In the valley battlefield where the cold wind is howling, the strange behavior of the spiny shell is not noticeable. The beating blue light at the adventurer's fingertips was also submerged in the light and shadow of the collision of moves. Even the drone that was always broadcasting the battle could not capture the changes at this moment.
But those who have witnessed disasters know that in a matter of seconds, things can get out of hand—
The next moment, the young man standing at the sentry was stunned.
The already blooming ice flowers cracked like fragile glass and turned into ice chips all over the ground. The spiny shell fell to the ground in a daze, which seemed to make its trainer a little worried; but after a few brief exchanges with her companions, the girl immediately calmed down and sent out new warriors in a hurry.
In the chaotic melee, a firepower gap of more than ten seconds could not affect the situation of the battle at all. The adventurers commanded the Warcraft brigade to charge forward, taking advantage of the terrain advantage of the curling entrance to throw powerful moves forward. Facing the brutal fire suppression, the intruder's pitiful five monsters had no resistance at all, and they quickly fled in defeat - the leader who had used ice magic to sneak attack Jean had done enough. As a villain should be, he dropped a lot of cruel words before leaving. It's a pity that the rumbling explosions ravaged the entire valley, and even the voices of comrades who were close at hand could not be heard clearly, let alone dozens of meters away. The villain yelled at the highest decibel level in his life to no avail, and in the end only hurt the eardrums of the audience wearing headphones.
After watching the intruders escape, the adventurers took back the group of clawed monsters.
Curling's garrison was still outside, and they were unsure of the position of these adventurers - rather than acting bravely, their behavior of pretending to attract the swarm of monsters, and taking advantage of the chaos to attack the intruders was more like trying to take advantage of the enemy.
Facing the doubtful and cautious looks of the Himi clan members, Xiaoye walked up to Jean and spread her palms. An ancient coin was lying quietly in her palm.
"Nice to see you again, Mr. Jean." Silence returned to the curling kettle, and the voice of the adventurer echoed in the valley, "We are here to support you on the order of the great elder. This is our token."
Jean's eyes lingered on the coins for a moment - on the surface of the rusty copper coins, you could vaguely see the pattern of the ice bird spreading its wings and flying.
The young man took the coin and laughed.
He waved towards the sentry. As the curling door slowly opened, sparse applause came from everywhere, and soon turned into deafening cheers.
"Thank you for coming here, comrades." Gene smiled.
The adventurers who assisted the soldiers in defeating the foreign enemies were treated like welcome guests. It was not like foreigners came uninvited, but like welcoming war heroes back home. The Terashima siblings, who have the blood of southerners, were not at all false about this, and soon they started playing with the young boys of the Himi family.
Xiao Ye walked past the guard post with Jean. The inside of the curling pot is far less narrow than the entrance. The crystal mist lingers in the distance, and the neatly planted cold fruit trees and shrubs can be vaguely seen. High and low houses are located everywhere, and are not arranged in rigid rows, making this place more like a stable small village than a military camp.
"When did you guess it?" Jean pointed to himself and asked enthusiastically - when Beidou looked at the crowd around him before answering, he immediately said that there is no need to worry, the soldiers here are all his own. .
"I think it would be too careless for the leader of Curling's garrison to reveal a secret from a year ago?" Xiao Ye replied.
Gene shrugged, "Well, you're right."
According to Gene, a year ago, the disaster that destroyed the entire villa occurred late at night, and many people did not have time to see clearly what happened. However, many people who charged forward still got a glimpse of the true appearance of the attackers - those strange and moving ice puppets were creepy, and they were not any kind of monsters living in the Snowy Mountains at all.
In the period just after the disaster, more than one dispute broke out within the Himi family. The third elder firmly claimed that the initiator was the group of monsters in the sacred forest, but the voices holding different views began to weaken. As they realized that more and more people were being declared dead, missing or seriously injured, the survivors began to hide themselves.
"After that battle, the third elder's reputation in the clan reached its peak, and there was no chance of winning in a head-on fight. Therefore, the clan members who exposed their position chose to leave Fengxue Villa, while those of us who stayed in the Villa pretended not to know, and secretly Get information."
