The usually cold Snow Villa is bustling with people.
A total of three hundred participants in the Snowstorm Battle crowded the town to the point where sparks almost erupted. They were noisy, singing and dancing, and flocked to the square in the center of the villa under the brilliant lights - just like in previous years, the Himi family would hold a celebration banquet for the players in the square. The young people who have been holding back for seven days can have fun at the banquet. Not only can they eat and drink or compete with each other, but no one can stop them even if they want to dance and perform acrobatics in public with a thunder ball on their head.
——It is worth mentioning that after taking off the adventurer suit and changing back to regular clothes, the familiar scene of the past where the swimsuit and cotton-padded jacket flew together, the wizard hat and the skates were completely reproduced, and Saya wearing a white robe was completely reappeared. I felt out of place, and my attempts to blend in with the crowd were stuck for a while.
"Hello."
Just as the white-painted adventurer stopped outside a group of colorful people, a familiar voice came from behind.
Clive, whom he hadn't seen for a few days, was standing at the intersection and raised his eyebrows at Xiaoye.
"Why, are you lost? The venue is not there."
Xiaoye was stunned when she saw the young man pointing at the completely opposite position.
"Isn't it in the square?"
"It was a players' banquet."
Clive said. The always fierce expression rarely relaxed and no longer looked angry.
"——The banquet of our warriors is over here."
At night, the stars first appear.
The sky in Fengxue Mountain is covered with clouds all year round, and the sky clears up only on rare days. Perhaps the people who had gone through a hard battle were finally favored by good luck - or perhaps the cloud-repelling bombs bought by the Himi family were of good quality. On the night when the banquet was about to begin, there was not a trace of dark clouds in the clear sky, and the gentle deep blue The color is thrown unreservedly to the earth.
On the top floor of the Fengxue Library, the huge terrace covered by a spherical glass curtain wall has already been lit.
Lush green plants surround the lamp stands, filling every corner of the terrace with warm light. A dazzling array of delicacies and candlesticks with flickering flames were placed on the table. The fragrance of the food blended with the fragrance of the flowers, and infiltrated into people's laughter and laughter.
Outside the glass, the sparks from the distant sky are equally bright. They complement each other on both sides of the transparent barrier, and the entire terrace is like a bright round gem in the snow-capped mountains, which is mind-blowing.
As soon as Xiaoye walked into the terrace, the sharp-eyed Nanguo siblings rushed up impatiently, trying to make the boss unable to make a sound with his mouth full of food like them. And Beidou didn't want to be a rude person who started gobbling up the cake without saying hello as soon as he walked in. He quickly jumped back to avoid the cake attack from his teammates, turned around and looked around.
The Himi clan members who took off their costumes were all well-dressed and well-dressed, no different from the "aristocratic family that pays attention to etiquette" as described by netizens - unfortunately, the people in Chinese costumes were not too serious, and some chatted with each other, wearing suits. He threw his coat aside and rolled into a ball with his Pokémon, forcibly transforming the gorgeously decorated banquet hall into the same atmosphere as a friendly family dinner party by the Valley of Fire.
"Now, are you still thinking, 'Wow, it's different from the banquet I imagined the Himi family held'?" Clive said coolly, picked up the plate and started to eat. , leaving the companions alone to collect their emotions and dodge left and right to prevent their faces from being creamed by the cake in the hands of the siblings.
Xiao Ye recalled the reserved manner of the Himmi family head whom she met once in the Mihara City Library, and then looked at the strangely shaped Fengxueshan branch family members and Sandy, the lord who was jumping the most, silently in her mind. A line of conclusions is generated.
——The problem is not the Himi family, but the Orange Islands.
Fortunately, the enthusiastic lord has not completely forgotten his duties. After everyone arrived, Sandy gave two brief opening remarks and announced that the celebration banquet had officially begun.
...Half of everything on the table was eaten just now. So it wasn’t the beginning?
Unlike the Kanto trainers who were full of questions, Riju and Ryusei, who were born on the Orange Islands, blended into the cheerful atmosphere without any obstacles. As one of the few adventurers on the mountain who qualified to participate in this "internal banquet", the siblings were so excited that they almost stayed up all night. They mingled with the young people of the Himi family and talked excitedly about every detail of the "battle on the top of the mountain" - the native southerners always speak truthfully, even if they are a little exaggerated, it is harmless. At most, they can only treat a ten-meter monster. To say it was a hundred meters is just an exaggeration.
As for Xiao Ye, she was already surrounded by a group of children.
"So, did Brother Carl and Brother Clive actually go down the mountain to catch the bad guys that day?"
“They also lied to me and said they were secretly eating new seasonal cakes!!”
