In the distance, gray mountain ridges rise from the ground, covering the dark horizon, leaving only the clear night sky above with twinkling stars. In the nearby valley, the white snow reflects the moonlight and blends with the snow and mist, almost giving people the illusion of being surrounded by fairy spirit.
But at this time, the bright and clear color that should have been dazzling in the middle of the night was swallowed up by an even more dazzling light——
On the snow, wooden houses and cedar trees alternated with each other, standing in groups. The heavy snow piled up on the sloping roof to create a soft white layer, which seemed to have been integrated into the house; while the warm orange lights overflowed from the windows and softly sprinkled on the snow through the glass. Looking from a distance, the dots of lights formed a continuous patch, stretching from in front of us to the depths of the mountains, shining like stars reflected on the earth.
A few seconds ago, the contestants were in a cramped jungle where they could not see their fingers. The sudden opening of the scenery made them hold their breath subconsciously, and they were shocked by the vast sea of lights in the snow-capped mountains. In contrast, there were A handful of hard-headed southerners were struck by the unique temperature in the snow-capped mountains and quickly retreated, leaving no room for sightseeing.
"I, I, I said, Long Xing, was it also this cold when we came here last time..."
"No, no, no, Lijiu, we took an air-conditioned bus directly to the dormitory last year..."
The two children on the deer cart were shivering from the cold, hugging each other in the corner like fallen leaves fluttering in the cold wind - they were so absorbed in fighting ghost Pokémon along the way that they completely failed to notice the temperature. is lowering. It wasn't until we reached above the snow line that the cold wind in the mountain blew away the wooden deer cart that was leaking in all directions. Only then did we slowly realize how unwise it was to wear summer clothes and go to the snow-capped mountains.
Xiaoye sighed.
She took out the small leather mound from her pocket, placed it on the hat on her head, and then took off her windbreaker.
The fabric of the Pretender series windbreaker recommended by Xinghai is quite thick and windproof. For strong young trainers, there is no problem in wearing it for a short walk in the snow - this is why Xiaoye chose this outfit. one.
"Are you ok?"
Xiaoye said, handing over the windbreaker jacket.
She took off her windbreaker and at least she still had a long-sleeved shirt, which could barely keep out the wind and cold. If they were allowed to get out of the car wearing short-sleeved shorts, they would be cold and sick before the game officially started.
The Terashima siblings, who were hugging each other, raised their heads and looked at their fellow passengers with tears in their eyes.
"Uuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuu can't help but repay you for saving my life. From now on, I will work hard to repay you, QAQ."
"Abei, no, Boss Beidou, our lives will be entrusted to you from today on. We will fight wherever you point us, QAQ."
Xiaoye: "...It's not necessary."
The two unlucky children were tightly wrapped in windbreakers, almost tied into conjoined twins, and they barely managed to survive. At this time, the leader of the deer cart line began to slow down slowly.
Tall stone pillars stand on both sides in correspondence, extending along the road into the valley. The rock surface has exquisite reliefs and complicated patterns, which seem to draw an invisible dividing line at the entrance.
The deer cart did not drive into the valley, but stopped one after another in front of the stone pillars.
Under the guidance of the leader, the contestants got out of the car one after another and looked in wonder at the brightly lit stone pillars, like a fairy tale-like snowy town. Sandy, the housekeeper, stood at the front of the team and ordered each coachman in turn to lead the passengers to their residences.
"Due to the large number of adventurers and the lack of vacant rooms in the villa, the Himi family, after discussion, decided to provide guest rooms in each household to you as a temporary stay." Sandy said with a gloomy look, and his voice was still weird. The message was transmitted thousands of miles away, and even the tail end of the queue who had not stopped could hear it clearly, "So, adventurers, please respect the Himi family's living habits and try not to come in or out late at night, so as not to disturb the owner's rest."
As soon as this statement came out, many trainers were stunned and started talking among themselves - in previous years, the Himi family would provide collective dormitories for players participating in the Snow Battle. Depending on the time of the story, sometimes it was a modern hotel, sometimes it was an ancient inn. appearance. Before the start of this year's competition, the residences in Snow Mountain Villa had just been renovated on a large scale, and many people wanted to take the opportunity of the competition to take a sneak peek at what the "nobles"'s new mansions looked like.
I just listened to the housekeeper... Could it be that there is no dormitory this time and he will live directly in the homes of the Himi clan members?
The young contestants looked at each other in confusion. Even though many of them had heard about the dramatic nature of all the members of the Himi family, Fengxueshan Branch, they still had exclamation marks written all over their faces about "playing such a big game."
