Chapter 43: The first day of the long snowy night started poorly, and the rest was not going well either...
The three orcs looked over warily and saw a dwarf standing at the doorway, frowning and staring sharply at Ray.
She had reddish-brown curly hair and a round nose. She was short but had strong limbs and wore a mechanical work uniform.
She was the dwarf woman who bought the Ring of God at the auction.
Without saying a word, the dwarf pulled a metal ball from his pouch and swiftly threw it at the orcs.
boom!
The metal sphere exploded instantly, swirling with mist.
A dwarf smoke bomb.
The combination of dwarven technology and magic allows them to create items, especially weapons, that no other race can replicate. It is often said that it is fortunate that dwarves are not a warlike race, but rather live deep underground exploring on their own; otherwise, the continent might very well have been conquered and dominated by them.
Ashlyn had no idea why the dwarf was helping them, but she had nothing to complain about.
Acrid steam filled the room, and the orcs who had been holding them loosened their grip, bending over and coughing. Perhaps wanting to show off their muscles, they were shirtless, with no clothing to cover themselves.
Ashlyn covered her mouth and nose with her cloak and dragged Lucas up.
It has to be said that this guy looks thin, but he's actually quite difficult to lift.
She rushed forward, but the fog prevented her from seeing her target, and she landed a punch on the werewolf Bryce's face.
The poor werewolf let out its second long howl of the night.
"Come with me, all of you!" the dwarf said, disappearing into the distance.
Fortunately, just then, Lucas transformed back into a small black cat. Ashlin quickly picked him up, but the mist obscured the dwarf's location. She swiftly released her cloak, chanted a spell, and caused the mist in front of her to dissipate, finally revealing the dwarf's small figure.
She waved away the mist and followed the dwarf out of the basement.
They ran breathlessly into the pine forest. The pine forest was quiet at night, with a cool breeze, finally free from the noise they had experienced in Nosi village.
“Thank you, madam! Thank you so much! You saved our lives!” After confirming that no one was following, Ashlin gratefully grasped the dwarf's hands. “But who are you? Why did you help us?”
The dwarf's hands were cold, and her face was expressionless. She had been running with a strange little thing on her back, making a jingling sound along the way, but now it had finally stopped.
“Nova,” she said briefly, “I don’t like orcs, especially that leopard named Rae. Her enemy is my friend.”
"You know her?"
"She stole my things."
"Likewise."
She looked Ashlin up and down, noticing the sun symbol on her cloak.
"The humans of Dias. What are they doing in the north? It's dangerous and cold, especially near the Frostclaw Forest."
She wasn't very fluent in Mandarin; her accent and phrasing were stiff, like a sluggish machine.
“It’s a long story, but we went to Coldpaw to get something,” Ashlin said. Nova seemed reliable, so she decided to elaborate. “The Orc Trial Wreath. You know what I mean?”
Nova nodded.
"A wreath that can be repaired and its shape improved. Yes, I know."
This was unexpected by Ashlin. "Repair and improvement?"
Nova looked at her strangely.
"Yes. The wreath possesses earth elemental energy, powerful. Just like the earth and soil. It nurtures, repairs, improves, and protects. Didn't you know?"
The items perfectly match the riddle: earth element, flower, circle, and north.
The Nocari Flute is both an item of wind elemental magic and a gift from Death. And based on the legends of the Four Gods, she has reason to infer that the other three items might also be gifts from the remaining three deities.
Sanova mentioned that tears are associated with the moon goddess, then dragon fire is a gift from the sun god; and the remaining garland is a gift from the forest goddess to the orcs, since the orcs live in the northern forests and worship the forest goddess.
"I understand now."
However, she had other questions.
Nova doesn't seem like the kind of dwarf who would be easily fooled by auction rhetoric.
"Did you come here just for that ring?"
"Yes." Nova didn't say anything more, his hand warily retracting behind him. "What?"
"I want to know... just out of curiosity, that ring, does it really have divine power?" Ashlin asked, then added, seeing Nova's wary look, "I'm a huge mythology fanatic, especially fond of the Four Gods legend. Just asking."
“I’m not sure,” Nova said. “I’m going to test it out next. The Yeti, you know?”
"That's a legend from the North, yes, I know."
"To find the Yeti, the ring will prove its power."
“But the Yeti isn’t real,” Ashlin said, puzzled. “It’s just a legend told by the orcs of the North to fool children.”
