Chapter 3610: Fate of Ice and Snow

"It's rare to see someone swearing by a pet cat. However, you look very sincere. Alright, what do you want to hear? That Moon Spellcaster was quite famous among the Ringed Ringed Shushi of the previous era. Speaking of which, Dan Dac Nisi Te might have seen her shadow in you... I mean talent."

Miss Ai Si Bo Ge knew many things. Although she wasn't a student cultivated by the academy, because of the close connection between the Extreme North tribes and Saint Byron, she also frequently entered and exited the academy in her youth, and even lived in the academy for a period of time as an "exchange student."

In her impression, Hai Lian Na · Ka Te was the kind of teacher who, although strict, was very gentle:

"Compared to her, Dan Dac Nisi Te's image in most people's eyes is only left with strictness."

She told Xia De about some interesting things from before, and talked about the situation when she met Ka Te alone a few times. Xia De could hear that she admired Ka Te quite a bit. This might have been influenced by the filter of her youth, but more of it was a conclusion given based on real memories.

"The relationship between Dan Dac Nisi Te and Ms. Ka Te was very good. Without exaggeration, it was already better than most mother-daughter relationships. Dan Dac Nisi Te had always regarded Ms. Ka Te as her goal and ideal, so after Ms. Ka Te disappeared, she had never given up searching for so many years.

I am actually very hopeful that your appearance can let her put down this obsession in her heart. It's not that I don't miss Ms. Ka Te; I also miss the small cakes eaten in her office back then, but people always have to look forward. Dan Dac Nisi Te understands this point, she just doesn't accept it."

She said this while looking at the bonfire in front of her, and her expression was also somewhat nostalgic. Xia De then asked:

"Dan Dac Nisi Te told me that she found the traces left by the Moon Sage in the material world before leaving, while investigating Ms. Ka Te's disappearance. Did Ms. Ka Te talk to you about similar topics?"

The female spellcaster wearing a dark blue dress recalled carefully:

"No. When that lady left, I didn't have today's power, and no one would talk to me about topics related to ancient gods at that time. But if Ms. Ka Te really disappeared in the process of pursuing ancient gods, then this should count as a kind of glory."

The two chatted for half an hour. During this period, the ceremony arranged around that cold pool was basically ready. The "Winter Fragment" brought out from the underground tomb was finally thrown into the cold pool. Immediately, a burst of extreme cold frost swept across the snow surface, and even with Xia De's protection, it almost extinguished the bonfire in front of him.

"It's truly cold."

He shivered, and stood up with Miss Ai Si Bo Ge wanting to watch the ceremony, but he was soon invited to the side along with Elder Ha La Er De.

This ceremony needed to paint some symbols on Si Dai La's body surface, and then she needed to enter the cold pool without wearing any clothing. And Xia De and Elder Ha La Er De, as the only two males present, of course couldn't approach during this process.

The two returned to the bonfire slightly away from the cold pool, sat down, and Elder Ha La Er De stretched out his hands to roast by the fire, and then turned his head to look at Xia De:

"Let me guess—did you happen to bring your Rod card deck out?"

Xia De laughed immediately:

"I carry my Rod card deck with me at all times, just like I must bring keys when going out."

"I generally don't bring keys when going out, because there is always someone at home, but I just happened to bring Rod cards too."

So when the final preparations were being made, Ke Lai Er, who was worried that her grandfather and Xia De would feel bored because they had nothing to do, ran to look at them. Seeing the Rod cards scattered by the fire, the two were beaming with joy and calculating the points of their respective hands, so she curled her lips and stopped paying attention to them.

However, Xia De and Elder Ha La Er De were just playing cards, and didn't bet their respective special cards.

This was a very cautious decision, but Xia De believed he could not hold out for too long.

After everything was ready, Stella hugged the stone zither and jumped into the cold pool. A small number of the young women stayed around the pool to prevent any accidents, while the majority returned to the camp to rest.

The time was approaching noon, and seeing them return, Xia De and Elder Harald immediately put away their respective decks of cards.

Someone started cooking by the fire, Elder Harald went to find Elder Ursa to confirm the situation of the ritual, and Flora and Claire sat on Xia De's left and right sides.

"There shouldn't be any more twists and turns, right?"

Claire said with some worry; recently, not a single thing had gone completely smoothly.

Flora, on Xia De's other side, felt that even if an accident occurred, it would be fine; she had already gotten used to it when she was in the Vesta Woodland:

"With Xia De here, even if an accident happens, it will be fine. You have to learn to trust him."

Miss Artist said this, and then she chatted with Xia De about the situation in the Willandale region after the Year-End Festival.

After lunch, Xia De played cards with Miss Bell for a while, with Flora calculating the points for them on the side. Finally, the young woman who lost went to boil tea for everyone. While drinking afternoon tea, Xia De went to listen to Claire and Miss Eisberge discuss the similarities and differences in the cold ice powers they each used.