"Why on earth is Freeze Bird in the elephant's belly?"
"Is it cool inside the elephant's belly? Brother Beidou, have you ever gone in and looked at it?"
"If we make an elephant again out of ice, can we freeze ourselves again? It's really hot in summer..."
Saya, who was brutally besieged, didn't know which question to start with, and for a moment she felt the same helplessness as Niwa-sama, who was covered with children begging for feather quilts. And Oliver cleared his throat and said seriously: "You are so rude, why are you asking the guests so many questions all at once. My father taught me, at this time, you must wait in line!"
The little boy quietly glanced at the expressions of his friends, then immediately looked away, as if he didn't care, "Or, maybe you can ask me! I am one of the adventurers' comrades, and I also know a lot of inside information... "
"What are you doing, Oliver? You're just acting like a target to be beaten!"
"That's right, if it were me, I would definitely act better. Your expression of pretending to be scared is really fake."
"You are talking nonsense! Being an actor and being a warrior are completely different. Let me tell you..."
The children suddenly became noisy, and their chirping sounds were louder than the messenger birds singing. Xiao Ye blinked and was thinking about whether to take out the furry little Pichu to appease everyone, when she heard a sigh from beside her.
The only person who remained rational - Lily sighed and smiled awkwardly but politely at the guest.
"Sorry, Sir Adventurer. Thank you for helping us so much - and thank you for saving me then!"
The little girl with silver hair curled her eyes and showed a bright smile, which made the trainer couldn't help but reach out and stroke her head.
"That's nothing. By the way, does your injury still hurt?"
Lily shook her head and smiled wider.
"The pain has stopped a long time ago - also, if the adventurer-sama hadn't said these irrelevant words during the competition, my evaluation would have been higher, right?"
Night:"……"
The adventurer was shocked by the NPC's professionalism in and out of play.
In the story of the Snowy Battle, Lily plays the role of a lonely girl whose parents have died and is dependent on her sick grandfather. Of course, in reality, her parents are just busy working outside and have no time to return home, so she is forced to act as a dead person. At this time, her grandfather was sitting at the next table and chatting with friends. Xiao Ye looked at the skinny old man raising a glass and drinking heavily, and suddenly broke into a cold sweat on his body.
Before Xiao Ye got up to dissuade him, perhaps because he felt that drinking from a goblet was not enough, the old man's eyes drifted to the wine barrel next to the table that was almost taller than Lily.
The adventurer saw the old man lift the barrel easily and put it on the table with a bang. Then, he took off his coat and rolled up his shirt sleeves, revealing his forearm muscles, which were as strong as stones and could almost burst his clothes.
"..."
Xiaoye was speechless for a moment, recalling the scene of "the mad magician beating up the elderly", and silently turned her gaze to the frail middle-aged man not far away who had been engaged in academics all year round - the third elder of Fengxue Mountain, Morton.
I wonder if it hurt when he kicked that kick...
The top floor of Fengxue Library was originally designed for gatherings, and the space is very spacious. Even though most of the family and an unknown number of Pokémon were crammed into the place, it still didn't feel crowded.
Because of this, it took Karl and Yang Yu a lot of time to find their companion - the adventurer's white robe was not conspicuous at all among the white suits and white hair, and they were able to find her only because of the fire-breathing dragon's heart. The round belly is enough to attract attention.
"Beidou, why don't you take a picture?" the ice-haired boy said with a smile, "to celebrate the victory of the three of us fighting side by side for the first time."
"Okay." Xiaoye walked forward holding the well-fed golden retriever, and then paused again, driven by a strange sense of familiarity. The video of Yong Zhen from the Valley of Flames stabbing his horse in the back flashed through his mind, and then thousands of words turned into a question.
Xiaoye: "Wait a minute, you won't send this photo to the character who will appear in the next main quest, will you?" (Warning)
Karl: "...huh?"
Yang Yu: "...Xiaoye, did you drink the wine as juice?"
While the three of them were talking and laughing, the lights in the banquet hall suddenly dimmed.
"Everyone, please be quiet for a moment." Lord Sandy's voice came from afar.
People raised their heads in confusion and looked towards the center of the hall - the Lord of Fengxue Mountain was standing on a round platform made of ice, overlooking her clansmen.
"Now, I have something important to announce."
"——About our clan's guardian beast, Cang Yu."
As the words fell, the entire terrace suddenly trembled.
The adventurer clearly saw that the glass curtain wall covering the top floor of the library slowly lowered and sank into the ground little by little. When the stars in the distant sky were falling, the wind from the snow-capped mountains also brought a chill. The flames of the candlesticks swayed violently, and then gradually extinguished in the struggle.
