Chapter 2654: Snow in a Dream

When Xia De closed his eyes, the brink of life and death fell silent once more; thick fog quickly filled every space, and the ghosts' figures emerged from every corner.

The heavy fog enveloped the small boat drifting downstream, and Xia De did not realize that even without steering it, his current identity had still granted the boat the temporary ability to "pierce through time and space."

The small boat in the mist seemed to grow increasingly indistinct, and as rustling sounds emanated from within the boat, the surface of the river water soaking Xia De began to freeze.

(Xiao Miya is running...)

This "sleep" was somewhat too rapid, so that when Xia De felt a chill, it took him several seconds to recall what had happened before he closed his eyes.

"Is it time to wake up?"

He felt his condition at this moment was excellent; all his injuries had healed completely, and "she" replied with a smile:

【Why not first take a look at where you are now.】

Only then did Xia De realize the substance surrounding his body was not liquid; although somewhat cold, it felt as though someone was holding him.

So he opened his eyes and saw golden, large eyes smiling down at him, while behind the disordered silver strands of hair lay continuous mountain ranges and a sky filled with falling snow.

He was still on his small boat, surrounded by a vast lake as calm as a mirror; figures seemed to be moving by the lakeside. Snowflakes drifted down in a flurry, a layer of snow had already accumulated on other parts of the boat, yet neither he nor Chloe had a single flake on them.

"Did I sleep all the way until winter?"

After this foolish thought arose, Xia De spoke in surprise:

"Chloe?"

The demigod witch from the early Fifth Era smiled and tapped Xia De's forehead with her finger; an instant of coolness made him fully awake, and he then realized he had actually been half-reclining on this witch's lap, held in her embrace.

He hurriedly sat up; the thaumaturgy told Xia De that the current time was still Year 1854 of the Sixth Era, yet for a certain instant, it seemed to be the era of the Fifth Era.

The short silver-haired witch saw the confusion on Xia De's face; she reached out and gently embraced Xia De again as he looked around, and Xia De felt himself calm down instantly, so he also reached out to embrace her.

Regardless of whether the surroundings were illusory, at least she was real:

"It has been a long time, Chloe."

Since Miss Feliana and the others could cross time to find him, it was hardly surprising that Chloe could find him too.

"It has been a long time, Xia De; it seems you have not been doing very well recently."

His injuries had already healed, likely due to this demigod witch's assistance in treatment, but his clothes had not been restored.

Due to the height difference, when Chloe held him, her head was actually positioned at his neck; therefore, when this witch, who radiated coldness all over, approached Xia De, her kiss landed on Xia De's chest.

The snow-covered lake was like a silver mirror; amidst the drifting snow, not many sounds came through. But unlike the equally silent brink of life and death, which was dead silence, here the calmness was reassuring.

"When I first saw your small boat carrying you drift in from the mist rising above the lake, I didn't dare believe I had truly succeeded."

Chloe spoke softly, carefully sniffing the scent on Xia De's body. She had once tasted his blood in the snow mountains; she knew how fascinating his blood and body were:

"But it seems it is not that my luck is good, but that the location you are in is inherently unstable in time and space... Who injured you? Do you need my help? This lake currently lies within a rift in time, being both past and future; if you need it, I can find a way to manifest part of my power into your time."

Her voice was very gentle, with no trace of killing intent detectable. Xia De gently held her; among all the Misses he knew, only Chloe had silver hair:

"I encountered some matters, but that enemy is not invincible. The me of now is much stronger than when I first met you. I can handle it myself; I am truly very happy about this reunion."

He spoke thus, and the silver-haired Witch Emperor also softly hummed "mm~", pressing her face against Xia De's body to listen to his heartbeat. Her face was also somewhat cold, but this chill was not unpleasant:

"This meeting probably won't last too long, but we will meet again, Xia De; as long as we succeed once, there will be a second time."

Xia De then asked:

"Have you already contacted Miss Feliana and Miss Violet and the others?"

The Ice Witch nodded slightly:

"We are all searching for you; even if you hide to the end of time, we will one day reunite with you."

"Don't speak such terrible words."

Xia De gently stroked her head, then remembered another matter:

"I met a deity; He said that if I pay with a soul completely frozen by inner coldness, He can carry me to the time where you are. Do you know how to do this?"