Lijiu and Longxing suddenly became excited. While muttering, "It's a pity that I left my phone at the Pokémon Center so I can't take pictures," they dragged Xiao Ye along the queue and marched forward bravely. The three people's positions were already at the front, and it was their turn to be assigned accommodation soon.
The housekeeper in a black dress raised her head and looked at the person coming - Xiaoye vaguely felt that their group was being looked at for an extra long time, and the tight air made both the Nanguo siblings a little nervous.
In the end, Sandy didn't say much and nodded coldly to the driver beside them, "Tom, take them to 'that house'."
"yes."
The driver actor named Tom responded without raising his head and led the three passengers slowly into the valley.
The silent coachman walked in front, followed closely by the Terashima siblings, looking left and right curiously.
It was really difficult to take care of two people with Xiaoye's windbreaker alone. They were so close that they almost merged into one, and the poor fabric of the windbreaker could only barely cover the upper body. The person who was suffering from the cold was very worried, shivering and chatting enthusiastically, but only Xiaoye was worried about their health.
The lights in Fengxue Villa were brightly lit, and the main road was almost as bright as day. Xiao Ye saw that the doors and windows of many wooden houses were carved with difficult-to-identify patterns and symbols. The door of the tallest room even had a huge magic circle painted on it, making the entire villa full of the atmosphere of a fantasy world.
The silver-haired Himi clan members gathered together in twos and threes, leaning on the roadside and chatting. Most of them wore pitch-black robes, with clear gemstones dotting their shoulders and chests. Gold and silver silk threads outlined exquisite and gorgeous patterns on the cuffs and edges of their skirts. Seeing the "adventurers" approaching, many people bowed to them politely and said hello, just like polite magicians.
Lijiu and Long Xing chatted with the residents of the villa all the way, and spared no effort in praising Qi Zhonger for the construction of houses that fit the aesthetics of teenagers. A young magician brother was a little embarrassed by the praise. He lowered his head and said softly that it was thanks to the third elder that they could live in such a good house.
The siblings from the Southern Kingdom didn't care who the "Third Elder" was. They just followed the other person's words and blew the magician's pointed hat off his head before they stopped. Xiaoye, who was following him, tried to recall the words of the housekeeper - when the deer cart had just set off, she had indeed said that the adventurers came here "at the call of the third elder."
From this point of view, this third elder must be a well-spoken and important person in Snow Mountain Villa.
The three of them followed the driver, turning left and right, and finally stopped in front of a rather remote house backed by a hillside.
"Thank you for your hard work. This is where you live." The coachman said in a low voice. He knocked on the door and took a step back, signaling for the adventurers to enter the house.
After cleaning the remaining snow from their shoes, they stepped onto the clean wooden steps. Before she could open the door, Xiaoye heard a conversation coming from inside the door.
It's not that the sound insulation of the house is bad - it's actually that the speaker's tone is too sharp, almost having the effect of a harsh sound, making people's defenses drop continuously.
"Master Carl, I have told you many times that as a descendant of a distinguished family of magicians, you must show your proper demeanor in front of your guests. What do you look like in such a panic?"
"Yes, I'm sorry, Mrs. Linda."
After the woman in the room spoke in a tone of voice, a young man's voice seemed to respond submissively.
"Okay, Master Karl, come and open the door with me to welcome the guests now - huh, the third elder's only shortcoming is that he is too polite to outsiders. They are just a group of rude Warcraft users who want to make a lot of money from us, why bother to let Are they staying in our room?"
The woman kept saying "welcoming guests", but she showed no respect for the visitor. She didn't even try to hide it, she was still complaining loudly when she opened the door.
"In my opinion, sending them away with a tent is already expensive enough. Most of us, the third elder, are kind-hearted, kind, generous, and sympathetic..."
The moment the door opened wide, Linda, who was wearing a servant's uniform, saw the person outside the door - a man wearing a thin shirt, and a gust of wind could completely blow through the fabric. The other two were wrapped in the same windbreaker, with their calves exposed, and they were almost shaking into two sieves.
Linda was so shocked that her tone of voice changed, but she still managed to finish the last line without any hesitation: "I sympathize with these adventurers who are too shabbily dressed..."
The Terashima siblings looked at the people in the room with beady eyes, as if they were still trying to think with their frozen brains whether the long string of words they just said was satirizing them. Xiaoye didn't show any shame at all, and calmly bowed to the visitor, "Hello, we are adventurers from the outside world, and we came here at the invitation of the third noble elder. I'm sorry to disturb you..."
