The bard's harp had been played by the god the last time Shade came. Although Shade was not sure whether the god of travel who appeared before them was a real god, a clone, or a possessed god, this ultimately gave the harp its specialness.
However, no one wanted to snatch the violin. Shade didn't care, the witch was thinking about more important things, and the maid Clara was still haggard for some reason.
"Yes, real death."
Just as Shad handed the bard the paper and pen he had promised him, a voice came from the tent, and the dusty traveler pulled aside the curtain and appeared in front of everyone again.
She smiled and looked at everyone, and also at Shade, whose golden color was gradually spreading all over his body. Except for the cat, the four people respectfully greeted the god, and the god then sat down with his back to the campfire:
"In the deepest part of the Lost Forest, there is a passage that leads to true death. All the souls and living people who are lost here will eventually go there. This includes you."
God looked at the other three people:
“Even if you complete the story of your journey, when your life ends, you will still be on this path.”
This means that in addition to the "Gate of Death", a relic under Middleburg - that is, the execution gate of the Witch Council in the Fifth Age, and the soul cemetery left by the ancient gods, there is actually a third way for the living to enter real death.
“Death is the end of the story. A good story should have an ending at the right time.”
Shade said, caressing Mia:
“It’s the same with people.”
God smiled and did not respond, but asked:
"Welcome again, traveler under the moon. This evening, the seven-day travel story we told by the campfire has reached the fifth day. On the fourth night, you had a good rest near the snow-capped mountains. So, shall we continue our story?"
Shade looked at his three companions in turn. The bard had put down the harp and was waiting calmly with a pen and paper. He had really changed a lot compared to the first time they met. The witch had a look of expectation and nervousness on her face. According to what she said when she met the devil in the bottle last time, everyone would encounter what they were looking for. The maid in the black dress was still listless, but there seemed to be light in her eyes when she looked up.
"Ma'am, what happened to your maid? Although it's not polite to say this, I must know everything and can't continue traveling with questions. Did you have any conflicts after I left?"
Shade asked, but the witch shook her head:
"It's not a conflict, it's just... Clara and I are here to look for her sister, my apprentice Lux. The reason why Lux disappeared is related to Clara. This is also my own shame, and I failed to balance the relationship in the family. I won't say more, I will find Lux, Clara just feels a little guilty, although I don't blame her at all."
The bard shook his head imperceptibly at Shade, signaling him not to ask any more questions. Shade then said:
"God, please continue this story by the campfire and lead us through the rest of our journey."
The stack of cards appeared again in the middle of everyone, and at the same time, everyone's identity card also fell in front of them. Shade picked up his "Moonlight Traveler" and brought it to Mia for her to sniff. The cat had sniffed this thing last time and knew it was inedible, so it pushed it away with its little paw in disgust.
Shade smiled. If he guessed correctly, the key to unlock the sealed object that had been passed down in the Winter Choir for a thousand years should be the card here. However, he didn't know whether it was the card that represented his identity, or the unicorn card that represented the witch's identity.
"As the sun rises from behind the vast snow-capped mountains, the travelers open their eyes on the morning of the fifth day. The desert behind them has become a story of the past. Next, you will face new challenges."
The first card on the deck was automatically turned over, revealing a snowstorm scene:
"When you enter the nameless snow mountain scene, you will automatically encounter an event - a blizzard. The harsh natural environment soon made the travelers from the desert area suffer. The violent snowstorm not only blocked the vision, but also brought the extreme cold that approached death. Chilled and shivered, before you knew it, you have frozen in the snow mountain. Except for the unicorn who was born resistant to cold, everyone must find a way to resist the cold as soon as possible."
Suddenly, snow fell over the forest in reality, but this was not because Shade opened the puzzle, it was really snowing. The extremely cold wind blew in the fog, and the campfire swayed suddenly, causing everyone's shadow to tremble. Even the witch Andriana, who was rated as "cold-resistant", couldn't help but shiver:
"Man, it's up to you!"
