novelonline Chapter 3499 Conflict in the Snow (Bonus Chapter, Please Vote)
Chapter 3499 Conflict in the Snow (Bonus Chapter, Please Vote)
Chapter 3499 Conflict in the Snow (Bonus Chapter, Please Vote)
The sea cliff where the ladies are currently located is part of the snow-capped mountain. Therefore, although they can still see some vegetation a few steps ahead, they have actually entered the mountain.
Emilia had completely given up on tonight's bonfire party. Although she was still thinking about how to apologize to Shad, she was now more curious about what lay ahead:
"We'll find the Pilgrim's treasure tonight, won't we? And that relic too?"
She didn't truly consider Miss Sabel one of her own, and therefore didn't utter the name of the [Stadium of Destiny]. A white orb of light floated to Luvia's right; she gently shook her head.
"What you find is not important; what matters is the process of the pilgrimage. If I move forward with the goal of finding something, I will never reach the destination that the ancient diviners reached."
There shouldn't be any roads in this area, but every stretch of path they took after entering the mountains was perfectly flat. Even when they encountered rugged and uneven areas, fallen trees would conveniently pave the way for them.
The snow started falling again, but no one paid any attention. Luvia and "Miss Sabel" continued their conversation, while Emilia, unable to join in, was responsible for keeping an eye on the two unicorns and preventing them from straying from the group.
Ellie, who had lived on the island for many years, had been to this area before, but she wasn't very familiar with it because there was no food or caves to live in nearby, and she had never lived in this area before.
It was the end of the month of the new moon, and winter was drawing to a close. Although the temperature had not yet fully risen, the snow cover in the lower altitude areas of the snow-covered mountains where the girls were currently active was no longer as dense as it was on the mountainside.
They walked and talked, and before 10 p.m. that night, they arrived at a cliff. The bonfire dance at the dock ended at 10:30 p.m., and there was no path in front of them.
"I thought there would be caves or something here."
Miss Sabel said, while Luvia went to the stone wall to investigate, wiped away the snow and ice on it, and examined it carefully.
"Should Luvia have come here alone? Shouldn't we have come along?"
Emilia asked with some concern, but Luvia thought that shouldn't be the reason:
"Ellie, Leona, help me bump this place."
So the unicorns charged towards the stone wall, and with a shattering sound, a dark cave appeared. The group continued into the cave, but after only a dozen steps, they emerged from the other end.
"here it is"
The cave exit faced another cliff, beyond which stretched a continuous range of snow-capped mountains under the night sky. They had suddenly ascended from the foot of the mountain to a high point. This wasn't the highest peak in the vicinity; from the side of the cliff where the now-vanished cave stood, there were paths leading to even higher areas of the mountain.
Or rather, the only way down is to jump off the cliff, but there's a path to go up. This reminded Emilia of the adventure game Shad had mentioned before, and this was the starting point of that adventure game.
"What's the next step?"
Emilia then asked for advice, and then realized she had asked a silly question:
"Now that we've passed through the cave, does that mean the map Shad found in the traitorous priest's tomb is usable?"
Then she patted her head in frustration:
"Now that we're close to the treasure's location, shouldn't we have called Miss Larson over? After all, she's the candidate for the chosen one."
As Luvia took out the map deciphered by the elder, she said:
"If we waste time, this road may not be open for us again. Don't be so determined to pursue the result; it's good enough that we've found our way here."
She compared the hand-drawn map translated by Elder Harald with the cliff in front of her, then looked up at the highest peak nearby:
"It is indeed a map of this area, and our destination is that highest peak."
"Can't we fly up there?"
Emilia asked again, and this time the blonde witch answered her:
"Some roads are better walked one step at a time."
This wasn't Emilia's pilgrimage route, so she simply followed Luvia obediently, imagining what kind of treasure awaited them at the end. But then she remembered the deceased, traitorous priest who had apparently also reached this place, but seemed to have taken nothing upon arrival and ultimately perished in the pool—
Is it dangerous up there?
Neither Luvia nor Miss Sabel could answer this question, but Luvia believed the journey ahead would not be smooth:
"Similar challenges await us, but what they will be is up to fate."
In the snowy, starry night, the group set off from the cliff face, where there was no path down, amidst the increasingly surging tide of spiritual energy. They first climbed along a small path beside the cliff, then, following the map, turned into a barely noticeable cave. After winding their way through the cave, they exited through another inconspicuous exit, and were then led by Luvia down the mountain path.
