Chapter 3292: Tear Mole

"Since you know I have companions, can't I face the trials together with them?"

Xia De had only intended to make one last attempt at negotiation, but the beautiful maid, who seemed quite reasonable, nodded in agreement:

"Since that is the case, guest, from now on, for every new floor you enter, you may liberate one ice sculpture to serve as your companion. Inside, it might be one of your companions, or perhaps other intruders frozen here in times past, but it is more likely they are merely ordinary statues.

You may choose only one at a time, and you must find a way to liberate those whose bodies and minds have been frozen. A simple flame can liberate the body, but if the mind cannot be thawed, the flesh will collapse instantly. The addition of companions will not increase the difficulty of the trials; please rest assured of this.

Furthermore, if you liberate a spellcaster who has been stationed here for over fifty years, I will permit them to survive temporarily as your companion, though they will perish once the task is complete."

She gestured for Xia De to find a companion for himself outside the castle now. However, the greater problem was not choosing which ice sculpture, but how Xia De was to liberate them. The maid had already ruled out forcibly melting the ice with fire, as doing so would cause severe harm to the living person inside.

He turned to look at the thousands of identical sculptures, and "She" gently offered a reminder:

【Do you not have a way? To thaw them, you must thaw the body and the mind simultaneously. For the body, use fire; for the mind, you must also provide fire.】

"Inner Fire?"

"She" laughed lightly, knowing Xia De was asking a question he already knew the answer to. 【Inner Fire】 only warms the soul; it cannot thaw a frozen mind.

With the Witch Detection Badge now ineffective, Xia De, seeing the maid did not object, attempted to touch the ice sculptures, only to find his senses completely useless. Within the range of this Ice Crystal Castle, aside from the negative effects of the low temperature, there was also a field effect that severely restricted the recovery of Qi and suppressed sensory perception.

Thus, unwilling to waste time, Xia De had to rely on his intuition, choosing one statue that appeared to have a feminine form. In any case, there was no penalty for choosing incorrectly; even if he picked a stranger, Xia De was confident he could persuade them to cooperate in these circumstances.

So, after whispering a soft "apology" to the ice sculpture, he hesitated before pressing a light kiss to the corner of its lips—he had to ignite the fire within the other's mind:

"Curiosity Art—Kiss of Thirst."

Simultaneously, the flames ignited on his hands made contact with the outer layer of the ice. As the mind was ignited and awakened by the strange flame, the ice encasing the body melted away.

As the ice peeled away, the figure of the girl was revealed.

With withered yellow hair, a seemingly unremarkable face, and a look of bewilderment and confusion as she gazed at Xia De, she possessed no memorable features. However, there was a tear mole at the corner of her eye, which was the only thing about her that was not entirely ordinary.

She appeared to be no more than twenty-three or twenty-four years old. While she was not anyone Xia De recognized, fortunately, she was not an ordinary person either.

Once the ice had completely fallen away, she, much like Xia De had moments before, stood in brief confusion before gasping as the Qi within her body surged violently, causing her to instinctively want to kneel.

Her expression turned somewhat pained, but even so, seeing Xia De reach out to help, she instinctively tried to push his hand away. However, in her current state, she could not evade Xia De's grasp. Of course, Xia De had no intention of taking advantage of her; although he had made a wrong choice, he did not want this "erroneous" companion to lose control and engage him in a fight on the spot.

Xia De took the initiative to support her, placing his right hand on her back to help regulate the Qi and elements within her soul. Because his senses were being interfered with by the cold, this was the only way he could determine her rank—

Peak Seventh Ring or early Eighth Ring; in the current environment, she could be considered a very capable helper.

It took the girl two minutes to return to a semblance of normalcy. After accepting the coat Xia De offered to wrap around herself, she shivered and looked around, then looked at Xia De with eyes that remained bewildered and suspicious:

"You... who are you? Where is this?"

She spoke in the language of the Karsenrick Empire. Xia De used the identity of "John Watson" to briefly introduce himself and the current situation:

"This is the snow mountain on Fatumunster Island. Do you not remember?"

Her expression shifted several times as he spoke. Xia De had hoped she might be a member of the Church, but when it came time for her to introduce herself, the girl only gave her name:

"My name is Delia A. Sabelle, I am..."

She huddled inside the coat Xia De had lent her, frowning as she clutched her head, then said apologetically:

"I don't remember. I only remember that I seemed to have encountered a blizzard, and then... then I was standing here."

