Chapter 155: Xia Mingyu: Yes, I

Just as Dolove was on the verge of snapping and telling the witch to shut up, the emerald gem on her earclip glowed with a faint luminescence.

A small black-haired figure gradually materialized in projection.

Seeing the long-awaited prince appear, the girl’s face naturally brightened with joy, but she quickly realized the pale witch was still beside her—this was no time to speak with the prince.

Dolove swiftly composed herself and gave the prince a silent glance.

Following the girl’s gaze, Xia Mingyu soon spotted the woman beside her.

The woman wore a white dress and bare feet, appearing to tread on snow, yet hovering slightly above it, always maintaining a one-inch gap from the ground.

She was slender, her skin as pale as snow, with faint blue veins visible beneath, spreading like ice cracks; her ivory-white hair fell to her waist, her entire body nearly devoid of any black, as if formed from condensed snowflakes.

Beautiful, eerie—that was Xia Mingyu’s first impression of the woman.

And now, this woman who looked like a yuki-onna from Japanese folklore was staring at him with intense curiosity. Wait!

She can see me?!

Before Xia Mingyu could fully register this revelation, a pair of icy hands seized him and yanked him forward.

“Oh my, I never expected to see a fairy in this age—it’s just as adorable as the books describe!”

The pale witch hugged the doll-sized Xia Mingyu tightly against her chest, playfully pinching his cheeks.

The texture wasn’t bad.

No, this wasn’t the time to think about that—she just called him a fairy?

Amid the blinding white expanse, Xia Mingyu strained to recall what he’d read about fairies.

Fairies are humanoid, tiny in stature, dwelling in the Dream World, their bodies existing between reality and illusion, favorites of the God of Night and Sweet Dreams; the most exceptional among them become divine messengers.

They feed on the dreams of living beings, typically innocent and romantic, possessing wondrous abilities: Salt Fairies can produce salt, Sword Fairies can summon hundreds of blades for attack, Gold Fairies can turn stones to gold.

Fairies were widespread in the Age of Gods, appearing in myths as heroes’ guides, companions, friends—even wives and daughters.

Under extremely rare circumstances, fairies form contracts with sentient beings, granting them access to fairy abilities, giving rise to an exceedingly rare profession: the Fairy Tamer.

A Fairy Tamer who contracts with a combat fairy, such as a Sword Fairy, can easily fight across tiers in early stages—effectively an unbeatable class in the beginning.

But after the Great Cataclysm, fairies vanished, and reports of their appearances grew scarce.

After recalling this, Xia Mingyu understood why the woman before him mistook him for a fairy.

Because his consciousness alone had come here under the Starfire Link, in a sense, his body existed between reality and illusion.

“Witch, let go of the prince—let him go!”

Seeing the prince seized and molested by the pale witch, Dolove’s face flushed crimson.

She drew the Lionheart Sword; emerald magical energy erupted from her body, the blade’s tip fixed firmly on the witch’s skull.

But since the prince was held against the witch’s chest, she dared not strike.

“Don’t be so angry—I have no intention of harming such a cute child.”

Ignoring the sword mere inches from her face, the witch released Xia Mingyu from her chest, cradling him in both hands as she studied him intently.

“How can you see me?” Xia Mingyu asked gravely.

“Wow, you really can talk, just like the books say!”

The witch let go of Xia Mingyu and clapped her hands in delight.

Seizing the opportunity, Xia Mingyu floated back to Dolove’s side; the girl clasped him tightly, just as the witch had, watching the smiling woman with wary eyes.

“Though ordinary people rarely see or touch fairies, those with strong minds or high ranks perceive them no differently than ordinary living beings.”

“In fact, if you fill your body with magical energy, even ordinary people can see you.”

Doloth smiled as she gazed at the doll-sized black-haired fairy in the girl’s arms.

“Little fairy, I answered your question. Logically, shouldn’t you answer mine?”

Before Xia Mingyu could think long, Doloth spoke again.

From Dolove’s extreme caution and the witch’s failure to attack since his abduction, Xia Mingyu guessed the woman—called a witch by the girl—must be terrifyingly powerful.

“Fine.”

