Chapter 94: Traveling Through Wind and Snow

Soon, Xia Duo adjusted his mood and sent a Sending to Aiwa, notifying him to meet downstairs. Afterward, Xia Duo opened his room door, and a gust of cold air rushed toward his face. At this moment, he vaguely heard someone downstairs saying words like "snow" and "collapsed."

Xia Duo hurried downstairs, but before he even reached the first floor, he saw the scene outside the inn from the stairs: a vast expanse of white, with only a small patch at the entrance trampled into black, though the goose-feather-sized snowflakes were still stubbornly trying to dye it back.

"Has the heavy snow finally arrived?"

Xia Duo felt joy in his heart; the mission could finally end. But then he remembered Dien and the others who were still outside, and he wondered how their situation was going.

There was only one table of guests on the first floor of the inn: a middle-aged man who looked like a merchant and a young man dressed as a servant. The middle-aged merchant was eating breakfast, while the young man stood to the side, trying to dissuade his master with a troubled expression.

"Master, we should wait until the snow stops before leaving. It's too dangerous to leave now!"

"No, if I can't return home before the festival, An Ni will definitely worry about me. Lord of Radiance, how could I let my An Ni worry!"

The young servant continued to persuade him. Xia Duo listened for a moment, then asked the owner to prepare breakfast. While waiting, Xia Duo took out his Time Tower Badge; the Arcane Mark left on the back by Mage Huosite was still as clear as new.

If nothing unexpected happened, there should be a notification coming down from above today.

Before Xia Duo's seat had even warmed up, Aiwa also arrived. The two of them listened to the argument between the master and servant nearby while waiting for their breakfast to arrive.

"The heavy snow has arrived," Xia Duo tried to start a conversation.

Aiwa said, "Yes, a bit earlier than last year."

Xia Duo looked at the determined middle-aged merchant at the nearby table and felt that this heavy snow had come at a truly bad time; he wondered how many people's plans had been interrupted.

Of course, for himself, this heavy snow meant he could soon return to the Mage Tower.

"Has there been such heavy snow in previous years?"

"Yes, there have even been heavier ones. Many people didn't survive the winter."

Seeming to trigger some emotions, Aiwa spoke more, "Some were frozen to death directly, some were crushed to death by collapsed houses, some starved to death due to a lack of food, and others were bitten to death by wild wolves that came out of the forest looking for food."

Clatter—two wooden trays were placed on their table: a piece of roasted meat, a piece of bread, and a bowl of unknown vegetable soup.

The conversation was interrupted for a moment. Aiwa's emotions subsided quite a bit. While eating breakfast, he said, "Life is too bitter now; being able to survive is a stroke of luck."

Xia Duo did not know how to respond. He could not empathize with the various hardships of the people of this other world; even if he occasionally witnessed some tragedies, it was merely a bit more sympathy.

In the end, there was still a barrier.

"Aiwa, do you know Magic? I believe Magic can change everything."

"I believe so too, but not everyone has talent for Magic. Those high-and-mighty Mages desperately forget their origins; those with the ability to change won't do it, and those without the ability are forever just dependents."

Aiwa smiled. His face, which had always been stern, was surprisingly somewhat desolate. Xia Duo did not know what Aiwa had experienced, but he could not make promises lightly.

He himself was still at the bottom; what right did he have to influence the world?

He could only respond with silence. Seeming to see through Xia Duo's thoughts, Aiwa stopped talking as well, and the two finished their breakfast in silence.

The young servant nearby finally could not overcome his determined master. The master went upstairs to bring down the luggage, while the servant silently prepared the carriage.

When Xia Duo and Aiwa left the inn, that master and servant were driving the carriage toward the East Gate. Amidst the wind and snow, Xia Duo silently sent them his blessings.

The direction Xia Duo and his companion were taking to leave the town was the South Gate. When passing the entrance of Old Neil Inn, Xia Duo deliberately took a few extra looks. At this time, the inn's main door was tightly shut, and one could not tell at all that a murder had occurred there last night.

But the tightly shut door itself spoke volumes.

Xia Duo tightened his cloak and pulled up his hood, leaving Savile Town against the wind and snow.

—"Cleanup mission ended! All Apprentices return to the Military Camp immediately!"

Just as he stepped out of the town gate, Xia Duo received the notification from the Time Tower Badge. It was the voice of Mage Huosite. Xia Duo slowed his pace, "There's a notification from above; the mission is over. I'm planning to continue to meet up with Dien and the others. What about you?"

Although he could completely return to the Military Camp now, he had promised yesterday that he would go back, so he had to fulfill the agreement.

Aiwa did not speak, but he answered Xia Duo with his actions.

A night of heavy snow had covered all traces of human existence outside the town; even the villages outside the town became inconspicuous against the vast white background.

Only those tall, straight trees that did not fear the wind and snow reminded Xia Duo and his companion of the path forward, but even so, Xia Duo felt as if he had traveled to another world.

If Aiwa were not leading the way in front, it would not have been an easy task for him to find the village where Dien and the others were temporarily staying.

On the way, Xia Duo kept an eye on his surroundings, carefully moving forward with deep and shallow steps, while trying to contact Sami using 【Sending】, but the distance beyond the spell's range meant Xia Duo never received a reply.

Thus, Xia Duo could only continue forward.

Not knowing how long they had walked, he looked back at the path behind them; the traces left by the two had already been buried by the wind and snow. Xia Duo shouted to Aiwa, "How much further?"

"About three miles left!"

Hearing this answer, Xia Duo quickly sketched a simple map in his mind, judging their current approximate location; they were not far from Dien and the others.

But if Dien and the others received the notification from above, did they not head back? Were they waiting for him to meet up? Or had they encountered some accident?

Just as Xia Duo was imagining a scenario where Dien and the others waited for him, froze to death, and then turned into undead to seek revenge, Aiwa suddenly stopped. Xia Duo did not understand why and almost bumped into him.

"What happened?"

"There is a wolf pack ahead."

This sentence instantly swept away all of Xia Duo's distracting thoughts. In this situation, if only the two of them encountered a wolf pack, it would almost certainly be a tragedy.

Because in this situation where the heavy snow covered everything and the roads were difficult, the summoned Forest Horse could not outrun a wolf pack hungry for food.

Aiwa stood motionless, listening carefully for a while, and said, "The wolf pack has found prey. It might be Jibu and the others. We need to go over and help as soon as possible."

"Wait, let me contact Sami first to see if I can reach them."

Xia Duo stopped Aiwa. Jibu was Aiwa's friend, and it was normal for Aiwa to be worried, but Xia Duo still had to confirm whether the wolf pack's prey was human.

If Dien and the others had received the notification and not returned, then 【Sending】 would definitely not be able to reach them three miles away. Conversely, if Dien and the others were right there near the wolf pack, then they would definitely be reachable.