Chapter 103 (First Release)

They were already cold and tired, and on top of that, they couldn't get through the blizzard while staying here, and they also had to face the predicament of having no food.

Ning Wanwan huddled silently in the corner, feeling terrible, staying by herself and not wanting to talk.

However, the more Ning Wanwan remained silent, the more Ansel seemed to suddenly become interested in chatting and began enthusiastically finding topics to discuss.

"Wanwan, shall we have a chat?"

Ansel seemed very interested, so Ning Wanwan had no choice but to force herself to respond to him.

"Sure... What would you like to talk about?"

"Wanwan, where do you plan to go after the blizzard stops?" Ansel asked, resting his chin on his hand and looking at her curiously.

Ning Wanwan was stunned for a moment. She really hadn't thought about this. She was just worried that the blizzard might not stop, but she hadn't thought about what she would do after getting through this.

"I don't know..." she said, somewhat confused.

Ning Wanwan really didn't know what she should do.

"Have you thought about where you want to go?" Ansel continued to ask.

Ning Wanwan still doesn't know.

My mind went completely blank.

But I always felt that she should have a goal. She should have one... It seems like leaving... leaving somewhere, leaving this place?

“It should be, leaving…” Ning Wanwan said uncertainly.

Ansel asked thoughtfully, "Where will we go after we leave?"

Ning Wanwan was momentarily speechless.

She genuinely didn't know where to go; her mind was blank, and she couldn't recall where she should go.

“Wanwan, you’re a refugee from out of town, do you have nowhere to go?” Ansel suddenly realized something and scratched his head somewhat embarrassedly.

"Sorry, Wanwan, I think I asked too many questions."

Ning Wanwan shook her head: "It's okay, we were just chatting, and besides, Ansel, you reminded me..."

Ning Wanwan hesitated for a moment, then continued, "Ansel, I have nowhere to go. Can you tell me if there's anywhere I can go around here?"

"Places to go"

"Yes, it's a place with crowds..."

"You mean cities and villages?"

Anselton paused, then his voice suddenly lowered, "Those places already have their own permanent residents and wouldn't welcome refugees from outside."

"If you try to go in, you could be driven out at any time and die in the mouths of wild beasts and monsters."

Ning Wanwan was startled.

"...Are they really that xenophobic?"

"Yes, they only welcome talented and capable people. Ordinary outsiders without ability will not be accepted."

Ansel's tone was somewhat heavy.

"Talent" was another word that puzzled Ning Wanwan.

"Yes, those with talent and aptitude grow in strength very quickly and can easily kill monsters. As for those without talent and strength, they will naturally have nothing."

Ning Wanwan: "..."

Needless to say, I am the kind of person who will not be accepted.

She has no special abilities.

So, strength is that important here? It even determines whether you can survive.

"By the way, Wanwan, you may have forgotten about 'monsters'. They are extremely ferocious and terrifying, and many people have died in their mouths. If you encounter one, you must avoid it."

Ansel patiently explained the information about the "monster" to Ning Wanwan.

Then he sighed again: "Monsters, it's really too difficult for someone without talent to kill monsters."

Ning Wanwan's heart tightened.

Listening to Ansel's description, she roughly understood the situation here.

There are many wild beasts and monsters here, and the weather is extremely harsh. It would be very difficult for an individual to survive outside. Given Ning Wanwan's own conditions, the possibility is basically zero.

If you want to join the crowd, you can only go to cities or villages, but those places are quite exclusive and will not accept outsiders who do not have talent.

...Looking at it this way, someone like me, who has nothing and whose memories are so hazy, is practically destined to go down in the dust.

At least I still remember my own name, and maybe I'll gradually regain my memories in the future...

Ning Wanwan sighed, but almost at the same time she heard Ansel also sigh.

Their sighs overlapped almost simultaneously.

Ning Wanwan looked up at him with some surprise, only to meet the boy's purple eyes that were also looking at her.

Ning Wanwan blinked, then couldn't help but smile.

Ansel tilted his head in confusion, looking at Ning Wanwan's smile, and then smiled back.

"I thought Wanwan would be very anxious, but I didn't expect her to be so happy."

Ning Wanwan thought for a moment: "Because... the situation is too bad, even worse than imagined, so they simply gave up..."

Of course, while they might be giving up, they're also anxious about it.

It's not contradictory to be anxious on one hand and to slack off on the other.

It's unclear what made Ansel laugh, but he burst into laughter again, clutching his stomach with mirth.

Ning Wanwan looked bewildered: ...Is it that funny?

"Wanwan has a really good attitude."

After laughing, Ansel wiped away the tears that had welled up in his eyes, casually bent one leg, rested his elbow on his knee, propped his cheek with his hand, and looked at her with a smile.

"I think my mindset is not as good as Wanwan's. To be honest, I don't think I have any talent either. I'm always worried about what to do in the future."

