Indeed, our icy female swordswoman is interested in any method that can make her stronger.
I looked at Miyuki and, upon closer inspection, could indeed feel a large amount of energy gathering beneath her feet. However, compared to Alice's warmth and skill, Miyuki, who was new to this technique, was somewhat hesitant and slow. The energy accumulating beneath her feet was of varying thickness and not very stable.
But does that mean that I, a mage who has no sword energy at all, can't use this method?
Upon closer examination, however, that is not the case.
The sword energy possessed by martial artists is, in other words, merely a manifestation of magic. Just as I can sense the flow of energy, or rather, magic, within Miyuki and Alice, the operation and principles of sword energy can also be imitated and learned using magic.
Manipulating magic is arguably a mage's forte. Although I'm not used to it yet, after a few attempts, I've managed to grasp the basics. At least I no longer have to worry about falling into the snow like I did before.
Alice watched me try, then suddenly seemed to remember something, took a pendant from her pocket, and came over to help me put it around my neck.
"What's this?"
My first instinct was to avoid it, but ultimately, out of trust, I didn't make any move.
“Didn’t I say yesterday that I would help you string the stones into a pendant?” Alice said, patting my chest lightly. “And then I finished it.”
Looking down, the pendant, strung on a red cord, has a base surrounded by white and red jade, perfectly holding the ruby in place, from which a faint, almost breathing light emanates. The fledgling bird, which ate its fill yesterday and then fell asleep, now sits peacefully within, curiously looking around.
The warmth spread from the spot against the skin to every part of the body, dispelling the chill from the hands and feet. Even the snowflakes that landed on the brim of the hat and shoulders melted and evaporated silently.
I tried to move the still-burning flames around me toward the ruby, and with a sound like a hallucination, the flames trembled and completely merged into the gem.
"The little guy looks pretty energetic."
Alice curiously leaned closer and stared at Fifi for a few moments.
What were you looking for just now?
I nodded in agreement a few times, then remembered the important matter at hand. I looked up at Shen Xue's swaying figure walking slowly into the distance and asked her a question.
Alice followed closely beside me, her hands behind her head, and even had the interest to kick up snowflakes with her toes, scattering them everywhere: "It's nothing, just looking to see if there are any special marks carved on the nearby trees."
"According to what Miyuki just told me, Lady [Witch] should have sent us directly to the outer forest near the edge of the Frozen Snow City, but she can't confirm the exact location yet. She needs to see if she can find any marks left by the hunters nearby before she can confirm her location."
"Otherwise, if we accidentally stumble into a trap or stray from our destination, we might die here in this desolate wilderness."
"It's not that serious, is it?"
I said, puzzled, "It's not like a mountain range where magical turbulence covers the area. If all else fails, we can go back to the Little Garden first and then discuss it further."
“But snow blindness won’t care about that,” Alice said, shrugging. “In this land surrounded by snow, once you lose your way, getting out is harder than climbing to heaven.”
Looking around again at the almost identical pure white snowfields, differing only in the angle of the light, I finally had to agree with her statement.
However, if we're talking about ascending to heaven... wouldn't it be better to just climb a tree and investigate?
"No way~?" Alice rejected my proposal. "You know, on the outskirts of the city, this wooded area is as big as three or four Sacred Tree Fortresses. If you really think you can easily find the city by looking up from above, you're more likely to run into a kind caravan on the way."
"Besides, Apocalypse City isn't a place you can easily find from the outside."
What does this mean?
"Speaking of which, there's something else I wanted to ask you." I glanced at Alice's expression. "Are you able to maintain this state indefinitely now?"
It feels like just yesterday that the rabbit doll was transformed into human form. Although it's not unacceptable after all this time, something still feels strange or a bit odd.
Her red eyes blinked repeatedly, and she let out a long sigh: "Could it be that, Master, you actually prefer me or the rabbit doll?"
As she spoke, she placed her hands on either side of her head, making a gesture like rabbit ears beckoning, and deliberately turned her back and wiggled her hips, showing no trace of her self-proclaimed knightly demeanor.
I turned my face away: "I'm just not used to being called that."
"Master of the Little Garden" is one thing, even though it's a nickname Yao used to tease me, it's still the truth. But "Master"... it's not so bad when I don't hear it often, but now that it's happening so frequently, it feels really awkward, not to mention that I'll be walking around in a bustling city later.
I feel like my toes are about to dig a hole through the ground.
"You should just call me by my name," I suggested.
Alice didn't hold back either, immediately putting her arm around my shoulder and calling me brother, saying that once we found a tavern in the city, she would definitely come and have a good drink with me.
I dare not drink any more alcohol; this hazy, confused state is truly unpleasant, and the pain lingers for a long time after I wake up the next day. If I'm careless again, I'm afraid someone might just kidnap me.
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