But the terrace did not become dim at night.
People with the power to control ice raised their heads and stared with bated breath at the figure descending from the sky - it had blue wings and eyes as cold as ice and snow. The aurora bloomed in the sky overhead, and the magnificent green covered the earth with a veil, making the starry sky even more dazzling.
Bathed in the cold wind and flying snow, the God of Ice landed lightly in the center of the terrace, behind the Lord of Fengxue Mountain.
——It is a pity that most of the people present failed to appreciate the solemnity and beauty of this scene. Their eyes were wandering and their expressions were distorted, as if they were trying hard not to make impolite sounds. Only the young children did not know how to maintain the atmosphere at all. They innocently pointed at the frozen bird and said: "Wow, Master Kuroyu is not black anymore."
People of the Himi clan: "..."
Black Feather:"……"
Adventurer: "..."
Sandy: "...Hahahahaha! No, I can't bear it anymore hahahahaha!"
A few minutes later.
"Ahem. Everyone must still remember the battle that took place on the top of the Snowy Mountain a few days ago."
Sandy faced Frozen Bird's fierce eyes and said with a serious face, pretending that nothing happened just now.
"Although there is someone else behind the scenes, and it is not Frozen Bird's original intention to go crazy, but as a member of the Himi family, it still believes that it should take responsibility for this unnecessary battle."
"Now let me convey its meaning to you -"
"To express my apology, the God of Cangyu will stay in Fengxue Mountain for ten years. During this period, it will try its best to meet all our requirements..."
Before Sandy had finished speaking, the young Hikari were already cheering uncontrollably.
"Really? Really? Can you ask for anything?"
"So, are we—"
"You can fly on the divine bird like Brother Carl and the others!!"
The children, who couldn't understand the eyes of people, let alone the eyes of birds, swarmed up and hugged Frozen Bird's talons so affectionately that they almost pulled out a few of its down feathers. The adults who pretended not to understand the look also stood there with smiles on their faces, showing no intention of stopping them. Frozen Bird, who stared blankly for a long time, was as frozen as an ice sculpture for a moment, and finally had no choice but to spit out a few helpless little snowflakes.
The god, who had not had close contact with his tribe for many years, thought for a long time before reluctantly recalling the scenery in the past. The cold and polite faces of the silver-haired people flashed through my mind, and finally they all turned into questions.
...What is it that makes my people become like this?
Saya, who was lucky enough to experience riding a sacred bird, did not push forward with the Terashima siblings to take advantage of the situation and touch the bird. She stepped back, and after confirming that her figure had disappeared into the shadows, she safely picked up the fork——
At this moment, a strange cold air came out of thin air, binding the adventurer like a chain. Before she could react, the direction of the airflow changed, carrying the human into the air, and landed directly in the center of the ice round platform.
The dazzling light beam fell instantly, illuminating the high platform as bright as day. The adventurer who was caught off guard and thrown to the C position of the stage looked at the smiling Sandy beside him, then looked up at the lighting drone, then turned around and looked at the evil-smiling ice ghost guard who was the culprit. The fork in his hand was almost twisted into a question mark shape by his thoughts.
"Next, as it should be - we want to express our gratitude to the trainers who stepped forward in dangerous battles and helped us get through the difficulties."
People from the southern country who were born in the atmosphere group immediately started to cheer, and the deafening applause and cheers were so loud that Frozen Bird staggered and almost fell down. Facing all this, Beidou looked blank. He didn't know whether he should be glad that he was wearing a mask or regret that he didn't put down his fork first when he was forced to take off.
The lord of Fengxue Mountain turned to Xiaoye and sighed suddenly.
"Actually, I originally wanted to give you a traditional 'token' of our family. You see, the frozen bird finally plans to live here for a long time. It would be a waste not to pluck out more hair and make a few peripherals. It would be a waste to make a few summer ones." It’s just right for you to be given a cool gift.”
Xiaoye: "..." Well, Lord, the Frozen Bird is already staring at the back of your head...
"It's a pity that you already have the protection of the God of Fire." Sandy shook his head regretfully, "Even if Niwa-sama has a good temper, he will definitely get pecked if he takes his family members away."
Seeing the foreigner's confused look, the young lord couldn't help but laugh.
"——So, now I leave this to you."
Sandy opened the box in his hand - lying among the dark velvet was a shining necklace. The smart snow light jumps within the crystal, looking mysterious and gorgeous.