"Okay, okay, we never embarrass adventurers with red tape, please come in."
The maid Linda spoke quickly, interrupting Xiao Ye's politeness. I don't know if it was because of her personality, or because she was frightened by the three tough-minded young people outside the door. She wished they could quickly enter the house to prevent the body from being exposed in the wilderness.
"Master Carl, what did I say?"
Next to the tall maid, the inconspicuous silver-haired boy trembled, and immediately bowed and saluted reflexively, whispering: "You three, please come in. Welcome to Snow Mountain Villa."
The TouTie trio thanked them and walked into the house one by one.
Warm air hit their faces, caressing their frozen skin. Lijiu and Long Xing let out a long sigh of happiness. They could finally untie their windbreakers and return to a normal walking posture.
"Okay, adventurers, since you live in our house, you must abide by our rules." The maid Linda said with a arrogant and mean face, pointing to the three bamboo trees beside her. Basket, "We have no control over what methods you have used outside, but it is forbidden to use items with evil magic in Snow Mountain Villa. If the three of you are carrying something ominous, it is best to hand it over now. We will hand it over within this week. Responsible for safekeeping - if we find out what you have secretly hidden, then with all due respect, you are not welcome in Fengxue Villa."
Her words were very rude, but the seemingly straight-tempered Terashima siblings were not angry at all, and gave Xiao Ye a knowing look that said, "You know."
Anyone who has read the guides for previous competitions knows that this string of lines means that they are required to store all their belongings, and they are not allowed to use their own props during the competition to ensure fairness. Naturally, the three of them would not argue with the NPC at such a fixed link, and they all obediently stuffed all their belongings into the bamboo basket.
"Mrs. Linda, do you want to store these too?" Lijiu familiarly used the name used by the silent boy beside her, and showed Linda the six elf balls in her hand.
The maid Linda only glanced at it before backing away, with disgust on her face, "No, no, no, please be sure to keep the magic stone that seals the magic beast. Listen up, you are absolutely not allowed to leave the magic stone in Snow Mountain Villa. Release this filthy creature!"
Linda's violent reaction - or maybe it was the novel choice of words that made Pichu, who was hanging behind Xiao Ye, curiously poke his little head out.
"mound?"
"Oh, my God!" Linda was so frightened that she almost fell to the ground, "Quickly, take back this terrible creature!"
Xiaoye blinked and roughly understood what this meant: "The residents of Snow Mountain Villa in the story hate Pokémon." She took out the Poké Ball calmly and said, "I understand, Ms. Linda. I'm sorry to frighten you."
Pichu vaguely understood the meaning of the conversation, and Xiaoye had already said before that there might be some strange rules in this competition, so he reluctantly touched the Poké Ball with his head and retracted the capsule obediently. middle.
"Ahem." Probably feeling that her panic expression just now was a bit embarrassing, the maid Linda cleared her throat and glared at the young man in the corner with an increasingly stern look, "Master Carl, as the owner of this house, you should entertain We’re guests, aren’t we?”
"...Yes." The young man responded softly and took two cautious steps forward. "Please three of you follow me. I will take you to the guest room."
He half lowered his head, his eyes made slight contact with the visitor and then immediately moved away as if he was frightened.
The maid Linda snorted and sat down in the living room on the first floor, as if she didn't want to deal with the rude adventurers anymore. The young man turned around and slowly walked towards the spiral staircase to lead the way.
The three people standing on the porch looked at each other, and they all saw shock on each other's faces.
The name, coupled with the glimpse of the face when he raised his head, were enough for them to determine the identity of this poor young man who was bullied by the maid - Himi Carl, a well-known young genius in the training circle, this year's U18 World Youth The quasi-champion of the competition. When she settled in Bailang Town, Xiaoye once saw him fighting with another Himi boy from a distance.
As trainers, everyone knows more or less about this 14-year-old young man who shines in the arena - at the same time, most of the contestants who have done their homework also know that when assigning roles in the snowstorm battle, The Himi tribe will hold a family battle tournament, and the stronger people will have priority in choosing characters.
So...brother Carl, who in recent news reports had defeated the entire Himi family and won first place in the duel competition, robbed himself of such a script?
Surprised, the three of them obeyed the instructions and followed the young man to the third floor.
The cabin is similar in size to a single-family house and is quite spacious inside. Even the third floor used for guests does not seem crowded at all, with three bedrooms surrounding it and a small living room in the middle.