Jean played with the coins in his hand and briefly told the adventurers about the past.
"We must find out what the third elder wants to do - find out the truth and clear the names of my father and the soldiers who sacrificed their lives to protect the villa."
After thinking for a moment, the adventurer looked up at the young man.
"The 'people who chose to leave the Villa' you mentioned are still living in Fengxue Mountain, right?"
Facing the adventurer's cool purple eyes, Jean shook his head and confessed: "Curling is our outpost, and I am just the guardian of this outpost. I am not qualified to tell you more. What if..."
"team leader!"
A soldier not far away waved at Jean, interrupting their words.
"The sun is already above our heads, how about we chat while eating?"
The three adventurers were surrounded by enthusiastic Himi clan members and had lunch together around a long table. After chatting for a while, Lijiu and Long Xing also noticed that although this group of soldiers had a friendly attitude, they had a very strict tone and refused to say anything they shouldn't say.
The siblings are not in a hurry - they haven't improved their favorability level enough, as everyone who came to play last year will understand.
After the meal, the three of them had a brief discussion and decided to stay at the curling kettle to rest and catch up on their sleep before setting off to the old village for a second exploration at night.
Before entering the lounge, Xiaoye turned around and met someone's eyes.
Karl was sitting in the corner of the room, seemingly staring at the adventurer's back. The distance made Xiaoye unable to see his expression clearly, and she saw that the boy quickly lowered his head, seemingly as timid as before.
Curling is not as quiet as Snow Mountain Villa, and the soldiers' angry shouts are enough to sneak into the house through the cracks in the windows. Fortunately, none of the three of them were particular about their sleeping environment. The Nanguo siblings had the talent to sleep soundly even when surrounded by a hundred roaring bombs. Mere human voices were nothing at all.
In the evening, the three of them woke up in high spirits and had another dinner before saying goodbye to the young people stationed at the curling station.
There is almost half a snowy mountain between the abandoned village and Curling, and I'm afraid I won't be able to reach it until dawn on foot. Fortunately, all the Warcraft envoys were equipped with mounts. They braved the cold wind and arrived at the edge of the village before the moon rose above their heads.
It was a clear and fogless night, and the moonlight cast a pale filter over the old village. They didn't go far when they saw several ice puppets wandering along the roadside.
After finding out that the ice puppets are all blind...well, not blind, these big monsters only have a scary appearance. The Terashima siblings were able to keep their composure when facing them. They were about to pass by with gentle steps when they suddenly heard an unusual sound coming from the distant air.
It seemed like the sound of something hard hitting the stone. According to common sense, this weak volume would only make the ice puppets "hesitate" for a while, but these monsters in front of them suddenly twitched as if they were electrocuted.
Several ice dolls stumbled together, and their bodies gradually melted, condensed into one, and then reshaped. The next moment, the flowing ice separated into arms and legs, and slowly stood up in the pale night - they turned into an ice giant that was ten meters high.
Lijiu: "?"
Long Xing: "?!!"
The change was so sudden that the siblings didn't even think of words to complain about before they received a slap in the face from the giant. Fortunately, their boss never prioritized his lines. He skillfully pulled the two of them by their collars and jumped, avoiding the giant's attack.
"Wait a minute, this doesn't make sense. Why did we level up even if we didn't come to the dungeon for a day... Ouch!" Long Xing's face was covered with splashes of ice, and he suddenly didn't dare to speak.
In close combat, size suppression often brings irreversible advantages. The ice giant just waved his arm casually, and the old houses collapsed in groups, and the human figures were as small and helpless as ants.
The siblings were so shaken that they couldn't see where the giant was or where they were. All they heard was Ghoststone's giggles ringing in their ears, followed by a roller coaster-like feeling of weightlessness. The rumbling sound of the house collapsing gradually faded away, and their vision went dark. They found themselves plunged into an unknown corner of the cellar.
The rusty iron door was ajar, vaguely revealing the dark night sky. Lijiu and Long Xing huddled in the corner of the cellar and couldn't help but widen their eyes.
