Out of curiosity, Simon went to look at the so-called Everlasting Candle. As he went upstairs, he saw many horn lamps hanging from the ceiling, which almost made him mistakenly believe they were the Candlelight that had been burning for over a hundred years.
The famous furnace in the Candle Hearth Fort looked like an indoor chimney, or an inverted flashlight, built of stone bricks. A roaring fire burned in the wide hearth. Old circular tavern tables were arranged in a circle around the furnace. Everyone was drinking and chatting, and while the atmosphere was harmonious, a closer look revealed distinct divisions: Nords sat with Nords, Argonians with Argonians, and Dark Elves and High Elves were also separated. Only one table was mixed, and they seemed to be members of an adventuring party.
The candle was on one side of the furnace, placed on the hearth wall, already half-burnt and somewhat indistinct. Simon tried to listen to it, but seemed to fail. The surrounding noise was loud, but such sounds wouldn't interfere with the Magic Energy Sound. Simon hadn't heard the candle's sound purely because he wasn't sensitive enough.
Serana: "Did you hear anything?"
"No, I failed."
"It doesn't matter, it's just a candle. Maybe it has also become a spirit, just like those old fellows in the tombs."
Simon smiled, "That's very possible."
While they were chatting, a sturdy Nord man in leather armor nearby turned around and greeted them, "Hey, where are you two from?"
Simon: "Winterhold."
Right after he finished speaking, a drunken Nord sitting in the corner stood up and let out a long "Hey!" The people on the second floor of the tavern, including Simon and Serana, had their attention drawn to him. Everyone stared at the guy who had broken the noisy silence.
"Foodie! Mr. Baishan, you're here! Ah ha, haha!" He pushed past tables, chairs, people, and shouts, walking over with a surprising and alienating enthusiasm. The man opened his arms from afar, signaling a hug, but accidentally hit the back of a tall Argonian woman's head. He turned back and mumbled, "Sorry, buddy!"
Serana crossed her arms and whispered, "Do you know this brute?"
Simon tried hard to recognize the guy, then replied with uncertainty, "It seems he was a customer who stayed at the Frozen Hearth Tavern for three days."
The man chuckled and hugged the Troll. He then turned and announced to everyone, "I told you all before, there's a Foodie in Winterhold who can cook thousands of delicacies! Ha, and now he's here!"
People started cheering, asking Simon to show off his skill. Of course, Simon did show off. He used the ingredients the group bought from the owner to make some simple meals. Everyone in the tavern, regardless of race, got a share.
Hot, fragrant steam filled the tavern, blurring the shapes of the people, and then spread out onto the street, like lighting a faintly glowing candle in this cold winter city... The First Era began with the chronicles of the Nords, lasting a total of 2,920 years, exceeding the sum of all subsequent eras.
1E 143 saw the birth of the first human empire on Tamriel, the Nord First Empire.
The four Holds of Winterhold, Eastmarch, The Pale, and The Rift are located in the north and east of Skyrim, and are known as the "Ancient Four Holds." They maintain geographical and political distance from other regions of Tamriel; in contrast, the other western Holds appear more open, with various races establishing homes there.
Windhelm was founded during the time of Ysgramor, serving as a monument to human glory and a warning to the Elves. The construction process involved the mass enslavement, suppression, and slaughter of Elven captives. For a considerable time, it served as the capital, becoming the political center of Skyrim.
The Five Hundred Companions who traveled south with Ysgramor had their names carved into a stone wall, which became a major attraction in Skyrim, displaying the glory of the Sons of the Sky to every viewer.
In the Fourth Era, when Red Mountain erupted, large numbers of Dark Elf refugees poured into Skyrim via the Dunmer Path. Some settled nearby in Windhelm. However, after Ulfric became Jarl, he expelled these refugees to Windhelm's shantytown, the "Snow Quarter," which was consequently renamed the "Gray Quarter." These refugees constantly faced criticism and suspicion from the xenophobic Nords.
People would say Ulfric was a good man who could command respect, but not a benevolent ruler. Whenever Nords encountered security issues like robbery or assault, or difficulties in livelihood, he would always offer help immediately, but he turned a blind eye to the tragedies of all other races... Simon asked an adventurer for the location of a Dwemer ruin west of The Rift and prepared to take Serana to see it. Before that, he specifically went to see the Engraved Wall of the Companions. Thousands of years of weathering had blurred the stone bricks, making many inscriptions completely illegible.
The will of these heroes is now inherited by The Companions in Whiterun. Their good reputation has spread throughout Skyrim and is even known in other parts of Tamriel, essentially serving as Skyrim's Fighters Guild. Simon knew that their Inner Circle members were actually beasts—a pack of werewolves. Their public identity was honorable, yet their hidden lineage was feared by the general public; it was quite ironic... The Dwemer ruin west of The Rift was named Avanchnzel. It was an underground city. The mechanical spiders, mechanical sphere guards, and even the steam boilers along the way were all in a state of hibernation, utterly silent.
As the two of them delved deeper, they found several mechanical factories—areas where the Dwemer mass-assembled mechanical bodies, including two rare Dwemer Centurions.
Simon happily accepted these items, of course. He could get a large batch of useful machines just by reassembling them back home. Although they wouldn't help him much, they would be good for playing with as toys.
The biggest surprise of this journey was finding a Rune lexicon deep inside the ruins—that was genuinely good luck. However, as soon as he impatiently removed the lexicon from its pedestal, the entire ruin activated. Two previously silent Dwemer Centurions launched a surprise attack on them. These things were incredibly strong, and even Simon couldn't take them head-on. In the end, he had to put on big ivan and engage in a steel-on-steel collision to smash them to pieces.
Serana had been slacking off the whole way, even having the leisure to clap and cheer for Simon.
"Wow, you are truly brave, Lord Baishan."
Simon looked helpless, "Don't be so sarcastic."
When they left Avanchnzel, the stars and moon were fading, and purple aurora ribbons hung in the sky, a truly beautiful sight. Serana patted Simon's arm.
"What is it?" He bent down to look into his lover's eyes.
"Nothing." She gently kissed the man's lips.
"I just suddenly like you even more."
"Is that so? That's great!"
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