Lijiu and Long Xing couldn't wait to push open the bedroom door, and then they all exclaimed - unlike the cold and dull guest bedroom they imagined, the furnishings in the room were exquisite, with retro linen patterns printed on the sheets and quilts. There was an oil lamp placed on the wooden table next to the bed, which softly shed orange light and filled the small room with warm tones.
Before pushing away the bedroom that belonged to her, Xiaoye turned her head and looked at the young man's appearance covertly under the cover of the lowered brim of her hat and sunglasses.
He stood quietly at the entrance of the stairs, seeming to be staring at the handrail in concentration. His soft silver short hair was somewhat warmed by the firelight. The young man looked introverted and timid, completely different from the high-spirited and often taunting young genius in the Bailang Town arena. If you look carefully, you can see that there are thick dark circles under his eyes, and the skin on his neck and wrists that are not covered by clothes has faint bruises.
Xiaoye looked away and was still thinking when she turned to observe the bedroom.
Although Linda, the maid downstairs, treated Carl very badly, which could easily lead to a seemingly "natural" conclusion - she also said personally that this house belonged to Carl himself.
In the strict social background of the ancient West, would a maid really have the guts to abuse the young master she serves?
After the adventurers looked through every room in the guest area on the third floor, Karl went to fetch three heavy packages at some point.
"This is the tool prepared by the third elder for all adventurers. Please accept it," he said.
"Thank you!" Lijiu rolled her eyes and did not rush to open the package. Instead, she approached the NPC actor with a smile, "Master Carl - can I call you that? Anyway, this deep mountain wilderness is quite boring. Do you want to chat with us?”
"Yes, Master Karl, why don't you introduce how many people there are in your villa and what their jobs are?" Long Xing also joined in with a tacit understanding.
"I, that..." The poor young master didn't seem to be very good at talking to others, so he took a step back awkwardly. By chance, the stern roar of the maid Linda came from downstairs.
"Master Carl, how long are you going to linger on! It's time for the adventurers to rest. We can't delay tomorrow's meeting!"
"Yes, yes!" the silver-haired boy responded in a panic. He said to the three of them, "Please go to the square to attend the rally at eight o'clock tomorrow morning" and hurriedly went downstairs. The Nanguo siblings, who failed to talk to the NPC to get information, sighed with regret, but they also understood that this was a "compelling force of the plot" and did not dwell too much on it.
Afterwards, they quickly opened the package brought by Carl - experienced competitors are more accustomed to calling it the "basic equipment package". As soon as it was opened, the light-colored fabric reflected the firelight, immediately attracting the three people's full attention.
"Oh, that's cool!"
Lijiu spread out the clothes and looked at them with curiosity - this was a set of clothing with a very ancient Western style. The whole thing is mainly a spotless snow-white color. It is fully equipped with top, trousers, gloves, boots and other cold weather equipment, and it also comes with a long cloak of exquisite workmanship. The surface of the fabric feels smooth and seems to be a material that is not easily stained, but the inner layer has the opposite soft touch. Probably because of the use of self-heating materials, the clothes felt warm and soft to the touch, and Long Xing couldn't help but bury his face in them.
In the bulging package, dry food and water bottles, commonly used medicines, paper and pen maps, compasses, fire making tools and other common props for survival in the wild are also available. For freelance trainers who often travel, these are all very familiar. . In addition, the Himi family also prepared an iron sword for self-defense for each adventurer. The gray blade looked thick and clumsy, exactly what metal weapons should have looked like hundreds of years ago.
The two siblings happily put on new clothes and looked at themselves in the blurry reflection of the glass - wearing cloaks, boots, and an iron sword at their waists, it was indeed an ancient Western-themed work. The appearance of a dusty adventurer is correct.
Since there is a meeting tomorrow morning - as the first "plot point", if you miss it, you may be kicked out - Xiaoye tried her best to persuade Lijiu and Long Xing to go to bed early.
After washing up, Xiao Ye returned to her room. Before lying down to rest, she looked out the window at the brand-new wooden houses, the continuous lights, and the magic runes carved on the stone pillars, and finally couldn't help sighing with doubts about life.
...So, the organizers of this snowstorm battle not only provided their own homes for the contestants to live in, but also mobilized all the people to participate in the show. They even renovated the newly built residences and even the entire residential area into the magical style of the ancient mage for the competition. .
The Himi family is absolutely amazing.
====================
small theater:
Linda, the maid who watched Carl and the adventurers go upstairs: Oh my god, why in the world would someone go to the snow-capped mountains wearing single clothes and shorts? This was so terrifying, almost more desperate than real adventurers in ancient times. I was so scared that I almost forgot my lines and had my bonus deducted. (with lingering fear)