Nova nodded. "Indeed. That's why a ring is used."
Ashlyn was still waiting for her further explanation, but the sentence seemed to go nowhere, so she asked again, "May I take a look? I'm really curious."
Nova hesitated for a moment, but Ashlin looked at her very earnestly. So she took out the ring.
It doesn't look as mysterious as it did at the auction; it's still quite plain, with even a bit of rust on the edges.
Ashlin raised her hand and looked at Nova. The dwarf nodded, and she lightly touched the edge of the ring; it was icy cold.
In an instant, a blurry image flashed before my eyes.
The mushrooms eagerly gathered around her, as if she were telling a particularly exciting story.
Ashlyn felt as if time had frozen.
This woman... looks very familiar.
The screen shook, and Ashlind pulled her hand back and jumped, as if she had touched flames instead of a ring.
She rubbed her eyes, but the woman had already vanished.
"how?"
Nova looked around, paused, then looked in all directions. "No."
Ashlin realized this was a message sent specifically to her. The woman in the forest might be connected to the forest goddess. Was the "Vina" the woman spoke of referring to the forest goddess Silvina?
The auctioneer said the ring was a lost item of the gods. Could it belong to the forest goddess? This could explain Ashlin's strange feelings about it. However, it wasn't the direct, rapid, and savage feeling she had for forests and plants, but rather something more... subtle, as if buried deep underground.
“It’s nothing.” Ashlind shook her head. “Thank you, Nova. Good luck finding the Yeti.”
Nova nodded politely to her, then turned and disappeared into the pine forest, the sound of the small metal object on his backpack gradually fading away.
Although Ashlin and Lucas retrieved their spatial backpack containing the Dragonfire and the Magic Flute, Ray had stolen almost all their food and money. Ashlin used her dried flower earrings and Lucas's belt to trade for some dry bread, cheese, water, and copper from a roadside vendor, and continued riding north.
Sure enough, the first day didn't go well, and the rest of the day wasn't going to be much better.
Food was becoming increasingly scarce, water was dwindling, and the ponies grew more and more exhausted each day. Finally, the number of copper coins in their purses reached zero.
As they continued northward, the climate grew increasingly cold. In Ilovenia, they could still enjoy the cool breezes of early autumn; but by the time they reached the vicinity of Nosi Village, fallen leaves covered the ground. Now, as they drew ever closer to the northern orc forest, the biting wind forced Ashlin to huddle inside her cloak, seeking warmth with her black cat.
At first, Lucas would complain, but later he would just quietly curl up into a fluffy black ball, probably too cold to fight back. If they couldn't find an inn at night, they would have to light a campfire to get through the night.
After three weeks, the dry bread and cheese were finally completely gone, leaving only an apple and a few dried fish.
Ashlin would turn into a dried-up corpse if she didn't get a decent meal soon. She gnawed on a red apple with great hunger, only then feeling a little bit of life return to her.
The black cat's mood visibly worsened day by day.
“I never thought I would starve to death one day,” he complained. “I think it would be more honorable to die in battle than to die because of lack of food or eating poisonous wild mushrooms.”
Ashley was more optimistic.
“Perhaps this is a good thing. If I die on the journey, the Council will have no further objections on who should be the Crown Prince,” Lucas said sullenly. “Do you know what the most elegant death is like?”
Ashlin rolled her eyes. "Sorry, I'm not as interested in different forms of death as you are; the allure of being alive is much greater."
"Died from coughing up blood."
Ashlin, quick-witted, ate a few snowflakes.
"My God, Lucas, I've cured you, and now you think dying of tuberculosis is more elegant. I know I've never been entirely mentally sound, but aren't you the one who's insane?"
“We’ve been out for two months now, it’s understandable that we’ve gone mad,” the cat said. “Meow! There are no ravens around here to send messages. I suspect my father has already sent a search party to find me.”
It better not be true, or Ashlin will be in big trouble. If they are caught by Dias's search party, Lucas will have to go to great lengths to convince them that Ashlin only wants to help and doesn't intend to kidnap the prince.
With their meager supplies of food and water, they ventured further north.
The sky was a lifeless, cold gray, surrounded by vast pine forests stretching as far as the eye could see. A few other species of trees stood bare, like empty coat hangers. Further north, the pines were covered in thick blankets of snow. There were some huge footprints on the road, probably from a northern bear.