So he chose to play along.

“What ability do you possess, little fairy?” Doloth asked softly.

Xia Mingyu fell silent—he wasn’t even a fairy, how could he possess those legendary abilities?

Yet his silence led Doloth to imagine more, even conjuring a wild hypothesis.

Black hair and black eyes—no fairy in myth or legend had ever borne such features; he must be a fairy of a brand-new ability.

Black—could he be a fairy of Night?

If so, even among all fairies, he would be one of the strongest!

If true, no matter how dishonorable the method, she would steal this fairy and bind him to a contract.

“I’m the Food Fairy.”

Seeing the witch’s gaze grow hotter, as if she meant to devour him, Xia Mingyu hastily invented a power—he realized she’d misunderstood.

To prove it, he opened the Link Space.

A pale green portal appeared; a sack of wheat fell onto the snow.

Doloth walked over, scooped a handful of golden wheat from the sack, and her pale face darkened with disappointment.

While Food Fairies producing grain was indeed rare, it held little value for her—and might even hinder her goals.

“What a darling child. I’m the Pale Witch, Doloth. Please take care of me in the future.”

Suppressing her disappointment, the witch smiled again, stepped before Xia Mingyu, and curtsied gracefully with her skirt lifted.

Doloth… it sounded familiar. Probably just a coincidence—after all, in this world, a village might have several Williams, Xia Mingyu thought silently.

On the snow, the three walked forward, yet only two sets of footprints remained.

“Dolove, who exactly is she?”

“The Pale Witch. She once faced the Piercing Duke and the Lord of the North.”

“Where are we going now?”

“I don’t know. I’m just wandering—taking her back is too dangerous.”

Xia Mingyu and Dolove whispered close together, while the witch ahead quietly eavesdropped.

Hiss!

Learning how terrifying this woman was, Xia Mingyu sucked in a sharp breath.

A Lunar Phase-tier being—the kind hailed as a nation’s pillar, capable of tipping the scales of war alone—he’d never encountered such a power in reality. Even Tamellaran, the strongest in the Starfire Hall, was only a Crescent Phase.

And to escape a joint assault by the Lord of the North and the Piercing Duke—both mighty Lunar Phase warriors—the Pale Witch’s strength must rank among the elite even within her tier; even the peak Crimson Flame might not match her.

No wonder the girl who’d just sliced Lucas into skewers had held back this long.

Thud.

Suddenly, the witch ahead halted.

The two behind stopped too, huddled together, watching her warily.

“There seems to be a village ahead. Shall we go take a look?”

The witch turned, arms outstretched, smiling brightly.

“Yes.”

“No problem.”

Xia Mingyu and Dolove exchanged glances and silently agreed.

They needed to help the villages along the way—definitely not because they were too afraid to refuse.

Beneath a leaden sky stood crumbling wooden huts.

Children leaned against walls, sunken-eyed, their thin linen robes revealing every rib.

Along the path, villagers wandered, emaciated, eyes vacant.

As if speaking drained energy, the village was so silent you could hear footsteps crunching snow.

As expected, like the villages they’d encountered before, this one suffered famine.

Upon entering, Dolove’s bright attire and the pale witch’s pristine presence drew every villager’s gaze—but their eyes held only suspicion and fear.

Only when Dolove poured sacks of wheat from the portal and boiled a large pot of gruel, gesturing for them to eat, did they tremble with excitement and form a long line.

Each person drank several bowls, even children filling their bellies until they could barely move.

Amid the long-absent scent of food, the ruined village stirred back to life.

“Thank you, honorable knight. I am the village chief, Ma Xiu, speaking for all here to express our deepest gratitude. May the gods bless your triumphant return.”

The chief was a withered old man with white whiskers, leaning on a cane as he bowed deeply to Dolove.

“May I stay here for the night?”

Since her vow was fulfilled and she had no rush, the girl—who’d traveled day and night for days—decided to rest properly tonight.

“Quickly, prepare the finest house in the village for our honored guests,” the chief ordered at once.

Inside the wooden room.

The blue-haired girl sat on the bed, while the doll-sized black-haired youth floated midair, lips moving.