The boy hiding on the other side of the cellar also opened his eyes as round as seal balls. Both parties looked at each other, and finally Long Xing raised his hand and said hello awkwardly.
"Uh... what a coincidence, we meet again?"
The heavy footsteps gradually faded away. After listening to the Terajima siblings' story about their experiences, Oliver sighed like a little adult.
"You are so brave. You dare to come here when you don't know anything." The boy said helplessly. "Every time someone sneaks into the lighthouse and is discovered, the ice puppets will start to get angry like this. Don't look at how stupid they usually are. , they will become very smart when they grow bigger, and they can’t escape from their grasp even if they don’t make a sound.”
As he said that, the boy spread his hands with a mature and calm face, "You'd better not think about going out. It's safer to hide here until dawn."
Xiaoye nodded, first praising Oliver's erudition and calmness, until the little boy was so impressed that he asked, "Oliver, are you saying someone has entered the lighthouse recently?"
The boy nodded and replied crisply: "Yes, I heard from the adults that adventurers broke in yesterday. Unfortunately, they were not powerful at all, and they turned into frozen corpses and were thrown out after a while."
Xiaoye recalled what she saw after opening the lighthouse door... and couldn't help exchanging sympathetic looks with her siblings.
Everyone thought that they had passed the level after dealing with the numerous blockades outside. Who would have thought that the lighthouse was also filled with monsters...
After confirming that the ice puppets were far away from the cellar, Xiaoye decided to go out alone to investigate. Lijiu and Longxing also knew that they would only get in the way during the investigation, so they simply agreed to wait in the cellar for the time being.
After repeatedly instructing the three of them to hide in the cellar and keep quiet, and to let the Dream Demon pass on any questions, Xiaoye gently opened the roof of the cellar and returned to the ground.
The children in the cellar only saw a series of deafening sounds coming from outside. They couldn't tell whether it was the house collapsing, the giant falling, or the howling fire-breathing dragon. They could only cover their mouths and use their eyes to convey their doubts to each other - the boss. What he said before leaving was obviously to re-investigate the ice puppet's method of searching for enemies... Why does it sound like a fight?
Ten minutes later, although there was a lot of noise, Xiaoye, who did not really beat up the ice doll, stopped briefly under the eaves.
As Oliver said, the Ice Giant, which is composed of many ice dolls fused into one, is much "smarter" than before. It can still capture subtle sounds and resist the burning of flames. Sometimes it even behaves as if it has vision. Even if the ghost stone sent by Xiaoye is just floating quietly in the distance, it can still detect it and launch a ferocious attack.
However, in the several trials initiated by Xiao Ye, it also turned a blind eye to the little Piqiu that was so close.
After recalling the ice giant's behavior in detail, Xiaoye raised her head thoughtfully and looked at the center of the village - the huge dark tower in the night.
Before she could reorganize her thoughts, a roar suddenly came from not far away.
The direction the sound came from made Xiaoye's expression change, and she immediately quickened her pace and rushed to the cellar.
However, in order not to involve her partners during the experiment, she ran too far before. When the adventurers returned to the starting point, they saw that the roof of the cellar had been crushed and twisted. The nearby dirt floor was covered with frost, and the three people in the cellar had disappeared. Only Seal Ball was left shivering and hiding under the gravel.
As soon as Xiao Ye approached the cellar, Seal Ball fell into Xiao Ye's arms like a cannonball. It looked so frightened that it didn't even dare to howl loudly, and could only squeeze out a few suppressed sobs.
The trainer patted Seal Ball's round body and looked at Pichu on his shoulder. Then, invisible fluctuations spread, covering the deserted village inch by inch under the moonlit night.
Feeling the information fed back by the power of the waveguide, Xiaoye had a thought in her mind.
She comforted Seal Ball softly, then jumped up and ran towards a small garden nearby.
A year ago, the small garden between the houses was filled with beautiful blue flowers. After the village was abandoned, the flowers that people had carefully cultivated gradually withered, leaving only a few flowers with the strongest vitality that were still enduring the cold wind.