The silver-haired Miss finally let go of Xia De; she sat on the boat, smiling, and studied Xia De's face. The small boat drifted slowly in the snow; there were no ripples by the boat's side, and the vast lake in the snow was so quiet it prevented even stray thoughts:

"You want to come find me, do you? Freezing a soul requires not only external temperature but also the soul's own sins. Can you find a soul with immense sins?"

"That is simple; my current opponent is one."

Because it was winter, the collar of the long dress she wore also had silver fur; when she leaned close to Xia De, that fur gently brushed against Xia De's body.

"Then a materialized sin is also needed; do you have that?"

"This requires... wait, I actually do have one!"

Xia De extracted two portions of "cowardice" using the method the doctor gave him, but only Father François's portion turned into a boat ticket; the lower-quality portion had been carried on his person all along. Calculating the time, even if it found no use, that sin had to be dealt with.

"That is enough; I knew fate was guiding you to come see me."

She lightly kissed the corner of Xia De's lips; her lips were also slightly cold:

"Use his own sins to freeze his soul. When the sins shatter within the ice, the wrapped soul will be completely frozen into unmelting hard ice.

This is simple; you need to blow forth a chill, let that chill flow over the materialized sin, and then touch that soul. The sins will turn into hard ice, rendering him unable to move; the evil deeds he committed will bring punishment upon himself."

"Then how do I blow forth the chill?"

Xia De asked again; the golden eyes gazed at him, and then Chloe embraced his neck, sat on his lap, and kissed him. The Ice Witch's lips were cold, but her tou was warm.

However, what Xia De cared about was not this; he cared more that as she embraced and kissed him, the extreme cold breath was blown by her into his mouth.

This chill was even somewhat unbearable for Xia De, but fortunately, with the Ice Witch's she/tou movements, that chill was completely confined within Xia De's mouth.

When the kiss ended, Xia De immediately covered his mouth to prevent this chill from accidentally leaking out. This power was absolutely no less than the peak strike of a demigod witch; Xia De even suspected that if he opened his mouth to exhale this cold air, it would be enough to turn the scorching summer into deep winter.

Chloe's power, compared to when she was in the Silver Mountains, had undergone a qualitative change. Although demigod witches were ultimately not deities, to ordinary people, they were actually much the same as deities.

"Look at you; you only covered your mouth, and the cold air is about to pour out of your ears."

The silver-haired Witch Emperor said with a smile; Xia De then wanted to cover his ears again, but immediately realized she was joking. He then made some "wu-wu-wu~" complaints, and Chloe laughed even more happily:

"I knew it; if there is anyone in the world who can withstand my coldness, then that person can only be you."

She leaned against Xia De's chest again, letting the small boat continue to carry the two of them drifting on the snowy lake. The people by the lake dared not gaze in this direction; the mountain ranges against the backdrop of the vast snow seemed about to disappear into the snow:

"There isn't enough time; you are going back, are you?"

There was no sorrow or melancholy in her tone:

"Then I will look forward to you coming to find me, Xia De. I will wait for you. Of course, if you do not come to find me, then I will go to find you."

"Wuwuwu~"

"You are truly cute."

She used an adjective she would not normally use to describe a man, then kissed Xia De on the face again:

"Then sleep a little longer. Your enemies are still waiting for you. Sleep, Xia De. Sleep peacefully in my embrace. The snow and ice bless us. The long winter is coming. Until then, please sleep."

She pulled the speechless Xia De into her embrace again, but she had to admit that although Chloe was small in stature, her figure was absolutely nothing compared to Ajelina's.

An ancient language sang a gentle song. The lullaby of the Fifth Era was hummed hoarsely by the little Ice Witch, and so drowsiness truly surged up.

Amidst Chloe's cool perfume, Xia De fell into slumber once more.

The snow filling the sky in the dream was no longer biting cold. When Xia De propped himself on the edge of the small boat and opened his eyes, looking around, he found this place was still the mist-shrouded boundary between life and death.

Yet he was certain that boating on the lake in the snow with Chloe just now was not his dream, because there was truly a powerful chill in his mouth at this moment.

Snowflakes drifted within the thick mist of the boundary between life and death, and ice crystals had already appeared in the river water on his body. Looking closely, even the river surface around the small boat was slowly freezing with a rustling sound. The power bestowed by the Demigod Witch had truly been brought back to the Sixth Era of the present world, and Chloe's slightly cold yet gentle lips seemed to still be pressed against Xia De's.

The Outsider had never mentioned to anyone that, in truth, of the four seasons, his favorite was winter.