“You mean you need me to collect Ice Crystal Flowers?” Dolove mused.

“Yes,” Xia Mingyu yawned, opening his palm to reveal a translucent flower, seemingly formed of frost.

He’d plucked it during travel, planning to store it in the Link Space to show Yu De later—see how much potency remained.

“It’s late. I’m going to sleep. You should rest too, Dolove,” Xia Mingyu rubbed his eyes, feeling too weary to lift his eyelids.

Probably because he drained his magic daily to produce food, he’d been lethargic these past days—sleepy even in daylight, let alone now, deep in night.

“Good night, Your Highness.”

After exchanging goodnights, Xia Mingyu’s small figure dissolved into a torch of flame and gradually vanished from the room.

“Your Highness, if I could sleep curled up with you, it would be pure bliss.”

After Xia Mingyu left, the girl stared at the empty room and murmured unconsciously.

Then, ashamed by her own impious thought, her face flushed crimson; she buried her head in the pillow and fell asleep, lying prone.

In the next room.

The Pale Witch, universally acknowledged as the most dangerous figure in the Northern Frontier, now pressed her ear tightly against the wooden wall like a lecherous old man, eavesdropping on the conversation next door.

Only when she could hear nothing but the girl’s steady, sleeping breath did she reluctantly pull her ear away.

“That food spirit needs Ice Crystal Flowers, and Dorochi calls him Your Highness—could he be a prince of the spirit race?”

Dorochi silently analyzed the information she’d overheard, but what troubled her most was still—

“Your Highness, if I could sleep curled up with you, it would be pure bliss~”

The witch cupped her cheeks, mimicking the saccharine tone she’d just heard.

“A forbidden romance between a girl and a spirit prince—how romantic,” Dorochi smiled with a maternal gleam, but then her expression turned wistful.

“Alas, my only husband is a lifeless log who doesn’t even pause to wait for me when I’m in my unclean days, nor knows how to hold me.”

The witch sighed, and thinking of how that man had already taken a new wife, she ground her teeth in fury.

So intense was her rage that a blizzard erupted without warning across a radius of several miles centered on the village.

Whoosh whoosh whoosh—feather-like snowflakes drifted down, burying the dreams of night.

At midnight.

Tap tap.

Dorochi, jolted awake by the footsteps on her bed, instinctively grabbed the Lionheart Sword resting beside her.

Thud thud.

Someone knocked on the door.

But not her own door—rather, the door to the witch’s room.

Dorochi silently put down the sword, pulled the blanket back over herself, and closed her eyes to sleep.

Please, she was just a tiny New Moon—she had no business worrying about the safety of a Full Moon-ranked witch.

Besides, the most terrifying figure in the entire Northern Frontier lived right next door; the real danger was clearly her.

Outside the wooden house.

“You are indeed the great Pale Witch, correct?” Master Ma Xiu asked respectfully.

After Dorochi gave a slight nod confirming her identity, the gaunt old man immediately dropped to his knees, bowing deeply before the witch.

“Witch, please grant our entire village ‘Redemption’.” Master Ma pleaded with near-reverent devotion.

“You know what my ‘Redemption’ entails, don’t you?” the witch asked again.

“Of course—we have one of your redeemed here in the village. He returned once, and from him we learned of your ‘Redemption’.”

Mentioning that redeemed one, the old man’s weathered face betrayed a deep envy.

“But haven’t you already received food?” the witch asked, slightly puzzled.

“The kind knight’s generosity filled us with gratitude, but the food she left won’t last more than half a month—and cruel soldiers and bandits will come to plunder it all again soon enough. We’ll be back to how we were before.” Master Ma smiled bitterly.

“We… don’t want to be hungry anymore,” the old village chief said, his face heavy with sorrow.

“Has everyone in the village gathered?”

The witch fell silent for a moment, then spoke suddenly.

“All gathered at the village entrance—down to the newborn infants!” Master Ma answered immediately.

“Then come. I will grant you all ‘Redemption’.”

The witch walked straight out, and the old chief, leaning on his cane, followed with trembling excitement.

He knew—now, no one in the village would ever go hungry again!

(End of Chapter)