"Like Wanwan, I also have nowhere to go."

Ning Wanwan was genuinely surprised.

"But you don't look like it..."

In terms of appearance, temperament, and behavior, Ansel did not seem like a refugee seeking refuge; he was more like a well-educated prince or nobleman.

"These are all just deceptive appearances. My background is actually quite good, so it seems pretty convincing, doesn't it?"

"But those are all things of the past that don't need to be brought up."

Ansel shrugged and gave a wry smile. "Without talent, no matter how good your life was before, you'll end up like this."

Ning Wanwan took a slight breath.

She realized once again the importance of talent and aptitude here.

"Speaking of which, someone as unqualified as me would probably have died in the wild even if I hadn't encountered this blizzard."

Anseil spoke in a nonchalant tone about speculating that he "would die."

Ning Wanwan pursed her lips. Although Ansil's previous words made her even more worried about her future, she still quickly spoke up to comfort her.

"No way, I think you're amazing. If you hadn't remembered there was a cave nearby, we might have been swallowed up by the blizzard..."

“Actually, I don’t know,” Ansel suddenly interrupted her.

Ning Wanwan: "..."

What's the meaning

“I didn’t know there were caves nearby. I only said that because I didn’t want you to give up.”

"So, if we say there's a cave nearby where we can hide, doesn't that make our chances of survival a little better?"

As she spoke, while Ning Wanwan was still stunned, Ansel winked at her and gave her a bright smile.

"See, we survived! So we're really lucky!"

After the initial shock, Ning Wanwan finally came to her senses.

"Hmm...that's true..."

In that situation, it was perfectly normal, even clever, for Ansel to choose to tell a lie... no, a beautiful illusion.

Ning Wanwan thought to herself, trying not to think about what would happen if she was unlucky and didn't find the so-called "nearby cave".

Ansel was still saying, "I really wish I had talent. If I did, we might not even have to be here. A bunch of people would have come to rescue us by now."

Ning Wanwan once again deeply realized from Ansel's words the importance of having talent and aptitude.

She imagined it for a moment and felt a little sad and regretful.

This topic also brought her back to her senses from the shock she had just experienced.

She tried her best to comfort her, saying, "You're already doing very well. As for talent... maybe you'll develop it someday..."

This was also Ning Wanwan's secret hope.

Although I don't have any talent now, maybe one day I'll suddenly have some talent?

Ansel chuckled.

"Thank you for your comfort, Wanwan, although it's not very helpful."

Ning Wanwan was taken aback for a moment, and then she heard Ansel say with a sigh but with certainty, "No, it won't happen."

"No, talent and aptitude are predetermined from the start. You either have them or you don't."

"If you don't have it at first, then it's all just wishful thinking."

Ning Wanwan's heart sank suddenly, as if she had fallen into the bottom of a cold, deep lake.

"However, the fact that no talent or aptitude has been discovered yet does not mean that it is not present. This must be tested using a special ceremony."

Seemingly noticing Ning Wanwan's low spirits, Ansel quickly added.

Ning Wanwan's body gradually warmed up, as if she had been pulled back from hell to earth, and she slowly exhaled.

"Ansel, so did you personally have your talent and aptitude tested?"

Ning Wanwan asked curiously.

Ansel: "No, so I really hope to find a way to get into one of the villages here and follow them to conduct the tests."

"Although I don't feel like I have any talent at all, I'll still hold on to a sliver of hope until I see the test results."

Ansel smiled, his purple eyes sparkling as if filled with hope, "What if I have talent, but just haven't discovered it before? Wouldn't that be incredibly lucky!"

Perhaps to ease the heavy atmosphere of the topic, Ansel deliberately put on a relaxed tone, and Ning Wanwan felt as if she was also affected by it.

"Yes! I want to get tested too." Ning Wanwan nodded vigorously, a surge of excitement and courage welling up inside her.

Perhaps I just haven't been able to unleash my talent yet!

"Okay! Let's work together." Ansel laughed and patted Ning Wanwan on the shoulder.

The wind and snow outside were getting heavier and the temperature was getting colder and colder, making it very difficult to bear. Ning Wanwan couldn't help but wrap her coat tighter, but she still shivered from time to time from the cold.

But she slept a more peaceful and restful sleep than before.

In her dream, she walked into the village, where she was found to have the most outstanding talent and aptitude. Everyone welcomed her to join them with smiles on their faces.

She was also assigned a separate room, where she nestled in a warm, soft bed.

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Author's Note: Thank you to all the little angels who voted for me or watered my plants with nutrient solution between 08:43:06 on February 26, 2024 and 17:40:27 on February 27, 2024!

Thank you to the little angel who watered the nutrient solution: PUPUPUPUPI 12 bottles;

Thank you so much for your support! I will continue to work hard!