At noon, they didn't get a single ray of sunshine. By evening, the snow fell relentlessly like torn wool, as if it were the venting of some god's anger.
At first, Lucas tried to play with the snowflakes and flap around on horseback, but the further north he went, the colder it got, and he quickly lost interest.
They continued on, Ashlinn shivering with cold, feeling as if her blood was filled with ice. No amount of cloaks, wool blankets, or torches could help. With each step, she felt like an old woman in her twilight years.
The black cat completely disappeared into the blanket, not daring to peek out at all.
“We need to find a shelter to rest,” he suggested.
Ashley wanted to raise both hands in agreement, but unfortunately she couldn't—it was too cold.
Finally, under two pine trees, they found a cave covered with a grayish-white blanket, which was probably where the orcs had once camped.
It was wonderfully warm inside, with a soft blanket and some snowflakes covering the cave ceiling, creating a cozy atmosphere, as if several children had once played house there. The soft fur on the floor felt even better than Lucas's cat fur.
They immediately spread out blankets and quilts and started a fire in the cave.
Ashlinn also used a warming spell, but it wasn't very effective, as it wasn't her forte. The warm current surged up and then vanished quickly, as if afraid they would get too warm.
"I'll sleep here tonight, or I'll turn into a white cat," said the black cat.
Ashlin held her hands above the flame to warm them. "I agree! You look better in black."
"What I don't understand is, why does it feel like there's built-in heating in here?" He ruffled the fur on the ground and sniffed it. "It doesn't smell like wool. What animal's fur is this?"
"I don't know, but I'm content. As long as it prevents us from turning into zombies, that's enough."
Outside the cave, the wind howled, sounding like the roar of a monster. Ashlin had never experienced such a harsh winter; even in the coldest Foxtail Bend, such a blizzard would never fall. They had arrived in the North just in time for winter—what bad luck!
“I hate winter,” Lucas whispered, curled up in a dark ball by the fire.
“Winter isn’t all bad,” Ashlin said. “There’s Sun and Moon Festival at the end of December! Sanova and I go to Mia’s house every year for Sun and Moon Festival because her family is big. On Sun and Moon Festival, we get to eat the best roast chicken and roast tomatoes.”
In a daze, she seemed to be back in Foxtail Bay, covered in snow. It wasn't as cold there as the North, and the snow was just decoration for the festive atmosphere. She and her friends were in the snow, around a campfire, singing hymns to the sun and moon and dancing a completely unstructured dance.
Jerry, the carpenter's son, embraces Claudia, the farmer's daughter, while she holds Mia's hand, wearing a fur cloak, spinning and rolling in the snow, building snow dwarves, lying in the snow waving her arms, pretending that there are butterfly wings behind her.
Sanova sat to one side, examining the snowflakes with a magnifying glass, occasionally uttering a comment amidst the children's laughter: "Tsk, only 3 millimeters in diameter!"
Finally, their hands will be warmed by ceramic cups filled with roasted milk, and their ears will be filled with the music of bards, until the sun rises and the New Year arrives. They will be a year older and one step closer to the sun god and the moon god.
What were supposed to be happy memories suddenly turned into a wave of sadness.
Ashlin stared at the flickering campfire, the sound of snow falling outside the cave suddenly fading away, replaced by the laughter of Mia from the past. A beagle excitedly licked her face, then pounced on her; the parish school priest Horton's dry myths and doctrines became white noise for her to drift off; she and Mia explored the ash forest, picking mushrooms, chatting with squirrels, and searching for fairies and unicorns.
It felt like two centuries ago, more than two months ago. She had assumed the journey would be quick and smooth. To be more precise, she hadn't considered the timeframe at all before setting off.
Ashlin understood for the first time what homesickness meant.
She said she wanted to be an adventurer, a traveler, but when she was actually away for two months, she still missed everything about Foxtail Bay.
Is dreaming wrong? She can't have a home and a journey at the same time.
“The Sun and Moon Festival is nothing special,” Lucas interrupted her thoughts. “It’s just a group of nobles pretending to like another group of nobles, and then feasting on a god that may not even exist.”
That's quite a bold and disrespectful remark.
"Why do you hate winter so much, Lucas?"
The black cat shrank further inside.
"Because the holidays and...birthdays all fall in winter."
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