Although their heritage came from the same source, after such a long time, the powers they used already had essential differences.

The afternoon tea time ended, and the ritual was also about to conclude.

As Elder Ursa raised the ancient staff in her hand, the runes engraved by the cold pool glowed, and the block of ice that had frozen Stella inside floated up from beneath the water's surface.

The young woman in the ice closed her eyes as if she had already fallen asleep, but soon, cracks appeared on the surface of the ice block. After the ice block "bang!" exploded into a sky full of crystal powder, Stella slowly landed on the water's surface.

Of course, because the young woman was not wearing any clothes, all of the above was described to Xia De by Claire afterward.

Xia De only saw Stella after she had tidied her clothes. She was pulled to the campfire in the camp by Claire, but it seemed Stella did not feel the cold.

The stone zither that had been sent into the cold pool together with her also returned to the water's surface. Everyone watched as Stella picked up the stone zither, but the zither did not change.

Then, the white-haired young woman held the zither in a standard posture and plucked the strings. Like cold springs dripping onto stones, accompanied by the pleasant sound emitted by the strings, the 【Frostmourne】 held by Stella bloomed with a dazzling ice-blue light in this snowy weather.

This light resonated with the light on her chest and the stone slab placed beside her. Stella Larsen looked at the concerned gazes around her and thought of everything she had experienced after leaving her tribe.

"Thank you."

She said softly, but she herself did not know who she was saying it to. The long, cold winter seemed to her to have ended; even if the wind and snow were heavier in the future, she would no longer feel any cold.

And so, in the resonating light, Stella's Life Ring emerged behind her.

The zither in her hand bestowed upon her the Whisper—【Sorrow】, the light on her chest bestowed upon her the Miracle—【Winter】, and the floating stone slab bestowed upon her the Revelation—【Fate】.

In the light, the power of the "Frost Punishment Imprint" mostly merged into her body, truly becoming a part of her. The stone zither in her hand released its self-containment state, revealing the true appearance of this relic.

And that stone slab obtained from the underground mausoleum also dissolved itself in the resonating light; in the end, all that remained was an ice-blue halo emitting a chilling cold, hovering in front of Stella.

"The fate of winter... sure enough, her Winter Pilgrimage ritual never actually ended. She is still walking on the path of that trial to this day, but she is not far from the finish line."

Miss Eisberge revealed a satisfied smile.

"The fate of ice and snow... it really is the Ring of Fate. The first generation of Fatu people indeed came into contact with the Ring of Fate back in the Fourth Era. That elder knew this ring was both a gift and a price, which is why they did not take the initiative to inform us of its existence."

Xia De considered what kind of changes the appearance of this brand-new ring would bring to the story. At this moment, the "Fate Handbook" had already unfolded beside him, and "she" softly read the analysis of the brand-new Ring of Fate:

【You have witnessed the "Ring of Fate: Ice and Snow," which is the fate of ice and flying snow.】

【Fate Interpretation: Winter will surely come, therefore ice and snow will surely come. All things will sleep in the cold silence, but this is not death, but preparation before rebirth.】

【Effect: The holder of this fate can control ice and snow, causing all things to fall into a peaceful sleep.】

"Stella can prepare to advance to the Seventh Ring! She only just reached the Sixth Ring in the second half of last year; this speed is truly fast."

Claire said quite happily. Seeing that Stella was a bit afraid to touch the Ring of Fate in front of her, Claire asked Xia De:

"How should this ring be handled? Will you keep it for the time being?"

"No, this is the fate of ice and snow, and it was activated by her herself. Stella, pick it up."

The white-haired young woman trusted Xia De quite a bit, so she put down the zither and instead used both hands to hold the ring. The ice-blue light on the ring spread toward her body, and at this moment, the howling cold wind and dancing snowflakes in the mountains became even more fierce and dense.

The visible ice-blue light shot straight into the sky. Winnie in the Ice and Snow Castle looked at that beam of light from the balcony and revealed a smile. President Lenormand in the Seer Association in the city walked to the window, squinting his eyes, not knowing what his thoughts were. Luvia, who had just entered Kyle-Todd Town, turned to look at the mountain peak, while the black snake pupils in the mountain temple peeked at this scene through the crack in the temple gate.

At the same time, Stella's snake slough also automatically emerged, with brand-new ink writing simple content—

【You have obtained a fate that matches your own.】

She looked like she had become more powerful; of course, powerful compared to her past self. There was a bit more ice-blue luster on her white hair, and even the Life Ring that had not yet been put away had some traces of crushed ice on it.

"The upper limit of spirit, mental power, vitality, and the intensity of my sorcery and spells have all increased slightly, and the power related to ice and snow has also been enhanced."

Stella said, and Claire frowned:

"Hasn't the arc not been activated yet, nor has it been integrated into yourself? Why is there such a strong effect? When we took turns checking that Ring of War at the Friday banquet, no one felt that they had become stronger so obviously."