Steampunk: Sixth Era Epic-Chapter 1704 - 1703: Ice Crystal in the Snow

The bard’s lyre had been strummed by the deity the last time Shard visited. Though Shard wasn’t quite sure if the God of the Journey standing before them was genuinely present, a mere avatar, or a manifestation, it nevertheless bestowed a special nature upon that lyre.

Still, no one intended to seize that lyre. Shard didn’t mind, the witch was pondering more significant matters, and Maid Clara seemed inexplicably weary.

"Yes, true death."

Just as Shard was handing the pen and paper to the bard as promised, a voice emerged from the tent, and a dust-laden traveler lifted the curtain, appearing once more before everyone.

The deity smiled at everyone, and also regarded Shard, whose body was gradually covered with golden embers. Except for the cat, the four people respectfully greeted the deity, who then took a seat with his back to the campfire:

"In the deepest part of the Lostwoods, there is a path leading to true death. All souls and living beings lost here ultimately find their destination there. This includes you."

The deity looked at the other three:

"Even if you complete your traveler’s story, when your life ends, you too must walk this path."

This implies that apart from the relic "Gate of Death" beneath Milestone—once the execution gate of the Witch Council in the Fifth Era—and the ancient God’s legacy, the Soul Graveyard, there indeed exists a third method for the living to enter true death.

"Death is the conclusion of a story. A good story should end appropriately."

Shard remarked, gently stroking Mia:

"Humans are the same."

The deity smiled without replying and instead asked:

"Traveler under the Moon, welcome once again. This night, the story of our seven-day trip by the fire has reached the fifth day. On the fourth day night, you rested well near the Snow Mountain, so shall we continue our story?"

Shard looked at his three companions this time; the bard had already set down the lyre, calmly holding pen and paper, showing a significant change since their first encounter; the witch’s face was filled with eager anticipation and nervousness, indicating that everyone would find what they sought after encountering the Demon in the Bottle; the maid in the black dress remained slightly dispirited, yet her eyes held a glimmer when she lifted her head.

"Lady, what’s the matter with your maid? Although it may sound rude, I need to know everything before I can continue the journey without concerns. Did disputes arise after I left?"

Shard asked, but the witch shook her head:

"Not disputes, just... Clara and I came to find her sister, my apprentice Lax. Lax’s disappearance is related to Clara. It’s my own failing, unable to balance family relations. Let’s not speak of it; I will find Lax, Clara is just feeling guilty, though I don’t blame her at all."

The bard gave Shard a barely perceptible shake of his head, indicating he should not press further, so Shard said:

"Oh deity, please continue the story by the campfire, lead us to finish the remaining journey."

The stack of cards appeared again in their midst, and the identity cards representing everyone fell before them. Shard picked up his "Traveler under the Moon," bringing it to Mia to sniff. The cat, having sniffed this before, knew it couldn’t be eaten, disdainfully pushing it away with a small paw.

Shard smiled, thinking if he wasn’t mistaken, the key to unlocking the sealed item passed down in the Winter Choir for millennia was likely these cards. However, he was unsure if it was his own representing card or the Unicorn card representing the witch’s identity.

"As the sun rises from behind the vast Snow Mountain, the travelers awakened on the morning of the fifth day. The desert behind them had become a story of the past, and ahead lies a new challenge."

The top card of the deck automatically flipped over, revealing a snowstorm scene:

"Entering the Wuming Snow Mountain scene, an automatic encounter event—a snowstorm. The harsh natural environment quickly took its toll on the travelers from the desert, not only obstructing their vision with fierce winds and snow but also bringing extreme cold close to death. Cold, shivering, unconsciously you find yourselves frozen amidst the Snow Mountain. Except for the naturally cold-resistant Unicorn, everyone must quickly find a way to ward off the cold."

Suddenly, the falling snow appeared in reality above the woodland, yet this wasn’t due to Shard opening the Maze Lock; it was genuinely snowing. The frigid wind blew through the mist, causing the campfire to flicker and making everyone’s shadow tremble. Even the "cold-resistant" Ice Witch Andriana couldn’t help but shudder:

"Man, it’s up to you!"