Although Emilia wasn't directionally challenged, she had long since forgotten the way. This strange, hidden region of the snow-capped mountains seemed to possess a strange power within its path; she felt she probably wouldn't be able to reach the end on her own.
"Without a map, how would the pilgrims navigate such a maze?"
She felt she had many questions today, but fortunately the ladies were willing to answer them for her.
"Star charts and intuition."
The group walked along the stone steps that encircled the mountain, carved out in an unknown era. The blonde Miss Sabel pressed one hand against her long hair that fell over her shoulder, and pointed with the other towards the starry sky above them.
“Those truly devout pilgrims of destiny must be quite adept at interpreting star charts. By interpreting the general path according to the star chart and then moving forward according to their own inspiration, they should be able to reach their destination.”
Emilia then went to look at the stars, and then remembered that she had never been good at astronomy. After all, she spent most of her nights taking care of the unicorns, and astronomy wasn't a subject she was required to study.
The snow in the mountains was getting heavier. As they walked along the steep stone steps that circled the mountain, a person suddenly fell from a high point on the mountain peak and landed straight on the stone steps in front of them.
The man appeared unharmed, patted his black robe, and stood up.
This was a middle-aged man who resembled a priest, with black and white hair arranged in stripes on his slicked-back hair, and a black notebook in his hand. Of course, the holy emblem of the evil god [Probability Demon] hanging on his chest clearly indicated that he belonged to the [Assembly of Ten Thousand Numbers].
Upon seeing the three people approaching from below—the unicorn was still further back and hadn't caught up yet—the "priest" didn't immediately observe them. Instead, he opened his notebook to check.
"It seems I'm not the only one who didn't go to town for All Souls' Day tonight."
He spoke in a low voice, his eyes shifting from the "notebook" to the three people below:
"Ladies, good evening. You seem to have a map of this place? Since fate has brought you this map to me, please hand it over now."
He maintained the same demeanor he had when he last met Xia De, but what he said was infuriating.
Luvia naturally guessed that this was the cultist who had fought Shad in the cedar forest outside the town last time, so she said sarcastically:
"Whether it was fate or the 'Puppet Master's Script' in your hand that brought you to us, I don't think so."
"Ma'am, it seems you recognize me?"
The cover of "The Puppet Master's Play" is a plain black color and not very distinctive, which is why the "priest" asked that question.
However, seeing that Luvia did not answer, he continued to persuade her:
“I’m pretty sure none of you three are candidates. In that case, why not give me the chance? It’s just a matter of fate’s journey, and it’s no more important than the birth of the chosen one.”
Luvia took a deep breath, realizing she really wasn't good at talking to people like this. Seeing that the three below showed no sign of yielding, the "priest" opened his notebook again, holding it with one eye on the contents and the other on the three below:
"Then please forgive my offense, ladies."
With a sudden change in tone to a fierce voice, a golden-yellow doll with a flat-topped yellow helmet stepped out from behind him, past the "priest," and onto the stone steps below him, blocking his path.
The strangely shaped golden puppet took another step downwards, and then, in a flash, the "priest" saw the puppet back before his eyes:
"Oh?"
The puppet continued to step downwards, and then returned to its initial position.
Knowing that Adele Isabella was secretly casting a spell, Luvia laughed:
"This is a magical technique that manipulates stairs. Its essence reflects fate. It means that you have reached this point. You will be trapped on the stairs and unable to take the next step. You are destined not to be the chosen one, so leave."
Emilia looked at Miss Sabel curiously, while the uniquely styled "priest" naturally didn't believe her. The golden doll, which had been rapidly writing in its black notebook, stopped trying to approach the three ladies below. It stood in front of the "priest," blocking most of his body, and then suddenly pointed a finger downwards.
At that moment, her right fist transformed into a golden beam of light that shot downwards, but the light almost instantly froze in the darkness of the night. At the same time, emerald light burst forth from Emilia's fingertips. The golden doll tried to block it, but its vision blurred again, and the beam of light pierced straight through the "priest's" brow.
The energy emitted carried kinetic energy that sent his entire body flying backward, and then with a bang, it exploded into countless sheets of paper amidst the snowflakes in the mountains. Each of those sheets belonged to "The Puppet Master's Script".
P.S.: My monthly votes have dropped out of the top 100. Please vote if you have any! Thank you. I will continue to update more this month.