Chapter 3636: The Stranger on the Snowy Mountain

To take a detour through the Frost-Kissed Corridor, one must first leave the city. However, the carriage could only be parked by the roadside and could not drive into the mountains, so Xia De and Vanessa got off at the fork in the road connecting Clockwork City and Kael-Todd Town.

A warning sign for the closed mountain, bearing the mark of the Fatu people, stood not far from the fork. The locals generally believed that the Fatu people truly possessed magical, cursed powers, and outsiders, as long as they weren't foolish, wouldn't ignore the obstacles and head up the mountain in such heavy, snow-blocking weather. Thus, a single sign was enough to make travelers stop in their tracks.

Of course, Xia De and Vanessa simply bypassed the sign and continued walking upward.

"Frost-Kissed Corridor" was a very romantic name, and in reality, the scenery here was also beautiful. Feather-like snowflakes drifted diagonally, the snow surface crunched with a rustling sound underfoot, and the pine needles by the roadside were laden with frost, looking as if they had been sprinkled with white sugar.

As the wind brushed past his cheek with snowflakes, Xia De recalled Winnie's kiss for some reason; although it was cold enough to make one shiver, it was just as gentle.

Vanessa wrapped her arm around Xia De's and walked with him, feeling very fortunate that she hadn't opposed coming here on a whim just now:

"The scenery of Claire's hometown is truly not bad. I can understand why this is a holy site for dating. How about we watch the sunset together before heading back?"

"The others on the ship will be worried."

"Worried about what? That the Divination Society will detain the two of us? It doesn't matter, Xia De. Slow your pace; I'm a bit reluctant to let time pass so quickly. Let us advance one footprint at a time, and let the earth remember that the two of us were once here."

She said in a very soft voice:

"I love you, Xia De."

Xia De turned his head to look at Vanessa Benanice:

"I love you too, Vanessa."

He kissed her on the forehead.

After this winter ended, the story of Fatumunster Island would likely end as well. Once spring arrived, the 【Golden Dawn Opera Troupe】 would leave the Randall Valley and resume performances in various cities across the Old Continent, but because of the impending war, Vanessa felt very regretful that they wouldn't be able to perform in Tobesk again.

She spoke with Xia De about their plans after spring arrived; she was already prepared for their first stop to be Moon Bay:

"We will try our best to avoid political centers like Willendale. Once we reach Moon Bay, we can see Bella often. Besides, Bella is actually under a lot of pressure in Moon Bay; if I go, I can help her out. If she can truly use this opportunity to make Moon Bay independent from Karsenrik, she might be able to complete the vision that Galina couldn't."

This referred to the vision of the "Witch's Kingdom."

The "Frost-Kissed Corridor" had no branching paths; even though snowflakes covered too many traces, the road remained clear. The two arrived at a low cliff at the highest point of the path, where an ancient and massive cedar grew. Vanessa even remarked that if it weren't for the roots of this cedar anchoring it, the cliff would likely have collapsed sooner or later.

The scenery was beautiful, but Xia De went first to dig up what Baron Samir had mentioned. Although more than a decade had passed, the items were still in their original location. He hadn't buried them very deep back then, and Xia De easily found the box.

Opening it revealed a jewelry box, and inside was a beautiful silver necklace, with a pendant of a mermaid...

"What's wrong?"

Vanessa asked.

"Look, a mermaid."

"In an island city like this, shells, mermaids, and ships are all very common motifs; it should just be a coincidence. Didn't Xiwei bring quite a few mermaid girls to help out? I didn't see you being afraid of them."

The Witch of the Earth said with a smile, and Xia De nodded lightly:

"But if this really was a token of love, why would it be buried here?"

"Some places have this tradition: tokens of love are left in places with commemorative significance, to be dug up when the couple marries or at a specific time. Since the locals generally believe the snowy mountain is sacred, there are likely more people who do this."

She touched the silver moonlight ring she wore on her hand:

"However, I would never bury our token of love."

Then, before Xia De could speak, she said again:

"Speaking of which, I saw Claire holding a moonstone these past few days, saying she wanted to have it crafted into jewelry. That was from you, right?"

"Yes, that was the payment for Claire helping to customize a birthday gift for Ajelina."

Vanessa wasn't scolding Xia De, but rather "mocking" Claire:

"What a silly girl, trying to compare herself to me without knowing anything. The important thing about the jewelry you give isn't that it's unique, but what I have obtained."

Golden eyes looked at Xia De, and the tenderness in her gaze was almost enough to melt him. The feelings of witches had always been fiery and sincere; this had never changed from the Fifth Era to the present.