She hastily said to Shard, wrapping her arms around her maid, seeking to give her warmth. Meanwhile, the bard Enriques, already prepared, clung to his lyre, shivering as he sought Shard’s help. Shard reached for the bracelet given by Iluna, but he heard the cat in his arms suddenly meow:

"Meow~"

It was a sound with a hint of "fierceness," at least that’s how Shard perceived it. The cat stood up from Shard’s lap, glowing warm yellow as it did during their encounter with the dark in the City of Eternal Night, surprisingly growling towards the deity sitting across from Shard.

"Oh, Mia!"

Shard was truly frightened this time; he never expected the cat would dare to do such a thing. He quickly stuffed it into his clothes before the Deity could get angry, and at the same time, he apologized to the God of the Journey to ensure that Mia wouldn’t get hurt during her daily territorial patrols (No. 6, Saint Delan Square) due to unforeseen accidents after returning home.

Fortunately, he immediately received the Deity’s generous forgiveness and was pardoned.

Although Shard had not yet activated Iluna’s gift, he already felt warmth. Under the black coat, the cat-shaped glowing trace was quite eye-catching, and the warm light helped Shard gain warmth like the sun.

This made Shard realize that not only darkness could trigger Mia’s "glow" trait, but extreme cold could as well.

However, others didn’t have such a useful cat as Mia, so Shard ignited the Golden Sun Bracelet. A few sparks on his fingertips caused a flame to joyfully leap above the round ring resting in his palm.

Shard did not immediately place it among the others; he still remembered the "story" rules:

"Facing the encroachment of extreme cold, the traveler under the moon took out the gift given by his best friend and lover before the journey. The destined hero condensed the power of the sun and earth within it, allowing the traveler away from home to always know when to return."

Because Shard used some impressive adjectives, the only still-well witch immediately looked over.

The traveler sitting with his back to the bonfire gently nodded, his smile unchanged:

"The firelight warmed you, blessings from the sun and earth finally allowed the travelers to act normally in the Snow Mountains. From now on, you will not be troubled by extreme cold and blindness in the Snow Mountain environment, and night safety has further increased. But at the same time, the light will attract malice from the dark, increasing the probability of encountering unknown formidable enemies."

None of that mattered, at least there was still a chance to fight back. So Shard placed the golden round ring he held into the center of the group, next to the card stack.

The flame was very stable, and compared to the bonfire behind the Deity, this flame was pitifully small, but it was enough to protect the people on the journey.

"After having lunch around the campfire, the travelers continued their journey on the fifth afternoon. The endless Snow Mountain seemed to stretch on without end; what awaits you ahead?"

"Miss Andriana, you go."

Shard instructed, and the witch, still embracing her maid, reached out to flip over the next card. The card’s surface was quite simple; it depicted three massive ice crystals with something vaguely inside them.

"In the afternoon, the unicorn that guided the travelers ahead sensed a mysterious power. She guided you to dig through the snow layer and discovered three ice crystals sealing unknown objects. You can choose to ignore them and continue on your way, or you can choose to break the ice crystals and face the challenge or reward. But no matter what, it’s your personal choice."

As the Deity’s words fell, three massive ice crystals appeared truly on the left side of the bonfire. The ice crystals were twice the height of Shard and five times the width of his waist, standing harmoniously in the snow with the background.

The appearance of the ice crystals was not abrupt at all; it was as if they were already there, just newly discovered by the four of them.

"Shall we take the risk?"

The bard asked Shard, who then looked at the witch:

"It’s your encountered event, you should decide yourself."

Even though Miss Andriana couldn’t clearly see what was inside the three ice crystals, she could at least make out the general outlines.

Within the three crystals, one contained a box-like object, and the remaining two contained human forms. From the frozen, flowing hair, they were all tall women.

"Surely it’s not Chloe."

Shard thought to himself; the Ice Witch who had already become a demigod was petite, completely different from the women here.

He noticed the maid with the black skirt tugging at her master’s sleeve, understanding the two women’s thoughts:

"The missing woman you’re searching for might be here? If you want to open the ice crystals, I have no objections."

The bard had even less objection, and the witch nodded, standing up while saying to Shard:

"If it truly is the person I’m looking for, no matter what happens after breaking the ice crystals, please refrain from taking action against her."