The biting cold wind is like a knife!
Sauron also had to put on a cloak, covering himself in it. The north this year was colder than before. I don't know if it will only last this year's winter. Anyway, in my memory, it was not as cold as it is now when he went to the country of ice and snow. The heavy snow has basically stopped, but the melting speed of the ice and snow is very slow, and there are almost no traces of melting. The surrounding areas have begun to freeze, and the ice on some rivers can be passed through.
It's only the end of September now, and there are still five or six days before October.
The beasts in the ice field began to come out to look for food, and because of the cold climate, wolves also began to migrate. Sauron encountered many monsters along the way, but they all avoided them by sneaking. From a distance, the mountain was in front of him, but he still hadn't arrived when he walked. It took Sauron a whole half a day to get closer to the Frozen Valley, because there were many ice crystals on the surrounding trees. Frozen Valley is the coldest place. The climate here is a bit special, and it has not changed for hundreds of years.
Traces of the carriage were exposed in the wind and snow. Sauron stopped to observe, and found that there should be a convoy passing by in front of him.
"Who would go to the Land of Ice and Snow in winter?"
Sauron pushed aside the snow layer and looked at the traces of the wheels. The cart should have been specially remodeled to widen the force-bearing area, but it was not remodeled into a sled. It doesn't look like people from the south. They should be from the port cities in the central region. The convoy has a large number of people. Sauron estimates that there are at least 30 to 40 people.
"Shouldn't there be any caravans coming this time of year?" Sauron carefully looked ahead, but didn't find any of them. They probably passed by yesterday, and they were moving slowly in the ice field. Sauron estimated that he would encounter them before tonight. People, just don't know what kind of people are still going north when it's so cold. There were traces of a bonfire nearby, and some scraps of eaten food were thrown directly on the side of the road. Sauron frowned looking at the debris in front of him, because he felt that the caravan in front of him would not be a caravan.
The ice on the road is getting thicker.
When the sky was getting dark, Sauron finally saw a group of people in front, which were three large modified carriages.
The beast of burden is a kind of yak with thick fur. The whole body looks white, with only one horn on its head. These yaks squat around in a circle around the lee to block the cold wind. In front of them is an experienced team. They have obviously been to the ice field and know how to make themselves more comfortable, just like people in the desert know how to use camel pens to block the wind and sand. The domesticated pack animals were very docile. Sauron didn't see any traces of the caravan guards, nor did he see many mounts. These people in front of him were not merchants.
"who!?"
A small figure jumped out, squinting his eyes and looked at this side. Sauron saw a green-skinned goblin, but it was a little different from the goblins he had seen before. The oil paint looks like a big painted face, like a clown. As the goblin shouted, more than a dozen people stood up near the carriage, and they could almost see all kinds of races, and there were even pretty elves standing next to the burly orc.
"circus?"
Sauron frowned slightly, walked over slowly, and said with a smile, "A passerby saw you here and came over to ask for a sip of hot soup."
The green-skinned goblin looked him up and down, then showed a funny smile, and beckoned, "Come here. We just went camping."
A solo adventurer.
It seems that there is not much danger, at least it cannot threaten such a large convoy.
Sauron approached slowly, and his expression was not completely relaxed. After looking at his eyes, he asked, "Circus? Are you planning to go to the Land of Ice and Snow to perform?"
Three big cars.
Two of them contained a lot of sundries, many of which were tools for performances, and one was unclear, and it looked quite ornate from the outside.
"Of course." A beautiful elf stood up, her skin was very delicate, and she seemed to be of the blood of a prairie elf. She was wearing a delicate skirt, a bit like a dancing lady's dress, but the neckline was quite wide. A white and greasy chest was exposed. There is a fork on the side of the skirt, and there should be buttons inside to fix it. If you untie it, you can reveal your snow-white thighs. She tilted her head and looked at Sauron. After feeling that he didn't look like a bad person, she complained casually: "If it's not for a performance, who would want to come to this bloody cold place!"
Sauron narrowed his eyes slightly, not because of the beauty of the other party, nor because of the white greasy chest, but because of the clothes on her body.
In such a cold weather, she still wears so little. Although she is cold, she looks quite normal.
She should be an advanced professional!
Don't underestimate the performers in this world, because many of them are part-time troubadours, especially in such circuses, opera troupes, and performance troupes. The number of professionals in them may reach half, and most of them are worth a lot of money. These professionals are like the stars of the previous life, they are welcome everywhere, and a formal performance may earn more money than adventurers working hard. Just like the green-skinned goblin just now, it should be a special professional clown dancer advanced by a troubadour, so it was able to discover Sauron so quickly.