However, just as Xia De was about to embrace Vanessa and kiss her, a strange sound interrupted their intimacy.

Large patches of snow that had been on the withered branches of the bare winter cedar rustled and fell, but the wind here shouldn't have been able to dislodge so much snow so easily.

Then, a voice came from a nearby position:

"Is anyone there? Could someone please come and help me?"

The voice came from the other side of the Frost-Kissed Corridor. Xia De and Vanessa exchanged a glance and followed the sound. They didn't walk far before they saw a young girl leaning against a tree by the path.

The other party had red hair, rare for locals, and was currently sitting there clutching her right ankle, with a backpack by her side. The strange red-haired girl also saw the two coming from a higher position and pleaded pitifully:

"Hello, can you help me? I slipped while walking just now, and when I fell, I think I sprained my leg."

Her accent sounded like that of the Karsenrik east coast. Xia De and Vanessa walked over:

"Hello, can you still stand up?"

"I can't stand up anymore; my ankle has swollen up, I think it might be broken."

Vanessa stepped past Xia De to check the other party's condition and asked:

"How did you come here alone? The mountain is closed due to the weather; we only came up after receiving permission. How did you get here?"

The girl said quite embarrassedly:

"I am a tourist from the fishing port of Baden on the east coast. These past few days have been nothing but blizzards and martial law, and I haven't had a chance to go out. Seeing that the weather was quite nice today, I thought I'd take a walk nearby.

I didn't see the warning sign; perhaps it was blown over by the wind."

After Vanessa's examination, the girl's right foot was indeed broken. So, after simple stabilization, the two decided to send her to the hospital in the city. She hadn't come alone; her companions were currently staying at a hotel in the city and would take care of her later.

During the descent, the girl couldn't walk, so Xia De had to carry her on his back. The three of them walked down the mountain along the path Xia De and Vanessa had taken earlier, and Vanessa even picked up a long branch for Xia De to use as a walking stick.

She walked in front, letting Xia De follow her footsteps to prevent slipping. The girl, who had her arms wrapped around Xia De's neck on his back, didn't say much at first, but later, as they walked, she suddenly whispered in Xia De's ear:

"Is that beautiful lady in front your wife?"

Xia De replied:

"Not yet."

The girl then said softly:

"I see that there is quite an age gap between you; is this what love is?"

This sounded completely devoid of malice, just a young girl marveling at an uncommon romantic relationship. Xia De looked up at Vanessa's back and smiled without speaking, so the girl behind him asked again:

"May I ask if you came here because the locals say this is a good place for men and women to date? Did I disturb you?"

"No disturbance; we were planning to leave now anyway."

The girl on his back smiled sweetly:

"Sir, you really are a good person. My name is Valentine LeBlanc, I am eighteen years old, still in university, and I am traveling with my family and friends. May I ask your name?"

"John Watson, a tourist from Willendale."

"But you look like a Delarion."

"Willendale does not forbid Delarions and descendants of the North from living there, at least not for now."

"Then are all Northerners as handsome as you? Oh, excuse me, I mean, are they all as friendly as you?"

The girl on Xia De's back continued to ask, and Xia De glanced at Vanessa's figure in front again:

"That's a hard question to answer; there are good people and bad people everywhere."

He paused slightly:

"But it is still better to be a good person who treats others with kindness."

"But can justice never defeat evil? Good people seem to suffer easily, and bad people aren't always punished."

The young girl said, which sounded like casual chatter on the way down the mountain.

"Sometimes justice wins, sometimes evil gains the upper hand, but being a good person is absolutely worth it."

"If it's not certain to win, why is being a good person worth it?"

She continued to chat with Xia De, speaking directly into his ear now, and Xia De could feel the hot breath she exhaled while talking.

This question wasn't hard for an outsider to answer:

"Miss LeBlanc, if you had to choose, would you choose a good person to be your friend or even your lover, or would you prefer that everyone around you were bad people with ulterior motives?

This isn't some life lesson, but since you don't want to be surrounded by scoundrels, don't let yourself become a bad person. I think even the most evil people would hope to have a few friends around them whom they don't have to guard against."

The girl on Xia De's back didn't speak for a long time, and Vanessa in front seemed to be walking faster and faster for some reason, while the snow around them fell heavier and heavier, until soon Xia De could only see Vanessa's back.

And the silent girl suddenly said:

"My leg hurts a bit; can we stop and rest for a while? I know the snow is heavy now, but I swear we only need to rest for a moment." ===== CHAPTER 3637 =====