Whispering Verse

The bard's harp had been played by the gods the last time Shad arrived. Although Shade was not sure whether the God of Journey who appeared in front of them was a real person, a clone, or a descendant, this ultimately gave the piano its special character.

However, no one wanted to snatch the piano. Shade was indifferent, the witch was thinking about more important things, and the maid Clara was still looking haggard for some reason.

"Yes, real death."

Just as Shade handed him the paper and pen he had promised to the bard, a voice came from the tent, and the dusty traveler lifted the curtain and appeared in front of everyone again.

She looked at everyone with a smile, and also looked at Shade, whose golden remnants were gradually spreading all over his body. Except for the cat, all four people respectfully greeted the god, and the god sat in the position with his back to the bonfire:

"In the deepest part of the Lost Forest, there is a path that leads to real death. All the souls and living people lost here have their final destination there. This includes you."

God looked at the other three people:

"Even if you complete the story of your journey, when your life is over, you will still be on this path."

This also means that, in addition to the relic "Death Door" under the castle, which is the execution door of the Witch Council in the fifth era, and the [Soul Cemetery] left by the ancient gods, there is actually a third Three ways to bring a living person into true death.

"Death is the end of the story. A good story must have an ending at the right time."

Shade said, stroking little Mia at the same time:

"It's the same with people."

God smiled and did not answer, but asked:

"Traveler under the moon, welcome your return. This night, the seven-day journey story we told beside the campfire has reached the fifth day. On the night of the fourth day, you were near the snow-capped mountains. Nice rest, then, shall our story continue?”

Shade looked at his three companions in turn. The bard had put down the piano and was waiting calmly with a pen and paper. Compared with the first time they met, he had really changed a lot; the witch had changed a lot. The look on her face was filled with anticipation and nervousness. According to the last time she met the devil in the bottle, everyone will find what they are looking for. The maid in the black dress was still in low spirits, but there seemed to be light in her eyes when she raised her head.

"Madam, what happened to your maid? Although it is not polite to say this, I must know everything and cannot continue traveling with questions. Did you have any conflicts after I left?"

Shade asked, but the witch shook her head:

"It's not a contradiction, it's just... Clara and I came to look for her sister, my apprentice Lux. The reason why Lux disappeared was related to Clara. This is also my own scandal, nothing Can balance the relationship in the family. Don’t say anything, I will find Lux, Clara is just a little guilty, although I don’t blame her at all.”

The bard shook his head at Shade imperceptibly, signaling him not to continue asking, and Shade said:

"God, please continue the story around the campfire and lead us through the rest of the journey."

The stack of cards appeared among everyone again, and at the same time, the identity cards representing everyone also fell in front of them. Shade picked up his "Moonlight Traveler" and brought it to Mia for a sniff. The cat had sniffed this thing last time and knew it couldn't be eaten, so he pushed it away with his little paws in disgust.

Shade smiled. If he guessed correctly, the key to unlocking the sealed item that has been circulated in the Winter Chorus for thousands of years should be the card here. However, he didn't know whether it was the card that represented his identity, or the unicorn card that represented the witch's identity.

"As the sun rose from behind the vast snow-capped mountains, the travelers opened their eyes on the morning of the fifth day. The desert behind them has become a story of the past, and now you have to face a new challenge."

The first card on the deck was automatically turned over, revealing a blizzard scene:

"Entering the unknown snow mountain scene, you will automatically encounter an event - a snowstorm. The harsh natural environment soon made travelers from the desert area suffer. The violent snowstorm not only hindered their vision, but also There is also the extreme cold that is approaching death. Cold, shaking, and before you know it, you have frozen in the snowy mountains. Except for the unicorn who is naturally resistant to cold, everyone must find a way to resist the cold as soon as possible."

A sudden falling snow appeared over the forest in reality, but this was not because Shade opened the mystery lock, it was really snowing. The extremely cold wind blew in the fog, and the bonfire swayed suddenly, making everyone's shadows begin to tremble. Even the witch Andreana, who was rated as "cold-resistant", couldn't help but tremble:

"Man, it's up to you!"