She hurriedly said to Xia De, while reaching out to hug her maid, trying to give her warmth. The bard Enriques, who had been prepared, trembled while holding his harp, and looked at Xia De for help. Xia De reached out to take out the bracelet that Yin Luna had given him, but heard the cat in his arms suddenly cry:
"Meow~"
It was a slightly "ferocious" cry, at least that's what Shade thought. The cat stood up from Shade's legs, and its whole body emitted a warm yellow light just like when it encountered darkness in Evernight City, and it actually "roared" at the god sitting opposite Shade.
"Oh, Mia!"
Shade was really frightened this time, he never thought that the cat would dare to do this. So he quickly stuffed it into his clothes before the god got angry, and at the same time, he did not forget to apologize to the god of travel to prevent Mia from getting injured due to various accidents when she was patrolling the territory (No. 6 St. Teresa Square) after returning home.
Fortunately, he immediately received the gods' generous forgiveness, and God forgave them.
Although Xia De had not yet activated Yin Luna's gift, he already felt the warmth. Under the black coat, the cat-shaped glowing marks were quite bright, and the warm light helped Xia De get warm like the sun.
This also let Xia De know that in addition to darkness stimulating Xiaomia's "luminous" characteristics, extreme cold can also stimulate it.
But the others didn't have a cat as useful as Mia, so Shade still lit the golden sun bracelet. A little spark from his fingertips made a pleasant flame jump above the ring lying flat in the palm of his hand.
Xia De did not immediately share it with the crowd. He still remembered the rules of the "story":
"Faced with the invasion of extreme cold, the traveler under the moon took out the gifts given by his best friends and lovers before the journey began. The destined hero concentrated the power of the sun and the earth in it, which would remind the traveler away from home when to return home."
Because Shade used some powerful-sounding adjectives, the only witch who was still in good condition immediately looked over.
The traveler who sat with his back to the campfire nodded slightly, with a smile on his face:
"The firelight warms you. The blessing from the sun and the earth finally allows travelers to move normally in the snowy mountains. From now on, you will not be troubled by extreme cold and blindness in the snowy mountains, and your safety at night will be further increased. But at the same time, light will attract malice from the darkness, and the probability of encountering unknown powerful enemies will increase."
None of this mattered, at least there was still a possibility of fighting back. So Shade placed the golden ring in his hand on the side of the card pile in the middle of the crowd.
The flame was very stable. Compared with the bonfire behind the god, it was pitifully small, but it was enough to shelter people on their journey.
"After having lunch around the campfire, the travelers continued their journey on the fifth afternoon. The vast snow-capped mountains seemed to have no end. What will be waiting for you ahead?"
"Ms. Andriana, come here."
Shade ordered, and the witch, who was still hugging her maid, reached out and turned over the next card. The card was quite simple, it was three huge ice crystals, and there was something vaguely inside the ice crystals.
"In the afternoon, the unicorn leading the way ahead sensed a mysterious power. She guided you to dig through the snow and found three ice crystals that sealed unknown things. You can ignore it and continue on your way, or you can choose to break the ice crystals to meet the challenge or gain. But no matter what, it is your own choice."
As the god finished speaking, three huge ice crystals really appeared on the left side of the bonfire. The ice crystals were twice as tall as Shade and five times as wide as his waist. Standing in the snow, they blended in with the background very well.
The appearance of the ice crystals was not abrupt at all, as if they had always been there and the four people had just discovered them.
"Want to take a risk?"
The bard asked Shade, and Shade looked at the witch:
"You decide the events that you encounter."
Although Miss Andriana couldn't see clearly what was inside the three ice crystals, she could at least see the general outline.
Of the three crystals, one contained something like a box, and the remaining two contained human bodies. And judging from the frozen, fluttering hair, they were all tall women.
"It's definitely not Chloe Yin."
Xia De thought to himself that the Ice Witch who had become a demigod had a petite figure, completely different from the ladies here.
He saw the maid in the black dress tug at her master's sleeve, and he understood what the two ladies were thinking:
"The missing lady you're looking for might be here? If you want to open the ice crystal, I have no problem with that."
The bard beside him had no objection, so the witch nodded, stood up and said to Shade:
"If she is really the person I am looking for, no matter what happens after the ice crystal is broken, please do not attack her."