"You should have heard this legend from the Fire People. When a huge disaster was about to come, the divine beast gave power to its relatives and fought side by side with humans. The 'Pillar of the Covenant' records the story between gods and humans thousands of years ago. The promised token." The lord of Fengxue Mountain smiled and said, "The Himi family's Covenant Pillar is located in the Hoenn family. It's a pity that I didn't have the opportunity to watch it with you. However, we made the fragments of the Covenant Pillar into accessories..."
Seeing the adventurer's expression gradually becoming frightened, Sandy was stunned for a moment before reacting in a dumbfounded way.
"No, no, we didn't smash it on purpose just for this—"
"Huh, that's good. I almost thought I was going to become a criminal in history."
"Really, even if our usual style is a little more unrestrained, we won't cause damage to the antiques."
"Sorry, sorry, I got distracted."
"——And there are so many old-fashioned people in our family staring at us, and we can't even think of breaking off a bigger piece."
"……Well?"
The two of them stood frozen on the stage with their eyes wide open, and finally tacitly agreed to shift their gazes at the same time, deciding to ignore the topic for the time being.
"The silvery white color like cold snow symbolizes the will of our Himi family, the followers of the Ice God."
The young leader said solemnly.
"Today, on behalf of all the residents of Fengxue Mountain, I swear to the fragments of the Covenant Pillar - from now on, we will advance and retreat with you through thick and thin, and become your weapons and arms. No matter when and where, the Hyoujian family of Fengxue Mountain will always He is trainer Beidou’s eternal ally.”
The lord's voice echoed under the starry sky, and was engraved in everyone's ears along with the cold wind.
The adventurer stood up straight. Just when she was about to take the box solemnly, Sandy maintained her serious expression and suddenly added: "It means that if you have anything in the future, call me and I will be on call."
Night:"……"
Sandy: "Of course, we are not stingy enough to just give you a stone that cannot be sold for money. You performed so well in the competition, why don't you get more prizes, such as a free annual pass to a friendly store for a whole year--"
Xiaoye: "...please spare me."
Probably because the messy conversation on the stage was too much of a challenge to the Frozen Bird's patience, it stretched out its wings and slapped the lord on the head.
The fierce bird head that suddenly came closer made Xiaoye freeze, and she almost activated her battlefield reflexes and jumped ten meters away. Fortunately, Frozen Bird was still calm and did not give the alien a concussive slap on the head.
The blue god lowered his eyes, gently picked up the necklace, and carefully put it on for the adventurer. The soft light-colored down feathers touch human cheeks, like tiny ice crystals falling on the palms of hands during a winter sunset, slightly cool but not cold.
The swaying snow light resides in the spar and rests calmly on the young man's chest. The bird then straightened up and nodded with satisfaction.
Xiaoye raised her face and her eyes met the Ice God's.
——Those ruby-like eyes were clear and cold, without any trace of irritability.
"Okay, okay, it's the turn of the next brave warrior-Karl!"
The silver-haired boy was stunned for a moment by Sandy's roar, with a look of astonishment on his face.
"Well, that's not the case. Why should a family be so open to outsiders..."
"What are you talking about? This is called a sense of ceremony!"
Someone didn't know who slapped Karl hard, causing his hand to reach for the elf ball at his waist to come up empty. Hing Guihu took the opportunity to exert his strength, and a cold wind blew Karl to the C position of the stage to be baptized by the bright light.
At this time, Yang Yu, who was sitting with his friends, looked stiff, and a bad premonition suddenly arose.
He stood up quietly, trying to sneak out of the venue without people noticing. Unexpectedly, as soon as he took two steps, the two noisy adventurers blocked him one on the left and the other on the right.
Lijiu: (smiling) "Hey, little brother Huo Miao, please go to the toilet later."
Long Xing: (laughing) "Isn't it your turn next? It would be a pity if you missed it."
The red-haired boy struggled twice to no avail, and looked at his uncle with a sad face. And Kaohara Yasumi is worthy of being an experienced person who has experienced hundreds of battles. He is still sitting at the table motionless, his expression is not panic at all, only his brows are frowning a little...
……etc.
That geometric snowflake that tied uncle's feet into a knot with a chain...whose Pokémon is it?
For a moment, there was a commotion on and off the stage, and the quiet frozen bird had no choice but to turn his head, out of sight and out of mind.
A cold wind blew across my face. The divine bird's eyes reflected the clear night sky and the thousands of bright stars in the distance.
——The night in Fengxue Mountain is still so beautiful.
====================
small theater:
Doctor: There is no doubt that short-term freezing is not absolutely harmless even for ice-type users. Although most people experience no discomfort afterwards, some do suffer injuries - such as Mr. Morton, the third elder, whose toe fracture was most likely caused by the squeezing force of the ice!
Third Elder: ... (want to speak but stop) (stop talking but want to) (slowly shutting himself in)