She hurriedly said to Shade, and at the same time put her arms around her maid, trying to give her warmth. The bard Enriquez, who had been prepared for a long time, hugged his piano tremblingly, and looked at Xia De as if asking for help. Xia De reached out to take out the bracelet given by Yin Luna, but heard the sound The cat inside suddenly barked:

"Meow~"

It was a slightly "ferocious" cry, at least that's what Shade thought. The cat suddenly stood up from Shade's lap. While its whole body was emitting a warm yellow light as when it encountered darkness in Eternal Night City, it actually "roared" at the god sitting opposite Shade.

"Oh, Mia!"

Shade was really frightened this time. He didn't expect that the cat would dare to do this. So he hurriedly stuffed it into his clothes before the god was angry. At the same time, he did not forget to apologize to the god of travel, so as to prevent little Mia from getting into trouble during his daily inspection of the territory (No. 6 Saint Teresa Square) after returning home. Injured by accident.

Fortunately, he immediately received the tolerant understanding of the gods, and the gods forgave them.

Obviously Xia De has not activated Yin Luna's gift yet, but he can already feel the warmth at this time. Under the black coat, the cat-shaped luminous traces are quite eye-catching, and the warm rays help Shade gain warmth like the sun.

This also let Shade know that in addition to darkness activating Xiao Mia's "luminous" properties, extreme cold will also activate it.

But others didn't have such a useful cat as Xiao Mia, so Shade still lit up the gold sun bracelet. A few sparks at the fingertips caused a pleasant flame to jump above the ring lying flat in the palm of the hand.

Shade did not immediately put it among everyone. He still remembered the rules of "story":

"Facing the intrusion of the extreme cold, the traveler under the moon took out the gifts given by his close friends and lovers before the journey began. The destined hero concentrated the power of the sun and the earth here, which will make the travelers who leave home always Remember when to return home.”

Because Shade used some powerful-sounding adjectives, the only witch who was still in good condition immediately looked over.

The traveler sitting with his back to the bonfire nodded slightly, the smile on his face unchanged:

"The fire has warmed you, and the blessings from the sun and the earth have finally given travelers the ability to move normally in the snowy mountains. From now on, you will not encounter the troubles of extreme cold and blindness in the snowy mountain environment, and you will be safe at night. Sexuality has further increased. But at the same time, light will attract malice from darkness, and the probability of encountering unknown powerful enemies increases."

It doesn't matter, at least there is still the possibility of fighting back. So Shade placed the golden ring he was holding on the side of the card pile in the center of the crowd.

The flame is very stable. Compared with the bonfire behind the god, this flame is pitifully small, but it is enough to protect people on the journey.

"After sitting around the campfire and having lunch, the travelers continued their journey on the afternoon of the fifth day. The vast snow-capped mountains seem to have no end in sight. What is waiting for you ahead?"

"Miss Andreana, come here."

Shade ordered, so the witch, who was still hugging her maid, stretched out her hand and turned over the next card. The card is quite simple. It is three huge ice crystals, and there is something vaguely present in the ice crystals.

"In the afternoon, the unicorn who guided the travelers ahead sensed the mysterious power. She guided you to dig through the snow and found three ice crystals that sealed unknown things. You can ignore it and continue on your way. , but you can also choose to break the ice crystal to meet the challenge or gain. But no matter what, this is your own choice."

After the god finished speaking, three huge ice crystals really appeared on the left side of the bonfire. The ice crystal was twice as tall as Shade and five times as wide as his waist. Standing in the snow, it fit in well with the background.

The appearance of the ice crystals was not sudden at all, as if they were already there but the four of them had just discovered them.

"Want to take the risk?"

The bard asked Shade, and Shade looked at the witch:

"You decide what happens to you."

Although Miss Andreana couldn't see clearly what was inside the three ice crystals, she could at least see the general outline.

Among the three crystals, one has a box-like thing inside, and the remaining two have human bodies inside. And judging from their frozen, flying hair, they were all tall women.

"It's definitely not Chloe Yin."

Shade thought in his mind that the ice witch who had become a demigod was completely different from the ladies here in her small stature.

He saw the maid in black skirt tugging at her master's sleeve, and understood what the two ladies were thinking:

"Maybe the missing lady you are looking for is here? If you want to open the ice crystal, I have no objection."

The bard on the side had no objection, so the witch nodded, stood up and said to Shade:

"If she is really the person I am looking for, no matter what happens after the ice crystal is broken, please don't take action against her."