When Xiao Ye arrived at the garden, what caught her eye at the same time as the flying blue petals was the snow-like sword light - a man in dazzling silver clothes wielded two swords and knocked down the last ice puppet.
The garden returned to silence. He leaned his sword on the ground and looked a little tired. However, when he heard footsteps coming from behind, the swordsman immediately straightened his back and turned around.
"Need help?" Xiaoye walked into the garden.
The silver-robed swordsman seemed to recognize the person. He lowered his eyes, "Sorry, I came a step too late and couldn't save your friend."
Seal Ball, who was held in the arms of the adventurer, was still sobbing softly, causing the silver-robed swordsman to turn his eyes aside unbearably.
"Don't be afraid, find a safe place to hide first, okay?" The swordsman patted the adventurer's shoulder gently and said warmly: "They were just taken to the lighthouse and will be fine until dawn. I assure you Promise, we will bring them back.”
Xiaoye didn't respond - she caught a glimpse of the cold light flashing behind the garden wall. Pichu jumped out in response to the gesture, and the bright lightning knocked down the crumbling wall, completely revealing the enemy hiding behind it.
The ice puppet whose traces were exposed roared. Pichu's lightning strike failed to prevent them from merging. The newly born ice giant waved its arms and slammed into the two humans in the garden.
As a monster user, the adventurer had thousands of ways to perfectly resolve this blow, but she chose the worst one - Ghoststone's mental power slowed down the ice giant's movements, and the adventurer used this to In an instant, he flew forward and blocked the blow for the silver-robed swordsman with a crystal blue barrier.
The light wall cracked inch by inch under the huge force. When the power of the ice giant's blow was exhausted, the protection of the waveguide power also shattered just in time. The giant's body made of ice firmly touched the adventurer's palm, and almost instantly a layer of ice formed on the human gloves and skin.
The next moment, Xiaoye was violently pulled away, replaced by a sharp sword light, briefly knocking the giant back.
The adventurer read the anxious look in the glazed eyes under the silver-robed swordsman's mask. Of course she also remembered that the ice doll could remember the breath of the person it touched, and would be locked tightly wherever it escaped before dawn - and this was exactly what she wanted.
Ghost Stone's mental force pulled the giant's right foot hard, causing its center of gravity to become unstable and it fell to the ground. Xiao Ye slowly cleaned the ice chips on her gloves and looked at the silver-robed swordsman with a smile.
"So, am I qualified to be your companion?"
The swordsman was silent for a while. The mask obscured his expression, and only the green eyes could be seen looking at the adventurer seriously.
Before the ice giant struggled to his feet, he drew the pair of beautiful swords. The moonlight shines on the sword like frost and snow, reflecting little bits of cold light.
Under the slightly surprised gaze of the adventurer, he handed one of the swords forward.
"I am very honored."
The dark lighthouse stood high in the night. Under the moonlight, a figure was standing quietly on the top of the lighthouse.
The ice-walking doll looked down at the earth with bright yellow eyes.
The village is long abandoned and should be deserted - but as its owner says, the number of restless intruders is increasing day by day.
In the distant sky, blazing fire suddenly tore apart the night. The ice puppet squinted and saw the flying flame dragon spitting flames to the ground, burning the helpless ice puppet. At the same time, the sharp cries of birds sounded from another direction, the storm enveloped the surroundings with thunder and lightning, and the air became turbid.
The ice-walking doll examined the monsters causing trouble in its territory, tapping the ice staff gently on the ground.
The mental power carried the sound and flowed into the distance, and the ice puppet responded with a terrifying hissing sound. They merged into a giant creature and waved their arms towards the enemy in the sky.
Soon, the chaotic light and shadow made the Ice-Stepping Doll realize that it needed to deal with more than just two monsters.
On the ground reddened by the firelight, two flowing sword lights danced in the night. They intertwined with each other and walked side by side, easily repelling incoming enemies and opening a straight path among the swarms of ice puppets.
The quarrel between Charizard and Big Bird attracted an army of ice puppets like mountains and seas. They swarmed in and fell under the light of the sword like wheat. Considering that their companions had to be rescued before dawn, swordsmen and adventurers had no time to waste; and storming was different from sneaking, the more chaotic the scene they faced. The more advantageous it is for the siege party.
