He grimaced, rubbing his head, staring in disbelief at his blood-stained hands. "Oh, my God..." he muttered, before collapsing to the ground, unconscious once again.

Perhaps Aria had exerted too much force. Neven lay there, not waking up again. But she felt somewhat relieved; the man lying on the ground looked disheveled and dirty, with tousled hair and a scruffy beard, presenting a sorry sight. Neven Everhart, compared to the imposing Thanatos, was like a pile of smelly, soft mud.