The extreme cold suppressed the fire Xia De had ignited in her heart, and her amnesia was easily explained. If one's mind has been frozen for a truly long time, even a spellcaster might lose vast swathes of their memory.

Thus, although this girl did not even remember the era she originally lived in, it was highly probable that the time she had spent frozen far exceeded fifty years. Xia De had already told her the consequences of being frozen for over fifty years, but she likely had not yet realized the gravity of it, merely looking around in a daze:

"An island, a snow mountain... where exactly is this?"

She asked blankly, then touched the corner of her lips:

"What did you just do to me?"

Xia De felt quite clear-conscienced about this:

"I used a Curiosity Art that can stir the inner desires of the heart, but I only kissed the ice; I did not make direct contact with you. Madam, this was to save a life. I hope you can... understand."

Although her features were quite ordinary, her pale golden eyes were remarkably beautiful. Generally speaking, a spellcaster's eyes reflect their state of being; while she was bewildered, her gaze remained very sharp.

Sabelle nodded slightly to show she understood, but Xia De could tell she was still quite bothered by it. She seemed to be the traditional sort, so Xia De decided to take care of her a little more.

However, although she had lost most of her memories, Sabelle still possessed common sense and remembered how to cast spells. With a subconscious wave of her hand, a string of golden runes intertwined in the air, revealing the exact time. The runes displayed the time down to the "second," and the numerical runes shifted continuously with the flow of time.

"Are you willing to enter this castle with me?"

Xia De extended an invitation. He did not resort to deception:

"Once we complete the so-called trial, if you are able to leave, I have a friend who is quite skilled at memory manipulation; I can ask her to help you recover your memories. If your time frozen exceeds fifty years... I do not want the treasures here; I can ask this head maid to freeze you again. Would that be acceptable?"

The ice maid, watching their interaction, merely smiled at Xia De and then looked meaningfully at the blonde woman. The latter looked up at the Ice Crystal Castle, then back at Xia De, and finally shook her head slowly:

"If I cannot leave in the end, let me simply die; that is at least the correct path. I only wish that if I could recover my memories before I die, that would be enough... Mr. Watson, before we cooperate, may I shake your hand?"

She issued the invitation with a bewildered and helpless expression:

"I want to feel that I am truly alive right now."

Xia De was very worried that his "companion" would collapse on the spot, and he felt great sympathy for her plight. He shook Sabelle's hand, and she held it for a long time, as if trying to feel the warmth, before finally letting go:

"Very well, let us set off. Perhaps inside the castle, I will be able to remember my past experiences."

She gave Xia De a very strained smile, and the beautiful ice maid walked ahead to lead the way up the castle steps. Xia De followed behind her, but he did not forget to remind himself:

【Keep a close eye on Miss Sabelle for me. Plots where someone suddenly recovers their memory after amnesia, only to realize they were a villain and attempt to harm their companions, are not uncommon.】

"She" seemed to laugh quite happily:

【I am more interested in the stories you mention.】

Of course, "She" did not warn Xia De that although Sabelle was following them up the steps, she was staring at the palm of the hand she had just shaken with Xia De, wearing a look of confusion and bewilderment.

This "Ice-Sealed Castle" hidden in the snow mountain canyon had exactly thirteen steps before the castle gate, which was currently shut tight.

The gate was also made of solid ice, with patterns of falling meteors and snow mountain scenery on the two massive slabs of cold ice. Because the gate was over ten meters high, it was quite imposing.

The ice maid leading the way showed no intention of opening the gate, simply walking straight through it.

Xia De and Sabelle exchanged a look. The lower-ranked girl exhaled a puff of white air and tightened her coat again, her face pale:

"Mr. Watson, is this meant for us to find a way to open the gate ourselves, or are we meant to walk through it as well?"

This question was unnecessary; a simple test would provide the answer. Sabelle seemed to lack experience in such matters, or perhaps the prolonged stagnation of her mind had dulled her instincts.

Xia De reached out toward the spot where the beautiful ice maid had vanished, and after a violent shiver, his right hand also disappeared into the gate:

"We can walk through."

However, his expression was not good:

"But be prepared; it is extremely cold inside. This is no exaggeration—it is truly, truly cold. Activate all the charms I gave you, and if you have any Curiosity Arts that protect you from environmental effects, use them now."

?? PS: Who is this?

? Luvia's divination for this operation resulted in "Pocket Watch," "Ice and Snow," and "Reunion."

? (End of Chapter)