The distance is getting closer.
Sauron saw an emblem with a slender figure on it, barriers on all sides, and colorful veils. He looked at these people in surprise, and asked doubtfully, "Phantom Circus?"
"Huh?" The elf girl glanced at him with a smile and said, "Have you heard of us?"
"I've heard of it." Sauron nodded, and said slowly: "You are very famous in Port Arthur, and it is said that there are some very special wonderful performances."
The elf girl giggled coquettishly, looked at him playfully and said, "Not everyone is qualified to watch those performances!"
Sauron shrugged slightly, not expecting much from those performances.
"come on."
The green-skinned goblin stretched out his hand to signal him to come to the bonfire. It looked completely different from the goblins in the wilderness. It should be the goblin group near the gravel port. The goblins there were once servants of the great arcanists. After the empire was destroyed, they still retained a part of their inheritance. Their skin was lighter than other goblins, and they didn't have any sense of identity with wild goblins. Their attitude towards wild goblins is the same as Africans towards cannibal tribes, and they will never show mercy when it is time to kill!
"My name is Tongpan. I'm a clown." The goblin showed a funny smile, raised the food in his hand and said, "Would you like to try it? BBQ ice frog! The good food that can only be eaten here, the taste is better than others Bullfrogs taste so much better!"
ice frog
Sauron glanced at the food in its hand, frowned and said, "This seems to be poisonous, right? It will cause diarrhea after eating!"
"It's okay." Tongban shrugged nonchalantly, and said, "Goblins dare to eat anything."
"Tongban likes to eat frogs, and is not afraid of being poisoned!"
By the campfire.
A group of people sat around, including orcs, dwarves, elves, humans, etc. There were more than 20 people in number, and women accounted for nearly half of them. Sauron glanced at them and found that most of them were advanced professionals. Among them, the proportion of troubadours is very high. The Phantom Circus is an organization active near the port, and its members naturally don't only have these in front of it, they should be just a part of it. Except for the two people who spoke, the others had a cold attitude towards Sauron and were just busy with their own affairs.
There was a human girl wearing a doll mask, with dozens of throwing knives stuck in her waist, and looked at him provocatively from time to time.
The elf girl should be one of the people in charge, if the invisible woman in the carriage is not.
"What's your name? Why did you come to this cold place alone?" The elf girl walked over and sat down next to Sauron. She had a special fragrance on her body. Sauron was familiar with this smell and was in charge of the goddess of lust. It is often found in pastors.
Sauron smiled, glanced at her and said, "Sauron, a solo adventurer, wants to visit the Ice and Snow Kingdom."
"Where is your destination?"
The elf girl glanced at his scimitar, and said with a smile: "Go to Arendelle, their eldest princess is about to ascend the throne. The stewards of the court invited us to perform."
Both sides are in tentative exchanges.
The others didn't seem to care much, but their attention was actually on Sauron, after all he was a stranger.
"Arundel?"
Sauron's expression was a little surprised, and then he seemed to remember something and said: "That place seems to be a bit special. Didn't you hear anything before you went there?"
The elf girl smiled slyly, and said, "Have you heard of it? We haven't heard of anything!"
"Did you hear something?"
Sauron glanced at her, shrugged his shoulders lightly, and said, seemingly true or false: "Isn't there a legend that the incarnation of the Ice and Snow Goddess descended there?"
The elf girl blinked her eyes and said with a smile, "Really? Then I really haven't seen the incarnation of a god!"
A crisp bell sounded in the carriage.
The elf girl paused, then quickly got up and walked over. The door curtain was very thick, and nothing could be seen outside.
after awhile.
The elf girl came out again, looked at the others and said, "The leader told you to rest well and try to get out of the Frozen Valley tomorrow morning. By the way, your name is Sauron, right? You can also camp here, if you don't If you bring something, I'll ask them to prepare one for you."
Sauron smiled and shook his head to express his need.
As the woman in the carriage spoke, the attitude of the others towards him became slightly better.
A group of people started to get busy, and Sauron also made a simple arrangement. The cold wind outside was still strong, and the bonfire would dim from time to time. A human girl wearing a mask was guarding the bonfire. After passing by the gorgeous carriage, Sauron took a brief look, and he seemed to notice some special wet marks, because a thin layer of ice had formed due to the cold weather.
That mark looks a bit like a snake left behind!
…