——Especially when the enemy commander is likely to be only one person.
The silver-clad swordsman told Xiaoye that special magic had been cast on his sword. As long as it touched the ice puppets, they would be unable to move for a night. Although it is ineffective against being too large, at least they can knock down the ice puppets before they fuse.
The change of weapon from double sword to single sword did not seem to affect the silver-robed swordsman's strength. His movements were still like flowing clouds and flowing water, and he repelled most of the enemies by himself; Xiaoye guarded the swordsman, killing every fish that slipped through the net. Their sword light seemed to be as sharp and tacit as if they had been tested for a long time. With the cover of the fire-breathing dragon and the big bird, they moved forward and cut into the center of the village almost instantly.
Angry banging sounds echoed across the square. The ice puppets were crowded together in front, and a huge ice man could be vaguely seen in the distance slowly getting up and aiming at the uninvited guest running on the ground.
Facing nearly endless enemies, it is almost impossible to get closer to the lighthouse with just human feet.
The biting cold air began to swirl around the silver-robed swordsman. He split the ice puppet blocking the road with his sword, stretched out his hand to the adventurer, "Catch me!"
The figure of the Snow Demon Girl slowly emerged from the void. It attached to the swordsman's back and suddenly opened its arms. From a distance, it almost looked like a pair of wings flying in the wind.
The ghost held up the two humans and flew high into the air, flying lightly towards the sparse ice puppets. At that moment in the air, Xiaoye looked at the pair of yellow eyes at the top of the lighthouse.
Before landing, the adventurer said something softly.
After hesitating for a moment, the swordsman nodded.
The ice puppets on the ground became more and more dense. In order to protect themselves, the two had to take off many times to avoid attacks. The condescending ice-walking doll has a panoramic view of everything - it raises its cane, and the colorful light flows at the end, shooting towards the people in the air like a laser.
Obviously, the humans did not anticipate the sniper attack from high altitude. The shield of the waveguide power appeared extremely fragile under the phantom light, and it completely collapsed almost instantly.
The intruder was scattered by the impact and fell to the ground. The snow witch seemed to be able to regain consciousness at the last moment and protect her master; while the adventurer in white was unlucky enough to fall into the area where the ice puppets were densest, and the blue light only flashed twice before being completely extinguished.
The ice-walking doll no longer paid attention to the adventurer who was bound to die, and turned its attention to the silver-robed swordsman floating in the air.
It stayed in the abandoned village for a year, and then fought with the silver-clad swordsman for a year. There is no doubt that he is a powerful man with no flaws. Although he can control the ice puppet army, the ice-walking puppets still cannot get any benefit from his hands.
——The premise is that his partner is not imprisoned in the lighthouse waiting for rescue.
In order to break into the lighthouse before dawn, the swordsman had exposed too many flaws, and relied on the protection of the two newly arrived monsters to avoid being defeated immediately. The ice puppet's cane tapped on the stone slab, and almost all the ice puppets gathered in front of the only door of the lighthouse, just waiting to catch the turtle in the urn.
The silver-robed swordsman stopped.
The monster on the top of the tower stagnated for a moment, vaguely feeling that something was wrong.
The Silver Swordsman was never a timid character. If there is someone he wants to protect in the lighthouse, even if there are enemies on all sides on the only road, he will definitely charge forward with his sword in hand without hesitation.
He won't stop until...
An ominous premonition came to mind, and the ice-walking doll turned around hastily——
But it's still a step too late.
At some point, a huge figure appeared silently at the top of the lighthouse.
It is a beast that lives in the deep sea. Cold wind and fragile ice edges cannot harm it at all. The scales and fangs born for hunting are extremely dazzling in the moonlight - just like the bright white robes of the human next to it.
The next second, Gyarados let out a deafening roar——
He whipped the ice-walking doll off the lighthouse with a fierce tail blow.
====================
[Adventurer Team·Big Dipper and his two younger brothers]
Day 4·Task progress:
·[Villa Camp] Main Mission 1 [For Survival, For Home]
Posted by: Third Elder Morton
Mission location: Icefield, Warcraft Forest
Mission goal: Destroy the monsters
Progress: Completed
Congratulations, brave adventurers. By hunting down monsters, you have proven your agility, strength, and tenacity.
According to the contract, you will receive a generous thank you gift.
——Of course, I know you want more, don’t you?
·[Mountain Villa Camp] Main Mission 2 [Troll hiding deep in the jungle]
Posted by: Third Elder Morton
Mission location: Warcraft Forest
Mission objective: Defeat the snowman
Progress: None yet
Brave adventurers, you must be accustomed to fighting in the Warcraft Forest and have explored every corner of it.
I can tell you some news: Just today, some adventurers have found the habitat of the snowman. They are powerful, burly, and good at fighting - but I believe that with your strength, you will be able to kill the snowmen, no matter what they are.
Right?
·[Villa Camp] Main Mission Three [Key to Secret Treasure]
Posted by: Third Elder Morton
Mission location: Northern Wilderness of Snow Wind Mountain
Mission goal: Find the red crystal
Progress: None yet
Mighty adventurer, I am glad that you are willing to join me.
You have proven your strength and loyalty. Next, please help me find a red crystal - it is the "key" to unlock our family's secret treasure.
As long as you can bring the key, I will do my best to reward you.
whatever you want.
·【? ? Faction】Main mission one[? ? ? ]
announcer:? ? ?
Mission location:? ? ?
mission target:? ? ?
schedule:? ? ?
You shouldn't have come.
Tonight the ice puppet is even more irritable than usual. I'm sorry - I watched it take those children and failed to save them. This is something that should never happen in God's land, and I should repent for it.
There is still some time before dawn. I will go to the lighthouse and kill all the monsters and rescue your friends.
…
certainly. If walking side by side is an adventurer’s wish, then my answer is——
I am very honored.
·Side mission 1 [The ancient song that once rang through the mountains and fields]
Posted by: Villa resident Lily
Mission location: Warcraft Forest
Mission goal: Collect the leaves of the "Holy Tree"
Progress: Completed
Grandpa's health has improved. Today we went out to pick fruits together. This is all due to you, thank you, adventurers.
I wonder if you like the stories grandpa tells? Although I still don’t understand it, it must be a beautiful story, right?
I really hope... Snow Wind Villa can change back to what it used to be.
·Side Mission 2 [This is the time to work together]
Posted by: Adventurer Hidechi Ikawa
Mission location: Fengxue Mountain
Mission goal: Build the strongest adventurer alliance
Progress: Aborted
I have nothing to say. If you must say something...
None of the people I sent to the abandoned village came back alive. They must be incompatible with me there, QAQ!
·Side mission three [Want to return to that dreaming place]
Posted by: Mysterious Boy Oliver
Mission location: abandoned village
Mission objective: Find a photo in the lighthouse
Progress: Reached the lighthouse
I'm sorry, I knew it was dangerous here, but I still ran in stubbornly... I shouldn't have thought that I could rest easy just by hiding in the cellar, and I shouldn't have been so careless as to knock over a chair. I was the one who caused trouble to the adventurers who were kind enough to protect me.
We were locked in the deepest part of the lighthouse, surrounded by terrifying ice puppets.
I understand. At daybreak we will be eaten. This is how my friend died.
…
No, I will not give up, let alone despair. I haven't been able to find that photo yet, so how can I admit defeat here?
I can already hear it, the sounds of fighting coming from outside. It must be the silver-robed master and the adventurer who came to save us, right?
No matter what happens, I will endure it until I see you.
I believe you will come to save me.
====================
small theater:
Being held in Beidou's arms, Seal Ball sometimes takes off, sometimes falls to the ground, and sometimes rides a roller coaster: You must not be able to imagine what I have gone through QAQ! (flat)
====================
PS:
7k+ words, two updates combined into one, make up for the missing updates!
Sorry, I posted QUQ so late. I should be able to resume the normal update schedule after this month.
The lottery as compensation mentioned before will also start in the next update!
Thanks for the support, welcome to whip (kneel)
